As our world continues to shrink, our fears multiply exponentially. What seemed distant and so removed before - terrorism, disaster, pandemics - are now a heartbeat away. If you've ever read "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston (talk about a wake-up call and don't eat anything an hour before reading it), you'd be shocked to know that a deadly microbe which can wipe out an African village in a day can be in your kid's school within hours via a plane trip carried within an unsuspecting host. Without overstating the obvious, terrorism is also in our backyard. Is family travel overseas no longer a viable option for Americans? This website http://www.wikimapia.org/ provides ways to explore world travel options if you're planning a trip anywhere on the planet. But is it safe to go there? As an old news junkie (from my days working in television news), I'm fascinated by what's going on in the world - good and bad. Sometimes it's disheartening to know that peace is such a rare commodity in our world but I believe that sticking your head in the sand is no way to exist, nor is it any way to raise or educate children. This website, http://www.globalincidentmap.com/home.php gives you a global thumbnail sketch of acts of global terrorism on a daily basis. I winced when I launched the site and was admittedly reluctant about taking in the info. But ignoring what is painful does not make it go away. We're fortunate that innovative technology provides us with important and valuable information -- which, however distasteful, is essential in order to take steps towards the solution. Peace out.
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