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

Yep, got my yellow fever, Hep A and a few other things as well for travelling. And keep my tetanus up to date as well.

Back from the Netherlands, off on Sunday on one of the big trips - 12 days of Japan and Singapore. Finally, I've got a company to pay for sending me to Japan, which is a place I've wanted to see for years And I get almost a week there - sure, there'll be work but also there should be time to just see.

A bit mixed emotions on graffitti - a well done wild style on a "reasonable" piece of wall can certainly be both beautiful and a good thing. But so much here is just senseless tagging on walls where it's an eyesore and destructive. Who'd like to have the front wall of their house "decorated" with twentyeight senseless repetitions of somebody's not-too-decorative name tag??

Somebody asked me that once Santra - "how would you feel if you came home and found graffiti all over the house" and my answer was a genuine "it would depend on how good it is". I can't argue in favour of bad graffiti even though I don't actually mind it.

Babychino sounds nice, Kelli. I think I might like some myself.

Just seen a sign here above a disused phone socket. It says "Redundant Outlet".

Hmmm.

[Bel]

I wonder if the McKinsey consultants would recommend losing 1 in 10 if they were to look at their own organisation...

The giant meccano set outside the window is going up apace. Now we can see just how close this new building is to ours (very) and how high (a bit higher than our windows)

Well done MR and to the D as well.

I'm sure I've had all the usual rounds of vaccinations. The last time I went to my GP surgery to pick up a prescription I was handed a letter informing me of the annual flu vaccination day for this autumn.

McKinsey presumably offers its staff private healthcare.

[mags] covered in hair.

That's the right attitude Kelli - you won't change their minds, so it's pointless arguing. But you can state your opinion and the facts as you know them.

Where were we - vaccinations, babyccinos, cuts in the health service, sweetcorn... I'm sure I wanted to say something but it's gone.

I'll volunteer to do some scribing, though!

Ah yes, creative punctuation and its effect on the reader.

About this time last week I sent a letter to the editor of the Irish Big Issues magazine, pointing out that:

1. someone needs to explain to their writers the difference between morality and mortality (a whole article on "maternal morality" (sic) in Africa, and the phrase was repeated 4 times, including on the contents page)

2. an article claiming that the moon landings were a hoax has a reduced impact whenever Grissom's name is misspelled, and when Armstrong's "immortal" words are wrongly quoted.

Did you suggest that an article expressing concerns about maternal morality in Africa might be the teensiest bit imperialist, Beatrice?

B

[Bagpuss]

[Mol]

A 'moon landing is a hoax' conspiracy nut confronted Buzz Aldrin outside a hotel . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9qmSbtTCFo
One of them was made of the right stuff and the other one got a punch in the face .

The Mckinsey stuff freaked me a bit as well. Though the government has apparently said it doesn't want to apply it.

We had cutbacks back in 2007 and now we have staff shortages.

B - where would you like to emigrate to?

Speaking of newspapers getting their editing wrob - wonderfully wrong, I'd say :

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/mediamonkeyblog/2009/sep/01/express-ant-dec-headline-error

Just choose a country with decent internet and hootoo access, willya?

Morning all. The preparations continue in the GDZ household. We leave in less than 7 hours.

*sidles in quietly*

I'm feeling very old at the moment. I know it's irrational, but I am. Last night, I saw a production of Footloose by a cast of 20-somethings, many of them much better singers and dancers than I'll ever be, and the cast of Fame (16-21) is similarly gifted beyond their years, meaning that little old me, playing one of their teachers, is running behind, struggling to keep up.

>> where would you like to emigrate to?

New Zealand, Canada, the Falklands, the Pitcairns, the Antarctic?

Oooo, not Pitcairn Island. Remember the mass rape and molestation trials a few years back? Fletcher Christian's male descendants were "breaking in" nearly every girl (and very probably some of the boys) on the island.

Forget the trials of urban living and its related graffiti, the real trouble happens in isolated, rural areas.

That said, there are some days the far reaches of the Yukon look pretty good.

One more thing, and I gotta get ready for work: congratulations MR--and D!