Zombie

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I agree with much of what you say except for this para. "Almost every illness" I'd change to "Many illnesses" because a significant number of diseases have genetic causes over which the individual has no control. It is those diseases where "personal responsibility" has no relevance - because they are part of the lottery of life, pure chance whether you're blessed with "good" genes or "bad". And it is those same diseases where advanced medicine offers real solutions to problems. Also, we've evolved to eat food that tastes good. Nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is that food manufacturers have deliberately chosen to make food that "tastes good" but which is actually harmful - full of cheap sugar that they know we love and become addicted to but which is nutritionally valueless and causes people to suffer health problems like diabetes and obesity; or maybe transfats that are a cheap way to achieve the taste they know we like but, again, are nutritionally valueless and harmful. These manufacturers know this but cynically they do it anyway because it increases their profits. Governments give manufacturers an ordered society - and therefore a "market" - for these manufacturers to exploit, but when those manufacturers set out to harm people for the sake of their greed and profit then it is the role of government to intervene, control and regulate these companies to stop them harming the people in the society they govern.

Move house. Leave the dolls. Now!

Business is at last starting to get off the fence. Today global insurance and financial services giant Standard Life announced plans to relocate from Scotland to England if Scotland votes to leave the United Kingdom. Standard and Poor's expects other major financial services companies and banks would also leave because Scotland's economy would simply be too vulnerable if there was a repeat of the 2008 banking crisis without the financial support of London. So that's the pound gone, EU membership and terms up in the air, and now the flight of big business. All of these have been assumed by Samond to be in place in his White Paper and in his bland assurances to Scottish voters. What could possibly go wrong next, Alex?

Oh I understand that, Daddy. But there is a real public good when a case goes to trial and the wrongdoers are publicly exposed for their wrongdoing. Public humiliation and exposure of wrongdoers in court is an excellent outcome - it denies them the option to issue weaselly mealy-mouthed statements and denials such as were reported in the article, essentially claiming they'd done nothing wrong, the settlement was just a business decision by their insurers and it was business as usual...

The settlement was a pittance for such a gross breach of trust. It's a shame this didn't go to trial for exemplary damages and expose the culprits to the full glare of publicity with all of them being named and shamed. That's a very powerful punishment. And I think the law needs to be changed to make officers of public bodies liable to be personally surcharged by the courts - with insurance cover made illegal - for all breaches of trust and maladministration. It's not acceptable merely to fine the organisation - basically that's just fining the taxpayer. The individuals should be made to pay for their own wrongdoing and feel real financial pain and not be allowed to hide behind the corporate entity.

Well said - "use it or lose it". The problem is the political class is more distanced from the people they serve than ever before in terms of access. At the same time the people they serve are probably more disillusioned in the whole political process than ever before. Seeing your elected representatives bring government to a crashing halt - and still trousering their fat paychecks - can't have helped. Nor is it helped when you get dickhead "celebrities" like Russel Brand proudly proclaiming that they never vote because "there's no point". We are where we are - not a good place. Question is how to turn it around and get people actively engaged so there is genuine and intelligent debate on political issues - not shock-jock slanging matches that just give everyone a headache - and then properly hold these f---ers to account. Practical suggestions?

sounds like your home state has some catching up to do...

"Typecasting" applies to authors who achieve success with a particular niche just as much as to actors who have success with a role say in a TV show or movie franchise and it can make good sense to invent a new name and persona. So when typecast mystery writer Agatha Christie wanted to write romance she published as Mary Westmacott, and Ruth Rendell used the name Barbara Vine when she wanted to try out a different style of crime genre. This avoids all the crappy grief JKR has had and it means the new audience isn't prejudiced by the author's previous work so they read it fresh with no bias. It's a well trodden path and what's happened here with this Shepherd creature just shows why it can be a smart move

Fearghas is a cracking character - definitely all wolf, male wolf! And maybe something else too? ("my familiar"). He's exactly what you'd want beside you as a ranger, offering protection while travelling through dangerous country and encountering goodness knows what perils and at the same time his cutting comments add real humour and fill out his character - his wariness, his forcefulness, his nose for trouble, his general contempt for men other than Taranis. These two have tremendous potential to have countless exciting adventures together... all for us lucky readers. Thanks Addy

My point exactly!

This is bad bad bad The law CANNOT be allowed to cow tow to religious beliefs when it affects other people's rights to go about in society, to live their lives and transact normal business and be employed without unfair discrimination. Those are the only freedoms that matter in a healthy society. The reasons are obvious. This creates division. It fosters and fuels sectarianism. History shows that religious sectarianism rips communities and society apart, and - in the worst case - the state itself. And discrimination against LGBTs gives a licence to create unhappiness and misery. I'm afraid the Arizona State Legislature has shown itself to be incompetent, ignorant of history and possibly corrupt - unduly "influenced" by business through lobbying or cash. Whatever, this bill shows it is not fit for purpose. And you get right to the heart of it, Mickey. Where does this end? As Kitt points out did the US learn nothing from the segregation laws? Seems to me Federal Law to protect the only freedoms that matter is urgently needed. A key function of government is to strengthen the ties that bind the society it governs - NOT do its damnedest to pull them apart - and to promote happiness and wellbeing. Stoking up and supporting hate is truly a waste of everyone's time, effort and lives. Shame on them. They are a disgrace to your country.

Probably just as well - it really wouldn't do to have "excited" sheep running around the pool...

hmm, from what I've read US school male swim teams traditionally swam nude - which kinda runs counter to the current prevalent Victorian attitudes in the US

The Musketeers Yes, yes it's that tired old TV cliché of sex sandals and swordfights. OK no sandals, just another re-telling of Alexandre Dumas' famous story. With sex and swords (and yes there IS a scene where busty maiden breathes huskily "let me know if you want your sword polishing..." ) Oh, and lots of leather. I mean LOTS! This is quality trash with good actors and nice eye candy plus good locations and high production values... but who cares when you're watching the unnecessarily sexy Luca Giuseppe "Luke" Pasqualino (how did Italians get all the "hot" genes?) as D'Artagnan... *click on small pics to make 'em bigger*

oh yeah baby! I know I posted this before but I'm utterly shameless

The original short is brilliant - 17 minutes of delight - so if you've not seen it why not skip the trailer and watch the short? The filmmakers have posted it on Youtube for free access in HD with excellent subtitles in most major languages. It's got a slightly different title "Eu Não Quero Voltar Sozinho". It has the same actors as the new full length movie and I can't recommend it enough. Thanks for sharing Sara

That attitude is just ignorant. First it assumes there's a finite literary "cake" which is just plain crap - the bigger and tastier the cake the more readers will stuff themselves And since when has there been a rule that writers - or anyone - should "stay in their place"? It's true that writing successfully for children and adults is a rare talent but others have done it - Penelope Lively and Terry Pratchett spring to mind - so why shouldn't JKR have a go? Good for her for trying and I hope she continues trying out new things. She doesn't need the money so she should kick off her shoes and gorge on Beluga all day?

those dolls were born evil! ...and this video proves all I've said is God's honest truth I'd forgotten all about the flesh-eating dolls but Barbarella is one weird kinky movie. I saw it years ago on TV with some school mates - they ogled Jane Fonda while I was busy scoping out this guy...

It's official - Britain's had the wettest winter on record. And still another week of rainfall to go... In itself this proves nothing. But taken together with the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and new weather records across the world it is a warning that we can no longer rely on having predictable local climates delivering the same old weather we've come to expect. We now have to expect the unexpected. We need to quit moaning when extreme weather strikes and we're going to have to invest significant new money in making national and local infrastructure much more resilient as well as upgrading emergency services to be ready for the next time...

I'm sure a shrink could have me in therapy a long time for this

The "cross subsidies" that have been suggested indicate that in the US there is a failure of the free market in the US healthcare system. Worse, it could be viewed as fraudulent - the customer should be charged a price that fairly relates to the product / service bought. Surely, if any country advocates the free market system it is the US. So how can you 1. justify and 2. tolerate such a gross and blatant disregard of the basic principle of a free market? Especially when the consequence is that each and every one of you that pays taxes and healthcare premiums (whether directly or via your pay package) is being fleeced of maybe thousands of dollars each and every year. Even in apathetic Britain that would have us camped out on the streets in protest

The Cabbage Patch Snacktime Doll These disturbing looking dolls don't need to be possessed in order to attack children. Someone at Mattel had the brilliant idea to equip their horrific range of Cabbage Patch Dolls with powerful motorized mouths which enabled them to eat children. This product of a truly diseased mind was let loose on an unsuspecting American public in 1996 and was supposed to eat little plastic snack foods through battery-powered mechanical jaws. But distraught parents soon reported their loved one's hair, fingers and skin getting caught in the doll's greedy gullet as it gobbled away. The monstrous motorized mouth was so powerful it could rip hair clean out of its roots. More than 500,000 were recalled less than a year later by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Each one was then beheaded and had a stake driven through its heart to make sure it was quite dead. But there could be more out there... http://www.cracked.com/article_15764_the-5-least-surprising-toy-recalls-all-time.html .

Thanks for that, wildone. One of the biggest selling drugs ever Viagra is a good example of serendipitous discovery. The drug, originally known as UK92480, was developed to treat heart problems like angina but trials were disappointing. The drug failed to deliver its brief and Pfizer were about to pull the plug but many trial volunteers had reported an unusual side effect - lots of erections Pfizer had the good sense to find out what was going on and threw some more money at it. The rest, as they say, is history. It proves again that the old fashioned "curiosity" approach to science can pay off big time

Thanks Jo Ann fine thanks Sly if I have them, I never remember dreams but this one was just so vivid and when it woke me up I wanted to get it down before it faded - hopefully it's gone now forever