Random Thoughts, watching the South African sun set.

Well, it looks like they just cant get enough of me here in jo'burg. The client i'm here working for has requested i stay here an extra week for the project, and i agree. I think i'll return again around the middle of Oct giving me a whole week or so at home. i wish i would have taken my camera with me the last week or so, because i've pretty much been all over the place. but no one likes to look like a tourist i guess. .. well, at least not me. Since this is my 6th trip in less than a year and a half to South Africa, i've made lots of friends here and although i'm really not a social creature, i can't help but get to know and hang out with the people here.

Being in SA is very much different than being home back in Utah. For several obvious reasons. The thing i like most is the extreme differences that are prevalent every day here. so many different people from different places. races, colors, cultures and beliefs. Yes, that's what the states is all about, but here, it's so much more obvious. And i love it! Today i had a good portion of my day set aside away from work for the first time this trip to just to roam. I found a mall, and went there for lunch and then headed over to the LDS Temple here to eat on the lawn. I like Malls, its good people watching. .. good times. And as the sun sets here in the African sky here on the poorly kept grass, i can't help but think about how small the world really is, and how messed up it really is.

I've always been an open minded guy. I have some certain core beliefs that i would die for without a question, but at the same time, i love to learn what others believe and why. That's another reason why i love it here. It's very diverse. .. diversity is a two edged word, but in my current situation i view it as healthy. I think different perspectives are healthy for you. It will either make you question your true reasoning for believing in something or re-affirm it. Or in some cases, give you a different perspective to what you already believe or re-direct you to different beliefs.. .. not sure if this makes sense to you, but it does to me.

We silly humans always tend to make things more difficult than they really are. We  (as humans) like making blanket statements, categorizing whole peoples, races, countries, beliefs and colors. Which when you break it down, just makes you look silly when you look at yourself and where you really fit in.  Because no matter what you do or believe, you are an individual, and everyone you decide to look down upon and pass judgment is an individual also. ... Just like you. I believe it's built into you to be a good person, but boy it's hard to remain one. It takes a lot more effort to be a good person than a neutral person, and even less to be a bad person. Today, i past two different situations on the streets where i should have stopped and helped out. .. i didn't. i should have, no matter the fact that i'm in a foreign country and a minority. I did once, earlier on in the week, and it felt good. it was a simple situation, but it still felt good. But in that split second where you can make the decision for good, it's just too easily to decide to turn your head and ignore it, thinking that some 'other' good Samaritan will help out. .. weak. weak i say!  ... and i regret not helping. ... 

so. .. i'm going to try and kick myself harder when i get that feeling to help another. .. even if it's in an awkward situation. ... i will just put myself in whatever situation i find others that may need help ....  and i'll be that help from now on, if i can. .. well, at least i'll try harder now.  it seems like nothing right is easy nowadays.

:sigh:

be well eh?

The Pope, propigating hate and ignorance? (a wooties WTF moment)

Ok.. .. so that's a pretty harsh title, i admit that. But, WTF is up with the Pope? 

So
a lot has been going on in the last couple of weeks that have been prime for
blogging.. But that darn RL keeps getting in the way of things. Too much work..
I haven't even been able to keep up on the headlines since the 12th of Sept!
The Pope has said some ignorant things lately, and in turn there has been more
ignorant statements thrown back at him.  I should have a whole page on
that alone, but yet again, by the time I find time, it won't be relevant
anymore. Still. ..

The
Pope quoted the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus about the subject of
Christianity and Islam:

Without
descending to details ..." said the Pope, "the emperor turns to his
interlocutor somewhat brusquely with the central question on the relationship
between religion and violence in general, in these words: 'Show me just what
Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and
inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he
preached.'

It's utterly insane to me that the pope can even mention
anything considering any number of events in history where the Catholic Church
was the driving force for so much bloodshed and war. Aside from the fact that
Islam is responsible for some of the first institutionalized libraries and education in
the world, look at how things were depending on who was in control of
Jerusalem.

The First Crusaders sent to Jerusalem, and slaughtered most all of
the Jewish and Islamic inhabitants. But then look at the contrast of Salah
al-Din when he and his crusade took Jerusalem back from the Catholic
occupiers.  He was a Kurdish Muslim that
was respected by both his own people and the Christian people ( i emphasise that he is Kurdish for a very specific reason.. figure it out if you don't know). … Okay, enough
of the history lessons, but I just think the Pope has no right
whatsoever to say what he did or even insinuate it, considering the history of
his church and the 'Evil' that was done in it's name on both continents. But I'm surprised, and
saddened at some of the articles and comments I've read that support the Pope
for what he said. I guess ignorance will always abound where people don’t care
enough to think of others and respect what they believe. Yes there are a portion of Islam that uses violence instead of dialog to prove a point. But there is an even greater portion, albeit silent, that believes otherwise. Besides, if you were to even skim a brief portion of Islam you would know that there are some very important and good teachings taught through it's true meaning.

:sigh: 

Anyway, Plenty
to comment on in politics also, both here and back home.. But I'll leave this entry as is. It's Sunday. Ramadan starts today. and it's the Jewish New year. I'll
stay my rant to one single source for today.

Darfur and what the heck is the UN good for anyway?

So i ended up working most of the daylight hours and the night hours here Sunday, but i was able to catch some of the news. If you don't know what's
going on in Sudan right now, you should. ..Although Sudan is a good length away from
South Africa, I can't help but think about the desperate situation more, and
how negligent the world has been towards that situation over the last several
years. i mean, i still agree with the US going into Iraq. .. Saddam killed thousands of people, didn't allow his own people the right or freedom of self expression or free thought, etc, etc. Iraq wasn't and isn't a clear-cut situation, But Darfur IS. i just wonder what exactly is the UN good for? it's been
nearly 4 years i think since the world has known about it. It's blatant
genocide! and the UN sends a handful of peacekeeping toops is all? No world
outcry at the cruddy things going on hourly there?

Seriously.
What's the last good thing the UN did that wasn't all bureaucracy of forced by another country?

Help out the 2.5 million people that have been chased from their homes and live in tumoil.  

Sign the online petition 

International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Avast everyone! it's International Talk Like a Pirate day! go figure. i
didn't remember it until late me afternoon harr in South Africa, but i
can't let another important day like this here go un wootiefied! I know
the site looks a bit odd, no worries though, i just dont ha' time ta
tweak it aft ta the awesomeness that it was. Avast me hearty mateys! so
it'll prolly change a couple times still. ARR! But the hearrty news is,
it'll be much more reliable, now. Blow the man down. wooties fer me! ..
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! ok. Avast me hearty mateys! aft ta work
fer me. it's almost 9pm harr 'n' i still ha' SOO much work ta do still.
.. yay.

so happy day everyone, shiver yer timbers fer me!

A Wootious Upgrade

Ok so i tried to move wooties to a new server i've got up and running, and turns out that asp.net and framework 2.0 64bit don't like me much. I didn't have time to look into it much before flying out to South Africa, but i think i've got it fixed now. I ended up having to upgrade the software that i'm using for my blog, so i lost all my formating that i had the blog on earlier. oh well.

it may take me a bit to get everything back up and running. but hey. i'm Back!

 
i'll post something soon even!

What is WTF?

A Wooties 'WTF' moment! .. i know, you're asking yourself, what the heck is that? Well, that's exactly what a 'WTF' moment is. It's something that makes you take a step back and question 'What the fetch?'. Seriously though. .. How many 'WTF' moments or emails do you have like that in a day? (if you're like me, it's too many)

Ok. Something i could clarify. I say 'dubya tee ehf' quite a bit sometimes. And i shouldn't. First of all because it can insite you to repeat a fairly nasty swear word. And that's bad. .. I don't want you to think of it as that. WTF has been around for a long time. It's an used on the internet as short for "What the Fetch" altough that last word is quite a bit more crude. I don't like that. .. and although 'fetch', 'frick', 'frack' or whatever you want to call it kind of, sort of means the same thing (messed up) they're not offensive.

 So if i slip up and say 'wtf' and you feel forced to repeat it in your head. be SURE to repeat it as 'What the Fetch'. Please, or i'll feel bad. Seriously.. that word is just plain crude.