Manyi's meltdown, Mars lander lands, Fortnite's runaway success

[Click here for the web version of this email]( [FIRST THING With John Stupart]( Tuesday, 27 November 2018 “It's amazing the way one can take a step ten and a half miles long and still always land in a cowpat.” Diana Wynne Jones Story of the Day [Late-afternoon jabs unravel Mzwanele Manyi’s self-serving show]( By Jessica Bezuidenhout Alone in the ring, Mzwanele Manyi seemed like a star. The former media mogul and government spin doctor had the stage all to himself for three hours on Monday as he set the scene with a carefully scripted response to a set of anticipated questions that the State Capture inquiry’s legal team had for him. But then the Commission’s senior advocate Vincent Maleka poked holes in his claims and things did not look so good for Manyi any more. While You Were Sleeping [InSight lands on Mars]( The Mars InSight spacecraft has successfully landed on the red planet. The Nasa-made unmanned lander, which will spend its life monitoring quakes and tremours, made its landing to the cheers of its staff, with the craft's designers and builders, Lockheed Martin, briefly changing their name to Lockheed Martian in celebration. [Trump turns back on his own climate report]( President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he did not believe his own government's warnings on climate change. The report warned of massive economic losses as a result of climate change-induced carbon emissions. Trump, who admitted to reading only "part" of the report, simply quipped that he did not believe it, before swiftly shifting the blame of climate change to other countries. [Fortnite hits 200-million players]( The runaway hit video game Fortnite has now achieved over 200-million players. The King of the Hill styled survival shooter, replete with flossing and yeets, has hooked kids and NFL stars alike. It is free to play and the designers have achieved a valuation of $15-billion by selling in-game cosmetic items. Real money for pixels, in other words. The future, ladies and gentlemen... [Largest marijuana store is now in Vegas]( But of course it was always going to be in Las Vegas. As legalisation spreads throughout the world, Planet 13 has taken the top spot in real estate. The 3,700 square metre store just off the strip is a testament to how late-stage capitalism will exploit everything. Forget about your nephew's backyard pot project, Planet 13 is the future. Picture of the Day By EPA-EFE/SERGEY KOZLOV Ukrainian activists burn flares during their rally in front of the Russian Consulate in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 26 November 2018. In Numbers 103 The number of languages into which at least one of Agatha Christie's books is translated. Facts of the Day Today in 1924 the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is held for the first time. Jingle Bells is actually a Thanksgiving song about sleigh racing. Featured Articles [Politics of lawfare, 2018 – legal challenges mount in unsettled and insecure times]( By Stephen Grootes [We learnt from Vietnam in the past – so why not now?]( By Greg Mills and Emily van Der Merwe [Weak but Vicious – EFF Edition]( By Branko Brkic [Copyright reform: Carrying Fire and Water in the same mouth]( By Brian Wafawarowa [Freedom Front Plus could claim portion of DA vote among whites]( By Rebecca Davis [Securing Ramaphosa’s presidency – at what cost?]( By Raymond Suttner [Government needs to provide timelines for District Six housing beneficiaries, says Land Claims Court]( By Suné Payne Opinionistas [Herzlia: Some forms of protest are simply inappropriate]( A column by Dominique Herman [China’s building BRICS in South Africa]( A column by Fazlin Fransman [Gender-based violence crisis: We need more than 16 days]( A column by Nomafrench Mbombo [Destruction of value lies at the feet of the non-executives]( A column by Johann Redelinghuys Weather BFN: min: 13° max: 30°, sunny CPT: min: 12° max: 18°, cloudy DBN: min: 19° max: 30°, cloudy EL: min: 14° max: 27°, rainy JHB: min: 16° max: 27°, cloudy MHK: min: 17° max: 32°, cloudy NLP: min: 19° max: 34°, cloudy PE: min: 13° max: 21°, cloudy PMB:min: 17° max: 36°, cloudy Financial Data Oil=$60.71 Gold=$1,222.99 Platinum=$ R/$=13.89 R/€=15.74 R/£=17.81 JSE All Share=51,690.12 DJIA=24,522.47 BTC$=3 761 [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( [Fb] [Tweet] [Link] [Yt] Copyright © 2018 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. You are receiving this mail because you are awesome and on the Daily Maverick First Thing subscriber list. Interested in advertising with us? [Click here to sign the pact.](mailto:advertising@dailymaverick.co.za?subject=Advertising%20query%3A%20First%20Thing%20Mailers) [Getting too many emails from us? Manage your preferences]( [Unsubscribe](