Interesting, Funny, Inspiring

UH-OH
Did you see this about 170 Swiss solders mistakenly marching a mile into Liechtenstein before turning back? Doesn't seem very Swiss.

Talk about a pregnancy complication you can be thankful you didn't experience.

INTERESTING
Math Puzzle Answers - really funny answers people gave. I still don't really get #5 though. Or at least I don't like it.

Modesty survey: What some guys trying hard to stay pure say about how girls dress & behave, and how girls can help - you have to click on each statement to see the results below; the statements themselves are not the conclusions of the survey.

Www.virginityrocks.com - mostly I like the website url, but I also think the content is great and would love to have this guy speak at our school...Keith Deltano is a former Military Police officer, public school teacher, counselor, youth leader, and now educational comedian. Brave guy to go into schools and stand (with humor and coolness) for the logic of abstinence until marriage. Excellent!

Very cool ad for Apple iPhone. My son played it giddily about ten times. How many of the actors and movies can you identify? I was able to name 18 actors but only 4 movies (out of 29 clips). I am surprised wikipedia doesn't have an article yet listing all the actors and movies used. Hopefully that last sentence I typed will soon be behind the times. I liked this post from Zoom In about the cleverness of the ad. I hadn't recognized the guy whose photo he picked to feature.

JUST FUNNY
A video ad about a toddler having a bad day at work.

Does it tickle your funny bone that a laundry detergent company would launch a campaign called Dirt Is Good? The site lists many ideas of how to get your clothes dirtier (while having fun and getting exercise).

Brant Hansen continues to be funny, this time about Golden Globe awards. Brant has also started a blog he has to write in for work. As usual, he has funny links in his sidebar (such as relating to the Hittite language). Also helpful ones like SnapBubbles. I actually snapped the whole page of bubbles. For completeness. Another cool pointer: Dirty Car Art - an amazing artist who doesn't find it a waste of time to use such an impermanent medium for his reproductions of Van Gogh and Leonardo. He apparently lives on a road of limestone dust, gravel and clay, resulting in perpetually dirty cars.

INSPIRING
Jon Reid pointed me to a great speech upon Bono's acceptance of an award from the NAACP. I agree with Jon - Bono is an amazing speaker. Humble and not intimidated; very clear on his central mission. Dares to bring God into the conversation (7 minute clip).

Amanda Witt points to good thoughts on facing hateful attacks in the blogosphere. She also had a great quote from Rocket Boys:

"Don't worry about it, Sonny," Jake [the town heartbreaker] said when I expressed my lack of prospects as far as women were concerned. "There are two things every woman really wants: one, she wants to know that a man really loves her, and two, that he isn't going to stop. Unlike me, more's the pity, you got the makings to be that kind of man. When they figure that out, the girls are going to be after you."

Then Amanda commented - I wanted to quote her comment too, but then that'd be her whole post, so just go read it there if you like.

Mommylife points to a lot of great things without apologies. For example, G. K. Chesterton on domesticity...

How can it be a large career to tell other people's children about the Rule of Three, and a small career to tell one's own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No; a woman's function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute. I will pity Mrs. Jones for the hugeness of her task; I will never pity her for its smallness.

Great story about Barbara's husband and her garbage disposal.

No reserves. No retreats. No regrets. Mini-biography of William Borden, a millionaire who transformed Yale University in the early 1900s with prayer meetings and gave himself to be a missionary to Asia. Via Brian Rice at Leadership Connextions

Brian Bailey on Father-Son trips. A great reminder.

Wow, a very thought-provoking short story to read, about being in a hurry...by Kate DiCamillo, author of The Tale of Despereaux, etc.

Have you heard the Dick & Rick Hoyt story? A father's totally consuming love for his disabled son. Watch the video on YouTube first (link may not work for very long; they seem to keep disappearing; if it doesn't work, just search YouTube for Dick Hoyt and pick a video saying CAN World's Strongest Dad), then read the story. Sadly, the marriage ended in divorce, which I find completely unsurprising given the obsession and time taken by the dad's radical approach.

MOMMY

Amy's homeschool schedule with 5 kids under 9 - I thought it was so inspiring to hear about how her husband participates.

This is from back in December, but I really liked the idea Melene had to compose the ABC's of the last few days. I'll have to try it sometime...

MAP PUZZLES (thanks to my friend Mindy, who doesn't have a blog that I know of)
Africa     Asia     Canada     Australia and SE Asia     South America     Central America     Capitals of the U.S.