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

Pet Shop Boys reject Peta request
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7991324.stm

is there not more obvious name change?
Peta Shop Boys

Get a bonus for bothering to turn up at work.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7994475.stm

A £250 bonus has been paid to Crown Prosecution Service staff in London who turned up for work during heavy snow.

a follow up on the Afghan Marriage = Rape law:


'The law says a husband can demand sex with his wife every four days unless she is ill or would be harmed by intercourse, and regulates when and for what reasons a wife may leave her home alone. The legislation has sparked international outrage.

Mohseni said that women and men are not equal in Afghanistan and shouldn't be treated as equals, arguing that men are the breadwinners and that rural women are illiterate, making it difficult for them to provide financial support to the family.

"It is not possible for all women to pay the same amount of money as men are paying. For all these expenses, can't we at least give the right to a husband to demand sex from his wife after four nights?" he said.'

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/04/11/mohseni-law.html

And why are rural women are illiterate? Because for a few generations now they've not been allowed to go to school, apparently in order to justify a bi-weekly rape.

I saw this headline and thought 'sure the economy's bad, but do we have to return to slavery?'


'Sale of Canadiens may be close'

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2009/04/11/montreal-canadienssale.html

Treating others as chattels seems quite acceptable to some...


"The girl's father, according to the attorney, arranged the marriage in order to settle his debts with the man, who is "a close friend" of his. At the time of the initial verdict, the judge required the girl's husband to sign a pledge that he would not have sex with her until she reaches puberty, al-Jutaili told CNN. The judge ruled that when the girl reaches puberty, she will have the right to request a divorce by filing a petition with the court, the lawyer said."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/04/12/saudi.child.marriage/index.html

Fifth body part 'from same man'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7996224.stm

"The BBC's Barnie Choudhury says the man is hard to identify"

Top class journalism that

I wonder if they've ruled out suicide?

In Dörentrup (Germany) inhabitants light the street lights themselves

http://tinyurl.com/cycwnl (link in French)

Basically, at 9 in the evening, lights in the lesser frequented streets go out.

To get light in the streets when you need it, you must register to some service ('Dial4Light'). Then you send a text message indicating the way you want to walk, and the corresponding lights get switched on for 15 minutes, for the price of a communication.

Apparently this decreased the City's light invoice by 25%. Reduction in CO2 consumption hasn't been measured yet.

that is amazing.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090415/tod-fir-tree-found-growing-inside-man-s-870a197.html

Good grief

I'm starting to regret eating my apples whole, core and all, since I was a kid now.

Ah, but the stomach is a much more hostile environment to a seed than the lungs because of the gastric juices...

"About 1,000 people opposed to the protest surrounded the women and threw gravel and small stones as police struggled to hold them back. The group of counter-protesters included both men and women."

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/04/15/afghan-women-protest015.html

No real surprise there Tal. In the UK, a Govt Study of forced marriages got sharply divided results with young women being strogly against the practice whilst older women were strongly in favour. Some of the most vocal opponents to the Suffragettes were women, I believe.

What's sad is I wasn't at all surprised

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8001474.stm


Man shot in head is seriously ill - swipe me - what a surprise!!

Balls between a rock and a hard place.

*snigger*

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article6105417.ece

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8001644.stm

Snakes on a plane!

RF

I was about to say 2life imitating art" but then remembered how truly awful that fil is - most definitely not "art"!!

http://tinyurl.com/c7b2lo