Carlene

You're right. I must be anti-feminist, as well as a racist. Imagine going my whole life without realizing that these terrible "ists" lurked just under the surface of my cute, perky persona.

In that case, I would like to say that I am offended by a LOT of things. This is a partial list. I hope that my community (a community that I do try and make a difference in, every chance I get) will do something about these offensive things, once I bring them to the mayor's attention. 1. Butt cleavage. I'm really tired of having to look at other people's underwear, but bare butt cleavage is even worse. If they don't pull up their pants, Spackle that sucker SHUT. 2. People in the Express Lane with more than 10 items. This should be at least a serious misdemeanor. 3. Rap music, although I don't really consider it "music". It's more like Dr. Seuss on crack. 4. "Gages". For the uninitiated, those are the things that some teenage boys have taken to wearing in HUGE holes in their earlobes. Holes the size of quarters. It hurts me to look at those things. 5. The price of drugs. I know all that crap about how much it costs to develop a new drug. I also own stock in Pfizer. I know how much the drug companies are raking in, and it's obscene. My IV Boniva costs $500.00. For a single dose. That's highway robbery. 6. People who assume that elderly folks are deaf, overweight people are lazy, and southerners are uneducated. Add to that, anyone who thinks dogs should be spanked and children shouldn't. 7. Jehovah's Witnesses who ring my doorbell at 7:30 AM on Saturday morning. Believe me, it isn't religious prejudice. I would be offended if the blessed Virgin herself woke me up on Saturday morning. 8. The salaries of professional sports players. What is wrong with our society that we value ballplayers over police officers, firefighters, teachers, and physicians? 9. Reality TV. What is going on with these people? Celebrity Fit Club? A Very Brady Wedding? Wife Swap? Surreal Life? Bridezilla? Have they no shame????? 10. And finally....I want to say that I am personally, morally, and deeply offended by George Bush. George Bush is offensive! I knew it! Thank you, Laurend for validating my opinion!

Makes you sexy, too. Even old people sexy. Or was that too much information?

I don't know, Wheets. Once the government gets involved, you just know it's gonna be FUBARed before long.

How in the world does any of that define black people "in a negative light"? Is there something WRONG with making a difference in one's community? Is it a BAD thing to be a credit to one's race? What if I say that someone is "a credit to his raising"...one of my mother's favorite expressions? Does that also have some negative connotation? And for the record, the "acting black" comment did not originate with me.

Perhaps not, but how people react to something is their problem, not mine. I explained my post, but evidently neither of you chose to accept my explaination, preferring instead to read something dark and ugly into it, where none was intended. What makes a person black (or white or Mexican or Native American) is what's in their heart. It's who they identify with. It's who they honor and care about and emulate. My daughter has a friend who was born in China to Chinese parents, but adopted as a baby by white Americans. Her name is Nicole, ironically enough. She is no more Chinese than the man in the moon, except by the most narrow of definitions - the color of her skin and the shape of her eyes.

We certainly do think differently. I think, first of all, that your doctored-up "quotes" are about the most blatant misrepresentation of the written word that I have ever seen in my life, and deliberately inflammatory, to boot. Think what you like; I don't care. I am not nor have I ever been a racist. If you are going to argue a point, that's fine. But don't stoop to dirty tricks. It cheapens your position and nullifies any intelligent thing you might have to say.

I absolutely would tell the police the truth about my whereabouts on Dec 24th, if I were Scott and had dumped my wife's body in the bay. Why? In case someone saw me. The worst case scenario, for a murderer, would be having your alibi blown out of the Water. The Amber tapes are compelling evidence, to me. Laci disappeared on Dec 24th and Scott continued to have tender, romantic conversations with his girlfriend, telling her he was in Paris and droning on about how much he missed her, throughout those early days when everyone else was frantically searching for Laci. That's just not normal. Maybe you wouldn't tell your lover the whole truth, but would you be saying, "You know, in my mind, we could be wonderful together. I could care for you in any and every way", when your wife has just been abducted? For TWO WEEKS? Please. On Scott's family's web site it says that Amber initiated every one of those calls, but Amber swore she did not, and the transcripts bear her out. I'm also not buying Scott's testimony that Laci knew all about his affair with Amber and that she was "fine with it". I don't think I have ever known a woman 8 months pregnant who would be "fine" on discovering that her husband was having an affair with a massage "therapist". I would not be "fine", nor would my husband, when I got through with him.

Of course we are. You are quoting me out of context. Nathalie called the OJ-is-a-pig frenzy a "racial issue". I was simply stating that if I were a black person, I would not be defending OJ Simpson. I would be ashamed to be grouped with him in any respect whatsoever.

Since I started the OJ thread, I don't think anyone can yell at me for highjacking it. I just have to say that I am way too skeptical to swallow a lot of "just coincidence" crap. His wife's body washed up in the same area where he admittedly spent time on the day she disappeared. Coincidence? He told Amber Frey BEFORE Laci disappeared that his wife had died. Coincidence? The police found hair that matched Laci's in the boat, although it was a new boat and no one else had seen or heard of her ever being in it. Coincidence? He had injuries to his hand and there was blood on the door panel of his truck. Coincidence? Scott Peterson had motive, means, and opportunity. Who else wanted Laci dead? No one. At one time he claimed to believe someone had abducted her for the baby, but there was no evidence that any attempt had been made to remove the child from it's mother's womb. I think he's guilty as sin. I think he murdered his wife and unborn child in cold blood. I think Scott Peterson is the scum of the earth.

Would you be so charitable if a drunk Mel Gibson ran you over and left you paralyzed for life? The criminal system might give him 6 months jail time for DWI, or he might get off, being really rich and famous. I would feel entitled to some of his money for everything he stole from me. But maybe I'm just a vengeful bitch. As for my OJ comments....how does being critical of a man who happens to be black make me a racist? I've posted much worse about George Bush, and he's white (and erroneously believed to be "from Texas", which embarrasses me greatly). I said that Simpson was not a credit to his race, and he isn't. The man has no shame, no tact, no class whatsoever. And very little regard for the feelings of his own children, I might add. The fact that he wrote such a sleazy piece of trash just proves my point, which was that NO ONE should be proud to be associated with OJ (or Paris Hilton), unless they too are low-class, etc, etc, etc do-anything-for-money publicity whores. It's not about acting black...it's about acting like a decent human being, for heaven's sake.

Doesn't "reversible error" just mean that he might be entitled to another trial? It doesn't necessarily make him innocent, does it? There is, after all, a HUGE difference between "innocent" and "not proven guilty".

I think it's "offed". I watch the Sopranos, faithfully.

Exactly....there is no place in the civil courts system for "guilt" - only culpability. One can be at fault and still be "not guilty". Manslaughter carries a criminal penalty when one causes the death of another person, but did not intend to do so. That might have been a better example, but I don't recall the specifics of any manslaughter cases. Maybe StrawartS does.

Explanation follows: OJ Simpson has never done anything to further the cause of African Americans. He did not use his celebrity status to make a difference in the black community, (like Bill Cosby, for example). He is NOT anything black Americans should be proud of, in my opinion. I did NOT say that I believed black people were "insensitive, no-class, publicity-seeking, do-anything-for-money celebrity whores". I said that described OJ Simpson, and Paris Hilton (among others). Obviously, if I think Paris Hilton falls into that category, I wasn't making a racial comment. By the way, if Scott Petersen writes a book, I won't read it, either. I think he and OJ were cut from the same cloth. Thank goodness Petersen didn't have enough money to buy himself a verdict!

Here's a good example for you, Jack. This story was in my local paper yesterday. A Baptist church in Waco,TX had a heater installed in their babtistry. Unfortunately someone was negligent (not prosecutable), or stupid (also not against the law) and left some bare wires exposed, causing a short in the system. A 33 year old minister waded into the tank and in front of his congregation (including his wife, who was sitting in the front row), was fatally electrocuted. The minister's wife and parents sued the electrical contractor in civil court for gross negligence. They settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.

He hasn't paid the victims' families a dime. And, in fact, arranged to have the blood money from his book paid to a "representative" in order to avoid giving any of it to his creditors. He wasn't found "guilty" in civil court. He was found "liable". There is a difference. I can be responsible for someone's death, thru negligence, for example, without being criminally guilty of anything. Money was not what the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were after. They wanted OJ punished and the only punishment they could extract under the law was a monetary judgment in civil court. I don't blame them one bit. I just wish they could collect it. Are you aware that OJ's pension is $400,000 per year and it is judgment proof? But he claims he needed to write the shameful If I Did It book for the money....because he has children to raise. Oh, bless your heart, OJ....it sucks to be poor.

Please tell me you aren't serious. First of all, being found not guilty has nothing to do with whether he committed the crime or not. If it did, the victims' families could not have sued (and won) in civil court. If you believe that everyone in jail is guilty and everyone on the outside is innocent, then you might be interested in a bridge I have for sale in NY. Secondly, the whole "If I did it" thing is the most tastless idea anyone ever came up with. This was the mother of his children....and his book evidently details how he would have killed her, "If I Did It". Tacky, tacky, tacky. Finally, people are still calling him a murderer because a lot of us think the evidence overwhelmingly proved that he was the killer. Money is what freed OJ, not justice. As for the race card, give me a break. OJ Simpson isn't black except in the broadest sense - the color of his skin. If I were a member of the black race, I would be ashamed to claim him. "Issue of race" my happy ass....unless you're saying that all black people are insensitive, no class, publicity-seeking, do-anything-for-money, celebrity whores. Wait....that would make Paris Hilton black, wouldn't it? Oh, well....if the shoe fits...

Me, too....and I quit 11 years ago! I loved my cigarettes. I never, ever planned to quit. But then someone I loved was diagnosed with lung Cancer. She went thru treatment - chemo....radiation. She was "cured", she thought. Then it came back. More treatments. Then it spread. It took 18 months. It wasn't pretty. I just kept thinking that if she had only quit smoking 5 years sooner, she wouldn't be dying. I used to say that everyone has to die sometime and lung Cancer was as good an exit ramp as any. But I was wrong. It spreads - sometimes to your brain, which really sucks, and sometimes to your bones. They become so brittle that every time you move, another one breaks. And it's very hard on the people who love you. But sometimes I sure do miss it. When I first quit, I was still a smoker in all my dreams. Even now, I can catch a whiff of someone's cigarette and it is more seductive than the smell of fresh-baked Cookies. Just thinking about a cigarette makes me want to light up. That must be why so many ex-smokers are so bitchy about smoking....we're all jealous!

"Extreme" is in the eye of the beholder. Obviously, no one thinks their religion is weird, or extreme....only other people's. Except that my DH thinks it's extreme to miss a Dallas Cowboys game in favor of going to church.

Quotes from bypass patients on another message board... Well I thought for a few days there things were getting better. 3 weeks today post Lap RNY. I have had a rough few weeks and have been unable to eat much of anything including my protien or Vitamins. Saturday I was feeling better and thought I was on the better side of things then Sunday came. I was so sick, I have not been able to eat anything except for my fluids. Including again my protien or vitamins. I gag and get sick everytime I have Protein or my vitamins. As of right now I cannot even talk about protein or vitamins without gagging. Yesterday I had a scope done, everything looked really good, except maybe I have a small area in my intestine that has some scar tissue. But the Dr said yesterday that if in about 10 days I still have not been able to get any protien or vitamins down he is going to end up putting in a feeding tube. I am not really sure what to do because I cannot even stand the smell or taste of anything but Water or really really watered down orange CL. I had some tasteless protien powder that I tried adding to some CL and now I cannot even drink that without gagging. I don't want a feeding tube but I don't know what to try. I have gotten the sample pack from the web site of protien. Nothing works. I have watered it all way way down, not helping. I have vitamins from BE and they too make me really really sick to my stomach! I just don't know what to do. Please help.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Hi Ange and welcome to the boards. You are doing wonderful! My friend just had a stricture and has had it stretched for the first time, she may have to go back 3-4 more times until it is corrected, but she is in really great spirits. It is so great to have a supportive family, it makes all the difference.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Hi everyone! This is my first time on here and it's great to read about everyone's journey. I had my surgery on July 11th 2006. I have lost 66 pds. to date. I did have some complications ulcers, a blood transfusion, strictures, low potassium etc. I have been in the hospital at least once a month since my surgery. Good news is this month is almost over and I haven't been in the hospital this month. But I must say all of the hospital and doctor staff are great. One of the hardest things I have had to deal with is the fatigue which comes and goes. I am doing much better at it but it is a challenge. One of the other issues I am currently dealing with more is the emotional roller coaster. Since after surgery I have noticed that I am more irratable and short fused in a shorter amount of time. Is this normal and how do I deal with this? I feel that I am become somewhat a frustrated and rude person to loved ones and coworkers. Any suggestions?<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I just spent the weekend with an old friend that had WLS over 2 years ago. To look at him I couldn't tell. He said that he is starting to gain again. I told him that he nneded to go back to his post-op eating habits and start all over again.....liquids, mush, etc. That would get him kick-started into eating better again.<!--sizec--> <!--/sizec--> <!--/sizeo--><!--sizeo:3-->Like Helen said....they operated on our innards, not our brains....though I sometimes wish they would have done the brain too!!!<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Hello all I just found this board and thought I would ask a question. (don't want to ask my doc) I have been at this for 2 years now. I have been doing really good but find myself getting lazy and starting back with old habits. do some of you find this happen also? I don't want to give up and don't want to find myself back in size 22. I really need help here.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> This is going to take a bit more than just adding some protein rich Snacks. It is going to take a change in your mindset, a renewal of your commitment, the same commitment that led you to this surgery in the beginning. You have done so well...170 pounds, my dear, is great! Unfortunately, too often we become lax after the first hundred pounds or so, and begin to kind of meld into that part of the eating world we left behind. Our pouches have healed, we can tolerate much more food than we could in the first six months. We can even tolerate a bite of bread, candy, Cookies, Pasta...all the food that got us into trouble in the first place. We quit drinking our Protein drinks, figuring we can get it all from food. Well, by doing that we get too many calories IF we end up getting the necessary protein. So, back to basics. Hold yourself accountable by checking in the "What did you eat today?" thread. Start your day out with good protein. Plan your day's food...write it out, make sure you have things at work that are nourishing. Try not to think of having snacks. I know, it is semantics, but thinking you are eating snacks really does give you a kind of permission to snack whether you have good protein or not.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Hi: I am almost 6 months post-op. I have lost focus and motivation. I am crying all of the time. My emotions are scaring me & I feel out of control. I am still reaching for foods I should not eat (WLS did not change what I can eat except to grease). I do well at home, but work is a different story. My job circumstances are very stressful. I also think that I am grazing. I don't know how to get it back together. Everyday I say that I am going to do better. I have hit a plateau as a result of my behaviors. HELP!<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Michelle, You are absolutely correct...weight loss surgery does not always work. It will not work if the person who had the surgery is not willing to follow doctor's orders, change his or her eating habits, will not exercise, will not drink the amount of water sufficient to avoid dehydration, will not take the vitamins necessary to sustain a healthy body. The surgery works...but the patient who looks for a quick fix, a magic spell, will be miserable, will gain the weight back as soon as he or she is released to regular food. There are occasional (but rare) instances where someone reacted badly to the staples or had problems with strictures. Both can be dealt with. Gall stones can occur, even if the gall bladder has been removed. All the gall bladder does is serve as a receptacle for bile. The bile continues to be produced. These are complications. But the surgery...it works. But only as well as the person receiving the surgery follows the program.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> My human fur ball extraction went well today. Took them 45 min. to breakup and force the beazor (human equivalent of food to a cat fur ball) out into the intesting. What fun! But the good part is, that the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">GI Dr.</st1:address></st1:Street> is again going to try to get me Zelnorm! The only stomach medication that has ever helped me!<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p>

Pretty easy to figure out why.....they are the ones paying for their own education.

I had 3 boys, then a girl. If my daughter had been born first, she would have been an only child.

College can be a huge reality check, especially for people just out of high school. They don't get the difference. In high school, the teachers are paid to get you graduated. In college, no one cares if you graduate or not - except you. I went back to school 3 times before I graduated from college. I earned my degree at 30 something. When I started, I was one of those young kids who bitch about the old people ruining the curve. By the time I finished, I WAS one of the old people ruining the curve. Funny how one's perspective changes, based on personal experience.

I cut and pasted this from Craig's List. Too funny! "Dear Red States..." A Letter From The Blue! Date: 2005-06-24, 11:54AM PDT Dear Red States... We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon,Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California. To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get Elliot Spitzer. You get Ken Lay. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss. We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share. Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms. Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire. With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh Water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT. With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you. Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy b*****ds believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties. By the way, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico. Peace out, Blue States