silverfox

Interesting HAL9000. Having read more on the subject I've now come to the conclusion that this issue has been over-hyped and the title of this thread is misleading (as you previously suggested). Craig Venter has not created new life - he's modified an pre-existing cell. Still, this has opened up a whole new field, for good and bad.

For what it's worth, I've enjoyed sparring with you both and you've often corrected me and given me pause for thought when I've gone off on one of my spiels. Why not shake hands? Life's too short etc

I work in MI6 too and from what their files say the above two posters couldn't be trusted with piggy banks

I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you given the forthcoming budget.

We could always form the East Dulwich Hunt - now how cliquey would that be tally-hooing up and down Lordship Lane?

It would depend on how democratic the public's say on the cuts is as to whether it's a good idea or not. Ironically, the more democratic the decision the worse the outcome could be. How so? If the public is simply being asked to vote on general principles (ie less free school meals means more books, less cosmetic surgery on NHS means more mental Health care etc)then that's fair enough. If however it comes down to a local level because tens of millions have been lobbed off council budgets then it could get ugly. Eg, does East Dulwich need a library as East Dulwich is a relatively prosperous place with many homes having computers and internet connection? Does it need a swimming pool? If you looked at usage figures the answers to these questions are probably no when Peckham has got perfectly adequate facilities for us to share. Close them down and beef up Peckham's facilities equals a saving. What you may find is services we take for granted will go out of the window in some areas but are retained in other (perhaps) poorer areas.

And those big red things called buses James

Woman pays ?1,800 for chicken leg A woman from Cwmbran, Torfaen took out a bank loan and lived on beans on toast for a year to pay ?1,800 in vet bills after her pet chicken injured its leg. Vicky Mills, 24, was heartbroken when Lily, a Rhode Island Red, got her leg trapped in a barbed wire fence. Despite the costs, Mrs Mills told her vet to try to save the limb rather than have her put down. When the treatment failed, she paid for an amputation. Lily was also diagnosed with depression but has now recovered, said Mrs Mills. The chicken's gloominess was thought to have been brought on by being in the house alone while Mrs Mills and her husband Sam were out at work. So the couple now leave the television on all day to keep it company and it is a "happy hen again", they said... "But sometimes she tries to scratch herself with her missing leg and falls over." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6960334.stm (my italics)

I'd let it go observermum. The wording of the thread was suspicious in the first place.

Good point jalapeno, there might be a loophole that allows fox hunting in urban areas

Have you noticed the drivel coming out of the mouths of so-called 'wildlife experts' who have been rushing to the defence of urban foxes after the babies were mauled? Here's an example: "...Another top wildlife expert Terry Nutkins told Sky News Online that he is 75% sure that the attack was not carried out by a fox, saying it was more likely to be a dog or a cat. He also wants to know more about the injuries of the youngsters. He said if they were scratched, rather than bitten, it was more likely to be a cat. Mr Nutkins said: "There is more to the story than meets the eye. Why would a fox attack two people? A fox will attack a human if it is trapped. They won't go out of their way to attack a human." He was also worried that the case may spark a backlash against foxes. Mr Nutkins said: "There is a danger of an over reaction. Most people are frightened of wildlife. It does worry me that there will be a campaign against foxes and people will inflict cruelty against them." http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Fox-Attack-On-Two-Young-Twins-Expert-John-Bryant-Says-Fox-Attracted-By-Soiled-Nappies/Article/201006215645679?lpos=UK_News_Carousel_Region_2&lid=ARTICLE_15645679_Fox_Attack_On_Two_Young_Twins%3A_Expert_John_Bryant_Says_Fox_Attracted_By_Soiled_Nappies Apart from the issue of whether or not the parents know what a fox looks like, of course there's more to this story Mr Nutkins ... the fox saw the babies as food.

EU 'to vet British Budget before Parliament' "The European Union will vet the Chancellor's Budget before it is debated by MPs in the House of Commons or seen by the public, under plans agreed last night. Mr Van Rompuy and the European Commission have tabled plans that will require all of Europe?s governments to discuss their budget plans with other EU finance ministers and officials before they presented to national parliaments..." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/7809991/EU-to-vet-British-Budget-before-Parliament.html Er...Hello...a good old fashioned Anglo-Saxon expletive springs to mind

Shame I didn't read this thread - anything with capital letters puts me off- but sounds as if I missed something. Fuschia, truth and fair comment are not the same thing.

wjfox Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > How far could the oil spill spread? A rather scary > video - > > > > Those who dismissed the link I posted at the start > of this thread may want to watch this. Thanks wjfox. I've now watched this three times and am still sceptical. I can't take anything posted on youtube seriously. All I see is pretty colours and patterns. Who made this 'computer model'? Was anyone other than painting by numbers enthusiasts involved? I suspect you don't know.

Lots of people agree with you Sharon_H, but I'm not sure what good it would have done for both him and Liverpool. The relationship between him and the club hierarchy had broken down.

Nobody is entitled to another season. You earn your position by winning trophies. Liverpool haven't won anything since 2006. The facts speak for themselves.

The reduction in smoking has been due to the success of health warnings and also the fact that it is seen as socially unacceptable now, especially with the dangers of passive smoking. Alcohol doesn't have this stigma as such.

I liked Benitez personally, but unfortunately the Premier League table doesn't lie. Benitez had lost it. It was right to ditch him. The club is bigger than one individual

It amazes me that names like Hodgson, O'Neill, Rednapp and Mark Hughes are even being mentioned. Not one of them has any real pedigree. Okay, Liverpool is in a bit of a mess at the moment, but as Phil Thompson said in a recent article, we've got 100 million fans world-wide and we need to keep our star players and sell tickets. Names like Hiddink, Scolari, Pellegrini should be tripping off the tongue. Problem is can we afford them and would they want to come given the uncertainty at the moment?

I think it's fair to say though, DJKillaQueen, that nearly all smokers are addicts, and thus find ways to smoke regardless of price. Most drinkers are not addicted (alcoholics) they just drink to excess (above guidelines) with potentially health damaging consequences. So price may play more of a part in cutting consumption of alcohol.

Good God, thanks. I notice its latest news below. That should drag it out for another few years. News 02-06-2010 The Iraq Inquiry invites submissions from international lawyers

Some good questions there Mamora Man. I'm not sure what the answer is, especially given the power and vested interests of the alcohol producers and the supermarkets who hide behind 'Drink Aware' campaigns. Like everything, it will depend whether there is a real will to tackle the problem. Studies have shown that alcohol has become 75 per cent more affordable since 1980 as incomes have risen much faster than the price. And the problems associated with too much drinking aren't just confined to the poorer members of society - many people open a bottle of wine every evening and exceed safe weekly drinking recommendations. If the problem is alcohol is simply too cheap then we could treble or even quadruple the price to cut consumption. However, that might lead to job losses and also encourage criminal gangs to smuggle cheap drink in from abroad to meet a need for the poorer and more vulnerable drinkers. At the risk of creating an outcry from those with vested interests, an alternative suggestion would be to raise the price and change the licensing laws so that only pubs/bars and restaurants are allowed to sell alcohol with a strength more than, say, 2.5%. That means supermarkets/shops can only sell weak beer and no wine or spirits. The increased price and the volume people would need to drink to get drunk would go some way to reducing comsumption, especially for those getting tanked up at home before going out to the pub and club. Also, most high street pubs should not be open after midnight, with last admission 11pm. If you want to go on drinking go to a club. (pauses to swig from hip-flask).

Yep. BBC and The Times reporting ?3m compromise deal. Kenny Dalgleish to step into frame?

Found this on page 4 and note that nobody has commented for the last six months. Is this load of nonsense still going on or has it finished and a few wrists been slapped?

Yes I do empathise and there is a lot of support for his personal dilemma. You're also right to say there has been a lot of schadenfreude about his downfall from many quarters, including the homophobe brigide. My point though is the British Public are fed up with our leaders adopting one rule for themselves and other rules for the rest of us. The whole row about the expenses scandal wasn't that the politicians had done anything wrong legally - it was that they had granted themselves privileges which allowed them to feather their nests at our expense which was a insult to hard working families struggling to make ends meet. David Laws has been tarnished by this same issue. This is also why Danny Alexander should do the decent thing and resign immediately. The office of Chief Secretary to the Treasury is about to oversee cuts that will deeply affect all households in the country. How can Danny Alexander introduce punitive changes to Capital Gains tax that he himself avoided and made a decent profit from (albeit technically legally). There are credibility and legitimacy issues here and it poses the question as to the competence of this coalition partnership in making suspect appointments.