> On the fifth of November, *mumble*teen-hundred and *cough*, a group of people tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Guy was one of them, and was somewhat unfortunately caught in the act and executed. Since then, we have celebrated it by burning him in effigy. Hence the huge fire and explosion-based tomfoolery.

Ahh, at last, someone else who's British and doesn't know every exact date in British history. Anyway, why do we do this every year? Not only is it pretty widely thought that the capture of Fawkes was a set-up, engineered to get more support for the king, but isn't it more than a little sick to burn effigies of people and celebrate this? The king Fawkes was trying to kill was, I believe, one who, on his way from Scotland to become king of England too when a pickpocket was caught. The king immediately ordered that the criminal be executed, and this was carried out, BEFORE someone quietly told the king that he didn't have the power to put anyone to death without trial. Hmm, yeah, good ruler for an entire country.

Phil-"Monarchy has its good points and its very bad ones"-bee