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

Hoo Liganism said: "Heat death of society would require that everyone, every single person in the world, just cut off from every other person in the world and just stopped interacting. It would be peaceful, for sure, but there wouldn't be many people around after the first month or so."

Hoo, thanks for the cogent explanation.

I think I did mean what I said, though. "Just stop interacting" is what the U.S. may do. That map of the Blue (Dem) states and the Red (Rep-neocon) states in the papers and on the net last week was fairly scary. Things are really divided here; a lot of lingering rancor and anger, like Psychocandy has, with her parents.

SC

PS -- I'll see if I can find a link to that d*mn map, in case anyone here missed it.

...here's the T-shirt...
http://www.newsmaxstore.com/nms/showdetl.cfm?&DID=6&Af_ID=962&User_ID=13877303&st=5960&st2=75374275&st3=-73198091&Product_ID=1737&CATID=13&GroupID=53

...i've ordered mine...

alec.

There is a table doing the rounds that compares the average IQ of red and blue states. The basis of the research looks sound. You can guess which colour dominates the top of the table.......

The main lesson I draw from that map is an appreciation of just how unpopulated the midwest is. This election was, apparently, one of the closest if not the closest in history, and yet huge swathes of the centre of the country are solid red.

The other main lesson I draw from it is that the US is somewhere I really, really don't ever want to have to go to, especially for the next four years.

My personal favourite map gag was the one done by The Onion showing Donald Rumsfeld in front of a map of the world. His home country was in blue, and labelled, obviously, "US". The whole rest of the map was in red, and labelled "THEM". ...

H.

Strange how red and blue are the other way round in the US compared to the UK. Red is a colour normally associated with left-wing, not right-wing, politics.

RF

Yes, same here in the Netherlands. Labour and socialists are red, right wing (called liberals over here, also confusing) is blue, the greens are, well, green, as is the christian party, strangely.

If you had said "Nearly all of America is red" back in the 80s, the Republicans would have gotten the wrong idea and bought more guns for themselves.

That's a point. So the Americans must be aware that red is usually associated with left wing elements.

Well that's not aways true. Red was the main colour on the Nazi flag, for instance.

Yes, but it wasn't the 'party colour', if you like. A plain red flag has been the symbol of socialism/communism for a long time. Hence Labour's anthem; 'We'll keep the red flag flying'.

Well the Nazi party was officialy called a socialist party, but I see you're point.

The Communist anthem "The Red Flag"; The Red Brigades; the flags of the USSR and PRC; "Reds under the bed"; etc. etc. Bit of a giveaway, really.

RF

marking

http://www.theonion.com/election2004/images/national_outlook_map6.gif

Good one, Chris!

alectrician said: "...here's the T-shirt...
http://www.newsmaxstore.com/nms/sho...Product_ID=1737&CATID=13&GroupID=53

...i've ordered mine..."

Yeah, interesting to note, it's already on the clearance rack after only two weeks! (follow the link *now*)

SC

regarding http://www.theonion.com/election2004/images/national_outlook_map6.gif

Ooh...

I like it!

SC