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

A genuine quote from Tuesdays Daily Mirror:
"Brittish women were granted the vote centuries ago in 1928..."

Is it me, or does the math not add up (even slightly)?
The easiest explanation is that whoever wrote this, and then the person who edited it were idiots.
The concpiracy theory is that the media are trying to manipulate our veiw of the U.K. saying that we have been enlightened and forward for much longer than you remember. I *know* women who were not allowed to vote not so long ago in the U.K.
What do you think?

Math does not add up.

I think it was a case of idiocy. This is why I am in Independent man myself.

I honestly didn't buy it, but at work you read whatever is there at lunchtime. Personally I like the Star, as it avoids an information overload and has the best problem page.

I like the Independent, you occasionally get raving lefties declaring war on Tony.

More to the actual point I do think it was idiocy. But it can seriously affect your world outlook when taken in the context of the article it came from.
The piece was about how things have come on in Afghanistan since the west *freed* it's people from the taliban. It focused on how backward the treatment of women was under that reigime, but it struck me that it isn't all that long since we treated women in a way that isn't dissimilar in this country.

And it could really seriously affect your world outlook if you believed it.

Things haven't really moved on in Afghanistan, from what i hear. Though the taliban certainly were nasty pieces of work.

The reason things haven't changed is mistrust. Nobody in afganistan wants to trust the U.S. and associates to do anything for them in the long term. And are you surprised? They don't have too good a record when they come to it.

That is a pretty bad mistake. It's common for people to confuse decades and centuries

Hopefully not ones in the newspaper business though.

I bet I have tried this page fifty times since you posted.
Ah finally - it's not blank like so many pages today have been.

The guide seem determined to divert and destroy my chain of thought at times.
It saddens me that so few people I have mentioned this to even notice the error, or the implications it may have. People are too used to being led and not using their brain that they need to have things like this pointed out to them. It's why so much of what goes on in the world that is wrong is unopposed, and wrongs are comitted in our names. It fair makes my blood boil at times.

Guide's been finnickerty recently.

Yes, many people don't think when they don't have to. Once I was reading a philosophy book. I was asked why. I said I wanted to. I was asked why again. I said it was interesting and thought provoking. What? Thought? came the reply. Yes, thought. But... but.... but, you think at school. This is the holiday. You don't have to think. Oh but I want to. Hur hur, you're a geek.

I wonder if you followed that.

I've been there! Reading a novel at work instead of a tabloid is tantamount to geekdom.

Largely I just cuss at 'em till they go away.

Yes that works or just a mildly questionable insane appearance or act will do.

You'd flip if you saw my msn profile.

I just look at them properly, right in the eyes until they go away. Quite often it scares them.

Oh yeah, that one's good. And I make my cheeks go in a bit, making me look very gaunt and slightly pale. After a while they kind of expect me to have sharpened canines and say things like "Ahhhh, ze children of ze night. Vot sveet muzik zey make."

You mean you haven't. This isn't vampires anonymous then.
Most people never get looked at properly, glanced at yes, and for many women their eyes are not what we men communicate with. It's scary when someone looks at your soul and thats how it seems when you are intense in your contemplation of their pupils. If that doesnt work try focusing on a point slightly behind the subjects left ear to unsettle them(thanks terry for the sugestion)

I look straight into their eyes. If you know people you can guess what they're going to do after a while. So you'll say something pretty much when they were about to, and that's unsettling. You get it wrong sometimes, but when it works, it's great.