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I am over the initial pain of being cheated on by my spouse of 7 years ( I guess what they say is true....the Old Seven Year Itch...) and we are trying on counciling. I am not sure if it will ultimately work or not. But I made vows to her, whether or not she chose to break hers.

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The part that is hardest to deal with is the betrayal. Not so much the sex, because he was an ugly lil bas**rd and on my worst day I am Brad Pitt compared to this guy. Its just that she chose and persued this weasel of a man, who I have despised over the years. I am sure that was a reason........

I want to beat this man to a pulp. A couple of times. But I don't want to do jail time for an act of passion. How did some of you get over the Betrayal part. That will be my stumbling stone in this.

I have been reading a lot on this subject. Some good, a lot very bad. ITs the idea that people have been thrust together in the work place and that someone of the opposite sex acts as a surrogate spouse to help with stress at work and maybe in the home.

A BFF from the opposite sex can work, but seldom does. It always ends up with heightened emotions and way too much baggage. The friend begins to know more than the actual wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend.

My wife has this male friend. Everyone I know keeps this guy at arms length, talks to him, but despises him at the same time. He has a history of throwing people under the bus at work. My wife won't hear of it. He's just so darn special. I try to be a supportive guy and trust my wife. And for her sake, I want to trust this guy. But it is so hard. Especially with anonymous emails and her former coworkers whispering little tidbits to me. I was sent an email with a photocopy of a homemade card. Must have been stolen from my wife or her "friend" or was dropped near where they worked. It was made from the remnants of a journal, with some little homemade portion added to it. My wifes hand writing was on the journal portion (no doubt) and there was a typed portion added to the top to make a homemade heart shaped card. It was loving, but could be platonic, but being way overly mushy. Right at the line where I feel compelled to strike. She swears nothing happened. I have been gone a year, in Afghanistan. I want to trust my wife, but this note, and some little inconsistencies have me watchful.

Can these relationships be good? Or is there nothing but bad that can come from them?

What is the one thing you covet more than anything? No matter what it is, or how impossible. I just want some answers. You read all these conspiracy theories. I would just like a magic data base of the TRUTH, land on my desk one day. The answers to everything. All the how's, why's, when's that we have ever asked.

Things don't really impress me, unless we are talking Starships, now that would be tight!

What one thing do you wish you would have done / learned / created etc. if you could go back and do that one thing again?

I am 42 and very much a two left footed white boy. I grew up in a school and in a time when it wasn't cool to like dance music. I always liked the electronic dance music. Starting with Howard Jones, Depeche Mode, Camouflage, Kraftwerk and now up through Paul Oakenfold, David Guetta and Gorrillaz.

I never learned to dance. I am 6 foot 6 and was scared to look awkward or stupid. I dance around my cubicle when a good song comes on. But I cannot do it well. I feel I missed out on many fun things because I couldn't dance. I would go to dances, but just hang and try to be cool and pull girls that way. But it would have been so much easier if I could have actually danced.

That is my big regret. What's Yours?

England had a rough World Cup, looking like they never played together. The Scottish didn't qualify, neither did Wales or Northern Ireland. Is it time to maybe put the best of both Islands on a team and then see what happens?

My reasoning is that it may be easier to build a side based on club play. There may be three English lads, two Scots and a welshmen on a team. They play together on a club side, maybe that chemistry would transfer to the international level. I am sure this will get hostile, I am just an American (half English) looking in from the outside.

What has he written that you like the best? I am a crazy fan of The Sandman series. I also loved Neverwhere and Mirrormask.

I think I like his style of writing because he is still a child at heart. I think he is articulating the darkness we saw in the corner of our room and the uncertainty that lay under our beds. But in a way that lets us know it was all just a dream.

What do you like best?

The shame of religion is that it is man's convenient way to honor and worship God. God, a being who is so powerful that he could create a UNIVERSE WITH A THOUGHT. And yet, we think we are so special, so important to him that we create these petty traditions and customs to sing his praise.

Why does that even make sense to you? God is the creator, there is one God. Call him whatever you wish, as he has many names. God, Allah, Yahweh, Krishna, Amon Ra, etc. Why would he only whisper his word into the ears of a few people, then make them write it down, and then spread it? Again, a being so powerful that a Universe was created with his mere thoughts. It makes no sense.

God is vast, God is love. God is the great creator. And all he wants, and you can glean this from your holy books, or your ethos, is your love and your thanks. Give this by living in peace and not destroying his creation. And getting along, not whining about who's crusty old ancient book, written by men, is right. They are all wrong. None of you can produce ANY PROOF THAT THEY ARE REAL. None of you lived then, and there is no factual evidence for ANY OF IT.

That is the shame that is religion. It is something that should unify, and yet it divides. We are all souls, we are all the children of God. In this vast garden we call the universe. For me, the evidence of God's work is everywhere. I just look up into the night sky and see his face and see the lines of his vision. IF you open your eyes, you will see it to and feel him in your heart.

All you have to do is ask for him to enter your life. And he will be there. Know that. None of your religions, your convenient ways to view God, make it that simple. All he wants is your love and your thanks. And for you to treat this world, and your very life, as something that is beautiful and sacred.

Religion divides us. If we talked about music, or art or literature or sports, we could have fun discussions. But the minute you bring up RELIGION, it all goes down the tubes. Shame.

Personally I think Ben Moody, although talented, cannot let Amy Go. I think he is torn to bits by her, hated the adoration she got, became cold with her and stormed off like a child. Then years later, her finds the perfect singer on American Idol who has a passing resemblance to Amy and a power house voice. Not to mention taking their name from Evanescence's first album "Fallen". Its like his stab at her that "*****, I am Evanescence, and you got the limelight".

Or am I just way off base and Ben is a great guy and is just trying to pay the bills by rehashing Ev's sound?

You can be in a mixed race group, arguing about politics and racism and the conversation gets really heated and almost angry. But when sports or music comes up, everyone is happy and into the conversation. Is it because these are common ground topics, or is it a guy thing?

Female I will have to say its one of the following: Sarah McLachlan, Ann Wilson, Whitney Houston, Joss Stone or Mariah.

Male: Geoff Tate, Paul Rogers, Mickey Thomas, Lou Gramm, Steve Perryor Freddy Mercury.

My firend calls me the beer snob, because I would rather spend a little more and get the good stuff. But I have found I tend to be snobbish for only a very select few things. Usually the store brand is good enough for me! But the following things I do not like to scrimp on:

1. Beer - If you are going to drink something, may as well be the good stuff. Sam Adams, Guinness, Bass, etc.

2. Hotdogs- If I am buying hotdogs, they are only going to be Nathans or Hebrew National All Beef. I just hate the taste of cheap hot dogs. Rather spend a buck a pack more.

3. Coffee- Nothing worse than cheap coffee. Again, rather spend a bit more and get the blend I like the best.

Like I said though, I am usually Mr. Store Brand. So for the most part, I usually don't care. How about you? Anything you are "Snobby" About?

There are a lot of singers who are making big money and have hit after hit. Only, when you analyze them, they really can't sing very well. Which ones do you feel are the absolute worst?

Female:

Rhianna- This gal has hit after hit, and yet her voice still sounds as cold as ever on each song. No dynamics, unable to sing above the drone that she carries. Pretty, but not much of a singer.

Britney Spears- Bless her heart, she is hot, can dance, but sings like she is breathing hard or has a chase of the squeals. Mad props to her making a career, but she cannot sing at all.

Miley Cyrus- Just because your dad was a country star does not mean you are. Tends to scream. I think she has a brighter future if she ever got singing lessons. Being a child of a singer does not make you one.

Male:

Chad Kroeger of Nickelback- Sounds the same on every single song. Luckily for Nickelback, they write clever lyrics

Dexter Holland of OFFSPRING- This guy is HORRENDOUS in concert, and screams on the radio. How the hell did this "band" ever make a dime?

Douglas Robb of Hoobastank - This guy could not carry a tune if it had a handle on it. Absolutely the second worst singer on the planet. The guy from Offspring being the worst.

I know there is more..........lets have some fun. I know I forgot a million!

To defeat racism, one would have to literally be blind, or have been raised in such a way that it was truly moot. Stopping racism, and fear of each other, will take a while. I cannot envision a time table. There are so many things stopping it. Black and white churches, black and white clubs, blacks sitting with blacks at lunch, whites doing the same.

Change can begin with the smallest steps. I think that if everyone decided to do something each day that was not divisive, just something small, that eventually it becomes a habit. A habit becomes character after a while. I have a friend of Mexican descent, and he told me the problem he see's on a daily basis with white and black is that we literally call each other white and black. White/black, wrong/right, good/bad. He is right, it is highly divisive. So my contribution to the change experiment is to not use phrase's like "My black friend Bill" or "The attractive black woman at Hot Topic" Instead it will be "My friend Bill" and "The attractive woman at Hot Topic".

I realize that color is used as a description to, so its not always easy to not use it. However, I think that this small change can become contagious. And hopefully, one day, the racism dam will break after we put so many tiny holes in it. I also don't like African American. Unless you just came from Congo, and became a citizen. We need to find something better. Baby steps, baby steps..........

I have noticed on this forum that there is some animosity between your peoples. I have read a little and heard a few stories from folks on both sides. Why is there so much tension? I know it cannot just be about Kashmir. There must be more. Anything you could write would be great. I would like to learn why there is all this animosity. Thank you for your replies!

I like a lot of music by many diverse groups from many countries. I like Yngwie Malmsteen from Sweden, I like Rudi Pell, and the Scorpions From Germany, I really like Nightwish from Finland, I like Blackmore's Night, Muse, Queen and Iron Maiden from England. What are some of your favorites?

I am sorry, I haven't heard a great deal of music from the east. Although I liked what Punjabi MC did a few years ago.

Mine have to be Warren Ellis and Garth Ennis. Two english guys who do not give a crap about political correctness. Terribly funny and both have a sick streak. Also, extremely imaginative. A world without these guys is a bleak one indeed.

Many Haitians come to the US anyway as immigrants. Why not have Haiti join as State Number 51? Or make it a Commonwealth like Puerto Rico, or Guam? Again, this is in no way endorsing such a thing. I just like to ask questions that might actually start some discussion or debate. This is purely a hypothetical question.

I would say Daylight is one of the all time best. Great acting, great story, good special effects and decent hard science.

What do you think?

If the United States pulled back all its forces, left every country, and headed home. No more patrolling the oceans, except our territorial waters. Filling our bases up again with our troops, securing our borders, building our country instead of sending aid to everyone else. No more humanitarian air lifts, no more aid for Tsunami's. No more use of our aircraft to send relief aid to stricken areas. No more aircraft carriers hooking up their nuclear power plants to a small nations power grid to help in their recovery. No more American doctors, or medicines sent from American pharm companies for free. No longer allowing kids from other countries into our colleges. OR allowing Immigrants of any kind. No more acts of kindness. No more supporting allies that too often criticize us anyway. No more aid checks, no tolerance for anyone coming across our borders. Instead of turning a blind eye or just shipping them home, sending them to prison as invaders. MAybe coming home, fix our problems, reestablish ourselves based on our own country. Totally turning our backs on the United Nations (we sponsor almost all of this BS anyway) and maybe even with drawing outright.

I know the answer for this already, but I am interested in seeing what others might have to say.

I need tofinish up a number of classes though. Money has gotten tight. Does anyone know where I can apply for grants and scholarships for middle aged folk! Like alot of people, I didn't get to do my dream. All I ever wanted was to teach History or Biology and coach basketball. I am tired of not living what I wanted. So I would like very much to finish up. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

Thank you and God Bless.