Charming Breaking News...

Just wondering.

I didn't. But my mom did lots of research and had her trunk totally filled to the brim for quite a while with essentials in case she needed to go into hiding. Now it's your turn to say she wasn't the only one.

I'd already read speculation that Bush is waiting until after the Super Bowl and/or the State of the Union address to declare war on Iraq; this new announcement would fit in with this.

Er, but I do have a list tacked to the wall, in every room, listing what to grab in case of evacuation - those were put-up three years ago, when were evacuated for a wildfire and had 10 minutes to pack and leave - I ended-up packing four toothbrushes and no toothpaste - so much for my survival skills. Oh, and to further come to think of it, since I live in the path of hurricanes, I do have a closet stocked with canned food, water, copies of important papers, prescriptions, etc. Sheesh - how I'm beginning to sound paranoid!

Donut - the CNN thing was a "breaking news" announcement about 2:15 EST. Haven't found it on their site, though.

Oh, and back to Sarah for a second - it's the Oakland Raiders VS. Tampa Bay Pirates and they're playing in San Diego (not something I'd usually know, but I accidentally ended-up listening to some sports report last night while washing fruit).

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TRAVEL/ADVISOR/01/24/overseas.warning.reut/index.html

I particularly like the ' "We're asking our embassies to remind Americans ... to take normal preparations, routine preparations, to leave if for some reason, whatever it might be, they might have to," ' quote. Kinda seems to imply things, doesn't it?

Not the worst idea. I think I might be eligible for German citizenship.

naw, that'll be the halftime show!!

Do you think they might have the good/bad taste to use "Bombs Over Baghdad" as the musical backing?

I am seriously moving to Berlin in February, because I like the cut of their jib, damn it. Anybody who wants to join me in Friedrichshain and start a peacenik renaissance is totally welcome. A two room apartment there is 400 euros a month.

Feargus might be going back there to live, and he's top marks in the wit and decadence departments, so maybe you want to club in with him? Let me know, it would be the good bits of Isherwood all over again.

Tons of money has been spent on reconstructing Berlin in the ten years since reunification, but apparently nobody from the rest of Germany -- people, companies -- wants to move there. It's too cold, too far away from everywhere else, and seen as too full of weirdos -- like me! As a result, it's got a lot of unemployment, great infrastructure, and is full of students, hippies, artists... A kind of Prague of the north.

I shall envy you less, as I am such a big fan of many things Japanese.

I'll be in Tokyo for three months in the summer. The only thing that dismays me a bit about Berlin is that you can't get direct flights to places like the US and Japan from there. You have to change at Frankfurt. Apparently, despite this being the capital of Germany, there just isn't the demand for direct flights. But then why would anyone want to leave anyway?