TED conference ‘Suspended’
It’s been a tough week for South Africa’s people as we contemplate the wave of devastating violence rampaging across our glorious city of Johannesburg. Our hearts are heavy. To kick us while we’re down, we received the sad news that September’s much-vaunted TED conference Africa (that we told you about in November last year), has been ‘suspended’ apparently due to a ‘lack of available’ time. We have written to the organisers to request more information. We’ll get back to you as soon as we hear more. For now, read the reasons...
Bring your laughter back
When all else fails we recommend turning to laughter. If you feel like life has been tough on you lately, that its all about the world vs You, then maybe you need to bring your laughter back and dust your smile off so getting through the crap is a lot more pleasant. For if we do not have laughter, what’s the point? Check out some tips for fine-tuning your sense of humour below: Wise stuff from Ezine and here too… “The idea is that a sense of perspective when it comes to humor allows you to see yourself in the scope of things rather than always at the center of things. Most of us have a tendency as to believe that any problem we are confronting and facing at particular moment is the most important thing that is going on in the world. his way of looking at problems is a very heavy responsibility. It makes you feel as if the problem is everywhere and it becomes the focus of your being. This is why a developed sense of humor is so important, because it allows you to see yourself in the scope of things rather than always at the center of things. ” “Remember that a sense of humor is learned, not inherited. You can sharpen your sense of humor if you really want to. When you do, you will find that your relationships become richer and more rewarding and that people find you more attractive and fun to be with. This alone makes improving your sense of humor worth the effort.” Some more from Suite101 here and here: “Telling funny jokes and having a good laugh actually strengthens the bonds between people. Tapping into your sense of humor can break the ice, lower blood pressure, and improve your mood. Here’s how humor works — and how humor can hurt. Also, here’s how men and women perceive humor differently.” “Funny movies, funny jokes, and funny people depend on one thing: the sense of humor of the listener or viewer. A funny joke that makes one person burst into laughter can anger another person. One person’s best funny joke is another’s lawsuit for sexual harassment. Defining a sense of humor is no laughing matter. Humor is really difficult to pull off, even with similar senses of humor. It’s hard to make people laugh because our senses of humor are so different. Writing humor can be painful (not just painfully funny); and writing about humor can be like pulling teeth. But when you produce even a chuckle, the pain is worth it.” Laughing Budda photograph courtesy of Araswami on...
Get to Concerts for a Cause in CT
Spend a lazy Saturday Arvie in Cape Town in February supporting a good cause and enjoying local sounds. CONCERTS FOR A CAUSE kicks off with the first in their series of concerts at The Range in Tokai, on Sunday the 3rd of February 2008, with top SA acts Freshlyground, the Rudimentals, and Bed on Bricks. The concert series is aimed at raising funds for The Heart of Healing, an NGO committed to creating sustainable business solutions to social and environmental issues problems in South Africa. With a large portfolio, and diverse range of already developed solutions, the team of venture philanthropists now intend using a portion of the proceeds from each event towards the ongoing musical training and mentorship of disadvantaged, young artists, who will then be given the opportunity to showcase their talents alongside the bands headlining the events, providing visible feedback on how funds are channelled. Headlining next month’s laid back Sunday afternoon concert is MTV Award-winning Freshlyground, with their vivacious, catchy melodies and deeply introspective ballads. Their perfectly ultra catchy hit ‘Doo Be Doo’! is a favourite amongst a diverse spread of radio stations and their listeners, and the single, “I’d like”, also from their second album, the platinum-selling ‘Nomvula’, held the No.1 position on the 5fm charts for 3 consecutive weeks, and saw them playlisted on every station in the country. Freshlyground, made up of seven talented and diverse musicians from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, is one of South Africa’s most successful young acts. They exude a live performance energy that has been the bedrock of their success, and seen them playing numerous music festivals including the Harare International Festival of the Arts, the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Villa Celimontana Festival in Rome, the 2005 Expo in Japan, the Robben Island African Festival, and the big Oppikoppi ‘Wired’ festival. The band, who bridge historical divides and defy musical stereotypes, were also asked to play before President Thabo Mbeki at the opening of Parliament on the eve of celebrating 10 years of democracy in South Africa! Next up, The Rudimentals bring you their blend of Pan African Ska, dance-hall rap, dope Reggae Rhythm and vintage Ska – with a dash of Jazz and the Blues. Their live shows have captured the imagination of everyone who has seen them, blurring age, taste and social group boundaries – from the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, to UB40, Vortex trance parties, and everywhere in between! They thrive on the fact that they defy musical genre categorization and are proud to carry the “unique” label. Having spent a considerable amount of time at the top of the SA...
Kiva.org – Technology bridging the poverty gap.
Thanks to Jimi for the heads up! Social entrepreneurship is a concept that is and will make a real change in this crazy, unfair, poverty stricken, wonderful world in which we live. Instead of tossing a few coins to people in the street as a way of assuaging your guilt, send the money to these people instead!! It’s an awesome concept although our mind immediately imagines some corrupt 411 scammer milking it. Kiva is a website that matches up those in need of funding with those who have money they’d like to invest in something meaningful in the developing world… What’s really interesting is that it is a LOAN and that you, as the kind loanee will receive updates on how your investment is going and ultimately you will be PAID BACK – brilliant. They put it best: Kiva.org is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to an entrepreneur in the developing world. By combining microfinance with the internet, Kiva.org is creating a global community of people connected through lending.Kiva.org’s mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty....
Call for Entries- (RED) Vision@ Vail Film Festival
For those of you familiar with Project RED, you’ll know it’s a movement to raise funds for the fight against HIV/Aids in Africa, one of the main features being the collective of urban brands designing bespoke RED products to fund anti-retrovirals. The brands include Converse, Motorola and Apple iPod. The movement is growing and as part of their program, they’re holding a Short Film competition for the Vail Film Festival in 2008. South Africans this has your name all over it – there are so many up-and-coming film makers around, combined with a subject that is part of our make-up, come on, let’s win this one. Good thing is, they’re not looking for the usual Disney-style Africaaaaah approach or cliches, they’re wanting refreshing, authentic and optimistic stories. Details here and below: (RED) VISION – Fifth Annual 2008 Vail Film Festival (RED) Short Film Category Submission Guidelines An Emergency Every day, 5,500 Africans die of AIDS. That’s the equivalent of two Twin Towers a day, a tsunami every month. More people die of AIDS in Africa every year than in all the other countries in the world combined. What’s more tragic is that millions are dying unnecessarily. AIDS is a preventable, treatable disease. Two little pills that cost 40 cents a day can keep people with HIV/AIDS alive. In Africa, AIDS is a real emergency. We need a radically new approach to help eliminate it. (RED) – A New Approach (RED) was born out of a passionate belief in our collective sense of strength, justice, humanity and love; that together we have the power and energy to make a difference. (RED) inspires, connects, and empowers people and business to do what they already do, shop, and do good at the same time. Buy (RED) and help eliminate AIDS in Africa. Find out more about (RED) and (PRODUCT) RED at www.joinred.com/red. In particular, read the Fact Sheet, FAQ and (RED) Manifesto. The (RED) Short Film Category This year, (RED) and the Vail Film Festival are very proud to offer a special new (RED) Short Film category. Your film of 3-10 minutes should dramatize one of these two (RED) themes: We are the people we’ve been waiting for Be a good-looking Samaritan It should be: Optimistic Empowering Smart Extraordinary Provocative Irreverent Authentic Don’t: Sell a (PRODUCT) RED product Make the viewer feel guilty Be overtly political Be elitist Be sad Be angry Use violence Submission Guidelines RUNTIME Minimum length of 3 mins. Maximum length of 10 mins. COMPLETION DATE Projects completed after January 1, 2007. PLACE OF ORIGIN Projects may originate from anywhere in the world DISTRIBUTION STATUS Projects must not have distribution PRESSKIT REQUIREMENTS...
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