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

DNA Tests Undermine Evidence in Texas Execution
New results show Claude Jones was put to death on flawed evidence.

http://www.texasobserver.org/cover-story/texas-observer-exclusive-dna-tests-undermine-evidence-in-texas-execution

surprised this hasn't turned up here yet.
There's a new, injured, Transformer out in time for christmas:
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/weird-news/2010/11/12/uk-transformers-fans-fury-over-new-character-called-spastic-86908-22711513/

Apparently it is a 'Stunticon' type Transformer called 'Spastic'.
Good luck with that one crossing the pond ...

A vase found in a house clearance in London has been sold for £43m

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11739781

The label said "Ming"
The auctioneer flicked it with a fingernail
The vase said "Tang"

...
Sorry, couldn't help it.

French government resigns!

http://www.expatica.com/fr/news/french-news/sarkozy-accepts-french-government-s-resignation_110296.html

When the slow guru gave a talk about the Slow philosophy last year, a
priest in the audience came up to him afterwards and confessed he had
just had a revelation: "Lately I have been praying too fast."

http://www.expatica.com/fr/lifestyle_leisure/lifestyle/Kill-the-smartphone-the-slow-fight-against-the-rat-race_16518.html

jwf

a find this to be a dead on piece about what is going on in the U.S. I've been trying to get this across to people for years.

http://www.alternet.org/world/148841/why_on_earth_would_americans_vote_the_old_bush-cheney_agenda_back_into_power_europeans_are_perplexed

You don't think that piece is just a wee bit biased?

"[I] find this to be a dead on piece about what is going on in the U.S." [anhaga]

They've figured out what is going on in the Land of the Blue Meanies. The only thing they left out is that fixing the broken political system would require exporting about twenty million of our confused voters, which isn't going to happen short of a massive appearance of UFOs over Roswell, New Mexico and other places.

The analysis that made the most sense to me was the one (sorry, I don't have a link) that had the Independent segment of the elctorate ready to scream bloody murder. They loathe the Republicans *and* Democrats now. Sure, they voted a huge change in the composition of Congress, but it wasn't from any love for the Republicans who were beneficiaries of it. They may be disenchanted with Barack Obama, but they don't actually hate him. At least, they hate Congress a lot more. They can see how hamstrung Obama is.

The Democrats know where they stand. The Republicans know where *they* stand. If they Independents ever figure out how to make the changes they want, it will be a totally new game. I'd kinda like to see that happen.

From that alternet site....

"The policies that benefit a tiny fraction of Americans resulted from a long-concerted effort by the wealthy to thwart laws that might give the rest of Americans a chance."

http://www.alternet.org/story/148786/how_the_wealthy_organized_to_rip_everyone_else_off_--_and_what_you_can_do_to_stop_it/?page=1

The saddest thing about that piece, Taliesin is that the 'what you can do to stop it' bit seems to be little more than 'we need to make the politicians who don't listen to the people introduce policies which will make the politicians listen to the people.'

Jay McDowell, a teacher in Howell, Michigan, was temporarily suspended without pay earlier this month after telling a student wearing a Confederate flag and a student making anti-gay remarks to get out of his class. At a school-board meeting on Friday, openly gay 14-year-old high-school student Graeme Taylor came to McDowell's defense, thanking the teacher for doing "an amazing thing" in a town home to the KKK, and urging the school board to give McDowell his pay and reverse the disciplinary actions.

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/11/fourteen_year-old_michigan_stu.html

(sorry about the advert before the wonderful part of the video)

"The policies that benefit a tiny fraction of Americans resulted from a long-concerted effort by the wealthy to thwart laws that might give the rest of Americans a chance" [quote from a link in Taliesin's post]

Taliesin, the great champion of non-wealthy Americans is Ravi Batra
http://archive.fwweekly.com/content.asp?article=7369
Batra has argued all along that a depression is inevitable when you make the lowest-earning segments of a society unable to afford what they need. It takes time for this to happen. Batra was off in his timing, as have been many others who have warned of disaster. I think his basic analysis deserves attention.

Sorry about this. I don't mean to make light of what must have been a terrible ordeal:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11753927

But practically every time I hear about this story, on the radio, I think they are talking about "Smiley" pirates.

PP

Wonder what happened to their boat...

~jwf~

I wonder that, too. An adventure like that might well put them off sailing for the indefinite future.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11762636

I must be missing something here? people who are potentiall t e r r o r i s t s get paid millions of pounds in compensation, because allegedly the were tortured, (shame bless them)

Our boys (and girls) get maimed, blinded, crippled and wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, and get a measley pay out from the government because of cuts?

what the funk is going on with this country, this is an absolute outrage?! Why is this even being allowed to happen???

You left out the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that otherwise uninjured veterans often suffer from after they leave Iraq or Afghanistan, Pedros-Ecosse.

What I'm not clear on is whether the alleged terrorists are still at Guantanamo. If they are, they'll be limited in how they can spend the money they've been awarded. Obama would like to close Guantanamo. Would the British detainees be transferred to a facility in the U.K.?

Everybody alive is a 'potential' terrorist. Were they terrorists, or were they not?