Saturday, 28 December 2013

Day 108 - Meerkattenborough



If you stay still for long enough, the Meerkats think you're part of the landscape...



And here's a meerkat in Chipping Norton zoo watching wimbledon:






Wednesday, 25 December 2013

Day 105 - Happy Jesus's Birthday!



 Chad Kroeger:


A Past Times nightie:


A Sunday School Jesus:

(This whitened, Westernised version of Jesus came about to de-Jewify Jesus, probably around the early middle ages when anti-semitic feeling was particularly strong and the Jews were hated for 'killing' Jesus. The image was probably consciously altered to inspire Crusaders travelling to Jerusalem who may not have fought for a religion represented by a swarthy, darker man who strongly resembled the men they were fighting against)


What Jesus really looked like (according to former University of Manchester forensic artist Richard Neave):


PS: This artist does not condone listening to Nickleback! Don't do it Kids!

PPS: Jesus was probably born about 17th April, not December (although the date is highly debatable). 25th of December was a compromise with paganism, because Emperor Constantine did not want to celebrate Chanukah with the Jews (who he blamed for killing Jesus) but also wanted the pagans celebrating the winter solstice to convert, hence the mash up of Christian & Pagan symbolism we see today.

Monday, 23 December 2013

Day 103 - Hapi Christmas*


Militant groups such as Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya attempted to destabilise the government by ruining the country financially. As approximately 98% of Egypt's economy was based on tourism back then, tourists became an obvious target and there were shootings and bombings of buses, boats, tourist markets, and the horrific Luxor massacre, where 62 tourists were beheaded and disembowelled at the Temple of Hatchepsut.

Unsurprisingly, the place was deserted and we were one of only 6 boats active on the Nile at the time. When the boat docked, it was not against the shore but against a giant pontoon of  10-15 inactive cruisers that we had to cross to get to the land. We walked straight into the Valley of the Kings and into Tutankhamun's tomb, whilst a 2 hour wait would have been the norm for such an internationally renowned tourist destination.

* Hapi is the Egyptian God of the Nile



Wednesday, 11 December 2013

Day 91 - That Storm in a Teacup Selfie



Taking a photo was probably quite a 'fun' thing to do for 3 total stiffs.

The following pics are how the South Africans partied at the memorial:




This is what George W Bush put on his twitter feed:


See! They were all doing it!

And in case you live under a rock and hadn't seen that 'controversial' picture.....



* I would like to point out that I'm not a spectacular fan of any of the 3 leaders, I just don't think they did anything particularly wrong.

Tuesday, 3 December 2013

Own a Print of your favourite 'Random Thought' - Help me Fundraise for the Folkestone Winter Shelter.


STEP 1 - Look through this blog and chose your favourite (or favourites) drawing from the 90+ pictures I have drawn so far

STEP 2 - Contact me by commenting on this blog or on the Random Thoughts Facebook Page, letting me know who you are and which one(s) you would like a print of.

STEP 3 - Donate directly to the Shelter through my Just Giving page at £10 for each print. This way You will know all proceeds go directly to the shelter, not through my hands. I will be notified of the donation and will match it up with your message.

STEP 4 - The requested prints will be printed by Mid December (I'm aiming for the 14th). I'm using a local printer so there will be a fast turnaround without compromising quality on ink or paper. Prints will be unmounted and unframed so if they are intended as gifts you have time to get this done.

If postage outside of Folkestone is needed this can be arranged - please contact me


Your print will come something like this - trimmed down to the corner marks and wrapped for protection.

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If you don't know about the Winter Shelter, they provide essential support and shelter for Folkestone's Rough Sleepers through the winter months. They are 100% funded by charity donations and volunteers.

Their official website is here for more info.

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This offer is now closed and the RTOABA Justgiving page de-activated.

If you would like to donate to the Winter Shelter please use the following link:

http://www.justgiving.com/folkestonerainbowcentre

A BIG THANK YOU to all who donated, your generosity raised £180 for the shelter!

Day 83 - Doing the Washing Up


Saturday, 30 November 2013