Dear Max, Thanks for the link to the Dawkins piece. When I read "He laughed at his own jokes, which good comedians are supposed not to, but he did it with such charm that the jokes became even funnier. He was gently able to poke fun without wounding, and it would be aimed not at individuals but at their absurd ideas."
I couldn't help but think he would have been an incomparable member for AWADtalk.
Also thanks to Bingley for the Economist link.

Now, when we first see the appearance of a being from another planet, carried "live" on TV, we must look very carefully to see if he/she/it is carrying a book with the friendly logo "Dont Panic" on the cover.