After the outrageously bungled handling of the Foot and Mouth outbreak the Government were further embarrassed by the discovery that after two years research into trying to find a link between Scrapie and BSE the scientists at Imperial College had been looking at cows brains not sheeps brains. That's not a joke, it's fact - I just had to mention it for you to appreciate the gist of the following...


A man walking along a road in the countryside comes across a farmer and a large flock of sheep. He said to the farmer, "I will bet you £100 against one of your sheep that I can tell you the exact number in this flock." The farmer thinks it over; it's a big flock so he takes the bet.
"973," says the man.

The farmer is astonished, because that is exactly right. Says "OK, I'm a man of my word, take an animal." The man picks one up and begins to walk away.

"Wait," cries the farmer, "Let me have a chance to get even. Double or nothing that I can guess your exact occupation."
The man says, "Alright".
"You are an Epidemiologist from Imperial College "advising" the Government," says the farmer.
"Amazing!" responds the man, "You are correct! But tell me, how did you deduce that?"
"Well," says the farmer, "put down my dog and I will tell you."