green

I still don't understand enough about Blackwater to comment cogently on it.

Yes, the American and Canadian psyche are very different: this is a largely secular country and we have legalised same sex marriage. Of course the weight of our population now resides in cities and urbanites do tend to be more "modern." Our rural folk are also very, very socially conservative. This is not to say that Canada is a better country. We produce truly dreadful entertainment for the most part and it is for this reason that we spend most of our time watching American TV and movies. Or the Brit stuff. I spend exactly one hour per week watching our national television network, the CBC. I believe that America has traditionally been viewed as the land of opportunity and as a generous hearted country, one which fosters creativity in all fields including the intellectual and financial arenas. Since the rise of the religious right, the invasion of Iraq, the numerous political gaffes of mini-Bush and his gang - and these are all documented in the foreign press - and the mishandling of the Katrina tragedy, America has lost much of its former lustre globally speaking. This is to be regretted. The rest of us in the West really do need a strong, wise and modern America.

Elena, it was me who asked about Blackwater. I hadn't heard of it before.

I agree with Wasa on this issue. Because Christians form the majority in North America there is simply no way that they can legitimately claim that they are a persecuted group. I will also mention that I am a member of an atheist website and that there are a number of members who post who live in the Bible Belt. These individuals have commented that they are unable to come out about their lack of belief to their communities or even to their extended families because this would cause them to be shunned and they would, of course, lose their ability to earn a living as well. I found these tales extraordinarily interesting. You see, I live in a large Canadian city and the issue of my faith rarely enters the conversation unless it is within the context of childhood experiences or within the framework of anti-Semitism.

I agree. Sticky genitalia are not good. :phanvan They might attract ants. :help:

Hah! All of us were 23 .... once. *sob*

Wasa, I think that you are going to have some trouble with many of the visual arts if your ability to discern colour is impaired. Why not buy yourself a kit where you build yourself a model boat or aircraft or something? I know it sounds kinda butch but you won't have to rely on making colour/aesthetic choices. Maybe you can find a kit to build yourself a lamp??? You might also try drawing, working in black and white. Working in pen and ink is pleasant as is working in pencil or charcoal. And remember, too, for the first while you will be spending much of your time doing little more than enjoying your meds. :Banane34:

Sounds like a good analysis, Ghost.

I've been recently spending some of my time reading about Islam. It might interest some of you to learn that this religion was very tolerant of those who held different beliefs. These folks were referred to as dhimmi and when they lived inside the borders of the Islamic countries they were merely requested to pay a special tax. The religious intolerance which we see displayed by so many Islamic fundamentalists today is a relatively recent development. And Islam, like Christianity and Judaism, like all religions for that matter, does demand of its believers a lifestyle which, if carefully followed, will ensure that we behave kindly, respectfully and peacefully towards each other and that we will look after the disadvantaged members of our tribe. Of course this message, which is one of social civility and personal kindness, is inevitably deformed by us but it remains our ideal. I myself am an atheist. I believe that mankind fashions their gods after their own needs but I do think that the messages which we give ourselves are interesting and extraordinarily valuable. Certainly, should a God/Creator exist, something I seriously doubt, it is unlikely that He/She/It would be anything like the Jewish, the Christian, or the Islamic construct. To think anything else strikes me as being arrogant and wrong-headed.

ROFLMAO Now that you have mentioned this I am starting to remember that I heard chat about this a longggggggggg time ago. Of course a grrl wouldn't want to spring this on a member of the Viagra set without prior warning unless you were sure that you were definitely written into the will.

Wasa is a valued member of this site. Not only has she gone through the lap band experience and subsequent weight loss journey herself but she is a member of the medical establishment, one who has chosen to engage herself in educating herself on a professional level on the technical aspects of the surgery itself in addition to learning about those issues concerning its aftermath and, moreover, those issues which relate to weight loss in general. It is for this reason that she brings something special to LBT, the marriage of academic/technical knowledge of lapband/weight loss surgical techniques, and general medical issues and of her own personal struggles with weight loss. She is one of the few qualified resource people who we are lucky to have on this site. Some of you may feel that she is arrogant; the truth is that she is not. She simply knows an awful lot, and has chosen to share this knowledge with us: she cares about us and that really is very bluddy cool.

You have a good point. I think that there are big bunches of us who would miss Wasa. So I guess it is gonna be laptop computer time for you, Wasa, while you are recovering. :ranger:

:heh::heh::heh::heh::heh::clap2:

And a fiscal Republican who is going to hold the Comptroller's Office does make sense/cents. :rolleyes

Ahhh, now that makes more sense.

Hey, cool! Thanks, Wheets. I am going to try this. My mate is a very good mate and he certainly does deserve a pleasant surprise.

There is an old thread on this site concerning the effects of Xenical which is pretty funny. Many of the people who posted then told stories of weird and unexpected oily orange poopage. I did once work for a supervisor who lost a considerable amount of beef and who then told me his secret. It was thanks to Xenical. I begged my doc for some but she said nope. She explained that I might end up having accidents. I told her that I was prepared to eat my triple cheese pizza while sitting on the toilet but the answer was still nope. I was kinda disappointed at the time. And I never did discover whether my supervisor was wearing panty liners. I guess I shoulda asked him.

I have very thick hair but it did start falling out, great big chunks of it whenever I washed it. My hairdresser commented on it. I think that this loss is now slowing down. *hurray!*

You look great!

I am always too hot. My family suffers from the heat and we don't enjoy summer all that much. Since I have lost a big chunk of weight I don't suffer from the heat as badly as I used to but I still prefer cool weather.

I've never played with those kind of balls before. I don't think that I would be very good....

What is Blackwater?

I like to work those stereotypes to my advantage but then I am a very sneaky woman.

I was immobilised after my face lift - I felt too lousy and I looked too freakish to move much - and so I spent most of my time reading, and playing games on the laptop in bed. For the first week I felt too sick and doped up to even watch TV because watching TV meant leaving my bed. Come to think about it, you will likely be fairly heavily doped up for a portion of those 15 days. This means you will be sleeping quite a bit.

Now that I know you a little bit from other threads I think #8 surprises me the most, SSDiva. :rolleyes