I don't know if you all have seen this yet, but I just got home and saw the news of the bridge in Minneapolis collapsing and immediately wondered if Rahma & her husband are ok????
See here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070802/ap_on_...bridge_collapse

She posted about 15 min ago, she is safe.

whew! I was worried!!! Can't have no Rahma floating in no river...

Scary, scary stuff! I'm in Minneapolis, too, and probably drive over that bridge 3 times a week!

How could a 500 ft section of a major highway bridge just collapse?

My husband just got home from work and his first words were, "Please don't tell me that this was terrorism!"
Me: :No, sweetie, there is no talk of anything like that. I think it's just a horrible accident."
Simo: "Alhamdulillah"

So glad you are safe too, Carolyn (& Simo)! Whew!

THanks...I heard about it as my husband was on his way home from work (he doesn't take that route, alhamdulillah). I tried to call him but all cell phone lines were busy!!

Makes me worry about any (larger) catastrophe...do we as a country have enough capacity to communicate in a disaster?

Hello
Glad everyone is ok and safe. That is scarey what happened. I was thinking today about when the big dig collapsed in Boston (which only killed one person but still, it was one of thsoe freak accidents).....and thinking of all the bridges in Boston too and that could happen here.
They are not talking about terrorism. BUT they have indicated that there was construction going on on that bridge. So makes me wonder if some shortcuts were taken.....but how tragic of a thing to happen just so a comapny can make more money......
As for technology.......I doubt that our technology is great enough to withstand such bigger things happen. Look at 9/11 and even though many people's phones were going off in their pockets, the capacity of the cell phone lines in the area was too weak for all those people trying to call. Just to give an example. I met a guy who was finally able to check his voice mail a few days afte r9/11. He had over 200 messages on his voice mail when he got to it! If you multiply that times a certain number of people who MIGHT have been called that day.....you are talking about LOADS of phone calls!
Hurricane Katrina is another example of the technology that won't withstand in a diaster.
THe problem is that comapnies want to spend money in disaster recovery.....in technology world, that means they send someone to get communications back kup and running AFTER a disaster strikes. But comapnies do not want to spend the extra $$$ to build stronger equipment to withstand the force of a big(ger) disaster.

Praying you are ok Rahma and Tameer!

Hoping that every one that resides there is safe and well.

They dont think it is terrorism. Most likely is something failed. stucture.

Hello can u please tell me what time did this happen " Minnea Local Time " Thanks ..

We have family in SoCal and so every time there is a major earthquake we always called.. a few hours afterwards though to try to avoid congesting the lines... because even with land lines it gets all busy and bound up!! When I first saw these pictures I thought that's what it was again, another freeway collapse.. until I saw a wide-shot and realized it wasn't in CA. Did they decide yet what caused it? Fatigue in the support or concrete maybe? I was never one to be scared of bridges until I started studying physics, and we did a lot about frequency and vibrations, etc kinds of stuff in regards to bridges. Next thing you know, you're all studying the Tacoma Bridge and now I get scared while on bridges and overpasses in the wind (in addition to not being able to stop thinking about freeway collapses. Irrational fears are awesome.)

I am glad our VJers are safe!!