Rocky

No big deal... I only pay attention to the AL when something big is in the news (A-Rod's 500th) or Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN HD is an AL game... oh, and interleague games too... but that's over for this season... until October! Looks like the Yankers are staying close to the RedSox and/or looking to get the wild card spot... It was a big night for baseball in SoCal tonight... Hank Aaron is no longer the undisputed HR king. Not that Barry will be UNdisputed after his next one. And the Dbacks now lead the Dodgers by 3 games... and I haven't seen which team won in San Diego tonight (it's gone at least 11 innings).

I've heard from Dougie... he and his family are fine. :)

Undeclared? I dunno, it seems to me like it's been declared... perhaps the title of that book is just a figure of speech?

I hope we hear from Dougie pretty soon. I understand he lives in or near the Twin Cities...

Though I don't have grandchildren (my daughter's only 17... and even that for only 3 more months), I relate to your concern from several angles. I've seen my brother's kids grow up without enough care (my brother died when he was 36 and his daughter was 14 and son 8) AND I had lots of frustration with my ex-wife, even before we separated/divorced. I expressed concern to her one day when my then almost-a-toddler daughter was playing with pots and pans in the kitchen. That alone is no problem and very reasonable for kids to do. But at the time my daughter was playing at the base of the stove (sitting on the floor), her mother was on the phone, was cooking with a large pot of boiling something or other (I forget what, could have been sauce, stew, pasta, etc.) and stirring that boiling pot with one hand... again, all while Amy was playing directly beneath all of this hot stove action. I practically panicked. After separation (joint custody from Amy's age 4-13), my daughter was ALWAYS overtired/sleep deprived at school and on weekends when she was with her mother. Not to mention poorly behaved (from reports of both relatives and non-relatives who had contact during those times) whenever in her mother's "care." Pretty much until she became a teenager (turning 13), she always was well rested and peacefully content at my house. Because she had clear expectations and reliable structure to her life with me. However, once she turned 13, the stuff hit the fan and splattered ALL over the place... figuratively speaking. I won't bore you with the details, but your concerns are very real in my view, and most reasonable. At the same time, I clearly understand the difficulty in communicating with one such as FDIL... So, you have my empathy, my best wishes and prayers. But without question, make it a priority to have a GOOD relationship with the G A L. Because if she's not with you, she could have a difficult time giving much serious consideration to your concerns. I know THIS because I had to deal with a G A L who, along with the judge, I believe was on the take and being bribed by local mormon church officials on my ex-wife's behalf... and most assuredly to the detriment of my daughter.

Hey, I resemble that remark! Obviously still rare, there have been a few good hitting pitchers in recent times... Mike Hampton (is he still around?) for one. Carlos Zambrano has a couple of HRs this year and is batting .291. Dbacks rookie Micah Owings fancies himself a hitter, carries himself as if he knows what to do with the bat, and hit his first major league HR last week. He started yesterday at SD, pitched well and hit a single and a double off of Wells. Owings raised his batting avg (I think) to .235 yesterday. Which is quite respectable for a pitcher.

That's a VERY good idea. Hopefully, you have a good relationship with the guardian ad litem... in which case you might be able to vent your frustration while letting him/her know you don't want to alienate FDIL. If your relationship with the G A L is NOT good, it gets more complicated... but if the person is experienced in that role, they should be willing to listen and be understanding of your frustration.

It is funded, most likely, primarily by the feds... not medicaid (agreeing with you), but Congress just passed a bill to continue the S-CHIP program. Oldiesman started a thread in the politics forum celebrating the apparent fact that Bush intends to VETO the bill. Of course, I have a problem with that (as I do with most things Bush does). S-CHIP stands for State-childrens' health insurance program. Last I knew specifically (a couple of years ago), I understood the feds paid 90 percent of the cost and the state had to pick up the other 10 percent. I don't know if every state took advantage, but it was hard to pass up that kind of a deal from the feds.

Lot's of good insight in responses thus far. The first was when Krys called it child neglect. She is absolutely correct. I don't know what state Pond is from but in AZ, CPS workers very likely WOULD help get the mother signed up for medicaid. Abi's correct that neglecting the baby teeth can be very serious. I volunteer at a children's shelter. I've seen kids there who have suffered this kind of neglect. In AZ, the CPS would most likely try to get the mother (or pretty much force her) to sign up and get the teeth taken care of... or if she wouldn't, then take the kid. But they'd rather not remove the kid from the home if they can get the need taken care of with the child still with the parent. WG, you are RIGHT ON THE MARK for having this concern. I'd hope to get SUDO's insight (since he's a dentist)... And if you can get a part time job to pay for the care, it certainly would behoove the FDIL to take advantage of your help. Further, there's lot's of examples in the US these days of grandparents having to (or getting to) raise grandchildren instead of the parent(s) for whatever reason.

Record number of Americans fleeing to Canada... and this was BEFORE 'SICKO' By MARCUS BARAM July 31, 2007 Blame Canada! It may seem like a quiet country where not much happens besides ice hockey, curling and beer drinking. But our neighbor to the north is proving to be quite the draw for thousands of disgruntled Americans. The number of U.S. citizens who moved to Canada last year hit a 30-year high, with a 20 percent increase over the previous year and almost double the number who moved in 2000. (CONTINUED)

Well, the Dbacks succeeded in putting the game wherein the Braves' spanked 'em pretty bad -- behind them... beating the Padres 4-0 tonight. No HRs for Bonds tonight... no 300th win for Glavine... no 500th HR for ARod... But a good night for the boys in Sedona Red.

I agree with Garth that Linda put it very well. As to Mr. Miller's comment, David, you forget/forgot that SOME people do NOT have the particular freedom you referenced. In a situation where there is less than full employment in a community, the employees do NOT necessarily have the freedom to refrain from going to that establishment. Oh sure, I've heard the line -- they can always get a job somewhere else. Even that is far easier said than done at least sometimes. So, I believe a very compelling case can be made that we have a right to breath the best air available (by natural means) in a given community and THAT right could be far more compelling than the "right" to smoke in public places.

Actually, THAT is, or at least appears to me to be, quite a poignant statement about the significance of this particular issue.

Me thinks thou hast an ox that hast been gored! Don't you mean "how far do the people go in regulating behavior?" Should the people demand that murder not be tolerated? What about child molestation? It's ALL a matter of what society -- a majority of the people -- decide. Obviously, certain rights of the minority (those whose ox get gored) must be honored... but WHAT is a "right?" Is smoking a right? Should it be?

What is THIS? THE Groucho Marx Jr going over to the dark side... er, "right" side? I'm SHOCKED! ;) Btw, in AZ, it's now law also... but law enacted by the PEOPLE (by way of a ballot measure). A law enacted by duly elected representatives (legislators) is STILL law enacted by the people, but not quite as directly so.

Well... this issue is NOW over and done. Tex to the Braves... Why would the Braves need to replace Franco? He seems to be doing just fine at the tender age of 48! Actually, all of the Braves looked :blink: healthy yesterday.

Indeed.

kids do...

(((((((Ophelia))))))) No doubt your journey has been rough of late. It's good to see you. I hope you get loads and bunches of comfort and friendship, here or anywhere for that matter.

Oh, I don't blame Disney for what Lohan does... I just think it's unfortunate that child stars, who are almost universally among the cutest kids around (or else the wouldn't get into the movies), can grow up to be so troubled. Personally, I'm all for studios banning smoking from their movies. Fifty or sixty years ago, no one seemed to realize just how much havoc smoking could cause in terms of public health. But even then, Big Tobacco knew how much of an influence they could make by buying product placement in movies. Then there was The Insider (one of my all time favorite movies) and the Tobacco Settlement in the 1990s -- to hopefully diminish marketing efforts to kids (i.e. Joe Camel). Even so, EVERY movie made in the last 10 years seems to have LOTS of smoking in them. Neither I nor my (ex)-wife are or were smokers. But that didn't stop my daughter from taking up (hopefully only experimenting) with smoking by the time she was 12. And just about everyone, at least in THIS country knows how easy it is to become addicted to it -- and how difficult it is to quit once you're hooked. So, from a public health standpoint, it's REALLY about time movie makers start waking up and quit being accessories to child endangerment. As to smoking bans throughout the country... they aren't near as universal as you might think. It was only last Nov that AZ voters approved a ban for bars and restaurants that went into effect May 1. And I could not care any less than I already do whether Disneyland or any other theme park has a "gay day". People are NOT going to take up being gay "just because".

So, make sure you have a coupla firkins of unleaded in the tank before you head east! Yes, we WERE young... and doggone if we didn't have much more YOUTH back then (or at least youthfulness... as in "youth is wasted on the young!") :blink: Very appropriate choice of smilies there niKa!

And let's not forget how great a role model that child star who was in the most recent remake of Disney's The Parent Trap has become. btw, Chas, my understanding (from the article) is that Disney's proclamation pertains only to movies made henceforth and not to ones already made.

And I hear that doojable is a PHENOMENAL cook!

If you're a parent these days, you might be interested in what Disney said today: Disney snubs out smoking from its films Disney stubs out smoking from its films By Matthew Garrahan in Los Angeles Published: July 25 2007 18:17 | Last updated: July 25 2007 22:25 Walt Disney on Wednesday became the first Hollywood studio to phase out cigarette smoking in its films, in a move that could herald the end of the industry’s longlasting love-affair with tobacco. The decision comes just weeks after the Motion Picture Association of America, responsible for the film ratings system, said it would consider smoking alongside other factors, such as violence or sexual content, when rating a film. (continued) --- I wonder what you guys think about this. (btw, I think it's great). One of my favorite movies from the 21st century is "Thank You for Smoking." A wonderful (and IMO hilarious) satire on smoking, a tobacco lobbyist, and the issue of tobacco use in movies.

Indeed the world HAS changed -- substantially and significantly -- in the last 30 years. (probably because of "the Word of God being preached by followers of The Way International... he says "tongue-in-cheek"). I'm single and retired. IF I were looking, speed dating might be worth considering. However, in the course of my life these days, there are other places where I meet people... including the community college fitness center/gym (where I go at least four times/week to work out), my dentist's office (I've had quite a bit of dental work done in the last two years), the children's shelter at which I volunteer, and at my local VA medical center (where I go usually 3 times/week for various reasons, but usually for meetings/activities at which I meet other fellow veterans). Oh, and btw, I just received the Sept/Oct 2007 issue of the AARP magazine in the today's mail. One of the articles teased on the cover is about speed dating. It MIGHT be available online (hint, google) ... but if not, I'll check it out in a day or two and will let you know what it says about the subject.