tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:48:10 +0000The Blog of Brandon Hamber: Updates, news, truth, reconciliation, psychology and politics.....http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/blog.htmnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)Blogger383125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-3694197595691132999Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:39:00 +00002009-11-02T23:43:03.939ZLook SouthAfricaCaster SemenyaOne of the sad realities of the world is that, once a newspaper story breaks, it is impossible to stop its spread. The story of 18-year-old South African athlete Caster Semenya is a case in point.As everyone on the planet now knows, Semenya is at the centre of a global row about whether she is, theoretically, a man or a woman. The controversy followed the revelation by the International http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/5bmULw4s56w/give-gift-of-dignity-not-column-inches.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/5bmULw4s56w" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2009/11/give-gift-of-dignity-not-column-inches.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-5329801155446862528Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:43:00 +00002009-07-06T22:52:01.904+01:00Look SouthEnvironmentStern ReportGlobal WarmingClimate ChangeSammy WilsonNorthern IrelandNicholas SternIt appears, as a species, that humans are prone to ignoring problems rather than dealing with them. Take for example the recent claim by Northern Ireland Minister of the Environment Sammy Wilson* that the hubbub about global warming is exaggerated.Mr Wilson is “not of the opinion that climate change is happening at the rate that some would tell us it is” and he does “not believe that it is withinhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/qlCd5JZaP18/is-man-made-climate-change-just-hot-air_06.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/qlCd5JZaP18" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2009/07/is-man-made-climate-change-just-hot-air_06.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-6237069517331848605Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:59:00 +00002009-06-01T23:02:30.108+01:00Look SouthBankersBlack DeathCredit CrunchSometimes I find myself studying random and frankly weird subjects. My most recent foray has involved delving into the history of the Black Death. This makes me appear macabre, but I stumbled across a radio programme on the subject and it pricked my interest.From 1340 onwards, the Black Death killed some 75-million people across the globe. In Europe it is estimated that 25-million to 50-million http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/iMis5Jzi7pI/is-credit-crunch-new-black-death.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/iMis5Jzi7pI" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2009/06/is-credit-crunch-new-black-death.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-9044681359615188502Wed, 13 May 2009 21:26:00 +00002009-05-13T22:31:50.337+01:00Look SouthJacob ZumaRobert MugabeSouth AfricaI have a confession that is unpopular in both South Africa and globally, and will probably result in my being ripped to shreds from all side. But here goes – I confess that I cannot make up my mind about how I feel about Jacob Zuma and I am not sure if it matters.Apparently, JZ is either the anti-Christ or the saviour South Africa has been waiting for – the the man who will lead us into a new http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/6S3GTApfpiI/jz-cometh-am-i-bothered.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/6S3GTApfpiI" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2009/05/jz-cometh-am-i-bothered.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-1366332220251618740Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:26:00 +00002009-04-18T23:55:02.199+01:00Muntadar al-ZaidiLook SouthGeorge W. BushIraq WarThere were not many highlights in the George W Bush Presidency. But one event, other than the occupation of Iraq, that stands out in my mind was the shoe-throwing attack on Bush by Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi.As everyone knows by now, Zaidi, as an insult and a form of protest against the illegal occupation of Iraq by the US, hurled his shoes at Bush during a news conference in Baghdad lasthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/3L5XqXHGNoA/shoe-today-bomb-tomorrow.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/3L5XqXHGNoA" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2009/04/shoe-today-bomb-tomorrow.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-5146090590896785301Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:26:00 +00002009-04-07T23:28:54.549+01:00Look SouthPalestineGazaIsraelThere is a saying in cricket that, if you are going to go for a big, shot go at it hard. This might sound obvious, but there is a tendency among batsmen, even when deciding to play a specific shot, of not committing to it fully, in the hope that they can prevent themselves from making a mistake as they strike the ball. But it is often hesitation, coupled with a lack of confidence, that can be a http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/OL1w8rlr3W4/what-i-learnt-in-2008.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/OL1w8rlr3W4" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2009/04/what-i-learnt-in-2008.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-3634894357655588196Tue, 10 Feb 2009 21:13:00 +00002009-02-10T21:16:24.420ZLook SouthBarack ObamaRacismUSElectionsThe election of Barack Obama as President of the US was momentous and filled with historic firsts. The first black President of the US, the first woman moose-killing candidate running for Vice-President, and a record turnout of voters eager to make their mark on history. Importantly, and probably the first time in the Western world, the issue of race was also central to the election http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/1a93v9X3Oio/does-it-matter-that-obama-is-black.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/1a93v9X3Oio" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2009/02/does-it-matter-that-obama-is-black.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-3719967037486383016Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:04:00 +00002008-12-22T10:08:05.389ZLook SouthEconomyCredit CrunchWhenever there is a disaster, jokes start doing the rounds pretty quickly. Recently, I heard this one: What’s the difference between a pizza and a banker? A pizza can feed a family of four. Of course, the economic collapse is no laughing matter. But why then are some people poking fun at it? The answer is easy: there is a popular sentiment that the wealthy in society are oblivious to the poor andhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/d1weU8i9NO8/why-i-prefer-pizza-to-bankers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/d1weU8i9NO8" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/12/why-i-prefer-pizza-to-bankers.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-185827500421648081Sun, 09 Nov 2008 21:45:00 +00002008-11-09T22:24:52.213ZLook SouthJacob ZumaThabo MbekiSouth AfricaKgalema MotlantheI admit I feel sorry for former President Thabo Mbeki. I know there are many out there who think he got what he deserved, but his summary dismissal smacked of retribution rather than mature democracy in action.As I sat thousands of miles away listening to the news on internet radio one image came to mind: a ship of revenge-filled and rum-laden pirates forcing their former captain to walk the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/HBe95fhqkKA/south-africa-needs-some-loving.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/HBe95fhqkKA" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/11/south-africa-needs-some-loving.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-8378493066839173239Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:08:00 +00002008-11-01T16:11:26.035ZLook SouthIndiaWar on TerrorIndia defies description, especially after you spend only a week there and in one city, Delhi. Delhi is a great city of the world, embodying dozens of cultures, old and new. The city survives on teeming markets selling anything from bananas to electronics and a modern financial sector that is expanding rapidly. The Indian economy has been growing at an annual rate of 8% to 9% recently, the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/cX947fuuv0g/war-on-terror-or-war-on-reason.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/cX947fuuv0g" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/11/war-on-terror-or-war-on-reason.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-4166691270133727256Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:56:00 +00002008-10-05T21:58:41.263+01:00Look SouthAccording to the publication Grocer, the number of oranges being sold in the UK is falling. Orange sales are dropping by about 2% a year, whereas the sale of easy-to-peel fruit, such as tangerines and satsumas, or naartjies, to South Africans is rising. Writing in the UK’s Telegraph newspaper, Aislinn Simpson reported the sales of satsumas and tangerines rose 35% and 60% respectively. Some have http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/N2dbH7frPhs/viva-orange-revolution.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/N2dbH7frPhs" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/10/viva-orange-revolution.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-940963966643583915Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:37:00 +00002008-09-13T14:55:43.356+01:00Look SouthAPAJeffrey BenzienTortureTruth CommissionsOne of the most chilling moments during the South African Truth and Reconciliation process was when Jeffrey Benzien, an apartheid era torturer, was asked by one of his victims to re-enact, without doing harm, the torture he had administered. The image of Benzien clutching a bag over the volunteer’s face while sitting on his back will stick in my mind forever. Benzien, who eventually received http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/F0JsFaXc8Os/ghost-of-jeffrey-benzien-lives.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/F0JsFaXc8Os" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/09/ghost-of-jeffrey-benzien-lives.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-6089838607853330480Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:50:00 +00002008-09-05T17:57:34.330+01:00ObituaryDan Bar-OnIt is with great sadness that I heard today about the passing of Dan Bar-On. Dan was an inspiration. Dan embodied the importance of dialogue and contact between people in times of conflict without romanticising what this entails. He will be missed. He touched many people’s lives with his compassion and sharp intellect.Dan Bar-On was born in 1938 in Haifa to parents of German descent. He was a http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/ZS8D3GrtVQk/passing-of-dan-bar-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/ZS8D3GrtVQk" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/09/passing-of-dan-bar-on.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-5505540877023211895Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:50:00 +00002008-08-07T23:52:23.948+01:00ZapiroLook SouthJacob ZumaThabo MbekiSometimes it is not only horrific crime stories or Thabo Mbeki’s quiet (twiddling-your-thumbs-while-Rome-burns) diplomacy on Zimbabwe that creep out of South Africa for international consumption. Recently, I heard the story of KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Peggy Nkonyeni, who suspended rural doctor Mark Blaylock for throwing her picture in the bin. He claims to have been incensed by her visit to a http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/gzqx2snwdZ0/beware-sohf-is-spreading.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/gzqx2snwdZ0" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/08/beware-sohf-is-spreading.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-5648484858632567460Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:43:00 +00002008-07-17T23:45:38.002+01:00Look SouthRobert MugabeZimbabweElectionsLately, words have been distressing me and increasingly alienating me from the world. This is because our world is now filled with words whose meaning is distorted unrecognisably. We live in the age of euphemisms.Cars are no longer second-hand but preowned. The world economy is not in free fall but is correcting itself, with staff being rationalised, not being fired. No one sells products anymorehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/Sa1T2qaj0qE/zimbabwe-not-crisis-but-little-mix-up.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/Sa1T2qaj0qE" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/07/zimbabwe-not-crisis-but-little-mix-up.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-2425491395236393449Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:33:00 +00002008-06-17T23:36:24.873+01:00Look SouthPrejudiceXenophobiaSouth AfricaCurrently, it is not possible to write about anything else other than the violence that has gripped South Africa over the last few weeks. Barbaric images of foreigners being burned alive and assaulted by xenophobic mobs have been splashed across most international newspapers and TV.It has been sobering, leaving one feeling powerless, distraught and deeply ashamed. I imagine most South Africans http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/_c3VItMPrWM/little-less-conversation-more-unity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/_c3VItMPrWM" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/06/little-less-conversation-more-unity.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-6988346606438143415Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:02:00 +00002008-06-04T23:04:52.288+01:00Look SouthEnvironmentNoble PrizeThe issue of climate change is now big news. This was brought home recently with the Nobel Peace Prize being given jointly to Al Gore and the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Gore's Oscar-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, has helped drive home the dangers of climate change to the public. The Norwegian Nobel Committee felt Gore was 'probably the single http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/hXC-b8tC4U4/do-we-just-not-like-inconvenient-truths.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/hXC-b8tC4U4" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/06/do-we-just-not-like-inconvenient-truths.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-8253667620657350098Tue, 13 May 2008 21:59:00 +00002008-05-13T23:00:51.142+01:00Look SouthLoad-sheddingSouth AfricaThe word that South Africa is famous for introducing into international parlance is 'apartheid'. However, as power outages continue in the country, its next big export will be ‘load-shedding'. South Africa did not invent the term, but it is claiming it.Every time I speak with someone at home, load-shedding finds its way into the conversation. Load-shedding is a nice way of saying you are sitting http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/E_vvUgAWYAo/where-is-light-at-end-of-tunnel.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/E_vvUgAWYAo" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/05/where-is-light-at-end-of-tunnel.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-5773495340407972703Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:18:00 +00002008-04-24T13:20:45.192+01:00Look SouthDiseaseFearSince the infamous war hero, Tony Blair, resigned and Gordon Brown took over, the news in the UK has been fitting for the most virulent of blues riffs. Brown’s Premiership began with floods, an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and an economic downturn fuelled by a US housing crisis. The Gordon Brown blues then reached their apex with the discovery of bluetongue.When I first heard the report, http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/WIKCa0eCptQ/bluetongue-blues.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/WIKCa0eCptQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/04/bluetongue-blues.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-9186469821278413816Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:03:00 +00002008-03-30T18:05:52.397+01:00Look SouthRacismPrejudiceNorthern IrelandSouth AfricaA few weeks back, I wrote an article that highlighted some of the findings of the ‘Human Beliefs and Values Survey Northern Ireland’. According to this survey, Northern Ireland was found to have the highest proportion of bigoted people in the western world. Following the recent release of the South African edition of the ‘World Values Survey’, it seems that South Africans are as bad as their http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/wN0dUsxBWGY/prejudiced-and-proud-of-it.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/wN0dUsxBWGY" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/03/prejudiced-and-proud-of-it.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-8879746393918322092Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:36:00 +00002008-03-17T21:38:34.045ZLook SouthBooksIn this article, I would like to talk about a book I have never read. Strangely, though, I feel justified in doing so, since the book is entitled How to Talk About Books That You Haven’t Read – it was written by French academic Pierre Bayard. The book, which I have read about second-hand, is a bestseller in France. In the book, the author, apparently, admits that there are many books he talks http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/j-ri2mFgHyg/how-to-talk-about-books-you-havent-read.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/j-ri2mFgHyg" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/03/how-to-talk-about-books-you-havent-read.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-6729327177084644634Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:22:00 +00002008-03-04T21:26:37.961ZOutsourcingLook SouthIn the UK and Ireland, almost all telephone queries, helplines, and even booking some domestic services, such as flights, are outsourced. Seemingly, it is cheaper to hire people in the developing world than to carry out such tasks locally. Last week, however, I reached the end of the road with the infamous call centre.After struggling for a week with a terminally slow Internet connection, I made http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/lWV1WRiddj0/art-of-outsourcing-frustration.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/lWV1WRiddj0" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/03/art-of-outsourcing-frustration.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-5493617696977211320Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:56:00 +00002008-02-27T14:58:53.987ZINCORECoursesINCORE is pleased to announce that the 2008 International Summer School will be held from Monday 16th June to Friday 20th June 2008.INCORE will offer three separate one-week courses: • Evaluation and Impact Assessment of Peacebuilding Programmes; • Reconciliation in Societies Coming Out of Conflict; and • ***Transitioning from a Post-settlement to a Post-Conflict Society.The school provides an http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/x4XxYagkZg4/incore-summer-school-2008.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/x4XxYagkZg4" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/02/incore-summer-school-2008.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-990613948709372072Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:20:00 +00002008-02-21T17:00:29.281ZTimor-LestePublicationsTransitional JusticeICTJTruth Commissions ICTJ recently released the publication of “Too Much Friendship, Too Little Truth: Monitoring Report on the Commission of Truth and Friendship in Indonesia and Timor-Leste”. The report focuses on the Commission of Truth and Friendship.The report reveals according to ICTJ:The CTF was created not with truth-telling and interpersonal reconciliation in mind, but as a means to ignore calls for http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/gzuvUvV3ASU/report-on-commission-of-truth-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/gzuvUvV3ASU" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/02/report-on-commission-of-truth-and.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4122508.post-1174710651506855909Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:04:00 +00002008-02-17T23:07:13.447ZLook SouthMoney and WealthDuring a rain delay at the Wimbledon tennis tournament this year, former champion John McEnroe was asked if his children played tennis. He responded by saying they did and were good at it. He was then asked if he thought they would make it to stardom. He answered that they would “probably not”, because his children suffered from affluenza. He went on to explain that they had too much money, http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~3/i67CM48D7Bw/woes-of-affluenza.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandon)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrandonHambersBlog/~4/i67CM48D7Bw" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.brandonhamber.com/blog/2008/02/woes-of-affluenza.html