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This month, exactly 100 years ago, the world met Hercule Poirot, the diminutive fictional private detective created by Agatha Christie. Also this month, secret agent James Bond died*. Even though Sean Connery was not the only Bond, he is regarded as the definitive Bond.
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What is it about James Bond and Hercule Poirot that has led to their enduring popularity through changing times, altered worlds, evolving technologies and moving morals?
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In the case of Poirot, there is something infinitely comforting about the vanished, uncomplicated world that he represents; and in the case of James Bond there is the ongoing excitement of a single individual bringing down the baddies of the world (and escaping awful death by a hair every time).
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We live in a time when we are surrounded by baddies on every side: religious fundamentalists who call down death on perceived enemies of their religion; world leaders who use inflammatory rhetoric; our own officials being implicated in astonishing feats of larceny .... the list seems endless.
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So we need to believe that a single person can defeat the forces of evil and that good will triumph. Otherwise, why should we bother?
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So raise a glass to our little detective and our superhuman secret agent, and ask ourselves: what did we do today to make the world a better place?
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* By the way, James Bond is buried in Bloemfontein cemetery. Along with Sarie Marais. If you don't believe me, go and look.
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Trump, the Zondo Commission & malignant normality
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The American psychiatrist, Robert Jay Lifton, coined the term “malignant normality” to refer to a degenerative social phenomenon in which large numbers of people view reality through the skewed lens of a political leader and even adopt his traits.
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While birthdays are supposed to be happy occasions, when you have a child with special needs, they are a reason to panic. In my situation, what makes me panic is the knowledge that despite my son's challenges, he's capable of a whole lot more given the right support. The right support is a pie in the sky. A 2017 report from the Basic Education Department revealed that nearly 10,000 children with special needs were waiting to be placed in schools. I believe the figure is a lot higher. While they're waiting for placement, they don't stop growing. They become illiterate adults who become a burden on their families and the state. Urgent action is needed.
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Jika Joe Informal Settlement
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Jika Joe, Informal Settlement, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Jika Joe is an informal settlement that straddles both banks of the Dorpspruit River in the center of Pietermaritzburg, the capital city of the province of KwaZulu Natal on the eastern sea board of South Africa. Jika Joe is one of many informal settlements on the skirts of South African Cities; it's bulk …
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Sections of Songs that changed my life.
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Music has meaning in almost everyone’s life. Most people have favourite tunes, composers or bands. BUT – what has special import for you? Why does one piece get you going? Which melody changed your life? Read what does it for me, and why.
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A communication lesson from Dr Seuss
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Children’s books and poetry have a lot to teach us, as adult content marketers, about what works and what doesn’t.
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The Ballad of You and Me - By Melanie Lewis, In Response to a Challenge.
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Creative writing rocks. I received a response from a dear friend and fellow writer in response to the challenge to write a ballad as I proposed in the article covering my ballad, ‘Pigeons Nesting on my Stoop’, published in last week’s SAFREA Chronicle. Merely having received the response was exciting, but once I had read the poem, I was exhilarated and blown away.
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Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
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Photo of author Maggie O’Farrell Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell Review by Arja Salafranca Hamnet is acclaimed Irish writer Maggie O’Farrell’s lyrical imagining of the life of Anne Hathaway, the woman William Shakespeare married in 1582. Hamnet was their son, who died at the age of eleven, possibly from the plague. Four years later Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. In the sixteenth century, …
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Where Words Take Us - Throat
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Although no human can hope to have such a display of splendour at the throat, our own throats are pretty spectacular. A silent air-traffic controller without which we would simply stop breathing.
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Basic guide for preparing your pets for export
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Emigrating, whether for a short-term job opportunity or a long-term change can be a stressful process. Pets are part of your family unit and your vet’s goal is to help you through the process of exporting your pet so that they can at least help carry some of the stress for you. Below are some useful tips from the lovely Somerset West, Teva Clinic Vet, Dr Karin Wilson.
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