Large quantities of coffee! ;) If you put in large amounts of cream, somehow...magically...you will have a complete protein. At least thats my story. Jo -having oreos and milk at the moment for the first time in years-

[grin] While watching a speech by one of the presidential candidates recently, the speech ended with "and may God bless America"....quickly followed by my son saying "and may God prevent _______ from becoming president". It was really very quick, and I had to giggle. And this child is 9! I look forward to, and dread, them reaching voting age...IYKWIM? Jo

I've heard that too. And during pregnancy it goes from curiosity in the young ones to "ewww" in the olders. :glare: "Hey kid! You contributed to the condition of these legs!" ;) Jo

My parents fell out with long term friends when they began "inviting" them to various things. It was very, very sad- the man was in their wedding party. I made a policy early on in my married life to not attend selling parties of any sort. I don't have the time, money, or inclination, but the greater desire not to offend has been avoided by stating that it "has always been my policy". It can be very intrusive. Jo

Aye!

I was discussing this fact with my dh last night. Aren't anonymous polls a kick? I think it is a very telling reflection of the wider population. People generally want to drill, but the stigma associated with oil isn't something people want to be associated with. When the responses label drilling as a means of destroying ecosystems, who wants to be a part of that? I believe there are valid opinions on both side, but some are louder and more politically correct than others (and I'm talking about the national debate, not what we've seen on this board). The posts have demonstrated how complex the issue really is, and that the reasons for wanting to drill are varied- some for price purposes, some for national security, and some a mixture of the two. I have enjoyed hearing from everyone. Jo Jo

Hee, hee. My parents live in Central FL and my father has worked for years to get public transportation more accessible. He was part of the project for commuter rail from Deland to Orlando that got scrapped at the last minute. Now he works with Lynx as an environmental impact and rail design expert. You really can't go anywhere in Central FL easily without driving. Jo

This seems a bit of an extreme statement considering the proximity of the drilling area (a small corner of ANWR right next to established drilling areas and the oil town of Prudhoe Bay). And isn't that area above the tundra? No trees? I'll have to look further into the flora and fauna. My dh flew out of Prudhoe Bay on his way to the North Pole last year- he described it as a barren landscape on the edge of nowhere. It doesn't sound like the ecotourist type of location. I'm assuming you were talking about ANWR. Off-shore drilling platforms in the gulf have a much more established record of attracting sea-life (have you seen the story of about the whale shark's love of platform legs?). Perhaps the Discovery Channel or National Geographic can boat out to those Chinese drilling platforms off of our coasts to do their next story about the sea life habitat. ;) Jo

Where I live we have a very active debate about the need for light rail. People are generally for it- if the local radio discussions can be trusted. My dad is a civil engineer who specializes in light and commuter rail- he has worked in Europe, China, and the United States presenting proposals on the various types of public rail that would work in different communities. Hands down the biggest obstacle has been local city government. The Federal Government gives **millions** in grant money for cities to get public transportation up and running. Along with this problem is the complete lack of smart community planning that require a dependence on driving....also a local government failing. Who are we electing to lead our communties in these public transportation efforts? Are we really holding them accountable? Jo

What if it wasn't either/or?:001_smile: What if we proceeded with research into sustainable sources of energy, increased production of coal into fuel, AND increased our domestic supplies of oil? What if we did these things all at once? Jo

I need to take a meal to a family with 3 and 4 yr old boys with peanut allergies. I don't have the time or equipment to bake a dessert. What can I buy? Do I need to worry about peanut residue in store bought french bread? Thanks. Jo

Are you for or against increased domestic drilling? 1. I am for increased domestic drilling 2. I am against increased domestic drilling 3. I am unsure

Do you assign one child to feed and water at all times? Or do you rotate? Right now I am rotating weeks between the older three. My ultimate goal is to make this chore completely independent of my verbal reminders, but the kids can't seem to get in the groove. I'd like to know how you handle this chore when you have multiple children capable of pet care. We only have one, very old, cantankerous dog. Jo

We had a couple bring their 5 kids to a non-kid-invited party at our house. They were kept home from school that day because of throwing up. "But they seem better now" she said. Of the 30+ adults who attended the party, over half were throwing up the next day (including dh and myself). I was so mad.

The tea with honey and lemon feels good- honey is an anti-bacterial. But Apple Cider vinegar works even better. Gargling every hour. It does taste nasty, but it knocks out the virus, and lets the throat heal. I'll pray for quick healing. Jo

I think we are confusing the issues. Opinions are not a reason to neg rep. I repeat, you can state any opinion you want on this board-- yay! What people are not entitled to do is be rude, mean, crude, or repeatedly insensitive to feelings of everyone- it isn't always used appropriately- I know this personally. But it is a way to rub off the rough edges and keep conversation civil. It has anonymous feature so that if someone is being over-the-top rude you don't have to "call them out" publicly in front of the whole board within the thread- and not everyone allows PMs. WendyK- I'm not directing this to you personally dear. There have been many posts stating people are titled to their opinions- I absolutely agree. But that isn't the purpose of the neg rep system as I read it. Jo

LOL. I like both your song selections! But I like them on the stereo in my car. It's getting a song instead of a ring that just...just...just...I'm just so confused!:D I think it will become more widespread- oh well. I always have the choice to hang up. Actually, I don't. The calls I was making yesterday were official in nature. I guess I'm stuck.;) Jo

My initial google search using the words "McCain Hagee": Salon.com, Huffington Post, Thinkprogress.org, democrats.org, talkleft.com, and some other sites that link the others. On the second google page, third from the top I *did* see MichaelMoore.com reported that McCAin called Hagee's comments "nonsense". I'm going to have dig a little deeper on this one. Two google pages with not a single credible news link. Jo

Endorsements can come from the craziest of the crazies. They are not the same as relationships. It would probably be an interesting exercise to see a list of endorsements for all candidates. I think we would be surprised at how many are undesirable. And for what it's worth, I can't bring myself to click on any link that leads me to the Huffington Post- but I will look further into the Hagee thing. Jo

:svengo: I had no idea it had gotten this bad. I guess I see the revenue benefits... I'd never subject anyone to that.

Well, since the shipping to Hawaii from the mainland makes me gasp, I can only imagine the shock I'd get with your shipping costs. Dead things can be fun. :001_smile: That's a weird thing to say, isn't it? I was thinking about my "gathering" suggestion. Does Saudi or UAE have import restrictions? It would be like me to bring moss in ziplocks through the airport and have it confiscated! Kentucky is incredibly green! I remember when we moved from Minneapolis to Georgia. When we crossed into Kentucky we just felt soothed by the landscape. I hope you will have some fun biology related "field trips" while you're there. Maybe a zoo or butterfly garden or botanical garden? I hope you have a wonderful trip! Jo

Yay Kate! Where are you headed? How long do you have in the States? I once bought an owl pellet kit that became maggoty. But I didn't know they could be sanitized- definitely look into that. I would gather what you can't find locally in the UAE. Pinecones? Moss? Perhaps seaside items- I'm completely at a loss for what your terrain and locale contains. I like Acorn Naturals catalogue. You can buy the coolest kits from them- skeletons of various animals, rock kits, etc. They are my favorite. Jo

"I don't know much about the theology in question, though. McCain gave the commencement speech at a college whose late founder said that gays, feminists, and others who didn't please his god caused 9-11. So... I dunno. I don't think I'm annoyed at Sen. McCain for that, but he went in with his eyes as wide open as supposedly Sen. Obama did. " And pissed people off by what he said during that commencement speech. The difference is he gave a single speech. 20yrs vs. single speech? I think that's a stretch. Completely different situation. Black Liberation Theology- the more I learn the more I fear. Anyone who supports Farrakhan has loose bolts in my opinion. I saw Farrakahn speak in college. My roomate- a Jew- stood up silently in his seat and turned his back to the stage. He was the only one in the audience doing it. Farrakahn's body guards rushed down the aisle and dragged his butt outside, flinging him to the ground. He walked home elated to have stood against such hate. That same organization of body guards escorted Rev. Wright to the press club speech this week. I just can't give this a pass. Jo

I have tried to mince the Rev. Wright thing for days now. I honestly want to give him the benefit of the doubt. I have resisted "guilt by association" feelings. But here are my issues: If Obama doesn't agree, why did he stay in the pew when Rev. Wright said these things in the past? We have video evidence, this isn't in question that these hateful things have been said for a long time. If he stayed because it was a socially active church and he needed to be part of a church for political reason- than his faith is shallow and I don't like it. If he agreed with the teaching- I don't like it. Why would he, after knowing fully the beliefs of Rev. Wright, would he appoint Rev. Wright to his African American Religious Leadership Council? I recognize that he gave a sincere repudiation speech yesterday or the day before, but it felt a lot like the apologies I hear when my kids get punished- a little reactionary and delayed. I have no doubt there is sincere hurt for Obama- his friend and mentor has been incredibly insensitive to Obama and what he is trying to accomplish. I hurt for him. It is a severing of a long relationship. As for McCain, his rumored temper may or may not be a fact, but his understanding of, and hatred for, war impresses me. He is a man who gets the reality of war- he's felt it. My gut tells me he won't rashly subject others to what he has experienced. This whole power of the button argument has been made against many presidents- Jimmy Carter was a submariner, remember? I could of used a little more temper out of him. And one other thing I like about McCain- he doesn't pander to the Christian Right. I hate pandering. I would much rather know where a person stands and disagree than see the politically plastered smile of a kiss butt. The fact that he has rankled the base comforts me. Every candidate has flaws, just like every human being. But if just these two issues were on the table- Barak Obama sitting passively in the pew of Rev. Wright's church for so long, or a man who has a bit of a mouth on him (and I'm pretty sure we only have verbal instances of a temper, right?)...There is one I trust to handle Kim Jon Il and Ahmadinejad more than the other. As for domestic issues- I could never inflict universal health care on our country. My children may need a good doctor one day. Jo

I have neg rep'd someone...not recently. And she deserved it. She met all the stated requirements for neg rep- rude, caustic, attacking another personally etc. I love being able to positive rep! There sure seems to be a lot of agreeing and willingness to private message. I can't imagine PMing someone who I feel is insulting and rude- I guess I'm chicken, but there it is. I would never neg rep for a difference of opinion, that's just foolish. The criteria states it is to be used for cases of crudeness, rudeness, and insensitivity in the extreme. We rarely see it, but I'd neg rep again if I did. Jo