The Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) project is dead and that is official. South Africa, however, does have another major power card up its sleeve – its unexploited reserves of another fuel source, thorium, which can also consume uranium residues in nuclear power stations.

“I will have to take a rain cheque (or check) on that one,” is the polite way in which we often refuse an invitation we cannot – or maybe do not want to – accept.  It is like a promissory note to oblige some time in the future, or at least that was the original intention of the “rain check,”  but as  with so many things in life it became a little corrupted over time.

Attempts to reform the mining industry have been an ongoing global phenomenon for a number of years and the debate of late in South Africa is far from unique. What is unique is the extent to which a campaign for  nationalisation has soiled the debate and overshadowed the broader issues at stake.

One of the famous one-liners of the popular Greek singer Vicky Leandros is: “Dreams are good friends when you’re lonely.” Perhaps it is an apt description of Gideon Sam’s popular and unrealistic goal of 12 gold medals for South Africa at the Olympics in 2012.

Amendments to the Municipal Systems Act to prevent senior political party functionaries from filling management positions in local government is set to go ahead and  be on the statute book before next year’s general municipal elections. The process,however, by all indications will not be plain sailing and some battles seem to lie ahead.

Attempts by the American congress to have World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules liberally interpreted by US law in an effort to force China to devalue its currency, the yuan, would not only trigger a trade war but have wider implications, also for South Africa.

We live in the midst of multiple crises­—economic and political, cultural and ecological—posing a significant threat to human existence at the level we have become accustomed to. There,s no way to be awake to the depth of these crises without emotional reactions, no way to be aware of the pain caused by these systemic failures without some dread and distress.

The use of private military and security contractors (PMSC’s) in non-combative and supportive roles is not new, but the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been a watershed. The United States has taken the use of PMSC’s to a new height, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have become the most privatised in American military history.

When the Stormers slumped to defeat to the Sharks in May the Bulls came to the rescue at Newlands and ‘handed’ them a collective ticket to Orlando to play the men in blue in the final of the Vodacom Super 14 competition. Don’t expect similar favours from the Sharks on Saturday when they meet Western Province at Newlands in the last league match of the beloved Currie Cup competition.

Speculation is mounting on a broad front among experts that the highly distributive Stuxnet computer worm was specifically developed to attack Iranian industrial facilities and especially those associated with its nuclear programme. Last week we reported that soon after its existence became known an expert assessment stated “…“the real story of this novel malware attack may not be its tactics but its creator”.

With the co-operation of the The LR Management Group, we can now bring you the leadership training tool 50 Lessons, which is a powerful force in the world of corporate learning. 50 Lessons is the worlds premier multimedia business resource, offering more than 1 000 personal and authentic video lessons from internationally respected business leaders. It can assist you to increase the utilisation and return on investment of your learning programmes immediately!

“Worth a read” is not your ordinary book review; it is a meta-review, providing an overview of the opinions contained in a variety of book reviews published in the media at large. This week’s meta-review is of “Africa United: How Football Explains Africa”, written by Steve Bloomfield and published in May 2010.