Conservative Gorsuch picked for Supreme Court

[Daily Maverick] FIRST THING with JOHN STUPART Wednesday, 1st February 2017 “You never do find out what makes you tick, and after a while it's unimportant.” Norman Mailer Building purposeful brands through powerful storytelling. [Click here] for more info about what we do. [Democracy Failure: Can civil society trump the system to Save South Africa?] STORY OF THE DAY [Democracy Failure: Can civil society trump the system to Save South Africa?] By RANJENI MUNUSAMY United States President Donald Trump, the biggest menace to humanity, has agitated a global awakening. Trump cannot be adequately challenged within the ambit of the US political system so the fightback is coming from ordinary people through mass protests and defiance campaigns. In South Africa, civil society organisations are also trying to colour outside the lines. Besides wanting to boot out President Jacob Zuma, Save South Africa says it wants to “delve into the imperfections” of how leaders are elected. And Afriforum has hired a big gun to pursue prosecutions outside the state. The political system as we know it is under attack – and maybe it should be. WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING [Neil Gorsuch picked for Supreme Court] President Donald Trump has made the predictable choice of Neil Gorsuch for Supreme Court judge. Filling a position Republicans actively blocked President Barack Obama from filling for ten months, Gorsuch will now need to face a hostile senate, where Democrats could block his appointment with a robust filibuster. Brace yourselves, things went from petty to playground rules real fast. [Brexit debate inches Britain closer to departure] British MPs debated Bexit until midnight on Tuesday, moving the posts forward on the process of invoking Article 50 and leaving the EU. Although party leaders on both sides are willing to continue Brexit processes, they face rebellious members who are openly resistant to Brexit, and could block a parliamentary vote. The British government is hoping for a resolution from the Houses of Commons and Lords by March 7. — Are you enjoying your dose of Zapiro? Be sure you don't miss a single cartoon by viewing [Zapiro's dedicated section right][here]. [EU chicken to be protested today] Pretoria will be the site of many a ruffled feather as members of South Africa's poultry sector will march in Pretoria. They are protesting the "dumping" of the EU's chicken in the country at hopelessly low prices, thereby killing the local industry. The EU in turn has denied this, arguing that the amount of chicken exported to SA is too low to impact the industry. The Pretoria march should at least lay bare the actual figures, one hopes. [Brady unconcerned about legacy ahead of Super Bowl] New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has stated on Tuesday that he is "unconcerned" about his personal legacy. With the Super Bowl looming on Sunday night, the Patriots, and Brady, have a shot at history. For Brady, a fifth Super Bowl ring would place him above American football's greatest legends. The game starts at 1.30am South African time, in case you had no plans on Monday morning. — Building purposeful brands through powerful storytelling. [Click here] for more info about what we do. PICTURE OF THE DAY BY EPA/NIC BOTHMA A kiteboarder soars through the air while he warms up ahead of the opening rounds of the Red Bull King Of The Air competition in Big Bay, Cape Town, South Africa, 31 January 2017. The annual extreme kiteboarding contest sees 18 of the world's top kiteboarders competing in front of the World Heritage site, Table Mountain. IN NUMBERS 1 in 3.6-million The odds of being killed by a terrorist who is a foreigner in the United States. By comparison, there is a 1 in 1.04-million chance of being struck by lightning. FACTS OF THE DAY In 2013 today The Shard officially opened to the public in London. Aldous Huxley passed away on his death bed while tripping on LSD. A brave new world indeed. FEATURED ARTICLES [Democracy Failure: Can civil society trump the system to Save South Africa?] [Democracy Failure: Can civil society trump the system to Save South Africa?] BY Ranjeni Munusamy [Op-Ed: It is important to remove Zuma – and ensure we don’t make the same mistake twice] [Op-Ed: It is important to remove Zuma – and ensure we don’t make the same mistake twice] BY SIPHO PITYANA [Private Prosecutions, Inc: Gerrie Nel leaves a deeply compromised NPA behind] [Private Prosecutions, Inc: Gerrie Nel leaves a deeply compromised NPA behind] BY MARIANNE THAMM and REBECCA DAVIS [Gerrie Nel: A view from the Media Gallery] [Gerrie Nel: A view from the Media Gallery] BY Mandy Wiener [Nuclear SA: Ep 3 – Uranium Rush] [Nuclear SA: Ep 3 – Uranium Rush] BY SOUND AFRICA [Rome Statute Repeal Bill’s passage through Parliament starts with smooth sailing through ANC waters] [Rome Statute Repeal Bill’s passage through Parliament starts with smooth sailing through ANC waters] BY Marianne Merten [Analysis: Morocco’s big African Union win comes at the expense of Western Sahara and South Africa] [Analysis: Morocco’s big African Union win comes at the expense of Western Sahara and South Africa] BY Simon Allison [Health-e: Sugary drinks tax reaches Parliament] [Health-e: Sugary drinks tax reaches Parliament] BY HEALTH-E NEWS [Op-Ed: Permission to drink a lion] [Op-Ed: Permission to drink a lion] BY Don Pinnock [ISS Today: Going but not gone – UNMIL extends its mandate in Liberia] [ISS Today: Going but not gone – UNMIL extends its mandate in Liberia] BY ISS TODAY [GroundUp: Bromwell Street tenants ask court to suspend eviction] [GroundUp: Bromwell Street tenants ask court to suspend eviction] BY GroundUp [Right of Response: Off the mark – lack of understanding leads to patchwork] [Right of Response: Off the mark – lack of understanding leads to patchwork] BY Daily Maverick Staff Reporter OPINIONISTAS [Gerrie Nel & private prosecutions: A match not made in legal heaven] [Gerrie Nel & private prosecutions: A match not made in legal heaven] A column by Pierre de Vos [The ANC is adrift, and the country with it] [The ANC is adrift, and the country with it] A column by Judith February [Democracy’s Fool] [Democracy’s Fool] A column by Steven Boykey Sidley [African Union must stand with the oppressed, not Morocco] [African Union must stand with the oppressed, not Morocco] A column by Rhulani Thembi Siweya [History proves elections are about emotions, not policies] [History proves elections are about emotions, not policies] A column by Ian von Memerty — Building purposeful brands through powerful storytelling. [Click here] for more info about what we do. Weather BFN: min: 16° max: 31°, cloudy CPT: min: 16° max: 27°, sunny DBN: min: 21° max: 32°, cloudy EL: min: 19° max: 31°, AM rain JHB: min: 14° max: 28°, cloudy KIM: min: 21° max: 33°, cloudy NLP: min: 14° max: 30°, cloudy PMB: min: 14° max: 34°, cloudy PE: min: 20° max: 24°, cloudy PTA: min: 18° max: 29°, cloudy Financial Data Oil=$55.43 Gold=$1,195.02 Platinum=$987.21 R/$=13.53 R/€=14.47 R/£=16.89 $/€=1.06 JSE All Share=52,660.94 DJIA=19,905.89 FTSE 100=7,118.48 [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND] Copyright © 2016 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. You are receiving this mail because you are awesome and on the Daily Maverick First Thing subscriber list. [Preferences] | [Unsubscribe]