Dan Gillmor from the San Jose Mercury News has long been one of the most valuable technology journalists. Even at the height of hype, Dan kept a sober watch on developments. If you want to get a picture of what’s going on today, his interview on Slashdot is an excellent starting point.
If you want a bad advertisement for democracy, look at who is leading the current top ten in the BBC’s quest to find the greatest Briton of all time. It makes my blood boil.
Chris McGreal, who has been The Guardian’s correspondent in South Africa since 1990, provides his final dispatch today. It makes very sobering reading.
“One problem remains a fundamental lack of foreign confidence in South Africa. The cause of some of it, such as crime, is hardly the government’s fault. But Mbeki has contributed to the doubts through his equivocation on Zimbabwe, and Aids. Those who defend him because of his ‘sound’ economic policies ignore the impact that his views on Aids have probably played in undermining the South African economy and in compounding poverty. The World Bank estimates that by the end of this decade, Aids and its consequences will consume 19% of South Africa’s GDP.”