Great Fire Of London Anniversary Brings The Meh

You may see some news stories about it being the 343rd anniversary of the Great Fire of London today; this non-round number is being used by an insurance company we refuse to name here (but we'll still link to the story) as an excuse to tell us that if the fire happened today, the city woud cost at least £45bn to rebuild. Mm-hm; except London is no longer made from wood and thatch and we have professional fire brigades that would, presumably, put the damn thing out rather more quickly. Hey, it's Lennox Lewis's birthday, what about the cost of health insurance if he beat up all the bankers? Or it's 36 years since JRR Tolkein died, what would it take to rebuild the City in the wake of an Orc attack? Corporate PR divisions, please stop with your stupid non-stories! In the meantime, if you want to watch the fire unfold, follow @samuelpepys on Twitter. (Image / chrisjohnbeckett)