Toadfish in the UK/Europe

[Sibling Chatty]

There are efforts to produce vaccines without eggs. In the long run, they will be MUCH less expensive than egg-based serums, and have a much more stable, predictable supply. BUT, there is some 'growing pains' type of issues with getting a proper medium for growth, and it's taking time. There's also the issue of egg producers having fits...but that puts eggs back into the food supply and ends the problem of any endemic contamination from the actual egg.

Between flu season and the Easter Bunny (or similar Spring Festive Seasonal Colored and Decorated Egg Utilising Creatures, Specifically Ducks and Frogs...don't ask) eggs are one of the less stable saples of the average market basket. (Not at my house. We don't eat'em!)

Edit to add:
(Good Lord 'n Pass the Butter, i'm a geek...a Southern geek, but a geek.  )

[Griffin NoName]

Meant to post in Goat's thread but this one came up on search and too lazy to go on searching for it.

Maybe the threads should be amalgamated.

Utter confusion. The term "Blair's War" has been applied to Afghanistan, Iraq and Terror to name but three - there are others - eg crime. At present it is being used for the Iraq war. Presumably in ten year's time it will be used solely to mean the Iraq war. Or will it metamorphose into one of those words that exist in other languages but not in English?

[beagle]

They are only intended as distractions. There are really only two wars. The Civil War with Gordon Brown and the war against middle class, house-owning, shire-living car drivers.

Does TB have to remember he's supposed to be allied with the Democrats now? Or is he all right as long President Bush is at the top? Don't really understand the American system. Now Bush has lost control does he just have to sign everything put in front of him (like the Queen, but without the hat)?

[Sibling Chatty]

No, Bush can continue to be his clueless obstructionist self.

His options, as always, are to sign, veto, or allow to pass without signature. He's added another, basically, with his abuse of signing statements.

(Sidebar about signing statements.)
SS have been (rarely) amended to bills sent to the administration for signature. They traditionally have been to CLARIFY exactly how the Administrative division will institute or enforce the law as it is written--in other words, an enhancement of the legislation and possibly a definition of the scope of it.

The Preznit has gravely abused the SS, using it to say that he WILL NOT enforce the provisions of the law, or that he will selectively interpret the law so as to further his agenda. This is something that somebody told him he could do, and he's taken every possible chance to pervert the intent of a lot of legislation without ever having to veto anything.
(End sidebar.)

Mr. Bush will still have the same options. He will probably try to continue with the signing statements; there is some sentiment that doing so would be ill-advised. Depending on the level of unrest and distrust of the remaining Republicans in the House and Senate, he may find that a veto might NOT be upheld. (That would effectively be another no-confidence vote for him.)

Please remember that we're dealing with a mentally ill puppet, so that if he objected greatly on principle, one of several influential persons could easily convince him to sign, or not sign any given piece of legislation. Cheney, Rove, Papa Bush, Condi, or a coalition of any of a number of fairly strong influences could alter his decision on anything at all through coercion.

He'd probably like the hats.

[Aggie]

Please remember that we're dealing with a mentally ill puppet.....

Aye, and Canadian TV has found a new role for Georgie in 2008...

[Griffin NoName]

The Queen's Speech was a knock out.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

What did she said?

[beagle]

The edited highlights are  here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6149568.stm

Just to be clear, the Queen doesn't write the speech, it's just an outline of the policies the government of the day plans to put into effect. Her job is to read it without laughing or crying.
The Fraud bill is the most sinister, in my humble opinion.


More details here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Speech

[Griffin NoName]

Just to be clear, the Queen doesn't write the speech, it's just an outline of the policies the government of the day plans to put into effect. Her job is to read it without laughing or crying.

Erhem. That should read "her" Government. 

The knock out didn't really happen while she was reading it - that took place in the Commons !  See here

The Fraud bill is the most sinister, in my humble opinion.

The Mental Health Bill is very sinister too.

One of the main criticisms was that it made it too easy to detain people with some warning even those with mild conditions may be locked up.

It's a very nasty change, that one, and there would be no reason to introduce it at all if Mental Health Services were properly run. In-patient psychiatric services are scandalous and cruel and totally inefficient to the point of professional negligance - and that is not just in my opinion, humble or otherwise. There may be odd exceptions in particular hospitals but I don't know of any.

Read what Rethink have to say on the topic.

One of the biggest problems is the lack of secure units; this leads to violent and dangerous people being on the ordinary acute wards which then have to be kept locked (well that's the theory). It's dead easy to abscond; and they do. It's also dead easy to attack NOT just staff but other patients. For example, the number of female patients raped on mixed wards is shocking. Street drugs are rife on these wards and they are understaffed. While some staff are excellent the number who are essentially untrained, uninterested, asleep on duty and so on is just awful.

If Mental Health Services were properly operated the "very scarce" violent crimes committed by mentally ill people would be even "scarcer".

/end pet rant

Good to know, that having wasted big bucks on his overseas trip via Cuba, Ken is going to be able to have an even greater control over waste:

Greater London Authority Bill
Extends the powers of the London mayor and assembly, allowing them more control over housing, planning, waste, health, climate change, energy and culture.

[Sibling Chatty]

The Mayor of London will be able to control cilmate change and culture?

Bizarre...

[Griffin NoName]

He's a very talented man. Take out the Mums driving their kids to school in their 4x4's and yes, the climate and culture will change.

[beagle]

Erhem. That should read "her" Government. 

One of my favourite Queen quotes (talking about recessions):

"None of my governments seem to know what to do about them."

Some other classics:

"How very reassuring"
(when told by a shopkeeper somewhere she'd stopped that she looked just like the Queen).

"You had better answer that. It might be someone important".
(On walkabout, when the mobile phone of a young woman she was talking to rang).


I'm sure Ken will solve all those issues you itemised, but just in case I'll continue to live 60 miles away.

[Griffin NoName]

Aha lovely quotes.

One of my friends met Her at a Royal Garden Party and was asked where do you live? Cambridge she answered. Oh, my son went to University there, said Her Majesty.

I don't normally name drop but I and my husband had to entertain the Queen and Princess Margaret once. It was erhem, interesting. I'm not sure I should post any of it - maybe that wouldn't be humble.

[Sibling Chatty]

Um...humble or not, I wanna hear about it.

We colonials love Queen stories. (Either the elderly lady OR the band...)

[goat starer]

I get a christmas card from Prince Charles every year. For some reason the one from last christmas arrived in August this year.