How much?

My friend Hermione thinks the Saudis and the Kuwaities owe us zillion of dollars and have never paid their share of the Gulf War but when I pressed her for specifics she could not answer. I thought it is probably good if they owe us something because, otherwise, they might not feel inclined to ship us any oil. We might have to purchase it retail from China. Hermione is just hilarious with her e-mails and her blogs and I am somewhat proud that I talked her into blogging. She also forwards some really good "forwards." Yesterday, obviously not from Hermione, I got an e-mail that asked me to pray immediately certain prayers and I was informed that this prayer chain had never been broken. How would they know? Well, it is broken now. I hate stuff, no matter how religious, that tells me I have to do something immediately and times three or times seven or times nine, whatever. It sounds that if you don't do it, there is some curse going to descend. The benefit of the prayer is only there if one submits to the coercion of the emailer. It is more blackmail than anything else. I just don't go for religious superstitions - even borderline religious superstitions. I run. This e-mail yesterday came from one of the Big Herod's people. Is anyone surprised?