And in the news today...

"It's like the latest fashion, it's like a spreading disease" - Come out and play by The Offspring.

That's what they said about the internet, then blogging, then 3g technology. Now it's youtube.com. It has become the 21st most visited site on the net and if you don't know what it is you must have been living in a cave in Tajikistan with Bin Laden and the boys. Journalist Leo Bendictus wrote a lighthearted review of this semi-new phenomenon. I must say, it hasn't really impressed me much (not just because the site has a strict "no-porn" policy) but, well, most of it is just amateur videos at their worst made by American (yes, them again) teenagers with too much time on their hands. Nonetheless, it really is worth checking out.

"Oh to be famous, hath the stench of superego smackethd upon it" - Willem Wikkelspies

Dan Nicholls, sports editor of i-africa online, has a sports news column which is delivered in thousands of inboxes daily. Even if you're not into sports at all, his fantastically sadistic take on all sports imaginable (including the utterly sardonic "Graeme Smith Diaries" and the recent addition of the "Jake White Diaries") would single-handedly make it a pleasure to check your mail. What I'm trying to get at is that this guy's writing is really funny, and this is a blatant attempt to engorge his status as someone whose name can be dropped and recognised in certain circles (not sure whether the connotation will be positive or negative - he takes the piss out of many a commentator, athlete and coach daily), and that he included my email to him in his column yesterday. Okay, mine wasn't the only one he included, and it was right at the bottom of the coloum, but come on, at least he included it! :P

"O say, does that star-spangled banner yet waveO'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?" The Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key (1814)

And in other news today...it seems my Yankee-bashing will continue (thanks to Alet's input) for a wee while longer. Firstly, check out the Guardian article in which ex-vice president of the USA Al Gore takes it to the man, calling him and his administration "a renegade band of right-wing extremists". Thanks for the clarity Al, I always had the misconception that it was a liberal, democratic administration that were adherent to the rule of law and human rights. Hmm... anyways, check out this other wonderful piece of journalism courtesy of the most objective newsroom in all of journalism. It's about Brangelina's baby (didn't they have one of these ridiculous Hollywood abbreviations for Ben Affleck and J-Lo as well? Something Like Ben-Jen or something?) who was born in *shudder* Namibia. The headline says it all: "Brad and Angelina's Baby Lucky To Be Alive". Come on. At least Chris Roper of news24.com fame (haha) picked this one up and gives them a piece of his mind on his blog.

I feel better now, back to work.