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

Today's round-up of weird news includes the President, a porn star, the Pope, Simon & Garfunkel, and Pink Floyd.

The Weekly World News has nothing on us. Here's all the gossip that's fit to print.

1. Why is President Obama holding his hand to his ear? (We think his ears are an attractive feature of this photogenic politician.) He's trying to understand Hebrew.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/9946915/Barack-Obama-interrupted-by-heckler-during-Israel-university-speech.html

The Prez gets heckled almost as much as a stand-up comedian, so he always has a good comeback line. (He must have a few comedians on call as consultants.) Usually, however, the hecklers are English-speaking Republicans.

2. The US Library of Congress periodically chooses iconic sound recordings to add to its National Recording Registry. Among the 25 recordings it has chosen this time are Chubby Checker's 'The Twist', the soundtracks to 'South Pacific' and 'Saturday Night Fever', and Simon & Garfunkel's 'Sound of Silence'.

Trendy online sources such as the AARP Blog [American Association of Retired Persons] are over the moon.

'Sound of Silence', a favourite from my high school days, was apparently composed in response to the JFK assassination, although I did not know this.

Listen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hUy9ePyo6Q

Hauntingly beautiful, that song. 'The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls' is a phrase that has inspired me to write for decades.

Of more interest to h2g2ers will probably be the fact that the Pink Floyd song, 'Dark Side of the Moon', has also been included in the National Recording Registry.

Which means this is in:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmomZYdI8N4

Yes, friends, Disaster Area has made it into the history books. And they didn't even have to send a starship into the sun to do it.

Now, all we need is for the LC to recognise the unparalleled genius of The Eagles and include 'Journey of the Sorceror'. That whole album deserves it, anyway - what's more iconic than 'Lyin' Eyes' and 'Take It to the Limit'? Well, okay, 'Hotel California' and 'Take It Easy' (personal favourite). While they're at it, LC could include all the original H2G2 radio recordings. There should be shelf space for the best.

3. Harry Reems died. If you don't know the name, you're too young. Mr Reems' birth name was Herbert Streicher, and he attended Elektra's and my alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh. What he's famous for is also the reason all the photos of him on the web are mugshots.

Mr Reems, an off-Broadway actor, appeared in a movie called 'Deep Throat' in 1972. No, it wasn't about Richard Nixon. It was about sex. This is why Reems was arrested in Memphis. They don't like sex in Memphis - okay, maybe they do, but they don't want it in the movie palace. Anyway, Alan Dershowitz got him off, good for Mr Dershowitz, and the rest is history. Rest in peace, Harry. You caused us college students to ask a lot of embarrassing questions back in the day.

4. Pope Francis. Ah, bless is heart, we're beginning to like this fella. First he tweets in ALLCAPS. Then he tries to make his own phone call to Argentina, causing the Vatican switchboard operator to give him a hard time.

'Who are you?'

'Pope Francis.'

'Yeah, and I'm Napoleon Bonaparte.'

After he got that sorted out, Francis announced that he's going to wash feet this year, like they all do, on Maundy Thursday. But he's going to do it in a youth detention centre.

I'm beginning to think he didn't pick the name 'Francis' by accident. He'll be preaching to the birds next.

Pope Francis has been known to ride on a bus. So we will close this news round-up with a link to a song we hope His Holiness might enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5P5vxf6IuQ

These news gleanings have been brought to you as a public service by h2g2. (So stop reading those tabloids.)