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

True, not a news story at all. You should be ashamed of yourself.

(By the way, I liked the blue one best! )

That could keep me busy all day and night (the website).

Clive: You mean to imply the original was a form of fraud, in your opinion? People taking a panther out amongst us humans for a lark?

"?" "?"

I don't follow.

You posted a picture of a cat from an optical illusion site, I see you are a sceptic, and so I was wondering whether you thought these claims about big cats (before you) were created by some sort of accident or hoax involving photographers.

Oh I see.

Well I have a fair presence in the religious threads combating the apologetics movement for literal readings of holy texts and the usual rubbish, hence the appellation to my name.

I have no view one way or the other on big cats, unlikely, but if evidence is forthcoming - maybe. The raw video is interesting. Since the location is known there should be further evidence if such a creature is there or not, at the very least a camera perhaps with a motion sensor could be set up to see if it returns and get an accurate measure of scale.

I've not made any claim about hoaxing.

The big cat thing came from the BBC news - I thought it interesting enough to post here.

Regarding the pictures of the painted ladies - well, I get updates from Moillusions everyday through a widget - that was today's one. I neither implied, meant nor draw any parallel or equivocation between both posts, other than the fact that I made both.

Well, I just had a look at the 'big' cat video.


It looked like a house cat to me. It certainly wasn't particularly large.

Thanks for the reply. All clear.

Headline: Ipswich woman stuck in toilet for a week.

Sub-header: Ipswich, Australia.

http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/news/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=News&tBrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=IPED28%20Jul%202009%2011%3A45%3A02%3A387

Meanwhile a stack of screaming police cars hoved into thew town centre at 4 this afternoon as I was on my way home. Turns out it was over a dog tearing another dog to bits.

Hi, again.
That is alarming. Such things should be a part of a general education about people's passage through time.

'If you like ham, the Spanish food company La Tienda is betting you'll just love the meat from the Hungarian Mangalica pig, a rare breed that almost disappeared less than 20 years ago.

The distinctive Mangalica pig—known as much for its curly hair as for its fatty flesh—was saved so it can be sold and eaten. . . .

If you're hungry for Mangalica ham, it’ll cost you, though. A nine-pound ham goes for $490.'

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=rare-pig-breed-resurrected-for-ham-2009-06-24

WARNING! ahead ....

I know that it's not strictly "news" but I was just sent this amazing video link of incredible escapes etc. The sports ones are a bit but the traffic/race ones are breathtaking!!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7cmf3_chance_fun

The bowling one was no yawn, to me, at least. Twirling around, through the legs 7-10 split. I don't bowl, but that must have taken thousands of attempts.

at the risk of sounding like one of those people who posts rubbish on message boards, did anyone notice that the bank robbers bit might have been staged? the police cars seem to be waiting for the scene to start, and move in on cue.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8175056.stm

"Little more than two months since the US producer Phil Spector was sentenced to 19 years in jail, his publicist has said he's not coping too well."

Boo hoo...

That is totally ridiculous. The man still has a publicist?!?!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8176713.stm

"Woman wins right-to-die ruling" - a woman with terminal MS has won assurances from the High Court that her husband will not be prosecuted if helps her die in the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland.

Law Lords may now be asked to clarify under what circumstances a person would be prosecuted in this type of case.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8176194.stm

David Cameron - "The trouble with Twitter, the instantness of it - too many twits might make a twat," he said.

On the assisted suicide ruling let's be clear - the woman has not been assured her husband will not be prosecuted. The Law Lords have ruled that the Director of Public Prosecutions must clarify the existing law and make a policy statement in relation to when the existing law will be enforced and when it will not. It is still possible that the DPP will decide that, in all cases going forward, anyone who assists another person in committing suicide will be prosecuted.

This woman has won the right to clarity in the law, not the right to die, nor the right for her husband to assist her.

The two things in my recently received Science News that most struck me are 2 articles:
1) "Monkeys show healthier aging on low-cal diet" (the healthier one would seem more happy, as well), and
2) "New studies link schizophrenia risk to thousands of common variants" (seeming to imply there is a degree issue rather than a kind one).
http://www.sciencenews.org