Britain’s The Guardian has been running what it describes as a Special Investigation into the worst fossil fuel, greenhouse gas emitting companies.

Its findings; the world’s most sinful companies threatening the planet are Saudi Aramco, Exxon Mobil and Shell. No surprise there and hardly an early‑shattering break‑through revelation.

But what is, is the fact that the journalists responsible for this enlightenment are all members of the Guardian’s staff pension fund. And where is the fund’s money invested? Substantially in Shell.

Earlier this year I wrote on this site about the ridiculous Uber partial public float then about to occur on Wall Street, arguing that financially, although a great service, Uber is a dog destined to fail.

Nine months’ earlier when the partial float was first mooted, Uber executives talked of a capital valuation of US$120 billion. That’s serious money, even in Wall Street. In the event, the float went off, its share price recording a capital value of US$82 billion and a rare event on Wall Street, promptly crashed 8% within hours. Subsequently the original float price has fallen by a third.

In the immortal words of flamboyant fight promoter Don King, “Only in America”.

Thus my response to the extraordinary story from Orlando, Florida, of a half-witted (needless to say, now suspended) policeman’s arrest and handcuffing of two 6 year old girls, one for throwing a tantrum in class and the other for kicking another child. He then carted them off to a juvenile detention centre.

I get around and about regularly and to all manner of remote locations. Frequently this involves flights on airlines I’ve never heard of. Let me thus emphasise this.

The anachronistic practise of yesteryear of airlines ear‑bashing their imprisoned customers is now virtually gone, with three notable exceptions; Qantas, Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand.

Now Virgin’s boss has announced they’re going to end it and shut up, or, in other words, grow up.

When comedian Steve Martin decided to become a novelist (and good on him for that) his first effort published in 2000 was called Shopgirl.

I picked up a copy and belted through it the other day. It began unfortunately with this line.

“When you work in the glove department at Neiman’s you are selling things that nobody buys anymore.”