Hi FW,

Personally I'm happy for you to feel guilty if you want. It's your prerogative (after all, when in Rome...).

;-)#

Regarding the whole guilt thing, you're on a slippery slope (as my Dad used to say). We all have the option of selling our cars, Macintosh computers and other unnecessary trappings to save lives. All power to anyone who has a big garage sale and gives their cash to the poor, but most of us make the selfish decision not to.

> Which one would you choose if those three were on the table
> (and let's face it they are always on the table)?

I'm not advocating that we deprive children of housing in favour of re-erecting stones, but nobody (no really... nobody!) is going to offer me that choice. If I had the choice obviously I'd favour saving lives, but I don't have the choice. Even when I vote I don't have that choice because money rules our pitiful little island(s). I can vote for a wide selection of money orientated bafoons. Ain't democracy great!

Cash is routinely spent in vast quantities on much more stupid things than archaeology. Who's going to question the merits of re-erecting old stones when killing women and children in a foreign country is considered 'a pretty good idea' by those in government. Now, if we could persuade the powers that be that Avebury was built on the site of an oil field we'd have no lack of interest in digging etc.

And another thing (he said, now teetering on his mahogany soap box), there's nothing wrong with something being Middle Class. The middle class are the fastest growing social group in the UK, making up a pretty hefty part of the population. Speaking as a Middle Class person I think we spend far too much time trying to be something we're not ("I'm really working class because my father's father started life as a pit pony etc etc").

I need more coffee!

K x