green

Thanks for the info. I'm a cheese loving city grrl. :hungry: Cheese was what brought me to bandster land.

I will see what I can do in the way of before and after pix. I just bought a digital camera. Now I have to figure out how to use it and I am very, very blonde. I still haven't figured out how to load music onto my Ipod and I have had the bluddy thing for 2 years! :faint:

Mmmm, chevre. And goats are great for keeping the grass short, nature's lawnmowers, are they not?

Thanks, mrspruett. You sure are a sweetie and you certainly understand the spirit behind the R&R zone. The way I see it, it is kinda like Las Vegas - whatever happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas. You should be warned that Green has big plans to come over to your place and raid your vegetable patch. As for you, Jasmine, I think that your voice is one that carries great value and that you simply must for all sorts of obvious reasons continue to keep on posting on this thread. Afterall, what we are all attempting to discuss and to try to understand is the migration of human beings and how this affects other humans. I should tell you that this is a subject that interests me on many levels and one of them is personal. You see, my father was a Polish Jew who opted to leave Poland in 1937 and he ended up illegally migrating throughout most of western Europe before finally washing up in England. His life history during this time was perilous and painful for him for he was an illegal and he was broke. In retrospect his life makes for a most astonishing story. It also saved his bacon. He did finally end up in England and eventually, after he proved himself, was granted British citizenship and finally ended up in British Intelligence. His story is a fascinating one but he was not unique. There was a quite a movement in Europe at that time of distressed and displaced people. Some were luckier than others but the shift in displaced populations went on for many decades, before, during, and after this war. I believe that people move only when they have to, their home hunting grounds are no longer viable and they are forced out, but at the same time, when a mass of people move into neighbouring territory they place sudden great stress on an environment which had previously been harmonious and well balanced. I know that I am describing this issue in simplistic terms but it continues to strike me that the government is at fault by opting to play a laissez-faire role in this situation. The American government can choose to legalize the status of these individuals and then these folks will be on the hook with respect to paying taxes and following local, state, and federal laws. Or the American government can insist on a crack-down on illegals. This would mean that all individuals or companies caught hiring or in any other way profiting from illegals (i.e. landlords) would be subject to heavy fines and slammer time. For sure this business of illegals is a dreadful problem for both the American taxpayer and for the dude who has arrived in America with all his hopes for a better life for himself and his family.

Oh, er, was that slimebo that I was thinking of??? Ooops, my blonde.

Slimbo - a place where I am gonna meet up with all my pet snails. Oooh. Cain't hardly wait. Reminds me of a line of a poem written by some Canuck or other: "muted azygous life Himself his viscid wife...." I was introduced to this when I was in high! skule and, as you can see, I have never forgotten it. The poem was a meditation on the life of a snail as I remember it. I guess we are all involved in acts of high jackery, eh?

Paris has been very generous with respect to spreading her legs and sharing herself with the on-line geek community.

Grrl, ya got good points there. I am a very curmudgeonly and cynical cow by temperament and I will admit this. I also come from one of those countries which are perhaps less star-struck. We are accustomed to conducting government funded independent inquiries or paying heed to the results of university research when it comes to assessing complex social, economic, environmental or political issues. The results of these inquiries are made available in the more responsible media outlets and then come under debate by specialists in the field, average citizens, and parliamentarians. Sound bite activism makes many folks who are not American nervous. We simply don't understand it and we feel that it is precipitous even when it does agree with our own politics. (Bear in mind that most of western Europe and Canada are on the same political page as the Hollywoodly lefties.) Why we are uncomfortable with the notion of entertainer activism is because we view that it stands in place of real thought. You see, entertainer activism is all too easy even when it does work in favour for those causes which you, BJean, and I like. The average person ends up buying these unexamined ideas or ideals in exactly the same way that he or she buys any other fad...it could be Uggs, it could be skinny jeans.... And let's get down to the nitty-gritty here. Although these individuals do have the same right to express their opinions as any other citizen they do make use of their fame to ensure that their opinions will resonate. At the same time, these cats have not always troubled to educate themselves in the complexities of the issue which they have now decided to own. This is forgiveable; they are not political scientists, economists, agriculturualists, cultural historians, international diplomats, sociologists, or any of the other array of specialists needed to understand the complexities of effecting change in an alien and badly damaged environment. These folks are not even hooked into the network of these specialists, I suspect. Bono makes me want to cough up furballs. He has taken on the entire continent of Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is arguably the single most wretched place on earth. Most Iraqis lived better lives while still under the rule of Saddam. Even now Afghanistan is less of a mess than much of Africa. We in the west have been treated to the horrors of the tribal slaughters in Ruanda. Darfur is an on-going horror show. Liberia and Sierra Leone have been in free fall for many decades now. So-called rebel groups kidnap small children from their families and turn them into killers. The people whom they can't use as soldiers they either kill or mutilate by cutting off both hands, thereby consigning them to a slow death. And then there are the corrupt power structures of these countries; this means that we can donate gobs of cash but this aid will never, ever help those individuals who need it. And, too, there is this point of logic when it comes to this issue of the helping biz: don't buy a fish, buy a fishing rod. I guess what I am trying to say is that there are many of us out there who are both unaccustomed and uneasy with this notion of celebrity authorized sound-bite thought. We think that it is careless at best and has the ability to turn toxic if the latest Hollywood style turns out to be less humanist.

Yah! BJean, you da man!

Thanks, BJean, for your always kind, thoughtful, and intelligent words. It could well be that that sudden rapid weight loss towards the end played havoc with my skin. My skin had always been one of my best points, that and my thick bushy hair. I am fairly distressed, to tell you the truth, to see my skin in this stringy, tissue-y condition. My skin has always been plush and had even retained a trace of dewiness. The irony is that I have always avoided the sun thanks to my red-head skin type and I have always eaten well (lots of fresh vegetables and high quality protein, no soda ever, and loads of water) only far, far too much of everything! Portion control and a passion for carbs, high quality carbs but carbs all the same, was what brought me down. This is why the band works so well for me. But you are probably right. The illness which caused my sudden rapid final weight loss was likely what ruined my skin for up until that point I was slowly and steadily losing weight and suffering no grief over my skin tone. It really is a good thing that I am going in for the plastic overhaul this September, I guess. Well, it goes to show that life is always interesting and quite the adventure.

Test rides. Rides. Hmmm. Now that sounds very Epcott Centre or Walt's Disney World. "I'd like the romantic man ride for one, please. "Oh. You say it is going to cost me my heart and 20 years of my life?!? "Well, I'll have to think about it. Maybe I'll come back after lunch."

I have never met any goats except for dirty old goats (which are finally starting to look attractive!) but from what I hear they are interesting and feisty animals. The current anarchist cat, a teenage stray grrl cat, is interesting, feisty and destructive. I am crazy about goat milk cheeses. Yum.

Naw, you can't fool the Green. Limbo is where good folk who haven't met Jesus go when they croak. I learned all about this when I was in nun skule. Everyone who was good and who was born pre-Jesus will be found there. As will a number of those heathen who were outside the reach of the missionaries.

With respect to grammar usuage, I am always annoyed by the lay~lie business. Lie is an intransitive verb and thus one should say I was lying down after I lay my burden down but few individuals honour this practice anymore. *sigh* :phanvan And I am ever so fed up with stupid reality shows. I find being forced to watch real people and being subjected to advertising a real one-two sucker punch. Um, you know, receiving a punch meant for suckers.... And rich and famous entertainers weighing in on complex political, environmental, and social issues are getting on my last bluddy nerve. Bono and his bluddy whining about Africa makes me want to cough up a furball. Sean Penn's visit to the Middle East gave me a severe skin rash. I am still expecting that I might yet experience hair loss due to Paris Hilton's strange jailhouse conversion, what with all that Bible reading and all. Ugh! These folks should stick to acting, making music, and in the case of Hilton, drinking, f...ing, making videotapes, and whatever else it is that she does. Venting sure is fun. :biggrin1: Thanks for giving me this opportunity.

In countries like France the tip is folded into the bill in all restaurants. And you really don't have to tip when on those all-inclusive vacations but my husband and I will sometimes tip when we feel that we have received especially attentive and caring service and we are inclined to leave a little something every day for the room maids. I am personally uncomfortable with tipping but it is entrenched in our system and so I feel that I must tip since the tip is part of the hospitality worker's wages. I will stiff a waiter/waitress/cabby or whomever for his or her tip when I have received lousy service and I will sometimes give an explanation for this. I won't stiff a waiter for his tip when the food is bad because this is something over which he has no control and it is not fair to punish him. I simply never return to the restaurant is all. As for those toilets where you have to tip an attendant, well, many foreign countries have this set-up and it was a nasty shock to me the first time I encountered a Madame Pipi, as the French call these attendants. Still, I guess it does keep people employed though it is not an attractive career path. Australia's tip-free approach sounds like commonsense heaven to me.

I thought Lindy Boggs was a dance that was popular during the 1920s. ?

Oh, Green is very, very sports illiterate. Why, she has only recently discovered what NASCAR is thanks to this site. She does enjoy opera and experimental films and Howard Stern, however.... It is probably a good thing that she has never been a boy; she would get beat up a lot, eh? :heh:

Laurend! You're back and you've crossed over to the other side!! :clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:Congratulations, eh, sez Green. :kiss2: At the next hawg fest you can PB on all your least fave relatives. :heh::heh::heh: And then tell us all about it. :ranger:

I think my current and not very nice cat is an anarchist - this is the most destructive animal I have ever lived with! She is still young. I am hoping that she will grow out of it.

Not true, universal health care works well in the many advanced post-industrial economies which have it. You may wish to examine the health care systems of western Europe....

lizrbit: I am most amused to hear that your dog is a Buddhist. I once had a tank full of guppies who were Roman Catholic, a cat who was a Baptist, and a goldfish who was Jewish. I named him Reuben Goldcarp. The guppies were called the Joes and the Renes after my parents. :heh: My father was did not find this adorable. :phanvan For the past many years my cats have been heathen atheists; in this they follow myself. It would be lovely to have a Buddhist dog around the house. Lucky you.

I was supposed to go on a modified pre-op diet and give up smoking for 2 weeks before my op. :help: Well, instead I went on the Blonde Ambition Food Court Tour - I figured that I would never be able to eat again and I was in mourning - and I smoked up until the day before. :paranoid In fact I washed my hair the morning of the op so that it wouldn't stink of tell-tale smoke. I was very, very bad. This is my true confession, sez Green. Anyhow, it is 10 months later and I am pretty much down to target weight but my face looks older. It is official. My husband told me. My cute little fat cheeks are gone. Ho hum. :straight

Pete Moss? Doesn't he have something to do with sports? Green never watches sports.

Universal health care is not free health care. The cost is covered in the tax structure. It is simply cheaper because big business is edited out of the equation and it does allow medical personnel more options when treating their patients as they are not constrained by the dollar and cents factor which the business enviroment will inevitably impose. It seems to me that the poor are covered by free clinics paid for by your tax system and the rich can pay for whatever they want with respect to their medical treatment. It is the middle class and the working class who are vulnerable to the high costs of private medical coverage and to being dropped by these same insurers when the costs of treating their illnesses become unattractive for their insurers. This is what we read about your system of health care. I am inclined to agree with you that we do live in a society of entitlement; these days it certainly seems that everyone likes to think of themselves as a victim. This is quite different from the attitude of my parents, people who survived the Second World War and who believed in standing up on your own hind two feet and dealing with the world with dignity and humour. Nevertheless, I am one of those people who do find the results of research and, yes, even anecdotal evidence to be of value when attempting to gain a better understanding of a situation. I wonder whether you have become hardened because of the people whom you see daily in your free clinic. I suspect that you are seeing the very poor and these people are much less likely or even capable of taking the same care of themselves in the same way that the better educated and more affluent folks are. For one thing it takes a certain amount of stability, cash, and education to eat healthily, to cut out those carbs and eat fresh vegetables and quality protein, to feel hopeful enough about yourself and your life to want to give up alcohol, drugs, and smokes, to join a gym, take up jogging, to have any sort of motivation or interest at all in fact. If this is the case, then you are seeing people at less than their best and this is bound to leave you feeling cynical. I have met cops who suffer from much the same thing; they spend much of their waking lives dealing with people who are behaving badly....

Yup, marnie is right. The economy is booming.