ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

I seldom discuss the conflict. It's horrendous. It hard to deal with it and difficult to ignore. How could you ever solve a conflict when not all want to solve the conflict. It is 55 years, or more than 55 years. It's been decades and it's been almost constant.

They will never be able to solve it without help. I just can't see it. It would be good if we could stay out of it. The world crowd yells, "STAY OUT." And, the world crowd yells, "DO SOMETHING!" Are the shouting multitudes the same people, shouting one way on Monday, and differently on Tuesday. Maybe not, but it sounds that way.

We tried to stay out, and now we are in. We have been in and out of this situation for more than a half century. Here is a situation where you wonder if there will ever be peace. Here is a situation where only quiet may be achieved. I'm not convinced that anyone will be able to achieve quiet. A TINDERBOX.

WATER. . .WATER, EVERYWHERE!

In the spring, it rained. During the summer, it rained. And then, there was Isabel.

For weeks, you could watch the hurricane develop. It danced through the South Atlantic. The storm gained strength as it proceeded.

There was damage, but not many lives lost compared to other storms. And, there was water. Saturated ground throughout the northeast, couldn't take more water. Trenches filled and ran into ditches, ditches into creeks, creeks poured into rivers. One community is said to have had 20 inches of rainfall. It's just too much water.

I know. There you are with not enough water. Here we are with too much water. I can't think of a way to get it to you. (Mother Nature must not be in a good mood.)