h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Wow! There are far too many people who don't take a long-term view in business. It's good to find a business that's environmentally friendly and has a 50 year plan.

I've seen furniture of the type in the Palm Springs area.

It has got a vogue.

Of course they have a point. He's a politician making a political point. And from this side of the pond, it looks as though he is making a damn good one too. And it isn't as if he has never mentioned this before.

PP.

The gun manufacturers and retailers get chubbies every time Obama mentions anything with the slightest hint of gun control about it. Sales and prices are about to rocket back up as all these 2nd Amendment folks paranoia spikes again. He's been the best president ever for promoting the sales of guns and ammo.

A motorist has been fined almost £1,000 and hit with five penalty points after becoming the first person in the country to be convicted in court of hogging the middle lane of a motorway. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/11690110/Motorist-becomes-first-convicted-of-hogging-motorway-middle-lane.html

Good news (for a change) out of Texas.

Texas enacts ban on shark fin trade (effective next year).

http://www.yahoo.com/news/texas-enacts-ban-shark-fin-trade-185628244.html

Her Maj may have to move out of Buck House while it gets renovated.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33250274

What are the options for her?

A static caravan in the grounds?

Maybe she could do what the first Queen Liz did, and descend on others' private estates, forcing them to upgrade for her visit.

Or maybe, as her predecessor did, she could stay in rooms above pubs. It would be such a boost to the industry if they could display "Queen Elizabeth II slept here" signs.

You mean she may have to rough it at Windsor Castle and Balmoral?
Maybe they could find an air bed in one of the rooms not open to the public at Osborne House, although they do have guest accommodation there now, but they won't allow the corgis: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/holiday-cottages/no-2-sovereigns-gate/

<BB<

Oh Canada

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-33253979

"Whilst on patrol over Winnipeg, the chopper's crew accidentally turned on its loudspeaker allowing members of the public below to hear them.
Those listening say they heard pilots swearing and discussing oral sex."

It could have been worse, you never know when you might be recorded.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/anesthesiologist-trashes-sedated-patient-jury-orders-her-to-pay-500000/2015/06/23/cae05c00-18f3-11e5-ab92-c75ae6ab94b5_story.html

Scientists have finally been able to put a face to Hallucigenia, a primitive creature that lived 500 million years ago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-33262884

Regarding my post 17018 last week regarding my senator voting against restricting all US government agencies to the Department of Defense’s Field Manual on Interrogation, and keeping torture as an option; I received the expected reply.

Here it is printed in full.


_______________________________________________________



Dear Reverend Ingram:



Thank you for contacting me regarding the detainee interrogation policy of the United States. I know how passionately Texans feel about this issue, and I appreciate having the benefit of your comments.



As you may know, Senate Amendment number 1889 (S.Amdt. 1889) to the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (FY16 NDAA; H.R. 1735) would limit the interrogation of detainees by any U.S. Government employee or agent to techniques that are listed in the publicly available Army Field Manual on human intelligence collection. This policy would enable our enemies to study and dissect the methods U.S. officials use to elicit sensitive information from detainees, providing them with the opportunity to train against these techniques and prepare effective counter-interrogation strategies. Moreover, this limitation is simply unnecessary. The Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-148), already prohibits any interrogation and treatment of detainees that is “cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.” In addition, President Obama’s Executive Order 13491, issued on January 22, 2009, mandates compliance with U.S. domestic laws and international agreements in regard to the treatment of detainees. For these reasons, I could not support S.Amdt. 1889 during its consideration by the Senate. S.Amdt. 1889 was, however, included as part of H.R. 1735, which passed the Senate on June 18, 2015.



Interrogation techniques that are not disclosed to our adversaries serve a critical purpose to protecting our national security. In the past, intelligence obtained with such techniques helped locate Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda operatives, as well as prevent future terrorist attacks. I believe it is unwise to narrowly restrict the tools available for future presidents to defend our country, especially as the threat of violent extremism continues to rise. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House of Representatives in perfecting the final version of the FY16 NDAA. You may be certain that I will keep your views in mind as I continue to work to ensure the safety of our nation and our citizens abroad in the face of terrorism and all other threats.





I appreciate having the opportunity to represent the interests of Texans in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.



Sincerely,



JOHN CORNYN

United States Senator











517 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Tel: (202) 224-2934

Fax: (202) 228-2856

http://www.cornyn.senate.gov

__________________________________________________

When I saw the headline of this story, my response was, "No Sherlock!"

"WHOLE FOODS ACCUSED OF OVERCHARGING CUSTOMERS"


But it was worth looking further. Whole Foods is accused of mislabeling items by weight. This is a straightforward case of having a thumb on the scale.

http://www.businessinsider.com/whole-foods-accused-of-overcharging-2015-6


There are no Whole Foods within driving distance of me. I'm in a "food desert" anyway with the nearest proper grocery store over 5 miles away in another town. So, I'm not a Whole Foods customer, but I would be livid if I were. As it is, I think it might behoove any customer to carry a small digital scale when shopping.

This is one of those situations where you can prove beyond reasonable doubt that they've been rigging the weights, so long as you measure a statically significant sample. It's the kind of question you would get in a statistics exam.

Probably..

BG

I'd be firing back a response to "I believe it is unwise to narrowly restrict the tools available for future presidents to defend our country, especially as the threat of violent extremism continues to rise." along the lines of "so, just how wide a toolkit do you feel it is acceptable to use?", and reminder that as with Sgt A, of the Royal Marines, war isn't just about how the enemy.

and to edit....

as a reminder

http://quirker.co.uk/story/wimbledon-here-we-come-battered-strawberries-are-an-actual-thing


No more need be said...

Vulcan bomber to fly for the final time this year:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/07/01/vulcans_last_flight/

A group of companies that provided support and skills to keep the final aircraft going made the decision that they could no longer afford the costs associated with keeping the Vulcan in the air, especially as most of the parts no longer existed and airframe hours were becoming a major concern.

Further reading:

A87821256
A49097307

The sad death of the wonderfully laid-back Val Doonican, Val was so relaxed he made Perry Como look like Shakin Stevens! Saying Rest in Peace sounds almost ironic, but Val sold millions of records right through the swinging sixties and beyond and he will be remembered with great affection.