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

Argentine union to boycott UK ships http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17022603

"We have resolved to boycott any ship with the British flag, or with the lying and invented flag of the Falklands, or with any flag of convenience which the British pirates use," the Argentine Confederation of Transport Workers said in a statement.

As a person who generally sides with Latin America against the Imperialist Colonial Forces in the world, I have to say . . .



Are these Argentinians out of their mind? They'd be the first to scream about the right to self-determination in any other situation.


Part of me wants to say that Britain should give the Falklands independence and sign a mutual protection treaty. Then suddenly Argentina would be rattling its sabre at the world's newest little independent country.

Who's the imperialist now?

Yes, it's about oil on both sides, I'm sure, but Britain has the will of the Falklanders on its side, and that trumps all.

Fidel Castro has poked fun at the UK and its claim to the Falkland Islands.

"Somewhere is the English ship sailing to the Falklands but the English only have one little boat left. The only ones who have aircraft carriers are the Yankees. All the English can do is send over a destroyer, they can't even send an aircraft carrier," he said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/fidel-castro/9065725/Fidel-Castro-mocks-UK-over-Falklands.html

I find it amusing (well maybe not) that Britain has spent so much money bombing and "liberating" other countries ... that when it has to make cutbacks to its fleet - others take advantage (well even the Scots want out maybe). It's the way of the world, though (including Britain perhaps) - bully diplomacy backed up by military force.

Okay - a little bit of "good" news from the world: "Damage caused by a heart attack has been healed using stem cells gathered from the patient's own heart, according to doctors in the US. The amount of scar tissue was halved in the small safety trial reported in the Lancet medical journal."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17012688

Perfectly timed for Valentines Day - repairing damaged hearts

Mr Johnson wants to expand his empire

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17020510

Priests hired assassins

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17032567

Did they not think that their god would know?

Local (to me) girl Kate Winsit wins big in the Big Apple: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/touch/life/story.html?id=6153524

Fly Ryanair and get off, on one of our lingerie clad buxom wenches:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2073488/7-000-ban-sexist-Ryanair-advert-shows-scantily-clad-crew.html

Previous Ryanair hot schoolgirl offer:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-511266/Ryanair-defies-watchdog-ban-sexy-schoolgirl-advert-faces-writ-Sarkozy.html

I see a pattern in their marketing department.

Tom Holloway was smoking an electronic cigarette when it blew up in his face. "It exploded in his face, and it knocked out all his teeth and part of his tongue and he had blood all over his face, and it set the study on fire,"

http://www.wcti12.com/news/30462877/detail.html

And all this happened in Niceville

update on #12732

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/15/toys-protest-not-citizens-russia

"Now a petition to hold another protest featuring 100 Kinder Surprise toys, 100 Lego people, 20 model soldiers, 15 soft toys and 10 toy cars has been rejected because the toys have been deemed not to be "citizens of Russia"."

Boo, hiss!

Libyan anniversary of revolt that toppled Gadaffi tomorrow - issues concerning torture http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17053836

Argentina has condemned a planned visit to the Falkland Islands by UK MPs as another sign of Britain's "militarisation" of the South Atlantic. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17053609

The Argentina FA has been warned by Fifa of potential breach of rules on political involvement in football. The Argentines plan to rename their top flight football league the "Crucero General Belgrano", after the cruiser which was sunk during the Falklands War. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17033735

'Unique' 11th Century coin discovered near Gloucester of William the Conqueror, otherwise known as William the Bastard, ruler of England and Normandy http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-17027300

Ah, the "Crucero General Belgrano" League. Every team starts equal top and finishes equal bottom.

Oh wow. Possibly the biggest crook to walk the corridors of the EU has been put in charge of Eurozone rescue finance.

http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief/1440361-santer-returns-fold

"Putting Jacques Santer in charge of fundraising is like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank."

German President Wulff quits in home loan scandal

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17072479

So, in Germany, politicians would quit *before* getting prosecuted, let alone convicted. Let's see if the French government still speaks about the "German model" now.

(I'm referring to http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/21/sarkozy-ally-hortefeux-under-pressure )

Politics in Latin America: Hugo Chávez calls opposition candidate a 'low-life pig'

"Now we have the loser, welcome! We're going to pulverise you," he told an audience of medical students. "You have a pig's tail, a pig's ears, you snort like a pig, you're a low-life pig. You're a pig, don't try and hide it." He avoided calling Capriles by name, referring instead to "el majunche", slang for "the crappy one".

... Since then state media have launched multiple accusations at the wealthy 39-year-old challenger, calling him, among other things, a mendacious gay Nazi Zionist." http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/16/hugo-chavez-opposition-low-life-pig

A few facts people should know about Capriles:

Son of a powerful family with bussiness in the media and entertainment.
A far right wing extremist and a catholic fundie. He started in the ultraconservative group Tradición, Familia y Propiedad, famous for opposing the Liberation Theology movement,( that tells quite a lot for those who know about the actions of the Liberation T.M. in Latin America).

His party, Primero Justicia ( First, Justice) is funded and adviced by USAID through the NED and the IRI: both organisations depends on the Republican party of US ( it is not legal to fund foreign parties since 2010 in US)

He appears in wikileaks documents as one of those who participated in different criminal actions against the goverment of Venezuela.

I´m really sorry that the people of Venezuela have such a jewl as leader of the opposition.
I don´t like Chávez, he´s histrionic and democracy in Venezuela is quite sui generis. However he has the vote of people because for fist time in centuries the benefits of the wealth in that country are being enjoyed by ordinary folks. The prevision of oil reserves warrants that Chávez can go on with the social policies he is applying now.

I wish the opposition party was a clean, normal one. Justicia Primero is more of the same Latin Americans have been suffering for so much time.

A few things you should know about Chavez. Ex-army, after his failed coup and prison term he went to work for an insurance firm. The owner of the firm bankrolled his election campaigns. Once in power, all government departments had to obtain insurance from the company he used to work for. He has a habit of nationalising companies who support the opposition, closing down tv stations if they criticise him and individuals speaking out tend to get a visit in the night from his security services. The tv stations he controls directly are forced to carry his four hour diatribes on every channel at prime time. He openly supports the drugs barons in neighbouring Columbia and has threatened to invade. A populist, he blames America and capitalism for every failure. Most recently he accused America of using secret cancer ray guns to induce cancer in Latin American leaders.