Well, if Lebanon got rid of the Hezbollah like they did Syria...

Syria has promised to get involved; Iran has already gotten involved. Could be a real powder keg in your corner of the world.

Politically I am not sure Syria can get involved. The son is just not the same man his father was. Iran will always be in the mix. Good thing the 101st is in their way.

Yes the warden messages are already flying. If anything happens to me, at least the US government can sleep with a clean conscience. Government conscience - another oxymoron?

There is more real risk in your neighborhood than mine unfortunately.

No, not my neighborhood.

My neighborhood is protected by a 12 gauge shotgun and a S&W .357. Best crime deterrent I have found. No, I am safe my friend.

I won't get into a political discussion, because it bothers KiwiJ (where is she anyway?).

But I've always sided with Israel. However, now they have killed over 100 to get back their hostages. I'm sure there is a reason, but it seems a bit of an overreaction to me.

It's because Israel understands power and how to use it. It's something we lost a long time ago.

The US should subcontract all its work to Russia. The results would be better and it would be far more economical. Everyone benefits.

I beg to differ on the danger aspect. The five prime targets in the USA are Washington DC, New York City, Colorado Springs (SAC), Lake Fort Smith (water supply for Fort Smith, Arkansas - my home town) and Atlanta, Georgia. Can you imagine what would happen to the world if we lost the formula for Coca Cola? Chaos would reign. Atlanta is high risk, my friend.

Yes, since the Russians were so highly effective in Afghan...

Now, with vodka, I agree.

Supermarkets, don't think so.

I do wish they would teach us to land a space capsule on land.

Crime statistics for Atlanta are very misleading but having said that, if the stats help dissuade people from moving here, all the better. Our roads are full!

Back in second grade, we had a new kid come to school. He was a bit small and somewhat shy. He acted tough though. Even so, he never got his butt whipped because he had a brother in sixth grade that was huge. So this little runt got away with a lot because everyone was afraid of his big brother.

Israel understands power? I learned all this in the second grade. This isn't rocket science.

Even so, it is far more complex than that. The OPEC embargo of the 70's didn't work. It created huge profits so had the opposite of its intended effect. It is all about "interests". There is no right or wrong here. It is only who benefits and by how much.

Hmmm...I thought there was a hous on the market just down the street from you. Or has that sold already?

Okay Pio,

You learned it in the second grade; I learned it in my neighborhood when I was five. My operative point was also that the US does not understand how to use its power.

Put me in charge for thirty days and I will solve the world's conflicts.

Part of Russia's problem in Afghanistan is that they fought two wars - much lie the US did in Vietnam. I am thoroughly convinced that Russia running wars as a purely business venture would be quite effective. Or,as gemela always says, con dinero biala el perro, sin dinero bialas como perro.

Have you asked someone who has actually done it to find out whether it is really such a good idea? My bet is they might prefer the water. Besides, we only ever lost one and now even Liberty 7 is back on dry land.

It is still off the market. Language in OM and OMW divorce decree set forth that OM was to sell home within x days which has now passed.

Apparently, he can't leave STBXW or she won't let him. OMW has hired an attorney to sue either for specific performance or for OM to buy her half of the equity out.

You would think someone with a degree in Physics would have taken high school algebra. Don't you know "x" is a variable?

Did it by any chance involve taking the bread bag into the shower? I am amazed that had never occurred to me before. Shear brilliance in its simplicity!

Pio, I am here and I also mentioned your Israel post to an American academic in the Department. I will run it past him. He was born in Long Island, moved to South America with his diplomat father (and mother) when he was 3, grew up in Argentina and got involved in all sorts of resistance movements, went to college in the States and moved here where he is our token "loud" American academic.

The mall thing. Weeeeellll, you are sort of talking about every husband and wife's experience at the mall. We have a set rule. I look at shoe shops etc and he looks at the stuff that interests him. We have lunch together and look at the stores that interest us both together. We were at the mall today as it happens and your post interested me. We did a good job of satisfying ourselves and each other. He even held my hand. (shock, horror he hates doing that in public). At the supermarket he kept grabbing my hips and doing a conga. Talk about embarrassing. But I set a robotic chicken in the toy section doing some sort of song. Talk about embarrassing.

Pio, you need the time apart. I don't know if it's a Plan B or not. You know gemela, we don't. I don't think it'll be her having fun, fun, fun. I think needs to see what life will be like without you. I think she will miss you and the girls more than she thinks she will.

The bread bag? I can't cope if the bread bag doesn't have one of those little plasticy things holding the ends together.

Pissing in the shower? I really have never done that and don't intend to start now.

This mall experience was a new emotion for me. Needless to say I have spent several man-years shopping with gemela and have always been quite good at it. My only problem to this point is that I apparently cannot recognize white when I see it. Men don't realize that there are about 200 shades of white. Women do. I don't know why this particular mall visit bothered me so. But it clearly did.

I doubt gemela will be living the high life in Mexico. It will be hard to face her family. I just hope she is honest with them. I doubt she will contact OM either. I don't feel like she sees any happiness there.

We are not really allowed to hold hands in public here. We do it anyway but it is against the law. If a mutawa sees us, we can get in trouble. Fortunately the mutawas are easy to spot. One woman here has a great strategy. Whenever a mutawa bothers her she simply shouts (in arabic) "you're looking at me". It is a big sin for a mutawa to look at a woman. They quickly run away.

Wow, Pio, I can't even imagine the restraints you live under.

I'm glad you realise that white doesn't just come in white, it comes in off white, pearl white, gray white........

Seriously, the pool guy is gone. Maybe not from gemela's mind but for him it was "hey, I had a great time in Saudi..." Believe me.