Whiterabbit I am so sorry that you've had to go through all of this. Of course if you hadn't, we might not have had your wonderful presence on this forum.

Thanks for the update WR. I also have been looking at old threads. It's like a time capsule of sorts. Seeing all the old posts from many no longer with us. Surprised these forums have lasted this long and hopefully will continue.

In a more altruistic vein, there’s Hope that someday what happened to you won't happen to so many other people…

What happened to you was in great part a result of incompetence, worsened by institutional favoritism towards wealthy corporations, investors, and individuals. Worldwide, populations are starting to vent their frustrations. NOT taking Anything away from the Black Lives Matter & related protests, the underlying issues are anything but new. Very many feel that it’s finally taken hold because of all these other frustrations that have been building, that people have finally taken a good look and the majority [~60% according to polls] said, ya know, they’re right.

People have been increasingly dissatisfied with healthcare industries that are less culpable for misdeeds than the average auto repair shop. In many countries, bumbling missteps during this pandemic have only amplified our concerns, bringing them front and center. In the US there’s been a litany of mistakes, but just one, the prominent campaign to Not Wear masks, born out of fear that hospitals wouldn’t have enough – and not publicly countered anywhere by any medical authorities or experts – is particularly tragic. Published studies say wearing a mask reduces spread by up to 85%, and while non-medical face coverings are not as effective, if you estimate a 50% reduction, that would have meant saving over 60,000 lives just in the US! [I’m staying away from the political aspects -- people in the middle, not the extremes, are upset and worried about this stuff regardless their political leanings.]

Our legal systems are in as bad if not worse shape. It was decades ago that TV shows became popular, teaching us that it was the quality, the ability of the lawyer that determined the outcome in any court case. And that of course means lots of money to hire these legal masterminds. In the US at least, stories about bad &/or biased judges have been popular for well over a century, e.g. hanging judges in the wild west. In the US it’s gotten to the point that the political parties advertise that if they’re in office, they’ll appoint judges biased to their perspectives. Which is all to say that the vast majority of people truly believe that money talks when it comes to justice, as seen by the insurance company tying your case up for years – as seen by the lack of justice when it comes to the poorest communities and people of color in the US. There’s really no excuse for either.

Life has changed for all of us – the pandemic made sure of that. And the popular sentiment revealed by the protests makes clear that we won’t blindly accept a return to the exact same pre-pandemic normal. That doesn’t mean drastic changes overnight, no matter how much some people say that’s the only way forward. But it does mean change – how much change is yet to be determined, in part by if a vaccine to the virus works, which is uncertain… there’s zero scientific evidence that we can become immune, & if so, for how long.

I was looking through some of my old private messages to see if there were any I could delete because my inbox was full. This prompted me to look through some old threads I'd started and consequently I came across this old thread that was last added to a decade ago. After a little thought I decided to add an update as a lot happened after posting my medical woes.

Following the confirmation that my back had been broken in that accident, now almost 15 years ago, I decided to take legal action against the woman who had caused the accident. I was quite shocked when her insurance company contacted me to inform me that if there was any settlement i would only get 50% of the compensation becasue according to their records, I was partly to blame for the accident. I contacted them to ask why they thought this becasue I was hit from behind while cycling to work. I'd been in the correct lane and had been doing everything a cyclist should do when on a dangerous interchange. I was informed that the lady who had hit me had reported to her insurance that I'd moved across from an inside lane to the central lane and she had been unable to avoid me. I replied informing them of and sending a copy of the police report that indicated that the defendant i.e. the woman who had hit me, had reported not seeing me at the time of the accident, so i pointed out to the insurance that how could she report that I crossed over lanes when she'd said at the time that she hadn't seen me.

Several years later I was in conversation via Team Speak with a good online friend who I'd met via this site. Sadly he passed away back in 2013 following chemotherapy for a slow growing cancer (that the doctor had said would take upwards of 30 years to kill him, but had still advised he undergo chemo'); the chemicals they used damaged his heart and he died following a heart attack a few months after stopping the chemo'. He was a pharmacist and after a particular discussion we had talked about regarding our medical issues (we invariably talked about them in the early days), he said I think from what you have said that you are not producing some important hormones (that turned out to be Cortisol, Growth Hormone and Testosterone) and he suggested that I should get my bloods tested, which I did. By this time I'd been seen by several different specialists because that accident had left me with lot of medical issues; some of which to this day have still not been resolved. Anyway, it transpired that I wasn't producing three particular hormones which incidentally are produced in the Pituitary located in the brain. Oddly I wasn't informed of the results and nothing was done about this following the tests, so things continued onward. I was seeing a pain management specialist who had been employed by my solicitor as part of our defense against the defendants (by this time I'd been told that I must involve the NHS in the legal case as it was they who had sent me home with no treatment and therefor were complicit in many of the issues I was now suffering). While being examined by the pain specialist, she noticed the results of my blood tests and was shocked that nothing had been actioned. As I was seeing her privately she immediately booked an appointment with a colleague of hers, who was an endocrinologist. The following week I went to see her and she immediately took more bloods and got the results in less than half an hour. From those results she said I wasn't producing three important hormones. She then sent me for an MRI and before I left the private hospital four hours later I'd been informed that I had received some brain damage at the time of the accident (something I'd always believed myself, but no doctor had listened). Part of the damage was located around the pituitary gland, which explained the almost total absence of those hormones (Growth hormone is important for the repair of damaged cells as well as healthy muscle, how our bodies collect fat, the ratio of high density to low density lipoproteins in our cholesterol levels and bone density. In addition, growth hormone is needed for normal brain function. Testosterone, which apart from its obvious effect on libido is also important for the regulation of bone mass, fat distribution, muscle mass and strength, and the production of red blood cells. also cortisol, which is an important hormone that regulates a wide range of vital processes throughout the body, including metabolism and the immune response. It also has a very important role in helping the body respond to stress. I now have to take various drugs and inject myself with growth hormone every day for the rest of my life.

We were almost at the end of my legal case when I'd received this new information. I discussed this with my solicitor and was told that if they entered the new information into the legal case it would almost certainly extend the case for a minimum of another 3 to 4 years. We'd been fighting already for several years and were dog tired of all the consultations I'd had to attend on behalf of the defendants who were trying their best to mitigate the compensation. They even searched right back to my teenage years (1970's)to see if I'd had any back injuries that they could then say were the actual injuries I was claiming for; so I decided not to include the brain damage in the claim despite it being a significant injury and would potentially double the compensation I would eventually receive. Two years ater we were finally approaching the time when a court date would be announced. At the same time a beautiful bungalow in a perfect spot came on the market. We had been looking at bungalows for a couple of years, but they tended to be a lot more than a traditional two-story detached home and also way out of our budget at the time. (The cheapest we had seen was approaching (£600 000/$900 000 - exchange rates at the time were hovering around $1.5 to the pound), so I decided to accept the last offer they had made a few months previously. The Queens Council that was representing me advised me to carry on as he reckoned even without the head injury being counted he would get another 50% on top of the offer they had made. However, the bungalow was selling for significantly less than all the others we had seen (£425000), so I decided to accept and immediately put an offer on the bungalow. We moved into that bungalow several months later.

Recently I was seeing another sleep specialist as the sleep apnoea had become worse. My previous interactions with the sleep service had been of little use. They had confirmed that I was suffering from sleep apnoea, but they had determined from some sleep studies where I'd had to stay at the hospital wired up to loads of monitors that it was only mild, so I was discharged with no treatment. On my latest visits they have now changed their diagnosis and I've been prescribed CPAP, which I'm hoping will help. I've yet to receive the equipment. One surprising outcome from this latest consultation was that I was told that it was almost certain the injury to my brain that was causing this central sleep apnoea.

Apart from the above everything is hunky dory. :)

I'm glad you liked it, Mammy Suzy...
There's more where that came from.

Good one Inas.

Hoping for some "change" too.
Very windy here. Enough to strip a bull of his horns.

...Edited...

A Riddle.....

Why did the lady go outside with her purse open?
She was hoping for some change in the weather.

A neutron walks into a bar and asks:
How much for a drink?
The barman replied;
For you, NO CHARGE...

Hi all, this is one of my favorites. Enjoy!

SENIORS ARE A TREASURE

Remember, old folks are worth a fortune,
With silver in their hair, gold in their teeth,
Stones in their kidneys, lead in their feet,
And gas in their stomachs.

I have become older since I last saw you
And a few changes have come into my life.
Frankly, I have become quite a frivolous old gal...
I am seeing five gentlemen every day.

As soon as I wake up,
Will Power helps me out of bed,
After which I go to see John.
Later Charlie Horse comes along
And he takes a lot of my time and attention.
After that Arthur Ritis shows up
And stays the rest of the day.
He doesn't like to stay in one place very long,
So he takes me from joint to joint.
After such a busy day I'm really tired
And glad to go to bed with Ben Gay.
What a life!!!

P.S. The preacher called the other day
And said at my age I should be thinking
About the hereafter. I told him,
"Oh, I do that all the time.
No matter where I am--in the parlour,
Kitchen, upstairs, or down in the basement--
I ask myself, 'What am I here after?'"

(author unknown)

Divert your course
------------------

This is the actual radio conversation of US naval ship with Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October 1995.

Radio conversation released by chief of naval operations. 10/10/95.

CANADIANS: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.

AMERICANS: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the north to avoid a
collision.

CANADIANS: Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the south to
avoid a collision.

AMERICANS: This is the captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

CANADIANS: No, I say again, you divert YOUR course.

AMERICANS: This is the Aircraft Carrier US LINCOLN, the second largest ship in the
United States Fleet. We are accompanied with three Destroyers, three
Cruisers and enormous support vessels.
I DEMAND that you change your course 15 degrees north.
I say again, that's one-five degrees north or counter-measures will be
undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship.

CANADIANS: This is a lighthouse. Your call...

I have one for you;

This is the story of four people named:

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it.

Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did.

Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job.

Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody would'nt do it.

Ultimately, Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

You,ve got good ones guys. Very entertaining.

Do not push the red button

Take my advice: don't push that da*n button...

:) Nice to see this back on the front page. I must resurrect the what is this thread again as well. Just been too busy (well, if you can call playing games to distract myself busy) recently to have the time.

.

http://music-duplicate-remover.idea.informer.com/proj/?mod=one&ia=10666

Riddle - why did the lady go outdoors with her purse open? Answer: Because she expected some change in the weather - ha, ha, ha....hyuk, hyuk, hyuk......funny, funny, funny.

Well.. for some reason the print on those leaflets and labels are getting smaller and smaller, and that's WITH glasses. Now I also keep a magnifying glass handy so I can read them!

haha that was great. :0 Exactly how i feel as well. :)

Yep it sure does look like some sort of conspiracy,BK !
Try figuring out some of the food labels and reading medicine leaflets...
Either they're running out of paper or they don't want us to know.LOL.
And if you figured them out somehow..you sometimes wish you hadn't.
:)

I received this in an email today....I'm so glad someone besides me has finally noticed this!

We Must Stop This Immediately! Have you noticed that stairs are
getting steeper. Groceries are heavier. And, everything is farther
away. Yesterday I walked to the corner and I was dumbfounded to
discover how long our street had become! And, you know, people
are less considerate now, especially the young ones. They speak in
whispers all the time! If you ask them to speak up they just keep
repeating themselves, endlessly mouthing the same silent message
until they're red in the face! What do they think I am a lip reader?

I also think they are much younger than I was at the same age. On
the other hand, people my own age are so much older than I am. I
ran into an old friend the other day and she has aged so much that
she didn't even recognize me.
I got to thinking about the poor dear while I was combing my hair
this morning, and in doing so, I glanced at my own reflection.well,
REALLY NOW - even mirrors are not made the way they used to be!
Another thing, everyone drives so fast these days! You're risking
life and limb if you happen to pull onto the freeway in front of
them. All I can say is, their brakes must wear out awfully fast, the
way I see them screech and swerve in my rear view mirror.
Clothing manufacturers are less civilized these days. Why else
would they suddenly start labeling a size 10 or 12 dress as 18 or
20? Do they think no one notices? The people who make bathroom
scales are pulling the same prank. Do they think I actually
believe the number I see on that dial? HA! I would never let
myself weigh that much! Just who do these people think they're
fooling? I'd like to call up someone in authority to report what's
going on -- but the telephone company is in on the conspiracy too:
they've printed the phone books in such small type that no one
could ever find a number in there!

All I can do is pass along this warning:

WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!
Unless something drastic happens, pretty soon everyone will have to
suffer these awful indignities.

Wedding Vows video is very funny indeed - thanks for sharing, Robert.

Robert.....now THAT is funny!!!! Good one! Thanks for sharing.
Rox

The wedding vows.... elegant, beautiful, solemn... but... every once in a while....
(I bet you will be smiling too)

Lol.That must be the laziest cat I've ever seen...

That's the problem with cats today. They're too sleepy and adorable.

Some comic relief from the province of Quebec:

Toyota Prius and the Hybrid stopping

http://ygreck.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c5dd653ef0120a867088f970b-popup

The Quebec health care system ( On the bottom right, it says, start here, Good Luck )

http://ygreck.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c5dd653ef01310f827c1c970c-popup

Quebec Prime Minister Charest struggling to keep his new year's resolutions

http://ygreck.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c5dd653ef0120a79e31f6970b-popup

And finally Johnny Hallyday hospitalized in the U.S.A.

http://ygreck.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c5dd653ef01287645f4fc970c-popup

======================================================================================================

Those are all by artist Ygreck (which means the letter "Y" pronounced in French)

You can view more here: http://ygreck.typepad.com/ (The site is in French)

======================================================================================================

This will be all for me at this location (Mirabel) as I am moving to the North (La Malbaie) on Monday ( A 435 km (270 Miles) trip )

I should be back online Wednesday!

Ramblings of a Retired Mind

* I was thinking about how a status symbol of today is those cell
phones that everyone has clipped onto their belt or purse. I can't afford
one. So, I'm wearing my garage door opener. I also made a cover for my
hearing aid and now I have what they call blue teeth, I think.
* You know, I spent a fortune on deodorant before I realized that
people didn't like me anyway.
* I was thinking that women should put pictures of missing husbands
on beer cans!
* I was thinking about old age and decided that old age is 'when you
still have something on the ball, but you are just too tired to bounce
it.'
* I thought about making a fitness movie for folks my age, and call
it 'Pumping Rust'.
* I've gotten that dreaded furniture disease. That's when your chest
is falling into your drawers!
* When people see a cat's litter box, they always say, 'Oh, have you
got a cat?' Just once I want to say, 'No, it's for company!'
* Employment application blanks always ask who is to be notified in
case of an emergency. I think you should write, 'A Good Doctor'!
* Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What
are we supposed to do...write to these men? Why don't they just put their
pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen could look for them while
they deliver the mail? Or better yet, arrest them while they are taking
their pictures!
* I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot
more as they get older. Then, it dawned on me, they were cramming for
their finals.
* As for me, I'm just hoping God grades on the curve.

I've been shredding old files and paperwork from the 1990's and you should see all the receipts I've found for all the old programs, games, and clip art that I paid good money for! Yikes! Still have most all of them on small floppies. What am I saving all that 'stuff' for?

haha that comic is perfect for rabbit....oh if his wife only knew some of the stuff he's bought...