Thirty dead men and a dog.

Interesting to note differing degrees of histrionics in the papers today regarding possible increase in rail fares in line with the high rate of inflation. The Independent this morning warned that the Retail Price Index + 1% policy would lead to prices going up 5.8%

rail commuters ... will be braced for fare rises of almost 6% next January despite the Retail Prices Index (RPI) easing to 4.8% in July. Most regulated rail fare increases are based on a formula of July's RPI plus 1% - which would leave passengers facing rises of 5.8%.

The Guardian, this afternoon, was waving around a figure of 8% 'forcing people back into their cars', but by half four it was 'experts fear 10%' because of this, I am discovering, increasingly psychotic government's policy of killing all spending, ever.

Which brings me to this bullshit: what I would term, if borne out to be true, a very good example of how politics and business's obsession with short-term turnover is both a symptom of, and a prime cause of, our species's habit of cutting off our nose to jam shit-smeared rags into our face.

What the Telegraph has learned.

For me, the kinship between selling off the countryside, cutting heritage funding and refusal to subsidise the railways is obvious. But then, I'm a way lateral thinker.

Also, because someone has to think of the children, and the children's children...

and because we're so terribly poor at that as a species: I give you Godblock. If any of y'all are thinking of breeding make sure to properly protect your offspring from destructive memes on the Internet. Your children will thank you for it, and so will the earth.