Stand Up! Business

Pardon the confusion, but didn’t President Joe Biden say he would not pardon his son Hunter Biden, who was convicted recently on tax and gun charges? Turns out, he did say he would not. But then he did issue the pardon over the Thanksgiving weekend. Entrepreneur Mark Barnes and Daily Maverick Editor at Large Tim Cohen discuss forgiveness and, critically, whether you can forgive yourself. One example would be the Mayor of Johannesburg Dada Morero forgiving himself for cutting off his own electricity and water, because the city leased properties from an ANC property cadre and city landlord who did not pay his utilities bill on time. It's confusing, but karma has its own logic, as you might discern from this week’s StandUp! Business podcast.Production and Editing by Tevya Turok Shapiro. Music & Design by Bernard Kotze. Created by Mark Barnes, Tim Cohen, Bernard Kotze & Branko Brkic.

How much is a banana stuck to the wall with duct tape actually worth? Or, to put it another way, have we all gone bananas? Which leads on to the more important topic of the value of money, and that involves inflation. And interest rates. This week entrepreneur Mark Barnes and Daily Maverick Editor at Large Tim Cohen discuss last week's small interest rate cut, whether it was enough, and issues related to debt. Then there is the rugby and the tricky issue of height.Production and Editing by Tevya Turok Shapiro. Music & Design by Bernard Kotze. Created by Mark Barnes, Tim Cohen, Bernard Kotze & Branko Brkic.

Is it Cop or cop-out; it's hard to tell. The UN’s Conference of Parties (COP) on climate action and sustainability is currently happening in Baku, Azerbaijan - the second time the conference is taking place in a petro-state. Unsurprisingly, it's currently hard to breathe in Deli. But, on the other hand, bitcoin is booming, raising the question of whether SA should rent out Simonstown, now that SA’s navy is down to a single ship. Other than that, entrepreneur Mark Barnes and Daily Maverick Editor at Large Tim Cohen discuss why cheating on your CV is becoming so prevalent in SA. We don’t discuss the weather at all.Production and Editing by Tevya Turok Shapiro. Music & Design by Bernard Kotze. Created by Mark Barnes, Tim Cohen, Bernard Kotze & Branko Brkic.

How is it possible that someone so obviously flawed as a person can become president of the world's most powerful country? Entrepreneur Mark Barnes and financial journalist Tim Cohen (try!) to explain that, and other imponderables, like the global outbreak of oligarchism. Locally we discuss the powerhouse standoff between the City of Johannesburg and Eskom, and ask whether PPP's are always the solution.Production and Editing by Tevya Turok Shapiro. Music & Design by Bernard Kotze. Created by Mark Barnes, Tim Cohen, Bernard Kotze & Branko Brkic.