Current society focuses more and more on technology to make cooking easier, quicker, make prepared foods more readily accessible, etc. One area we have not really changed is butchering, except to say that there are far fewer butchers today than a generation ago. There could be no quality cuts of meat without them.

Do you think butchers are a dying breed, or will we see a resurgence within that profession?

The dishwasher will kill quality knives. Handles dry out, the blades are banged around against other knives & dishes or the racks in which they're held...the only thing worse you could do is to utterly neglect them.

I have a $60 Kitchen Aid set which has lasted me for years. Hone the blade on a honing steel every time you use it. Hand wash and dry immediately. Once in a while, maybe 1-2 times a year, get the set sharpened by a local butcher (if you use them regularly). The steel will last a lifetime or more; the handles can even be preserved for generations.

Indeed. YouTube is a great example.

You mistake my intent. I'm not saying these parents should be using violence, but I am stating that it may be worth considering, and that I would have very likely resorted to calculated violence in order to gain my own child back by this point. I consider means which these parents have obviously ruled out by this point.

And as for facts, we have wildly conflicting opinions from two regularly-reputable sources: Tufts and BCH (who was referred by Tufts). The former diagnosed Mitochondrial Disease, which makes sense given the symptoms we know. The latter diagnosed Somatoform Disorder, which is psychological in nature. If there is a dispute, then why have doctors at Tufts not asserted their opinion more fervently, or reconsidered their diagnoses? Why have the doctors at BCH not considered the possibility that Tufts may be right? Why hasn't a completely external review been done on this case, which has been an international headline? After all, most medical professionals consider alternate opinions a good thing.

You don't need a PhD to understand that something is wrong with the medical system, at least in this particular instance. One or more parties are obviously withholding information, being suppressed, or are lying. The real question is: why?

In the meanwhile, I side with the parents. Yes, I am biased because I am a parent myself.

If you think "going ballistic" is the only means of utilizing violence, then you're clearly not educated enough on violence and its potential applications.

I get that, but neither can you help your child if there is so much red tape binding your hands and so much bureaucratic process blocking the way.

Violence is never the preferred answer...but when it IS the answer, there is no other substitute.

If she were my child, there would be no way I would let them stop me from getting her back. If paperwork and appeals didn't do the trick, I would very quickly escalate the actions I took to ensure her safety and care under my responsibility. That might mean intimidation or violence...so be it. They threw the first stone.

The State has absolutely no reason to take these parents' child from them.

The lemonade lobby is powerful, indeed.

And to think...I moved from NJ to VA several years back. -_-

...now with more corruption!

The Supreme Court of Thermodynamics clearly overturned those laws.

Bacon started this.

And underwear elastic furthered it.

The new Ford F-150 has an all-aluminum body, but the frame is still made of steel. Overall, they've managed to lighten the truck by ~700 lbs according to FMC, and aluminum will not rust/rot anywhere near as quickly as traditional steel body panels; even the newer zinc-plated and e-coated steel will not hold up as long as aluminum.

You're correct in stating that TIG (or GTAW: Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) requires different equipment and more practice. There is more flexibility in the types of materials, thicknesses, etc., which can be welded. It's not wildly different, but it does take experience to know how to not screw up the work piece(s).

MIG (or Metal Gas Arc Welding) can still be screwed up, but it can also be fixed very easily. A novice can pick up the basics of MIG welding in a day, though you'll obviously not mistake them for a master welder.

My old Nokia candybar phone (c. 2000) is practically indestructible. To this day I can still charge it up and play "nibbles" in all its LCD monochrome glory. Too bad the cell towers don't support its signal anymore...

That's lame. I had an MX500 which lasted many years, have a G5 which still works flawlessly (but isn't hooked up atm) and each of my home PCs has a G500 currently in use. The only Logitech mouse which has ever failed me was the G7 because the battery packs don't hold a steady charge any longer, and I lost the transceiver. Wireless mice don't work without the antenna or batteries :)