50 People Who Messed up the World

50 People Who Messed up the World
Author: Alexander Parker
Publisher: Robinson
Total Pages: 339
Release: 2017-11-09
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1472140702

Who would top your list of the fifty people who have done the most to make the modern world a worse place? 'I can't imagine how they whittled it down to just 50 people' - comedian Nik Rabinowitz 'A fantastic thought-provoking book that renews my appreciation for history. It reminds us how we got here and how we can avoid things getting worse' Mandla Shongwe, SAFM Lifestyle 'A fascinating, terrific read' Gareth Cliff, CliffCentral From despotic mass-murderers to sports cheats, and from corrupt politicians to truly dreadful celebrities, who has had the most damaging -- or vexatious -- impact in their particular sphere of modern life? This line-up of the very worst of the twentieth century and beyond includes the obvious candidates: those who have caused extraordinary damage through their murderous paranoia, brutal avarice, or demented self-regard -- Stalin, King Leopold, Idi Amin and the like. But murderous dictators aside, there are plenty of others who deserve recognition for their role in making the world a significantly more dangerous or, at the very least, more annoying place: terrorist Carlos the Jackal; Robert Oppenheimer, the man who gave the world the atomic bomb; notorious sports cheat Lance Armstrong; and the one and only President Donald Trump, who has of course succeeded in making the world both more annoying and more dangerous. This perfectly focused spotlight on infamy is illustrated throughout by award-winning political cartoonist Zapiro.

50 People Who Stuffed Up South Africa

50 People Who Stuffed Up South Africa
Author: Tim Richman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2021-02-15
Genre:
ISBN:

50 People Who Stuffed Up South Africa, originally published in 2010, is the original book in the best-selling and critically acclaimed 50 People series. Part history, part social commentary, 50 People Who Stuffed Up South Africa is an engrossing and edifying read that delves into South African politics, war, sport and culture, and answers the question, who are the greatest villains, the direst leaders, the foulest corrupters and the most offensive personalities to have spread their regrettable influence through our fine and glorious land? From Jan van Riebeeck in 1652 to Jacob Zuma in 2016 - via Basson, Botha, Shaka and Shaik - it is filled with the nastiest names to have besmirched our past. These are men of infamy (and three women) who have steered the good ship South Africa firmly in the wrong direction by virtue of their ruinous megalomania (Mbeki, Rhodes), foul convictions (Verwoerd, Terre'Blanche) or general idiocy (Malema, Erwin). But the obvious political gangsters and historical heavy-hitters are just the half of it: there's also the colonial warmonger (Lord Milner), the national embarrassment (Rudolf Straeuli), the societal delinquent (The minibus taxi driver), the unexpected sports villain (Richie Benaud!), the Euro-chancer (Mark Thatcher), the traitor (Kevin Pietersen) and the twat (Kevin Pietersen).'A well-researched, considered look at those who have had an influence on South Africa's progress; or rather, have hindered it.' - City Press 'Entertaining... enlightening... comes highly recommended.' - Business Day 'The writing is sharp and the scope impressive... provides some great moral sword fights and it's worth reading for the cartoons alone.' - Rapport Short-listed for the Nielsen Booksellers' Choice Award 2011 The other books in the 50 People series are: - 50 Flippen Brilliant South Africans (2012)- 50 People Who Messed Up The World (2017)- 50 Who F***ed Up South Africa: The Lost Decade (2020)

50 People Who F***ed Up South Africa

50 People Who F***ed Up South Africa
Author: Tim Richman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2020-11-16
Genre:
ISBN:

It took 350 years to come up with the list of shame for the original best-selling 50 People Who Stuffed Up South Africa, published to critical acclaim in 2010. But it's taken only ten more years to come up with the next 50... From Shaun Abrahams to Mosebenzi Zwane, 50 People Who F***ed Up South Africa is shot through with the architects and beneficiaries of state capture who have defined The Lost Decade. There's Dlamini, there's Zuma and there's Dlamini-Zuma. There are the Guptas, Geoghegan and Gigaba. There's a malady of "M"s - Mabuza, Magashule, Mahumapelo (and many more mofos). There are the crony-corporate enablers and big business abusers. Importantly, there are clean takedowns of those who represent the scandals that will live in infamy when the history of this time is written: Eskom, Nkandla, Marikana, Life Esidimeni, Steinhoff, Bosasa, VBS Mutual Bank... And then there is the joker in the pack (Niehaus), the naked emperor (Survé), the zombie killer (Pistorius), the Twittering twit (Zille) and the twit who got past security (Thamsanqa Jantjie). The end result is a readable, accessible, entertaining overview of South Africa's recent political and socioeconomic landscape. Because sometimes humour (along with a clearly painted picture) really is the best coping mechanism...

Dopeworld

Dopeworld
Author: Niko Vorobyov
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2020-08-18
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 1250270022

In this irreverent ode to gonzo journalism, one writer travels the globe to explore the use of recreational drugs in cultures around the world. After I got out of jail, I was determined to find out more about how the issue of drugs not only landed me there, but has shaped the entire world: wars, scandals, coups, revolutions. I read every book, watched every documentary. I saved up to buy plane tickets. I went to Colombia, Mexico, Russia, Italy, Japan and the Afghan border—all in all, fifteen countries across five continents. Call me Narco Polo. Just as Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations did for the world of food, Dopeworld is an intoxicating journey into the world of drugs. From the cocaine farms in South America to the streets of Manila, Dopeworld traces the emergence of psychoactive substances and our intimate relationship with them. As a former drug dealer turned subversive scholar, with unparalleled access to drug lords, cartel leaders, street dealers and government officials, journalist Niko Vorobyov attempts to shine a light on the dark underbelly of the drug world. At once a bold piece of journalism and a hugely entertaining travelogue, Dopeworld is a brilliant and enlightening journey across the world, revealing how drug use is at the heart of our history, our lives, and our future.

Should we go?

Should we go?
Author: Alet Law
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Total Pages: 170
Release: 2020-10-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0799396230

The emigration debate is as old as our democracy itself. When the “new South Africa” dawned in 1994, many people left the country out of fear for what majority rule would hold. More still left in the years that followed to seek a better life elsewhere, and communities of expats can be found all over the world in places such as Canada, England and Australia. Today, 25 years after the dawn of democracy, as optimism about the country’s future ebbs and flows, new impetus has been given to the emigration debate. This time around, it is not only being discussed in reactionary circles, but around dinner tables of all creeds as many people leave for better education, job opportunities and safety. With the reality of nine wasted years tugging at our wallets and future prospects, and the allure of a global economy pulling strong, more and more people are asking, “Should I go?” In Should we go? more than 20 of South Africa’s foremost thought leaders such as Jonathan Jansen, Mandy Wiener, Phumzile van Damme and Ferial Haffajee grapple with this question. It is an attempt to find some answers that will give insight to and challenge every person who is thinking of leaving, has already left, or has decided to stay so that they may thrive as South Africans wherever they are.

S.A. Politics: Unspun

S.A. Politics: Unspun
Author: Stephen Grootes
Publisher: Burnet Media
Total Pages: 369
Release:
Genre: History
ISBN: 099219492X

In SA Politics Unspun, premier SA political commentator Stephen Grootes cuts through the incomprehensible political spin and media coverage out there to provide an accessible, attractive, easy-to-read road map to South African politics. The entries are short and punchy, covering the basic structures of South African politics (Constitution, Parliament, Presidency, Cabinet etc), the major parties and players (from Aaron Motsoaledi to Helen Zille and Jacob Zuma) and the critical controversies that define our current political landscape (Nkandla, the Arms Deal and the Secrecy Bill). Key elements are the (even-handed) predictions for our political future and the patented Stephen Grootes Power Ratios, which rate our leading politicians by the power they wield and the moral authority they enjoy. With innovative colour design to back up Grootes entertaining opinion and insight, this is the must-have political read in the run-up to National Elections 2014.

Illuminating Lives

Illuminating Lives
Author: Bill Nasson
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2018-09-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1776092651

In this fresh and highly readable collection of South African biographical essays, a distinguished group of authors illuminate the lives of eleven colourful and complex men and women whose personal experiences throw fascinating light on the times in which they lived. The individuals whose stories are told here are very different in time, in place and in work and at play, but are united by an abundantly rich humanity and by the fascinatingly different ways in which they navigated their existence through the uneven waters of South Africa’s distant and more recent past. Including administrators and activists, sportsmen and teachers, a missionary, a pilot, a painter and a poet, Illuminating Lives is a wide-ranging and moving book which provides readers with striking and unexpected insights into history. Here are some intriguing South African lives well worth knowing about.

The Linguistic Landscape of Post-Apartheid South Africa

The Linguistic Landscape of Post-Apartheid South Africa
Author: Liesel Hibbert
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2016-06-24
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1783095822

The appointment of Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa in 1994 signalled the end of apartheid and transition to a new democratic constitution. This book studies discursive trends during the first twenty years of the new democracy, outlining the highlights and challenges of transforming policy, practice and discursive formations. The book analyses a range of discourses which signal how and by what processes the linguistic landscape and identities of South Africa’s inhabitants have changed in this time, finding that struggles in South African politics go hand in hand with shifts in the linguistic landscape. In a country now characterised by multilingualism, heteroglossia, polyphony and translanguaging, the author debates where the discourse practices of those born post-1994 may lead.

The World

The World
Author: Lonely Planet
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Total Pages: 1424
Release: 2017-10-01
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1787012492

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Every country in the world, in one guidebook: Lonely Planet's The World. A Traveller's Guide to the Planet. We've taken the highlights from the world's best guidebooks and put them together into one 900+ page whopper to create the ultimate guide to Earth. This user-friendly A-Z gives a flavour of each country in the world, including a map, travel highlights, info on where to go and how to get around, as well as some quirkier details to bring each place to life. In Lonely Planet's trademark bluespine format, this is the ultimate planning resource. From now on, every traveller's journey should start here... Nearly 1000 colour photos of must-visit highlights More than 200 colour maps The guidebook every traveller needs to own About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, video, 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day. Lonely Planet enables the curious to experience the world fully and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves, near or far from home. TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia) Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

Soap to Senate: A German Jew at the dawn of apartheid

Soap to Senate: A German Jew at the dawn of apartheid
Author: Adam YAMEY
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 460
Release: 2016
Genre: History
ISBN: 1326617125

**A new insight into the genesis of apartheid** Franz Ginsberg left Germany in 1880. He settled in South Africa as an 18-year-old photographer, escaping the restrictions on Jews, only to adopt a homeland with escalating restrictions on 'black' and other non-European people. Franz flourished as a manufacturer of a large variety of domestic products, becoming well-known as an industrial pioneer. Soon, his concern for people's welfare plunged him to politics. From 1927 onwards, as one of the 32 elected Senators of the Union of South Africa, he attempted to mitigate the racist policies that many of his fellow legislators promoted. During his progression from Town Councillor to Senator, Franz questioned the law-making processes that were to lead eventually, after his death in 1936, to the establishment of apartheid. Franz Ginsberg, the author's great-grandfather, battled for a better world in a time not yet ready for that change-leaving a unique story and legacy on the blueprint of our modern world.