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

I tried to teach it who I was, but it insisted I was a geographical location

Oh, WolframAlpha knows the correct answer to the meaning of life: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=what+is+the+meaning+of+life%3F

After the bombs come the developers:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13925569

It's like a bloody farce!

'Michele Bachmann delivered her presidential announcement in Waterloo, Iowa, Monday because she was born there, but she inadvertently ended up reminding residents of a dark chapter in their town’s history.

In an interview with Fox News Channel, Bachmann, the Minnesota conservative, pointed out that John Wayne, the actor, was from Waterloo. “That’s the kind of spirit I have, too,” Bachmann said.

Small problem: John Wayne didn’t hail from Waterloo. The former Marion Morrison was born in Winterset, Iowa, more than 100 miles to the south.

The most famous John Wayne from Waterloo is instead John Wayne Gacy, the infamous “killer clown” of Chicago, who was convicted of killing more than 30 young men in the 1970s and stashing their bodies in a crawlspace in his house.'

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-bachmann-wayne-20110627,0,187514.story


Can the Republicans in the U.S. find no candidate for President who isn't an absurdly mismanaged loon?

Why change a winning formula?

What goes around comes around:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/space-station-crew-briefly-board-escape-capsules-due-131908117.html


~jwf~

"French journalists Hervé Ghesquière and Stéphane Taponier and their interpreter have been released after more than 500 days in captivity, according to their employer, France Television, and Reporters Without Borders."

http://www.france24.com/en/20110629-french-journalists-kidnapped-taliban-have-been-freed

Yay!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13957968


muvver nature eh!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6623895.stm

even better

to Ghesquière, Taponier and their interpreter

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-william/8613600/Royal-tour-Prince-William-and-Kate-Middleton-head-up-river-to-Quebec.html

I see the French Canadians have exercied their democratic right to be typically obnoxious in Quebec, in French thankfully so I could ignore them . I sure General Wolfe would have had a solution, give 'em a bit of Empire! Harumph!

Not to put too fine a point on it but
between Montreal and Quebec City one is
sailing downriver not up.

Makes ya wonder what else the reporter
doesn`t know or simply imagines.


-jwf-

The facts being? JWF

Uhm... water flows downhill.
Rivers flow to the sea.
Quebec is downstream from Montreal.

Even the URL had that wrong.

-jwf-

The obvious about the gravity of water flow, but you appeared to imply there was more? I may be wrong? Do continue.

Well.. I took exception to the implications that
they would not be entirely comfortable sleeping
on a warship manned by a couple of hundred sailor
type men.

Two points there. 1. A goodly proportion of the crew
on Canadian warships are lady type sailors. 2. By
sailing downstream they can practically drift along
with no raucous engine noises. And 3. As our famous
PM (Pierre Trudeau) once said, `Government has no
business in the bedrooms of the nation!` so it is even
more unfair that a mere journalists should speculate
on the inner workings of the Royal boodoir!


-jwf-

Boodior? Is that French? or merely a typo error

I took exceotion to the disruption by an obnoxious groups of dissidents, as already described though rightfully expressing their demcratic right, in spoiling what should be a heart warming expression of inclusiveness for a commonwealth country who's young men sacrificed so much in support of the Empire during a world conflict 70 years ago, in addition to the Royal couple having also shown care and compassion regarding contemporary issues affecting Canada.

Their just a fringe bunch nowadays. Scotland will separate from the UK long before the old and tired few Quebecois separatists manage to achieve anything other than a bit of self-embarrassing protests.

Today in Quebec City they will visit the Vandoos,
a Quebec based regiment currently sacrificing
themselves in the Afghan conundrum.

How many have we lost there to date anahaga -
almost 150 by now I think. Whatever the number
it probably exceeds the number of protesters.


-jwf-

157 members of the Forces, one diplomat, one journalist and two aid workers.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/afghanistan/casualties/list.html



And that doesn't include the uncounted who surprise their families and friends by falling into rivers at home after several tours.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/story/2011/05/05/edmonton-soldier-missing-run-river-valley.html

(they later found his body quite a distance downstream)