GONE TO PARADISE

I love the idea that he "transcended his early reputation as the playboy prince..."

To do what exactly? To lead a feudal society to the brink of violent revolution? Such an achievement...

I'm frankly amazed that this has not yet been posted:

KING FAHD DEAD AT AGE 84.

(Douglas Martin, The New York Times) King Fahd, the absolutist monarch of Saudi Arabia who guided his desert kingdom through swerves in the oil market, regional wars and the incessant, high-stakes scrimmage between Islamic tradition and breakneck modernization, died today, the Saudi royal court in Riyadh said. He was 84.

King Fahd ibn Abdul Aziz al-Saud, the fifth Saudi sovereign, transcended his early reputation as the playboy prince to become a leader of Arab states in the Persian Gulf region, a friend to the United States when that was not always easy and, most recently, though in a debilitated state due to repeated and deepening health problems, a principal in the war against terrorism.

I'm still learning the intricacies of this place Setanta.

I think it did not seem especially earth shattering, cos he was ill for some time, and his brother has been runing the place, anyway.

Sturgis wrote:

I'm still learning the intricacies of this place Setanta.

You're doin' fine, Boss, i just wanted you to know that i was not making a personal criticism of anyone. If, however, you are found supporting the Red Sox, you will be in deep doo-doo.

Naw, i'm a Giants fan, have been since the Say Hey Kid played in the Polo grounds. That just refers to a different therad in which Sturgis has posted.