I graduated from high school in 1969. I grew up with that stupid war, and let me tell you, casualties had nothing to do with my disgust of it. It was incompetence plain and simple. LBJ and Nixon were picking the daily bombing targets. Planes could watch a missile site being built, they could watch the missiles coming in by freighter and being transported by truck, being loaded onto the missile sights, but they couldn't attack them until they were shot at. McNamara was an obvious bean counter with zero experience with an institution where profit was meaningless, and Westmoreland and the others talked of the light at the end of the tunnel so often it became a standing joke.

Body counts, ridiculous nonsense every day, one sided bombing pauses -- the incompetence was glaring, and when the Tet offensive was over, all the bragging in the world about the terrible losses suffered by the enemy (which were no doubt true) just didn't make up for all the previous years of lies and ineptness.

That is exactly the same problem with this stupid Iraq war. If the so-called leadership were even halfway competent and honest about mistakes and setbacks, they'd still have public sentiment on their side. Instead, they cover up, lie, cheat, and steal enormous war profits for their buddies in Haliburton, and it no longer matters if this surge is doing any good. We have turned the corner so many times that we are going in circles, and people are simply fed up and no longer believe a goddamned thing coming out of Washington.

Hillary, Obama -- listen up! Your idea of withdrawing envisions leaving 50,000 troops over their for training -- wrong wrong wrong! No one will see that as anything but more of the same. Nixon lied about his secret plan in order to win the election and invaded Cambodia and Laos and lied more and more to cover up his previous lies. Don't go down that same road. People have lost their patience, and the spineless Democrat Congress is feeding that impatience in more ways than your vote addled brains can comprehend.

I was intrigued, I admit. I was wondering what insight there was. Would the author add the price of anti virus software and subscriptions? Would he calculate the hours spent dealing with Windows bugs and multiply by some hourly pay rate to add to the Windows price?

Imagine my surprise when it came down to resale value. Good grief. I know of NO ONE who sells old computers every year and buys new ones. All of us keep computers until they break, and if we buy a new computer every year, we keep the old one too, or give it to family or friends.

It reminds me of those laughable Hertz computations of how much cars cost, based on the idea that you trade in every year. Who still does that?

Or other car comparisons how Mercedes are actually cheaper than Chevrolets, once you account for retaining more of their trade in value. Besides assuming you keep the car in pristine condition and never ever let a dog or baby ride in them, and never ever let anyone eat in them, or even wear dirty clothes, I simply do not know ANY ONE who trades in cars every year, nor who has the spare money to invest in a Mercedes merely because they can sell it a year later for the same price, and then have to turn around and lay out even more money for yet another new one.

How about some realism? On second thought, maybe this *is* realism for a Mac fanboy, and maybe I should just stick with my Linux boxes and leave you high thinkers in peace.

The towel machines with which I am familiar do NOT have an endless loop of towel to be used over and over by succeeding patrons. Rather it is a long roll of towel going from one roller to another until it runs out, and is replaced as necessary, presumably to be washed before being reused.

As for the hot air dryers, did your own calcs include the extra cosr of manufacturing the hot air machine?

And further to that, I use the paper towels to wipe my face after. It's a nice refresher on a hot day, or even a cold day. I can't do that with a hot air machine.

The definition of adultery in Saudi Arabia includes any time a female is in the presence of any male without a brother, father, or husband around to chaperone.

It's not a very hard concept.

I was in the navy 30 years ago and had numerous liberty visits in Hong Kong. Of course, it was a British colony then, but I doubt that has changed it much from a sailor's point of view. Great city -- my first action was to catch a red double decker bus, get on top up front, and ride around until it got back to the start. A nickel if I remember.

Point is, liberty calls are not spur of the moment. They must have planned it months in advance. You don't just motor on in and drop anchor. You have to arrange all the facilities, the liberty boats, supplies, and when hundreds of families had already flown in to meet their sailors, they had to plan ahead too -- hotels, airline reservations, etc.

For the Chinese to have canceled it at the last minute, they must have been trying to send some message too subtle for me.