Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Canada	AOS'rs...	I still haven't gotten a biometrics appt. I was told though that raleigh isn't backlogged like some other local offices. I guess my file was dropped in a crack. The uscis agent i spoke with did put an inquiry in though. Whether or not that actually does anything is another story.	usmcwife	Female	Canada	2010-10-14 14:35:00
Canada	AOS'rs...	I still haven't gotten any notice on my biometrics appointment and still can't check the status of my EAD on the uscis website. I think I'm going to try calling again and seeing what's up.	usmcwife	Female	Canada	2010-09-29 20:05:00
Canada	AOS'rs...	Why is the government so confusing!!! Well at least i know that it's not just me.	usmcwife	Female	Canada	2010-09-24 20:19:00
Canada	AOS'rs...	Weird... Last week my file was transferred to CSC and today I checked the status and it says: The I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS was transferred and is now being processed at a USCIS office. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from you. Do you think this means it's been transferred again? Maybe to the local office? I still can't check the status of the EAD... so frustrating	usmcwife	Female	Canada	2010-09-24 08:38:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	QUOTE (trailmix @ Jan 26 2009, 12:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Reba I am surprised to hear you say that artificial sweetners are ok for you in moderation. Especially splenda which is made from cane sugar. The thing is - it isn't cane sugar - so it has been modified (I don't know much about AS as I don't use them or eat them)? I mean HFCS is just corn. There are studies that have shown that HFCS is not good for anyone to consume, sure, it may not directly affect blood sugar levels (which the corn growers will claim makes it "healthier than sugar"), however it is processed by the liver, unlike other sugars, causing the liver to create fat. Similar studies on Splenda/sucralose have not shown any similar bad side effects. Splenda is an acceptable sugar substitute for anyone who wishes to stay away from actual sugar(s) either for purpose of losing weight, or because they have diabetes. Aspartame is still sort of up in the air, because of the headaches side-effects, it is not recommened if you suffer migraines, however any other side-effects or long term effects are undetermined. There have been no side effects or long term effects noted from sucralose (Splenda). Sucralose btw, has been used in Canada for a lot longer than its been marketed in the US by Splenda. Yes, it technically is a chemical sweetener, but it does not affect blood sugar/glucose levels, and is therefore better for you (IMO) in moderation, than granulated cane sugar, HFCS, or aspartame even (because of the headaches thing).	Reba	Female	0	2009-01-26 18:44:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	artificial sweeteners are better than HFCS. Splenda brand being the best for you, as it is made directly from cane sugar. Aspartame can cause headaches in some people, but in moderation, it is better for you than HFCS. If you want to avoid all artificial sweeteners, go for the organics cereal section. Most of them use organic cane sugar.	Reba	Female	0	2009-01-25 10:54:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	The more I read about it, the more I stear clear of it.	Reba	Female	0	2009-01-05 19:15:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	OK, back to food! I saw this article this morning on Yahoo News Corn is making us fat Corn is popping up in the most unlikely places. It’s in our soft drinks and juices, hamburgers and chicken, cookies and cakes, breads and crackers, yogurt and granola bars, pizza and fast foods -- and it’s making us fat. By Shelagh McNally Too much of a bad thing Most of our processed foods are being sweetened with the cheap and abundant high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). When it was first introduced in the early 1970s, we consumed about 450 grams (one pound) per year. Today we eat almost 27 kilos (60 pounds) per person per year. Epidemic Scientists like Professor George Bray have been studying the effects of HFCS for many years. As former executive director of the Pennington Biomedical Research Centre in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, and a former chair of the International Obesity Task Force, Bray had first hand experience with the growing epidemic and wrote about his findings in The Handbook of Obesity. "Fructose is absorbed differently. It doesn't register in the body metabolically the same way that glucose does. It is a carbohydrate fat equivalent - that’s how I look at it - and the rise in high fructose corn syrup is on top of the obesity epidemic," said Bray. Handled differently When we start digesting glucose, our body reacts by increasing leptin (a hormone controlling appetite and fat storage) and decreasing ghrelin (the hormone reducing hunger pangs). The glucose is then stored as energy. But with HFCS the opposite happens. Ghrelin levels are not suppressed and leptin is not increased so we are left feeling not quite satisfied and hungry soon after eating. It gets into our cells without triggering an insulin response, thereby confusing our body into handling it like any other fat and storing in as excessive flab. The University of Minnesota also found a diet high in fructose elevates triglyceride levels, long associated with obesity and heart disease Subsidized corn We have so much corn because it’s a heavily subsidized crop. It’s become a cheap food source so all our our animals, including salmon, are fed a steady diet of corn. Since there’s plenty leftover (that happens when you are producing 10 million bushels per year) its also turned into by-products like HFSC, which according to Michael Pollan has become the building block of the "fast-food nation." King Corn In 2004, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis started growing a single acre of corn and documented their investigation in their film King Corn. They started off injecting ammonia fertilizer into the 31,000 genetically modified seeds they planted (which took around 18 minutes). While the corn grew, they visited where corn ends up and were disturbed by the results. Whether it was in a diabetes-plagued neighbourhood where soda was the favoured beverage or in the overcrowded feedlots where bloated cows were waiting to be slaughtered, corn didn’t seem to be contributing to a healthy life. In fact, when Ian and Curt got their hair tested they discovered they were 58 percent corn-based. Buyer beware The first step to reducing our HFCS intake and losing weight is to find cut out those foods laced with it. Approach labels with caution though. The food industry has not been completely forthright and sometimes labels HFCS simply as fructose. Cadbury Schweppes recently agreed to change the label on its 'natural' HFCS-containing 7UP drink and Kraft announced it would abandon "all natural" claims on Capri Sun Juice. Both companies were faced with a lawsuit for deceptive advertising, filed by consumer activists Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The Corn Refiners Association has also backed down after the FDA stated that HFCS could never be considered a natural ingredient. The Accidental Hedonist has a list of foods containing HFCS while Stop HFCS has a list of companies who have stopped using it. Buying products from companies, a diet of fresh fruit and vegetables along with grain-fed and organic meat bought from a reliable, local source is the best way to avoid the perils of HFCS. Shelagh McNally is the editor of Green Living Online. Now she knows who to blame for that extra 15 pounds.	Reba	Female	0	2008-12-29 07:18:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	Mr. Christie's used to be a completely separate and wholly owned company. Years ago it was bought by Nabisco, who was then bought by Kraft. QUOTE The Story of W.M. Christie William Mellis Christie -- a man who changed the course of the Baking Industry -- came to Canada from Huntley, Aberdeenshire, Scotland at the age of 19 in the year 1848. He had apprenticed to the baking business in Turriff, Aberdeenshire for four years and, finding the prospects of the economy too limited, decided to move to Toronto where he worked as a baker. In September of 1849 a partnership was formed by James Mathers and Alexander Brown with William Christie as an assistant Baker and Traveling Salesman. When Mr. Mathers retired in 1850, Alexander Brown took William Christie into the partnership. In 1853, Alexander Brown retired to the country and left the business with William Christie. In 1861, Christie suffered financial setbacks and Brown returned to the business which then adopted the name Christie, Brown & Company. On February 11, 1878, Mr. Brown retired for the second time and the business was purchased by William Christie. Mr. Christie built his business on the premise that customers deserved a quality product with the best of ingredients. In 1876, William Christie attended the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition with samples of his biscuits and returned with silver and bronze medals. This was just the first of many trips to exhibitions and fairs and Mr. Christie soon became known throughout the country for his high quality of biscuits. When the son of William Christie, Robert J. Christie, took over the business in 1900, this company had grown from one using less than 50 barrels of flour a week to one using 160 barrels of flour, one and one-half tons of butter and lard, and thousands of eggs every working day. The business, under the direction of William Christie, expanded to the point where Christie, Brown & Company employed approximately 375 people by the turn of the century and had offices in Montreal as well as Toronto. Deliveries were made to all parts of Canada. In 1928, the capital stock of Christie, Brown & Company was purchased by the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) which is a U.S. based company. During the years, Christie Brown & Co. continued to prosper and in 1982, Christie Brown merged with Standard Brands and became Christie Brown & Co., Division of Nabisco Ltd which was a subsidiary of RJR Nabisco Inc in the U.S. As of January, 1986 Christie Brown & Co. and Associated Biscuits of Canada integrated. Christie Brown & Co. now operates five Biscuit Bakeries in Toronto and Montreal, producing such well known products as Oreo Cookies, Premium Plus Crackers and Ritz Crackers; Peek Frean Fruit Creme Cookies; Dad's Oatmeal Cookies, David Strawberry Tarts and Harnois Winsor Cookies. Edited by Reba, 22 December 2008 - 07:22 PM.	Reba	Female	0	2008-12-22 19:22:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	I like the New York Fries poutine. And they've had it for a long long time. At least at the one in Fairview Mall anyhow near where I used to work.	Reba	Female	0	2008-12-16 07:32:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	I've ordered from these folks quite a lot over the years http://www.canadianfavourites.com/ There are a few others out there, but I don't remember the URLs because I've never used them.	Reba	Female	0	2008-12-14 09:48:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	QUOTE (xtinab @ Dec 12 2008, 09:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm poutine..... I still get wierd looks when I try to order Fries with Gravy and cheese. I mean some places already have chilli fries and such, why cant they just switch it out for gravy! I KNOW they have it in the kitchen dammit! I'd hazard a guess though that if you ask for gravy in a US restaurant (especially south of the Mason/Dixon) you'll get disgusting white slop, rather than brown gravy. "Gravy" down here is made from buttermilk, rather than actual meat drippings. And I don't think it would be very tasty for poutine. I've made my own poutine a couple times after I got here. The trick is finding the squeeky cheese. Its not a very common thing in the US outside of Wisconsin or Vermont (where there's lots of cheese makers). If you can find a cheese factory near you, they probably have curds, but I've never seen them on regualar store shelves anywhere outside of Wisconsin.	Reba	Female	0	2008-12-13 10:04:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	dangit! I knew someone was going to say poutine sooner or later! Its not allowed on my diet! GAH!	Reba	Female	0	2008-12-12 07:27:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	I thought I was the only one who missed the chunky tuna! I keep buying "chunky" tuna here, and its not chunky at all, its flaky.	Reba	Female	0	2008-12-09 19:50:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	I saw Pears soap not long ago in a CVS I think it was. On their Dollar shelf.	Reba	Female	0	2008-12-08 07:26:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	Watkins has a bunch of those spices you're looking for (unfortunately, not all, but maybe sometime for seasonal specials). In both an Organic, and a "regular" version. Plus, I think the Tropical Salsa would be good with samosas I found a really nice pumpernickle bread at Aldi's. I dunno if they have a real rye bread or not, I haven't looked. I did find a fairly decent rye bread mix at our local healthfood store (I think Ingles has the same too). I did it in the bread machine, but it'll go either way. If you don't want to make your own, there's a brand that I can't remember the name of at the mo, (Natural...Nature's Own...something...maybe?) but they have a "Real Jewish Rye" bread that's pretty good too. If your local grocery has an organic section, you might find it there. For a couple extra bucks of course, but some cravings are just worth it! Most of the grocery stores here carry ready made pie crusts, (w/out pie pan) but they're not in the frozen food section. I usually find them over by the eggs in the refrigerator/dairy section. If you're making samosas or perogies er summat, you can just cut them with cookie cutters or a drinking glass, same as you would with a "regular" ready-made dough.	Reba	Female	0	2008-07-04 09:25:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	Since Aldi opened up a store here in town, I've been shopping there quite a lot. (and saving more than 50% off my grocery bills!). They have a few items that are HFCS free (but proportionately speaking, not very many). Fit & Light Ranch Salad Dressing (all their other dressings have HFCS, even the other Fit & Light!) Sweet & Salty, Trail Mix Fruit & Nut, and Oat & Honey granola bars (the Fit & Light ones have HFCS believe it or not!) Their knock-off Frosted Mini Wheats, Cheerios and a couple other cereals do not have it. And their imported chocolates do not have it. Generally speaking HFCS is a US phenomenon, so imported goods won't have it, unless they are made specifically for the US market (there area few food items made in Canada that are made for import to the US that have HFCS in them, but the Canadian version doesn't have it). You just have to really be careful and read every label. Most organic foods won't have it in there (I'd hazard a guess and say all organics even!) because HFCS is so over processed, it can no longer be considered organic, even if it came from organic corn. But, considering the whole point to HFCS is for food manufacturers to save money, why would they bother with organic corn? It would cost them too much btw, only a very few of Newman's Own products contain HFCS. The list linked above only had their organic sandwich cookies listed for some reason. Edited by Reba, 31 May 2008 - 08:16 AM.	Reba	Female	0	2008-05-31 08:16:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	I won't buy pre-packaged produce, I think its a waste. Except those salad bags, because if I buy a whole head of lettuce, plus everything else that goes in a salad, we end up throwing most of it out because we can't eat it all before it goes off. Shrink wrapped bananas though is silly, so I buy those at Bi-Lo or one of the other gorcery stores in town. I usually split all my shopping between 2 or 3 stores to get the best prices. Best price for imported chocolate is hands down at Aldi's that's for sure! 99 cents for 2 German wafer chocolate bars, can't beat that anywhere! Probably not even in Germany!	Reba	Female	0	2008-05-11 13:01:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	I do miss the Bulk Barn! There's no such stores like it around here anywhere, if anything is sold "in bulk" its just in bigger packaging, rather than in bins where you can choose exactly how much you want. Now we have an Aldi in town though, and they actually have a few products without HFCS in it! Wonder of wonders...they only have one type of salad dressing without it though (why do you need to sweeten salad dressing anyway? ) I've been making my own lately. Its just fine without sugar! Edited by Reba, 11 May 2008 - 09:19 AM.	Reba	Female	0	2008-05-11 09:19:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	QUOTE (badspellor @ Apr 30 2008, 10:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Meats: Peameal Bacon - comparable product would be Canadian Bacon The "Canadian Style" bacon in the US is nowhere near the same as peameal/back bacon in Canada. Its really just a glorified ham. QUOTE The Canadian Bacon story Around the turn of the last century (or as they say, "during the war years"), England had a pork shortage. They imported side bacon from Canada, smoked it and termed it "Wiltshire Sides" in England. Due to this event Canadian bacon was made famous. Over time the United States believed that Canadian bacon was smoked back bacon although true Canadian bacon is not smoked. Our Canadian product is classified by the USDA as uncooked Canadian bacon and is Canadian #1 peameal back bacon. The peameal bacon in Canada (which is actually rolled in corn meal now instead of peameal, but habits die hard ) is brined, not smoked. "Canadian Style" bacon in the US is smoked the same as they do their hams.	Reba	Female	0	2008-05-01 06:05:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	I remember eating Pistachio ice-cream in Canada. Dunno why you can't find it, its around there somewhere.	Reba	Female	0	2008-02-15 07:27:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	I jsut got a HUGE bag of perogies from a frozen food truck service called Schwann's. If they're in your area, check them out.	Reba	Female	0	2008-02-14 18:30:00
Canada	Grocery Items Unavailable in the US	QUOTE (Krikit @ Jan 22 2008, 07:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I wish we had a Trader Joe's. Or a Harris Teeter. Actually both. we have Harris Teeter here in town. They suck they don't have hardly anything "international". Its probably a regional thing. They had Canadian cheddar cheese once. It was $10 for a small chunk!	Reba	Female	0	2008-01-24 07:32:00
Canada	What's For Dinner?	so far, tonight's dinner is 2 shots of CC on ice	Reba	Female	0	2009-04-30 18:07:00
Canada	What's For Dinner?	I'm making a beef curry for supper tonight. Its in the crockpot now. George has been up sniffing around the counter since I started cooking it this morning at 8am	Reba	Female	0	2009-01-10 09:20:00
Canada	What's For Dinner?	I had a salmon filet and some coleslaw	Reba	Female	0	2008-12-03 19:11:00
Canada	What's For Dinner?	doncha hate it when that happens? Tonight I sauteed asparagus, broccoli and meatballs in some garlic grapeseed oil, with a can of diced tomatoes over rotinni pasta. It was yummy the meatballs were frozen kind from Schwann's. They're actually really good. A bit on the expensive side though.	Reba	Female	0	2008-11-05 18:54:00
Canada	What's For Dinner?	The Schwann's guy was by today, and James bought some frozen cheese enchiladas, so that's what we're having.	Reba	Female	0	2008-11-04 18:44:00
Canada	What's For Dinner?	Alton Brown is awesome! I love his shows	Reba	Female	0	2008-10-29 18:19:00
Canada	What's For Dinner?	we had perogies and brats	Reba	Female	0	2008-10-28 18:24:00
Canada	What's For Dinner?	it turned out very yummy actually. And I made a fresh loaf of bread, so we had some nice warm bread for dunking	Reba	Female	0	2008-10-26 08:43:00
Canada	What's For Dinner?	I'm making beef stew in the slow cooker today	Reba	Female	0	2008-10-25 11:33:00
Canada	Lose weight Canada	QUOTE (jasman0717 @ Mar 3 2009, 10:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I drink about 100 ounces a day and am still retaining water. I am now trying to eliminate as much salt from my diet as possible. My doc even told me to give up salt substitute If you're truely drinking 100 oz per day and you're still retaining water, I'd suggest there could be underlying medical issues there, not just salt intake. Perhaps you should have your kidney function tested. You sholdn't be retaining water if you're drinking that much every day.	Reba	Female	0	2009-03-04 07:30:00
Canada	Lose weight Canada	Jenni, I have IBS w/consitpation, I use Watkins Inner Cleanse tablets. So far they work the best for me, with no cramping or gas or bloating, unlike some other fibre tablets or supplements.	Reba	Female	0	2009-02-26 19:40:00
Canada	Lose weight Canada	If you're retaining water, DRINK MORE WATER! Beans won't help.	Reba	Female	0	2009-02-26 07:13:00
Canada	Lose weight Canada	QUOTE (jasman0717 @ Feb 24 2009, 09:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I started January 20th and weighed that much less on February 17th. Now I am stuck and can't seem to loose anything so I guess I got rid of the water weight. I only eat about 1200 calories a day Your body is in starvation mode now, which is causing your weight loss to stall. You're not getting enough calories to keep you going, even for a completely sedentary person. Eat more good whole foods and you'll start to lose again. While in starvation mode, your body will also start to burn your lean muscle tissue rather than fat. This is not something you want to do! You should be eating at least 10 times your weight in calories. So, if you're 200 pounds, you should be eating at least 2000 calories, just to get thru the day. If you're active, you should eat more calories. If you "carb load" your body will burn the carbs first, and anything left over that doesn't get burned up will turn to fat. If you reverse the food pyramid though, and balance your diet more toward healthy fats and protiens, with healthy carbohydrates (no starches or refined grains or sugars), your body will burn the fat as fuel, and you'll burn more fat and lose more weight.	Reba	Female	0	2009-02-25 07:08:00
Canada	Lose weight Canada	QUOTE (Emancipation @ Feb 19 2009, 08:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ah Reba.. that made me laugh out loud.. you said that like it's the easiest thing in the world.. Mid-winter when veggies are gross and all you want is comfort food. You are a funny monkey!! Like that's easy!!! But you rock for doing it.. honestly!! It's actually not that difficult at all. After you detox and get over the sugar withdrawls, you don't even want or crave them anymore. The smell of junk foods and sugary anything actually makes me nauseous. Broccoli and celery with cheese are my new comfort foods. And avocado. I never used to like avocado, but I could eat one every day now! And my Wii Fit is alot of fun too	Reba	Female	0	2009-02-24 19:56:00
Canada	Lose weight Canada	Just cut out the junk foods, sugary anything, and breads, and even that could help. Sugar is just empty calories, and bread is just filler. And junk food is just junk. Eat whole natural foods rather than packaged and processed, and that'll help you lose weight. Packaged foods usually have sugars disguised as unpronouncable stuff.	Reba	Female	0	2009-02-19 08:07:00
Canada	Just for a laugh....	the casting is a little ironic. Sandra Bullock is from Texas. Ryan Reynolds is a Canuck.	Reba	Female	0	2009-03-06 07:24:00
Canada	Question to Canucks about EAD?	I thought district offices processed standalone EADs and not the service centres?	Reba	Female	0	2009-06-09 17:50:00