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

But you said "you mean piss della?"

You had to ask.

Don't worry I'm just kidding.

Must admit alcohol wrecks your system. Sex life goes because your penis just wastes away.

Is that what they call 'brewer's droop'?

Yes I think that must be right...!
More like just wasting back though.

Sounds unpleasant. Are you speaking from experience?

Yes I'm an alcoholic

Excuse flks..bed time Good Day

goodnight

"

Dylan Thomas. Funny-looking chap, but chicks dug him.



For light relief, listen to the Tech Babe version.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.


Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.


Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.


Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.


Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.


And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."


Dylan Thomas, 1951 or 1952


Sleep gently, we all wish you well.

Empty -

> I see. So unjustifiably invading sovereign nations and murdering tens of thousands of innocent people is not an impeachable offence. But leaving semen stains on a dress is.

Don't get me started! That's what really gets me irritated; that a little marital infidelity is cause for impeachment, when sheer incompetence isn't.

> Lentilla, in the past you've stated that there's a significant feeling in the US against Bush. You even said that a majority oppose him (unlikely I think). So now are you saying that you alone oppose Bush? If not, surely it's possible to do something about Bush.

Hmm... I'm not saying that I'm the only one who opposes Bush. I think that I'm in the majority of people who think that the war in Iraq is wrong. And I'm sure that there is something to do about Bush - vote against him in the next election. In the meantime, I will continue (like Space Cadette) to correspond with my political representatives to make sure they know the full extent of my displeasure.

> In a democracy (which America still claims to be) it's quite possible for private citizens to voice a lack of confidence in the leader and move for impeachment. All you need is significant support.

I agree. We'll see whether the voices of the people are enough to spur our congressmen to move for impeachment.

> Oh and the subjugation of the Maori in NZ happened at least 100 years before I was born - hardly comparable.

Probably not the best analogy I could have come up with. New Zealand is a pleasant place. I was trying to point out that at this moment, you are participating in the continued theft of the Maori lands and condoning the subjugation of the Maori people by being a New Zealand citizen. Quick! Fix it! No, I'm not serious. The Maori signed over their lands in a peaceful settlement with the British crown... just as the Indians in New York signed over their lands. The subsequent abuse of the Indians in America was fortunately not echoed in New Zealand.

Like I said previously, I think that the Democrats are assembling a case for impeachment, which they'll bring into play if (heaven forbid) Bush is elected a second term. Which is looking more and more unlikely.

> Yes, I presume it was aimed at BB for not knowing what urine is.

It's not my-ine... must be your-ine!

BryceColluphid -

> And yes, cutting taxes for the rich can help stimulate the economy. The rich do not hide any additional money they have in mattresses, they invest it.

I disagree. The rich invest money when the economy's doing well. When the economy's doing poorly, they save the money in accounts that accrue interest. So the banks do pretty well, but all the money that the rich are saving doesn't trickle down their leg until the economy picks back up.

Yes Lentilla..the banks invest in emergent economies like China.
They don't give it to Africa or any where else that needs fresh water and sanitation. That is the sadness of it all.

Oertzi, why did you remove your name?

"Interest-bearing accounts" are also investments, the main difference being they are generally a little less profitable, and the bank makes the actual loans. It still money that helps fuel economic growth.

Oetzi, do you really feel that much money should be invested in Africa? Africa's problems are not mainly caused by poverty- the poverty is caused by governmental problems. Investing in Africa is like hitting a slot machine- you COULD win, but should count on losing it all.Whereas China, for all it's flaws, does attempt to provide a decent environment for business, and probably will yield returns.

book mark

This is all very amusing. I mean half of you indulging in monstrous generalizations and then the other half apologizing for them (is this a British trait, I'm writing from Hoboken, New Jersey and really haven't a clue). But regardless of the volume, in both decibels and mass, of the Americans you've encountered, you must realize that you only get to see the ones that allow themselves to be seen. And very few of those, for example, voted for George Bush. Or bomb abortion clinics. Or cheer on those who do.
And so, the great majority of Americans that the British encounter, both here in the states and in England, are mostly harmless (thanks go here to DA).
If I may carry on a bit, I'll give you a little background. I have some relatives (on my mother's step-father's side if you really must know) who are more closely aligned with the majority of Americans. That is to say, they fit more or less in the category of white trash. I say this with deep affection.
They pretty much keep to themselves. They're possessed of equal parts bigotry and brilliance. They surprise me with their insight and healthy directness. And they haven't the first idea about what goes on in the rest of the world and couldn't care less.
And you'll probably never get to meet them.
In fact, I probably wouldn't have ever gotten to meet them except for the odd genetic coincident that made us related.
All of which wouldn't be interesting in the least if it weren't for the ideologues who are running this place now and who've figured out how to get my relatives to vote for them.
Like most humans, they just want to get on with their lives and not be too bothered with the stuff outside.
Oh dear. I'm afaid I've gone off a bit. Sorry. It's my first posting here, I won't let it happen again. And I even stopped myself opening that other bottle of wine and switched to grappa instead, just for safety's sake.
sigh.

Heck Normalish, if anyone thought the views expressed on H2G2 were representative of anything other than a cross section of computer users who have heard of Douglas Adams, I'd have to say they were fooling themselves. I think you're affectionate observation of the bulk of America being 'white trash' might be a bit harsh but description of them amazing you by being equal parts bigotry and brilliance is an apt one that could also apply to the vast majority of the worlds population taken on an individual basis. I'm constantly surprised by what people know and don't know, or perhaps more accurately know and think they know.
For example, many, many Japanese view their nation as the vicitim of WW2 and think the rape of Nanking is all Chinese and American propaganda.

Bryce Yes folks I'm back up to periscope depth after one of my "turns" with premium beer...no trash stuff either!

The Third World is about 80% of the planet. Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, seems to me to need a massive injection of cash. Of particular concern is the lack of fresh water and sanitation. I am not going to give examples or references. You all already know!

Adam Smith was a good man and a good economist. I can't believe Bryce that he foresaw the accelerating void between the rich and the poor. Humanitarian aid means nothing on a balance sheet.

Yes, yes I know your arguments against. No..the 3rd world needs direct intervention..perhaps 5% of the West's GDP for a few years.
This might be ambitious but well worth it!

"Sorting out" sub-Saharan Africa looked a whole lot easier pre AIDS now it looks like things have been set back generations.



The Maoris did not surrender peacefully to the British and they did get a crappy deal from those treaties. So much so that the indigenous population of NZ and surrounding islands are still at the bottom of the heap socially.



If a government can afford tax cuts it could also afford to keep tax levels the same and redirect the reveues inot social and ifrastructure programmes that created jobs and assisted the very poorest in the country. However goverments rely on votes to stay in power and tax cuts for the rich gain governments positive coverage in the media which are owned and run by.....the rich

The extra money for these rich peole is spent or invested and yes can have an efect on the economy. Yet the morality of distributing more wealth into the hands of the rich so that they can spend it on luxury items and investments is questionable when everyday thousands of children all over the world die from preventible diseases because of lack of money.

"The Maoris did not surrender peacefully to the British and they did get a crappy deal from those treaties. So much so that the indigenous population of NZ and surrounding islands are still at the bottom of the heap socially."


blickybadger, what an incredibly stupid and offensive thing to say! Only someone who has no knowledge of New Zealand would say a thing like that. The Maori people are very far from being disadvantaged in NZ. If any of them are poor it's only because they choose to be that way. They have opportunities equal to, or greater than, any other New Zealander. Their claims under the treaty are ongoing to this day and have reached absurd proportions. When a group of people (who are incidentally NOT the the original population of New Zealand and are therefore no more deserving of native rights than anyone else) are making legal ownership claims to seabeds and airwaves, you know things have reached ridiculous proportions.

And this absurdity has been encouraged and over-indulged.