My First Dictionary

With so many friends starting to have children, here's a link to a useful/sick blog that might be (un)helpful in teaching kids the meaning of words.

http://myfirstdictionary.blogspot.com/

Blow hole halo

Dolphins = smart and cool.
American Kids = whiny

Proof can be found here

Paper Plane (Director's Cut)

This is cool.

Paper Plane

Animals and Birds Vs Mirrors

This is nuts.

New Year - Old Troubles

Jeez. Things look pretty grim at the start of 2009 - and that's just the footage from Gaza. My grandad was telling me at the weekend that he was part of the British armed forces out that way when Israel was established post WWII. It sounds like it was ugly back then and that its been ugly ever since.

I don't pretend to understand all the complexities and subtleties of the situation out there. Violence seems to beget violence. Which makes it all the harder to forgive and much simpler to seek revenge for the bloodletting. Retaliation begets retaliation.

I was lucky enough to meet and chat with some really interesting Jewish Israelis on my trip to South America last year. One guy I spoke with at length told me a bit about his religion and about his time on the front-line in the Israeli army (he was part of the Lebanon invasion force in 2007 i think). It struck me that they do have a strong siege mentality - understandably so. Further, and i think I'm right here, a central belief to Judaism is the fact the only Jewish people can have a relationship with God. All others are inferior and can have no relationship with god and are barred from 'heaven'. I can only assume that this sense of superiority might well have some affect on decision making.

Anyway - I've just read an article by Robert Fisk of the Independent and found it interesting and thought provoking... tho I'm no closer to feeling certain on the issue. While it's debunking the myths Israel feed the media, I'm certain there's untold underhandedness from the Palestinians. Not that it makes any of it right.

Anyway... Back to the dick jokes in the next edition of very un-dude.

Word / phobia of the day:

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia

Make Sense of the Financial Meltdown Apocalypse

Head of International Monetary Fund: "I give about this much of a f***."

Ooo... It's all a bit scary isn't it. Financial institutions collapsing. Icelanders viewed as terrorists. Bankers sobbing into the steering wheels of their Ferraris.

See this here site to help make sense of it all: themoneymeltdown