Arab and Islamic states led by Syria and Pakistan have convened for Wednesday of this week a special session of the UN Human Rights Council. The purpose of the meeting is to condemn Israel’s attempt to defend its citizens from Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza.

A draft resolution circulated by the Palestinians as part of their latest propaganda offensive accuses Israel of “grave breaches” of human rights, and of “incessant and repeated military attacks and incursions.” At the same time the resolution omits any reference to incessant rocket attacks launched by the terrorist group Hamas against Israeli civilians, including schoolchildren. In the past few weeks, more than 450 missiles have been launched into Israel from Hamas-controlled Gaza – 200 in the past few days alone, averaging nearly one per hour.

To the casual observer, it would seem that the Human Rights Council has one interest only. That is to attack Israel, and act as a mouthpiece for states that have no respect for human rights.

UN Watch is urging people to lobby world leaders, and have them uphold Israel’s right to self-defence. An editable pro-forma email letter to the heads of government and state of Canada and various European Union countries can be found here.

Interviewed by Jeremy Paxman for next week’s issue of the Radio Times, [David] Attenborough said he had a standard reply for viewers who ask why he shows pictures of hummingbirds and other beautiful creatures without mentioning God.

Attenborough added that he queries why people always cite hummingbirds, butterflies or roses when they ask the question.

“I tend to think of an innocent little child sitting on the bank of a river in Africa, who’s got a worm boring through his eye that can render him blind before he’s eight,” he said.

“Now, presumably you think this Lord created this worm, just as he created the hummingbird. I find that rather tricky.”

From here.

New Dudeness in Slate here.

Norm’s crap about national anthems — he missed one — here it is in Finnish — great because it negates all the balls and fucking effluent that is the political content of all the others.

We are all one.

Norm — give it a listen — you might like the sentiment contained within…