Jim,

The answer to your riddle is the author of "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" - Mark Twain.

Note that my mother-in-law had a similar experience to that of Fred as her Doberman Duke ran away for an hour during their move across country from Memphis to Portland.

Jeff Reese
Loveland, Ohio, USA

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Jim,

I totally agree with you about paper companies' poor choice in selling off their trees, and so often closing their pulp mills as well. This never did make sense to me, in spite of the experts' comments regarding the commodity nature of pulp. You had better have some truly unique technology in your paper mills if you're going to do this, and most companies do not. Tissue appears to be an exception here, because of the very high value added to the pulp as it passes through the paper mill.

I would be interested in a discussion of why so many of our formerly U.S. paper companies are now under foreign ownership or financial entities, and the role tax policy may have played in this. Could tax policy changes help to bring back our manufacturing industries?

Bill LaVallee
San Jose, California, USA

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Amen to the competitive feature!

I was on a plane several weeks ago...it was one of the new regional jets with a first class; I was sitting in my exit aisle in the back and the guy next to me sat down with a pillow he picked up while passing thru first class...the flight attendant chased him down, chewed him out, and ripped the pillow out of his hands! It was sad...there is no hope for the airlines.

Chris Demler
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

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