Linda Z

I'm working at home today so have had cable news going in the background for much of the day. The CEO of the mine company said in a press conference that if he had to do it over, he'd have gone to the church where the families were waiting and told them that they were getting conflicting reports about who had survived and who hadn't. One of his colleagues said that the mere logistics of getting to the nearby church were daunting because there was so much traffic between the mine and the church. The CEO also said that at the point when he heard, "No, 11 are dead," he didn't know which report to believe and didn't want to tell the families unless the 2nd report was confirmed to be true. He might just be covering butt, but I get the impression that they were doing the best they could under way less than optimal circumstances. I fully understand the human tendency to grab for any good news and the tendency to want to shout good news from the rooftops. Although the rescue workers were told not to release any info about the miners until it was confirmed, it would be damn hard not to let out a shout of joy if you thought you heard "12 alive!" One person interviewed said that it wasn't someone from the mine company but a Red Cross worker who came to the church with the false report of 12 alive. Either way, I get how the first, wrong report got so quickly spread. What I don't get is how this mine was still operating when 17 or 18 (again, conflicting reports) of its most recent safety citations were severe enough to warrant a shut-down. I have to ask if all the violations they were cited for had been corrected before this tragic accident. If the company has skirted the law in any way or if the gov't officials have turned a blind eye to the need to correct the unsafe conditions, then I'd say heads should roll.

Sad but true, only one survived, and he's in critical condition, on a ventilator. Those poor families. I understand how the miscommunication might have happened. What I don't get is why it took the officials 3 hours to tell them about the mistake, when they reportedly knew within 20 minutes that only one miner was alive, rather than 12. :( Those folks need our prayers.

Okay, someone has to rescue this poor thread. Way to stump us, Karmic! I'll pick it up where it screeched to a halt: All of Me Steve Martin Roxanne (great modern-day adaptation of the classic Cyrano de Bergerac tale!)

WD, don't tease! Your link requires a name and password. Sniff.

My #1 gift was that my mom is recovering steadily after suffering a heart attack the Monday before Christmas. She was able to come home from the hospital on Friday, and we had a nice, low-key get-together on Christmas day. I was also thankful to be able to spend two Christmases in a row with my son. The years when he couldn't get here from Colorado were rough for me. I could get used to this! The other gift was my son's bringing his dog to my house for a nice long visit--until after New Year's eve when he won't be working so many hours. ("He" being my son. :) His dog's "job" is just to be adorable, sweet, and snuggly.) WhiteDove, I didn't know you'd found Lucca. How wonderful! And I agree--doggie kisses are always a gift, and rescued dogs really do show their gratitude and love. Geo., I was thinking of you on Christmas. Trust me, it's not only you guys who have been through the break-up of their marriages, and Christmas can seem pretty bleak at first. (I guess that's especially so when you don't think much of Christmas to begin with.) I trust it will get better for you.

By far the best twi "function" I ever skipped out on was the reading of POP at Corps Week '86. I had heard it the first time, on a phone hook-up, and I sure as heck wasn't going to sit through it again! I went and had a couple brewskis with a friend of mine who lived in NK. Oh, and then there was the time the Family Corps stopped at Emporia for a couple days on our way to Gunnisack, just before graduation. The first night we got there, we told the Corps Coordinator (I forget who was in chage at the time) that it was Family Night for us Rome Citians, and that meant free time. He didn't know what else to do with us, so he cut as loose and we went to the movies and then for pizza and beer while the 9th and 11th Corps (sorrrrrrrry, guys) were in some long, boring class or meeting.

Monster-in-Law Jane Fonda On Golden Pond (I coulda been mean and put Barbarella here, eh?)

I've had books from the 18th century (yes, the 1700s) that were worth next to nothing and books from the early 20th century that sold for a fair amount. My point? Age alone doesn't mean value when it comes to books. Demand is another big factor. I've got some decent first editions that I was thinking of selling and they're valued pretty high in book value guides, but they're not going on ebay for even a small fraction of what booksellers on bookfinder.com are asking, so I'm hanging on to them. Ebay has made it a buyer's market unless you have a real rarity. I'm not trying to discourage you, Belle. Perhaps you have some real treasures there. But I also don't want you to be disappointed.

I agree completely with Watered Garden. It was a joke, like snipe hunting at summer camp, and I thought it was hilarious. We did it in the Family Corps out on U. Harry Hill, with VP, Del D, and Gary Curxxs presiding. Anyone who took it seriously must have been very young and very, very naive, because it was obviously tongue-in-cheek. There are/were plenty of things wrong with twi, but this silly little "ritual," IMO, wasn't one of them.

Kevlar, don't ever leave us. We used to joke about whether anyone ever heard RFR speak in tongues because we weren't convinced anyone like her could really be "one of us." The fact remains that she's a legalistic, deceitful manipulator, SIT or not.

Bliss said: Obviously this was someone who never worked directly with RFR.

Exsie, I think you're thinking of Clem Corpu s.

Hey! What's say we unban him? :D And while we're at it, I can think of a couple other people I'd like to see back here, like Suz and Vickles. I don't know if they're banned, but they vanished rather suddenly, hmmm?

I've stumped myself, too. I can't think of another movie Margaret O'Brien (Tootie, I think was her character's name in Meet Me in St. Lous) was in. She was a pretty famous child star back then I think. Does that jog anyone's memory? Okay, I had to cheat. I once knew this but had forgotten. Sue me? :P Little Women Katherine Hepburn Desk Set Next!

Rocky, if word gets to you about this thread, happy birthday. You are missed around here!

Exsie, it was in the Advanced Class. As I recall VP was talking about a particular woman and her insisting on living next to a graveyard. And he did say devil spirits like to hang out around graveyards and that's why she was so screwed up. That's all I remember. I love to walk through old graveyards and read the tombstones and wonder what the lives of the people buried there were like. It's humbling and peaceful, sweet and sad at the same time, not to mention a great source of genealogical info, like David said. As far as I know this activity hasn't gotten me PO-Zessed yet.

I just watched A Christmas Carol, the real one with Reginald Owen (1938, I think). I love it no matter how many times I see it. I love watching ol' Scrooge rediscover the heart he had as a boy and transform from a bitter old miser into someone who cares.

I'd rather have a root canal than go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. We've all agreed to keep it simple in our family this year. We drew names last night and set a moderate dollar amount. We've tried this before and always slipped back into buying for all nine of us, but I think this year we'll do it. With the money saved from not overspending, we've agreed to make a donation as a family to a local charity. Usually Christmas morning is a 4-hour gift-opening orgy. We're going to play games and do some family reminiscing instead. It's hard to change lifelong traditions, but I think we'll enjoy this just as much.

Well, coolchef, you weren't a 12-year-old kid struggling with the usual angst of puberty at the time. Big difference.

Hope you're enjoying your birthday today. Happy birthday, Paw!

Sheesh, coolchef, I can't imagine what your post said before the moderator censored it, because it's still obnoxious. Yes, there probably are a few people who try to cash in on the scandals of the RC church. A handful maybe. But for the ones who genuinely were sexually abused, as many have been, how can you so callously proclaim they should just "get over it"? If you haven't been in their shoes, how do you know how long the shame and confusion and hurt and anger might linger after a man who's SUPPOSED to be trusted and trustworthy does such a reprehensible act to a CHILD? And not all the victims who come forward suddenly remember what happened 40 years later. Many of them are just too ashamed to speak up for 20 or 30 or 40 years. And back to the point about the children's ages. I don't care if the victims were 5 or 12. Child molestation is a crime that should be punished, not swept under the carpet. And 12 would probably be FAR WORSE than 5, given the sexual uncertainty and baggage boys have at that age to begin with. What these kids suffer at the hands of priests is emotionally traumatic (and yes, priests aren't the only ones who do it, but instead of getting the "sexual predator" label to warn people to beware, they get transferred to another parish where they can do it again). Let's imagine a different scenario. Let's say some guy knocks your wife down in the parking lot of the local supermarket and rapes her. What deadline would you give her to "get over it"? A month? A year? If she wasn't all better emotionally by your deadline, would you classify her as just another whining victim? If 20 years from now she still was afraid to go shopping alone would you dump her because, after all, she should have just renewed her mind and stopped feeling like a victim? You're right. Your post really ticks me off. I think the smug among us need to stop and think about growing some empathy.

I can't believe this poor thread has been neglected since Nov. 14. Okay, here we go: Judy Garland Meet Me in St. Louis Margaret O'Brien

Okay, no one else was biting. The rest of the story's at: http://arizona.indymedia.org/news/2005/11/33043.php What I can't believe is that all these charges are only misdemeanors.

Welcome home, BroSpeed! So glad you're back and safe and sound!!

I imagine it's the same person, Geo, but he did a hair analysis on me and didn't find "aluminum poisoning." All I know is that the treatment he recommended worked wonders on the carpal tunnel syndrome, and I've since read articles by MDs supporting B6 for that condition. I'm not a huge fan of all the naturopathic treatments and diagnostic methods but my alternative was carpal tunnel surgery, which the MD specialist who diagnosed my condition said has a fairly frequent failure rate and is associated with a difficult recovery. For me it was a no-brainer. I took vitamins. It worked. It worked better than I could have imagined. You know, a little bit of skepticism is a good thing. Too much and you might just miss out on some things that would do ya good!