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

Surprising what comes up when you google Chicago Bears too

A story which illustrates why, for me, organised religion is about nothing more than power and money -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19699581

What would Jesus say?

The church tax is a way of life here. When I got here way back when, and started working as a German taxpayer (instead of being a member of the dastardly occupiers) I was asked if I wanted to pay church tax. Back then only foreigners could opt out as far as i know.

Which i did, because I'm an atheist.

But it makes sense - you have to belong to a church, as far as I know, to get the benefits (weddings, funerals etc) and - more importantly for so many people - send your children to the church-run kindergarten (which is obligatory from ... oh is it 4 or 3 now, in the Gruesomes' day it was 4). And in some places (especially rural areas) there aren't enough places at non-Church run kindergartens.

When #1 needed a place, for example, she couldn't go to the one in my village because it's run by the catholic church and I'm not a member - she had to go to one in the next but one village and I had to drive her there in the mornings. When #2 was old enough they invited me to send her to the church-run place in our village because numbers had dropped off, but as there was no place for #1 I sent them both to the same one (which was flippin' inconvenient for me but ho hum).

When it became optional for Germans not to pay church tax, many married people de-registered the husband (where he was the main earner - therefore he didn't pay the tax) and kept the non-earning wife and children as a member. That way they didn't pay any tax and could still get the kindergarten place (you have to pay a certain amount for that anyway, regardless of if you are a church member or not, depending on your income)

From SWL's link

"All Germans who are officially registered as Catholics, Protestants or Jews pay a religious tax of 8-9% on their annual income tax bill. The levy was introduced in the 19th Century in compensation for the nationalisation of religious property."

Well one learns something new every day. So religion in Germany was nationalised in the 19th Century. No wonder it was so easy for them to round up the Jews later on. Normally it is the reverse: secularisation being the process in which religion is cut out of the state.

it's not like that, and as far as I know it's around 1% (but I'll check it with the folks here). Registration of membership of a church (or similar) is entirely voluntary. If you register, you pay the tax. If you don't register, you don't pay the tax.

And since you have to choose which organisation gets your money, it's opt-in, not opt-out.

oh it varies from state to state and it's more than I thought.

you can see it here
http://www.nettoeinkommen.de/kirche.htm

(don't be afraid, there is some German but numbers are internationally recogniseable)

I read it and thought that 8/9 % on your taxes seemed a tad steep

that's why I don't pay it - some are less.

And as far as I know, it's reduced according to the number of children you set off against tax. or something. Actually I don't care about it too much because I don't pay

"Global Muslim Campaign to Send Condolences To Slain Ambassador's Family Goes Viral"

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=kkoe5idab&v=001T4YSeKItteXcb0_cPh0WwNdsf4V_XJnGnMcduzIBDdKLk8ndQBKFpqiatN_XOTQPwtzbVRgQ9VK5gihI_zWxirwB4nH7pXHfx_7weX2zt0oyz-dq1C1Q7g%3D%3D


You don't see this reported on Faux News.

In the UK, the shocking news of the death of 7 Brits in an aviation disaster is not the top headline, because a 15 year old girl who we're told was never in any danger has been found, and her teacher companion arrested.

Compare the reaction of the authorities to the teacher case (manhunts, European Arrest Warrants, mass media coverage etc within days) and how they reacted to the sustained, organised abuse carried out over a period of years in Rochdale -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/sep/27/rochdale-police-sex-abuse-girls

"Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that an NHS team providing sexual health services to vulnerable young people made 83 referrals to Rochdale borough council about girls they thought were either being sexually exploited, or were at risk of exploitation, between 2004 and the end of 2010.

Staff on the crisis intervention team (CIT) also made 44 referrals to Greater Manchester police in the same period."

"The victims, were raped, physically assaulted and forced to have sex with several men in a day, several times a week."

>>In the UK, the shocking news of the death of 7 Brits in an aviation disaster is not the top headline, because a 15 year old girl who we're told was never in any danger has been found, and her teacher companion arrested.<<

I couldn't find that news on the home news page or even the UK news page of the BBC. I had to go to the Asian news page to find it.

The BBC originally had the title link
"Boy escapes charges over PC deaths"
But have changed it to
"No charges for boy over PC deaths"

for the story http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19769204

The phrase "escape charges" suggests the boy was culpable in some way ... more BBC cr&p headlining perhaps - wanting to make stuff up rather than reporting stuff.

It's strange when murder and death are treated with affection and nostalgia:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19777445

I wonder what King Arthur's sword would bring at Auction.
Or Robin Hood's bow.
Or Nelson's eye-patch and wooden leg.

But yeah, Bonnie and Clyde are hardly in the same league.

~jwf~

I can understand both interest and high, even extreme, worth. Affection does seem weird though i agree, whenever i see it in something like that


My brain went into overload trying to figure out which Nelson or Nelson-related joke i should use

Malik Iqbal, a British man has been murdered in Pakistan as he prepared to give evidence against a gang accused of kidnapping him last year.

He went to Pakistan to give evidence against his abductors. The Pakistani courts had released two of the accused kidnappers out on bail. Shortly afterwards two men broke into the house where Mr Iqbal was staying and shot him in the head.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-19781395

"Aberdonian thinks there was a crisp left in that packet'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-19783214

UN states 'aid terror in Syria'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19788780

Needed to pay more attention when reading it - got seriously confused about why the sec gen would just want everyone to commit terror, nothing like alternate meanings to words

On a lighter note, here's a short collection of recent
photos taken in Canada of the Northern Lights.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/storm_watch_stories3&stormfile=Northern_lights_dance_across_the_sky_01_10_2012?ref=ccbox_news_topstories

There's a small 'gallery' just below the featured opening one.
All fairly spectacular if you're not familiar with this phenom.
Makes ya realise why primitive people believe in gods and
why Japanese tourists come here to conceive their children.


~jwf~