[phonetic dictionary] third twelve

25 Fodder.......................Male parent
26 Foolhardy..................Stan Laurel
27 Forensic.....................Migrants unwell
28 Foresight...................Saga
29 Forfeit........................Quadruped
30 Frigate!......................Angry exclamation
31 Gangrene...................IRA hitsquad
32 Grateful.....................Enough firewood
33 Gunwale....................Harpoon
34 Handicap...................Useful hat
35 Huguenot...................Large tangle
36 Ideal..........................You shuffle

[health and fitness] fish oil can save lives

Past research has linked the omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish to a lower risk of fatal heart rhythm disturbances. A new study has tried to estimate the potential public health impact of raising adults' omega-3 levels with fish oil supplements and estimates that implantable defibrillators would lower the cardiac death rate by 3.3 percent, still not as much as the 6.6-percent lower death rate achieved by increasing the use of fish oil supplements. [American Journal of Preventive Medicine, October 2006] while we’re at it, fresh broccoli, cabbage, nuts, buckwheat and garlic have health benefits out of all proportion to their nutritional value.

[head to head] the u.s. vs canada

Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) and Canadians (63%) think people determine their own success in life. Canadians (77%) and Americas (73%) both believe that the government should take care of the poor. Nearly three-in-five Americans (58%) believe that freedom to pursue their life’s goals is more important than guaranteeing that no one is in need. Only 43% of Canadians agree. More head to head here.

[the dale list] did you make the cut

For anyone outside the UK reading this, Iain Dale has posted four lists on the top 100 UK political blogs and to be fair 1] he's referring to just that - political blogs and 2] to the UK. He's also put a hell of a lot of work into it. I'm wondering about those who came in, say, 112 or maybe 235. I can't get the pdf to work just now [server and other problems at this end today have reconfigured everything] so I wonder where people such as Prodicus, Stuart A, Serf and expats like Black Quill rank on this continuum. Does being on this list, by definition, mean your blog's better? I think I'm going to produce a list of 'Best Underrated Blogs I've Seen' in the near future but maybe others already have this idea.

[political correctness] the left-right divide

In New York, a group of publishers’ some years back issued official guidelines to prospective writers as to topics which must now be avoided in any literary work: “Abortion, death or disease, criminals, magic, politics, religion, unemployment, weapons, violence, poverty, divorce, slavery, alcohol or addiction, women as mothers or doing household work, men as lawyers, doctors or plumbers, African citizens in any negative light." [Diane Ravitch] This sort of thing leaves me in quiet apoplexy, mouth opening and closing, not unlike a fish. More here.

[in brief] thought for the day

It's a dark and gloomy day out there this Monday morning and the temperature is - let me see now - 3 degrees C. It hasn't been the most fabulous weekend, as some people might understand but now we can put all that aside and look forward to a long, gruelling, enjoyable working week. And to put you into a great mood for the week, who better to quote than Tony Blair, from 1997: Enough of talking, time now to do. So people, let's go out and do as he has. I'm putting the kettle on and dreaming of forest and beach.