Look, perhaps the most unlikely gathering of words in a headline, ever. Apparently, today (Wednesday 15 October 2008) is Blog Action Dayhttp://blogactionday.org/ where bloggers unite to write about a specific topic. This is evidently in a misguided attempt to once again put to the test that aphorism that the pen is mightier than the sword. Bloggers everywhere are taking up the cudgels on behalf of the poor, the theme for Blog Action Day being ‘Poverty’.

Poverty of thought, if you ask me. I had been under the misguided impression that blogging was about free thinking and breaking out of the shackles that bind the common journalist to a deadline and a story. Not so, not so. The sheep of cyberspace are determinedly trying to prove that hypothesis that a million monkeys with a million typewriters might just, given enough time, churn out the complete works of Shakespeare. Don’t hold your breath. I’m not holding mine. And also try not to be bored witless by the surfeit of stories polluting the internet with tales of woe and concern for those less fortunate than we.

There is a bit of economic madness on the go right now. Understanding the subprime crisis is a challenge even to some economists, but in my discussions with smart people at companies like Ernst & Young, they reckon that the approach by South African banks to lending money is pretty sound. That much was apparent too, when I attended a conference of international housing financiers in Sun City recently. Very simply put, the financial crisis in the United States has its roots in banks lending money to people who could not repay it. Next time you’re upset that the bank won’t hand out money willy-nilly, just remember that this is what saves our economy from disaster. Thanks Mr. Bank, you know me better than I know me.

Here’s a shocking thought: globally, the ‘shadow (credit) economy is estimated by some to be 30 times bigger than the ‘real’ economy. Too much debt, not enough underlying real money. There’s your poverty blog right there, except most people don’t realise they are living in it.

More exciting by far, than ‘Poverty’, is that the Shine 2010 team in the form of me, has an opportunity to have a chat with football legend Gary Bailey. I’ve been given his cell number and just need to give him a bell sometime today. With any luck I’ll be able to synch with Gary and have a chat about some initiatives he is busy with around the 2010 tournament. Definitely a potential bright moment for my day; you know you’re pretty important when you have your own Wikipedia page. Read all about Gary over there and look out for the podcast which we hope to be bringing you soon.