Ed,

According to a source I have, that can't be divulged, he was told by a reporter of Al Jazeera, that he's been covering issues in southern Iraq for years. That the smiles on the faces of women and children, and the fact that they are being fed even more decently with the limited supplies they already have, is something he's never seen before.

"Of course," he added, "this is off the record, because I cannot report this, or even allude to it or I will be assassinated along with my family."

I'd say the "thumbs up" is a good sign. Especially when I see those broad smiles on the faces of kids who need food, and hope for a future.

Wolf