Guest, geezer, might I ask where it is you moved to? I have friends in similar circumstances.

Janie, thanks for that book reference...I'd forgotten about it. I saw the book review for it when it first came out and meant to get it from the library.

dianavan, I have been furious since Bush and Co. have put abstinence at the head of the list of viable birth control methods. Indeed, tying it to aid to Africa, for one, by stipulating that of the $20 million that we were going to give them, one third had to be spent on abstinence training. I was going to offer my services...for that kind of money, I'd promote practically anything...just kidding...actually I couldn't help but wonder why it would cost that much to preach about it..."just don't do it?" Brochures explaining the procedure? Slide shows? "Gee, I like you; want to do it?" "No, I can't. I practice abstinence....so should you!" I could go on...maybe we should start a thread on the very subject. See if we can come up with $6.6 million ways to say, "Sorry, can't have sex with you."

I'm still reeling that the Surgeon General under Bill Clinton...no jokes, now...well, a few...was fired because she promoted self-satisfaction and condoms.

But, to get back to the real issues here. Poverty is a very sad subject...thank you to Donuel for providing that YouTube link. At first, I was lost watching it. I almost broke it off before the clincher came. That was awesome...and awful at the same time.

I once lived in Mexico briefly a long, long time ago. When we were landing at the airport in Mexico City, I saw these tiny structures...well, it was hard to say what they were, but the closer we came to the tarmac, the more I began to get the picture....they were huts....and people were living in them....right next to the runways. Can you imagine? Can anyone fathom the level of poverty that brings one to live that way? It was the first of many vivid images that changed the way I looked at life in general and my own life. But, I will tell you one thing I learned from Ivan Illich while I was studying there, and that is that we must feed the poor...cure what ails them...and, above all, not preach to them. It actually is based on Maslov's Hierarchy of Needs. I recommend the latter as a reference to this very subject. It actually applies to all of life when you think of it.

Peace to you all, I'm tired now and gotta say goodnight!