The latest terrorists attack in Israel (this week) was in a city in which most of my mom's family lives. I used the same line of thought. Thankfully, I turned out to be right.

Oh, Nilly! I'm so glad your family is okay!

how big is the hurricane story there?

Big enough to open a few news broadcasts, which - considering how crazy things are here usually - is pretty big. It's also being constantly mentioned in the very short hourly updates that most radio stations broadcast, which usually contain only the headlines with "the biggest font" and try to not repeat themselves. So, yeah, it's pretty big. I guess that if it had timed itself to two weeks ago, the local disengagement news would have taken it off the headlines, but now that things have calmed down a bit, it has a larger place.

[Edit: thanks, Teppy.]

Since I don't know the difference, I'll bow to your greater wisdom.

No worries, Brenda. I'd remembered the boingboing reporting of the event as SCA/re-enactors and wanted to clear it up. LARPers are roleplayers, which might explain their enthusiastic reception of the zombies. Someone doing a historical re-enactment might not be so amused at being flashmobbed.

Yeah, that makes all kinds of sense, JSw.

So, I'm driving to work and see that gas is up to $3.20/gal

It was $2.99 yesterday.

Then I read this:

10:06 A.M. - WWL-TV: Gas prices expected to rise by as much as $1.10 by this weekend.

Guess I'll be buying gas on the way home tonight.

I filled my tank yesterday -- it was 10¢ more than on Friday. Friday's the next sensible time for me to fill up -- but since I fill up at Costco and it's the Labor Day weekend, I think I'll need to do it before work, or spend forever there.

Well, hopefully gas prices will fall again after this weeked (as it's the big Labor Day weekend). Although that depends on how long people think production and refining capacity in the Gulf area will be affected.

Also, W is going to release some oil from the Strategic Reserves - that should help a bit.

I tend to not pay much attention to gas prices-as in I just pay'em, they don't make me wince- since I only fill up every couple of weeks, but $1.10 up made me blink. Goodness.

Glad your NO family is accounted for, ita.

I guess releasing from the SPR is largely a psychological game for the markets. Ain't gonna get the refineries back online any faster.

I just can't grasp the weather being so huge. Ours is so much smaller.

Here, too.

Oh hey Nilly -- it's exactly a year since you were here, I realize -- we were hanging out around my orientation stuff, which is happening again this week.