Thursday, April 26, 2007

some unexpected.......yet positive

would like to think that I am someone who enjoys the unexpected and believes that life is always throwing them a positive curve ball.( ok ok I am trying to overcome my addiction to cyanide and near suicidal feelings ..er .. but that is another discussion :))
To be honest however, when I arrived at the office today to find two somewhat dodgy looking men alone in our little NGO moving our desks around and dismantling the computers, I must be honest I did not put an immediately positive spin on it....
Luckily as I have no intention of a being GI Jane ( or any more up to date funky SUPER HERO ) i did not head butt, call the police or assault the men, but merely asked ...." What are you doing?" ( in what I hope was a fearful and commanding voice Angie Voice)
And as it would turn out they were delivering three new computer donated to the NGO by the Gauteng Education Department. Which while totally unprecedented, is wonderful!
Then later today a huge ad agency donated a whole lot ( like hundred files).
I have ended the day a reformed super- positive . ( away with the razor away away)

Perhaps their is a SUPER HERO in this for local casting. In a society that seems intent on always bemoaning failure.Eternally positive person , the problem is they would probably end up either some terribly boring nun, or someone who looked like they had taken to much e lost the plot ... just like my note has...mm mm..... Good night.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Good Night, and Good Luck aka Depression

Last Night Neil and I watched a really good movie " Good Night and Good Luck " co-written by George Clooney.
It was an excellent film and I would recommend it to anyone. It focuses on one television show's fight against the unreasonable restrictive public association laws in America in the Cold War , particularly advocated by one Senator.
Of course there was a direct parallel as to what is happening currently under the Bush regime in the so called war against terror and the implication is obviously that "we" are failing to fight it as we should.
It ended with a very moving quote , talking about the television, but which could be equally paralleled to the internet ( and I am paraphrasing here because I cannot remember word for word) :
" This box can be used to educate , to enlighten, to bring freedom, but only if we allow it. Without that that it becomes a meaningless bundle of flicking tubes and lights . Good Night and Good Luck."

It was in so many ways such a strong indictment on our current apathetic society that I had to write about it.
It really touched me because yesterday I was handing out food parcels ( for work ) in Kya Sands. This is one of the groups Optimus distributes to. The people I distribute to are HIV positive , unemployed , live without running water or any sustainable source of food ....... and yet this misery starts to fade compared to Zimbabwe , Chad , Dafour , ....
I feel that we talk and talk and talk but nobody ever does anything ( myself include). That is why this movie touched me.
Good Weekend and good luck .. the Angie in despair purple