Alexandra

I've actually heard that this is not the case this time. Another poster elsewhere quoted someone as stating that it will have no effect on 2008 taxable income. Guess we'll find out when the time comes.

Yep, and really the only reason they want higher employment rates RIGHT NOW is so that the current administration can get one (very tiny) feather for its cap. The hell with the future, or with the present making any kind of sense. It's just like what happens with companies when their purpose stops being whatever they went into business to do (sell shoes, for example) and starts being about nothing so much as their share price. It kills me to hear CEOs talking about their responsibilities to their shareholders--what about their responsibilities to their CUSTOMERS? Screw the customers, unless they hold stock their opinions matter not at all. So with this "rebate." Screw the country, all we care about is votes. It is to vomit.

This whole scheme is utterly harebrained to me, like much of what our government does. Any economist will tell you that the economy takes TIME to recover from ups and downs, that things like the housing bubble and subprime crisis will be with us for a while. So why on EARTH does our stupid, asinine government try giving people a quick injection of cash to fix these problems? It's absolutely mindblowing, and I just can't pay attention because it all ticks me off too much.

Hi Syndy, Volleyball is the BEST!! You should be able to go back as soon as your body tells you it's OK. Give it a couple of weeks, and then take it slow paying attention to twinges and pulls. You can't hurt your band but you should allow plenty of time for healing, and since everyone heals differently you're the only one who will know when you're ready. Congratulations on your banding!

Where did you post them, Brina? I can resize them for you but first I have to find them.

Congratulations, Laurend!! I hate to break it to you, but if you were wearing a 14W you ARE in regular sizes. That's easily a 14 or 16 depending on cut. And that's what they sell in REGULAR stores!! :thumbup::thumbup:

Holy cow. I asked for some explanation about that. It can't be serious, can it? Who "communicates" that way? Is it some fad I've missed out on?

I'm thinking there's a program or something that converts regular text into that...whatever that is. I canNOT imagine someone typing all of that in that way on purpose. Ready4-a-new-me, if you really did do all that, can you please explain why (and how)? I'm seriously in the dark about it. You know what they say--inquiring minds want to know! On the other note, congratulations on your coverage and I hope things continue to go well for you!

Medical expenses, whether US or overseas, are deductible above the amount that equals 7.5% of your taxable income. (Maliyah, you had the effect correct, but your first sentence is very confusing.) If you make $30K, 7.5% of that is $2250. So any amount OVER $2250 that you've spent on medical costs is what's deductible. If you spend $15,000 on surgery, you will be able to deduct $12,750. What that does to your refund depends on how much you've had withheld. If you've been withholding taxes all year without the expectation of having this big deduction, you'll get a larger refund.

My heart goes out to you Jeanne, and mrp, with your slip stories. My first band was removed last year after being filled and unfilled a couple of times; I was unable to tolerate even .25 ccs of Fluid near the end. I think my band (the original 4cc size) was too small from the start, and that's ultimately what led to it slipping. When they diagnosed my slip it wasn't actually an emergency, but I had surgery within a couple of days. Luckily, and thank goodness, everything is OK inside and I healed right up. Four months later I had a new band installed, the new APL type, and have had two fills so far. Haven't lost any of the weight I gained since the band was removed, though, but I'm hopeful I will find the control again that used to be second-nature. Fingers crossed that you both have total healing and great success!

I tend to agree with you, Laurend, but the Scientologist organization is truly out there, and kinda scary. Back in the late 1980s the organization I work for gave an award to a journalist who had written about Scientology, and we received literally hundreds of calls asking us to rescind the award. It was a terrifically orchestrated movement (and this was in the days before e-mail) that almost crippled my office. I shudder to think about the personal hell Andrew Morton is going through right now, having written this Cruise biography.

I looked for that setting, but couldn't find it. Was it in Edit Options? (But now I can see the new skin--I went in as admin and changed it, since you reminded me that I'd earlier played with that setting. Thanks!)

I'm having a very strange problem. The only way I can see the new skin is if I log out and just view things as a guest. The moment I log IN, the screen changes to the old skin. Thoughts?

Allison, wow, what a nightmare! I'm so sorry you have been having all this trouble. It certainly seems as though someone should be able to address your healing issues--though this time it's related to your band, it seems to indicate a more serious systemic problem that needs attention. Unless you're somehow sensitive to the materials in the band or used in the surgery? I don't know. I wish you the best of all possible resolutions. :hug:

But the Pledge of Allegiance, which now contains the phrase "one nation under God" did NOT contain those words until the 1950s. Our money has looked different from time to time, and "in God we trust" doesn't bear the weight of a national motto or anything. Our only official national motto is E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One). That has nothing to do with a creator or higher power. We were emphatically NOT "founded" as a nation under God--the precise opposite is true. No religious test for leaders, no laws respecting the establishment of religion, separation of church and state: these are the founding principles of the United States and it seems we are forgetting that.

A vasectomy. I've never used hormonal birth control--the whole concept always seemed too risky and unwise to me. I used a diaphragm for almost 20 years before deciding I wanted to get pregnant, and then after our second child was born hubby went and got snipped. Speaking of diaphragms, it's important to know that you should be re-fitted after losing 20 or 30 lbs. Internal anatomy changes too. Stay away from the sponge. It is not reliable, even if used correctly.

When you devote time to an organization, how important is it to you to get some sort of official "thank you" from the group? Is it something you think the organization should be spending its time/resources on? Or would you be satisfied with the personal thanks from people you actually come in contact with through your service to the group? Or do you expect both? I have no personal axe to grind but I'm wondering what other people think. I am both an employee of such an organization and a volunteer for a different one, and so am on both sides of this equation. I've heard a lot of different thoughts and am trying to get a larger sense of the issue. What do you expect in return when you provide unpaid services to an organization you care about (and probably pay into)? Anything? Nothing? Preprinted thanks from the faceless administration? A personal note from a staffer you may or may not have ever met or communicated with? A personal note from your direct supervisor? The president of the group? A gift? Would an e-card send the message effectively while saving the group money (essentially, YOUR money), or would the tackiness of that overwhelm the sentiment? What say you, wise peeps?

Terasajo, that's a lovely sentiment and I'm sure anyone would be thrilled to get it. The organization I work for is not a charitable group; it's a professional trade association that relies mostly on its members to keep it going. There is a small paid staff (of which I am the boss), and everyone else is a volunteer. I don't get people in our group saying they want to be thanked for serving on a committee (for example)--who, exactly, would thank them? Themselves? The Board of Directors should be thanked by the members, if you ask me--it's a demanding job and they get very little in return besides the credit on their resumes. Sorry, I guess I'm venting. It's a perennial topic of conversation and there is no one right answer. For now we've settled on sending an e-card to various committee chairs and board members. The card was "signed" by the Board of Directors and me, the executive director, so quite a few got a thank you from themselves.

TommyO, I hope you enjoy your break. When you come back, please know that this sort of language/sentiment will not be tolerated. Denise, you can manage your "ignore" list by clicking on "Buddy / Ignore list" in your User CP. Anyone you put on your "ignore" list will be invisible to you and you won't have to see their posts.

I rely on Eddie Bauer and Lands End, pretty much, because I'm so tall. LE has free return shipping and can also be returned at most Sears stores. Eddie Bauer has a store in a mall near me so I do returns, if I have any, there. For girlie stuff Kohl's has been wonderful, and they carry Lee slacks and jeans which are my favorite brand. (Great for long legs and a curvy butt!)

I'm locking this thread.

I think what's driving that is the media's feeble attempt to address the rampant obesity in our culture. They're trying to send a message that "anyone" can do it. But of course, it will take a lot more than a few miracle successes to wean this country off of fast food and mega-portions.

Chopstickgirl, this varies from place to place. Many US doctors do it as an outpatient procedure nowadays, but you'll have to check with your surgeon to see how it's done in his or her practice.

Congratulations, Rainer!!! :whoo: :whoo: It's so great to see the joy. How's Squale doing?

It is so cool that you are here and asking these questions, Dr. Watkins. I'm really impressed! My doctors are among the most experienced band surgeons in the Northeast, if not the country. Here's my answers as they relate to this extremely busy and crowded practice: What do you love about your band surgeon and their practice? I love the way the doctors are all about the medical aspects. This is not an elective, cosmetic procedure we are undergoing, and they are not lancing a boil. Though they do banding as outpatient surgery the procedures are extremely thorough from pre-op seminar to post-op support groups and nothing is left to chance. Every question is answered, every step of the way. What do you hate? "Hate" is too strong a word. The practice is so busy it can take a while for an appointment, and of course there are insurance issues. But they do the absolute best they can, and have a crack team of insurance people to boot. What do we do well? I'm not sure who "we" is, but I've been very impressed by Abkin/Bertha's responsiveness over the years. When I was banded in 2003 I went to the first bandsters-only support group meeting--there were only two of us there and it was essentially a fact-finding mission for some Inamed staff who were on hand. Now they have two banding support groups a month, at least one is run by a nurse practitioner. Nutritionists and mental health professionals attend these regularly.