Power is the real issue in male/female in the world issues, McGrath.

As far as love and war go, I am told the Buddha said all suffering is caused by lust, aggression, and ignorance. I doubt any of us are keen on stamping out lust but I could do wtih a world free of aggression and ignorance.

They're just really really basic questions, TTR and the best and brightest minds of human history haven't figured out how to do it.

And you can always read me your poetry, Thomas.

You have all heard my rants on rewriting traditional material when you do not improve on the original. You may know I tend to foam at the mouth about good-time girl songs like "Keep on Trucking Mama." The old Chicago Women's Liberation Rock Band did a parody on it which I adore. I would counter it with that song "Louise" which Bonnie Raitt sings. Muddy Waters' "Paying the cost to be the Boss" I counter with Koko Taylor's "Devil have a Field Day."

If you guys want something to counter "Never wed an old man," dig out the R&B tune from some 20 years ago called "Old men with young ideas." The colleagues who introduced me to it were in great praise of older men, saying the young think they slick and pull stuff, whereas the old ones know if they want you to stay home they got to stay home and keep you happy.

If we are being frank here, age is not a problem in that regard but mileage is. I was once madly in love with a guy who turned out to be alcoholic and I learnt the hard way what THAT does to your love life.

I want to knoww why aggression and violence against women seem to be hard wired together in our species. My reading indicates anger and indiscriminate violence against females is hardwired into primates, period. That's my biggest issue.

MA, stepping back off the soapbox ...