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

A Print Devotee Scoops the Competition in France

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/26/world/europe/26angeli.html?_r=2&ref=world

On this Wednesday, 30th March 2011, Belgium will overtake Iraq's record for the longest a country has managed without a government

?

Ballynac


Someone ought to tell them that that when it was pout to them that the country should try for the world record for the longest waffle they meant the foodstuff...

And have the lights gone out? Are the bins being emptied? Are the hospitals running ok? Is it chaos and disorder at every turn?

When a country can run so long without a government, it rather raises a few questions about the size, scope and necessity of government, no?

Yeah, but it is Belgium...not much happens there anyway...they've still not decided which language they should all be speaking...which is the main issue in all this...sort of...

Who needs language when you have beer?

Especially Belgian beer!

Beer made from flax is like sucking on a cotton pillowcase.
-jwf=

monarchy, civil service, sounds like they have made govt irrelevant

This post has been removed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12852237

Poor country has earthquake.

You know, that's so 2010...

RF

http://www.cbc.ca/news/offbeat/story/2011/03/28/simpsons-nuclear-europe.html

A number of television networks have temporarily stopped airing episodes of The Simpsons that poke fun of nuclear meltdowns.

A) Britain accuses Gaddafi of using sniper rifles to shoot people:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12889119

B) Britain sells sniper rifles to Gaddafi:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/stand...-before-his-troops-began-killing.do

The previous link may not have worked

for A) you need to scroll down to the "Snipers" section

for B) the www address is http//
www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23925936-britain-sold-sniper-rifles-to-gaddafi-just-before-his-troops-began-killing.do

But as our very finest Mr Dassault says, "when you sell apparatus, it is so that customers can use it". And yes, it was in context of selling weapons to Libya.

http://www.publicsenat.fr/lcp/politique/dassault-libye-quand-vend-mat-riel-cest-clients-sen-servent-85126 [fr]

Eliminate low dose antibiotics for livestock, `please:

'The lesson is that improving animal husbandry—making sure that pens, stalls and cages are properly cleaned and giving animals more room or time to mature—offsets the initial negative impact of limiting antibiotic use. Today Danish industry reports that productivity is higher than before.'

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=our-big-pig-problem




To be honest, I'm far, far more concerned about the lethality of big-agriculture than I am about the actual dangers of nuclear power.

Britain's prime minister said that finding funds to arm rebels had not been ruled out: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12906562

Britain's prime minister said that finding funds for the Arts has been ruled out: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12892473

Are you suggesting a detachment of artists could be dispatched to stop Gaddafi killing people?

The visual and tactile arts might prove useless in a land that
forbids iconography and a climate where nearly everything
is too hot to handle but perhaps we could send the Clash down
to Rock the Casbah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ9r8LMU9bQ

That video is so prophetic - blessings be upon them.

Lyrics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIbYRfe7m0k
"As soon as the shareef had cleared the square
the crowd began to wail ... the crowd got a whiff
of that crazy Casbah jive.."


~jwf~