Democracy, ideally, represents rule by the people, but in a world with powerful centralised nation states, antiquated voting systems, and social media quickly spreading misinformation about remote events, in practice, it’s far from that. Just look at the state of most so-called democracies. But democracy in its current incarnation can work reasonably well at the… Continue reading Observatory energised
Category: Fire (Social)
Before the Flood
Today I watched Before the Flood with Dorje. The film is currently freely available on National Geographic’s Youtube channel. Of course I’ve talked to him about climate change, meat eating, pollution etc, but it’s different seeing it presented visually, and it seemed to have much more of an impact on him. Words alone will struggle… Continue reading Before the Flood
Learning Man and the Talent Exchange
I’ve just come back from Learning Man festival, held on a farm just outside Riviersonderend. The festival describes itself as a call to co-create a great social experiment in community resilience, focusing on Experimenting with Off Grid Living, Adventures in Freedom, Learning skills for an empowered life and Using Our own Economy. Learning Man continues… Continue reading Learning Man and the Talent Exchange
Le Chocolatier and the chocolate scam
When I was involved in Ethical Co-op (from its startup in 2005, until April 2014), there was a remarkable stream of dubious products presenting themselves for potential sale, trying to market themselves as organic in order to charge higher prices. One of my favourite tasks was investigating and rejecting a product due to not meeting… Continue reading Le Chocolatier and the chocolate scam
October 2014 African language Wikipedia and Wiktionary update
It’s only been a few months since my last update on the state of the Wikimedia projects in Africa, but seeing as the Wiki Indaba was held since then, and this weekend is Wikimedia South Africa’s AGM, it’s a good excuse to take another look. First, the Wiktionaries. Wiktionary is a much less well-known set… Continue reading October 2014 African language Wikipedia and Wiktionary update
Testing misleading organic and natural claims
I was excited this week to come across TOPIC, an organisation formed to test the authenticity of natural and organic product claims. I’ve had in mind forming an operation just like they have – there’s such a need for it – so I’m very happy someone else has done it and there’s no need for… Continue reading Testing misleading organic and natural claims
You’re fat, and the 7-minute workout
I paid a visit to the Ethical Co-op warehouse the other day, and Thembi, one of the warehouse staff who’s been there from the very early days, greeted me with a loud “You’re fat!” as I walked in. I was a little taken aback and didn’t have an immediate response, so she carried on “Yes!… Continue reading You’re fat, and the 7-minute workout
Leaving the Ethical Co-op
Way back in April, a lifetime ago that seems like yesterday, I stepped down from the Ethical Co-op, which I’d been involved with from the very beginning in 2005. There were about 10 founders, mostly drawn from two communities. Permacore, the Permaculture Foundation of South Africa, which is no longer running, and the Community Exchange… Continue reading Leaving the Ethical Co-op
June 2014 African Wikipedia and Wiktionary update
This weekend sees the first Wiki Indaba, a gathering of African Wikimedians. Since my last look at the state of African language Wikimedia projects was in May 2013, and my last look at Wiktionary (the dictionary project, not as widely-known as its more popular sister, Wikipedia) was way back in 2011, it’s time for an… Continue reading June 2014 African Wikipedia and Wiktionary update
Election soothsayer
In the interests of being utterly wrong publicly, I will look deep into my green tea leaves to make a prediction for tomorrow’s election. If you’re still not sure who to vote for, my unhelpful voting guide is sure to further confuse. The prediction: Party % Seats African National Congress 60% 240 Democratic Alliance 23%… Continue reading Election soothsayer