Carlene

There are a couple of surgical out patient places here that will do it, under fluoro, for $150 self-pay.

Carrie.... Not all band surgeons are like yours. Mine will take patients who were banded by another doctor if their insurance changes and the surgeon who placed the band is no longer in their network. And I've never heard of him refusing to authorize a fill for anyone, unless they were already too tight. What is that all about? I hope you can find a doctor who cares about people and understands that none of us are perfect. There really are some out there.....just keep looking.

That conjures up quite a mental image,TOM. Kind of like the admonition (incentive?) to keep one's penis clean. I think a boy (or man) is allowed to wash it as fast as he wants to, don't you?

Karen... We have much in common, you and I. My son voluntarily deployed (twice) to Iraq in a civilian support capacity, and my daughter-in-law (his wife) returned from Afghanistan just a couple of months ago. My boy was primarily at Anaconda and Al Asad, although he was moved around for short periods to other bases. He works for KBR. Does your son work for them too? The civilians Kelly and Becca came in contact with were mostly people who were on the US payroll, and they, of course, are very pro-American. The soldiers, according to my son, are increasingly less supportive of the Bush administration. He noticed a distinct difference in attitude/morale between his first tour and his second - the guys/girls in uniform are much less "gung ho" now. Two of the things I am most bitter about in Bush's term (aside from the war in Iraq) is the decision to end open enrollment for veterans benefits and the Medicare Part D fiasco. Do you have any thoughts to share, from a conservative point of view, on these issues? Like TOM, I enjoy spirited, civilized debate and appreciate your ability to exchange ideas without resorting to character assignation. :clap2:

The Wall Street Journal is owned by Dow Jones, perhaps the most conservative, pro-Republican corporation in America. The company is publicly traded but privately controlled and is led by the Bancroft family. PS....My oldest son works for WSJ.

I understand that happens a LOT. Men have a brain and a penis, but only enough blood to operate one at a time.

Because it doesn't hurt you, or your family. It doesn't jeopardize your job, or raise your taxes. In the state of Texas, hunting is legal and considered a legitimate sport. I don't like blood sports. I am disgusted by the sight of a dead deer strapped across the hood of a mud-splattered Jeep, each and every time I see one. But not everyone agrees with me. A lot of people don't, in fact. So "sportsmen" are allowed to kill deer, whether I like it or not, and gay people should be permitted to marry, even if it offends the delicate sensitivities of people like you - becasue their rights are just as important as yours or mine.

Welcome! My husband and I are a banded duo, too. My surgery was 1/29/04 and his was two weeks later. We are doing great!

MANAMA/HOUSTON - U.S. oil services firm Halliburton Co. is moving its headquarters and chief executive to Dubai in a move that immediately sparked criticism from some U.S. politicians. Texas-based Halliburton, which was led by Vice President Dick Cheney from 1995-2000, did not specify what, if any, tax implications the move might entail. It plans to list on a stock exchange in the Middle East once it moves to Dubai — a booming commercial center in the Gulf. The company said it was making the moves to position itself better to gain contracts in the oil-rich Middle East. “This is an insult to the U.S. soldiers and taxpayers who paid the tab for their no-bid contracts and endured their overcharges for all these years,” said judiciary committee chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat. Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, might hold a hearing on the implications, an aide to Waxman said. Halliburton has drawn scrutiny from auditors, congressional Democrats and the Justice Department for the quality and pricing of its KBR Inc. unit’s work for the U.S. army in Iraq. “My office will be in Dubai, and I will run our entire worldwide operations from that office,” Chief Executive David Lesar said at an energy conference in Bahrain on Sunday. “Dubai is a great business center.” Halliburton, which has long been involved in the Middle East, generated more than 38 percent of its $13 billion in oil-services revenue in the eastern hemisphere last year. Middle East growth “The company as a whole has continued to diversify internationally, and the Middle East is a point that they have targeted,” said William Sanchez, a U.S.-based analyst at Howard Weil Inc. “They are being opportunistic in putting the CEO in the middle of the action.” Sanchez said he believed Halliburton’s move to Dubai was not tax related. Instead he viewed it as a strategic play. Alan Laws, an analyst at Merrill Lynch, said the move would likely help Halliburton’s position in negotiating large contracts. Halliburton said it would maintain its legal registration in the United States and was not leaving Houston, where it was currently based. But Lesar told reporters: “At this point in time we clearly see there are greater opportunities in the eastern hemisphere than the western hemisphere.” KBR, the engineering and military-services contractor unit that Halliburton is in the process of splitting off, is the Pentagon’s largest contractor in Iraq.

I am a Democrat, and therefore politically liberal. I am in favor of individual freedom, equal rights, social justice, and environmental responsibility. I support gay marriage, although my Christian church does not. There are many other individual issues on which I hold a generally liberal position, although I do not necessarily support every plank in the Democratic platform (abortion on demand being one of them). I would love to write a whole thesis on the evils of conservative government, but my DH and I are departing in about 20 minutes for a little road trip. We heard a rumor that the casinos in Shreveport are having trouble meeting their payroll, so being good neighbors (we live in Texas) and good Democrats, we decided to drive over and make a contribution.

Lots of Liberals are conservative in their religious beliefs. Myself, for one.

What a rotten thing to say about Liberals...... LOL.

Either I don't understand what you are trying to say, or you don't understand what an oxymoron is. Do you mean that being gay is contrary to the Bible?

If your computer did not self-adjust its clock for the new, earlier Daylight Savings Time, go to this site and download the patch (if your OS is Windows): http://support.microsoft.com/gp/dst_hu1

Check out my favorite white guy.... http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/?lnk=v&ml_video=60627

I have to admit, I had never seen it. DH was watching it on the "Movie Classics" channel a week or two ago and I saw part of it. Never was a big Brando fan.

Do you mean "old"????

One Eyed Jacks

They say she was modeled on Veronica Lake.

Gotta love those strong-willed women.

And another... "Look, you shoot off a guy's head with his pants down, believe me, Texas is not the place you want to get caught."

"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti."

Exactly which group is it you have a problem with?

Where do you live, Laura? There is Decatur, GA and Decatur, TX. Probably others, too. Not all doctors require a pre-op diet....mine didn't. I don't know what his policy on smoking is. Just from reading Bandster posts for the last 3 years, I would say it's about 50/50 on both issues - the diet and the no smoking thing.

All I can say is he makes even ugly women look good by comparison.