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

I recently got a package from the UK with a German customs label.

You'd have had to worry if it had said 'Gift'.

Indeed!

I was very careful not to lick the package until I'd verified the contents (it was the Science of Discworld books I'd ordered through Alibris).

*babelfishes gift*

No sign of the parcel here, getting used to things not showing up. Did you send it to work or home PC?

Never heard them called bolly burns before. I take it you're referring to blim burns or hot rock burns?

Love the horoscopes a_a_e (also Taurus)

Yup. At the height of the post-9/11 anthrax scare, a German sorting office was closed down after it received a parcel from the US labelled 'Gift'. Gott in Himmel!

Christopher, I sent it to the home address.

K and I both are of some degree of German extraction so that's one word I knew. And truth be told, with packages coming from English-speaking countries, wouldn't you think the German customs officials would know the same?

Yes...but not necessarily postal workers.

Well... but surely it would have cleared customs prior to entering the postal system? Still, it's a funny story. And reminds me of how unpleasant things were over here for a very long time with all that ridiculous paranoia. I worked in the Standard Oil Building at that time- it's the third tallest building in Chicago at this time. "Security" was ludicrous for most of 2002; it used to take me 45 minutes to get into the building each morning, and at one point they even started inspecting our coffee, lunches and bottled water. What a crock of shit that was.

And of course it was very little to do with actual security. All that stuff like breast milk being inspected.

After the Glasgow bombing attempt, there was a comment to the effect that in the event of an attack, the airport staff could always defend themselves with all those wee pairs of scissors they've confiscated.

As John Smeaton said at the time:
'Dinnae try it in Glasgow. We'll set about yis.'

Around here at least, it was nothing to do with security and everything to do with power-tripping (like when I was made to lift my shirt in the middle of the airline terminal at the New Orleans airport because *someone else* set off a metal detector) and scaring people so badly they'd go along with all the racial profiling, etc. Sigh.

Hope I didn't bring the tone of the thread down too much.

I saw a pretty acerbic opinion-piece from someone on MSNBC this morning. Somebody McThing. It was in reference to Bush bypassing investigation into phone companies supplying masses of (in some cases *all*) phone records etc to the government. Seriously angry man.

Keith Olbermann in fact (close) erm>

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QEcBjpsP1bU

Yeah..say the word 'Security' and you can get away with all sorts. But luckily all these laws and restrictions have only been brought in to combat terrorism and they're unlikely to be abused by any future or current government.

"This is how liberty dies... to rapturous applause."

Name that quote

>But luckily all these laws and restrictions have only been brought in to combat terrorism and they're unlikely to be abused by any future or current government

One lives in hope. But it's likely that ways will be found to abuse them in the future around these here parts.

Olbermann's great- I'd love to see the MSNBC piece. Know which section I can find it in?

>>Name that quote

By googling I can't tell whether it's
a) Some St*r W*rs character or
b) Bill Hicks.

Queen Amidala - Revenge Of the Sith.

Okay, my parcel has arrived...

1) Soaked through
2) Wrapped in a special bag marked "Our Sincere Apologies"

and my favourite bit -

3) DANGLING OUT OF THE LETTERBOX FOR ANYONE TO TAKE.















Be that as it may, everything seems okay and I'm too tired and happy to see it to complain. The book - Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, which I incidentally got the TV series of for Simon's birthday (the two of them are crazy for Neil Gaiman now, thanks to me) is drying on the radiator. I saw the show ages ago and enjoyed it, knowing my enthusiasm for that and for the Sandman (and Good Omens) I very much look forward to reading it.

The sleeves are done for, but hopefully all the discs are okay. Got the first Space Ghost on now, no probs so far. You know how much I was looking forward to them.

"Friends are just enemies who don't have the guts to kill you"

The bookmarks are a lovely bit of Chicago, and I love the fridge magnet! Thank you many many times.

I've got your birthday stuff ready to post tomorrow. Good luck!

PS I can't find the Keith Olbermann item anywhere apart from this youtube link. It is a corker. Nice to see you have some proper ballsy commentators.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QEcBjpsP1bU