A lot is going on here, so I wanted to let those of you who don't know why I haven't been playing/communicating as much with you what's happening.
I'm sick-my own fault. Many years ago, I played with fire & it caught up to me. I now have hepatitis C, have had it for a good 25 years, if not longer. It has scarred my liver so badly its beginning to fail, which is causing my kidneys to TRY to handle the overload, making them iffy too. Without these meds, I swell up like I'm 9 months pregnant with octomom's kids cos my body can't remove all the waste. It has caused me to have probs with my blood not clotting & have nasty-looking bruises all over me. NO energy at all, often lite-headed. I am NOT a candidate for a transplant. Dialysis? Won't work. Pills? They just give me more time, they don't fix the problem. Drug trials? I'm way past that point.
What I guess I'm trying to say is that it will only get worse, my doctor can't tell me how long, but this is the monster under the bed that's going to get me. Its gonna get ugly, & of course I'm scared. But hey, I have the old man, my animals to keep me warm, & a few friends to lighten my mood when I need it-what more can anyone ask? And from what I can remember, I've had one hell of a life, smile!
As a smoker of 40 years, all I can say is CIGARETTES won't kill me, so get past the idea that all smokers die of cancer-I'm here to say that isn't how it works! It would be nice if you non smokers would leave smokers alone-besides, WHO'S gonna pay for the SCHIPS insurance program without the taxes from smokers? YOU are, so don't eliminate the geese that are laying the golden eggs for you! The exhaust fumes you breathe in every day more than smell bad-they contain benzine, the SAME carcinogen that's in each cigarette I (and all smokers) light up-what ya gonna do, outlaw cars next?
Anyway, don't feel bad for me-[censored] happens. Just play/send challenges. If things healthwise get too bad, I'll have someone get the news to those few of you who give a [censored]!

Many thanks to dreamymiss for the chuckles!!!!



Below, you'll find some "lessons" about Halloween, ghosts, and spooks that you'll only learn from the movie theater!

13. When it appears that you have killed the monster, *never* check to see if it's really dead.

12. Do not search the basement, especially if the power has just gone out.

11. If appliances start operating by themselves, move out.

10. Stay away from certain geographical locations, some of which are listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, Nilbog (you're in trouble if you recognize this one), the Bermuda Triangle, or any small town in Maine.

9. If you're running from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at least twice, more if you are of the female persuasion. Also note that, despite the fact that you are running and the monster is merely shambling along, it's still moving fast enough to catch up with you.

8. When you have the benefit of numbers, *never* pair off and go it alone.

7. Do not take *anything* from the dead.

6. As a general rule, don't solve puzzles that open portals to Hell.

5. Never stand in, on, above, below, beside, or anywhere near a grave, tomb, crypt, mausoleum, or other house of the dead.

4. Never read a book of demon summoning aloud, even as a joke.

3. If your car runs out of gas at night, do not go to the nearby deserted-looking house to phone for help.

2. If you're searching for something which caused a noise and find out that it's just the cat, *leave the room immediately if you value your life.*

and last but not least...

1. If you find a town which looks deserted, it's probably for a reason. Take the hint and stay away!

I found this screen saver in one of those posts we get from Microsoft or C-Net giving info on the latest downloads for everything from office applications to security sites to important info on new viruses, etc. This is absolutely FASCINATING, & if ya try it, I'm betting my diamonds (that means I'm SERIOUS!) that you'll have it as a screen saver too, smile! It won't automatically download-you get a page with info, ratings, etc, and the opportunity to download if you want. I've had NO issues with it. I don't often recommend sites, but this is well worth the time.
So enjoy!



http://download.cnet.com/Electric-Sheep/3000-2257_4-10567109.html?tag=mncol

All I've heard since Thursday is how sad, the greatest performer of our time(bs!), god's gift to mankind, Earth's greatest musician, etc-I'm getting pretty tired of it!
I was born in Indianapolis & am 5 yrs older than MJ was when he passed. I remember this child with POWERHOUSE lungs and amazingly adult moves on stage, & tho he didn't do MY kind of music, his talent was obvious. However, caring friends & relatives WEREN'T obvious.
Daddy Joe sacrificed MJ's education in order to cash in on the family band. From what I hear, math would have been a VERY good place to start-seems like not a soul taught him the value of money. WHO the heck gets 1/2 billion or more into debt & doesn't care? Where were all these child labor laws and WHY did no one enforce them when it came to the Jackson boys?
SOMEONE in the family needed to stress to this man that his actions were those of a pervert-you do NOT share your bed with pre-teen/pubescent boys under ANY circumstances. Let me say this-if you're accused of something you DIDN'T do, then WHY the heck would you pay out millions of dollars to your accuser? Wouldn't you fight it with all you had? Folks, there was too much smoke for there NOT to have been a fire, if ya get the drift.
SOMEONE in the family who cared should have threatened MJ in order to get him into rehab for his addiction to pain meds. I understand there was a failed intervention-well, SOME family member, nanny, hanger-on should have called the police and told them where MJ's stash was while holding Michael at his parent's home-physically, if need be.
Those kids, who were SUPPOSEDLY MJ's, needed to have been protected from HIM. Raised in isolation, made to wear masks in public, no friends, and I don't even know if they had any schooling, the way MJ travelled. The real world is where they need to learn how to live, not in this fantasy MJ created. Their most formative years have been spent with a freak, an accused child molester, a man who obviously COULDN'T home-school them because HE had no education. They'll be in therapy for YEARS! And as far as living with MJ's parents-these people are up in their 80's, or close to it-NO court in the USA would award custody to people that age if they sought to adopt, & this should be treated the same way. Let's have DNA tests to start off with, because again, if those kids are MJ's, then I'm a polka dotted Martian! The courts need to get these kids into families not as dysfunctional as that of the Jacksons!
There's going to be a THRILLER(pun pun) of a fight coming up. EVERYONE is going to want a piece-I hear the 1st thing Mama Jackson did was call the nanny and ask "where's the money"? Seems he had a habit of stashing money in trash bags, under the carpet, etc-what a 1st question for a caring mother to ask! The kids and the $$$ that follows them will be the main issue in any court case. Those children AREN'T MJ's-those are NOT racially mixed kids-anyone can tell that after seeing them without those veils. Michael and his whole family were dark complected until a few of them began bleaching their skin(Latoya comes to mind as well as MJ on that one). DNA tests would prove non-parenthood and NO blood ties to the Jacksons, but the Jacksons won't care. As MJ's presumptive heirs, the gravy train follows the kids. There'll be royalties coming in every time a song by MJ is played or purchased. Parents, siblings, the companies MJ is in debt to, the kids(or their guardians), everyone will be trying to score what they think is their share of this poor man's estate. Once the autopsy & toxicology tests come back, a lawsuit should be filed against those who prescribed unnecessary hard drugs to him and those who knew of his use and didn't do SQUAT to help him-after all, why make waves when the gravy train is rolling, right? And it WAS rolling! I think his tox report will make Elvis look clean and sober, lol! Its sad-everyone wanted a piece of the man yet NO ONE would do the right thing and say "NO" when he went off the deep edge.
MJ turned himself into a physical freak. God knows why. He CHOSE to develop anorexia, the ONE "disease" that we can start or stop ourselves, unlike polio, down's syndrome, or cancer. He CHOSE to have what appeared to be illegal relationships with kids who worshipped him & got paid to keep quiet. He CHOSE to remain on hard narcotics when he really had NO need of them. I wouldn't be saying squat if it had just been an herb like marijuana-that's a non-issue. He CHOSE to spend like a drunken sailor, not keeping track of what was coming in/going out. He CHOSE 1st, to marry a woman just for her last name (Presley), then CHOSE to marry another for her skin color and her eggs, plus that way he had a ready-made womb for the donation of someone else's sperm-obviously someone WHITE, by looking at the 2 oldest, poor things. He CHOSE to not have the love of an ADULT FEMALE, instead spending nites with underaged BOYS.
I got hate mail from the kiddies on youtube when I made similar remarks on their little "tribute" pages. That's ok-they know no better. This man wasn't the "messiah", as some called him. And judging by the crime rate, he did nothing to bring the races together, like so many claimed he did. He WAS a "loving" male, as long as YOU were an underaged male. These kids don't see how he turned his back on his own race, doing all that he could to look like a white woman, marrying white instead of black, & using a sperm donor(obviously)who was white too. He isn't the "entertainer of the century", nor was he the "King of Pop", tho I'd go for the term "prince of pervs". Since when do we shamelessly adore child molesters?
MJ might have been a talented, cute little boy, but he grew into a sick, perverted man who needed help SERIOUSLY. I'd feel sorry for him, except that he CHOSE this lifestyle. I doubt that St Peter would let a pedophile thru the pearly gates no matter HOW talented he may have been, so all I can say is "burn in peace"........now, let the hate mail come-think I care?



June 30th

And the BS has started already..........

We lost Bjojo, Barb. A wonderful, but very ill woman. I know she was ready, but it still hurts. I lost her phone#, & never got the chance to call her like she expected, never got the chance to hear her voice. Grab has lost one hell of a good woman, as has her daughter, Kristi. I'll miss her challenges & talking to her in here. Goodbye and safe journey, Barb.

This article below my comment enrages me to no end! She has 6 kids at home, has 8 more at one time like an unspayed dog, & now we find out that during the time she was having the 1st 6 kids, she was drawing disability for a back injury!!!!!! Pardon me-most of you know I've had too many back surgeries-no way could I have carried 6-8 lbs of baby in my stomach, including the weight gain that goes with it! And I certainly can't, even now, pick up a baby over 8-10 lbs & bathe it, diaper it, & all the rest that goes along with it! Someone needs to look into that doctor. I heard an ETHICAL doctor interviewed on tv say NO doctor would have considered a woman with 6 kids for infertility treatment and embryo transplants! AND-this woman has said she plans to breast feed ALL 8 babies herself-this woman is NOT a dog-she can't breastfeed 8 children-she won't make enuff milk! Bet ya we, the taxpayers, end up paying the tab both at the hospital and thru their lives, thanks to an overly generous Medicaid/welfare policy! 8 kids my rosy red behind! Shame on her! So she was lonely-well, get married, have a FEW kids, get a dog or 2, and a few cats-she won't have the TIME to be lonesome then, & she wouldn't have to stick the state with the cost of delivering octuplets!




Octuplet mom got more than $165K in disability

…

LOS ANGELES – A California agency says it paid the mother of newborn octuplets more than $165,000 in disability payments for an on-the-job back injury. The payments made over six years to Nadya Suleman were disclosed Thursday to The Associated Press following a public records request to the Department of Mental Health. The payments were made between 2002 and 2008, during which time the single mother gave birth to most of her six other children.

Suleman, who gave birth to the octuplets last week, was employed at a state mental health hospital from 1997 until December, when she resigned the position. Records show that for much of that time, however, she was unable to work.

I cleaned this up as best I could, so please read every bit, toss your potpourri, and hug your precious dogs! This is sooo heartbreaking.......and SO preventable! This happened at Heartland Kennels, in Evansville, Indiana.



Fw: Potpourri Poisoning in Dogs
Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:31 am (PST)
In a message dated 12/10/2008 6:25:17 P.M. Central Standard Time,
Karen Cantner writes:
We have suffered a terrible, terrible tragedy last Wed. Two, beloved
Cavaliers
Of
Mine, Haley and Zoe both ate potpourri from a decorative basket in my
Living
Room.
Within hours, they were vomiting it, convulsing and going into total body
Rigidity
And shock. We took them to the after hours clinic, they had no idea what
it
Could be
And wouldn't listen to me about them vomiting potpourri at home and how I
Had such
Concerns about the toxic effects of it. They treated symptoms.
We transferred them to our day vet. He also wouldn't listen to me about
the
Potpourri theory. He said they had "strychnine" poisoning symptoms. I
Kept telling
Him that the potpourri was Made In India , sold by a company in California
and
Sold at
My local WalMart. My heart told me that it was the culprit of their
condition.
They declined rapidly throughout the day and we transferred them back to
the
After
Hours clinic for a second night. At midnight, I made the agonizing
decision
to Put
Them to sleep. Haley was in constant seizures that wouldn't stop, fluid
was
Filling
Up in her lungs, body temp was dropping on both of them, Zoe was lying
almost
Lifeless on the table, struggling with every breath she took. Every
muscle
was
Completely rigid, you couldn't even move her.
I have devoted the last couple of days (now that I can get out of bed and
Function)
To researching my concerns with the potpourri and have since found out I
was
Right....... .....there is a lab in England that has case studies on
toxic
Potpourri
From India !! The toxin....strychnine , which in it's commercial source,
Comes from a
Certain tree grown in India . I am completely heart broken over this.
Please be aware of the potential toxins in any and all stuff like this in
our
Homes.
I would've never guessed this could happen but when I saw them both
"playing" in the
Potpourri and then after about two hours saw the symptoms of a poisoning,
I
Just put
Two and two together. Hug your babies, Love them and always take lots of
photos
Along
The way...it helps later on, trust me.

Surgery was a NIGHTMARE! This east Indian nurse slapped the same spot on my wrist for 3 minutes trying to get a vein after I TOLD her nothing was there-of course she then stuck me right there and of course got NO blood/vein. Chinese anesthesiologist wheels me into operating room, shaking from fear/cold, then he forces a gas mask on and HOLDS it hard on my face-nitrous, like a dentist uses. He gave me too much-I told him to ease up, I couldn't breathe, I needed air-he says "I not suffocating you-I just try make you feel better-I try help"! I pushed the mask away and the sob AGAIN shoves it on my face, holding it down like I was a dog that was getting euthanized. I was finally able to turn my face enuff that 1 nostril was sucking in air. He was giving me so much nitrous that I was about to hurl! THEN the IV meds...I've had 3 back surgeries, teeth extracted for dentures, & a nose job-NEVER has anyone HURT me like he did. The versaid BURNT all down my arm-I've had it in all 3 back surgeries and never has it BURNT like that-it felt like he'd lost the vein & it was just going into the skin! A nurse told me I'd be asleep in 5 seconds-I remember yelling "5 seconds my ASS-then I awoke in the recovery room, in tears and sick. I have informed the hospital of his rough treatment, & the nurse's lack of ability to find a vein, & this woman I spoke to, some bigwig at Methodist Hospital, was QUITE upset! And that so called nurse-I could find a vein with no problem-she has TRAINING & couldn't-perhaps all phlebotomists should be ex-junkies-at least WE know how to hit a difficult vein!
I am ok, after 2 days of screaming pain. They could give me NO pain meds cos this patch I wear is the strongest pain killer they have-stronger than even morphine! Doc gave me 2 weeks worth of sleeping pills to help me sleep thru the worst of the pain. I got the laparoscopic surgery-4 slits. Hubby on vacation, poor guy has been trying so hard to make me feel better!
Thank god I have but ONE gall bladder to sacrifice for my country, lol!

Diana

TERRY ANDERSON, A BLACK LOS ANGELES TALK RADIO HOST, WENT DOWN A LIST
OF THINGS SENATOR OBAMA HAS SAID THAT AREN'T EXACTLY CORRECT.

Let me, Diana, say that I'm just as scared of the Republican candidates, who believe its "god's will" that they take control of OUR wombs!


Obama's Not Quite Exactly:

1.) Selma March Got Me Born -
NOT EXACTLY, your parents felt safe enough to have you in 1961 -
Selma had no effect on your birth, as Selma was in 1965.

2.) Father Was A Goat Herder -
NOT EXACTLY, he was a privileged, well educated youth, who went on to
work with the Kenyan Government.

3.) Father Was A Proud Freedom Fighter -
NOT EXACTLY, he was part of one of the most corrupt and violent
governments Kenya has ever had.

4.) My Family Has Strong Ties To African Freedom -
NOT EXACTLY, your cousin Raila Odinga has created mass violence in
attempting to overturn a legitimate election in 2007, in Kenya. It is
the first widespread violence in decades. The current government is
pro-American but Odinga wants to overthrow it and establish Muslim
Sharia law. Your half-brother, Abongo Oba ma, is Odinga's follower.
You interrupted your New Hampshire campaigning to speak to Odinga on
the phone. Check out the following link for verification of
that....and for more.
Obama's cousin Odinga in Kenya ran for president and tried to get
Sharia muslim law in place there. When Odinga lost the elections, his
followers have burned Christians' homes and then burned men, women
and children alive in a Christian church where they took shelter.
Obama SUPPORTED his cousin before the election process here started.
Google Obama and Odinga and see what you get. No one wants to know
the truth.

5.) My Grandmother Has Always Been A Christian -
NOT EXACTLY, she does her daily Salat prayers at 5am according to her
own interviews. Not to mention, Christianity wouldn't allow her to
have been one of 14 wives to 1 man.

6.) My Name is African Swahili -
NOT EXACTLY, your name is Arabic and 'Baraka' (from which Barack
came) means 'blessed' in that language.
Hussein is also Arabic and so is Obama.
Barack Hussein Obama is not half black. If elected, he would be the
first Arab-American President, not the first black President. Barack
Hussein Obama is 50% Caucasian from his mother's side and 43.75%
Arabic and 6.25% African Negro from his father's side. While Barack
Hussein Obama's father was from Kenya, his father's family was mainly
Arabs.. Barack Hussein Obama's father was only 12.5% African Negro
and 87.5% Arab (his father's birth certificate even states he's Arab,
not African Negro).

7.) I Never Practiced Islam -
NOT EXACTLY, you practiced it daily at school, where you were
registered as a Muslim and kept that faith for 31 years, until your
wife made you change, so you could run for office.
4-3-08 Article 'Obama was 'quite religious in Islam''
http://www.wnd.com/indexphp?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=60559

8.) My School In Indonesia Was Christian -
NOT EXACTLY, you were registered as Muslim there and got in trouble
in Koranic Studies for making faces (check your own book).
February 28, 2008. Kristoff from the New York Times a year ago: Mr.
Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer,
reciting them with a first-rate accent. In a remark that seemed
delightfully uncalculated (it'll give Alabama voters heart attacks),
Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as 'one of the prettiest
sounds on Earth at sunset.' This is just one example of what Pamela
is talking about when she says 'Obama's narrative is being altered,
enhanced and manipulated to whitewash troubling facts.'

9.) I Was Fluent In Indonesian -
NOT EXACTLY, not one teacher says you could ever speak the language.

10.) Because I Lived In Indonesia , I Have More Foreign Experience -
NOT EXACTLY, you were there from the ages of 6 to 10, and couldn't
even speak the language. What did you learn except how to study the
Koran and watch cartoons.

11.) I Am Stronger On Foreign Affairs -
NOT EXACTLY, except for Africa (surprise) and the Middle East (bigger
surprise), you have never been anywhere else on the planet and thus
have NO experience with our closest allies.

12.) I Blame My Early Drug Use On Ethnic Confusion -
NOT EXACTLY, you were quite content in high school to be Barry Obama,
no mention of Kenya and no mention of struggle to identify - your
classmates said you were just fine

13.)An Ebony Article Moved Me To Run For Office -
NOT EXACTLY, Ebony has yet to find the article you mention in your
book. It doesn't, and never did, exist.

14.) A Life Magazine Article Changed My Outlook On Life -
NOT EXACTLY, Life has yet to find the article you mention in your
book. It doesn't, and never did, exist.

15.) I Won't Run On A National Ticket In '08 -
NOT EXACTLY, here you are, despite saying, live on TV, that you would
not have enough experience by then, and you are all about having
experience first.

16.) Voting 'Present' is Common In Illinois Senate -
NOT EXACTLY, they are common for YOU, but not many others have 130
PRESENT or NO VOTES.

17.) Oops, I Mis-voted -
NOT EXACTLY, only when caught by church groups and Democrats, did you
beg to change your mis-vote.

18.) I Was A Professor Of Law -
NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.

19.) I Was A Constitutional Lawyer -
NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.

20.) Without Me, There Would Be No Ethics Bill -
NOT EXACTLY, you didn't write it, introduce it, change it or create
it.

21.) The Ethics Bill Was Hard To Pass -
NOT EXACTLY, it took just 14 days from start to finish.

22.) I Wrote A Tough Nuclear Bill -
NOT EXACTLY, your bill was rejected by your own party for its
pandering and lack of all regulation - mainly because of your Nuclear
donor, Exelon, from which David Axelrod came.

23.) I Have Released My State Records -
NOT EXACTLY, as of March, 2008, state bills you sponsored or voted
for have yet to be released, exposing all the special interests pork
hidden within.

24.) I Took On The Asbestos Altgeld Gardens Mess -
NOT EXACTLY, you were part of a large group of people who remedied
Altgeld Gardens. You failed to mention anyone else but yourself, in
your books.

25.) My Economics Bill Will Help America -
NOT EXACTLY, your 111 economic policies were just combined into a
proposal which lost 99-0, and even YOU voted against your own bill.

26.) I Have Been A Bold Leader In Illinois -
NOT EXACTLY, even your own supporters claim to have not seen BOLD
action on your part.

27.) I Passed 26 Of My Own Bills In One Year -
NOT EXACTLY, they were not YOUR bills, but rather handed to you,
after their creation by a fellow Senator, to assist you in a future
bid for higher office.

28.) No One on my campaign contacted Canada about NAFTA -
NOT EXACTLY, the Canadian Government issued the names and a memo of
the conversation your campaign had with them.

29.) I Am Tough On Terrorism -
NOT EXACTLY, you missed the Iran Resolution vote on terrorism and
your good friend Ali Abunimah supports the destruction off Israel ..

30.) I Want All Votes To Count -
NOT EXACTLY, you said let the delegates decide.

31.) I Want Americans To Decide -
NOT EXACTLY, you prefer caucuses that limit the vote, confuse the
voters, force a public vote, and only operate during small windows of
time.

32.) I passed 900 Bills in the State Senate -
NOT EXACTLY, you passed 26, most of which you didn't write yourself.

33.) I Believe In Fairness, Not Tactics -
NOT EXACTLY, you used tactics to eliminate Alice Palmer from running
against you.

34.) I Don't Take PAC Money -
NOT EXACTLY, you take loads of it.

35.) I don't Have Lobbyists -
NOT EXACTLY, you have over 47 lobbyists, and counting.

36.) My Campaign Had Nothing To Do With The 1984 Ad -
NOT EXACTLY, your own campaign worker made the ad on his Apple in one
afternoon.

37.) I Have Always Been Against Iraq -
NOT EXACTLY, you weren't in office to vote against it AND you have
voted to fund it every single time.

38.) I Have Always Supported Universal Health Care -
NOT EXACTLY, your plan leaves us all to pay for the 15,000,000 who
don't have to buy it.

39.) My uncle liberated Auschwitz concentration camp -
NOT EXACTLY, your mother had no brothers and the Russian army did the
liberating.

So, who EXACTLY is this Obama guy and what is he trying to sell us?


Please get to work now...not enough of your loved ones and friends
know about this fraud.

Welfare Poem - oh boy you will love this



I cross ocean,
poor and broke,
Take bus,
see employment folk.

Nice man treat me
good in there,
Say I need to
see welfare.

Welfare say,
'You come no more,
We send cash
right to your door.'

Welfare checks,
they make you wealthy,
Medicaid it keep
you healthy!

By and by,
I get plenty money,
Thanks to you,
American dummy.

Write to friends
in motherland,
Tell them 'come
fast as you can.'

They come in turbans
and Ford trucks,
I buy big house
with welfare bucks

They come here,
we live together,
More welfare checks,
it gets better!

Fourteen families,
they moving in,
But neighbor's patience
wearing thin.

Finally, white guy
moves away,
Now I buy his house,
and then I say,
'Find more aliens
for house to rent.'
And in the yard
I put a tent.

Send for family
they just trash,
But they, too,
draw the welfare cash!
Everything is
very good,
And soon we
own the neighborhood.

We have hobby
it's called breeding,
Welfare pay
for baby feeding.

Kid's need dentist?
Wife's need pills?
We get free!
We got no bills!

American's crazy!
He pay all year,
To keep welfare
running here.

We think America
darn good place!
Too darn good for
the white man race.
If they no like us, they can
scram,
Got lots of room in Pakistan .





It is interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890.00 and each can also get an additional $580.00 in social assistance for a total of$2,470.00.


This compares very well to a single pensioner who after contributing to the growth and development of America for 40 to 50 years can only receive a monthly maximum of $1,012.00 in old age pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement.

Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees!

Lets send this to all Americans, so we can all be ticked off and maybe we can get the refugees cut back to $1,012.00 and the pensioners up to $2,470 00 and enjoy some of the money we were forced to submit to the Government over the last 40 or 50 years.