h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Alcoholisim in it's late stages is an ugly thing.

The brother of my sister's boyfriend, is in the last stages of an alcoholic breakdown. He has lost most of his toes due to amputation as a result of alcohol induced diabetes. He has had three or four strokes and has a hardly functioning brain. He goes into detoxin tremors whenever he has no alcohol in his bloodstream. It is a disgusting and saddening sight. Alas, I have a very hard time feeling any sympathy for his situation based on the fact that he has brought this upon himself entirely. Every time he has had a chance to dry out, he has not given any affort to it. Now he is dying of scirosis (sp?) of the liver and every breathe that he draws has an even money chance to be his last. Every time I see him I am reminded of the problems that constant drink can bring. Thta is literally a sobering thought. I wish my house mates could see him and see what they are heading toward.

A teacher spontaneously learns the Look after one too many of her students have used the F word, the N word, trotted out the excuse of "I'm sorry I'm late I was stuck in a lift" excuse once too often, asked "What are we doing?" for the nth time having been too busy talking to their partner to listen to instructions, or failed miserably yet again to make any effort to find any of her precision planned material, carefully chosen to suit the tastes of her students, in the slightest bit interesting. It takes about six months to appear, and a year or so to perfect. And three years later she never needs to use it again as her students walk in fear of it.

My grabdfather was allegedly alcoholic. I say allegedly as I never knew him, as he died while my Dad was still small. Possibly. My brother was under the impression that he had run off with another woman. As you can see, this is one of Those Topics Never Discussed in my family.

I'm currently looking at the websites of a couple of specialist nurseries to try and work out what pair of apple trees to get a couple of friends as their wedding present. The couple did agree to this when I put it to them last week. There are just too many choices of variety Any favourites varieties from out there with the salonistas?

(all this is doing is puting off writing the best man's speech that I've also to do yet...)

This might be a stupid question, but what's the N word in Russia?

sDiver, why not try Canada? I've always fancied the Vancouver/Victoria area myself.

As for alcoholics, Petey is one in a long line. They're on both sides of my family. My Aunt Kitty died of a hemorrhage caused when she drank too much and vomited too much. Unknown to her, since she passed out, a vein had burst in her throat from being violently sick. She drowned in her own blood.

[{Courtesy}]

Phil, James Greives is a good one as it is self pollinating and can be used for both cooking and eating. It is a good flavoured, slightly tart apple. My granny had one in her garden and it was always a prolific cropper.

We all enjoy a drink in our family, but fortunately none of us are dependant on alcohol. Alcoholism does run in my ex's family and both sons are aware that they could carry that addictive gene. There was an anocrynism for determining if you are alcohol dependant, something like CAGE, if the words associated with all four letters applied to you then you had a problem.

Phil, Give them a Fuji and a Granny Smith. They will pollinate each other, bear at different times, and both will store for months without getting mealy. The Fuji is a super eating apple and the Granny Smith is great to cook with.

I'm fond of a Pink Lady apple. It's tart and sweet and just the right amount of juicy--not to the point that it drips down the front of your shirt.

Sorry for running off at the keyboard yesterday. Bad day and didn't want to see someone jump into the fire without knowing it was hot.

I too recommend the pink lady though climate is a big issue here. They're picky beasts and their season, sadly, is all too short.

My absolute absolute favourite apples are russets - they are sweet, solid, and wonderful with hard cheese. They cook all mushy, but I always eat them up before they make it to the cooking pan. They keep, but not fabulously, but they are just the most delicious apples.

Coxes are also lovely, but they are picky about situations.

Definitely try to get one that you can cook with as well as eat as a desert apple though.

What a lovely

B

Lil, what is the name of the program you use to create worlds? I've plum forgotten the name.

I only really like Golden Delicious apples. I'm weird that way.

My father has been having a series of mini-stokes that come from years of alcohol abuse, and he shakes constantly, but as soon as he has a beer, they're gone like magic.

What's sad is he doesn't really make the connnection, and insists that drinking hasn't harmed him in any way. He really thinks that his health is an "extra adrenaline" problem, and that my not talking to him for upwards of 5 years was because *I* was stubborn.

I am somewhat partial to Granny Smith, but only when peeled and sliced and they have to be very fresh.

Ever since I moved off the farm I am not that big on most fruits from the supermarket. And peaches are wasted on me as I cannot stand peaches at all anymore, unless they are fresh off the tree.

Sporks -- it's Mojoworld.

Apple trees -- I remember reading in the Smithsonian magazine that there is a project underway to rescue old-fashioned and endangered varieties of apples, here in the US. Is there a comparable effort underway in England? It would be an ecologically desirable thing to propagate something other than the dozen commercial brands that dominate the market.

I wish you could get a Bramley apple over here. Incomparable for cooking.

It's appalling how common the disease of alcoholism is, and how difficult it is to muster up sympathy when a close relative pawns items of priceless historic value (but only worth fifty or so) for the next couple of six-packs. My brother has hepatitis C and the first stages of emphysema, and I'm sure his brain is affected, but he continues to toss it back.

But we all know the results of prohibiting alcohol, let alone how much in the way of money and first-offenders' lives has been wasted in pursuit of the ludicrous "war on drugs."

Sol, you could probably tell us a thing or two about the consumption of vodka where you are.

I can't trace my family back very far but no imidate relitivaes have a drinking problem. Although Trish's step-dad did. He was a gound-pounder in veitnam and apparently on first returning from it is when he started to make a lifestyle out of drinking. It is really sad, I only ever talked to him once when he was sober and he was an intresting person. When he is drunk he tends to be crass and un-intresting.

I have actually looked at the immigartion forms to go to new zeland, because I don't have any family there to stay with there I need to have enugh personal assets to show that I can support my self while I find work and living space. I have no idea how much is enugh though. Canada is an appealing thought, but I have gotten spoiled on texas winters And our mood's are influenced pretty heavily by the local weather.

My vote has to go to granny smith apples.

Do not give a red delicious tree. Golden delicious are ok, but I think the so-called "delicious" varieties are the worst of the lot. Maybe I'll grow an apple tree, one of those endangered varieties. I'd probably have to chop down an existing tree, though. My yard's not that big.

My dad had a drinking problem for a while, but was able to lick it. In his case I don't believe it is entirely in his genes, because he is still able to have a drink without overdoing it. It was probably depression rather than true alcoholism - he was out of work at the time during a recession with 6 wailing children. There is a good amount of evidence that shows that alcoholics actually metabolize alcohol differently, so they don't get the feeling that most of get when we realize we had one to many.
<-- is thinking "tennis ball tree?!!!"

Just in case Zeppo can't wait for the full growing cycle...

--->

d'E my mother's alcoholism was like that. She just got progressively quieter and drunker as the years went by. The ludicrious thing is that she had what could have been a very good life - four great kids (if I say it myself) and a wonderful husband. But something was obviously missing...

Ben

I have to agree with Marv about the fruit available for sale at the grocery stores. It's pretty bad. The red delicious apples are a good example. The ones in the store have no flavor at all. But it isn't a bad apple if you grow your own and pick them when they're ripe. I refuse to buy any fruit from California. It's absolutely beautiful, but none of it has any flavor. And the texture of the peaches and nectarines is just .

A really good apple that isn't one of the "standards" is an Arkansas Black. And I have a Jona-red which is an improved Jonathan. They make the best applesauce and cider. But they don't store well, so I have to put them up in a hurry. I also have a neat apple tree that is golden delicious on one side and red delicious on the other.