The world is at war and these parasites are living it up:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4ng50pj2l8o





6 hours ago
Alex Smith
BBC News





A lavish lobster dinner for King Charles III cost the
French president's office €475,000 (£400,000), according to the country's audit office.

President Emmanuel Macron pulled out all the stops for the monarch's visit in September - with guests being treated to blue lobster, crab and an assortment of cheeses.

But in its annual report of the presidential accounts, the Cour des Comptes warned that higher spending on state receptions had contributed to leaving their budget €8.3m in the red.

And it says the Elysée now needs to make "significant efforts... to restore and sustain the financial balance of the financial balance of the presidency".

    In Pictures: King Charles and Queen Camilla visit France

    What does the King do?

Of the money spent on the dinner, over €165,000 was on catering, with another €40,000 on drinks.

Guests at the star-studded banquet - which included actor Hugh Grant, football manager Arsene Wenger and Rolling Stone Mick Jagger - were treated to a menu of blue lobster and crab followed by Bresse poultry and mushroom gratin.

There was also a course of cheeses - including French Comté and British Stichelton blue.

And for dessert they were served a rose macaroon cookie, composed of rose petal cream, raspberries and lychees.

The extravagant banquet at the Palace of Versailles was part of King Charles' three-day state visit to France, aimed at reinforcing a key alliance between the two countries.

A threat to the species is called Panulirus argus virus 1 (PaV1). Discovered in 2000, PaV1 is the first known naturally occurring virus in lobsters. The virus is a particular threat to juvenile lobsters with child lobster deaths being a particular concern of the king.

People used to think that lobsters were scavengers and ate primarily dead things. However, researchers have discovered that lobsters catch mainly fresh food (except for bait) which includes fish, crabs, clams, mussels, sea urchins, and sometimes even other lobsters!  Pommy raw prawns are a favourite.

Jul 7, 2020

Did Queen Marie Antoinette of France really exclaim "Let them eat cake!"
upon hearing of the suffering of her subjects?

Well probably not, but she was still sent to her death by French revolutionaries
for treason against the French people, so does she deserve her reputation
as an ignorant aristocrat, or is there just a bit more behind Marie Antoinette?

chimera wrote on Jul 31^st, 2024 at 1:56pm:



They are having a lovely time in Europe except in Ukraine.

Bobby. wrote on Jul 31^st, 2024 at 9:47am:


I don't understand what's unusual about this news? 

Has dining with heads of state ever been cheap?


Here's a quote from the CBS News article How much do state dinners cost? They ain't cheap on February 11, 2014 (as a newbie I can't give the link):

"The issue is again raised as President Obama hosts the seventh state dinner of his administration Tuesday for visiting French President Francois Hollande.

Records from the State Department Office of Protocol, whose budget covers state dinners, show they can cost taxpayers in excess of half a million dollars per event.

In response to a Freedom of Information request to which it took the State Department 13 months to respond, CBS News has obtained the Office of Protocol’s expense calculations for the first five state dinners of the Obama presidency.

Nov. 24, 2009 – State dinner for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India. $572,187.36
May 19, 2010 – State dinner for President Felipe Calderon of Mexico. $563,479.92
Jan. 19, 2011 – State dinner for President Hu Jintao of China. $412,329.73.
June 7, 2011 – State dinner for Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. $215,883.36
Oct. 13, 2011 – State dinner for President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea. $203,053.34"

RussiAnVetEraN wrote on Jul 31^st, 2024 at 6:14pm:



The politicians around the world are more out of touch
with the people than ever Marie Antoinette was.
She lost her head for it.