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Carl and I are in Connecticut from now through Thanksgiving. We will spend time with friends and family and just enjoy being home for a while.

HOORAY!!

I am here with Tom and Shannon and Nate in San Francisco - celebrating Obama's victory. We have been watching the television reports of people around the country rejoicing at the choice of Obama for our next president. It is so good to be home for this and to share in the joy.

My little grandson is wearing a shirt that says Baby for Obama.

New Features on Blog

I have added some links on the right hand side for any readers who are interested in knowing more about what is going on here in London.
The webcam gives a stream of video taken at Trafalgar Square. It takes a few seconds to load - so be patient. Soon they will be getting ready to set up a skating rink at Trafalgar Square for the Christmas holiday season.
There are also links to the BBC and the London Times.
I will add other interesting links as I think of them.
I am also open to suggestions.

Dollar to Pound ratio

With all the bad financial news we've had lately, there is one bright spot.

The dollar has gained some more value over here in Britain.

When we first arrived eight months ago, it took $2 to equal one pound (1GBP).

Today, the rate is hovering around $1.55 - $1.65 to equal 1 GBP.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that today many of us no longer have the same number of dollars that we had eight months ago.

Oh well.

Northern Ireland

Here’s a local news item of interest:

There are British soldiers returning to Belfast from their tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, and residents of Northern Ireland are planning a large celebration to welcome them home. They have lined the streets with yellow ribbons and they have placed greeting signs all along the parade route.

The Sinn Fein organization is opposing this celebration of the British army, who in the past has been their enemy. Many have had family members die at the hand of the British army during previous conflicts. Sinn Fein has staged a protest rally to take place during the victory parade for the soldiers. They are carrying signs saying, "There is no glory; it's a dirty story."

The news is reporting that this may be the first major public disagreement between these opposing groups since the new peace agreements in Northern Ireland. Everyone is watching closely and hoping that the two sides will be able to express their opposition and protest in ways that still keep the peace.

Chinese foot massage

Since coming to London, I have gone to Chinatown three times for a massage. Usually, I get a foot massage - what they call reflexology -- for the first half hour and a back massage for the other half hour. From my point of view, both massages are aimed at relaxation - and they just feel good. I spend a lot of time most days walking around this town and climbing stairs in the tube - and so I think the foot massage is a good idea. However, the Chinese staff members maintain that the foot massage is more than that. They say that it is supposed to promote good health and well being. There is a large chart on their wall describing the parts of the body that are related to different pressure points on the feet. I guess it works a little like acupressure; I'm not really sure, because I never paid much attention to it.

Last Thursday a new young woman gave me the massage -- and during the massage, there were two areas on the ball of my foot that hurt me when she pressed her knuckles deep into them. After the massage, she showed me on the chart what body parts those points had represented. One was the thyroid. (That was interesting because I did have half my thyroid removed last spring.) The other one was the 'spleen.' She explained to me that on their chart, the spleen represented the digestive tract -- and that it looked as if I was having some problems with that. I thought nothing of it until Friday, the next day, when I had an upset stomach for most of the day. (It seems just fine now on Saturday.)
I then remembered another comment the woman had made while pushing her knuckle hard into one of my heels.
"Does this hurt," she asked.
I told her no, it did not hurt.
"You sleep well," she said.
She's right. I do sleep very well.