Comming out some more

In recent years I've learnt that standing up and saying: "I am..." is incredibly liberating. Not only for myself - but also for the many who suffer in silence, or cower in shadows.

Like Jack Nicholson as The Joker in Batman - we need to give a name to our pain. For in giving it a name, we take away the mystery and the fear of the unknown. The answer to overcomming our fears, or obstacles, lies in the name as well.

Here are the names I've taken ownership of thusfar:
1) I am Afrikaans. It is my heritage and my reality. I am not scared of that name.
2) I am Protestant. I do not denounce other forms of worship, but I do not identify with them either.
3) I am Gay and I'm fine with it.
4) My mom has cancer. We're in it together - for Life!

Today I realised that I have more to bring to the table. That there is another name in my back pack to share with the world:

5) I'm Bipolar (type 1).

I know others are out there - and I'm here to say: "We're cool".

Good night kids,
W

Going the obsessive route

(aside) My addiction to the HBO series "Carnivale" was abruptly transformed into an obsession. I watched the last episode of series two last night... I'm still struggling to deal with the fact that series two is "all she wrote". There's nothing else. All the hanging plot lines are left unresolved.

I couldn't sleep last night. Sophie's transformation bothered me that much! And now that I know there's no 'next episode' - it's driving me crazy!!

Why HBO? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!????????????

*sob*

Effective system needed

Okay, so I'm trying to commit myself to the cause of missing children (persons) by posting links, images and notices of open cases. Though I believe that the blogosphere and it's inhabitants can greatly contribute to create awareness - I am not convinced that what I'm doing is enough... or entirely effective.

A better system is required. It is time for me (and hopefully some of you) to use our knowledge, skills, talents and abilities to create a better system.

First off - let's work on a conceptual model:
1) What approach/es already exist in child protection strategies?
2) How are missing persons reports dealt with in practice?
3) What are the pros and cons of these approaches, strategies and practices?
4) Which technologies are applied in these cases - and which technologies remain untapped?
5) Who is involved in these cases - and how does one get the broader community actively involved?
6) What is meant by 'active involvement'?

Any thoughts? Any more questions to add? Anything at all?

I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Together we can come up with a better solution than by ourselves.

There are so many...

The most recent (local) missing children reports are available at www.missingkids.co.za

Then there's an even larger, searchable database at za.missingkids.com

1, 2, 3, 4...

Enough of the silly stuff already. (I happen to believe it's good to be silly, but more on that later.)

Today saw the fourth (that I'm aware of) South African girlchild meeting an untimely and horrible death at the hands of a trusted adult. Did you take that in? This means at least four (4) little girls have been brutalised and murdered in the past month! (How many siblings do you have?)

Earlier today, a three year old girl was tossed from a bridge into the Liebenbergsvlei river (outside Bethlehem), by her father!

We've got to do something.

fokofpolisiekar - tevrede

"Ek verkies die son op my gesig"

(sa blog awards 2007)... Needs You!!!

Many of you will have noticed starry buttons suggesting that you click the "vote me" bit for the South African Blog Awards. Kudos to you if you supported blogs you deem worthy! (to those who didn't: "yu shud reed mawr")

Now, for those out there with more of an interest in the aesthetic; pop 'round to muti.co.za/sablogs and vote for a new logo! (This is always fun! Not only do you get to look at all the cool design ideas floating around in sa-space - you also get to take your god-complex for a walk and "choose the sole survivor"!)

I like this one here :)
This doesn't mean you have to vote for it too - but you could, if you wanted to.

Of Nerds and Geeks

NERD
An 'individual', i.e. a person who does not conform to society's beliefs that all people should follow trends and do what their peers do. Often highly intelligent but socially rejected because of their obesssion with a given subject, usually computers. Unfortunately, nerds seem to have problems breeding, to the detriment of mankind as a whole.

GEEK
The term "geek" originally referred to the carnival performers whose act consisted of biting the heads off chickens and eating glass. Over time it came to be applied to anyone who got paid to do work considered odd or bizarre by mainstream society.

The term now enjoys a special status within the technical community, particularly among particularly knowledgable computer programmers. To identify oneself as a "geek" indicates a recognition that most people still consider programming computers to be a bizarre act, along with a certain fierce satisfaction in being very good at their inglorious profession.

That most software geeks now easily earn twice as much as the average laborer just sweetens their defiant embrace of the term.

Note: Unlike the word "nerd," which is always pejorative, "geek" often carries a positive connotation when used by one of the group. The use of the term by outsiders is considered insulting.

courtesy of the Urban Dictionary

Children should be SEEN, and NOT HURT

The outrage should have caught fire with the first child victim in our country - but only small segments of our society seemed to take each case to heart.

Child after child has suffered - and suffers still - under the cruelty of their tormentors and the indifference of their nation.

I remember the e-mail of Sheldean. I remember thinking it was another hoax/joke/ someone crying "Wolf". I remember deleting the e-mail.

I am also guilty of indifference!

Let this be the last time.

As a community of bloggers, we have the tools and resources to varify these e-mails - and to spread the word of ligitimate cases. By just posting - we can help. By keeping our eyes open, we can help. By noticing people around children, we can help. By focusing our minds on this problem - we can come up with solutions.

In shame, and in memory of those we lost along the way.

"DEAR FRIEND / COLLEAGUE / CARING PARENT

We recently forwarded numerous communiqués regarding the dissapearance of Sheldean Human, throughout South Africa. Newspapers, radio and television channels carried updates on a daily basis for more than two weeks. South Africa hoped and prayed...Sadly, we were advised tonight that she had been found...her abductor confessed and led police to where he hid her badly decomposed body.

South Africa is mourning tonight...As a community, it was devastating for us to have had one of our kids go missing. We supported the police in their search and cried out against this horrible thing that was happening. But for little Sheldean Human...it was too late...

To demonstrate our outrage at the slaughtering of an innocent child, a decision was taken tonight by members of eBlockWatch (http://www.eblockwatch.co.za/) that all its members and fellow South Africans will wear Pink shirts and jeans on Friday 9 March 2007 (this is what Sheldean wore the day she went missing). We will also gather at the court where the culprit will be appearing on this day, to shout out our frustration, calling upon our Government and communities to stand up against crime.

THUS, we invite everybody to take part in the second Pink Day on Friday, 9 March 2007. Wear a pink top and jeans, in support of and sympathy with Sheldean Human's family and to show you oppose violence against children.Forward this request to all people you can reach via e-mail, cellphone and mouth-to-mouth."

(from: Pink for Sheldean)

my "other" family

http://www.myheritage.com

My(Dad'S)Heritage

http://www.myheritage.com

Cancer can be beaten

In solidarity with my mother :)

mastercard

I nearly died laughing!

Why I love graphic designers

From Idea Attic

Urbex Inspirations

Rejected Memories.com

How beautiful is this? I've decided to braden the scope of my blog to include images, words and experiences that move me. (I could probably go on about the urban vernacular, but will spare you, for now at least.)

Desolate Metropolis.com

Kirkbride Buildings

"Once state-of-the-art mental healthcare facilities, Kirkbride buildings have long been relics of an obsolete therapeutic method known as Moral Treatment. These massive structures were conceived as ideal sanctuaries for the mentally ill in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Careful attention was given to every detail of their design in order to promote a healthy environment and to convey a sense of respectable decorum. Placed in secluded areas within expansive grounds, many seemed almost palace-like from the outside. But growing populations and insufficient funding led to unfortunate conditions that spoiled their idealistic promise.

Within decades of their first conception, new treatment methods and hospital design concepts emerged and the Kirkbride design was eventually discarded. Many existing Kirkbride buildings maintained a central place in the institutions which began within their walls, but by the end of the twentieth century many had been abandoned; several had been destroyed. Although a few have managed to survive into the twenty-first century intact and still in use, many that survive sit abandoned and decaying—their mysterious grandeur intensified by their derelict condition."

Yellowcard: "How I Go"

YouTube

If you still haven't seen Big Fish - now would be a good time to do it. Even if you're not particularly interested in the intricacies and science of knowledge transferrance through the application of magical realism to narratives - you'll be enriched by the experience.

(It is a bloody good movie.)

technorati tags:magical

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