Are you suggesting that if the majority of Americans decided to expel a religious or ethnic minority then that's ok? The point of studying history is to learn to be better. I hope we don't see a slide back into these sorts of barbarisms just because they happened in the past.

Define French. What are you saying here, exactly? What makes someone French or not? Are you suggesting mass expulsions? Pogroms? Based on what criteria? Who gets to decide who is French enough?

I dunno. I don't even know what leadership is anymore & this thread didn't really clarify for it me; and I don't quite see how everyone can be a leader, and I don't even see how that's good for society anyway. And obv it's so deeply cultural. Anyone coming from cultures where humility and teamwork and self-effacement are valued will obviously be at an immediate disadvantage. I also wonder if it leads to this weird 'entitlement' that people talk about. And fwiw, I think most of the grumblings about the entitlement generation are bs... but I have to wonder if having constantly been on & on about leadership and demonstrating it in various ways just leads to people who cannot then function in the lower to mid management jobs which most bachelor's degree holders end up filling. There isn't always room for advancement, there aren't going to be breakout positions. Most will get stuck in some goodish job where they will have to work collegially with others and take orders from others and not be an annoying jerk to people below them. I have seen some people who are just good at getting stuff done and who will tackle projects and show initiative. I don't see that as leadership. I see that as competence. The 'leadership' people are ime sometimes very difficult to work with because it's like they always want to prove something.

"despite the ceaseless news about war, crime, and terrorism, violence has actually been in decline over long stretches of history" Better Angels of Our Nature

European powers, Russia & the US meddled, bent, controlled nations for sometimes generations, bending them to their own wills and using them as pawns in their own geo-political quests for power. Tunisia didn't achieve independence until 1956 (I refuse to use the phrase "France granted Tunisia independence"; it's so loaded with arrogant assumptions that it was theirs to take & give & decide..) Colonialism is something that I think is not well understood in NA. I think our history as "old" colonies makes us think it's some ancient old artifact when it's not....

We're still reeling from the effects of colonialism. Decolonization of Africa is very recent.

yeah, it doesn't explain all of it but I thought you & regentrude agreed it was an unusually low price, and her dh is flying for 600. Between inflation & reduction in competition that's pretty much most of the price increase.

We have a fabric roof top carrier that we use for camping road trips because our van is filled with dogs and there's little room for tents and sleeping bags. It's lasted well for many years; no rips or snags. If you might be driving in rain, then yeah, I'd bag everything carefully in plastic inside it. Ours is like heavy duty canvas and treated with some rubber-like substance inside but I wouldn't trust it for a big rain fall. The advantage to ours is that when you don't need it, you can pack it back up. It fits in a small box - smaller than a filing box.

OP posted just a few weeks ago that she was thinking of quitting homeschooling & again reported being very overwhelmed. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/614890-thinking-about-quitting/ I think OP needs to hear again and again that this situation is not ok for her or for her children. I believe she's asking for confirmation that it's not supposed to be this way, and that it needs changing. OP, you need counselling. Yes, your children will behave better when you feel better & can parent better. I don't care if your dh doesn't 'believe' in counselling. You need it. I agree that you should think hard about other solutions such as getting the kids into school, activities, a paid helper etc.

$325 in 1996 is $499 in 2016 so OP, inflation is a large chunk of it Add the consolidation in the industries which a poster mentioned, plus an aging fleet which means either expensive repairs/retrofits or commissioning new aircraft. I think you guys in the US had abnormally low airfares for a while during the airline wars, esp on the short to mid-haul flights so that might be part of what you're remembering.

:iagree: It's way easier to prevent litter box problems imo than it is to fix them. You can extend the life of a litter box if you're very careful about cleaning but sooner or later you'll have to replace. The plastics used are porous and they absorb odors. Also cats scratch in them and gouge the surface, allowing bacteria to settle. I used to fully wash our boxes every week: scrub them with antibacterial cleanser and water and a brush, rinse, and if the weather was good, put out in the sun for a bit.

Quill, GSDs have got to be the most horrifically damaged breed right now. I do know there are some East European lines which are breeding to different standards & there's a chance the breed will eventually recover, but not until the clubs get their head out of their %^&(. You'll want to check out Jemima's blog as she's been talking tons recently about Crufts & Tori - the barely walking GSD who won. Most of the discussion is around March of this year. http://pedigreedogsexposed.blogspot.ca/search?updated-max=2016-03-23T23:58:00Z&max-results=7&start=21&by-date=false

Well, it's rare but I'm going to disagree with you about the longevity because the little data we have (& man oh man are clubs and the whole dog fancy world as a whole behind in actually collecting and analyzing data) shows otherwise. The 2014 UK Kennel Club survey showed a precipitous drop in life expectancy. "more than 85% of KC registered dogs today do not make it to old age - and almost all die, or are put to sleep, because of disease." The study results are here: http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/vets-researchers/pedigree-breed-health-survey-2014 The Pedigree dogs exposed write up (which is where that quote is from) is here: http://pedigreedogsexposed.blogspot.ca/2016/02/breaking-news-kc-survey-reveals.html Also I'd really like to see a statistician go through that survey & compare longevity v. s/n status. Right now we're making too many guesses based on inadequate studies.

you can turn off all the news etc from fb by using FBpurity. It's a browser extension that works differently than an ad blocker. It lets you personalize your feed in lots of different ways & can remove the "trending topics" section completely for example.

facebook has activated its safety check in so anyone on fb within wifi or good data should be able to check in. https://www.facebook.com/safetycheck/nice-france-attack-jul14-2016/

There are version of this shirt for all sorts of animals. Cats make me happy; you not so much. Rabbits, dogs, etc. It's in the vein of saying "I love _____(animal) more than most people." or "the more people I meet, the more I like my dog"

I like what Farrar said above but also I had one more thought: I wonder if this is about issues of control. Sometimes I think this isn't about scarcity so much as about control. So I guess I'd want to know how much decision making and autonomy do you give them.

Well, honestly I'd say the biggest problem is your dh's unwillingness to make changes which will help your children. The other issues I'd consider are these: - are they bored? - are they getting attention by doing this? Are they 'naughty' and constantly in trouble? If so, this is something that requires a revamp in your parenting right from the ground up. - can you just get out the house way more? If you're out at a picnic, or a walk in the park, or a play session at the children's center, here's your pre-packed lunch and snacks and that's it.

what humane methods to you object to ?

I think so. I don't really see fat raw fed cats but that's probably partly because the raw feeders are crazy animal people, kwim? So they tend to be hyper aware of these issues. But carbs are a definite prob and yes, I would try it. Though switching cats to raw can be a pita & I failed after years of trying & gave up. The purina is turkey based so I'd probably start with that protein. honestly if I was doing it, I'd start with a limited ingredient turkey based canned http://www.instinctpetfood.com/instinct-limited-ingredient-diets-canned-for-cats I think getting rid of the rice & corn in the diet is key to weight loss in cats. They're a species which really does need to be ultra low carb.

Yeah, I'd be thinking about a kettle & microwave in the bedrooms :D

Oh I see. That's different. That amount of tooth extraction also contributes to drooling btw - no teeth to hold the drool in :) I don't know. I just don't know because I've never had an animal not go in for an annual check up; not vaccines, just check up. After middle age, my dogs and cats get geriatric blood panels and usually a urine check as well to look for latent infections. We discovered my cat's CRFvery early, way before any symptoms because of regular blood work, and were able to implement some supportive therapies which slowed the progress and gave her many years of life. Once my animals are seniors, they go in about every 6 months. I just cannot imagine being in your position. FWIW, if I inherited this cat, I'd sedate it and have a vet exam, urine, bloods, and probably shoot an xray, and then make decisions. Frankly, if the feral cat rescuers can get ferals treated, s/n, & recovered (in the TNR programs), I just don't see why it can't be done with a pet. I think some people on this board would say I'm a ridiculous softie and accuse me of anthropomorphizing in all sorts of situations, but this is one case where I think empathy gets in the way. We feel so bad for them that we don't take the necessary steps....

fwiw, the type of forgetting you're mentioning sounds a bit more than normal age related memory loss. I think of that as forgetting name of an acquaintance or details of something that happened a year or more ago. Not remembering recent conversations is a flag for dementia.

WRT diet for cats, I'm convinced that all kibble is evil. ANY canned or pouched food will be better than a kibble. But I think the best is raw. Alas, I had a cat I could never convert, even after trying for a long time. She stayed on canned no grain food. I think Dr Elizabeth Hodgkins (her book is called Your Cat) has good advice. She also runs a website on prevention and treatment of diabetes in cats http://www.yourdiabeticcat.com/diet.html

Cat teeth can resorb. It is a painful condition. http://www.mypetsdentist.com/feline-tooth-resorption.pml The visible plaque which you can scrape off is not really the issue as the plaque and tartar under the gumline. I would not mess with her mouth yourself. IMO you just increase the chance of infection. I had a drooly cat - I know that cats drool when they're happy. But a cat with a mouth like you're describing & missing teeth? That cat is also in PAIN.