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Now that's funny.

Thass a mighty big pile!

I don't intend to be mean, but I had to laugh when I read what you have gone through to buy a ticket for a routine itinerary. I laughed because I have had similar, but not as bad, experiences with Brazil's airline websites. Maybe the Brazilians found a way to communicate with the beyond and then contracted with the Keystone Cops to program their airline websites. When you use TAM on the U.S. site, it often does not work correctly. If you try GOL, it often rejects U.S. credit cards as payment and also insists on a CPF number, even from non Brazilians. You might want to add .br to the web address. For example, instead of www.tam.com you might get better luck if you enter www.tam.com.br. The same is true with GOL. However, even if you add the br, you often run into problems. The poorly programmed Brazilian airline websites explain why so many Brazilians voluntarily stand in line for hours to buy a simple airline ticket. If you notice when walking in large cities, there are countless travel agencies and most of them are busy. In the U.S. a travel agency is almost as rare as a hen's tooth. Most people in the U.S. and in other countries use websites to buy airline tickets. In Brazil, only sometimes. TAM does have an office in Miami where you can call to book a ticket. However, the prices when purchased through the U.S. TAM offices are more than double what you will pay IF, and only IF you can make the reservation on line or in person at one of the many travel agencies in Brazil. Boa sorte -

Don't they already? And, the well ones also? Best regards, RA1

Begging won't do the least bit of good. Now if someone were to cough up a cash retainer the size of Mr. AdamSmith's hemorrhoids against a $250/hour fee, well then I might be persuaded to go nose around and find out what's what. Expenses extra.

The story does sound a little too good to be true, doesn't it? I kind of wondered how she went from "No more to see, folks!" to "How nice! They found it!" I'd guess the publisher would have someone who could figure out if it's hers or not, wouldn't they? So maybe she's been manipulated into releasing something she'd never have done willingly. It would sure be nice if we had someone on the ground in Maycomb who could figure out what's really going on. Someone with learnin' and book smarts natcherly, but also someone who knows the ways folks do in the South. Someone who doesn't miss a trick, but who blends in seamlessly. Someone . . aw hell, do we have to git down an' beg?

To me, it's a red flag when someone begins restricting old friends from visiting an elderly person, especially when it appears that that individual has access to the elder's assets. Not saying that's there's anything wrong, just that the situation warrants a look see by a responsible party.