WebWord Comment -- I've been in Singapore for the last several days. It is a clean and safe country, and very Western. Except for the high numbers of Indians and Chinese, I feel I could easily be in some city in California. I had to visit the CIA Factbook site to learn about Singapore. I'm embarrassed by how little I knew. Last night I went out with some folks for a wonderful dinner. We had shark fin soup, pepper crab, fish heads, prawns in peanut sauce, chicken and beef fried rice, and much more. I'm very picky but I still enjoyed just about everything. Once again I used chopsticks. I'm definitely getting better! Today I was at the zoo after getting a ton of work done. (Nothing like taking a well deserved break, eh?) Now, unlike zoos in the United States, you are allowed to get very close to the animals. (I'll try to post some pictures when I return home next week.) In fact, if you aren't careful you can actually step on them, or walk into them. The Singapore Zoo wouldn't work in the U.S. because, I'm sad to say, that Americans can't seem to handle the responsibility. I'm almost certain that some parents would allow their children to touch or pick up animals even when the signs clearly say, Don't Touch or Feed the Animals. The attitude in Singapore is much more respectful; more rules and people follow them. (I heard from a colleague here that you need a permit to speak against the government. How interesting!) Speaking of the rules, they are everywhere. It is actually entertaining to see them. (No chewing gum! Death to people who traffic in drugs!) Some Americans would love this I think, but others would find it oppressive. I'll tell you this -- I definitely feel safe. No personal security issues here.