I already have almost every SitePoint book written and still contributed. 100% of the proceeds go to help the bushfire victims. It’s a no-brainer – go buy the books now.

On Saturday the 7th of February Victoria had its hottest day ever on record, peaking at 47.3 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit), with hot gusts of wind travelling at over 100kmh (60mph). The fire danger rating climbed to 400, where a rating of 100 indicates an uncontrollable fire.

The bushfires that occurred in the rural areas around Melbourne [2] are considered to be the worst in Australian history and rank among the worst in the world [3]. More than 170 people have lost their lives, 5,000 are now homeless, and several small towns have been completely destroyed. These numbers are expected to grow as fires continue to burn.

SitePoint staff members have been personally affected by this disaster; friends have lost their properties, their homes, and their lives.

SitePoint staff were unanimous in wanting to make a substantial contribution; the bushfire emergency relief effort has seen an unprecedented response to a natural disaster in Victoria, and we want to do our part. The Australian Red Cross has announced that money is what’s most needed [4], and no administration costs will be deducted from donations to the 2009 Victorian Bushfire Appeal.

So we’re taking one day, working around the clock to plan, package, and execute our best book deal ever in order to raise funds for the Red Cross as soon as possible. Our ambitious plan is to raise over US$50,000. Every single cent generated from this promotion will go directly to the bushfire relief effort—so if you spend $29.95 purchasing 5 books from SitePoint, the whole $29.95 will go directly to supporting this cause. We feel that’s the least we can do.

The money raised will be donated to the Australian Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal 2009. It will go to aid the many Victorians whose homes, livelihoods, and loved ones have been lost [5], and who are now faced with the struggle of rebuilding their lives.

This is a very important election, so please go vote. If you haven’t already voted early, please find your polling place and go vote tomorrow.

If you’re not up to speed on the issues, checkout Glass Booth – it’s a very good tool to determine where you truly stand on the issues. You don’t have to vote like me, but please be an informed citizen and vote based on what you believe not what you see on TV.

Also, please encourage your family and friends to do the same.

There were some great presentations and keynotes, and the Expo had a lot of great companies represented. I have to say my favorite booth was the B5 booth with their poker game and giveaways. And what was up with the cement mixer??

My friends Patrick, Jeremy and Darren all spoke in panels at this year’s convention and all were great. I learned a lot about blogging and social networking and am excited about applying that information to both my websites and clients’ sites.

The parties rocked, but I think I missed the best party of all… I heard there was Backstreet Boys karaoke going on at the MGM! I’m sorry we missed it.

I also participated in the Digital Photography School Photowalk, and will be posting the photos to Flickr as soon as possible.

All in all, it was a great trip. I learned a lot and can’t wait to apply what I’ve learned. I’d also like to thank Rick Calvert and Blogworld – looking forward to next year!

Ever year I remember where I was on that day on 9/11/01 like it was yesterday. I made it to the work early, sitting in my office facing Downtown LaGrange. It was eerily quiet in our office because there were only two of us there, out of about 9 people. We drank our coffee and discussed trivialities for a while, until the phone rang.

Someone said a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, and my co-worker turned on a radio so we could hear what was going on. We listened for in disbelief as different news agencies gave conflicting reports.

When the second plane crashed into the Twin Towers, we left the office and went to find a TV so we could get better information on what was going on. We found a gathering of people in the jewelry store downstairs. We watched the news replay the crashes again and again and again, with commentators debating over who was responsible for the attacks. I’ll never forget watching the first tower collapse, and saying “Oh my God” out loud along with several other people.

We walked back up to the office and tried to get more information online, but it seemed like the Internet was down. No matter what website we visited… CNN, Fox, ABC. There were so many people trying to get updates that the sites were just buckling under the sheer volume of visitors.

I think 50 years from now, I’ll still vividly remember the events of that day. Thinking of the nearly 3,000 people that died in the September 11 attacks, I am very fortunate that I did not lose any loved ones or personally know anyone that died that day.

I think it’s good to remember the September 11 attacks, and not just once a year. It reminds us that life is precious and short. That freedom is expensive. It reminds us to be thankful for everything we have, to be thankful that we live in the United States of America.

To all those that are fighting for our freedom, all over the world, thank you. To all the families of servicemen who died trying to rescue people, and to all the families of the victims of 9/11, we still remember.

This just makes me sick. I know this family is suffering right now, but someone should be in jail for leaving the gun where a 3-year-old could get to it:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,347249,00.html

http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news-betavoltaic-10.1.html

Aid Groups You Can Donate To

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/asia.quake/index.html