PossumGirl

[quote user="Iceni"] Perhaps Lourdes miracles only work if you worship their god - a bit like Voodoo really, you are unlikely to be hurt by it if you are not a believer. [/quote] Actually, this does not appear to be the case.  There have been cures of people who are not Catholic. However, these will never be miracles according to the Church.  And, cures of non-life threatening illnesses are not even studied because of a lack of resources. PG

[quote user="SaligoBay"] What bothers me is the irrationality and unpredictability and favouritism of a God who would heal some and not others.  [/quote] But, Saligo, the fact that a cure occurs does NOT prove that it was caused by God.  That is only one belief system.  There is very probably a scientific explanation for it, but one which we do not yet understand. PG

[quote user="SaligoBay"] And what if this happens to a non-believer elsewhere?  Does it count as a miracle?   [/quote] No.  Again, the Medical Bureau only qualifies things as a cure that is unexplainable through current medical knowledge.  It is the Church which declares something a miracle.  Two entirely different things. PG

[quote user="SaligoBay"] PG, would an "instantaneously-disappearing tumour" not also be against the laws of nature?   Where would it go?  What would it turn into?  Would it re-materialise inside someone else instead?   [/quote] Saligo, I don't see why it should be against the laws of nature.  If some process in the body was somehow set off, causing it to disappear, i.e,  a transfer of energy.  Unusual, yes, but not, in my opinion, against the laws of physics. PG

[quote user="Katieb"]2 My second query is, that my husband has just set up a micro enterprise (for web development and PC troubleshooting) and has received a replacement CV which does not include myself and our 5 yrs daughter as beneficiaries - would our previous CV still be valid for myself or should we query it with the issuing Caisse as we were under the impression we would all be covered on his new CV (in this case - would we each receive our own CV again?)  [/quote] Kate, this happened to us as well. Even though I'm a "conjoint collaboratrice" in our new enterprise, when they switched us over to the new caisse, they forgot to change me and just changed my husband. However, CPAM showed that I was no longer covered with them either.  Luckily, the paperwork was relatively simple and everything was retroactive.  However, we did wind up going in person to make sure they had copies of all the necessary documents.  I would call your NEW caisse ASAP and get this taken care of. PG

This was good timing, Kate, as we're on our way to an appointment with our Caisse to sign up for their Mutuelle (decided it's easier than staying with Groupama for now).  I made a note to ask our counselor about the EHC at the same time. PG

Nicola, I didn't know that the Scalibor collar worked on fleas.  I know it works on ticks and mosquitos though. PG

I interviewed the medical director of Lourdes a few years ago.  None of the cures go against the laws of nature: i.e., missing limbs do not regenerate. However, cancerous tumors HAVE disappeared instantaneously and this is backed by x-rays, etc.  Those who are cured seem to know immediately that this has happened to them. Part of the problem seems to be that term "miracle," which has religious connotations.  I am not a religious person, I was not raised in a religious household and my family was not Catholic, so I don't have any particular baggage in dealing with this issue.  I DO believe that we, as humans, do not know everything.  Every new discovery in physics, for example, proves that our understanding of matter and the functioning of the universe is seriously limited. I like to think of that wonderful South African movie, "The Gods Must be Crazy." When the Bushman in the film had a coke bottle fall on his head from the sky, it seemed to be a miracle.  He had never seen an airplane, nor a coke bottle before and these were powerful, mysterious objects.  Why should we deny the existence of certain things, simply because we don't have explanations for their occurrance? PG

[quote user="Dicksmith"]PG - are you saying that Lourdes 'miracle cures' actually exist? You'd have proof of that, of course... [/quote] Dick, I think you have to separate the term "miracle" from that of "unexplained cure," which are two different things. Only the Catholic Church proclaims something a miracle.  The cures are examined over a long period of time (as long as 12 years) by an international team of doctors. There are documents available which include medical tests, x-rays, etc., showing that people who were basically at death's door have been suddenly and inexpicably cured of their ailment.  The difference between an inexplicable cure at Lourdes and a remission, for example, is that the cures that occur at Lourdes are sudden and instantaneous.  They are accompanied by certain physical phenomenon that seem to be common to all the cases of cures. I do NOT say, nor do I particularly believe, that these cures have anything to do with religion or the Virgin Mary.  I believe there is an unexplained phenomenon that occurs at Lourdes.  This could be an ability that all humans possess, but which only some are able to access.  Whatever the cause, clearly something occurs for some people at Lourdes, but does not occur, at, for example, a World Cup match. It could be that the environment of Lourdes, with so many people there who clearly have a strong faith, acts as a triggering mechanism for those who are able to tap into it. In any event, it is something that deserves open-minded inquiry and shouldn't be dismissed because of the commercial side of things in the streets outside of the sanctuary. PG

Ian, I've been working on a book about Lourdes, and it is really a fascinating subject.  One of the problems that they have had in recent years is that people who come to Lourdes now "expect" to get a miracle!  This wasn't always the case, when pilgrims were simply grateful. There are a lot of small cures that have never been studied because the medical bureau just doesn't have the resources for it. Just because you aren't dying, doesn't mean you aren't thrilled to have your medical condtion resolved. And, of course, it's also difficult for them to study anything that takes place outside of Europe. PG

I use Advantix K9 instead of Frontline because it also protects against Mosquitos, which can cause leishmaniasis in some areas.  I also use a Preventic collar as double protection against ticks. PG

Has anyone here tried cooking at home with this technique?  It's in the news in New York right now, because the health inspectors have decided there aren't enough "saftey" measures in place. But the articles about it have intrigued me.  Not enough, probably, to buy a vacuum-sealer at this point, but I'm really curious about anyone's home experiences with the technique.

There is a French auto club, Victoria, that seems to provide this service.  I was going to join, but for a minimal increase in our insurance coverage I just added it to that.  Definitely worth having though.  I was a member of AAA (in the States) for over 20 years, and although I didn't need them frequently, when I did, I was thrilled to have them! PG

I don't know how things are in the UK, but in the U.S., there is practically no such thing as free banking.  If you use your ATM at a machine that does not belong to your bank, then you even get charged for that. The only "freeish" accounts usually have requirements like keeping a specific balance, or more frequently these days, having your paycheck direct-deposited.  Something that is impossible for anyone who is self-employed or freelance. So, the French charges don't shock me. PG

[quote user="Logan"]Is it possible to remove wanadoo espace and still connect to the internet using wanadoo's ADSL?[/quote] I have Wanadoo ADSL and have never used their software.  I just configured my wifi connection with the various numbers that came on the installation disk and that was that.  I use the homepage of my choice and really wouldn't know I used Wanadoo at all most of the time. PG

[quote user="Deimos"]Basically (my understanding) is that generally these days we over vaccinate our pets. [/quote] From what I know in the US, the new recommendations are to only vaccinate every second or third year now.  The problem is finding a vet who will do that.  If I knew for a fact that Maggie's antibody levels were high enough to protect her, I would not vaccinate every year, especially as she has had two bouts of cancer (different types, both now gone).  But, because she is always around other dogs, I just don't want to take the risk, since illnesses transmitted by other dogs are probably more of a risk than the vaccines. We have to make choices, pitting various evils against each other.  For example, I know a lot of people consider the topical flea/tick products "poison" and say they are dangerous.  But, for those of us in areas with tick/mosquito borne illnesses, I think the risk of THOSE is higher than the risk of treatment. PG

I have almost everything I buy from the States sent to a friend, then re-shipped. Besides avoiding the "French" question, the shipping is always cheaper when my friends do it.  Plus, they make sure the customs form is filled out with a reasonable value. I know for a fact that the DVD is a Region 1, because it wasn't available in Region 2. Not a problem, because we have a code-free, converting DVD player.  The more I think about it, however, I'm sure that's precisely why it was marked, because, clearly, companies are not supposed to sell things from one region to another because of copyright issues.  As if they can really stop the determined TV addict! PG

Okay, we just got back from our terrific vet.  The answer to the heartworm question, at least in this part of the Aude/Ariege (we're right on the border) is that there is none around here.  The only real risk area seems to be on some parts of the Mediterranean coast. Thus, the suggestion was to stop giving monthly Heartgard and to just do a twice yearly dose of Milbemax. As to titers, they only appear to do them for Rabies and not the other vaccines. So, I just went ahead and got the Diva vaccinated.  She sees too many other dogs in her daily life for me to feel comfortable taking a chance and not doing it. PG

I ordered a U.S. DVD from Amazon.  It was delivered intact and unopened.  They used some sort of global mail system where the package must have been drop shipped to Germany, than simply posted to us from there. What intrigues me is a printed yellow label on the package that states: "Goods do not meet the requirement of Article 9 and 10 of the contract for the foundation of the European Community." I order things from the States all the time, and this is not the first order I've received from Amazon.  But I've never seen this label before.  The only thing I can think of is that it's there because the dvd is a Region 1 disk, but I'm not 100% sure. I googled the info, but didn't come up with anything. Anyone ever seen something like it before? PG

[quote user="Deimos"] I would like to introduce my youngest one to sheep (she is from a working background).  For this I would ask a local farmer (now retired but apparently he keeps some sheep for his own Border Collies and I guess for himself).  I have a suspicion that she will probably ignore them or possibly be scared of them and avoid them.  [/quote] I don't know about her being afraid of them. Maggie is a good, sweet, intelligent dog, but bravery is NOT her best trait.  However, when we were back in L.A. I took her for a herding instinct test.  Not only was she unafraid, she herded those sheepies like she'd been doing it forever, and this was without any training whatsoever.  Being that we DID live in a major urban center, where sheep were in a definite minority, I would doubt she'd ever seen a live sheep before. So, that is to say,  you may discover your girl has great talent! PG

Ian, are you planning on buyng sheep to keep yourself? Or is this merely if you "borrow" a friend's/farmer's sheep so that you know what to expect should it suddenly keep over? I have friends who have/had sheep.  They can be a bit difficult to raise. Sometimes, they apparently just drop dead and no one knows why.  Also, they're not quite as "passive" as we'd like to think.  My friend who lives in the Dordogne and is mostly a dairy farmer, also had sheep for herding.  Hers kept escaping from their very nice pasture into a neighboring one that apparently seemed much more interesting to them.  She spent a lot of time catching them... PG

In our village, the shops are all open on the morning of Easter Sunday, and if they are usually open on Mondays, they are opened that Monday as well.  I was surprised, but no one seemed to think it was unusual. PG

I've finally given up on all anti-spam software.  I find them too annoying in their own right, as I'm afraid to trust them and miss something important that they think is spam.  I find it just as fast to simply go through and delete all those messages for "Nexican Pharmacies!" PG

[quote user="Tandem_Pilot"]One of the pop-ups that appears on that site is WinFixer - its spyware [:(] [/quote] Ah ha!  That explains a lot. PG

[quote user="Robbie34"]Milbemax appears to be the drug of choice these days.  My vet in the UK now prescribes that in place of Drontal, and when returning to the UK my French vet uses this in place of an injection for the Pet's Passport requirements.[/quote] We're due for her annual check-up, so I'll ask about it. BTW, does anyone here do titers instead of annual vaccinations (except for rabies, I know)?  I've been thinking of asking my vet about doing that. PG