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

Smart phone 'addiction' growing in the UK - http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/smart-phone-addiction-growing-in-the-uk-ofcom-claims-50004632/?s_cid=938


Study links bee decline to cell phones - http://articles.cnn.com/2010-06-30/world/bee.decline.mobile.phones_1_bee-populations-cell-phone-radiation-ofcom?_s=PM:WORLD

Futher to post 11938 We should follow the manifesto of the Monster Raving Looney Party which advocates that all lawyers and accountants should be set in concrete and used as traffic bollards
That should take care of the country's financial problems They also suggest slashing the defence budget by scrapping Eurofighter and building Spitfires

Didn't I see the proprietor of the Daily Mail popping in the back door of MRLP party HQ?

Where else do I get all my political and finacial expertise, but from the informative Daily Mail

I never would have guessed, Norti...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-14419866

Gonna do a bit of gloating here, because the two lads quoted are two of my longest-serving Aimhigher students (or were until the ConDems destroyed Aimhigher). Who says teenagers never do anything good (not me, no never )

Not gloating, rightly proud of them

Sick

http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/parents-fury-at-10-year-old-supermodel.html

"Supermodel Thylane Lena-Rose Blondeau’s appearance in an edition of Vogue Paris has prompted fury from parents... because she’s only 10-years-old. The mini-model was featured in the January 2011 issue – as part of a 15-page picture spread called ‘Cadeaux’ (gifts). It included shots of a heavily made-up Thylane posing seductively in a chair, bed and on an animal skin rug, with her legs and neckline bared."

>>Sick<<

There is something strangely disturbing about it, akin to boy
soldiers and girl brides in non-western societies.

Tut-Tut.


~jwf~

"Two patrol cars have been set on fire after members of a community where a young man was shot dead by police took to the streets to demand "justice".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14434318

Umm - man shoots at cops, cops shoot him, crowd of "community members" demand justice??

Well, that's the BBC angle anyway. Following this online we hear that hundreds are rioting and looting in pursuit of "justice"

My favourite tweet thus far -

"RT @PaulLewis: I'm heading to Tottenham riot. Advice anyone? << Give me strength. Get me a Plasma TV, Dixons. 52".

>>"Two patrol cars have been set on fire after members of a community
where a young man was shot dead by police took to the streets to
demand "justice".<<

Whats should happen next - should the army be sent in to restore law
and order or should NATO aircraft be called in to protect civilians?

tut The RAF don't do weekends.

NATO and rebels continue to strangle Tripoli's citizens with food and
water shortages as well as power cuts including to hospitals:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/08/06/libya.war.shortages/

From swl's link (which I'm reading and my jaw is dropping lower and lower) comes this beauty of a quote:

"Yes, [Mark Duggan - the one who was shot] was involved in things but he was not an aggressive person. He had never hurt anyone"

He. Shot. Someone. That's generally counted as an act of aggression and an attempt to hurt someone, in fact it's usually considered attempted murder.

If they really want justice then, as a community, they should find out who gave Duggan the gun and hand them over to the police. Oh, and handover the looters and those who destroyed public infrastructure and private businesses while they're at it.

I see our favourite wheelchair protester is getting excited -

http://andrewemmerson.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/JodyMcintyre.jpg

"Be inspired by the scenes in #tottenham and rise up in your own neighbourhood. 100 people in every area = the way we can beat the feds"

What an idiot.

I seem to remember him thinking it wouldn't be at all inconvenient to shut down the entire London Transport network to make it all universally wheelchair friendly. The man clearly has little contact with the real world.

Such a British riot, where looters queue patiently for their turn

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

It shows how close to the brink we are actually living - wherever you are in the world. Once services to poorer and vulnerable communities are cut a feeling of desperation can set in.
I remember in the 1970's when the oil crisis was on. Rich people were refilling their cars every couple of miles. I was a teenager working in a petrol station and often could get very little petrol into the tanks of huge cars that were stopping at every opportunity to top up. People bought trolley loads of sugar and bread and a siege mentality was common.

America now officially no longer has a Triple A credit rating and that will have an impact.