BBC team has found the worlds biggest rat!

[Darlica]

And he's a mellow, cosy, fellow.

A BBC team exploring a since long inactive volcano in Papua Guinea has found what is to be believed the worlds biggest true rat.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8210000/8210394.stm



Now of cause, the people living in the area knows about the rat since for ever... it's dinner now and then, but since when does that counts... it's the white man's scientific Latin names that count right?

That said, I think it is good they caught the little critter on tape, hopefully it will help it's survival.







Also. I want one!

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

It didn't mind the guys around teasing him, it might be a good pet, just let's hope that it doesn't perish due to pet trade.

[Opsa]

Aw, he seems so good-natured.

Kinda reminds me of an opossum, but lots cuter!

[beagle]

If you think finding a giant rat is a shock to the BBC you should hear what happened to Jonathan Charles.

[Griffin NoName]

Poor man. Asleep on the job.

[Swatopluk]

I the early days of TV a single blooper could get you fired.
The stereotype was immortalized in this Loriot sketch.
[youtube=425,350]BHaW-KxA0sg[/youtube]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHaW-KxA0sg
Unfortunately the nervous breakdown suffered at the end has been left out here.
It was even stronger in the radio version.

[beagle]

Interesting, so Molesworth has become ennobled.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if NeverEverThorpe actually existed round here. There's a place called "Cow Bridge".

These of course are the real tests of English pronunciation:

Slough   -> "Sluff", no points.  "Slow to rhyme with cow" 5 points. "That dump" 10 points.
High Wycombe -> "Hi why coom" 0 points, "Hi wick com" 5 points.
Yes -> "Yes" 5 points, "Ears" 10 points and a seat in the House of Lords.

Went the day well -> Possible execution as a spy

---

Can't help wondering if this rat wasn't known about in Sherlock Holmes' time:

"It was a ship which is associated with the giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared."

[Swatopluk]

The village is Nether Addlethorpe.
Btw, the user who posted the video also added the full text in the box on the right.

[beagle]

Ah right. I only got as far as the embedded version. (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it).

[Swatopluk]

One of the comments says that when the Forsythe Saga was broadcasted on German TV such content descriptions/reminders were actually given. "Well, that leaves us about ten seconds for the actual next installement of our series. See you next week on this program"

[beagle]

Yep. Similar spoofs have appeared here on soap opera plots. "In tonight's episode Tania discovers that Gerald may know that Cherryl suspects Nigel in the secret cover up of Dolly's abandonment of the plan to deceive  Rick as to the whereabouts of Polly's love child".

Or as Dr Who put it, "Don't say that. It's like saying 'This will be the best Christmas Walford has ever known'"

[Swatopluk]

That's were geometry comes in. The most intricate plot can usually be reduced to a collection of quite simple patterns.
If we take just three basic choices for each character in relation to another into account (love, hate, neutral) then there are 3*n*(n-1) possible constellations. If the sex plays a role then it has to be multiplied with 2ⁿ. A lot of these constellations would of course be either boring or R-rated and therefore unsuitable for mainstream TV.

[Griffin NoName]

But that's Real Life

[Swatopluk]

Which is not suitable for US TV, of course  . Too much sex and not enough plastic* personalities.

*as in polymer, not in flexible

[Aggie]

If we take just three basic choices for each character in relation to another into account (love, hate, neutral) then there are 3*n*(n-1) possible constellations. If the sex plays a role then it has to be multiplied with 2ⁿ. A lot of these constellations would of course be either boring or R-rated and therefore unsuitable for mainstream TV.

Are you quite sure that x=2 in all instances of xⁿ? 

You also discount multiple personalities, self-love and self-loathing, perhaps. Which can be important in both Real Life and soap operas.

Surprised to hear that too much sex is anathema to US TV - from this Canadian's perspective, US TV is overcharged with sex (as subject matter, not realistic depiction) and undercharged with nudity*.  Lots of titillation, but not a lot of actual tits.