Hi Jim: thank you for the link to Charleston Tea Plantation ...I'll definitely order some for Christmas ... I love the taste of green tea. Hubby drinks coffee, but that doesn't appeal to me. A friend sent me a link to how tainted foods from China are, such as contaminated vinegar with anti-freeze (lethal poison). A grandmother in Vietnam was healthy until she turned 98 years old and drank wine tainted with rubbing alcohol ... she became blind & sick and died afterwards. http://www.wired.com/2011/08/china-food-risk/ Pets are also affected by tainted foods from China. From Wikipedia about the 2007 pet food recalls "By the end of March, veterinary organizations reported more than 100 pet deaths amongst nearly 500 cases of kidney failure,[1] with one online database self-reporting as many as 3,600 deaths as of 11 April.[2][3] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received reports of several thousand cats and dogs who have died after eating contaminated food .... the actual death toll could potentially reach into the thousands.[6][7] Overall, several major companies have recalled more than 5300 pet food products, with most of the recalls coming from Menu Foods.[4] The contamination was caused by melamine in the affected foods. The Chinese company behind the contaminated wheat gluten has initially denied any involvement in the contamination. Reports of widespread and possibly intentional adulteration of Chinese animal feed with melamine have raised the issue of melamine contamination in the human food supply, both in China and abroad.[11] On 27 April, the U.S. FDA subjected all vegetable proteins imported from China, intended for human or animal consumption, to detention without physical examination, including: wheat gluten, rice gluten, rice protein, rice protein concentrate, corn gluten, corn gluten meal, corn byproducts, soy protein, soy gluten, proteins (includes amino acids and protein hydrosylates), and mung bean protein.[12] In a teleconference with reporters on 1 May, officials from the FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture said between 2.5 and 3 million people in the United States had consumed chickens that had consumed feed containing contaminated vegetable protein from China.[13] Current research has focused on the combination of melamine and cyanuric acid in causing renal failure. Reports that cyanuric acid may be an independently and potentially widely used adulterant in China have heightened concerns for both pet and human health.[14] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_pet_food_recalls Dr. Oz TV-show tested high arsenic levels in major-brands apple-juice, such as Mott and Minute Maid, with China as their supplier. http://www.doctoroz.com/article/dr-oz-investigates-arsenic-apple-juice The Wall Street Journal has a list of foods most imported from China, here's an excerpt from below link: "Chinese imports dominate some food categories to a striking extent. In a testimony before a subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in May (pdf), food safety expert Patty Lovera noted that China accounted for 80% of tilapia, 51% of cod, 49% of apple juice, 34% of processed mushrooms, 27% of garlic and 16% of frozen spinach consumed in the U.S. in 2011." Here is a link that might be useful: Wall Street Journal on foods imported from China

Hi, I have a pair of these. The material is *very* stretchy, but not that controlling. Inside the jeans are reinforcement areas that actually don't do much at all. I loved these the first wearing - nice, long & lean looking and very comfortable, but the material seemed to relax a bit too much after the first washing. Can't stand having to pull up my jeans after sitting... I was disappointed.

I am the opposite - always have been pear shaped - so that now at 59 I am still pretty much the same shape - sure a big bigger in the tummy area - but legs are as heavy as always. I am long waisted with short legs - I am 5' 7" yet appear to be taller because of said long waist and being small on the top. People think I weigh about 115 - but I weigh 135. I don't wear pants - just don't fit right - am better in skirts/dresses - long ones - otherwise I appear cut off and it really shows where my calves "blossom". Very hard to find clothing long enough, in black, navy or khaki green (my best colours) - and also that is classic with a bit of flare. I have never suited the styles of the various time periods - especially the second or third time around. I don't care for elastic waists - they make me feel fat for some reason and don't suit me. I do have my walking the dog sweat pants that I wear in winter - they have elastic waists -but I must buy men's or they won't fit my legs - I am quite the sight - I pull them on under my nightgown and put on my long coat, hat and boots. Some people think 2 different women live at my house. No point dressing neatly at my house - I have a WHITE American Eskimo dog - think lots of cat-like dog hair.

I was the jury foreman on a medical malpractice trial for a botched tummy tuck. All I can say to you is get good references (i.e., from friends, not a patient list the doctor gives you) and ask lots of questions. Also do some checking on the doctor's background and status with the medical and legal communities. The poor woman who had the tummy tuck got home only to discover she no longer had a navel. She did however have horrible scarring, and was traumatized by waking up in the middle of the surgery. Jodi-