Page #66
Q: But the towns will fail?
MA: All groups, towns, villages and cites will fail. There is no refuge in these places. Only death.
Q: Do you mean that there are other people who believe this is coming and are ready to flee to some place out in the boonies and just wait for it all to pass?
MA: Yes, exactly that.
Q: We just looked at each other for a bit. I saw in her both relief and contentment. She seemed very much at peace on the cold November night.
You are glad to have told me, aren't you?
MA: Very glad. It has come full circle now and what you write will give comfort and hope to so many folks who often wonder if their thoughts are dark because of an emptiness in their heart or because the future is dark.
To them your words will be a soothing balm.
Q: Well MA that is a lot to ask from a guy like me, I will certainly do my best to represent your thoughts accurately, but I just don't know about all that other stuff.
MA: I am certain that you will do your best. This is your calling. You have come a long way from my garden at the lake and I am very proud of you. Do not worry, just write it as you remember.
Q: I have one last question before I go, how will these folks know. Are you going to write, or will it be on the news or what?
MA: That is to be easy. All the systems are now in place. The Internet is here, the pandemic blogs are all up and watching and we only wait. It will be out of Egypt, because of the powerful infrastructure watching for H5N1 outbreaks, where most people will hear the first news. When you hear of the sudden outbreak in Egypt, leave immediately. Use only self service gas pumps, do not stop and do not have any human contact from that point on.
If you are alone, or with your family run to a refuge. Wait for it to burn out. Be patient and then patient some more. Let the darkness pass over the earth. It will be quicker than any Hollywood disaster movie could ever portray. But it will pass.
Q: Well that is pretty clear. Egypt huh?
MA: That is where you will first know.
Q: I looked at my drink and the ice had all melted. I was not sure what time it was or how long we had been talking, but I was mentally and physically exhausted. I let out a big sigh.
MA: Would you like a drink?
Q: No thank you. I am about done. It has been such a long day and there is so much to consider that I best get back to the hotel and rest. I leave for the coast tomorrow and right now the bed sounds very appealing.
MA: Are you satisfied that we have covered your questions?
Q: Absolutely, it was important to have this day. All the hard things needed to be said and understood. You have laid it out for me in the most basic way possible. Now I can write the ending knowing I am being true to what you believe. I think that is what I really wanted.
MA: I do as well.
Q: I can never thank you enough for spending all the time with me and giving my readers an opportunity to share in your vision and thoughts. You have been very kind to me.
MA: It was my great pleasure.
Q: I rose and gathered my coat walking to the door. As we stood at that door, I felt I might never see her again and it pained me in a very deep place. She took my hand in her badly shaped right hand and held it for a moment smiling. We only said good night, and I was gone.
Out on the street I walked. without thoughts, to my car in the dark. It was bitterly cold.
Euro crisis: Why Greece is the sick man of Europe
19 December 11 20:00 ET
By Anthee Carassava
BBC News, Greece
......
Most worryingly, HIV infections are soaring with experts anticipating a 52% rise for this year alone.
Most of the increases have so far been attributed to intravenous drug users. By some accounts, the Lancet reported, users “deliberately self-infect” to gain access to benefits of 700 euros a month and faster admission onto drug substitute programmes.
Other HIV carriers have been infected because of unsafe sexual practices.
“It’s crazy what’s happening out there on the streets,” says Elizabeth Kanellopoulou, president of the union of Greek prostitutes. “Prices have dropped, more boys and girls have taken to the trade, the type of customers have changed and the conditions of employment have all drastically altered.
“What was a must until recently - the use of a condom - is now almost nowhere.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/world-europe-16256235