Category Archives: From Tony’s Archive

A Playground Lesson for Bush

Posted on June 27, 2007 by Tony

How a spontaneous alliance of jocks, do-gooders and lesser bullies against the biggest bully at the school changed the balance of power at Milnerton Primary Continue reading →

Posted in From Tony's Archive | 7 Comments

The Rebel Grace of Patti Smith

Posted on March 12, 2007 by Tony

This op-ed from Patti Smith, on the eve of her induction into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, brought tears to my eyes, for its humility and grace, and for the revolutionary fire that still burns so bright inside … Continue reading →

Posted in From Tony's Archive, Rebellion Into Money | Comments Off

Osama: A Preemptive Obit

Posted on October 6, 2006 by Tony

The revolution is just a T-shirt away… Before leaving for a vacation in South Africa in December of 2001, my editors asked me to prepare an obituary for Osama bin Laden on the assumption that he might well be killed … Continue reading →

Posted in From Tony's Archive | 8 Comments

Hamba Kahle, Ace Ntsoelengoe

Posted on May 9, 2006 by Tony

If you were a white boy in the suburbs of Cape Town during the heyday of apartheid in the early 1970s, you didn’t know any black people. Not only socially, but even as public figures. That was the whole idea: … Continue reading →

Posted in From Tony's Archive, Glancing Headers, The Whole World's Africa | 29 Comments

Ten Reasons Why Oslo Failed

Posted on April 3, 2006 by Tony

I recently found this piece I wrote for TIME.com in October of 2000, trying to come to grips with the reasons for the failure of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. This was two months after Camp David, just as the Israelis … Continue reading →

Posted in From Tony's Archive | 8 Comments

Bite-Size Prophecies on CNN

Posted on March 10, 2006 by Tony

Appropos recent developments on the Palestinian front, I dug up this transcript of June 2002 interview I did on CNN before a Sharon-Bush summit. Extract: LIN: But Tony, do you see agreement between President Bush and Yasser Arafat that both … Continue reading →

Posted in From Tony's Archive | 1 Comment

Bush does Brecht

Posted on October 27, 2005 by Tony

As the U.S. comes to terms with its 2000th combat casualty in Iraq and counting, I was reminded of one of the last postings I sent out to my email list on the war’s eve, on January 10, 2003. The … Continue reading →

Posted in From Tony's Archive | 10 Comments

Abu Ghraib as America

Posted on September 27, 2005 by Tony

New allegations of prisoner abuse in Iraq not only give the lie to the administration’s claims that the Abu Ghraib torture was just the work of “bad apples” like Lindie England, it also reminded me of a column I wrote … Continue reading →

Posted in From Tony's Archive | 4 Comments

Of CLR James and Sammy Sosa

Posted on September 1, 2005 by Tony

Written as a column for my home town morning daily, the Cape Times, in September 1998 The essential choice before America, as summer turns to fall and political scandal suddenly seems like last year’s news, is simple: McGwire or Sosa. … Continue reading →

Posted in From Tony's Archive | 3 Comments

Laxman Flays the Aussies

Posted on August 12, 2005 by Tony

As the entire cricket-playing world watches with glee as the Australian juggernaut is humbled by, of all nations, England, I was reminded of a piece I wrote a few years ago for TIME.com on India’s famous come-from-behind victory over the … Continue reading →

Posted in From Tony's Archive | 9 Comments