If it's chemically identical in the same way that, say, ethyl methylphenylglycidate is strawberry then it's really not identical at all. Naturally produced products are the end result of the interaction of hundreds if not thousands of different compounds and processes. Your estimate of the safety of the animal-derived version might change depending on production system, but as far as milk goes in general - an incredible amount of effort goes into ensuring it's microbiologically safe.

Err, we have a different system of rights, checks & balances to the US, but they certainly exist. In this case, the European Convention on Human Rights (which is an instrument of the Council of Europe, of which we are founding members, and nothing to do with the European Union) is foremost amongst them, specifically articles 8 & 11 (rights to privacy and freedom of assembly). Then there is the living case law that makes up our unwritten constitution, into which this sort of thing falls as an active issue.

They do address all of that in TFA. And these things tend to be progressive rather than fixed, I'd compare it to the European emissions standards for light vehicles, which have been through 6 revisions with a 7th on the cards. The point is that changes are orchestrated across industry so there are not half a dozen competing standards. More worryingly, I haven't seen any coverage about the energy wasted due to heat loss through inductive charging, should portless devices become commonplace. I can't see it doing Apple's green credentials any good if they do bin the connectors.

It didn't 'decide' to do anything of the kind. The Beeb has always been far from perfect, but it was compelled to do all those things by successive governments obsessed with supposed free market policies that only ended up sacrificing the creative and technical integrity of the corporation for what ended up being the enrichment of a very privileged few who were in the right place at the right time.

Horses may be monogastric but they have caeca, i.e. a highly developed hind-gut fermentation system. Although they don't need to and indeed cannot eructate (the main source of methane emissions in cattle), they still contribute their fair share. And don't forget decomposition products from manure. The best thing you can say about any form of agricultural methane emission is that the animals involved are on a relatively short carbon cycle - they release carbon that has only recently been fixed from the atmosphere; it's the logistics and infrastructure that goes with supporting, say, intensively produced feedlot cattle (gas for tractors and shipping, intensive feed production etc.) that is damaging.

The ECHR to which the parent refers is not simply an international treaty obligation. The articles and protocols it creates are explicitly enshrined in British law via the 1998 Human Rights Act, an instrument which while hated by our far right parties is IMHO one of the shining achievements of recent times (though not without flaws). The draconian environment you'll undoubtedly find at UK border control is quite a different issue, but it's one that you'll find familiar the world over.

Just to back up the surprise, my experience of NZ (as a Brit) is pretty similar to yours, and having spent a fair bit of time in both countries I'd broadly validate your assumption about the similarity of Aussie and Kiwi travel habits. If nothing else, the Interislander between Wellington and Picton works pretty well, it's only 90-odd km on the water and you can pretty much get the train straight through!

Only because it was raining in Scotland.

As Bernard Woolley put it in Yes Prime Minister - "That's one of those irregular verbs, isn't it? *I* give confidential security briefings. *You* leak. *He* has been charged under section 2a of the Official Secrets Act."

Dude, that's just flamebait. I'm neither a Google nor an Apple fanboy. I've had two iphones and a couple of Android devices too. Early on in the game your criticism may have had some substance but my current handset, the HTC Desire, is without a doubt the best phone I've ever had. It Just Works in the way that Apple are usually so proud of.

You can prise my Macbook Pro out of my cold dead hands but on the mobile front I'm not a lover of the iphone our-way-or-the-highway approach.

The good news is there's room for all these companies in the ecosystem. Healthy competition breeds innovation from all comers.

"The combination of modern ordnance and outdated tactics had, as ever, created enormous casualties on both sides." - seemed like an apt Banks quote (from Excession) considering the state of the mobile arms race...

Ohhhh... the cat's eaten it. Sorry.

And when there is widespread adoption, it won't be milked? Compuserve GIF, anyone?

And one here in Wetherby too!