Smoke without Fire

via Morley's site

I'm listening to some Billie Holiday and searching for good street art as a reward for writing today. Two more exams to go. I don't really mind when my knowledge is tested(haha that sounds slightly arrogant), these exams just feel redundant after assignments and presentations and so on. I'd much prefer everyone coming prepared, sitting around a round table (we're just eight people in the group) and then discussing the theme.

One of the articles was on how our perception now is based mainly on what we see, because we equate vision with truth, reality, objectivity and reason. But throughout history, people have chosen to split the body from the mind (Cogito ergo sum and so on), to make it separate entities. This is not the thing that interested me most though. The writer, Coleman I think, stated that the belief that we can separate our consciousness from our bodies (for instance Moravec's idea that in the future our consciousness will be downloadable to some supercomputer and we'll be able to live forever) is similar to the Christian belief, or probably belief of most religions come to think of it, that after death our soul transcends its earthly bounds, leaves the body behind and can live forever in Heaven. I wonder if it is not all just a fear of death, of not living before or after this, that makes us believe in both God and technology.

Here's more Morley, check him out on his site and on FB.

via the Facebook site

via the Morley's website. 

Yes we can

I think that if the FIFA World Cup 2010 did nothing else, it did unify South Africans more and ignited a sense of all fighting for the same cause. I just remember the hosting of a rugby match (a traditionally more white, Afrikaner sport) on the 22nd of May 2010 between the Blue Bulls ( from Pretoria) and the Crusaders ( from New Zealand) at Orlando Stadium, in Soweto ( it stands for South Western Township). Instead of focussing on the influx of white people into a black township and turning it into some racial debate, the people of Soweto embraced  the visitors and it became a party of fans decked out in blue and drinking Black Label ( a local beer) in shebeens. Friends who went told me that the locals invited them into their homes and that it really felt like a moment of integration and friendship. Here is a slide-show of photographs taken on the day, and here a link to a video of a journalist (?) travelling with the Bulls' greatest fan.

Now, more than a year later, Coca Cola has launched a series of advertisements and a site, reasonstobelieve, that also speak to the unifying character of the World Cup and to a sense of optimism regarding South Africa's future. Many people feel it is unsafe and emigrate elsewhere, and although I often also feel the same way, there is still a sense of loyalty to this country because it is home and it has formed my opinions to be more accepting and more conscious of other people's struggles.

I know Coke is appealing to our emotions and it is all a bit clichéd what with the children singing about a "brand new day", but I still think it is a nice ad to see in between those for burglar bars, supermarket discounts and weight-loss pills.

Reasons To Believe South Africa 1 from CocaColaSA on Vimeo.

There are three different versions, if you like the ad check them out on Coca Cola SA's Vimeo page ( the link is under the video).