I write in complete ignorance as I have not been to Iraq. I know the following facts: * Suicide bombers will do anything to get to their targets. They are becoming more sophisticated as I speak. * Suicide bombers form the second arm of the insurgent attack to disrupt Iraq and prevent it from becoming a democratic, peaceful country. * Suicide bombers use explosives strapped to their bodies or hidden in vehicles. Now, and bear in mind that I have not been on the ground in Iraq, I ask, why...

I virtually fell into the role of "Motoring Scribe" when we produced a small camp newsletter in the mountains of Lesotho (a small Kingdom surrounded by South Africa), in 1992. I like motor cars and read a lot about them so it was a natural thing then (anyway I co-edited the mag/newsletter so I could choose my slot!). Imagine a construction camp at 3000 metres high, very cold, at times snowed in (yes, in Africa), and imagine too, a large family of 300 souls dedicated to building a water tr...

Just two miles away from my home in Cairo an international incident happened three days ago.(plenty of coverage on TV all over the world). A group of Sudanese refugees was "cleared" from their camp next to the UNHCR offices. Over 20 were killed by a brutal Egyptian police assault on their camp. I have seen the camp: Over 2000 people lived on a garden site no bigger than a tennis court. It appears, and I have no inside information, that the UNHCR itself called in the authorities to disperse th...

Here is the question I have to research: Why do some people walk into a room/a shop/a meeting etc and command instant attention. Why do some people have a "force" that causes others to react positively and sometimes subserviently, and why are others bumped to the end of the queue/ignored/left out? What , in fact,constitutes the aura surrounding a popular person (the modern word nowadays is "charisma".)? Is this a magical force? Is it a result of a strong personality (bearing in mind that s...

This Xmas did not come together too well. In fact it was a disaster of Titanic proportions! Here's how it panned out: 18 December : Dear wife comes down with the flu. Stays off school. School is half-full anyway due to disgusting virus.(Ergo, snotty kids equal snotty class teacher). 20 December: Wife returns to classroom coughing and spluttering. Don't know why she bothered--few kids left. 21 December: Wife exhausted and sick but stays at school to collect salary (magnanimous gesture). ...

have said before that Saddam Hussein should not be tried in Iraq. I say it again. The trial is fast becoming a farce as Saddam continues to insist that he has been tortured---as have some of the other accused. We are now subjected to shows of "tennis elbow", minor scratches and a singular lack of evidence that anyone could have abused the men behind the barrier. How we wish that their victims had only suffered "tennis elbow". (I allude of course to one of the accused exposing his elbow on TV ...

Many Joeuser readers will note that I harp on about Zimbabwe. This is because I have so many ex-Rhodesian and ex-Zimbabwean friends. They are, all of them, mourning for a country that was once prosperous and supplied fruit, vegetables, maize and tobacco (1971: biggest tobacco producer in Africa). Please read the link I have supplied to gain more insight into the Zimbabwean situation. Here are some facts about modern day Zimbabwe that you will find interesting: * One USD (the mighty D...

South Africa suffered a fuel crisis last week due to poor planning caused by the government's intended "clean fuel" programme.It seems that refiineries were gearing up for a clean fuel introduction and forgot about yesterday's needs, today's needs, or next week's for that matter. A fuel crisis is common in Zimbabwe and other under-developed countries in Africa but when it happens in the Economic Giant of Africa, questions need to be asked. Energy Minister Lindiwe Hendriks is patting herself o...

Comrade Robert Mugabe, eternal president (no capitals deserved), of Zimbabwe, Great mongoose of Africa, Heavenly God of nothing, King of disaster mismanagement etc. etc. has refused tents from the UN to house the 700 000 rendered homeless by his " Clear Out Trash" campaign. Jan Egelund, UN Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, a man I greatly admire, has been touring Zimbabwe and has offered to give the crippled government tents for the homeless who were evicted/hounded out, by the "C...

The young David Cameron, MP for Whitney, became the new Tory leader today. He is a confident, sincere and tough politician. He speaks with authority in the Commons and he pulls no punches. The big question is: Is he tough enough, honest enough and capable enough to remove Blair and Brown? The young Tony Blair, as opposition leader, sounded just like Cameron three elections ago. Youthful vigour, confident speeches and a no-nonsense approach were his forte. It went far and the British came u...

With apologies to those US citizens who think Dubya and his faceless advisors/cabinet/hangers-on, are the next best thing to ice-cream. I won't even go into the whole Iraq thing because, after reading recent news reports, I am worried that Iraq is going Baathist/ Husseinist, just as before. Tales of torture chambers in underground hide-outs sound very "Baathist" to me. So do rumours that the Iraqui Government is no better equipped to rule Iraq than the great Saddaam himself. Is there a mes...

I am British born (Scottish--not English), but have spent my life in Southern Africa and other countries in Africa. I spend time in the UK now and then, so I have become slightly ameliorated in the British way of life. I cannot understand the thinking on the small Island. The British impose "Nanny State" laws on their own citizens that amaze me. -There is a maximum 1000 pound fine if your dog poops on the pavement. -There are electronic chips in dustbins to monitor re-cycling. -You ca...

I am British born (Scottish--not English), but have spent my life in Southern Africa and other countries in Africa. I spend time in the UK now and then, so I have become slightly ameliorated in the British way of life. I cannot understand the thinking on the small Island. The British impose "Nanny State" laws on their own citizens that amaze me. -There is a maximum 1000 pound fine if your dog poops on the pavement. -There are electronic chips in dustbins to monitor re-cycling. -You ca...

I learnt to speak Afrikaans and Zulu in South Africa and a sprinkling of Sesotho in Lesotho. I can speak a "sort of " Portuguese from years in Angola but my greatest challenge is Arabic! There is such an enormous gap between speaking Arabic and writing it that I am wondering whether I shall ever get beyond pidgin arabic and the real thing. Arabic can be learnt from a dictionary or a teacher but is mainly colloquial speech. Outside the swimming pool the other day I saw a sign in what I call "...