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

A breaking story - apparently the top conservative fundraiser (a senior treasurer) has been caught arranging a direct meeting with David Cameron for a lobyist willing to pay a quarter of a million pounds. There was also some discussion regarding getting the lobyist into a policy discussion meeting for sums of money. Can't find anything on the internet but will appear in the Sunday Times.

A novel idea -- a publicly funded (by the Justice system) Welcome Wagon: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/touch/business/story.html?id=6355146

This will be a real good thing.

Lingerie football league tryouts take place in Richmond

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/03/24/bc-lingerie-football.html



"The B.C. Angels is one of four Canadian franchises starting up this year with the Lingerie Football League. The women, dressed in little else but their undergarments, will take the field in Abbotsford this summer."



Note: Abbotsford is commonly regarded as BC's Bible Belt

The former head of the International Monetary Fund, who had previously been accused of raping a hotel maid in New York, is now accused of being involved in a vice ring. Mr Strauss-Kahn says he attended many parties but he had no idea they weren't serving wenches: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17518628

Richard Branson acknowledges James Cameron

http://www.vancouversun.com/British+billionaire+Richard+Branson+congratulates+James+Cameron+incredible+dive/6361155/story.html


~jwf~

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/sell-up-now-before-its-too-late-expert-tells-damien-hirst-fans-7586374.html

it's not art! hurrah

"Richard Branson acknowledges James Cameron"

Had be previously been ignoring James Cameron?

>>http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/sell-up-now-before-its-too-late-expert-tells-damien-hirst-fans-7586374.html
it's not art! hurrah

"Writing in the Opinion pages of today's Independent, Julian Spalding, who has headed some of Britain's foremost public galleries, predicts the bubble will soon burst for Hirst and fellow exponents of what he calls "con art" – a play on the term "conceptual art", the so-called art of ideas. He likens this bubble in the art world to the sub-prime mortgage crisis. It will crash, he says, when collectors realise how "seriously worthless" conceptual art is."

Collectors haven't 'realised' it yet, why should they now? This stuff, whether you think it's art or not, is commodity to collectors, and they aren't going to simply give up on their investment.

well if you look at the art world to be rather like the fashion world
there are tends and patterns, perhaps it's time is mearly up for now

Choking dog saves its own life by dialling 999

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4222715/Choking-dog-saves-its-own-life-by-dialling-999.html

Why does that dog look so much that the morning after proceeds from the night before?

i especially like the drool on his ears... nice touch

Heard on Sky News, Iain Lee repeated the old chestnut about Sweden having the highest suicide rate. Eamonn Holmes said it was because of seasonal affective disorder.

And these people are supposed to be informed? Sweden isn't even high on the list, and never has been AFAIK. So Iain, you're wrong, Eamonn you're wrong too, except twice over, because your explanation must by definition also be wrong.

That's the last time I switch to Sky news when BBC has one of its (many) boring items.

Quick - panic.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17533151

Please don't.

This is a difficult one for the government isn't it.

They need to create an image of irresponsible and unreasonable tanker drivers (I don't know whether they are or not). They have balloted in favour of strike action (or having the option of it).

The government have to ensure that the unions are seen as A Bad Thing. They also need to ensure that everything keeps going so don't want to create panic (but they have).

Don't bother filling up three times a week. You will use more petrol carrying petrol around and will spend more time in queues waiting to fill up. All that will happen is that the nations stocks of petrol will be travelling round on the roads instead of being underground at petrol stations.

Don't panic.

PP

pffft - like anyone can afford a tank of fuel anyway.

Spike Lee sorry for retweeting false George Zimmerman address

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/mar/29/george-zimmerman-spike-lee-trayvon-martin

Am I old-fashioned for thinking that making a private person's address public is wrong no matter what the person did?

It reminds me when thugs attacked and chased off pediatricians from their homes after reading stories of child abuse in the media, especially the tabloids.

I was reminded of it too. It appears that this story has to be taken with a grain of salt though:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4719364.stm

Adverts for the new Ben Stiller film Neighborhood Watch have been pulled in the US over fears they are insensitive.

It comes after the shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida, last month.

He was killed by neighbourhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who said he was acting in "self defence" after the 17-year-old looked "suspicious".

Twentieth Century Fox has withdrawn its ads, saying the film was made "before this incident ever came to light".

It was feared that one scene in particular could be misconstrued.

It showed actor Jonah Hill making a gun gesture with his fingers, then pretending to shoot at a suburban neighbourhood, where children were playing in their gardens.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/17548011

It's strange how this is considered insensitive yet the gun laws of US-America aren't.

Rupert Murdoch declares war on "enemies" as he plans to "hit back hard" following allegations that one of his companies used hacking and piracy to sabotage rival TV competitors.

Murdoch writing on twitter
"Seems every competitor and enemy piling on with lies and libels, So bad, easy to hit back hard, which preparing"

"[My] enemies [have] many different agendas, but [they are the] worst old toffs and right wingers who still want last century's status quo with their monopolies".

"Let's have it on! ... "

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17547568