h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Then I'm coming round to your house and removing all the words you say from history. Your family discussions will now consist of a back and forth exchange of "Meh"-ing until only one is left. The winner will then consume cheese. That's how we can make the world better.

This is all very fascinating. If I'm honest, I never followed all of this in the media. I thought she might have wandered off and drowned - just that somebody told me there wasn't any water close.
After that, she was a little girl missing, in my book. Like hundreds and thousands other girls and boys.

My God Psycorp, it's bad enough with Uncle Jack shouting "Link. Link." from the sofa.

"Like hundreds and thousands other girls and boys."

That's what I found curious. I was going to say that, when I first heard about it, I thought 'big deal', but that's not accurate and would probably result in yikesing. What I mean is that I was curious as to why this case appeared so much more important than any of the others.

It made me wonder what it was that they were received by the Pope. It's a mystery to me that the pope received them. and why.

I think the Pope was hoping some of their media magic would rub off on him.

Publicity Bel, plain and simple. Makes them look all pious and introspective, makes the Pope look like a kind and thoughtful not ex-Hitler Youth at all sort of guy.

I quite like to watch the Heaven and Earth Show on Sunday mornings because I can disagree with everyone without having to back up my arguments (here I'd actually have to give a reason). The McCanns were on there today talking about how important their faith has been throughout. I don't really have a point here...I was sure I had.

Damn. I'll come back when I remember what I was going to say.

Hmm: GMTV, Heaven & Earth Show, BBC News.

I wonder if they have an agent?

Oh actually, they do. The first thing they did was hire a BBC employee to advise them on their media campaign.

Wonder if he's a moonlighting mod?

But if they're so convinced about their faith, shouldn't they accept all this as 'god-sent', a burden god put on them?

There's something about the media campaign that makes me feel vaguely uneasy. But then if I wanted my child back (whether it was party my fault she was gone in the first place or not) I might want to conduct a similar saturation-coverage media campaign.

Bel, I believe they used that old Christian thing that God can only do good things and so he did not make it happen.

And as I said earlier, that might not be a good idea.

is now hot property. Why would a hypothetical abductor run the risk of keeping her alive now?

Better to let the police do their job, or at least give them more than a few hours.

laconian, are you sure that's the old thing? IO thought the old thing was more about 'Auge um Auge, Zahn um Zahn' (literally translated as: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth). It's the new version who teaches to forgive and that god is good. The old god was a cruel one, you had to fear his wrath.

I'm in two minds
If it were my child I'd be out there doing everything (but not meeting the Pope, that's for sure) but I would worry, as I do with Madeline, that the publicity is doing exactly the opposite of what you want it to do

However, we will never forget her face, like I won't forget Ben Needham's face (even though I'd never recognise him now) and Sarah Payne's (and that didn't help because she was already dead and the publicity around her abduction was extremely dignified)

And, btw, that's not to say that Madeline's parents aren't dignified. I think they are holding it together as well as they can and doing what they can. Some of their actions have surprised me (do they REALLY have an agent? or is someone doing this on their behalf and they are going along with it partly because they think it will help, and partly because they really aren't concentrating on anything but how to get their daughter back?)

I can't help them (unless I see her, and then I'll call the authorities) but I can wonder at the media coverage and the way it is being conducted.

And I'd also be interested, for interest's sake, to know some statistics. For example: how many other people at that resort never used the babysitter service and went to restaurants? Have other children been reported missing? Are parents going to stay at resorts being warned not to leave their children in apartments? Is anyone still doing this? Has the baby sitting service changed?

These are legitimite things the press could report, but are they?

It may amuse participants here that post 89 was removed.

The given reason was as follows:

"we've had to remove your Posting below because it contravenes the House Rules.

Postings to BBC Communities will be removed if they:

* Are considered likely to provoke, attack or offend others
* Are racist, sexist, homophobic, sexually explicit, abusive or otherwise objectionable
* Contain swear words (including abbreviations or alternative spellings) or other language likely to offend"

That posting, IN ITS ENTIRETY, consisted of the following:

M. McCann

Fascinated to know how that posting contravenes any rules, especially given that literally dozens of other people have posted this childs full name with impunity.

<I wonder if they have an agent?.

Yes, they do. Listen to last weeks radio 4 'Teh Message' prog.

They've got a blog somewhere too. Mainly concerned with their jogging habits. It's not a thrilling read.

One of the problems now is, they have made her too hot to handle, with all this publicity. The kidnappers will either panic and get rid of her, incase she draws attention to them, or else have to hide her away for several years to keep her from public gaze or disguise her in some way.

I actually stayed in that resort - and know where they are talking about.

The photos in the paper give the impression that the room and the tapas bar are fairly close together - I would estimate the distance at about 75 yards.

I can't say any closer than that because that 75 yards involves walking across a swimming pool, scaling an 8 foot high wall then climbing the vertical wall of the apartments.

The way I would have travelled is at least 200 yards, then up however many flights of stairs.

Every 15 minutes.