So much more than Random Thoughts

[Kevin]

Dang !

[TheLizard]

I'm involved in a heated "discussion" with someone on Facebook whom I've never met. I don't know if I'm more aggravated or amused.

Been there, done that.

[Uncle Joe]

Aint it fun!

[Shawna]

ha! I'm still laughing about it. Come to find out this morning that the guy who posted a real comeuppance to me was my classmate's father. I thought it was her brother.

[edna]

It's a sad anniversary today.

[Lucky]

Yes it is edna, thanks for remembering. I'm going to be teary all day, what with remembrances and all.

[Tenacious_Peaches]

Me too.

[Jenny]

One of my coworkers was a firefighter whose squad went to help at ground zero for three days. She didn't talk for three weeks after that and she normally dominates the conversation at the lunch table.

Her job was to sort and tag. Yes, she saw some horrific things sorting through the rubble and had to tag some of that, too.

My husband works at a place where he could see the towers from across the river, so he remembers going up to the roof of the building and seeing the smoke.

[_Laurie_]

When we were in NYC we walked past ground zero...I got a very strange, weird feeling as we walked past all the posters and pictures of ones that we lost that day... On the corner there was this guy playing this sad song on his flute...so sad....

[RonJonSurfer]

Because of my proximity to New York City, many people from my area commute to NYC to work. The saddest thing to me was seeing new obituaries every day for months after the attack. As bodies were identified, the families reported the death to the newspaper. It seemed to go on forever and there was no escape from it.

My kids were 12, 9 and 7 at the time. There are several spots in my town where you could clearly see the WTC. I used to always point out the towers to them and they always looked over. On 9/11, all there was to see was a plume of smoke where the buildings had been. It burned for days.

My assistant was the first person to tell me that a plane hit the WTC. I assumed that a small plane crashed into the building, that wouldn't be a suprise. When I heard another plane hit the other tower, I knew there was trouble. She called me today and reminded me it was 8 years since that day. I can still clearly remember her matter-of-factly telling me about that first plane.

I had a business meeting in 2008 at a building that was directly across the street from the Ground Zero site. It was a hole in the ground then. The conference room had a huge window that faced Ground Zero looking towards the river. That meant the building I was in would have been hit if the towers weren't there. Several people in the meeting were in this building on 9/11 and they were scared. I was stunned just being there many years later.

[Steel2Velvet]

All the tragedy for absolutely nothing.

The above is a sentence too often quoted throughout a supposed civilized world, but 9/11 seems to underscore that sentiment in a profoundly telling way.

[Shawna]

I remember my sister calling me early in the morning to tell me to turn on the TV. And sitting speechless in awe and horror at the images that assaulted thereafter for days and days... and years...

[Kevin]

Love your new avatar , MC ! Where did you get it ?

[edna]

In Europe most of us were watching tv and we saw it as it was happening. The news came some 5 minutes after the first plane crashed into the first tower.

Then some of us called our relatives and friends in Manhattan but the lines were useless on that day.

And then we wouldn' t believe it for weeks...

[Kevin]

I know . I wish MC wouldn't change his avatar so often, too- all kinds of trouble may happen .

[pinkstones]

I cannot understand why I can't find anything in my closet, even after I cleaned and organized everything a couple of weeks ago. Argh.

[Kevin]

Argh ?! Save the salty talk till the 19th , yarrr!

[pinkstones]

I think I'll do laundry tomorrow.

[Kevin]

I like the cut of yer jib !

[Farin]

tonight will be the first (and only) tv debate between the two most likely candidates for chancellorship in the upcoming elections...

contrary to the Obama-McCain ones these will very probably be one of the most boring tv shows this year, because 1. Mrs Merkel pretty much refused to do any campaigning ("I'm in the lead, and if I don't say anything I won't say anything wrong"), 2. they can't argue over the past 4 years of governing - because they did it together and 3. they won't argue too much about the future - because it's very possible that they'll end up governing together again!

[Kevin]

I hope she get's knocked out and the right wing comes in and sucks all the money out of the country and sends it to China .

Can't stand that kraut-though she's a damn good chancellor . !

[Farin]

if nothing drastic happens then she almost certainly will stay chancellor too... it's only a question whether in a grand coalition with the Social Democrats (like it's currently) or in a small coalition with the liberal Free Democrats (let's hope it doesn't come to that )

[Kevin]

Hold your nose and hope for the best, then , Farin . Good to see the SDP on the rise ...

[Farin]

in case anyone was wondering ( )

preliminary official result (comparison to last election 2005):

Conservatives: 33.8% (-1.4)

Social Democrats: 23% (-11.2)

Liberals: 14.6% (+4.8)

Left party: 11.9% (+3.2)

Greens: 10.7% (+2.6)

others*: 6.0% (+2.1)

* including Pirate Party: 2% (+2) as the biggest of them

NOTE: you need 5% of the votes to enter the parliament

Angela Merkel (Conservative) will stay chancellor, but instead of with the Social Democrats, together in a coalition with the Liberals.

Edited September 28, 2009 by Guest
included note

[Farin]

Good to see the SDP on the rise ...

worst result in post-war history