Category: uncategorized
I’m annoyed that I missed it :(
For most of July, a contingent from Canada’s fabled Royal 22nd Regiment, about 70 guardsmen, is standing on guard for the Queen.
It’s the first time the francophone regiment has stood guard at Buckingham Palace since 1940, when it was done at the request of King George VI, father of Queen Elizabeth. That also marked the first time the King’s Guard Sentinels got commands not only from a non-British unit but also in French. The changing of the guard ceremony, which is a must-see for tourists besides being a famous military ritual, consists of the old guard handing over responsibility for Buckingham Palace’s safety to the new guard. The responsibility is given to active infantry regiments who have shown discipline and precision in their movements.
Must do this!!
Katy and I were walking in Morges yesterday when we came across this.
It rocks.
I must do this. All I need is some hardboard, a hot glue gun and a shitload of rubber ducks.
Ebay, here I come!!
Update: For future reference, the artist is Philip Hardisty
Walking in a minefield
Walking in Bean’s room at night is worse than a minefield, with a happy mix of lego, cars and toys-that-make-noise (I’m looking at you, Neep!)
Oldie-friendly tech
Finally, a laptop that neither Bean or Katy’s parents (or my parents, for that matter) can break!
Turns out it went ok
After a few minutes of tears, the bean settled down and had a good day :-)
Back to school
Today was Bean’s first “day” back at school. He was bouncing around the flat all morning, and was OK when we came into class to get some paperwork, but when it came time to us to leave him he started crying and negotiating with us to not go today and he’d have a longer day tomorrow. Heartbreaking to just leave him in tears, but he seems OK now. One thing that might be a blessing in disguise is that he might be the only non-french speaking big kid. His class only has 7 big kids now, and a class size of 17. See how that goes…
Feeding the child to some swans
A pair of swans were sunning themselves on the beach and doing some swan yoga. Those critters are *big* close up.
The loop of procrastination
Ugh, today’s kids are forgetting the old-fashioned art of absentmindedly reading the same half-page of a book over and over and then letting your attention wander and picking up another book.
–Randall Munroe
Egyptian cleric says men are allowed to spy on women in the shower
According to Osama al-Qusi, a Salafist or ultraorthodox preacher, peeping toms can watch a woman wash as long as they are interested in marrying her. “If you were really honest and wanted to marry that woman, and you were able to hide and watch her in secret, and see the things that she wouldn’t usually let you see before marrying her, then it is acceptable as long as your intentions are pure,” Qusi said in an online video translated by the al-Arabiya news network.
Qusi’s words sparked heavy criticism from those who said he was using religion to win attention. Egypt’s minister for religious affairs, Mohamed Mokhtar, condemned the cleric “and his ilk”, saying: “Where is the glory and masculinity in watching a woman shower? Would you allow this to happen to your daughter?” Mokhtar stressed that fatwas, or Islamic edicts, should only be issued by qualified clerics, and denounced Qusi’s claims as anathema to Islam. “Islam preaches that modesty should be in our nature and all religions concur,” Mukhtar said.