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Tadream Digest #1035
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001
Message: 20
Subject: Re: OT: Today's events in the US

Came here as I was just wanting to see, read and feel what my worldwide group of TD
friends thought... This day started for me with an eerily overcrowded BART train which
slightly confused me, as I'm going against the main flow of traffic when I travel to work
in Danville. It was a beautiful day and there was no need to check the weather reports
in the morning to find out when inclement weather would be forthcoming. After all, it's
summertime here in sunny California. When I got to work -- still no bloody clue
whatsoever.

Then just because I needed to use the facilities decided to go across the street to Starbuck's
just before 1 pm PDT this afternoon (our bathrooms are being overhauled where I work
and temporally out of order). It was there that I caught my first glimpse that something
went terribly wrong today. The great staff at Starbuck's were all gathered outside and
their business doors were tightly closed and securely locked (as all Starbuck's coffee
shops throughout the USA were ordered to close). Then they told me what had happen-
ed, The twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City -- gone. Also, that
later another jet plane smashes into the Pentagon -- and it's still burning.

I then walked back to the shop (Unique Toys & Gifts), still totally shaken and just stared
with disbelief at the pedal airplane which I'd proudly put out for display earlier in the day.
It's a kid's toy and we sell many varieties of them. Then I calmly but firmly brought it
inside and called my brother David. Told him that I just found out what had taken place
this day and was now getting ready to close the store down. Went onto the Internet
briefly just to see it for myself. There are no possible words that can possibly describe
it.

A tad later when I got back to Berkeley at the Rockridge BART station the No. 64 AC
Transit bus driver greeted me with a smile and asked how it was going. I responded with,
"Just so-so, I'm really glad to see that your still in business." He replied, "And, we plan
to keep it that way too!" I made it home safely and then turned on the TV, radio and com-
computer. Checked my e-mails and noted several incoming from my TD friends overseas
they had already kindly contacted me. Then checked our Tadream list in Yahoo groups to
see what's what.

So, here I am now, still shaken, but that bus driver was right. It brought a very small but
overdue faint smile to an otherwise horrendous day...

Best Regards,
-- Al
(Berkeley, CA / USA)

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Tadream Digest #1036
Joe (chief moderator) wrote in a related follow-up the next day:

Message: 23
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001
From: Joe Shoults
Subject: OT: RE: Terror N.Y./ D.C.

Quite right, but actually, our list has been relatively quiet about
yesterday's events. I think this is a reflection of the maturity of
our members. If you absolutely MUST post references to the
9/11 tragedy, please do it within the context of how it affected
you personally (Al Benson gave us a great example as he
always does), and do not turn it into a debate. [...]

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