Rain, Shine, or Caterpillar Apocalypse See that thing? That, my friends, is the dreaded all-black woolly-bear caterpillar, or Pyrrharctia Isabella. Everybody in Pennsylvania knows: the narrower the orange stripe on that critter, the worse the winter will be. An all-black caterpillar is an evil omen, indeed. It means we need to buy extra firewood and salt, and get ready to shovel like blazes. Black caterpillars: Do. Not. Want. But fear not, h2g2ers: whatever the weather gods are planning for (and FEMA isn't), the Post will be here to fulfill your reading needs. Our contributors from all quarters of the globe will ensure that you continue to be informed, enlightened, and entertained year-round.
I don't like being at the mercy of the inside of a scriptwriter's head. – Cactuscafé, talking to Awix.
We hear you, CC. Why be at the mercy of paid hacks? When you could just as easily have your aesthetic senses assaulted by the likes of us? You will not believe what's coming this week. And I've peeked ahead, so I know next week will be even weirder.
This week, we've got:
![Sunset over the Aegean Sunset over the Aegean](https://h2g2.com/h2g2/blobs/post_sunset_over_the_aegean.jpg) - Galaxy Babe reached into her trove of journeys past and came up with a photo essay on her first cruise. Head for the eastern Mediterranean with her, and view the Corinth canal and the antiquities of Ephesus. We appreciate this glimpse of the Aegean.
- We have cinema in all its glory and bafflement. Horror and folklore appear to be the themes of the week. Awix is a bit confused about The Limehouse Golem. I would be, too, if I'd seen Karl Marx doing such things. Bluebottle, meanwhile, takes a break from talking Isle of Wight-speak to examine a cinema classic, The Wicker Man. We know that Awix loves this film. Bluebottle, however, has a slightly different anthropological take on things. Follow BB as he defends the honour of marginalised cultural groups everywhere. We're so cutting-edge here, we should probably come with a first aid kit.
- Speaking of cutting-edge: We have alt-history. That's our story, and we're sticking to it. Come read about the Twitter war between the Führer and Bertolt Brecht. It's radical steampunk with a message.
- We're also very fictional this week. The Ha'penny Dreadful continues to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. In addition, two of our fiction writers got together for a flash-fiction challenge. Minorvogonpoet and Cactuscafé agreed on a place, a character, and a couple of artefacts. The resulting stories will intrigue you. Read them here.
- SashaQ went on a different sort of journey – one involving rainbows. Join the Q for a carnival of fun.
![Strelitzia reginae Strelitzia reginae](https://h2g2.com/h2g2/blobs/CWSpecial_Strelitzia_reginae.jpg) - While we've been watching summer flowers grow in the northern hemisphere, Willem has been cultivating his winter garden in Polokwane. This week, he shares the bounty of flowering things from his South African wonderland. You're sure to ooh and aah.
- We have quizzes to test your acuity. We have the usual humour and snark. There is even that rarest of all items, a writing advice column that's actually good for something.
You know what to do with all this: read, comment, share on your social media, plot revenge. Send us more Stuff! We're far and away the most reassuring venue on the interwebs, because nobody – and we mean nobody – says 'Don't Panic!' quite like the h2g2 Post. We defy black caterpillars.
Have a good week out there!
Next week: FWR tries to arrest a ghost.
Dmitri Gheorgheni
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