Loving the Philippines

It’s been a little quiet around here lately so I thought I’d add a few short videos from my visit to the Philippines in September.

I was there seeing the work of Compassion, releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name.

You can click play on the three videos below.






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Soundtrack of My Life – This Head I Hold

Soundtrack of my LifeThis is one of a regular series of articles highlighting some of the music that has played a part in my life.

You’ll find a range of songs from old to new. You’ll probably find music that has been part of the soundtrack of your life too.

You can also check out some of the other songs that make up the soundtrack of my life.

This Head I Hold – Electric Guest

Electric Guest has only released one album so far, 2012’s Mondo, but there is a second on the way. They finished recording in February so it’s just a matter of time until we hear some new music from them.

I have a vast music collection with many hundreds of albums. Mondo by Electric Guest is certainly up there among my favourites.

Electric Guest is a Los Angeles-based band formed in 2011. The group comprises Asa Taccone and Matthew “Cornbread” Compton. Brothers Todd and Tory Dahlhoff play bass and keyboards/guitar, respectively, in the touring version of the band. – Wiki

I’m a big fan of their sound and I’m a strong believer that friends don’t let friends go through life without introducing them to Electric Guest’s music.

Here’s the ‘out there’ video for This Head I Hold, a great single from Mondo. You may have heard it behind a TV commercial or two but listen all the way through and enjoy it as the great song it is.

I’d encourage you to get involved too. Let me know about some of the songs that are etched in your mind. What are the tunes that bring back a flood of memories every time their opening notes start cranking out on your stereo? Are there songs you love for their music and others that speak deeply through their lyrics?



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What does the spleen do?

Forget about asking what the fox says. These Harvard medical students want to know what the spleen does.

I’m guessing that part of their training is still coming.

(via 22 Words)



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Would you help a stranger?

video

I was reading this morning about a man who was mauled by a pack of savage dogs a few days ago. He’s criticised passers-by who videoed and photographed the attack instead of helping him.

Apparently four American Staffordshire Terriers attacked him as he went to move his car near his flat in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton on Tuesday night.

The dogs attacked him from behind and surrounded him, inflicting many bite wounds in a frenzied 15-minute attack.

Eventually, with the help of a nearby security guard, witnesses pulled the dogs off Mr Tat and called the police.

“He was very upset that there were so many people around and no one helped him,” his son, Vi, told the Herald Sun.

“My father was very upset when he saw that they were taping the attack and not helping.”

He said he could hear his father’s screams from their 15th storey flat. – News.com.au

I know that there would be a danger in stepping into a situation like that but surely you’d do something more than try to create a viral Youtube hit.

Everything these days seems to be captured on video and it’s not always a bad thing but I’m wondering if that’s come at the expense of basic human kindness. Have we become so detached that we see the misfortune of others as an opportunity to whip out our smart phones or is it more about the growing trend to not get involved.

If you saw someone in danger would you video them or help? Have you ever stepped in to help a stranger? I’d love to hear your stories.



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Dumb Ways to Die

Melbourne’s Metro Trains has launched a viral advertising campaign aimed at reducing the number of train related deaths in the state of Victoria. Rather than the regular, scary, stay-off-the-tracks-it’s-dangerous type approach, they’ve commissioned a catchy little video that is sure to be watched around the world hundreds of thousands of times. (Watch the video below.)

A three-minute animated music video, written by McCann ECD John Mescall, is the centre piece of the campaign. The video highlights the many dumb ways there are to die, with being hit by a train – a very preventable death – among them.

Mescall said: “We’ve got people eating superglue, sticking forks in toasters and selling both their kidneys. But truth is indeed stranger than fiction, and we still couldn’t come up with dumber ways to die than driving around boomgates and all the other things people do to put themselves in harm’s way around trains. The aim of this campaign is to engage an audience that really doesn’t want to hear any kind of safety message – and we think dumb ways to die will.” – Mumbrella

What do you think? Brilliant? Tacky? Insensitive? Funny?

Do you think it’ll actually work to reduce deaths?



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