Oh dear god I'm never eating cod again... http://www.foodrepublic.com/2011/05/11/learning-about-cod-worm-the-hard-way/

I second that!

GAHHHHH!!! No way in a million years... I am ASTOUNDED that there are people who would even consider it. I don't care if I was 100% guaranteed it was perfectly "safe", makes no difference...

DD had 8 baby and 4 adult pulled. We chose that route rather than go with a palate expander, which we still believe was a good choice. I had about the same done when I was young. And yes, DD does hate dentists. The number is not unusual, but the communication seems to have been a problem. I also was surprised at the roots on some of the baby teeth. It's not always easy just because they are baby. But deep roots on baby teeth at 12 would be unusual I think. :grouphug:

I was reading a book last night about how radically law enforcement changed when the FBI created national databases to track violent crime. We now have national fingerprint and DNA databases available to law enforcement, so they are not limited to only the information they have locally. It has made a HUGE difference in the ability of law enforcement to track criminals. I'm sure there are plenty of people who thought (and think) that is a violation of privacy. After all, just because someone committed a crime once, did they give up all their privacy rights? But look at the difference it made in keeping the community safer. Owning a gun does not equal committing a crime. BUT, the possibility of a gun being used in a crime and the *consequences* of that possibility in my opinion argue in favor of guns being registered in a way accessible to law enforcement and mental health professionals. Owning a gun is a responsibility. If your gun is stolen or given away, or sold, part of your responsibility as a gun owner should be to report that information so that the future gun owner can be held responsible for actions related to that gun. A gun is a deadly weapon. I can't even get freaking chemicals delivered for a science experiment without my information being tracked. And yet, guns are much more likely to be used for a crime than my chemicals! It is the only dangerous item right now that is somehow immune to any kind of rational tracking or followup. It makes no sense. Regarding possible privacy violations, of course that should be addressed. But will anyone ever have a guarantee of *any* information (health, insurance, anything) being *guaranteed* not to be hacked or violated? No. There are no guarantees. But that has never prohibited the collection of data before (health data, tax data, all sorts of things we would not want violated).

Whenever gun control is mentioned to address violent crime, the answer from anti-gun-control folks is "it's mental illness, not guns". So we are not just making an imagined leap there. No, it does not mention guns. But it offers some ideas about how to address mental illness in specific ways that might prevent possible acts of violence. To be honest, this is the first time I've actually seem something useful in an attempt to address that. The portions of the bill regarding privacy laws as they apply to potential violence could have a very positive impact in preventing violence, gun and otherwise.

Wow. A bill that is actually reasonable, makes sense, and might accomplish something. Which is why probably nothing will be done with it. (Yes, I'm very cynical.)

Quote from TechWife: I assume that would require a crime to be committed, though, which puts us right back where we started, using mental health treatment as crime prevention, which, it seems to me, is inappropriate because we cannot predict who will and who will not commit crimes. There are no easy answers. Sorry, quote didn't work right.. I'm just curious then, why when there is a discussion about violent crime, those that are opposed to gun control often say the main problem is the mental health system and the mental health of the offenders. If we are not talking about making sure mentally ill who are potentially violent get help *before* they become violent, then what are we talking about in that context?

I am deeply concerned about adults who are seriously mentally ill being allowed to refuse treatment until they either hurt themselves or others. "We can't do anything until they actually DO something!" I know it got to this point because supposedly there was abuse where people tried to get others committed, etc without real grounds. But now it has gone the opposite direction where people know someone is dangerous but no one can do anything about it. I don't know what the answer is.

All I can say is, thank goodness I have remained married to my DH and neither one of us has children with anyone else. What a hard road...

Fun! I love hair color. Go for it.

Yeah, because catching vomit with our hands just isn't enough proof of motherhood... Ah, the things we do... ;)

This is what I was thinking. Especially if there is a history with this woman, a 13 yo would have to be unusually mature to be confident and socially skilled enough to handle that situation effectively. I would coach DD on avoiding sitting near this woman, but I would say something as a parent, please don't correct my child in public. (in a nice, non confrontational way, not a "don't parent my child" way). I would have DD let me know then if it continued to happen. If you prefer to still have DD handle it, I would use 6pack's suggestion.

I can't wait to see The Martian, I read part of the book but didn't get all the way through it. The details were a little hard to follow to me. I'm also interested in the Will Smith movie Concussion. Stacia, I thought the same as you about Everest. DH and I both LOVED Into Thin Air, and although I really liked the visuals in Everest, the story was told very superficially I thought, and would not give a full picture to someone who hadn't read the book. All in all, it was "okay" but I was disappointed because it could have been so much richer. That story had so many angles and so much depth to it that was not reflected in the movie.

I agree, whatever your feelings about pot use for adults, use by minors has been shown to have adverse affects. I live in a state where pot is legal. For minors it is illegal and can be detrimental. Also time for a discussion about the habits we pick up from our friends.

Honestly don't know. I just would imagine based on history that it's not a hugely popular endeavor, and that there would be plenty of opposition to its marketing. It's hard to find people willing to invest time and money without a guarantee of return.

The sending of the bill was rude and tacky. But I see it as a culmination of the ongoing rudeness of people either not responding to RSVPs or responding and then not showing up. A co-worker recently married had a full 1/3 of her RSVPs for a sit down dinner not show up. I am sure some of them had legitimate reasons, like illness, etc. But no way the full 1/3. As this becomes more common, we will see more rancor on the receiving end. I currently know more than a few people I would consider otherwise kind and decent who think it is okay to not show up for something they committed to "because I'm just tired out tonight" or "because my throat's a little scratchy" or "because I've got some things that I need to take care of" It is becoming more and more accepted, and I don't really understand why, as it is hugely disrespectful to people who are planning things. But no, as someone else stated, two rudes don't make a right.

The problem is decent and effective technology being developed when *right now* no one will sell it. Capitalism, baby!

Why biometric guns will never happen to any useful degree as long as extreme anti-gun control activists keep getting their way.. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/threats-against-maryland-gun-dealer-raise-doubts-about-future-of-smart-guns/2014/05/02/8a4f7482-d227-11e3-9e25-188ebe1fa93b_story.html Gun shops that *support* gun ownership are being pressured not to sell certain guns that can be made safer. The basic argument is, "If guns are made safer, then the government will want everyone to have them and stop using other guns. So, we can't make guns any safer." Talk about an example of no logical discussion being possible...

I don't think home invasions are "commonplace" anywhere, but they strike a certain visceral fear, because it's such a violation, that your place of safety and comfort could become a place where you are held hostage, tortured or murdered. When I hear about one, I get a gut wrenching reaction, and I think most people do.

If you are opposed to mental competency requirements to own a gun, what are your suggestions to keep guns out of the hands of mentally ill? Also, really, I wish people would stop bringing up crime rates for *cities* with gun control. In the US, gun control that is not enforced nationally is close to useless. It's like asking how people in a "dry" city are still getting alcohol. Those stats add nothing to the discussion.

For any regulation to be effective at all, it would have to be enforced on a federal level, and not just a city, county, or state level. If you can just drive a bit to get around a regulation, it's useless. I also think that mental illness should be part of the background and verification criteria. I agree with requiring guns to be removed when there is a mentally ill person in the home. That might even prevent a fair bit of suicides. Is it sad that *some* mentally ill might do just fine with a gun, but won't be allowed to own one? Sure. Sorry. History has shown that mental illness plus firearms can have horrendous consequences. Yes, I know not all mentally ill seek treatment, blah, blah, but it's a start. Doing something to start is better than doing nothing.

It will be interesting to see if anything was reported. The comments about FBI seemed to me like "theoretically the FBI monitors things like this". It didn't sound like someone knew specifically. Regardless, I was questioning why the initial response wouldn't be "report this to somebody" rather than "engage him in casual banter and/or encourage him."

No one from that thread contacted the police? No one??? They should be hunted down and prosecuted.

I had a doctor awhile back that never had any same day appointments, no matter how early you called or how sick. This happened three times, and I was done. Switched to a new practice that can always get you in if you are really sick.