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

Then it was the norm... waists were trained from puberty, for both men and women, and loss of girth was gradual... it's would be wholly different (and substantially more painful) for someone who was already an adult, even a young adult, to acheive that kind of waist training.

Simple math - if the average 14 year old girl had a 20" waist (though they were often started on the day of their religious confirmation so never got close to 20") it would only take a short time to attain the prefered waist and spread over a few years it wouldn't be as painful as one would think - though it would certainly be far from pleasant.

All in all it equals the same thing -- THANK BOB THEY STOPPED THAT !!!

In the end, I guess that I was perhaps lucky to be raised as a simple Roman Catholic. No sex, no 'perversions', and basically do as the community said. No binding, piercing or other "visible" rituals.

And then I found these things, ... curiosity and inquisitiveness. And was told that my services as an altar boy were no longer required. Imagine ...

Just as a BTW, I will flatly state the most offensive thing I find about h2g2. That so many lambast, malign and simply treat like cr@p anyone or thing they consider a "christian". As an entire species. Far worse hatred and bile than your country was known for a long time ago, and based on pigmentation. And the scariest thing is, it's considered perfectly acceptable to do so. If I were to quote any of a thousand posts this week alone, but replace the word "christian" with "Jew", "Muslim", "Negroid", ... I would be banned.

okay... feel better now?

I suppose a little. Sorry, but some days reading nearly any thread in The Forum, I get so angry at the unreasoning hatred. But of course, if I were to say a word there, I'd be dissected, shredded, and really not have made any point.

But enow of that ... Whatcha got planned for your week-end?

As one who is not religious I can tell you that mostly what people are bothered by with the religion is the proselitization.. not by you and most good people but by a few outspoken nutjobs - like the man who is now picketing soldiers funerals saying God wanted them to die because . Before that he did funerals of anyone who died of AIDS, including children, and railed against homosexuality.

However I know that there are everyday good people who simply follow their paths, without doing such things. If anything I think the above lunatic and his contemporaries are anything bur Christian. Just like Bin Ladin is anything but Moslem. They are people who hijack a faith to suit their own twisted needs.

I've read of that truly evil guy, ... doing his best to make things more difficult for families already in dire hurt. I can think of a few suitable punishments for him, ... none of which would be suited for this site.

And good Lady, I'm not a religious person. But I do believe in the live and let live principle. Stupidity and hatred from any camp or direction are an offence to generally decent folks.

I absolutely agree with you on that.

My point was only that sometimes people tend to generalize.. if someone comments badly on "Christians" I'd waiger nine times out of ten they are talking about the lunatics that accost one in public places for no good reason and preach/proseletize/frantically attempt to drag them kicking and screaming to the nearest church. The ones a friend's very religious but not insanely so mother refers to as "so heavenly minded they're no earthly good". Not the every day, solidly good people who do outstanding things on a regular basis that nobody will ever know about because they don't need to wear "goodness" on their sleeves for all to see.

I do know what, and who, you mean in all the various directions. Sadly, if I tried, I could name a dozen researchers of the "underline" variety who paint all Christians equally. Guilt by association sort of thing. They are the ones that do irk me.

But as you can see, I'm still here, still watching, and reading interesting Forums. NOT flouncing off as so many have in the past year or so. Because, despite the very few pips in the blend, there are always an interesting variety of good and interesting folks. Some that I even get up the courage to call on.

Well don't feel bad. No doubt it is much the way many paint all Moslems, and other religions, races, blood types, what have you, based on nothing more than their own ignorance.

I can't remember which thread it was where we were joking on ginger prejudice. Being a redhead I found it quite funny.

I SAW that thread. And wanted to leap in with my bias, prejudice, and other disdain for scarletts, reds and gingers. 'Cos I was (at best) field-mouse brown, and going interestingly metallic. And I am CERTAIN it is a conspiracy of the 'gingers' !!!

Nonsense!!! We gingers are naturally superior..

Well, you atleast have obviously superior weather and out-door grilling options. So I'll grudgingly* give you a nod and a bow.

*Disclaimer: This assumes an invite for the next, or ever FIRST, visit to the N.C. region ...*

If/when you and the Missus are this way we'll plan for an evening on the deck with sangria and anything not fast enough to be safe from the grill!

Now THAT is what I call "making a date". Yummm, and ahhhhh !!!

Ya know, this week-end is our first long 'un of the year. The one when boats, campers and motor-homes get rolling, cottages open ... Yesterday was a high of about 50 F, drizzly all day until 20 minutes after we finished flower planting. Today, we made it to nearly 58 F, but with intermittent showers, squalls, winds well past 60 mph (again, intermittently) and even a 10 minute round of hail.

I'm kinda glad we weren't going anywhere.

The weather here has been so weird.. we need rain and it keeps threatening but is kind of wimpy on the follow-through..

I'd happily send you a load of our wets, ... and a few dozen black squirrels that seem intent on denying one specific pot from growing some Californian Poppies !!! Seeds from England, oddly enough. The fuzzy little beggars keep stirring one of two twin pots.

If MSN starts working for ya, I'll send them and the rains right away.

I've been hiding now that PC is home.. he keeps me busy.

Thanks for the offer but we have all the skwirls we need and then some..

Oh yeah, that keeping busy IS such a bother, eh?

See ya around the wires, Lady. And since you ain't interested in furry critters, ... if the BBQ gets too hot for some ...

not such a big problem... if you like I can send you my killer attack chicken to keep yours at bay as well..