She got down another plate, set it on the counter until she was ready to put the toasted muffin halves and the eggs smeared with ketchup on top of it.

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Even though the UK remains the fourth largest defence spender in the world, it has used its military forces relatively heavily for some time, and a period of regeneration will undoubtedly be needed if those forces are to be ready to successfully counter any fresh unexpected strategic shocks.

BBC: Caroline Wyatt: Political challenges of defence future

But the BBC understands that some senior officers at Scotland Yard who deal with counter-terrorism feel the police are not ready for a January start.

BBC: Police 'not ready for new counter-terror powers'

They might even have your coffee order just the way you like it ready as you step up to the counter.

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He has also said that Britain cannot specialise in counter-insurgency warfare alone, but must be ready to fight state-on-state wars that necessarily require high-end equipment.

ECONOMIST: The defence vote in Portsmouth: England expects | The

Then email or text alerts tell them their prescription is ready, eliminating the need to wait near the prescription counter.

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"The selectors have been acutely conscious that it would be counter-productive to try to rush Marcus back into international action before he was ready, " said chairman of selectors David Graveney.

BBC: Trescothick reveals England fear

Even when a good plan is possible, I believe there are many circumstances where the ready-fire-aim approach is the best alternative, even though it may be counter-intuitive that one can fire without having aimed precisely.

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