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

Personally speaking this is a disgusting case of clear profiteering. It certainly has nothing to do with the economic laws of supply and demand.

It was a disgrace on a day which otherwise showed the finest side of London.

Rogan

I have a feeling the fire regs and health and safety would stop you packing them in.

BS

That is exactly what supply and demand is at its base level - profiteering.

Not saying I agree with what they did but they have every right to. Go on as they would normally and not let terrorists change the way they live their lives i.e. do the best they can for their business. Isn't that what Blair said yesterday? The bombing will not change our society or the way we go about our business.

I also have to say that for anyone who got stuck in London because they couldn't catch their trains back to Birmingham, Leicester etc then they can certainly afford the high hotel prices by virtue of having a high paid job in London but living in a cheap area like Birmingham. Or how about walking 5miles out of the city and getting someone to pick them up? Brum to London is only a 1.5hour journey by the time you have walked the 5miles they should be almost waiting to pick you up.

My company up in Leicestershire was ringing round us all who had visitors in yesterday asking whether they were from the London area and whether they would like to be put up hotels rather than travel back down which I thought was a darn nice thing to do.

I don't object to it either if it's a balanced decision. What I do object to is people defending it as though it's unchallengeable and 'the only correct option'; I have heard the 'supply and demand' argument used to defend actions by companies that - in my book anyway - are immoral.

To be more accurate I think the phrase is actually "That's business". Considered by some to be a universal panacea to any accusations of profiteering. 'That's business' AKA 'F**k you, we want more money'.

Correction, it is: We want YOUR money.

http://www.flexyourrights.org/2005_07_07_is_that_a_rocket_in_your_trunk_or_are_you_just_happy_to_see_me

Two men in Missouri were arrested following an inspired, though unsuccessful, attempt at concealing evidence by launching it out of their car in a rocket

Astronomers have found a large object in the Solar System's outer reaches. It is being hailed as "a great discovery".

'It is at least 1,500km (930 miles) across and may be larger than Pluto, which is 2,274km (1,400 miles) across. '

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4726733.stm

Throw away your popular astronomy books - now the fun really begins!

"it was picked up by the Gemini telescope and one of the twin Keck telescopes in Hawaii."

Let's hope the twin telescopes weren't *completely* Keck!

Shuttle Discovery news
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4730129.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4732951.stm

http://www.snopes.com/humor/question/urgent.asp

Not a news story as such, but a collection of strange questions sent in to Snopes. Good for a giggle. I particularly like:

Has anyone had to cut off their tongue because it's frozen to a flagpole?

The conclusive evidence that Ivory-billed Woodpeckers are not extinct:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/08/02/woodpecker.question.ap/index.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4740381.stm

An Air France plane has crashed in Canada

But everyone survived - isn't that wonderful?

Quite amazing, in fact.

Damage seen from Space

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4745963.stm

It's a miracle!

I was quite taken with the story of the cloned today

Where next, I wonder?

Poor dog they did a cat called CC short for cloned cat and a sheep called Dolly who ded of cancer eerm

'Hurricane Ivan generated a wave more than 90 foot (27 metres) high - thought to be the tallest and most intense ever measured - scientists have revealed. '

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4739741.stm

90 foot high waves.

Shuttle crew begin journey home

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4749793.stm