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

£280m a year can now be spent in Britain

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/9061844/India-tells-Britain-We-dont-want-your-aid.html

Another fatwa:


"A Canadian imam issued a fatwa Saturday officially condemning honour killings and family violence.

The edict is an official reminder to Muslims, coming from the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada and signed by 34 imams across Canada and the United States.

The official decree was made in a Mississauga, Ont., mosque and was initiated by Calgary imam Syed Soharwardy, who founded the council. The fatwa condemns honour killings, domestic violence and misogyny as 'un-Islamic.'"

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/02/04/toronto-fatwa-honour-killing-violence.html

A painting thought to be the earliest copy of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and created alongside the original has been discovered in Madrid's Prado museum.


http://www.smh.com.au/world/mona-lisa-copy-illuminates-original-20120202-1qvjh.html

Would you like to hire highly qualified foreign students who have studied in prestigious French schools? Now is the time, they're not wanted in France anyway:

http://deuxballes.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/claude-gueants-monstrosity-or-why-foreign-graduates-are-no-longer-welcome-in-france/

Thank you Mr Guéant for making the country a safer place

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9062473/French-interior-minister-claims-some-civilisations-superior.html

French interior minister claims some civilisations 'superior’

Yet he could argue with what he actually said?

In a Saturday speech to a group of right-leaning French students at the National Assembly, interior minister Claude Guéant caused a political uproar for saying that, “contrary to what the left’s relativist ideology says, for us, all civilisations are not of the same value”.


“Those which defend liberty, equality and fraternity, seem to us superior to those who accept tyranny, the subservience of women, social and ethnic hatred,” he added in his speech, a copy of which was provided to the French press agency, AFP.

Yet "who" could argue with what he actually said ...

<<French interior minister claims some civilisations 'superior’<<

He is playing the same game the Spanish conservative party did here during the last campain.
They are flirting with the xenophobic ideas of the National Front of Marine Le Penn, a party which is raising its votes expectancy.

So Mr Minister is trying to stole those votes by assuming fascist ideology. They are playing with fire.

In the French context it´s obvious whom he refers with "those who accept tyranny"
It´s also insulting to say that of accepting. Nobody accepts that, tyranny is imposed on people, but he is addressing to brainless electorate that only want simple answers to complex problems.

Now it´s very handy to blame "the other".

<<Would you like to hire highly qualified foreign students who have studied in prestigious French schools? Now is the time, they're not wanted in France anyway:<<<

Meanwhile, in Spain, last year about 300.000 young people, highly qualified, had to leave Spain to look for a future.

The Telegraph's Best Of British Awards are announced.
These are awarded to Expats operating British based or
British themed businesses outside the UK.

There are several categories from restaurants to sports
clubs but the one that caught my attention today is the
second category listed, 'Best Shop'.

It's here in Nova Scotia. I've been there. Once.
I'd hate to see the competition.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/9053953/Best-of-British-competition-the-winners.html


~jwf~

Gang rivalry in South London, England, leaves a five-year-old girl bystander permanently paralysed: "... a bullet had passed through Thusha's body and an emergency team had to carry out "invasive surgery" at the scene to restart her heart.

She went into cardiac arrest for a second time in hospital but was again saved by emergency surgery.

But her injuries caused paralysis and she will never walk again, the jury heard."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16910002

Cyber bullies and internet trolls: http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_9693000/9693594.stm

New research suggests Fomalhaut B may not be a planet after all

http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-fomalhaut-planet.html



I suspect someone has been building an intergalactic bypass again

Two possibly related stories

1) UK's Libya mission could be a one-off, MPs warn. The government faces "difficult decisions" on deploying its military resources if it wants to launch another mission on the same scale as the operation in Libya, MPs have warned. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16933399

2) Argentina is to make a formal complaint to the United Nations about British "militarisation" around the disputed Falkland Islands.
... We will present a complaint to the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, as this militarisation poses a grave danger to international security. We cannot interpret in any other way the deployment of an ultra-modern destroyer accompanying the heir to the throne ... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16939043

>> the deployment of an ultra-modern destroyer
accompanying the heir to the throne ... <<

The image of a prince with a fleet of warships
is a cliche from both Hollywood and Reality.

There's no denying history has a way of coloring
interpretation of contemporary events; history
does repeat itself. By acknowledging this, the
Argies are not condemned to repetition but
only suffer the discomforts of deja vu.


~jwf~

Andrew Lansley should be taken out and shot - Downing Street source.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/02/07/jon-trickett-andrew-lansley-taken-out-and-shot_n_1260188.html?ir=UK

Re: Argentinian complaint to the UN Security Council

1) We have a veto there
2) The UN upholds the principle of self determination. Argentina (and most of South America) doesn't. A very easy way for the Falklands to become the Malvinas would be for Argentina to persuade the islanders that life would be better under Argentinian rule. Britain would hold a referendum tomorrow if the islanders asked.

Policeman ‘chased himself’ for 20 minutes

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/policeman-%E2%80%98chased-himself%E2%80%99-for-20-minutes-while-looking-for-suspect.html

Still on the Falklands, this is the level of political maturity we are dealing with:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/pitch-battle-football-league-in-argentina-renamed-in-honour-of-general-belgrano-6660990.html

"The government of Argentina has played an unlikely card in the escalating dispute over the Falkland Islands: re-naming its domestic football league after the General Belgrano, the warship controversially sunk during the last military conflict there.

In an effort to galvanise public anger over las Malvinas, the country's President, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, approved a plan for the forthcoming season to see the nation's biggest professional clubs compete in the first-division Crucero General Belgrano."