Last Wednesday I joined other Transport Bloggers at St Pancras station where we recorded a conversation about the improvements there. The other voices you can hear are Patrick Crozier, Brian Micklethwait and Michael Jennings. In the background you can hear the people and the trains coming and going.

Posted by Rob Fisher as Transport at 2:43 PM EST

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Demolition Man is on the telly. I’d always considered it a silly but fun science fiction romp, and it is, but it’s also a libertarian propaganda peice! One of the bad guys is an evil scientist who has engineered a society where everything is illegal and the people are like children who are made to feel all safe and fluffy — a world that has “become a pussy-whipped, Brady Bunch version of itself”. The other is a violent gunman from the 20th century who is able to terrorise the disarmed populace.

And here is a speech by one of the good guys:

You see, according to Cocteau’s plan I’m the enemy, ’cause I like to think; I like to read. I’m into freedom of speech and freedom of choice. I’m the kind of guy likes to sit in a greasy spoon and wonder - “Gee, should I have the T-bone steak or the jumbo rack of barbecued ribs with the side order of gravy fries?” I WANT high cholesterol. I wanna eat bacon and butter and BUCKETS of cheese, okay? I want to smoke Cuban cigar the size of Cincinnati in the non-smoking section. I want to run through the streets naked with green Jell-o all over my body reading Playboy magazine. Why? Because I suddenly might feel the need to, okay, pal? I’ve SEEN the future. Do you know what it is? It’s a 47-year-old virgin sitting around in his beige pajamas, drinking a banana-broccoli shake, singing “I’m an Oscar Meyer Wiener”.

Posted by Rob Fisher as Reviews at 11:03 PM EST

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I usually prefer reading a sci-fi novel over the free papers on the tube, but this evening I had a look at London Lite. Here are some stories I noticed. On page 7, this sounds deeply sinister:

Germany is to bring in a new law on Thursday that outlaws kissing and cuddling between under-17s in public places. The back-row clinch in the cinema will be forbidden under the legislation, aimed at protecting children from sexual predators.

But not at protecting them from busybody politicians who will make their lives a misery. Or from sexual predators in private (where are all these public sexual predators?) And what might be the subtle, unintended sociological effects of this type of legislation? The German government doesn’t seem to have much respect for children at all.

In better news, someone actually shot back at a crazed gunman.

Jeanne Assam, a member of the congregation at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, gunned down Matthew Murray, 24, after he shot dead two sisters leaving morning service.

This story was also covered at the Civilian Gun Self Defense Blog.

In business news, Peter Moule from Hertfordshire is doing well out of his appearance on Dragon’s Den. He invented the ChocBox, an electrical connector, which is now “expected to sell 25 million units over the next five years”.

Mr Moule came up with the idea 10 years ago when new EU laws came in, decreeing that wires must be joined in a rigid case. Before then electricians had just used a connector strip to put the wires together, and wrapped it in tape.

[Moule] said, “I went round a number of electrical retailers but although I could buy a connector strip, there was nothing to put it in. I was told there was no such product so I invented the ChocBox.

Regulations can work out well for some, then.

In censorship news, the game Manhunt 2 might go on sale after Rockstar won an appeal against the BBFC. There might still be a judicial review, though.

On page 10 is the “Message Board” section. Here is a text message:

AKM, (Txts, Mon): correction — you CAN be gay and Muslim. The homosexual act is forbidden, not the feelings, which should be supressed.

Here’s another:

HELEN, (Txts, Mon): fairtrade organic vegan? I bet you’re the most irritating person in London.

And finally, a transport related text:

JUST at the new St Pancras station and the screens telling us what train is next are totally wrong! £70m — what a disgrace!

Posted by Rob Fisher as News at 11:09 PM EST

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