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

Yep. We really haven't moved on from the 18th and 19th centuries and the worst exploitative excesses of the industrial revolution. Or rather, we seem to be moving back towards them. I think there was a period either side of the second world war where workers did a little better than they did before and have done since, but the tide turned in the 80s. Everything became corporate, businesses had to be lean and mean, efficiency stopped meaning doing the job more quickly and became getting rid of a percentage of your workforce and making the 'lucky' ones left work harder. A successful economy meant paying those at the top huge salaries and bonuses and stopped being something that was based on a workforce who were cared for and valued.

I may be hopelessly naive, but how in the world do people even *think* of evil like this? And think that it's okay to just take money away from poor people? It just boggles me. And they can just *do* it!

*walks away shaking head*

Here's the video to accompany the story on vulture funds. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15768460

Once again, Clarkson shows himself to be a complete and utter
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15977813

The day he drives one of his fast cars into a tree and he finds himself depending on those people to save his life at the scene and hospital, I wonder if he'll remember those comments. And Cameron's brushing aside the comments shows a serious disconnect. I hope that comes back to bite him on the bum, very hard.

Wow. Just wow.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16549624

I'm completely lost for words at some of the, no, most of the insults and complete fabrications flying around during this farce of an electoral process. If they're not making up shit about each other they're making up shit about the president. And thinking that someone isn't worthy just because they speak a foreign language?

British friends and readers, you haven't heard the half of it on the BBC, ITN and in the newspapers - this is just one example of so many acts of childishness. One of these people is going to run for the presidency of this country, and the way they make stuff up for people gullible enough to believe it, it might actually come to pass. Bob help us all

Prepare for the idiocracy.

If you thought it was ridiculous with Dubya sitting in the oval office, you ain't seen nuthin' yet.

BTW, 54% of republicans polled believe that God is actively involved in Tim Tebow's NFL wins.

Watching the republican candidates is like watching a very depressing version of the Monty Python "Upper Class Twit of the Year competition."

A perfect lesson in how to alienate people against your cause by coming up with a ridiculous assertion:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16747153

That's just laughable, and it's another one of those situations where a non-existent lack of balance is being touted as something that needs to be addressed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-16871116
"We'd love to pray for your healing right now! We're Christian from churches in Bath and we pray in the name of Jesus. We believe that God loves you and can heal you from any sickness."

Priceless

Now, you all know me. I'm a professional of , so drinking beer is hardly something I think should be stopped or curtailed... except in some circumstances and for some people.

http://www.abc-7.com/story/16951141/2012/02/16/beer-money-flashing-offers-lead-to-knife-attack

I can see similar behavior any night of the week in my poor, white trash, little redneck, gulf coast Texas town. The up-class bar in town "tries" to keep such behaviouto a minimum.

I can believe it. There are a few bars around here where you can see that sort of thing, and almost any British town centre on a Saturday night.

The government keeps making noises about cutting down on binge drinking, and while the idea of stopping bars from offering cheap shots, buy one get one half price, and selling booze below cost is probably going to help, one of the most crackpot ideas is to halve the tax on beer below... I think they said 2.8%, while increasing it on anything above that, and the tax on beer in the UK is already ABV-related anyway, so unless you like to drink insipid French lager, weaker-than-it-ought-to-be mild ale or any kind of bitter that's had the life squeezed out of it, expect to pay through the nose for

Oh good grief.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17229009

Oi, nutter!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83n3X0S_lFE

We all know he's a nutter! Remember, this is the same guy that took Steven Seagal on a ride along...

IN A TANK!

to bust a "possible" cock fighter. A tank against a guy with chickens in his back yard.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/03/23/134803230/arizona-sheriff-uses-a-tank-to-arrest-cockfighting-suspect

As far as the birther thing, we all know what that dog whistle is code for. "I'm not saying he's a , I'm just saying he's not American. You know what I mean... He's from Kenya or somethin'... Again, I'm not calling him a , but we all know he's a ."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19460917

I just don't know where to begin with this, it's so off the scale. If i go out and protest against something and some of the people in the protest get beat up by the cops, does that mean I can be charged with GBH? No, I didn't think so.

In - ing - sane.

I can't recall if I've featured this woman here yet. If I haven't I should have. She's barking mad, and Mitt Romney probably wants to have her babies http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19487985

They are both correct. The folks like them, the "Job Creators" as they call themselves are absolutely correct. They'd be able to create a whole lot more jobs if us workers would just agree to be slaves.

Oh, but wait... if that did happen, production would diminish and so would demand without working class and middle class consumers. Oh, yeah, they're the ones that actually create jobs.

Oh, and I've just got three words for that woman; you, !

I'm getting seriously ed off with the way the pendulum has swung in the direction of business, bean counters and this obsession with things that money can supposedly do as long as it's in the hands of the rich, that's happened since the 1980s.

It's fair to say that Britain was fairly moribund towards the end of the 1970s and the unions had lost touch with reality (and common sense) in some respects, calling for strikes at the drop of a hat and asking for ridiculous wage rises, but the country could have been turned around without the upheaval that Thatcher caused, and Reagan over here. That, I believe, is what kicked off the train of events that led us to where we are today.

Oh sure, governments have long been aware of the importance of business and the economy to a country. It was pretty much the entire reason for the British Empire. But when business is allowed to have its head unpleasant things happen to ordinary working folks, and right now it's especially bad. The bean counters and the plutocrats think they have the answers to making everything right, and it's gone to their collective head. They think they can apply business principles to running a government, and it really doesn't work like that because a government has responsibilities that a business never will, such looking after its vulnerable citizens. It also has to spend money on things that will never bring a return, like operating an army, navy and air force, secret services, prisons. That's what taxes are for. Business doesn't like taxes. Business doesn't like not making a profit. I understand that the American government was effectively making a profit - ie there was a surplus - towards the end of Clinton's term, but Bush put paid to that. So how does that make Bush a good businessman?

Oh, wait...

Companies run by bean counters don't have employees, they have labour costs, and bean counters love to minimise labour costs. I wonder what a government run by bean counters would call its citizens?

>a government has responsibilities that a business never will, such looking after its vulnerable citizens<

Can you come and tell our Toff gubmint (and ATOS) that. They really are trying to screw the sick and disabled here.

We will (next year) be subject to a 'Bedroom Tax' which means that if you have an 'extra' bedroom in your home. Say, for eg, you share the custody of your children with your ex and have a bedroom for them and claim Housing Benefit (because you or your partner are disabled) you will not be given the benefit for that bedroom. Say, for eg, you live in a really rough part of town that the housing authority were very happy to just actually have occupied and you were a single person 'allowed' to live in a two bed property, you will also get your benefit cut. It amounts to what seem like very little (£14 in my case) but where in the name of the old gods and the new are you to find that when you are already living hand to mouth?

Oh, and our new Health Secretary believes in Homeopathy. It's a ing joke.