Africa, Angola, European Union, FW de Klerk, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Ian Smith, Johannesburg, Maputo, Mozambique, Nelson Mandela, Portugal, Rhodesia, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Remembering Portugal’s Revolution That Changed Africa

Forty years ago a brave band of junior officers overthrew Portugal’s dictatorship. On April 25th, 1974 thousands poured into Lisbon’s plazas in celebration. Flower sellers did a brisk trade in red carnations that poked from the barrels of soldiers’ rifles. Marcelo Caetano, the despot who headed the fascist government in power since 1932, fled to Brazil. The young captains behind the coup had seen for … Continue reading Remembering Portugal’s Revolution That Changed Africa

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Amazon, Apple, Brad Stone, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Jeff Bezos, Kindle

Kindle and the Rise of E-Books

In a late February talk in Washington, HarperCollins chief executive Brian Murray declared that Amazon.com seeks to put publishers out of business. “No-one,” he said, “has yet discovered how to compete with Amazon.” He regards Amazon as more powerful than Walmart. Amazon’s Kindle that was unveiled in 2007, said Murray, triggered the explosive growth of ebooks, which now comprise 20% of all books sold in … Continue reading Kindle and the Rise of E-Books

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Allan Winde, Cape Argus, Cape Town, cycling, David Bellairs, South Africa, Table Mountain

Up Against the Wind in Cape Town

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA The 65-mile Argus bicycle tour has been an annual fixture in Cape Town since 1978. A charity event run in part by the local Rotary Club, the Argus has evolved into the world’s biggest timed bicycle race. This year’s event on March 9th drew 35,000 cyclists, 90% of whom were South African. This year’s winners completed the scenic circuit winding around … Continue reading Up Against the Wind in Cape Town

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Adam Jonas, consumer reports, elon musk, gigafactory, lithium ion battery, supercharger, tesla

Tesla’s Battery Magic

Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk are on a roll. The Silicon Valley start-up’s stock price has nearly doubled in recent months after rising 400% last year. Consumer Reports named Tesla’s luxury Model S the best overall car of the year. And the company is unveiling plans for a $5 billion ‘gigafactory’ to produce lithium ion batteries in the desert southwest. Under consideration for a … Continue reading Tesla’s Battery Magic

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http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, hyperinflation, International Monetary Fund, Patrick Chinamasa, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, South African rand, Tendai Biti, Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s Transition to What?

Zimbabwe is entering an unsteady transition politically and economically.  Robert Mugabe, its sole leader since independence in 1980, turns 90 on February 21st.  He can’t live forever.  Who will follow Mugabe and what course will his successors steer? After four years of gradual improvement, the economy is again deteriorating.  Money is in short supply. Workers are losing jobs.  Government is starved of tax revenue because … Continue reading Zimbabwe’s Transition to What?

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