How to conquer boredom and diminish your reputation as a stable human being

It’s like watching paint dry. Counting ants. Playing footsie with yourself.
Boredom: there’s nothing like it.
It’s one of those things that force people into highly inappropriate confessions about the type of shampoo they use to cure their head lice or how efficient One Ply toilet paper can be in a rush when all you can afford to do is to ‘drop and go’.
Whether you are a serial car counter when passing the time or merely a little more particular about head lice shampoo than others, here are a few steps on how to conquer the grey shadow of boredom and pick up some useful journalistic tips. Even if it means forging your reputation as a pitiful weirdo with a footsie fetish.


Step 1: Be prepared to do the outlandish and ridiculous.
Life is short.
It is therefore necessary to act like a Tuscan who has just arrived in Hillbrow. A journalist does not bat an eyelid when faced with the possibility of losing a leg for a story. The prospect of wearing the stockings you sleep with for your hair to school or lectures should not be frowned upon. Embrace it. Re-live your days as an insolent school child. Stick an open condom on your boss’s windscreen wiper or throw a shoe forward in the middle of a lecture and duck like George Bush. Boredom is evil and the aim is to puncture it with its own pitchfork.


Step 2: Take a camera
You need ocular proof of the ridiculous action you are about to execute. This is so that you can earn appropriate titles from your friends such as Buns of Steel, Tough Cookie or Baksteen bowels, but to name a few. A picture is worth more than a thousand words and will have your editor singing your praises and pinning a congratulatory bow on your prosthetic leg.
Offensive manners and activities never stay hidden so it would be useless to refuse your Facebook profile a few more tagged photos of yourself.
It may be illegal in 14 different countries but who ever made history by being on their best behaviour?


Step 3: Get out
Put down whatever you are doing and leave whatever shelter you have been dwelling in. In my pursuit of dancing with the downright inappropriate, I decided to spend an hour at College House, a neighbouring boys’ residence in my university. I made a point of continuously going in and out of their gate at ten minute intervals like people would with a public toilet on an average day. Regardless of the looks that screamed, “mad journalism student on the loose”, make sure to maintain a serious and sure face. Your reputation may be reduced to the capacity of a teaspoon of sugar but remember that you are making history and conquering boredom all while making a fool of yourself for the sake of the profession of journalism.




Step 4: Reflect and document
After having stripped all notions of being a sane and socially acceptable person from your community, put all the evidence together in a document of your choice. Once again, evidence of this unusual activity is part of the entire process. You want to one day laugh until your dentures shoot out, hit your cat and make it comatose as you look at the picture, read the diary entry or blog post. Every uncomfortable or embarrassing feeling has to be put down. Though such activities may not always guarantee something positive, such as my luck on making a new acquaintance, people may live and die but recorded memories are forever.




Step 5: Pray
If you cannot be rehabilitated back into society, better to seek divine powers for acceptance and hope for the best in the afterlife. It’s all downhill from here onwards.

Mushrooms and Mastur-crasti-nation: A Review

Writer Than You is one of the many debut blogs by Rhodes University's Journalism and Media Studies 1 class. The blog’s uniqueness is declared with a witty pun on its name and fuels the reader’s expectation of the same wit and intelligence. If you're looking for an account on the daily musings of a Rhodes student, this is the blog for you. However, it's increasingly centred in and around campus, with only one or two posts on the national and international, which takes away its unique flair.

Despite this, it makes up for the slightly irrelevant content with posts on topics many wouldn't bat an eyelid over, such as the downside of joke-telling. Of the five contributors, you'll find yourself gravitating more towards Narvissie, with his laugh-out-loud headlines that follow observant blog posts like Mastur-crasti-nation.

In terms of layout, the giant glowing blue mushroom on the page brings to mind an alien-like predator sprouting out of the ground that science fiction movies repeatedly use.  The luminous 'alien-like' blue on a plain black background isn't particularly eye-catching and rather ominous. The virtual fish feeding application and music playlist make up for the lack of colour and some broken links within the posts but the unique factor is lost as numerous other blogs have the same. The voting poll's topic is out of date but nonetheless a clever way for the reader to interact with the topical issues at hand. There is room for ambitious flair but it mushrooms at a glacial pace.

When writing just doesn’t feel right

My hand cramps in awkward and uncomfortable ways as I try to will it into copying the neat patterns in my head. Sigh. It’s so simple, I think, you just need to copy what my right hand does. An involuntary spasm scrawls my “y” across two lines in an unhealthy and spontaneous way. My left hand refuses to comply with my wishes as it awkwardly clutches a pen.

If I thought that my handwriting was ugly or slow when I wrote with my right hand then I was bluntly disillusioned by my little experiment. Turns out it’s not that easy to be ambidextrous… I’ve set aside this time, though, and I won’t give up. I keep writing and writing, some words clearly illegible, looking something closer to Arabic than the English that it’s meant to be. I get an sms on my phone and, staying with the spirit of my experiment, I reply to it with my left hand; I discover that pressing buttons is much simpler than manoeuvring a pen.

I can handle the ugliness, but free writing is surely supposed to be rapid, flowing, unceasing. My attempts are halting and painfully slow, ensuring that I focus carefully on the words I write. My impatience is accompanied by a strange sense of endurance as I force myself to keep my pen scratching across the page. It’s a strange feeling to be so aware of my writing. Now I must pay attention to every loop and line as it’s drawn jerkily across the page. I feel like a child re-learning how to create familiar shapes in unfamiliar ways, learning something new.

No horror story

The blog in question has only 17 posts at time of writing (20:45 on Thursday 29^th October 2009), yet “I know what you wrote last semester” is still one of the more impressive Rhodes JMS 1 blogs I've encoutered. And they have a catchy title too.

The less-than abundant amount of posts may be excused for two reasons. Firstly, a low number of posts of high quality are more desirable than masses of posts spewed out in haste to reach an impressive-looking tally. Secondly, additional posts weren’t a prerequisite, therefore their absence can’t be held against the bloggers.

The plain design of the blog does not detract from the quality of writing. While pretty flowers and animated fish tanks are adorable and mesmerising, rather like a shiny object distracting you from everything else, they soon fade and not even the most creatively designed blog could rescue a reader from posts that tend to leave the eyelids drooping and the intellect in want of something substantial.

While I did detect the stray punctuation error or two in some of the posts (which could have easily been avoided through a simple proof-reading) these didn’t hamper my reading too much. Although, being rather stuck-up about such things as correct grammar and word usage, I did find it annoying. Making allowance for lack of editing, the articles are intelligent, well-written and relevant. Overall, I’d recommend their blog; it’s well worth a visit to anyone with time on their hands.

Final blog post

In honour of all of those who suffer with depression and Bipolar Disorder and most importantly, Candyce Bruce; I dedicate this final blog.

On Monday the of October 2009, I decided to end my life. Convinced that I was nothing more than worthless; the word which I had carved into my arm with a razor blade, I decided that now was time to end it all. A mountain of pills lay strewn on my bad and as I sobbed at the thought of my seemingly pathetic life, I said goodbye to the ones I loved in my head, telling myself that they would be better off.

Quite a few months before this incident, I had entered Journalism 1 with the hopes that I too would be in the ranks of the great writers of the modern day. A South African Marya Hornbaucher if you will. All Journalism students have these fantasies you know, the standing ovations and the critical acclaim.

One day I met a girl who changed everything. You see, I had been diagnosed with the notorious bipolar disorder a few months earlier and armed with my new label, I was satisfied with the idea that I would be somewhat of a social outcast. But strangely enough, she didn’t seem to care. After months of more laughter and happiness I had ever experienced in my life, I became frightened. For a person that had suffered with depression all their life, I had become accustomed to the idea that I would never be truly happy, and that was ok. But, boys and girls, this was not to be.

One night around April 2009, Candyce and I were walking through the streets of Grahamstown, singing Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra ballads. I stopped, looked up at the stars and started crying. Candyce looked at me and exclaimed: “what’s wrong sweetheart?” Through the tears I whispered: “for the first time in my life- I am truly happy.” I realised that everything that I had gone through, the cutting, the drugs, the fights with my parents, everything… it had led me to Rhodes where I had found the person I truly wanted to be, to discover the people who really meant something in my life and to find true happiness and contentment. I looked up and smiled. “L, is for the way you look at me…” I sang. We continued to walk up past the library and I sang louder and more jovial than I think I had ever done.

But soon after that, the fear started to creep into me. I didn’t think I deserved the happiness, I just didn’t believe it was in the cards for me. So that is how I ended up on my bed, carving words into my arm and planning how to end it all.

But something inside me stopped the craziness. I thought about my amazing parents and how much their lives would be altered if I were to commit suicide. I called the one person in the world I knew that I would want with me at the end- Candyce. But the end was not now. So for the first time in my life, I gave up all my fears and doubts, forgot the past and I learnt to love someone with my whole heart. (Now before you go thinking that our relationship is something out of a Katy Perry song, it’s not. ;) The love between friends is a powerful and totally underrated love.)

So to all of you reading this, I advise you to have hope. Life is never easy. Some of us have depression, some an abusive parent, and others we might just be unhappy with the fact that nothing has ever happened to them. But we are intrepid- we strive on. Love yourself and love others, because life is too short to hold back. So, on that note, I will leave you with this token, courtesy of my all time favourite show. (I’m just not going to tell you what it is, some of you intellectuals might judge me, wink wink.) “Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.”

Flaming testicles: On fire or burnt out?

With a name like “Flaming testicles”, one would expect a controversial blog headed by a team of contentious males. I was in for some disappointment. Most of the content appears to do with “[taking us] on a ride of sexual self discovery”. Not particularly enlightening. It then causes me to question the relevance of this blog to budding journalists, particularly women. I say this because we as visitors to the blog are welcomed as “testes”. I highly doubt any female visiting this blog would enjoy being addressed like this. And referring to themselves as “team testicles” just gives the impression that they are a group of sexually frustrated males. One of the bloggers is in fact, a female.
One of the first things that caught my eye, apart from the clichéd blog template, was a video bar on the side. All about cars. I still fail to see the significance of this. There is, however, a beautiful though rather random slideshow of romantic sunsets. One aspect of the blog that I find absolutely pitiful is the fact that there are only eight posts. This not only shows that they did not contribute extra blog posts, but they did not even complete the required assignments. There are no hyperlinks within the articles – just some unrelated hyperlinks in the sidebar. Some blog posts are either without titles or have unimaginative ones. This blog seems to give the wrong impression of Journalism; it is explicitly implied that it involves “juicy gossip”. Flaming testicles – you’re certainly not on fire.

Flaming testicles: On fire or burnt out?

With a name like “Flaming testicles”, one would expect a controversial blog headed by a team of contentious males. I was in for some disappointment. Most of the content appears to do with “[taking us] on a ride of sexual self discovery”. Not particularly enlightening. It then causes me to question the relevance of this blog to budding journalists, particularly women. I say this because we as visitors to the blog are welcomed as “testes”. I highly doubt any female visiting this blog would enjoy being addressed like this. And referring to themselves as “team testicles” just gives the impression that they are a group of sexually frustrated males. One of the bloggers is in fact, a female.
One of the first things that caught my eye, apart from the clichéd blog template, was a video bar on the side. All about cars. I still fail to see the significance of this. There is, however, a beautiful though rather random slideshow of romantic sunsets. One aspect of the blog that I find absolutely pitiful is the fact that there are only eight posts. This not only shows that they did not contribute extra blog posts, but they did not even complete the required assignments. There are no hyperlinks within the articles – just some unrelated hyperlinks in the sidebar. Some blog posts are either without titles or have unimaginative ones. This blog seems to give the wrong impression of Journalism; it is explicitly implied that it involves “juicy gossip”. Flaming testicles – you’re certainly not on fire.

A Hairy Situation

A Hairy Situation
The room clouds with steam as the machine whirrs continuously. The smell of burning hair oil fills the air. Blow drying someone’s kinky head of hair for a full hour is not the most enjoyable thing to do but it sure did get me thinking about some things. Before I get to the root of my experience, let me just explain my motives behind doing such a random thing. Well, I stay in a res full of girls. Girls never seem to stop worrying about their hair and one of my res mates has been complaining about how it’s such a hassle to blow out her African hair so I thought I’d play the considerate housemate and step in to tackle this tedious task. And it was tedious, believe me. Straightening out those knots and curls made my arm feel stiff, and the sound of a hairdryer in action was stuck in my head for hours. I’m not blowing things out of proportion.
Now for the root of my experience – as I was tugging at my resmates hair, dandruff and all, I began to wonder why it was so important for her hair to be straighter than her eyelashes. Apart from the fact that smooth, straight hair is easier to comb, I started to think about Western ideas of beauty. I believed she wanted to conform to Western images of what good hair looks like. Many of us, especially women, feel pressure to be accepted within a “normal” society, and for some this is having light skin and straight hair. To many of us, an attractive head of hair is the only way to attract attention. But why does it have to be straight to be attractive? Many ladies out there are displaying their ethnicity by making waves with their natural hair and this is nothing extraordinary. So here’s a tip from me – don’t straighten your hair for all the wrong reasons – flaunt whatever is growing on your head! There’s no need to blow society away with false images of beauty.

what I fear, a poem

What i fear
I do fear
Is it black?
Can it leave kisses of tar on my eyelids
and leave oily fingerprints
 on my skin?
What i fear
I do fear
when ears can no longer cup heartbeats
on their bosoms
and make the spine smile,
tickled pink
What i fear
I do fear
Is it red?
Can it stain my soul
greyed from the woes of what my
shiny outer self will not tell?
What i fear...
I do not fear
I clamp to my neck
a shark tooth on my pendant
let it eat the insides with its darkness
tear flesh silently
daily
peacefully
while i become scarab-like
an ocular delight
a divine poison

I am not I by Juan Ramon Jimenez

I am not I.
 I am this one
walking beside me whom I do not see
 whom at times I manage to visit
 and whom at other times I forget;
the one who remains silent while I talk,
the one who forgives, sweet, when I hate,
the one who takes a walk when I am indoors,
the one who will remain standing when I die.

From http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/J/JimenezJuanR/IAmNotI.htm

A panda walks into a bar….

Recent Journ lectures reminded me of a fantastic book that I cherish. Lynne Truss’s Eats, Shoots and Leaves (the title relates to a joke about a panda and incorrect punctuation) is a book that takes a very entertaining and intelligent look at something that affects all our lives (especially training media practitioners): punctuation.

Now, most people don’t fully understand my strange preoccupation with punctuation. Words like “pedantic” or “nerdy” come to mind. But when I see a sign that’s broadcasted for the world to see – particularly if it’s some huge billboard or fancy advert that clearly took time and money to produce – I need to know that the comma’s in the right place, folks.

It’s incredible how quickly someone may lose all credibility in my eyes when I notice a stray apostrophe recklessly forced into a plural, looking lost and forlorn with no actual purpose but to make the word very obviously INCORRECT.

Lynne Truss understands my torment, the anguish I feel when I see a sentence slashed apart by irresponsible and aggressive use of semicolons. The book even comes with its own “punctuation repair kit” consisting of stickers that may be used to repair incorrect signage, along with tips on how to do it sneakily and without getting caught. She’s an inspirational writer with a noble vision of a world where punctuation may live without fear of misuse or exploitation.

The deal with children's advertising

Every time I see a children’s advert on television, I sympathise with the parents of that kid. Young children, who do not even understand the intentions of a glossy advert, are generally gullible little spoilsports. They see a superman toy on TV and believe that if they have it, they will take over the world. They see a kid on TV everyone thinks is a "nerd" and then when that kid’s mom buys them a superhero outfit, everyone suddenly thinks that kid is the coolest kid on the planet. So what does the unfortunate tot staring at the screen with wide eyes think? “If I have that outfit, everybody will like me!” Wrong, kid. Not everyone in this world will like you. But of course mommy dear wouldn’t dare say such a thing. Even if she is dragged by a strand of hair, to the nearest toy shop, she will buy what her little one wants. Because kids control their parents, naturally. So, what am I getting at? Most children’s adverts are pretty much unethical because they give children the wrong impression – they don’t know better, so what should it matter? Secondly, material possessions will become the light of a kid’s world. Many parents who cannot spend time with their children buy them gifts as a guilt offering. Bad. Very bad. Finally, the toys that kids get might make them act in ways they usually wouldn’t. Guns and army toys are portrayed as cool, is it not? So the next time you see your little sibling begging your parents for the latest toy in the market, buy them a consumer psychology textbook instead.

Academic texts...boooring

Since coming to University I have gotten used to many things - academic texts for one. Sociology is a subject which forces you to engage with the readings of mostly dead authors - the dull opinions and teachings of theorists and researchers. I used to have a great deal of trouble understanding the foreign words of English only used among the "elite", I believed. Well, it's not so hard anymore. It would be a lot easier if they spoke ordinary English instead of "Greeklish" but hey, at least these texts teach you to speak like a professor. And I have learnt how to drench my essays with words like "hence", "therefore", "moreover" etc. in order to increase my wordcount. Academic texts aren't all that dull, however :). They allow one to contemplate deeply and unpack deeper meanings within the text. Yes, it all sounds so deep but this is how I see it. Academic texts have improved my vocabulary, now I don't feel as though I have to grab a dictionary everytime someone says a word longer than five syllables.

Gone are those days...

In a Linguistics tutorial last week we were discussing literature and I started reminiscing of my good old teenage years and the books I used to read. Remember Sweet Valley High? Looking back I think "gee what nonsense". Reading about a pair of perfect twins whose worlds revolved around boys, clothes and parties might have seemed fun back then,but these stories are basically implying that the lives Jessica and Elizabeth lead are what all teenagers should conform to. Staying slim, being a cheerleader and having a hot, basketball-player boyfriend are all vital in the lives of a young teenager. So this must imply that bookworms, high-academic achievers, the not-so-pretty etc. are "geeks" or "nerds" and don't fit into the category of "cool teen". So what I'm trying to say is that Sweet Valley High, is potentially dangerous in terms of what teengaers perceive as normal, believe it or not.

But the books we read as teens are not all bad - I still enjoy a good classic like The Famous Five and those great stories about girls' boarding schools and their midnight feasts. The Babysitters Club will forever remain a great favourite and anyone remember Ramona and Tracy Beaker? Those characters had the ability to turn a dreary day into one of the most exciting and extraordinary days ever. Let' not forget the likes of Goosebumps and Animorphs - not my favourite reads but thrilling all the same. I dare you to pick up your favourite teen book and allow it to take you back in time....

Make like a foreigner and leave

Discrimination in all its forms is in no way and form acceptable, but nothing makes my blood boil more than xenophobia and all the hostility it brings. This violation of human rights seems to be a common and disturbing phenomenon in South Africa, ironically. After many years of black Africans being systematically oppressed during apartheid, blacks still inflict upon others what was inflicted upon their race. I am not stating that they are the only perpetrators of xenophobia – xenophobia happens all around the world, by different races and to different races. Poor black on black xenophobic violence just seems more prevalent. I am simply stating that after the injustices that this country has faced, for blacks to practice the same cruelty that was imposed upon those before them, is just inhumane.

It seems to me that many South Africans forget that they are part of Africa. Africans share the same problems and South Africa is a developing country, just like the rest of the continent. The spate of xenophobic attacks that hit this country may be over but there are so many xenophobic incidents that go unnoticed. “Amakwerekwere” as foreigners are so insultingly called – and to me this is no different than calling a black a “kaffir” – are still beaten up, verbally abused and treated so unjustly by citizens and law enforcement forces alike, that I can’t stop to question what this world has come to. Being a foreigner myself, there are times when being associated with this country makes me sick.

Pulitzer prizes and sugar packets

What I read consists of so much more than words held together by a cover, or a famous signature at the end of a piece. I won’t deny that I’ve read Shakespeare and Cormac McCarthy; I read the award-winners and classics like anyone else who wants to sound learned. I’ve also read some of those generic bestsellers that make people dress up like vampires and witches and start entire cyber domains to hero-worship their favourite authors. We can debate about the pros and cons of every genre and style of writing, whether popular, critically acclaimed or largely unnoticed by either the masses or the experts. A lot of what I read, however, falls into none of the categories.

I remember once reading the back of a sugar packet that referred to the fact that South African women had trusted and used that brand for decades. Because obviously only women are ever in the kitchen, so it’s the women who use the sugar, the women who purchase it to sweeten up their darling husbands’ tea. I haven’t bought that brand of sugar since.

You may wonder, at this point in my ramblings, what my point is. While an epic novel may inspire my literary muse and make me think, I’m reading words everywhere I go, and all of these carry the potential to impact on me. I read billboards, ads, facebook updates and lecture notes on a daily basis. Words are everywhere, without rank and with a message. They all have an impact.

The stigma of student journalism

by Danelle Wessels

I’m only nineteen, one of many ambitious first-years at Rhodes University. I am a ‘student journalist’, a term which carries many less-than-flattering connotations. I’ve heard it means we’re unprofessional, grammatically incorrect, socially and politically insensitive and inexperienced. While some of us may have cringe-worthy netiquette and no sense of sentence structure, we don’t all deserve the tainted reputation. JMS students slave away and, believe it or not, even first-years show dedication in between their hectic drinking schedules. Heck, pub-crawling is a part of our work.

I’m not a journalist by profession yet; I don’t get paid to write. Instead, it’s something that lives in my blood. I’m addicted to the adventure of it, the creativity and impact of it. Passion and dedication are not to be taken lightly when considering the worth of a journalist. If spirit and hard work are what counts, then I’ve seen ‘student journalists’ with competency to match that of their mentors.

We’re still in the learning process, yes, but isn’t everyone? Students regularly teach and challenge their lecturers. Thanks to the ‘student’ stereotype, we’re not always given the respect and credit due to us and often downplay our own potential. My age does not reflect my ability, my talent or my determination to succeed. My qualifications, though they may help me to refine my skills, do not reflect how capable a journalist I am. Because I am a journalist, this moment, right here, writing to you. I am my words, judge me by them.

Hayibo! Did they just say what I think they said?!

“Breaking news. Into lots of little pieces.” That’s the brilliant tagline boasted by satirical news website Hayibo.com. Before I’d even read a headline I knew I was in the right place. Upon actually reading the articles I was even more impressed when they actually lived up to their claim. They really do shatter news in a most elegant way.

The witty social commentary of their articles serves as both an entertaining read and a critique of politics and world issues that make the news. With similes such as, “Mugabe is like dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight - it's nice from far, but far from nice,” who can help but to pay attention? Of course, we could simply watch satire on TV; as Hayibo.com states, “The SABC already has a dedicated news satire show, in which parodies of government ministers behave outrageously without consequences. It is broadcast nightly at 7pm and is called The News.”

Nevertheless, the site is well worth a visit and I’d recommend it to anyone with a sense of humour and a dislike of the political shizzle that we have to put up with all the time.

Going Hunting

Golden nuggets, that’s the metaphor that stuck with me. Stories are nuggets and we, the ambitious journalists, are the miners spending hours, days, weeks even, in the dirt and dust looking for that elusive speck of gold. It’s that tiny sparkle of a story idea – still rough and in need of much processing – that makes all that the trauma worth it. That moment when inspiration hits me it’s like an arrow through the heart. I fall in love with my ideas and I have to write – it’s an obsession, a compulsion. I no longer have a choice but I MUST express it. Sometimes the words just flow and I wonder where they come from. I’m the one who refines them, shapes them, moulds them. But I’m no alchemist and the gold comes from outside of me. Maybe it’s life that sends me subliminal signals, some strange higher power whispering thoughts in my ear, or possibly it’s just a schizophrenic quirk.

It’s that single idea that keeps me going though, when I’m in the dark tunnels of information overload. I trudge on because I know there’s something there, just beyond my sight. And if I dig long enough, if I can just hold out, I’ll be rewarded.

Talking clean and writing dirty

What is eye-bagged, notepad-brandishing and has a mouth that shoots questions faster than a machine gun?
You guessed it: A journalist.
It's a well-known assumption that journalists are ruthless individuals who eat deadlines for breakfast and can chase one down a fire escape to get a story. This very reason has many a public figure going up in arms at the sight of a microphone, foaming at the mouth as they scream, "no comment! No comment!"

It is true that many a journalist has been known to misquote an interviewee but it gets my nose flaring when it is assumed that all journalists are out to do the same.The reality of it is that a journalist is not there to write a flattering piece on a company that publicly condones animal testing but rather report it and have you make a say on the matter. If you happen to be misquoted more than once, chances are that you are prone to being an unfortunate victim of incompetent journalism. This does not mean that you can condemn all the world's journalists and reporters and expect a story and how fantastic your people skills are the next day.

If all journalists were undercover sensationalists then there would be no need for the tens of thousands of news providers worldwide reporting on the state of the world, but this is clearly not the case. Rather reserve your assumptions than feel the wrath of a journalist's pencil up your nostril.

Scenes from Grahamstown Part 7

Photograph by Jennifer Moyes

Driving away with our taxes

So, Eyewitness News is reporting that Motlanthe says "cabinet ministers will not be asked to return new luxury vehicles". He defended the purchase of the cars on Wednesday, saying it was neither illegal nor unethical.

Wow, wow, wow- I'm actually astonished. We all know the little token that absoloute power corrupts absolutely, but this actually ridiculous. At least in other countries politicians try to hide the fact that they are a bunch of greedy douchebags. But no, not in South Africa.

Motlanthe defended his decision by saying: "The purchases were not unethical in that they were not illegal or underhanded. For these reasons we do not intend to request the return of the vehicles." While this may be true I don't think he sees the point. All these high ranking politicians appeal to the less educated and less fortunate promising a better life for all, but when they get into office, they take hard working individual's money for their new BMW's instead distributing the money to the poor. I mean, that's why we have a progessive form of taxation in this country, last time I checked.

We really chafes my chop is the fact that men like my father, who works almost 12 hours a day every day to provide for his family, has half of his salary cut every month because of progressive taxation. I don't think that he wakes up at 4 every morning thinking: "Yipee, I can't wait for the Minister of Agriculture to get his new car".

There is obviously no transmission occuring between Motlanthe's brain cell's (pun intended).

*End of Rant*

"You live and learn. At any rate, you live"

"Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space."

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams is one of my heroes. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (a trilogy in four parts + 1) is one of those books that are lying in plain sight on my shelf, dog-eared with soft edges from the many times I’ve revisited its glorious pages. I won’t lie; many people don’t understand my obsession with him. I’ve eagerly shoved the book into the awaiting hands of my friends, my excitement infectious as the text passes from my fingertips, the magic crackling in the air. But it all falls flat when they start to read and I see their enthusiasm replaced by that little frown forming on their foreheads.

It’s with shock and horror, and then some more shock followed by disbelief, that I realize: he’s just too weird for them. Too weird??? Is there such a thing? It’s the randomness that I love most, the absolute absurdity of comparing life to a grapefruit and then moving on as though it’s not even debatable. Good literature isn’t just made of the classics and hard-hitting modern works. It’s about self-expression, finding a style that suits you just right.

His ingenious wit and humour make me envy him. I wish I could write like that: make people smile, laugh, or maybe just choke on their coffee. Even if nobody else gets it, I’d be writing for me.

The Thought (a poem)

The Thought
it came to me
lighter than air
smoother than The Pieta
Michelangelo's moulded marble
sweet Jesus in the arms of Mary
It came to me
This thought
Dangling infront of my lips
ready to be formed
To be named
To be given life
Waiting to be curled into letters
And just like this
Brushed its own lips to mine
Pursed its idea
for me to inhale
but only a fragment
before it was gone with the
Out-blown breath
and never to return again

News writing Commentary

The story I chose to comment on is the decision of the University of the Free State on Friday to drop charges against the “Reitz Four” for creating a video which showed the boys forcing cleaning staff to engage in humiliating acts, even urinating in their food.

News Article 1
I wasn’t surprised to find such a highly opinionated article in the Mail and Guardian, however, I was just amazed at the sarcastic tone in which the author wrote- I found this to be different from the usual academic tone of the Mail and Guardian. I especially enjoyed her comment: "Yes, we must embrace reconciliation, but it has its limits," he said. Now fancy that. Anyone with hopes for the Middle East peace process should just give up now. Limited reconciliation. Is that like limited democracy? Or maybe just limited love. It's definitely up there with limited forgiveness.” Her comments just reiterate the fact that without forgiveness we cannot move forward as a country, whether the hurt was done last year or in the last decade.

News Article 2
I was very interesting to read the different responses from various organisations and parties about the incident. I felt that the opinions were extremely balanced and at the end I was convinced by both arguments. The boys shouldn’t be deprived of an education, but letting them in also implies that the university allows that kind of behaviour without repercussions. I hope that South Africans can learn to forgive, although this incident is proving to be extremely difficult.

To follow on Twitter, click here

Semenya not up for exams – thanks to ASA: Sungeni Chithambo

While reading ‘The Times’ online, I came across an article entitled “Semenya too traumatized to write exams”. Now, anything about Caster Semenya catches my eye because I feel so much remorse for what she’s going through. For real. BBC News recently published a story about this. I am in favour of the way this article was written, except the headline which is entitled “Traumatised Semenya ‘skips exams’ ”. Although it appears to be a witty headline, it seems as though she is being mocked. In my opinion, the headline should mock Athletics South Africa (ASA) because they certainly deserve to take the blame. The poor young WOMAN, hermaphrodite or not, is only 18 and in university – her final exams looming. It is understandable that she can’t study for them, let alone write them. At least the University of Pretoria understands that questioning someone’s gender is bound to leave them distressed.
I reckon that the person who wrote this article is seriously frowning upon the actions of the world athletics body, ASA and those other insensitive people who are to blame. I support the way the world athletics body and ASA are made out to be the “bad guys”. Hidden behind this ideology lies the writer’s loyalty for Caster. ASA is refusing to comment on the mess they have caused, and they are mentioned a few times in quite a negative light. I along with several organisations say axe the head of ASA! He deserves it.

What I learnt from Tutorial 5: Sungeni Chithambo

1. When writing an opinion piece it is important that your views on the matter are portrayed but it is not effective if you just keep on ranting and raving about the issue without presenting both sides.
2. A portion of writing as small as one line can show how one feels about a particular issue. One feeling e.g. sadness means different things to different people and can be described differently.
3. It’s surprising how little you know about the routines of the people you consider being close to you. It is also surprising how similar your routines are. In fact, you can learn a lot about a person from how they plan their day!

Frisk me baby one more time!

Gone are the days of the frisking procedure and the metal-detecting magnetometer. We now have a full-body X-ray scanner that gives you naked images of airport travellers. It was bad enough that your mother had to find out about your third piercing through the loud magnetic sound around your bust area minutes befor you board the plane. According to Independent Online,the scanner penetrates even the thickest of winter coats and outlines nipples and genitalia.

The article, if anything,seems to have a casual approach to such a violation of privacy.What ever happened to a right to personal integrity? It's enough to get my Little miss Sunshine panties into a knot.
The Manchester airport in England is one of the first to use the new scanner and, not surprisingly, some United States airports already have them in use.
It's understandable that some find the whole frisking procedure a little (actually, ALOT) intrusive but I can't say i'd prefer to be comfortable having someone see me past my bra even before knowing my name. If it happens to be a good-looking man in a Kenyan accent, i'll beckon the ground to swallow me up.

Ironically, a New York Times article in 2005 discussed the Us Homelands Department's possibility of the naked X-ray scanner after the usual metal-detecting magnetometer did a lously job detecting weapons in hand luggage and taking into consideration non-metal weapons.
The naked X-ray scanner definitely begins a legacy of cringe-worthy searches ahead, but it begs the question of how far the a state will use its power in the name of (insert George Bush accent here) "national security" and how easily we let it slide for the sake of our protection.

Farewell Trans-fats; Hello Healthy Hearts

The South African Department of Health recently released a statement that they might be implementing legislation to decrease the amount of trans-fats in the average South African’s diet. Despite the shiny newness of the report, online media institutions have already jumped on the story.

The general reaction is that trans-fats are the devil; deep-fried, dripping with menacing grease, ready to clog our arteries. Most articles paint a pretty one-sided picture. Yes, they say, all of the facts align neatly… Yes, the government would be doing the right thing by implementing the policy… Yes, yes, that’s right…

Of the articles I’ve scanned I’m most impressed by Health24. It seems to be the only article where reporters actually stopped to question the matter, to get opinions and quotes. Some healthy scepticism is introduced as they consider obstacles in the implementation process and expand on the facts. It’s called balance. Journalists should really try it these days.

What really gets my goat, though, is the content of the article written by The Associated Press. Despite the brevity of the article, they still manage to bring HIV/AIDS into the matter, sneakily slipping it in there that we have “the highest total [of infection] of any country”. How off-putting and unnecessary. These, my fellow consumers, are the “trans-fats” of journalism; the unhealthy bits that we need to cut out. It’s a style of journalism with mass-produced stereotypes and worn statements reminiscent of fast-food. It’s cheap, it’s fast, and there’s something distinctly oily about it.

Scenes from Grahamstown Part 6- Steve Biko Quietly watches over the Residents of Grahamstown

Scenes from Grahamstown Part 5

ZA News, Weekend edition - Saturday 17 October 2009

Zapiro's "television" show. For a good dose of political satire, it's worth a watch

To watch, click here

Zapiro Cartoon October 18 2009

Looking for Change in South Africa... This is funny

Why the need for Daily Dose of Zapiro?

In the spirit of the freedom of speech, I have decided to post one of the most outspoken political cartoonists in South Africa.





I must admit, I have always been in awe of the man. Besides having balls of steel, he manages to pump out daily cartoons that have a 99% success rate of being funny. Now that's talent. But the essence of Zapiro's effect is found in the appalled reactions of those targeted in his cartoons. He is perhaps best known of late because of his Jacob Zuma showerhead cartoons. As a result of his infamous Lady Justice cartoon featuring South Africa's former deputy-president and newly-appointed ANC President Jacob Zuma,Zapiro is currently being sued by Zuma for defamation. The amount was initially R15 million; but has been subsequently reduced time and time again.

There is no doubt that Zapiro envokes something within South Africans, whether it be rage or tumultous laughter (I'm going with the former), but it is the idea of censorship of Zapiro's cartoons that really signals something deeper.


Ideally, in a democratic state, aren't journalists allowed to criticize people all they want as long as it does not amount to hate speech or incite violence? I'm just saying...


So in the spirit of rebellion, I am going to post as much Zapiro as I can, to show my support for the man. (Hey, that rhymes.)

[Dis]organised Chaos

Miniature stone fountain by Sungeni Chithambo

Scenes from Grahamstown Part 4

Photograph by Jennifer Moyes

Scenes from Grahamstown Part 3

Photograph by Jennifer Moyes

the first 40 pages of 'The Road'...

I've started reading 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy. Who would have thought I'd ever read a novel about postapocalyptic America? Wow, such descriptive language in that novel. It has such dreary undertones though...I keep wondering if there's hope for daddy and son. But the language is awesome; I can picture everything so vividly and the relationship between the man and his son is the most beautiful thing ever. Their love for each other is what keeps them warm at night, and Gods love too, even though the man doubts that. Read this section of the blurb: "They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food - and each other." *sniff sniff*

Manifesto By Jennifer Moyes

Photograph by Jennifer Moyes

I am he
As you are he
As you are me
And we are all together
The Beatles

I am Jennifer Moyes and we are all together.

The other day I had an epiphany on why we decided to do the blog Revolution Readers (and it was not only because we were being forced to).
I had just spoken to one of my most beautiful friends who was in much pain because she believed herself to be fat. Not only was she not fat, but next to her, I resemble a small cruise-ship. I was really boggled as to how a 13 year old boy’s figure had become the new sexy. If Justin Timberlake had truly brought “Sexy Back”, he would have told everyone to be bodacious instead of boney. It was then that I started thinking: “why does the media impose unrealistic expectations? And more importantly- Why do we buy into these silly ideas?”

It wasn’t long before I realised that was I going to answer not only these questions, but many other questions about the media too.

You see, Revolution Readers (well, er, excuse the cliché’) literally reads between the lines. In a society that is more focused on the latest partner of a celebrity rather than the starvation of third world countries, Revolution Readers intends to go beyond what is presented at face value, which is something that I do in my writing anyways. Analysing modern media in a way that nobody has ever done before, I intend to break the boundaries between what people ought to be receiving and what they are actually receive. Never viewing an argument from just one side, my writing shall always come to a logical answer. However, I am not afraid to say my opinion, although I’m ready to take criticism and listen to other’s opinions. I cannot describe how long I have spent thinking about telling stories in a way that would open people’s minds to the world around them- this blog is an expression of that.

Follow my tweet here

Blogging Manifesto by Wilhelmina Maboja

Every writer's interests,musings and sub-conscious concoctions are somehow reflected in what they write. As a young journalism student in a tiny area called Grahamstown, South africa, I want to cater to my fellow small-town-dream-big future journalists. At the same time, there are thousands of interests and expectations that the journalism student has that cannot always be catered for. The blog name Revolution Readers embodies the young student "journo" who does not limit themselves to reading only news texts, fiction, biographies, magazines and others but attempts to place their finger on every pulse of various reading texts. As a writer, I see the world as a collage of all sorts of images, people and stories that range from the macabre to the down right side-splittingly humorous. The thread Revolution Readers will follow is that of perception of the media and media texts, among other themes. Because the media is made up of a bunch of witty, cut-throat and sarcastic bunch of individuals (affectionately known as journalists, of course) the internet is the perfect source where individuals of the global crucible smelt together. With a society driven by consumerism, babies in prams throwing rattles at unsuspecting bystanders and instant gratification, it is enough to pull one's hair out when a tabloid channel is the replacement of a news channel. The Revolution Reders's blog will not only read news texts but also stick a scrutinising eye in as many magazines, novels and newspapers as possible. The aim of the blog is to show a revolutionised way of not only thinking but of media consumption. It is expected that we are to willingly construct ourselves into walking and talking information consumers but I want to remind budding journalists out there that there exists another side of the microphone-brandishing and notebook-scribbling individuals at a press conference, cell phone always on standby. Much of our media consumption is done on a large scale at the peak of our smouldering youthful selves before it becomes centred and customised according to whether you're a Bloody Mary and biscuit sort of person in the morning. This also means that much of one's perception of the internal and external world is shaped during this time period amid the turbulence of terrorist attacks, anti-clockwise flushing toilets and boring lectures. With websites such as Twiter and Eblogger, revolutionary readers such as ourselves are slowly demolishing archaic concepts of information consumption and revolutionising our world as young and critical future journalists or simply students with a broader knowledge beyond Perez Hilton and price hikes. With knowledge of the past, present and a vague but vivid idea of the future, this marks the beginning of a reader revolution.
sneak a peek on my tweet, you know you want to.

Mission Statement

by Danelle Wessels

Let’s start off by getting the admin out of the way. My fellow bloggers and I are journalism students. We call ourselves the “Revolution Readers”, which sounds sort of like a group of bookworm superheroes who want to save the world through their obsession with words. If we were into clichés, our motto would probably be something dreadful like: “the pen is mightier than the sword”. But we’re not. So it isn’t (thank heavens for that).

The analogy of a superhero is a marvellous one. Can’t you just see us there, eager journalists-in-the-making, armed with our glistening pens and sturdy notepads, our capes billowing behind us in the wind as we strike a pose that says “bring it on!”. Ah, we’ll be revolutionaries. That’s what I dream about. Practicality is for the cowardly, the old in spirit, and the defeated. But I cherish my dreams. I love to believe in the silly ideas of inexperienced youth; they keep me going and convince me that things can change. I can make a difference, even if it’s just from my keyboard and I don’t get to wear one of those cool-looking superhero get-ups made of leather. It’s literature, dear readers, in which dreams come alive the most. Sometimes it’s so much better than reality. And the written word, in all its forms, moulds reality. It changes mindsets.

We must be aware, of course, that this makes it a dangerous weapon in the hands of our enemies. Perhaps it’s just a conspiracy theory that almost everything we read is the construction of a patriarchal, capitalist society; and if it’s not a construction of it, then it’s a conscious reaction to it. But conspiracy theories make life interesting, even if they’re formed from a bout of paranoia best suited for a mental hospital. You see, the world is just one big loony bin. Everything’s crazy and jumbled up and sometimes I look at Picasso and think that there’s a fine line between genius and lunacy, and I’m not sure that I always trust people to make that distinction. I’m not here to prescribe my opinions to anyone but to offer them as a platform for creative thought. If you agree with what I say, that’s great. But disagree with what you read and it’s even better. Challenge everything you read. Be paranoid. Don’t accept a single fact, a lone syllable into that lovely little head of yours without questioning why it’s been written, what it’s trying to say, what perspective it’s coming from. In summary, don’t give in to the Jedi mind tricks of the media. Think fresh, think innovative. Think revolutionary.

(And follow my tweets to keep up with me)

Blog Writing Assignment: By Sungeni Chithambo

I intend to contribute successfully to this blog by openly expressing my opinions about Journalism and anything relevant to reading. As a group, it is essential that we draw readers from all around the globe. One of the most crucial aims in regard to our blog is to interact with a wide range of individuals in order to consider things which may not have been considered before. I aim to engage in effective peer to peer relationships – sharing ideas and opinions is the way to acquiring knowledge and understanding. I am a creative individual with a belief that the world has a great deal to offer. Engaging with other critical Journalism students will allow me and others to view Journalism in new and different ways. Because this blog aims to deal with various forms of media other than mainstream media, it is important for us to encourage others to apply other literary genres to their lives.

I take my hat off to African writers with genuine African stories to tell. We can incorporate so many aspects of the issues dealt with in these stories to our lives as Journalism students. This can only be a benefit. I would like to use this blog to question forms of media that I am not generally exposed to or those that I take for granted. This is what our blog is for – a medium for expression and interaction. As a young blogger, unlimited by my thoughts and attitudes, it is important to take the initiative to give myself and others a voice.

My identity as a young African woman, unsure of her Journalistic future, is just one aspect of my personality. I am still to discover more. There may be others who relate to my situations, goals and desires. This blog can give me access to the educated contributions of other young Journalists. Life as a Journalism student is not the same for everyone. Learning about others, and through them, can only influence my own experience. Life is one great trek full of exploring and seeking, and for a Journalist – transforming and informing society. I am not a dynamic reformer but my colourful personality can impact other budding Journalists even if just for a short while.

Journalism deviates from other fields of study – the public and unrestricting nature of this study attracts open-minded individuals such as me. There is so much opportunity in this field. Hard work required yes, but hard work (as most of us have learnt), reaps rewards. We are still to discover the rewards that Journalism brings – including positive changes in our identity. Change begins from small things like blogs and our group blog, Revolution Readers, is here to start a revolution indeed!

Follow my tweet on http://twitter.com/sungeni

50 Thoughful, Funny and Polemic Blogging Quotes

by Daniel Scocco
1. “Breathe. Know that the Internet has no eraser.” (Liz Strauss)
2. “I’ve long advised that bloggers seeking to make money from blogging spread their interests across multiple revenue streams so as not to put all their eggs in one basket.” (Darren Rowse)
3. “All you future Google Whores might want to pay attention to what I’m about to reveal.” (John Chow)
4. “The fact of the matter is, if you can start up a local blog about the independent hip-hop scene in Seattle or the financial side of the restaurant business or the intersection of immigration and entrepreneurship, you’ve got a far better shot at becoming a leader in your field.” (Rand Fishkin)
5. “I think I am about 5 for 500 when it comes to successful ideas vs flops.” (Jeremy Schoemaker)
6. “Readers subscribe to blogs when they provide an informational or entertainment value so great that it would be a loss to not subscribe to it.” (Maki)
7. “I think the pleasure of completed work is what makes blogging so popular. You have to believe most bloggers have few if any actual readers. The writers are in it for other reasons. Blogging is like work, but without coworkers thwarting you at every turn. All you get is the pleasure of a completed task.” (Scott Adams)
8. “And it occurred to me that there is no such thing as blogging. There is no such thing as a blogger. Blogging is just writing — writing using a particularly efficient type of publishing technology.” (Simon Dumenco)
9. “When it comes to building your business, there are 4 words that should be echoing in your mind throughout the day; they are Do it Fucking Now.” (QuadsZilla)
10. “Without the New York Times, there is no blog community. They’d have nothing to blog about.” (Malcolm Gladwell)
11. “I am, in full disclosure, a member of the Media Elite. I’m a Conde Nast editor, run a glossy mainstream magazine, spent much of my career at The Economist and consort with known journalists. But nothing annoys me more than the oft-heard assertion within media circles that without us blogs would be nothing.” (Chris Anderson)
12. “Making money from blogging requires you to do only two things: drive a lot traffic, then maximize the income from that traffic.” (John Chow)
13. “Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers.” (Brian Clark)
14. “OK, I’m starting a blog. Why shouldn’t an officer of a public company start a blog? Hey, life is short. At some point, take RegFD to its logical extreme, and this is how we’re all going to be communicating anyways. Think about it.” (Jonathan Schwartz)
15. “People have often described me as a blogger. I generally shy away from the term because, to me, bloggers are boring, self obsessed narcissists who use their website mainly as a means to discuss the inconsequential minutiae of their day to day lives.” (Anonymous writer)
16. “I believe the term “blog” means more than an online journal. I believe a blog is a conversation. People go to blogs to read AND write, not just consume.” (Michael Arrington)
17. “It’s funny that when people reach a certain age, such as after graduating college, they assume it’s time to go out and get a job. But like many things the masses do, just because everyone does it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.” (Steve Pavlina)
18. “But there’s a bigger trend I’m seeing: people who used to enjoy blogging their lives are now moving to Twitter.” (Robert Scoble)
19. “I guess my point is, if you’re one of these people considering giving up on blogging in exchange for paying more attention to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and MySpace, or whatever they throw at us mere mortals, bear in mind you are giving up on something rather unique and wonderful.” (Hugh Macleod)
20. “When I started writing this blog more than 3 years ago, it was in response to traditional media’s habit of twisting interviews to fit the headlines they wanted to create.” (Mark Cuban)
21. “I’ve developed some deep relationships over the past couple of years blogging and I realize that those relationships manifest themselves in the links I find when I do my 28x a daily ego search over at Technorati.” (Jason Calacanis)
22. “The Lazysphere – a working definition – is a group of bloggers who I won’t name by name, but you can spot them a mile away. Rather than create new ideas or pen thoughtful essays, they simply glom on to the latest news with another “me too” blog post.” (Steve Rubel)
23. “Game changing innovations are few and far between. They are usually simple concepts to describe but when they arrive it takes time to fully realize their importance and impact. Television was a game-changer, mobile phones were a game-changer, and blogging is also one.” (Collis Ta’eed)
24. “While some bloggers in networks are making pennies per the hour the network CEO’s and support staff are raking in huge salaries and getting VC Money to help furnish their homes. I don’t like it. It smells funny.” (David Krug)
25. “The bottom line is that blogging is like sex. You can’t fake it. You can’t fake passion. You can’t fake wanting to engage with the public. If you do, it will ultimately be an unsatisfying experience for both the blogger and their readers.” (Kevin Anderson)
26. “Blogs, social networks, newspapers, any other form of publication – all have social aspects to them. It is a spectrum really, with social networks at one extreme and a 19th century novel at the other. But there’s room for all types of social publishing platforms.” (Richard MacManus)
27. “I read blogs every day, for all sorts of reasons, but I turn to blogs especially when I want to hear alternative viewpoints — for example, information on a particular medical treatment from the viewpoint of patients receiving it, rather than doctors administering it; reports from the battlefield seen through the eyes of soldiers rather than politicians; thoughts on a particular technology from the standpoint of engineers rather than executives.” (Jim Buckmaster)
28. “In truth, the real opportunities for building authority and buzz through social media have only just begun. You simply have to look and see where things are going instead of where they’ve been.” (Brian Clark)
29. “Blogs are already moving upmarket and improving. The term “Professional Blogger” is no longer an oxymoron. Some in the traditional media realize this – ESPN, for example, recently purchased the popular basketball blog TrueHoop.com to complement its other online news offerings.” (Luke Langford)
30. “So forget about blogs and bloggers and blogging and focus on this — the cost and difficulty of publishing absolutely anything, by anyone, into a global medium, just got a whole lot lower. And the effects of that increased pool of potential producers is going to be vast.” (Clay Shirky)
31. “It should feel genuinely good to earn income from your blog — you should be driven by a healthy ambition to succeed. If your blog provides genuine value, you fully deserve to earn income from it.” (Steve Pavlina)
32. “The Internet destroyed most of the barriers to publication. The cost of being a publisher dropped to almost zero with two interesting immediate results: anybody can publish, and more importantly, you can publish whatever you want.” (Dick Costolo)
33. “The more popular a person thinks he is in the blogosphere, the thinner his skin and the thicker his hypocrisy. This should be exactly the opposite: the higher you go the thicker the skin and thinner the hypocrisy.” (Guy Kawasaki)
34. “If this prinicpal thinks blogging isn’t educational, he needs his head examined: he should be seeking out every student blogger in the school and giving them special time to blog more — and giving them extra credit besides.” (Cory Doctorow)
35. “Blogs can help bring humanity back into the workplace. We have become so concerned with communicating numbers and processes that employees have forgotten how to build relationships. How can companies ask employees to provide superior service and innovative thinking when everything they see and hear flies in the face of that? Blogs help create a culture that supports those behaviors.” (Michael Wiley)
36. “The sad truth is most bloggers, even those who incessantly work on monetization strategies, end up sitting around the few dollars a day mark and find it difficult to rise above this level.” (Yaro Starak)
37. “Just as we don’t spend a lot of time worrying about how all those poets out there are going to monetize their poetry, the same is true for most bloggers.” (Seth Godin)
38. “One company I work with showed me how the traffic on his company’s site doubled since they started blogging. In fact, the blog (inexpensive) has more visitors and views than the corporate website (expensive). Well, there’s some measurable ROI in that case.” (Mike Sansone)
39. “I found myself declaiming, full flower, for an hour on the “utmost importance and urgency” of Blogging, telling him in no uncertain terms that, especially in a high-end niche business, Blogging is “the premier way” to have “intimate conversations” with his Clients. Funny thing, I believe it!” (Tom Peters)
40. “In China, blogs enable millions of citizens to express their opinions with reduced political risk simply because of the sheer number of like-minded opinions online. Facing these independent voices, the old ideological machine starts to crumble.” (Xiao Qiang)
41. “The currency of blogging is authenticity and trust… you pay folks to blog about a product and you compromise that. I would almost care about this, but it’s so obvious to everyone that this is either a joke or an idiot that there is nothing more to say.” (Jason Calacanis)
42. “Looking back on the event, I find myself thinking there are three approaches to journalism represented here. One is the “cool” approach of traditional journalism, including network broadcasting (in which NPR is no exception). One is the “hot” approach of talk radio, which has since expanded to TV sports networks and now Fox TV. The third is the engaged approach of weblogging.” (Doc Searls)
43. “Some blogs have become the best check on monopoly mainstream journalism, and they provide a surprisingly frequent source of initiative reporting.” (Harold Evans)
44. “Yes, blogging is entertainment. It is performance. Each blog post a show, sometimes an opera, sometimes a 30 second commercial. Like a show, it may start with a bang, lead you along from song to song, have a great climatic moment, then leave the audience wanting more.” (Lorelle Van Fossen)
45. “As I have repeatedly written in one form or other, blogging is not about writing posts. Heck, that’s the least of your challenges. No, blogging is about cultivating a mutually beneficial relationships with an ever-growing online readership, and that’s hard work.” (Alister Cameron)
46. “The reason blogging is often put into the passive category is because if you use direct monetization through Adsense, banners, etc, you earn while you sleep.” (Chris Garrett)
47. “Unless you restrict your reading habits to a really small segment of the blogging population, or you are a blogging machine like Robert Scoble, a feed reader is only going to give you a small window of what is happening in the blogosphere.” (Andy Beard )
48. “To be sure, the blogosphere is subject to all of the same risks as the Internet itself. Many blogs are loaded with vanity posts, half-truths, rumors, and even intentional distortions.” (Christopher Cox)
49. “In at least one way we are atypical bloggers. That’s because we just keep on posting. The typical blogger, like most people who go on diets and budgets, quits after a few months, weeks, or in many cases, days.” (Stephen J. Dubner)
50. “Blogging is good for your career. A well-executed blog sets you apart as an expert in your field.” (Penelope Trunk)

This story was found at: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/blogging-quotes/

Blog Plan

Revolution Readers, our chosen web log name and identity encompasses all our deep interest in reading novels, magazines, newspapers and all that we feel is relevant to our lives as young journalism students grappling to balance social, academic and global issues. As revolutionary readers we aim to create a blog on issues and subjects that affect the young, 21st century man or woman aware of popular and changing trends, their country’s historical background and the power of media. The media itself and its portrayal of peoples, subjects and issues will be our main thread of the topic-based blog. Delving into at least three media texts and at the same time being aware of one’s surroundings is what we aim to do. Much of the youth’s perception is contributed by the media, therefore giving no room to the individual’s very own opinionated and self-constructed perception of what ahs been portrayed. Many popular blogs are centred around the entertainment, ‘techno-gadgets’ and fashion genres, focusing on a materialistic world, which is not a reality for many. Our second thread of focus for our topic-centred blog is on the intelligent young journalism student tackling aspects that directly affect them through knowledge gained from fiction and non-fiction novels, newspapers and magazines.

Our blog is aimed at Journalism and Media Studies students, although we also wish to appeal to an older and/or more mature audience that wants to keep attuned to modern society and the views of young journalists. We realize that our audience does not only appeal to Journalism students at Rhodes but other interested students studying elsewhere. Our blog aims to attract an open-minded and critical audience with people sharing intelligent opinions. Because our blog has an eclectic, modern and somewhat sociable feel to it, we believe that it will not be a difficult task to attract such an audience. Our blog aims to critically engage the target audience.
Journalism students would like to be involved in subject matter that applies to them – we are interested in the implications that certain genres of literature have for us as students. Exposing our audience to more than just mainstream media will make them think carefully about themselves as journalists. Being in contact with only mainstream media is limiting – we would like our audience to gain knowledge of other literature forms, such as classics, and most importantly, African/South African literature. Because this blog is centred on Steve Biko’s “I read what I like”, South African literature is most applicable. Providing this exposure to other media forms will broaden the horizons of our audience members.

We would like our blog to relate to our audience in terms of being a peer, more specifically a well educated peer, sharing controversial ideas and opinions. We would like a sense of being on the same level even though we do not intend on being too personal because this may somewhat restrict our audiences in terms of members having conflicting opinions.
It is essential that our blog be host to an audience of diverse students in order to introduce a range of differing views.

There are many different blog genres that we could base ourselves on, however, there is one genre of blog that we were absolutely sure that we would model our blog on, and that is the Issue based blog. We have modelled our blog around the theme “I read what I like,” exposing the issue of the psychological and social effects of accepting certain forms of modern media at face value. Through this issue, we shall expand upon forms of media that we have read as well as the themes or issues that are held within that certain story.

There are a few blogs that we have taken inspiration from, but there are two in particular that we take inspiration with regards to the style of writing. One website is Hayibo.com, a South African political satire website. The sarcastic, metaphoric and humorous tone of the site is perfect for some of the points we wish to make with regards to the hypocrisies of society. However, where Hayibo keeps a constant sarcastic, metaphoric and humorous tone, we plan to only use such styles intermittently as opposed to throughout out blog. The other website that is a great influence on our writing and our content is Social Hallucinations.Com. The name itself relates very much to the topics that we are going to write about. This blog is a great influence because it attempts to expose the illusions created by society. The blogger addresses many issues throughout the world, but also within the media.

The character of our blog will be funky and modern, with an eclectic mix of different kinds of literature and influences that reflect both the different personalities writing for the blog and the mix of media and written works that we are exposed to in our lifestyles. We want to combine classics with contemporary literature and media to see how the two may complement each other. The writing style used will be relaxed and easy to read so that students like us can relate to it and won’t be scared off by inflated or overly academic language. At the same time it is very important to us to post entries that are not flippant or dull but provide concise ideas that are intelligent and may spark debate. Our aim is to be direct and to the point, giving strong opinions that are well thought-out. We want to make our readers think. With regards to appearance, our blog will have a youthful, dynamic presentation. Using Andy Warhol’s silkscreen-like effects as inspiration for the design, we intend to create a blog that is visually striking and colourful with bold and fluorescent colours. The Revolution Readers’ blog will aim to cover as many genres of literature as possible and remain open to new, radical ideas and perceptions. Our goal is to reform and change the tired, used ways of viewing the world as it is shaped by the media and look for fresh and critical ways of analysing what we read and how it affects us.

We hope that you enjoy our blog. =)

With Love,

Jen, Dan, Sush and Mina

The vision for Revolution Readers

Scenes from Grahamstown Part 2

Photograph By Jennifer Moyes

Scenes from Grahamstown Part 1

Photograph by Jennifer Moyes

Meet the Team: Jennifer

Jennifer Moyes- Naughty but Nice

Hi my name is Jennifer and I'm an alcoholic... No really.

Born in Johannesburg this crazy girl has discovered just about everything there is to discover in life. Arriving at Rhodes after already taking a gap year, I was a year older than everyone else but unfortunately none the wiser. I decided to study the degree without a soul- a Bachelor of Commerce and I had to find out what I loved the hard way. It was only through a year of total misery that I discovered that Journalism was my calling. So this is how I arrived in first year as a granny, albeit happy that I had gone through my mid-life crisis, at well, the quarter of my life.

I'm a very friendly person once you get to know me, although I do have a tendency to be rather insane at times. I'm usually found in the company of the creatures I call my friends, reading my favourite blogs, or pondering the mysteries of life over a coffee and a cigarette. I also have the annoying habit of putting alot of smiley faces in my non-academic writing =) I love fashion- although I'm more inclined to Coco Chanel than Kimora Lee Simmons. I'm also passionate about creating awareness about mental illnesses, especially depression and bipolar disorder, as well taking every day as it comes and taking the time out to appreciate my friends and family. (Yes I sound like a Hallmark card, but trust me, this girl is anything but saccharine sweet.) I also believe in looking at things from every angle, which is why I'm always open to every side of the story. But shit, what do I know? I'm just a first year =).