*** SPAM **********

[Dilbert]

I like potted meats. Spam is delicious. These are even better:


http://www.pottedmeatmuseum.com/images/exoticmeats_home.jpg

and you have not lived until you've had the Lamb tongues:

http://www.pk.org/lib/images/meatprod-sm.jpg

[Bump-en-Stein]

Dilbert: Your favorite meat is in Milo Balzich's pants.

[thomastem]

Dilbert,

You are showing a sense of humor, I'm starting to wonder if you are really my old pal or not.

You do live in Texas don't you?

[Steven_Monk]

Ok Dilbert what do you have for dinner the other two weeks in month? I aten Spam once from 1975; it was special treat servied with Dom Perignon of same year vintage.

I have read in book that Hawaiians love Spam. Are you Hawiaan Dilbert? Have you ever had Pine-Apple? In monestary, I have never even seen Pine-Apple, but I have Apfel Stuedel.

[Dilbert]

So TT/Punk,

You are hijacking threads again. This is a serious topic. It has been discussed in The House of Lords, and you know how much the Brits like to be lorded over by Lords.

This potted meat, this England - Consideration (http://articles.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1111/is_1839_307/ai_105853329)

LORD HARRISON ASKED HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT: Whether, in the light of the Department of Trade and Industry's twenty-third annual report of the home and leisure accident surveillance system entitled Working for a Safer World, they will encourage the food and packaging industries to redesign food containers and cans, for example those containing corned beef.

LORD SAINSBURY OF TURVILLE: My Lords, statistics show that the number of accidents from corned-beef cans has been declining and they are not a major cause of accidents now.

LORD HARRISON: My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that Answer, but does he understand that many of us still believe corned-beef tins and, indeed, other varieties of pull-top cans to be inherently unsafe?

LORD SAINSBURY OF TURVILLE: My Lords, I am delighted that the noble Lord has asked me a Question about corned-beef cans. I have been answering questions about them all my life, and I regard them as one of my real areas of expertise.

There is a real problem about corned-beef cans. They have a trapezoidal shape and a key kind of ring. The DTI has done much work on this issue in giving further instructions and also special coatings for the cans which enable the corned beef to be extracted more easily. There has in fact been a remarkable drop in accidents with corned-beef cans. They have fallen from 8,720 per year out of 26,000 accidents caused by all tins to 3,091 out of 19,000. I should point out that the really dramatic decrease came after 1997.

BARONESS SHARPLES: My Lords, can the noble Lord say whether ring-pull cans are safer than ordinary cans which are opened with a tin-opener? Which is safest?

LORD RAZZALL: My Lords, will the Minister allow me to rescue him from his worldwide expertise on the topic of corned beef and ask a slightly wider question? Does he agree that, taking the nub of the question of the noble Lord, Lord Harrison--working for a safer world--a reduction in the use of products which have an impact on the environment would be highly desirable? What steps are the Government taking to ensure that clear, verified information is available to consumers on the environmental impact of such products?

LORD SAINSBURY OF TURVILLE: My Lords, that goes wider than my knowledge of corned beef; it strays into a completely different department and area--the impact on the environment. This report is very specifically about recording accidents which take place in accident and emergency departments of hospitals. The impact on the environment is a totally different question.

BARONESS OPPENHEIM-BARNES: My Lords, does the Minister agree that most home accidents are avoidable, arising out of carelessness, and that therefore paying attention is one of the best cures?

LORD SAINSBURY OF TURVILLE: My Lords, I totally agree. The statistics on accidents are extremely fascinating; they prove that the British public can use practically anything in this world to hurt themselves with. It is understandable that there are an estimated fifty-five accidents a year from putty, while toothpaste accounts for seventy-three. However, it is rather bizarre that 823 accidents are estimated to be the result of letters and envelopes. It is difficult to understand how they can be the cause of such serious plight. I agree with the noble Baroness that it would be helpful if people paid careful attention.

BARONESS STRANGE: My Lords, does the Minister agree that sardine tins and anchovy tins are also very difficult to open with their tin-openers?

LORD SAINSBURY OF TURVILLE: My Lords, I think I will just agree with the noble Baroness on that question.

LORD MITCHELL ASKED HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT: What are their plans to reduce the growth in spam (unsolicited emails).

LORD SAINSBURY OF TURVILLE: My Lords, I hope noble Lords will appreciate how I move seamlessly from corned beef to spam.

We aim to implement by the end of October this year the privacy and electronic communications directive. Consultation on the draft regulations started on 27th March and closes on 19th June.

LORD MITCHELL: My Lords, I thank my noble friend the Minister for that Answer. Unsolicited emails, known as "spam," now account for half of all emails in this country. Will the Minister expand on his Answer? Do the Government intend to follow the example of the United States Senate in introducing legislation specifically prohibiting unsolicited emails?

LORD SAINSBURY OF TURVILLE: My Lords, we believe this to be a serious issue. We take the matter seriously. If measures are to be effective, it is vitally important that the international dimension is taken account of.

LORD RENTON: My Lords, will the Minister explain how it is that an inedible tinned food that lasted forever and was supplied to those on active service can become an unsolicited email, bearing in mind that some of us wish to be protected from having an email?

LORD SAINSBURY OF TURVILLE: My Lords, I am afraid that I have not been able to find out why the term "spam" is used, but that is the meaning it now has. It is a matter that should be taken very seriously because it not only clutters up computers but involves a great deal of very unpleasant advertising to do with easy credit, pornography, and miracle diets. That is offensive to people, and we should try to reduce it.

LORD FAULKNER OF WORCESTER: My Lords, I can help the Minister with the origin of the word. It comes from aficionados of Monty Python, and the famous song, "Spam, spam, spam, spam." It has been picked up by the Internet community and is used as a description of rubbish on the Internet.

LADY SALTOUN OF ABERNETHY: My Lords, do the Government have any plans to restrict unsolicited faxes? My fax paper is always being wasted by people who send me faxes I do not want. I do not know whether they could be called "corned beef" or something, but I have had enough of them.

LORD SAINSBURY OF TURVILLE: My Lords, faxes are already covered, in exactly the same way, by the existing telecoms data-protection directive.

LORD MACKIE OF BENSHIE: My Lords, can the Minister think of a name for the enormous amount of unsolicited ordinary mail we receive?

LORD SAINSBURY OF TURVILLE: My Lords, when I have a moment I shall bend my mind to that question.

[thomastem]

[ QUOTE ]
So TT/Punk,

You are hijacking threads again.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are calling me a punk again?

Hijacking thread? My goat is going to hijack your.....and feed it to my chickens. After that Phil the crazed cow is going to demand that you perform an oral exam....making sure you've really learned your lesson.

Don't make me really go off or Bubba my assassin Penguin will get involved. Go ahead and recognize before I unleash on you like farmer Brown gone to market.

[Dilbert]

[ QUOTE ]
My goat is going to hijack your.....

[/ QUOTE ]

Goat meat is very good, I hear Iowa has a new Goat meat producers association. I see that you live near Iowa. The more we learn about you thomas....

[thomastem]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
My goat is going to hijack your.....

[/ QUOTE ]

Goat meat is very good, I hear Iowa has a new Goat meat producers association. I see that you live near Iowa. The more we learn about you thomas....

[/ QUOTE ]

Sherlock I've had IL on my account since I signed up.

Look kid if the guy in front of me hadn't had correct change I'd be your daddy. Go back to preschool, you are way out of your league here.

[Dilbert]

[ QUOTE ]
Sherlock I've had IL on my account since I signed up.


[/ QUOTE ]
I never said I didn't know before you were from the Ill state, but I didn't know you like goat meat to.

What are you doing with all those critters of yours? yum yum

[kdog]

[ QUOTE ]
Look kid if the guy in front of me hadn't had correct change I'd be your daddy

[/ QUOTE ]

/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Best insult I've seen in awhile.