the Duggers are a family who have their own show on TV and are really Christian and don’t believe in birth control. So they have 19 kids. And their oldest child is married and is expecting, but now so it the mom. So the Grandchildren will be older than her own children. WEIRD
Not so crazy to me. My mom has 12 siblings and by the time my grandma had the youngest, there was two grand children in the World already. One of them my half-sis. That was a time before birth control became popularry known in this country, thus the 13 kids. There's been a lot of families that size in that time. Of course this surprises nobody; just had to mention.
Meg, I wish I could just get in a plane, pick a lexling and go visit.
That'd be awesome. ♥ But in the mean while I'm very much content keeping touch with everyone thru the web. If it all suddenly crashed, I'd be lost.
Here the family/personal insurance doesn't come with the pay check. People have to get it by their selves if they can afford. The emploer is forced by law to insurance it's worker's while they're at the work place. They can't cut that off no matter what the money situation. There's also this minimum health insurance suplied by the national Social Insurance Institution that cuts off some of the price when it comes to using medical centers and such and some meds. This insurance is for everyone and can't be taken away. What Paula said is pretty much like the medical centers are here: "Public is a mess but effective, if you need serious treatment, you will be taken care of. The daily stuff such as flu, allergies and the more annoying non lethal stuff, which are the ones that floods the system, are a mess." But if you want to go to a Private practice, you'll need an extra insurance or it can be too heavy on the wallet.
When there are economy problems, there are meetings between the employee-unions and employers to find a solution that would harm as little as possible. In big firms and factories those meetings often end in firing lots of people, and they try to pick those people so that they can go straight to retirement, but of course it's not always possible. There can also be paycuts. There's been such meetings at my hubby's workplace and they fired over half of the workers in the carage-unit where hubby works. They just left two of the best that can handle it when there's more work than two people should be able to handle... Luckily hubby is one of them. They've invested so much in him by sending him on those courses, he's pretty much non-replaceable. But he is very much stressed out by all this and would leave the firm if there was another job for him in town. One of his ex-coworkers has asked him to come work for him; he's asked twice. But hubby said no, since there would probably be a bit smaller salary and that job would mean we'd have to move further north and hubby doesn't want to leave this town.
I hope both Paula and Pharmer's moms will be okay. Nasty scares... *huggles* My dad is practically a walking dead, but he just doesn't want to die. Doctors are saying he should be dead by now, since among other things, his liver is a goner but he still keeps on drinking. There was a point when a doctor told him "if you'll drink once more, you'll die in that spot". He was without drinking for three whole weeks and then he just had to try.. and he lived, so of course he figures it's okay to drink a little every day. I don't keep that much in touch with either of my alcoholic parents now. They're always drunk when they call and they break my heart... not to mention drive me crazy with the tone of their voice and the things they speak when they're drunk...
Okay enough depressive stuff. What do you call the Xerox of a boner? Hard Copy.
The Real Skywalker Lineage
(Setting: A furious lightsaber duel is underway. Darth Vader is backing Luke Skywalker towards the end of the gantry. A quick move by Vader chops off Luke's hand. It goes spinning off into the ventilation shaft. Luke backs away. He looks around, but realizes there's nowhere to go but straight down....)
Darth Vader: Obi Wan never told you what happened to your father.
Luke: He told me enough! He told me you killed him!
Darth Vader: No, Luke... I am your father!
Luke: No! It's not true! It's impossible.
Darth Vader: Search your feelings... you know it to be true.
Luke: NO!
Darth Vader: Yes, it is true... and you know what else? You know that brass droid of yours?
Luke: Threepio? Darth Vader : Yes, C-3PO. I built him -- when I was only seven years old.
Luke: No!
Darth Vade : Seven years old! And what have you done? Look at yourself: No lightsaber, no hand, no job and couldn't even levitate your own ship out of the swamp.
Luke: I... I destroyed the Death Star!
Darth Vader When you were 20! When I was ten, I single-handedly destroyed a Trade Federation Droid Control ship!
Luke: Well, it's not my fault...
Darth Vader: Oh, here we go... “Poor me! My father never gave me what I wanted for my birthday... boo hoo, my daddy's the Dark Lord of the Sith...waahhh wahhh!”
Luke: Shut up.
Darth Vader: You're a slacker! By the time I was your age, I had exterminated the Jedi knights!
Luke: I used to race my T-16 through Beggar's Canyon!
Darth Vader: Oh, for the love of the Emperor...! Listen, ten years old and winner of the Boonta Eve Open, the only human to ever fly a Pod Racer -- right here, baby!
(Luke looks down the shaft. Takes a step towards it.)
Darth Vader : I was wrong. You're not my kid. I don't know whose you are, but you sure ain't mine. (Luke takes a step off the platform, hesitates, then plunges down the shaft. Darth Vader looks after him.)
Darth Vader : Get a haircut!'
Not my jokes.. just googled some.. I thought it's getting too serious.
Almost makes me want to have another one. Crazy! 
