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

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-36802484

Is this physiologically possible? I guess it may explain those mobile hips of his.

This one is absolutely fake.

http://www.snopes.com/road-runner-tunnel-crash-rumor/

There's a certain age you pass, after which you don't so much laugh at these stories, as feel relieved: "It could have been me..."

Do you mean something like this Richard Ayoade and Chris O'Dowd video clip, Icy? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wiqF7_keYs

There should be a word for that. The Germans gave us Schadenfreude, that's pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune. But what about great relief that it wasn't you that just caused another's misfortune?

Like this guy.
http://youtu.be/Py805hYfopw


Or this guy.
http://youtu.be/AInE_H6Uj0U
http://youtu.be/aPjnaD7YRug

Yeah... Don't feel bad for that guy.
http://youtu.be/Ee6xF7xlREs

Exactly those.

Yes, we need a word. 'Hyperalleviation', possibly?

If you want to resurrect a shorter word, then I like 'swage' (c.1300)

It has the benefit of also meaning 'otter excrement'.

Now how do you do a reverse lookup on OED, Icy?

I browsed the Historical Thesaurus, but I guess you may find things using advanced search.

Turkey’s post-coup purge of academics:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36843180

As well as prosecuting all the military leaders responsible for last week’s failed coup, Turkey’s President Erdogan has embarked on a purge of media and academia. So far, he’s reportedly sacked 1,577 university deans, 21,000 teachers and 15,000 education ministry officials. He’s also banned travel.


Now, I don’t know what this sounds like in your part of the world, but in the UK, it’s bizarre to think that university lecturers, schoolteachers and civil servants could muster any organised political activity. I’ve never met anyone quite as disorganised and scatterbrained as people in education.

One thing, though, if they ever do mobilise a military force, it’ll have tweed uniforms with brown leather elbow patches. And as for weaponry, they're pretty accurate with blackboard duster missiles.

Turkey will be much less secular now and it may not be a NATO member much longer if the executions begin.

They don't need so many teachers when the Imams are ready to do it

This story is not catching the attention of the US media. It's mentioned, but just cursory coverage. I'm sure in the minds of most Americans it falls under the general "Middle East = Constant Strife - S.E.P. field."

This is happening right in the middle of the coronation of the Short Attention Span Presidential candidate. (I'm not saying Trump has a short attention span, he does, but his ascension is only possible because of the modern media and public's amazingly short attentions spans. There is no in-depth coverage of anything anymore as journalism ends at the next bright shiny story.)

Nice to be reminded of the SEP Field. Douglas Adams's Bistromathics.

The media have SEP fields down to a fine art.

This is what catches my attention today: http://www.monbiot.com/2016/07/21/punishment-posting/

More SEPs. "The living planet – the biggest and most important portfolio of all – is treated by Theresa May as the government’s Craggy Island."

At the time of writing, the big news is the trouble in Munich. Despicable. And on the back of Bangladesh, Baghdad, and Nice, all this month.

I'm a liberal but frustrated that it makes me think that Trumpism may have some mileage in it.

PP.

Drumpf's nomination speech was 77 minutes of fearmongering, with many lies (for instance he says violent crime is up 17% in certain major cities while violent crime is actually down 15% nation wide since 2008.)

But yeah, fear and terror are way up. That's Germany's second attack in a week. In the US flags are still at half mast since the Orlando attack, but not still because of Orlando but because of several police ambushings.

It's easy to fearmonger with this combo punch of I.S. attacks and individuals violently retaliating against cops for the recent spree of police shooting black men.

It doesn't really matter that the fears Drumpf is promoting are relatively baseless when folks are being hammered by news of senseless violence anyway.

That madman has a serious chance of being elected. And BoB help the human race if he is.

The idea of "doing something about it" is the scary part.

You can do something about it, but not some quick fix. You can improve education, especially for girls, especially in disadvantaged parts.

Texas?

Parents in the US are naming their children after characters in Pokemon Go:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/36904034/parents-are-naming-their-children-after-pokemon-go-characters

OK... that's not as bad as I thought it might be.

____
1. Roselia - it's risen 5,859 spots
2. Onyx - up 2,184 spots
3. Star - 2,040
4. Eevee - 1,377 places
5. Ivy - 1,287 spots
6. Ash - 248 spots
7. Shay - 64 spots
____

No Pikachus or Squirtles.