It's a bit low-tech...

...but you get the idea!

Like this much-ly

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

A couple of Caleb classics

This morning, Caleb was given the choice of whatever he wanted to watch while Daddy cut his hair, so he decided on Monsters Inc. In Flemish. I just laughed at him. And when I said he was nuts - because he complains about watching Muzzy because it's in French and 'he can't understand' (he knows plenty!) yet he was happy to watch something he didn't understand a word of - he just looked me straight in the eye and went 'I do know Flemish.' What could I say?!

Then later, Mark took them to the park - which is right by his preschool, so they were talking a bit about whether he liked going there. Caleb replied with a very predictable 'no' but I was horrified by his reason this time: apparently, it's because everyone speaks English, but 'not like we do' at first I was baffled, then I realised my son is a 3-year-old SNOB!

Best news story EVER?!

You have to read this. The fact that it turns out to be a really dull article just makes it even better!

Easter Holiday

Am currently uploading our photos from the last week. Flickr is doing its best to annoy me, loading some pictures more than once, uploading only one from over one-hundred, muddling up their order, and resolutely refusing to create a new set. What a waste of the sunshine! Will post some comments when I'm less busy.

Will blatantly be absorbing several of the Clarkes' and Evans' pictures into our collections, too. So many cute pictures of our kids and their aunts/uncles/cousins that I can't resist!

Unpluggit

Stumbled upon this site through the Ben & Jerry's e-newsletter. It's nothing you don't know already, but it's sensible, and it's a gentle way to get doing your bit. I confess, despite all my other efforts being second nature now, I still suck at remembering to unplug our many entertainment appliances every night ('Hmmm, was it tonight I set it to record that thing...?'). But big things always start small, eh?

Flickr piccies

As usual, I've uploaded several months' worth of photos in one go, so feel free to look. As usual, I've also done something silly with them and uploaded a bunch of them into more than one set, but hey ho! Here's your sneak preview.

Do you do Coke?

This morning I went on Yahoo answers and posed this question:

From an ethical point of view, should I buy Diet Coca Cola?

'There are lots of big companies out there who exploit their work force, have their fingers in some dodgy pies, and finance arms production etc. I want to know how ethical the Coca Cola company are, and whether I should stop giving them my money to spend on things I am opposed to...?'

Most of my answers so far indicate a lack of understanding about issues like Trade Justice, and ethical business practice, in general. And of course I've had a lot of 'Buy American!' tub-thumping. After the ' just to ease your liberal guilt over everything.' answer, I decided to pose the same question, newly-worded, on Yahoo Answers UK & Ireland:

From an ethical point of view, should I buy Diet Coca Cola?

I already live as ethically as I can, buying Fair Trade as far as our shopping budget allows, reducing my consumption, etc., and I often wonder if my little Diet Coke habit in fact makes me a bit of a hypocrite?

There are lots of big companies out there who exploit their work force, have their fingers in some dodgy pies, and finance arms production etc. I want to know how ethical the Coca Cola company are, and whether I should stop giving them my money to spend on things I am opposed to...?

Interestingly, here I get more answers related to buying a cheaper Cola (yeeeuch!) and side-stepping the ethics completely. Though, it's mostly Americans answering on both sites as far as I can tell (without bothering to check profiles.)

So far, I've had scant answers regarding the genuine question, and more opinions than anything else. Obviously, I wasn't intending to make my decision based on a few comments from unqualified strangers, but I thought one or two people might at least have been able to point me towards research/magazine articles/conspiracy theories. I guess it's a symptom of our age. What I think/feel/believe has superceded the actual, often absolute, truth.

Hell, I'll throw it out there, though. What do you think? (asking your opinion) And what do you know? (asking about The Coca-Cola company)