I'm bigger also. I lose some, gain some, the more I excersize, the more I eat, I haven't been an American Size 12 for years, I think your UK sizes run smaller, so you must be very tiny maybe about a size 8 American, but just guessing. I'm not very tall also, so the weight is all that much more on me. When I was a size 5, people called me Ethiopian, they don't like skinny women in America, most don't anyways. The meat here is fed hormones to make the animals eat more, fatten them up for market, but it is transferred to people as well, they eat more because of the hormones. I can't blame my weight on eating meat because it's my least favorite part of the meal. I like the sugar and don't drink water, big part of calorie intake. It's the eating, lying down afterwards, staying up all night confusing your daily routine, making you eat more thinking it's time for dinner for the next day. Not getting any sleep will throw you off and get you eating in the middle of the night. Once you become bigger, you eat to supply the normal calorie count you are used to, and then you keep gaining. People eat a lot, no doubt, and if they made a concious effort, they could save at least 1/3 of their grocery bill each week if not half. Considering the global economic and supply issues, I wonder why no on in America really cares to make an attempt. I was impressed that Obama, not my favorite or unfavorite person, grew a Whitehouse Garden, Queen Elizabeth II has had one out for the past few years, so even the big wigs are publicly making attempts to encourage Victory type gardens. It would be wise to take a hint, if it's one at all. I researched Victory Gardens and basically they reclaimed unused property, the owners had no say so, for temporary gardens and supplied water at half price to anyone willing to pay for the lot for the year, the price then was something like 5 dollars. It must have been a nice effor though. I've never noticed what size tables though, I'll have to take a look. My dad stands about 6 foot 4 inches, so I see the tables usefull for taller people. Several of my cousins stand 6 foot 5 or more. I'm the runt of my siblings at only near 5 foot 4 inches. We might find research on why the tables are like that somewhere, a restaurant would definitely prefer the hungrier bigger man to a little 110 pound woman. I would imagine someone from Europe would not like American food. An American would feel the same, you guys over there just started to carry cookies and your peanut butter is different. Your pizza parlors sell quiche, I've never had quiche and I love eggs, but I would definitely prefer pizza. America wouldn't know what to do with a supermarket that sold rabbit or goat meat.

With a subject like this, I had to see what was posted! I am one that can "see" patterns in human behavior, church bibles, priests, and preachers, or should I say religious organizations? Obviously things are going in the wrong direction, but this was predicted a long time ago. I am sure we all know or have noticed the war, weather and natural disasters are getting a tad worse each year, with a few years of breaks between? If not, read your library magazines like Popular Science and such. I am not the only one that notices these things. Of course when so many bad things are going on and reported daily in the media, people tend to seek ways to avoid the danagers and possible disasters many are predicting. It is correct to say "your world" will end soon, but that is a word riddle about life and death of any and all human government (rule) types, and lifestyles. Among us here there has already been a few endings of "world", followed by a number of new beginnings (Genesis). Change is good, normally if it means coming away from dependency on human rulers, meaning generals, and merchants also. Doing so tends to make a person feel less like a victim, and more like a "self-reliant" individual. Call it survivalist if you like, but what we are seeking is a closer move towards our nomadic parent's lifestyle; totally free of human rulers of any kind, but also linked to the natural world in a very personal way, more like the animals that tend to survive disasters. Since humans are at the top of the food chain, and can stay there with knowledge and wisdom, our only real enemy is another person wanting to rule over us in some way instead of living as an equal. Living as equals is where the sharing idea came from, but hording and merchandizing came from the "settler" way of thinking, seeking to "profit" from others. This is why the church bibles are full of stories about nomads (Hebrews) not getting along with settler (Gentile) types, and the basic message was nomadic is the better choice for a number of reasons, including peace, even if some tent dwellers tended to be violent pirates. Not wanting to preach the "Hebrew" viewpoint all that much more, let me say "organic" is wise, and requires knowledge shared among equals since the merchants have another objective; dependancy. The reason the superstores have stuff so cheap is to enslave those without knowledge and the wisdom of self-reliance. "Heirloom" fruits and vegetables don't need seed packet salers either if you know how to keep your own seeds each year, so that is why the merchants only offer hybreds; the seeds tend to not reproduce faithfully by design. Wisdom and experience teaches hybred seeds and plants are self-destructive, and continues the city victim (settler) cycle. Your deep desire for self-reliance is based on wisdom from experience and an unexplainable lust to be less dependant on others, even if this is never fully possible over an entire life cycle. We call it an instinct that tends to show itself in powerful ways during various stages in life. Think "teenager", lol, as one example. So my advice is to continue to walk the new path towards more and more self-reliance and share your failures and successes for the benefit of others just getting on the same path. In my mind this is living as an equal knowing a time will come, as before (many times over), when times are going to be tuff for the survivors among us seeking a more nomadic freedom. Why these times come, and when they come are the messages of the "seers", and predictions, some call prophecy. That is a "time of sharing" for another day and subject title. Obviously many here know by instinct they need to be more self-reliant, but may have trouble explaining why, and what is in the back of their mind. Take encouragement from my words and keep walking away from being in a victimizing lifestyle. Tsavah

Hello Searn, I can't find any information on the Ball Eclipse. However, the design sounds identical to the All-American made by WAFCO. I'm wondering if years ago they made their canner under the Ball Eclipse name. WAFCO has been very helpful in the past when Forum members have called. Given their long history in the business, at the very least they might be able to connect you with someone who can answer your question. It's a long shot but worth trying. Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry Co., Inc., Consumer Products Division, NE Corner-South 18th & Franklin Street, Manitowoc, WI 54220, Customer Service: (920) 682-8627, Fax Number: (920) 682-4090 Just for comparison I've provided a picture of an All-American canner. It's the only canner currently in production with a metal-to-metal seal and Bakelite wingnuts. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: All-American Pressure Canner

Ah the old gas deisel debate ! I shall jump in, Firstly, there are some RV forums on the web that dissect this argument pretty good. I have a 1 ton utility bed gmc w/ the 8.1L gas currently and have had deisel work trucks before. The big thing people don't look at is that while deisels can give you some phenomenal mpg, this is unloaded. Load the truck down and/or drive faster than 70mph and that deisel mpg drops more dramatically than a gas. My 8.1L gas pickuper got about 12mpg then I added another 5000 lbs and I'm down to around 10 mpg. Guys I know that have deisel work trucks got up to 20 mpg empty but when they added the utility bed, pipe racks and all the parts they are down to maybe 14mpg. Everyone wants a deisel and the dealers won't discount, nobody wanted the big gas and I got a really good deal. Deisel engine in a pickup is at least $5000.00 more plus the dealers won't deal. The way I figger you have to drive at least 100k miles to break even, but I always get rid of my trucks just before 100k. Used to be that co's w/ large fleets of trucks bought deisels because there was less maintenance, just replace oil and fuel filters but it's the same way w/ gas now, most don't need anything until 100k. I say you are either a gas man or a deisel man, just don't try to say that deisel's make more sense economically. You need to do the math, also consider more stopping for fuel w/ a gas, so check the tank size. Also deisel is not as readily available as gas, when I had a deisel I had to make sure to keep it filled because the stations that carried deisel closed down after 10 p.m. Shouldn't be a problem touring out on the interstate however.