Ruth MacGill's Comments

House Democrats may opt not to establish permanent estate tax by Mike R.

Nov 21, 2009 | rating: 10 | comments: 3

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 5:41pm EST

On the other hand it depends on how much wealth he leaves and how he acquired it. If he inherited it or it was made by manipulating money I would not have much sympathy but if it was made by hard work like farming, I would want his estate to keep it.

House Democrats may opt not to establish permanent estate tax by Mike R.

Nov 21, 2009 | rating: 10 | comments: 3

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 5:38pm EST

I don't like the death tax. A person should get a tax break after they die and leave their assets to whomever they want to. If IRS has left him with a little to show for his work of a lifetime, he should get out of this world without the government reaching into his grave for that last bit of what he wanted to leave to his children.

Which do you prefer, reading in books or watching in tv? by jewi lim

Nov 21, 2009 | rating: 10 | comments: 19

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 5:31pm EST

I prefer books by far. Movies leave out so much so reading the book first helps understand the plot. I usually like what I see in my own imagination more than what movie makers see in theirs.

Interesting TV Shows on PBS – TV abstainers should read this. by Ruth MacGill

Nov 19, 2009 | rating: 10 | comments: 11

in reply to a comment by Mariana T.

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 5:21pm EST

That is so interesting that you have traced your DNA! I wish I could do that. I know an ancestor on both sides of my family were part of William the Conqueror's army invading England, and I am nordic looking. When I was young and foolish, I used to put on a Swedish accent and tell people that my name was Olga Svenson and they believed me until I laughed.
My second husband Donald MacDonald MacGill came from northeren Scotland and at 6' 3 1/2" tall he said he was the runt of his family of six boys. He said in the islands north of Scotland there were a lot of taller and bigger men. Around Glasgow people are much smaller. I wonder what made the difference? The Reindeer People who live in northern Siberia seem to be average sized or smaller people. Maybe it depends on how long their ancestors were exposed to cold, cloudy weather of the north pole.

Sick and tired by Lionel LaVergne

Nov 21, 2009 | rating: 10 | comments: 16

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 5:07pm EST

Lionel - Your home is a mobile home, not a trailer. It you took the wheels off it would be just like a manufactured home. I don't care what people called me, I lived for years in a travel trailer - three years as a host at a desert county park, seven years parked in back of a county museum where I was a volunteer doing almost everything, 2 1/2 years in a trailer park resort, and six years in an Indian horse camp. I loved living in a trailer. Everything is so handy. It's good for old people because you can't fall down easily. There is always something to grab hold of. The housekeeping is easy too. But I had to go live with my daughter when I began to leave water running and burners on. Also I could no longer lift the propane tanks alone. Besides that I was the only person really living there more than on weekends, and when a heavy snowstorm blocked me in, it took almost 24 hours before Indian friends could get me out. That was almost a year ago and the end of independent living for me.

Onion Cures - from an email by Mariana T.

Nov 20, 2009 | rating: 10 | comments: 43

in reply to a comment by Ruth MacGill

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 4:48pm EST

Mariana - Being interested in the 'wealth of interesting people' makes me sound like a cat burglar. I mean there are a great many interesting people there - like you.

I forgot to say that I like to use home remedies too, before going to an MD. I had a lot of them used on me when I was a sickly kid. A wet washcloth pinned around my neck after being rubbed with Vicks Vapor Rub was the usual cure for sore throats. There were also various kinds of vile tasting liquids that came my way. And the hired men used different kinds of hot poultices for their carbuncles.

Onion Cures - from an email by Mariana T.

Nov 20, 2009 | rating: 10 | comments: 43

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 4:37pm EST

I know why I would love to live in Santa Barbara - that wonderful view of the ocean, and perfect climate. I also love the beaches, the restaurants, the mission, and the wild garden (I forget what it should be called), the fact it is a university town, and the wealth of interesting people who live there.

Onion Cures - from an email by Mariana T.

Nov 20, 2009 | rating: 10 | comments: 43

in reply to a comment by Ruth MacGill

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 4:32pm EST

I went to get an onion and discovered there are only two left. Got to save them for cooking. I don't think the smell of raw onions exposed to the room will smell very good, but I love the smell of them cooking. I like garlic too. During WWII I worked in a factory where one man brought garlic sandwiches to work. You could smell them 50 feet away. I bet he stayed healthy.

That one little error in an essay by Leo Lemmer

Nov 21, 2009 | rating: 10 | comments: 17

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 4:20pm EST

I try very hard to spell correctly and use the right words. I proofread several times on every article I write, and use spell check, which you can't trust. And I use my handy dictionary and thesaurus often. Then after I post the article and after it's been up there a while and only THEN do I notice mistakes, it makes me furious at myself. I make a lot of typos, I leave words out, like the word 'not' which changes my meaning 180 deg. , and I use the wrong form of words, like there for their because my fingers just do it.

I notice other peoples mistakes. The mistakes that are obviously because the writer doesn't know better I forgive. But if I get the feeling there is no interest in being correct I think I do peg them down a little. But on the other hand people like that have written some of the best stuff I've read on Gather. I'd rather people write incorrectly than not share their opinions and experiences.

Afghanistan Rated Worst Place to be Born by Greg R.

Nov 21, 2009 | comments: 7

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 3:46pm EST

Especially girl children under the Taliban!

Counting My Blessings - Genre Shorties #16 - 100 words by Elsie Duggan

Nov 20, 2009 | rating: 10 | comments: 34

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 4:07am EST

Really a nice one, Elsie.

KKK to Rally at LSU - Ole Miss Football Game by AC W.

Nov 20, 2009 | rating: 10 | comments: 27

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 4:02am EST

If I were a black football player in those teams, I would stomp off the field if I couldn't get away with stomping the KKK members. Those white sheeted KKKers are still proud of the horrific lynching done to the African Americans for decades!! For that matter the man in Texas who was dragged to death behind a pickup a few years ago during W's administration was murdered by thugs like the KKK.

Did the Catholic Church find the Achilles Heel in the Health Care Reform Bill ??? by Peter Joseph Swanson

Nov 20, 2009 | rating: 4 | comments: 19

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 3:29am EST

If they put in the abortion amendment I don't think the bill will pass the House. Without it it still is a sorry mess for all the reconciling the Dems have done to try to get some Republican votes. That's not going to happen. And Lieberman is set to prevent the Senate bill from even going to a floor vote. That really is arrogance. I bet he is going to be out of a job after the next election of senators.

The Shape of Terrorists to Come - They don't need Afghanistan or Al-Qaeda to do harm - From Foreign Policy Magazine by Vicente Duque

Nov 20, 2009 | rating: 7.8 | comments: 7

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 3:13am EST

I agree. I think we are doing more harm than good in Afghanistan. And the CIA drone missiles in Pakistan is doing even more to cause hate toward the U.S.
Another big factor is getting our troops out of there before any more of them get killed or maimed.

Libbys says No More Pumpkin for 2009 by DesertDarlene L.

Nov 20, 2009 | comments: 8

in reply to a comment by Kat W.

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 3:05am EST

Key lime! Mmmm - that is my favorite, but not for Thanksgiving. We'll probably get a pumpkin at a pumpkin patch near here. They still have some nice ones they haven't sold yet. My daughter makes wonderful pumpkin pies from scratch. I don't. I like mincemeat pies for Thanksgiving too.

Onion Cures - from an email by Mariana T.

Nov 20, 2009 | rating: 10 | comments: 43

Ruth MacGill Nov 21, 2009, 2:53am EST

As you say - 'it can't hurt'. It sounds good to me. I'm going to go out to the kitchen right now and make a forked onion bouquet for my bedroom. Maybe it will do in some germs that may be hanging out with me .

Interesting TV Shows on PBS – TV abstainers should read this. by Ruth MacGill

Nov 19, 2009 | rating: 10 | comments: 11

in reply to a comment by MrsRoad Runner

Ruth MacGill Nov 20, 2009, 9:04pm EST

I don't know what caused the disappearance of more primitive humans. Maybe the more modern human killed them. Scientist say they didn't interbreed but I'm not convinced of that. Sometimes you see people who have features like the Neanderthals, and I think they found bones of humans in Spain that they think were crossbreeds.

That is sad that so many of those great musicians and performers died in poverty. Now the pendalum has swung the other way but I don't see much talent like there used to be.

Overstretching and Overextension. Useless and Fruitless Military Campaigns. Roman Empire : Maximun extension under Trajan. Defeats and Constant Revolts by Vicente Duque

Nov 20, 2009 | rating: 7.8 | comments: 11

Ruth MacGill Nov 20, 2009, 8:46pm EST

Native Americans had conflicts over hunting lands. And as the white man forced them out of their eastern lands making them have to move onto lands of other tribes. That's what happened to the Sioux.

Personal About Politics: Drug Makers Raise Prices at Record Rate by Cheri Cabot

Nov 20, 2009 | rating: 10 | comments: 44

in reply to a comment by Johnice R.

Ruth MacGill Nov 20, 2009, 2:05pm EST

I feel the same way, Johnice. I'm sick to death of hearing a lot of guesses and outright lies about the various health bills that have been proposed. Each one is worse than the last. The good things in it are not going to have a chance to help for two or three years. Imagine all the people who will die in the meantime for lack of care even before any bill can have an effect.

What Should a Good Wife Have Done? by Ruth MacGill

Nov 18, 2009 | rating: 10 | comments: 28

in reply to a comment by Elsie Duggan

Ruth MacGill Nov 20, 2009, 1:48pm EST

I think you understand better than anyone here, Elsie. Loving a husband meant protecting his ego even if it was somewhat at the expense of your own. For me the fact he was away for long spells when I had to make all the decisions (no computer connections in those days) it wasn't always easy to give the reins back to him when he was home.