There is great excitement in Cape Town after the discovery of a ship found buried in a pit on the construction site at the No. 1 Silo at the V&A Waterfront. Read more about the excavation process, and see a video of the process, after the jump.
Scientists have done something they have been working on for over two decades: successfully drilled more than three kilometres through sheer Antarctic ice into a freshwater lake to take a sample. All they really know now is that Lake Vostok has had no contact with atmospheric pollutants for millions of years.
Scientists believe they have discovered the oldest works of art known to mankind. Although the six pieces are supposedly of seals, they’ve been described as somewhat of “an academic bombshell”. That’s because they’re 42 000 years old, and are the only known pieces created by Neanderthal man, who preceded homo sapiens, more commonly known as humans.
Check out this awesome gallery of young Indian boys marching to commemorate their country’s hero, Mahatma Gandhi, dressed like the man himself!
A teenage girl from the Netherlands sailed into St Maarten harbour on Saturday, ending a year long solo journey around the globe. The Guinness World Records has said it’s not going to back that up though. It no longer recognises records for youngest sailors because it wants to discourage dangerous attempts.
Controversy is raging on both sides of the Atlantic over a British publisher’s plan to reprint Adolf Hitler’s anti-semitic manifesto, Mein Kampf, in German for the first time since the end of the Second World War.
Nelson Mandela’s life story is to be turned into a television mini-series, entitled “Madiba”. Mandela has given his personal approval for a series that will follow six decades of his life, but there’s been no word yet as to whether or not Matt Damon or Morgan Freeman will be involved.
The Titanic has been lying at the bottom of the ocean for nearly a century. On 15 April this year, 5 000 items from the world’s most famous shipwreck will be auctioned off in one lot – on the 100th anniversary of the disaster that took place on April 15, 1912. See some of them after the jump.
Regis McKenna has very kindly donated rare vintage footage of Steve Jobs giving a presentation in the early 1980’s to the Computer History Museum. It shows Jobs discussing the early history of Apple, and speaking in his usual inspiring manner.
Not only are the beds about 77 000 years old, but it appears they were also designed to ward off insects like mosquitoes. The fossilized material has been found at an ancient cliff shelter known as Sibudu, which is near to Durban on our east coast, and continues to fuel the debate that modern man evolved out of Africa.
Would you consider it a selling point for an alcoholic beverage to depict Adolf Hitler on its label? Didn’t think so. Which is why it’s so fascinating that a man, who goes by the name Rolande Marte, is attempting to sell bottles of wine and Schnapps with an image of the dictator gracing the bottle. Swastika, and so on.
The ramifications for forcing through the Protection of Information Bill as it stands have been far and wide. International media sniggered, and local media took their grievances to new levels. Now, world-renowned Apartheid photographer, David Goldblatt, has decided to denounce a top South African award in protest against the bill in an open letter to President Zuma.
Yesterday, the ANC decided it would threaten its members who voted with their consciences against the passing of the Protection of State Information Bill in Parliament on Tuesday. Luckily and unluckily, the minutes of proceedings for the vote have to be released into the public domain showing exactly who voted for what.
News.com.au, the primary news portal of embattled media tycoon and lizard being, Rupert Murdoch, made a magnificent headline flub this morning, seen above. According to history and fact, the last time Queen Victoria met a soldier was some time before her death in 1901, although the war in Afghanistan may well have been the topic […]
Next year, the ANC will be celebrating 100 years of political activity. In the midst of the celebrations, the organisation will make various precious metals memorabilia for sale in the form of gold coins and other commemorative items. The most expensive of these will be the President Zuma one kilogram fine gold medallion, valued at over R1 million.
The Libyan Prime Minister has officially confirmed Gaddafi is dead. Rebel forces have been surrounding Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte for weeks, and according to reports, finally got their man. National Transitional Council official, Abdel Majid Mlegta, told Reuters that Gaddafi was wounded in both legs during a firefight at dawn on Thursday, but was again attacked by Nato warplanes when he attempted to flee, later dying of his wounds.
India’s most famous tourist attraction, the 358-year-old Taj Mahal, will collapse within five years unless something drastic is done. The wooden foundation is becoming brittle and disintegrating due to a lack of water. This is because the river crucial to its survival is being blighted by pollution, industry and deforestation.
One can understand the anger of Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson), Julia Kavner (Marge) and Nancy Cartwright (Bart) when Fox Television explained that they would be receiving a 45% pay cut. The broadcasting network claims they can’t afford production costs and, if the actors won’t budge, they’ll pull the plug. I think I speak for everyone when I say: Fox you, Fox.
So hey, it turns out that on top of everything else, Hitler got slapped with a speeding fine south of Ingolstadt for going twice the speed limit in his Mercedes limousine. This was about two years before becoming Fuhrer, though, so Adolf got his chauffeur to take the heat to keep from spoiling his image.
Google and Israel’s national museum, the Israel Museum, have come together to place a number of the world-famous Dead Sea Scrolls online for the first time. The project is the first of many hoping to showcase some of the manuscripts that make up what many consider the most important archaeological find of the 20th century.
European stocks have bounced back slightly (well, leveled, more than anything) on news that China and Italy are in discussions about “significant” purchases of Italian bonds and investments in strategic companies. Greece will probably get that next round of funding, but Europe still needs to approve it. Here are some interesting numbers if Greece does go bang.
This coming Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of the attacks by al-Qaeda on the United States of America, and New York especially. Many iconic images depicting the terror of that day sit steadfast in all of our minds, but what is wrong with a photographer portraying a different kind of moment on that day?
The colonel just. won’t. give. up. The funny thing about this instruction is that there is a very strong chance Gaddafi won’t actually see its outcome. He recently decided that victory or martyrdom are his only options, and with rebels teaming all over Tripoli, the October postponement is a long time from now.
It’s time to dust off the old cheque book and keep an eye on what’s happening in Greece. You may just find something you want to purchase as Greek officials begin appointing advisers for the country’s ambitious privatisation drive, and what is one of the most ambitious asset-selling campaigns in modern history.
This will be the last time you will get to witness this phenomenon as it’s been reported that Atlantis will undock earlier than planned from the International Space Station tomorrow. This will earmark its return from its final mission into space ahead of the start of privatised space courier services next year.
“Italy Too Big to Bail Out as Crisis Enters ‘New Phase’.” That was the headline I read over at Bloomberg earlier. Don’t get me wrong, I know Italy is facing serious problems, but when will they actually get rid of the bungling “bunga bunga” Berlusconi? Today the country has been auctioning an estimated €3 – €5 billion in fixed-rate bonds.
Flower selling in Adderley Street, Cape Town, is tradition in one of its purest forms. For some 100 years, man has always known he merely has to make a short drive into town, come rain or shine, to demonstrate old fashioned chivalry. Unfortunately, it appears an unused prawn lane is now hurting business, say the sellers.
Personally, I took Shakespeare as more of an opium den kind of a guy, but I’ve been wrong before and I’ll be the first to admit that. Anyway, a South African anthropologist from Wits University has set in motion a request to open the graves of William Shakespeare and his family to determine, among other things, what killed them.
The infamous red leather jacket worn by the deceased king of pop, Michael Jackson, in his renowned Thriller video, has sold this weekend at an auction in California, for $1.8 million. That is a cool R12.4 million at today’s exchange rate. The jacket also boasts Jackson’s signature on the one sleeve.
Sometimes talent is just so gobsmackingly obvious that you cannot prevent the inevitable from happening. This talent will rise to the top, similar to the best cut of steak at a braai – everyone will notice it and make a comment. The young lad made this appearance after winning the World Junior title in the under-10 division 12 years ago.