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

Just wondering why we can't have statues to people who achieved patriotic things through being smart and well behaved instead of violent. Probably too boring...

I agree - too many guys with swords on horseback.

Here's a statue. It's in Pittsburgh (of course). It's of a man tying his shoes:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g53449-d4112198-Reviews-Mr_Rogers_Memorial_Statue-Pittsburgh_Pennsylvania.html#photos;aggregationId=&albumid=101&filter=7&ff=65701346

That reminds me – when was the last time I sent a picture of the statue of Charlotte Yonge to

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Three months?

It's been awhile. Is she doing anything interesting?

Funnily enough in December, Winchester Cathedral announced they were fundraising with the intention of erecting a statue of Jane Austen in the cathedral's Inner Close, which makes sense considering she died in Winchester and is buried in the cathedral (although her original plaque didn't mention she wrote s). The statue – designed by a renowned statue apparently - would cost £250,000. They've now announced they're not going ahead as since December they've only raised £71.65, leaving them £249,928.35 short.

There have also apparently been numerous complaints that they are trying to turn Winchester Cathedral into a tourist attraction and that a statue of Jane Austen is irrelevant and/or sacrilegious in a religious context: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-47343121

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Isn't religion about setting good examples then? (starting with the amount of money the artist is asking)

Winchester Cathedral does have a statue of Joan of Arc (you can see a picture of it here: A860366), even though she never went to Winchester and isn't buried there. Mind you, she is a Catholic saint . The man who sentenced her to death is buried there and her statue guards his tomb.

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Making sure he stays there...

The real villain of the story is the French Dauphin. After Joan did everything she could to ensure he got the throne, he decided not to pay her ransom in full knowledge that this decision would result in her death as the English would have no motive to keep her alive.
When she fell into English hands it was inevitable that she was not going to live happily ever after. Joan of Arc's main crime was (from the English crown's perspective) being an annoying French peasant – being tried for witchcraft was just an excuse to kill her. True, when the Bishop of Winchester tried her she could have been given a more humane death, but she was the scapegoat for national prestige and an opportunity for revenge. Though if she'd been born John of Arc whether 'he' would have been burnt, hung or beheaded or a combination of all is unknown, but there still would have been a gruesome death. After all, also during Henry VI's reign was Cade's rebellion. After Henry disenfranchised most of the male population of the vote from those 'of yeoman rank and below', Jack Cade proved himself to be an annoying peasant – but a male English one – by leading a rebellion. Despite being issued a royal pardon, he had a 'wanted dead or alive' reward offer and after being delivered dead, had his corpse put on trial, found guilty, beheaded, dragged through the streets of London, then quartered and his various limbs were then dragged round the towns and villages in Kent as a warning for others.
Either way, in the Middle Ages killing peasants was fair game.

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