I go to church. No, really, I do. I know people there, some for a long time, others not so long. I'm just passing on gossip from people with very interesting careers.

We won't get to Thanksgiving without a major event. That's the gist of it. One of them is so sure he went out and bought his turkey yesterday. I bought mine today.

For all you guys know, I'm a mule. No, really, a hairy, long-eared mule. So take this for what it's worth.

Broke the old harddrive, so I lost a bunch of addresses, including yours, Git.

helen

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2002

Answers

I care enough to bump for the very best.

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2002

Those folks aren't the only ones. (I don't have your address, either, it's locked up on my kaput notebook!)

UK's Blair to Warn Over Christmas Terror Fear Sun Nov 10, 8:04 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair will tell Britons on Monday they must be extra vigilant as he warns about a possible terror attack in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

A spokesman for Blair said he would set out the threat from al Qaeda -- blamed for last year's September 11 attacks in the United States -- in an annual speech at the Guildhall in the City of London on Monday.

But he would also caution against handing victory to militants by running scared or bringing the country grinding to a halt.

"Terrorists want to damage countries and economies such as ours -- either through actual attacks or fear of attacks," the spokesman told Reuters.

"They want to paralyze society and we recognize it is our goal to stop them by thwarting attacks through vigilance as a government, businesses and individuals and ensuring normal life continues."

Blair's speech, which will also range over foreign policy, comes days after a government mix-up led to a strong warning of a large-scale terrorism attack being issued -- then withdrawn -- within hours last week.

The incident, coupled with a spate of reports about renewed activity by the al-Qaeda network, has added to Briton's unease as tension mounts over Iraq and newspapers talk up the likelihood of an imminent mass deployment of troops.

Home Secretary David Blunkett said on Sunday that Britain was "in the front line" because of its strong support for U.S. action against al-Qaeda, suspected of carrying out last year's September 11 attacks.

He also warned that no government could provide absolute protection from determined opponents.

"We cannot guarantee that we can protect everyone...all the time," Blunkett told BBC Television.

Blunkett's remarks, and Blair's planned speech, echo warnings from senior U.S. officials about the continuing threat from al Qaeda.

France also moved to warn its citizens on Sunday, saying intelligence reports pointed to France as a favored target of militant Islamic groups that remained active in Europe. [And note that France has NOT supported the US as the UK has, so what the hell difference does it make whether they're strong allies or not? If they're not Muslim countri4es, then they're infidels. Period.]

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2002

action against al-Qaeda, suspected of carrying out last year's September 11 attacks.

Suspected? I swear they said it was them without a doubt.

[I got five stitches in my left index finger, so typing is slowwwwwwwwwwwer than ever. ]

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002

Git, helen, I have both of your (e-mails) addys. You guys want me to arrange an introduction?

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002

Yes, please send to each! Thanks.

Sorry to hear about your stitches, BF. Listen, if you want to get out of work, why not just fake a fainting fit?

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002

still working. haven't tried putting a glove on yet, though.

will see tonight how it goes. slowwer of course cuz i'll have to use my other arm, the sore one.

got a tetanus shot, too. couldn't remember when the last one was, but i didn't think it was within last five years.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002

Helen, I heard gossip on Saturday morning at my ham exam (am now a General Class Ham!) along the same lines as yours from someone who gets good info. He would not go into specifics, but he did tell me that my plan to remain at home (I'm continuing to paint the interior) during T-Day and the weekend was a sound one. He seemed to be more worried about the period after that weekend and did not recommend long range travel, either by plane or car.

Not that I'm planning on flying anywhere in the near future. . .

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002

The IRA was always fond of attacking the UK mainland during the Christmas shopping period. It[s why you won't find any trash cans on, for instance, Oxford Street, a major shopping venue in London. Putting bombs in trash cans was one of their favorite ploys. Since all these terrorist groups seem to read the same manuals, and we keep hearing that they want to attack economic targets this time, then it's a fair assumption that the holiday shopping period will be struck. I guess if we think about it, the season starts the day after Thanksgiving and the "evildoers" will want to hit early to have the greatest impact.

But then, they always seem to surprise us, so anything is possible.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002

Meemur, the reason I haven't repainted inside is that we haven't been attacked yet. (I keep waiting, but not necessarily hoping.)

Oh, and major congrats to Meemur/AG in case others were reading too fast...

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002

Way cool Meemur!!!!!!!!! Congratulations, you sure have worked hard enough for it. I am in serious conflict over this issue of Thanksgiving and all. Part of me wants to make all the kids come home for the holiday so that they would be here if TSHTF, but on the other hand I don't want them traveling.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002

Thanks, Brooks! That might be Meemur/AE (awaiting Extra) after Saturday, if I'd logout and go work more math problems.

I hear you, D. It's a hard decision. I certainly wouldn't want anyone boarding a plane and coming to visit me right now. For one thing, I don't want to go anywhere near the airports, myself! Who knows what might be in the airplane filter systems or what the slime might be planning on the ground.

Driving might be okay if they don't have too long of a haul and can leave before the traffic gets heavy. Given all the latest restrictions at the airports, I think that holiday travelers will hit the freeways in record numbers this year . . .

Whether you believe there will be trouble or not, there is a lot of validity in staying home this year, I think.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002

Until I met Sweetie, I usually went to the beach for the holidays. I love the beach in winter (of course!). After two trips to see his parents, we decided pass on family holidays. They're far too stressful, even if you drive, and you need a holiday when you get back. Instead, we told his family (who live in one town), we would visit off-peak. They were highly put out. It's all moot now since they got PO'd about other things and we no longer have contact. Sweetie will probably come home for TG and Christmas but ONLY if the weather cooperates. If not, then he'll come home off-peak.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002

Now, darn it, I have tickets to Cancun returning to the States on 11/30, although I can't see that a chartered vacation flight is going to be a real big target. And it wouldn't be the first time I was stranded at a resort (though the last time was weather-related). We always go on vacation at Thanksgiving. No arguments about who we'll visit, I don't have to cook, and I don't have to do dishes! And every place we've ever gone has served turkey and all the fixings.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002

Congrats Meemur!

My mom wants us over to her house for T-day. My sis should be there, and it's within a day's hike of home if we had to walk back over the hills. The shopping season the day after would be a day to go for major terrorism, but people watch (football?) on the holiday itself, so the possibility may exist attacks will be televised.

The revolution will not be televised. Who said that?

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002

Helen,

Gil Scott-Heron:

http://www.bikesummer.org/1999/notTelevisedLyrics.htm

Thanks and wish I had your talent for math! I'm learning enough about how circuits work to pass Extra, but showing the mathematical phrases for what is happening is a bit much . . . I word with words, not numbers in the real world . . .

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002

I posted this separately but it belongs here too:

AL-QAEDA has always had a penchant for attempting terrorist attacks as Christmas approaches when - usually - the West lets its guard down. At the end of 1999, two years before the Twin Towers massacre, an al-Qaeda unit under the orders of Abu Zubaydah, bin Laden’s senior field commander, ordered a suicide attack on Los Angeles International Airport. Fortunately, an alert policeman on the Canadian border discovered the car carrying the explosives and the plot was foiled. Abu Zubaydah was captured in Pakistan earlier this year, but that does not mean the threat from al-Qaeda is any less, as the Prime Minister made clear last night in his Mansion House speech.

Mr Blair’s warning came amid reports of extra measures being taken by police to tackle the terrorist threat, such as the creation of a 250-strong police anti-terror detail at London’s Heathrow Airport, said to include snipers. Nevertheless, the watchword should be prudence rather than panic. Britain lived through nearly 30 years of Provisional IRA bombings without abandoning its way of life. So today, though the potential is worse, given al-Qaeda’s desire to use chemical and biological weapons, we should not be prepared to give into terrorist blackmail either by abandoning civil liberties or by retreating into an over-protected environment. The storm can be weathered.

But this will be a long war. We will only win if we have more patience than have the fanatics. The fact that this will be a long haul also implies that we must have an attention to detail.

Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the liberation of Afghanistan from the Taleban and al-Qaeda. However, there has been limited nation-building in that country since then. True, Kabul is now a vibrant city of music, cinemas, pizza restaurants, beauty salons and traffic jams. Women, forced to hide their lives and faces under the Taleban, have gradually returned to Afghan society. But problems remain.

For instance, peace has prompted hundreds of thousands of refugees to return from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan. Since their homes had been destroyed, many have now crammed into squalid neighbourhoods without running water and electricity - and winter is on its way. Much of the promised western financial aid is yet to appear. And while girls have returned to the schools from which they were barred by the Taleban, Afghan females still live in a society dominated by archaic male attitudes, particularly outside Kabul. Above all, while the writ of the interim government runs in Kabul, much of the rest of the country remains under the domination of warlords who answer only to themselves. The International Security Assistance Force maintains regular patrols in the capital, but hardly elsewhere.

The lesson here is that once upon a time the West forgot Afghanistan after it had helped expel the Soviet invaders. This time, we need to rebuild Afghanistan properly, which is going to include the need to extend the rule of law outside Kabul and provide more extensive economic reconstruction. If not, the second anniversary of the liberation of Kabul might see hope turn to despair and the door opened again to the fanatics.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002

Amen and Amen!!!!!!! The west seems to have a talent for leaving things half done and then wondering why they don't get better results.

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2002

I have Daughter's family coming up from 21/2 hrs away, and Step son coming from 3 1/2 hrs away... hope they get here...and home safely!

what happened to BF finger???? Congrads, Meem

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2002

SAR, I would consider what your guests are driving "local travel," and you're not exactly living in the bullseye like the residents are in DC and LA.

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2002

BF cut his finger with a knife that is so sharp it cut thru the glass candle holder he was scraping wax out of.

5 stitches. they took the dressing off today. I have a bandaid on it now with anti-bad stuff ointment.

I went out and bought a finger protector afterward because I found that I tend to bang the finger on everything. It bends somewhat, and we expect it to be normal soon. Well, as normal as can be, anyway.

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2002

BF . . . ET sez OUCH!

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2002

Oh my BF............I can feel it.....yikes!!! Did one like that many, many years ago on the wire strapping they use to use on orange crates trying to cut one with an inappropriate tool at work. I still remember that bone touching feeling. yucky.. Be safe :>)

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2002

Ooooo, Diane, knife on plate. . .!

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2002

errrrrrrrrr.....skin crawling now............goose bumps.

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2002

Well, I'm getting in on the gossip a little late.

Sorry all, have been working close to 20 hour days for the past week, thus you not seeing me.

Hubby is currently gone. Seems like big 'games' are going on. They are normal and happen once a year. Funny, this particular game was going on last year when 9/11 happened. It actually started on the 9th or 10th last year. Anyway, the actual start date has been moved TWICE this year. Once from October to November, then after everyone had left to ... em.... play.... the start date was pushed back again. Couldn't return home either, just wait for the ... em... games to begin. Due to reasons I'm sure you all understand, I cannot tell you when or if the games have actually begun now.

Anyway..... speaking with hubby sometime before he left to go ... 'play', I was asking him if he thought something would happen. His thoughts, were if something WERE to happen, it would be during the ... em... games. TIME WILL TELL. oops... damn I gave a clue.

I asked him when I spoke to him recently for what was the last time until he returns home, if he thought we'd go into Iraq. His words "No Comment". I said I thought it would be soon... His words "Look at history".

I know that something is going on or being worked on in the upper levels of the brass. Currently, hubby is rubbing elbows with the hightest of the high. I'll NEVER learn what is being said or planned. All I know, is that I hope they make the right plan, and it is carried out without flaws.

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2002

OOPS... forgot to say

Meemur, CONGRATS!

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2002

OOPS... forgot to say

Meemur, CONGRATS!

Barefoot... know in my heart, across cyberspace, I'm kissing your finger in hopes that it heals faster. Sometimes it just takes a mom's touch. (Either that or it will fall completely off!) Hope it feels better soon!

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2002

History is January 21, I think. But many gamepieces were moved prior to that.

Barefoot, don't let anyone cough or sneeze near your open wound. I'm not try to scare you ... ok, I'm trying to scare you into taking good care of your finger ... a man died near here this year because his wife coughed on or around a small cut on his arm. She had diagnosed strep throat and was taking antibiotics when she infected her husband's wound. I guess they did a culture on his arm and came up with the same bug. Anyway, my mom has to sit in on meetings of this nature, and she says to COVER ALL WOUNDS AT ALL TIMES.

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2002

Thanks, apoc. I think.

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2002

And here I was thinking it would be good to let it get a little fresh air while I cleaned the kitchen, scene of the crime so to speak.

Now don't panic! I was using my sore arm, not the sore finger. In fact, you could say I didn't lift a finger to help myself. LOL

I have the anti-badstuff ointment on it but the bandaid was a bit hard to manage. I have since covered it back up, using a piece of med tape to hold the bandaid while I positioned it. Last time I put the bandaid on it had one end of one stitch under the adhesive and I 'bout died trying to get that one off this morning.

Now that the huge white bandage is gone, typing isn't too hard. since you pointed out that bit about coughing, I disinfected my keyboard, just in case. It's normally just me using it, but I may have a bug and don't want to give it to myself. heh heh

btw, when someone is putting stitches in you are they supposed to wear a mask? It wasn't like she was up close and breathing on it or anything, but she didn't have a mask on. Neither did I, come to think of it.

thanks for the kiss. I hope the taste of the anti-badstuff wasn't too unpleasant. It smells funny. LOL

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2002

Thanks, Apoc!

BF.. I kissed your boo boo over at IC! it was yucky, too!...but I am a mommy!!! :)

-- Anonymous, November 14, 2002

Barefoot, in my household, the kitties are in charge of cleaning themselves...

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2002

Okay, okay, I finally got the 'big ham' thing. like duh! congrats!

but, the kitties cleaning themselves has me puzzled. unless you read kitties instead of kitchen?

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2002

I mean I am NOT kissing your booboo... ;^)

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2002

Oh.

I'm hurt.

;)

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2002