Daibhid's Journal

Watching 2-week old Have I Got News For You, and learnt that some Fox News pundit is claiming The Muppets promotes communism. Because everyone knows that if there's one thing global megacorporation Disney hates, it's the capitalist system. Anyway, it occured to me to turn this into a fun game:

Those Communist Muppet Movies in Full

The Muppets Take Moscow
A Muppet Family International Workers' Day
Muppets From Specnaz
Fraggle Bloc

There was a bit on Have I Got News For You just now about Lily, a meerkat at an animal park in Melton Mowbury, whose owners are looking for a partner through "online meerkat dating sites". The phrase "online meerkat dating sites" was used several times.

But no mention of the world's number one site for anyone looking for a wide range of meerkats with whom they might have a relationship. Sheesh, it's no wonder they get so many people looking for car insurance...

...is the fact Scottish football teams aren't allowed to play in the English leagues really headline news?

The Daily Record thinks so, since I noticed this front page story while I was buying stamps...

(On a sidenote, I'm amused that the Record's description on Google is "Read latest Scottish news, sport, UK and world news. Breaking news on Scottish football teams including Rangers, Celtic FC, Hibs FC and more", with the subsection "Football" coming before "News".)

...is written by hysteria-mongers with little understanding of statistics.

I may come back and clarify this statement once I'm slightly less angry about it.

(For some reason I feel like channeling Private Eye...)

In a shocking new development, the Grauniad claims to have evidence that the News of the World has not hacked into the phones of anyone involved with Doctor Who. According to the Graskeian's investigation, the mobiles of Russell T. Davies, Julie Gardner and others remain untouched by Whos of the World journalists who have also, the White Guardian alleges, not bugged the room in Upper Boat where the Tone Meetings take place.

A spokesman for the Oods of the World said "This is a totally preposterous and potentially damaging claim. I mean, what do they think we do, make it all up?"

I'm not a huge fan of practical jokes, but I love spoof news stories. And man, it's been quiet this year. Where's the post on rec.arts.drwho.moderated, claiming that they found "Fury From The Deep" down the back of a sofa, and now the Christmas Special is going to be a Whole Episode Flashback to it[1]? Where's the ridiculous, but just about plausible story on the BBC News site? (I thought it might be the one about baby chicks doing arithmetic, but it appears to be genuine.)

On the upside, the latest comic book news is that Geoff Johns is following up 2005's Green Lantern: Rebirth and the upcoming Flash: Rebirth with Vibe: Rebirth. Now that was funny, especially the suggestion that Vibe, of all characters, has a rich backstory that no-one's used properly.

And I enjoyed the latest Shortpacked! in which, faced with a storyline that's falling to peices, David Willis decides to do a hard reboot and go back to ''Roomies''.[2]

[1]If I'd logged on before noon, of course, I'd have added it myself...

[2]Yes, I know that's not the permenant link, but this doesn't give you the full effect of the site's makeover.

EDIT: Checking my friends page, megamole's linked to this Guardian story, which may be the last one of more than 140 characters they ever print...

On Friday, someone made a chemical attack on a mosque full of kids.

I'm too horrified by this to comment intelligently on it.

Paste the following in your LJ if you want to show support.

*<*div align="center"*>**<*a href="http://tinyurl.com/3gag6m"*>**<*img src="http://www.the-principle.net/images/freedom-of-religion.gif"*>**<*/a*>**<*/div*>*

So Obama uses the phrase "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig" to criticise the Republicans' economic policy.

And McCain's people cry sexism and claim it's an attack on Scary Palin Woman.

And then it turns out McCain said "they put some lipstick on a pig" in reference to Hilary Clinton's health policy.

Raising the question: If Team McCain don't bother listening to the man, why should anyone else?