"There is a Buddhist idea that I read about somewhere that says that doing dishes by hand can be a type of meditation. One must mentally devote oneself completely to the act of dishwashing. The idea is to focus on the cleaning of each dish until done. Dishwashing is not viewed as a chore, but as an opportunity to devote oneself to doing a job correctly."

I devoted 20 years of my life to washing dishes by hand. I gave myself completely to the sacred act of washing dishes. It was not a chore, but a source of pleasure; of joy, even. It brought sunlight into my previously drab existence. I was relaxed. I thought of palms and olives. It was a new dawn. The tide had turned. Then I went out and bought the biggest f*&king dishwasher I could lay my hands on.

Make him wait another 30 years and you're both eligible for AARP. If he still wants you, it must be true love.

Given that the chances of a plane requiring an emergency evacuation are probably less than one in a million, I find it hard to accept that Fight Attendants are there for safety reasons. Isn't is much more accurate to say they are there to hand out meals and retrieve garbage from people immobilzed by the constrictive torture devices known as "seats"? If airlines were seriously concerned about safety during evacuations they would have to remove about a third of these so-called seats, but, as I said, the chances are one in a million. As for the "submissive Asian woman", it really is time we laid this myth to rest. Pose, grace, intelligence, self-discipline, and slender beauty are not to be confused with submissiveness. (Can you tell my wife is Asian?)

Patrick, in the past few months you have managed to offend feminists, gays and Jews. You must be doing something right. As for your interests, have you ever considered a career in fashion design or interior decoration? Seriously, you have a great eye for it as well as a good ear for language. And, you must admit, pilots are really just glorified truck drivers when all is said and done, just as Flight Attendents are glorified waiters/waitresses. Keep up the good work. As Wilde said, "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about".

I'm thinking of starting a column, "Ask the Trucker". Possible topics include:

1.Road kill; when you really, really can't find a diner.

2.If a truck was placed on a treadmill designed to exactly match the speed of the tires in the opposite direction would it ever make it to the west coast before burning out the tires?

3.Trucking as lifestyle: freedom of the open road or just another form of exhausting wage slavery that will burn you out by 40?

4.How to freshen up that sleeping cab with brighter colors, more exciting fabrics.

5.How to find the best Big Mac in the lower 48

We would have the beauty of nature and the universe and the challege of finding out more about how it really works, rather than indulging in the childish delusion that it is all there for us. We would have music. We would have the time and money to work on real problems like global warming and finding alternative sources of energy and controlling the human population. Without religion, the world is not less wonderful, but more. Just watch a science program about the universe, the extent of it and how our universe may be just one of an infinite number of other universes. Now that gives my a sense of awe.

"Dawkins comes VERY close to calling for the criminilisation of religious teaching to children."

Religious indoctrination of children, whether by parents or teachers, is child abuse. They are being taught to believe dangerous lies that are harmful to themselves and to society.

"as communication and language are so crucial to our survival as individuals, groups, and societies, one can see how easily manipulative/misinformation can be fed to the young, who are predisposed to believe what they are told.

A veritable petri dish for the cultivation of the desease of religion!"

Very well said. The jesuits used to say "give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man". I doubt very much that anyone would choose to become a Christian, Muslim, Jew or subscribe to any other religion had they not been indocrinated into it from an early age. Religious indoctrination of children should be considered a form of child abuse, no less serious than physical beatings or sexual manipulation. Not only are religious parents abusing their children, they are setting the stage for entire societies to be made up of deluded, narrow-minded and frequently violent fanatics. Religion is a dangerous disease; the sooner it is eradicated, the better will be our chances for survival.

"if you can avoid being an arrogant scientist who tells everyone else what to think"

Richard Dawkins is anything but arrogant. He simply points out that there is no more evidence for believing in God than there is for believing in the tooth fairy or a flying spagetti monster. Religion is delusional "thinking" that has caused enormous suffering and violence throughout history. It survives only because small children are brainwashed into believing in it. I was fortunate in not having been brainwashed. The attempt to reconcile religion with science is misguided and intellectually dishonest.

Well, each to his/her own. My co-worker will be in pain for the rest of her life from breaking a leg skiing. Doesn't seem worth it to me. But if you enjoy it, go for it, and good luck!

I have never understood skiiing, and yes, I did try it as a teenager. Strapping a pair of boards to your feet and zooming down a hill seems to be the perfect way to break human legs. And it does.