Category: Uncategorized

South African society has United to find solutions to the current bout of Xenophobia which has found it’s way to South Africa. The blogging community though slow on the uptake has kicked into gear and started a number of initiatives to encourage action.

The south African government has in part admitted it knew this was coming.

"Of course we were aware there was something brewing. It is one thing to know there is a social problem and another thing to know when that outburst will occur," Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils told SABC public radio.

http://www.thetimes.co.za/SpecialReports/Xenophobia/Article.aspx?id=772375

The country Unites in Action

A Facebook group has been launched with information and contacts to help us get involved. For starters we need to show concern and not just go about saying "shame!". In the days of apartheid, the countries from where those being attacked have come, stood by South Africans and welcome those fleeing the oppression of apartheid. We owe it to ourselves and those being oppressed in our country to do something.

The guys at the Quirk Station have swung into action as well starting a campaign which they hope will

… attempt to use our skills where they will have the most impact. With this in mind, I am thrilled to say that we will be launching a “Web2.0” portal that will serve as a platform for all Africans to share information about the attacks, get information about the NGOs involved in mitigating the violence and provide an opportunity to cultivate a culture of tolerance while working together to affect change.

http://www.gottaquirk.com/post/1347/xenophobia-finding-a-solution;

Keep your eye on http://www.unitedforafrica.co.za/ to see how you can help then wage an information campaign to bring back tolerance and understanding.

Mustadafin Foundation, a  Cape Town based relief organisation has started a drive to provide food and other support to those being affected. they need donations and volunteers to assist them. They can be contacted MUSTADAFIN FOUNDATION – 021 633 0010 OR 082 7742611.

Gift of the Givers, the largest disaster response NGO of African, has set up a base at Sandton’s Village Walk where people have been invited to leave any donations they may wish to offer. In just a week, Gift of the Givers has moved over R1 million worth of goods from Village Walk to refugee centres in Alexandra, Cleveland, Primrose and various other parts of Ekurhuleni.

Protest Marches and action groups are being started all over the country so please get involved in some way to voice your disgust and pledge your support. Religious communities have thrown their efforts into supporting the victims and drumming up activism to bring the situation to an end.

South African corporates have also expressed their condemnation and shown support for victims. Since launching an appeal for assistance last week, the South African Red Cross Society has received donations from a number of corporates, including  a R3 million cheque from Standard Bank.

Something has to be done, many of us are not affected by these acts of indiscriminate violence, but if we stand still and don’t act to stop what is happening, a time will come when it lands on our own doorsteps as well.

It’s not "their" Fault

Please, when you speak about "illegal immigrants" you are devaluing their humanity and somehow putting the blame on them for being attacked. It’s not only those who are illegally present in our country being attacked, but anyone who does not fit the approval of the violent mobs.

So far, about 43 people have been killed, more than 500 arrested and 20 000 displaced following the attacks. These figures are modest and only based on what has been reported officially.

You can track news on these events at the Times website.

Please get involved, donate, march, inform others and keep them in your prayers. May Allah(God) be with us and help us out of this dark hole we have fallen into.

When Google Earth first hit the web we were amazed at the way Technology was becoming freely available opening up a new era of global exploration. Google has now introduced a new feature which turns the lens in the opposite direction allowing us to look out into the heavens and explore the mysteries which lie above our atmosphere.

Check out this nice little intro:

So, my visit to the SA Blog awards proved to be quite strange, interesting, confusing and thought provoking. I knew I was kidding myself into thinking it wouldn’t run into a booze-up, that being the most frustrating part for me as the smell of alcohol in the air kept me outside on the Balcony for the short stay.

UCT Tennis Club – Good Venue

The Venue was great when I arrived, it’s a really nice place to have a meetup or event with a nice atmosphere, view of the City over the treetops with the mountain behind you.

Greening the blog awards

Having stodels as a sponsor would probably not been been so cool not too long ago, but I found it really great that part of the prizes were actually trees. Not sure how much Carbon emissions those trees would actually offset but it’s the thought that counts I suppose.

Met Some Interesting People

I bumped into a few people some I knew and hadn’t seen for years, some I had only seen online or on twitter, others who are regular show at events of this nature and a few interesting people I met on the night.

Chatting to Shane Dryden of ideate briefly was rather interesting and thought provoking, in fact the conversations I had, generally centred around how self glorifying the whole concepts of blogging and blog awards can be. I thought about this a bit and investigated my own intention for trying to build an online profile as a blogger.

Tim from Quirk was kind enough to bring me a glass of ice and a coke, knowing I don’t drink Alcohol, he’s an all round great guy and does a great job at making people feel at home.

So Why do we do this thing called Blogging?

Why do we blog? An ex colleague from Design School who I bumped into was speaking to me about having a personal blog which just focuses on personal matters, another guest spoke about only having started his blog that very day and wanting to engage with people as a financial planner by advising them through his new blog. I had conversation with Chris from iMod (a winner in one of the categories) a few months ago about the purpose of Blogging,do we do it for money, for fame, to blow our own trumpets? I think we can all agree we do it for different reasons, though we’re all looking to create value for ourselves in a different way.

I watched how a few people who were obviously just there to check if they or someone they supported had won or not scrambled out after their categories winner was announced, was quite funny. I never really expected to feature in my category as I know the other players in Design Blogging offer alot more value than I currently do, so no real disappointments for me other than the madness of the event.

The blogging gang who were at the Blog awards, including myself are definitely living in a world of their own creation, something completely cut off from the rest of society, something most people, including myself a few short months ago, didn’t know a thing about.

So Why do I blog?

I love how blogging has brought me into contact with some of the most interesting, intelligent and strange people I have met to date. I love the conversation created by blogging, but I have realised, like with real world conversation, there are genuines and there are those who fake it for the cameras. You can tell when you meet a genuine face to face, when he/she comments on your site, when you email each other or just say hi, and of course, the fakers.

What I hate about Blogging

Bloggers who love to comment but are never interested in a real human conversation. I Guess blogging is alot like real life, but with it’s own pros, cons and intricacies.

So Why do you blog?