Charges against a rape VICTIM?!

Most people know that European governments don't care about victims' rights. But I saw a story today that took the biscuit, even by those standards. In Sweden, a rapist is pressing charges against his victim for not telling him she had HIV.

I think the phrase "you couldn't make it up" comes to mind.

Pornographic sweet wrappers?

I don't doubt that modern Britain has a fair bit of sexual imagery in the media. Of course, they are strictly small time compared to Belgium. Some of the stuff at news kiosks here would make a pimp blush. But apparently, its not adult magazines which are the subject of wrath in the British press. Apparently its sweet wrappers, featuring cartoon lemons, which are highly suggestive. In fact, one parent has complained:

Mr Simpkins, of Pontefract, West Yorkshire, said: 'The lemon and lime are locked in what appears to be a carnal encounter. The lime, whom I assume to be the gentleman in this coupling, has a particularly lurid expression on his face.

This is one of those stories you read, and keep waiting for the punch line. But it never came. This guy was actually serious.

Buses on Bastille Day

I got the bus to work the other day in Strasbourg. I sat at the bus stop and noticed something - despite being a weekday, there was virtually no traffic on the roads, and the buses, usually there every 10 minutes, were nowhere to be seen. After 45 minutes, I began to wonder if the population of Strasbourg had been taken out by some viral weapon that only people from England with names beginning with M have immunity to.

Then, it occurred to me - it was Bastille Day, the day the French overthrew their corrupt political class, and stormed the Bastille prison. May interest you to learn that the site of the Bastille was where the victorious French "Non" campaigners against the EU Constitution gathered to celebrate their victory.

Anyhows, after 45 minutes, I saw a tractor roar past, with a live cow in a horse box being pulled behind it. Turns out there was a protest at the Strasbourg parliament against milk producers subsidies. It appears the French appetite for protest is still alive and well, in keeping with the Bastille spirit.

In the end I had to walk to work...

Five continents in a week

This blog has had visitors from five continents in just a week. Not bad!

The incredible exploding swimming costume

There is something about the phrase "Italian female swimmers costume bursts open" that just grabs the attention isn't there? Apparently, 22 year old athlete Flavia Zoccari was about to compete in a swimming event at the Mediterranean Games when her swimming costume split open. For this, she was disqualified. At a time athletes are being caught doping and cheating, it seems mean spirited to disqualify someone because their costume split.

Sympathy with the postal workers

When I was out campaigning at the Euro elections back in the UK, I noticed something. Every house in Britain seems to have a dog. Some dog owners seem to take a real pleasure in placing menacing pictures in the windows of their houses of the pooch in question. When I was leafletting in Manchester, one front gate had a picture of an attack dog on it, and the following message : "I can reach the gate in 3 seconds - how fast can YOU run?". Clearly someone who doesn't like either visitors or receiving post. Having belted it down more than a few front gardens during the campaign, with a pooch in hot pursuit, I began to feel sympathy for our postal workers.

Now it looks like parliament has decided its time to offer postal workers protection. The Dangerous Dogs Act doesn't cover attacks on private property, and they are looking to extend it. I must admit, the posties do have my sympathy on this one.

Movement for Voluntary Human Extinction?!

In politics, you often come across some crazy ideas. I remember a guy being arrested in Manchester a few years ago as he campaigned for the "Campaign for Non-Sexual Public Nudity". Essentially, it said you should be able to walk around nude. You can probably guesss what the campaigner got arrested for (he then got charged for contempt of court when he showed up at court, you guessed it, naked).

I think I may have found an organisation which tops them. The Movement for Voluntary Human Extinction says that we should not have kids, and wait for everyone on earth to die off. That is the only way to save the planet. I kept wondering if this was a sick wind up. I searched the website, and kept waiting for the momement the punch line was delivered. Kind of like the moment where Jeremy Beadle used to appear on "Beadle's About", and give the game away that this was all some horrible wind up. Alas, it looks like the VHEM is real.

I think finding a group which tops this for wild ideas may take some doing.