I always laugh when it finally boils down to Fox News, when there are so many other channels, stations, websites out there. I rarely watch Hannity, those kinds of pundits don't interest me, but if you want his counterpoint, try Chris Matthews on MSNBC, who habitually lies like a rug. Nothing fair and balanced about him or his cohorts! My favorite news sources are CNN, from 2 - 6 pm PST starting with Wolf Blitzer, Washington Journal on Cspan, from 4-7 am PST, and KGO, San Francisco's big gorilla of a radio station, which is resolutely left-wing. ALL of those sources have hammered away at every conceivable aspect of the OBL case pro and con. It is now day five since OBL's demise and they are all still discussing whether or not to show the pictures, whether or not he should have been killed (as opposed to "bringing him to justice" here in the States), what the precise circumstances of his death were, how large was the role played by the previous administration in tracking him down, did Pakistan know, etc., etc., ad infinitum. I agree totally agree with Jterrilynn: "This isn't about who's right or wrong it's about what would be best over all for our country. To stay informed you can't just follow news that sticks to your exact political views." If one only follows the sources that agree with a particular point of view and LOL at everything else, instead of considering whether valid points are being made, then IMO one is not completely well-informed.

What a great thread...just found it today as I was surfing GW - I live mostly on the Kitchen & Home building forums :) Ilene - I was particularly interested in hearing your story - how is your daughter doing? I, too, had gastric bypass in Jan 06...my only regret was that I didn't do it earlier. I was indeed 'dying' a slow death & to me, it was the last resort, too. It took me 20 years to finally decide. I researched until all the cows came home...I am one to research something to death - I had to be sure. I'm almost 5 years post-op & I feel great! I've lost about 165 lbs & feel so much better. Hubby likes it, too ;) (Before & after pic below). The bypass is by no means a 'free pass'...it's a tool that, if used correctly, can have dramatic results. There is no magic solution...one still has to work. Yes, it does make it easier in some areas but the surgeon's knife didn't work on my brain. I had to use the 'honeymoon' period to build the good habits that will keep the weight off. I'm not perfect but like with anything you do...you just keep shooting toward the mark. :) Sugar was the reason I weighed 333 lbs. I was blessed with an intense sweets aversion from the moment I woke up. God must've said, "This gal needs this!" LOL A lot of people have sweets aversion following surgery (along with other weird food tastes that do eventually change) but they most often 'train' themselves right back into the sugar habit by just switching to sugar-free or even with the real stuff. I just chose to keep the white stuff out of my life. I was the dessert queen so it was kind of a challenge to hand off my 'crown' :) I do have to be careful, though...my sweet tooth has become very salty - love salt (funny, I have low blood pressure). I love those new Pop Chips - very low calories & fat. My favorite snack is the Revival Soy Jalapeno Cheddar protein chips...yum! The thing that helps me is cooking in bulk & freezing in portions. I make a lot of Arrabbiata Sauce (a spicy Italian sauce) & either combine it with meatballs or 'chunky' cooked hamburger (when I cook I don't mash the meat into tiny bits...I keep it 'chunky' so it's meaty.) I eat that with cottage cheese & don't miss the pasta at all. When hamburger is on sale, I make 2 huge pans of meatballs & cook them in the oven & store in Ziploc bags in the freezer. I can use these in so many different ways. I also make a boatload of chili at a time - one of my favorite meals. I've gathered a lot of favorite recipes & try to always have something on hand. For me, planning is essential. I fill my fridge with in-season produce & veggies. I make a lot of roasted veggies & eat with cottage cheese. I make tons of homemade salsas & use Mission extra-thin corn tortillas for my 'chips'. Quarter them, zap in micro for about 1:30 until crispy, 1 oz cheese on top, zap, serve with salsa, sour cream & a few grapes. I make a lot of beans, rice for...

Ginny, we had a discussion about frocks somewhere around RP not long ago. I got the impression no US female has worn one for many years but the word is still around over here although it has come to be used as in a 'party frock' event or maybe a summery picnic-by-the-river/watching a game of polo with an eligible Royal. At the other extreme 'frocks' are worn by the transvestite community. The artist Grayson Perry collected his Turner Prize wearing a natty little number . . . a path down which I shall no further tread. Re plus-fours my father wore them as a young man about town/golf course, years before he married. We still have the long socks/stockings that he wore with them. They were kept for Christmas Eve and left at the end of our beds for 'Father Christmas' (as we in the UK call Santa Claus). They were inherited by our children, pity Dad didn't have three legs. Still holding up well since c1930 . . . could the same be said of modern materials?

Liberals... do what makes you feel good, take God out of schools, okay to burn the flag, disrespect the President Ingeorgia, if you're going to be so critical, at least don't be a hypocrite. You criticize others for disrespecting the President but I have seen you refer to President Obama as "obamination" several times, including when he was still in office. I guess your comment only applies when you like the President. I don't like Trump at all but I would never call him names like you call Obama. I'm more respectful than that. The generalizations you make in the rest of your post are sad. I had no idea that rap music is a liberal thing. I'm happy to support keeping religion out of the government and whatever gender people choose to identify as. I support peaceful protesting. I have never celebrated the death of police officers and I find that implication disgusting and incredibly offensive. It's also a downright lie, which is funny since you also call liberals liars. I don't believe the government should be able to force women to have children, especially if the children are rape consequence, endanger the life of the mother, or are terminal themselves. I recently read about a woman who found out in her second trimester that her child will be born with a severe deformity and die immediately upon birth. Her doctors recommended termination but Texas passed a law that prohibits insurance companies from covering abortions unless it's a medical emergency. Since this child could be carried to term, this woman has a choice to either carry this terminal child to term or pay $8,000 to pay for it herself. They want to force this woman to carry a baby she knows won't live for another 5 months and make the child suffer during childbirth only to die shortly afterwards. Are you okay with that? It's barbaric and inhumane for both mother and child. These are the sort of things we will face if we let the government make these decisions. I'm not pro-abortion. No one is pro-abortion. I don't like when women use abortion casually like birth control. But I think it's worse for the government to make decisions about women's bodies.