annaj

I fairly certain she meant before slaughter and processing. But to respond in kind to your pedantry, vegans don't eat eggs.

I like my mum's definition. At a Rotary Club Dinner in rural Goucestershire, in the 80s, after politely turning down chicken and fish, she lost patience and said (very calmy and in her lovely RP accent) "I'm a vegetarian. I don't eat anything that f*cks" * *Now, I know some pedant will now point out that fish don't techincally f*ck (fertilisation of the eggs happens outside the fish) but if you take f*ck in this context to mean reproduce sexually (as in by fusion of male and female gametes)then it's not a bad definition.

I think wee quinnie has a fair point. If you're going to list something as vegetarian on a menu, or write a vegetarian cook book, it's not unreasonable for people to expect you to know what is and isn't actually vegetarian.

I'm sure they sell a veggie parmesan style cheese, that's very nice and a good substitute, in SMBS, or at least they used to. It might even be the approved one you mentioned.

Don't for a moment think I'm in, or even close to, that top 0.5%, but yes, I am more than worth what I'm paid, thank you.

And my other comments about cost cutting were in reply to ImpetousVrouw, adressed as IV for short, who suggested a few pages ago that costs could be cut by restricting non-essential treaments like IVF, generic prescribing (already standard in most trusts I've worked in for years) and banning smoking.

I took this to mean that you thought they could save a bit by paying those 6000 people less. As I think you know.

Ok. And how many of them would accept a pay cut for the good of the organisation or the people it serves? Staff salaries are a major part of NHS budgets, but that it because thousands of people are needed to work for each organisation, not because the individual salaries are too high. What ever the rights and wrongs of the original debate (and for what it's worth I'm sorry that some people found this letter unsetting or intrusive, but I can't think of a better way to raise awareness and don't think King's have done anything wrong) I am now getting sick and tired of people with no actual knowledge of NHS funding, with the notable exception of Mamora Man, arogantly thinking they could do better. IV your suggestions, a few pages back now, for cutting costs just show that you really don't understand how hospitals are funded or where most of the costs lie. IVF, for example, when it is NHS funded, is paid for by the Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) not the hospitals. In some hospitals IVF may even be one of the ways a hospital can earn money. There is waste within hospitals and there are ways that costs could be, and are being, cut, but there are also managers, executives and clinicians working really hard to do the best they can, for the most people, with very limited money.

Mick Mac, please. Do you really not get it? 6000 is a tiny number in context of the total number of people employed by the NHS 6000 out of around 1.5 million NHS employees. That's <0.5% of NHS employees who earn over ?140,000. What percentage of employees in your organisation or industry earn that amount or more?

Jane, I feel I owe you an apology as it was me who first suggested that people with concerns should contact you. Please believe me when I say that my intention was only to help and certainly not to get you involved in this sort of unpleasant debate. At the time I felt there was lots of unease and specualtion which could all be cleared up by a response from your team. I'm sorry that my well-intended suggestion has raised such undeserved ill feeling towards you. Reading back over this thread, though, something occurs to me. Several people have talked about consent and their addresses being used without consent. This letter was, if I understand correctly, a letter to recent patients, from the hospital, asking if they would be interested in hearing about the charity. In other words, a letter from the organisation that holds the patients' addresses, asking if they would like to hear from another, related, organisation. In other words, it was a letter asking for consent for the patient's address to be shared with the charity. So, it seems to me, on reflection, that the letter was trying to do the exact thing that people are complaining hasn't been done.

Quids. Shhhhhh. Indoor voices please.

It was fun. The place looks nice, the staff were friendly and the pizza was goooooood. And I met an EDF celeb.

What Brendan, Sean MacGabhann and RosieH said. At best: tedious oaf. At worst: snide, smug, offensive, ignorant oaf. Sewart Lee's rant about Top Gear and its "boys" pretty well summed up what I think. I'll have a look for it later. Oh, and "huncamunca", sure, ok, you're not snorky, but I've been meaning to ask, how did that business with the pregnant au pair work out?

No, we turn ours off when we're not using it* (which, admittedly, is mainly only when we're not in or asleep) I've no idea how much electricity they use, but certainly some, and saving some is better than saving none. A while back we started making a real effort to do all those small energy saving things, like turning the TV and DVD player off at the socket overnight, turning lights off in rooms we're not in and using energy saving lamps instead of our downlighters, and were completely amazed by what a difference it made to our bills. *that is as long as a wireless router is what I think it is. The BT Home Hub thing or equivalent, right?

I saw an episode a couple of weeks ago, the one where he bought his mum a car, and liked it, but then forgot all about it. So, thanks for the reminder, woof. I'll try and remember to watch the last one next week.

But the ape in the first picture is bright orange! Fine, I'll accept that it's a gibbon, or lesser ape, but I still think you could've found better pictures. And, unlike easily impressed D_C, I refuse to be awed.

*Bob* that looks a lot like an Orangutan, which is a Great Ape, not a Gibbon. Honestly. Sloppy.

Oh, come on Rosie, what about the Walrus? Or don't that impress you much?

Only just saw this before it slipped off the page; fast moving place the lounge. I know nothing about anything that will help you, but I will most certainly come and see a one-man show in Camden.

Blimey Mick Mac, those pictures (ok, they were a few posts ago, but I don't keep up as well these days) bring back some memories. Mostly they make me remember how skilled OutOfFocus was at catching me pulling crazy faces. I won't be there tonight, but have fun.

If anyone is concerned about where and how personal information has been shared, or has any other questions about the letter, I would suggest contacting the King's Patient Advice and Liaison Service. Or have a look at the fundraising page on the King's website.

I haven't posted twice, but website looks good ("Italian food has to be home made...") so, I'm in.

"There is no legal age limit for leaving a child on their own"

I can understand that people are concerned and want to know what happened, but when there have been accidents before all sorts of misinformation, speculation and rumour has been quoted on here as fact. Do remember that who ever was involved will have family and friends and unsubstatiated rumours spreading about might cause them even more distress.

elderflower, the only person on this thread who seems to be harking on about being (or not being) middle class, is you. I have a couple more questions, and these are genuine, I'm honestly interested in the idea of the WI as an innovative force for change. First, what's the purpose of knitting figures based on video games? What did it achieve and in what way was it any more innovative or relevant than knitting anything else? Second, you said your previous WI discussed teen knife crime, what, if anything, came of those discussions? How did your previous WIs engage with the local youth community? And what did they do about knife crime?