Thanksgiving Recap And Some Links

I'm back in Maryland after spending a few days in Virginia, visiting family members and eating turkey.  For the second straight year, we gathered at my sister's house, which is in the same county as my mother's house, where I normally stay.  The most direct way between mom's and sis's, however, takes us out of the county, for about 100 yards.  Naturally, a good time (burp!) was had by all.

Friday, for the 14th straight time, Virginia Tech defeated Virginia in football, this time by a score of 10-0.  This means, if my calculations are correct, that if you were in kindergarten in 2003, when UVA last beat VT, you might be getting your Associate's Degree this coming spring.  That was also the last year in which the two teams were in different conferences.  Back then, VT was in the Big East, while UVA was in the ACC, which VT joined a year later.  Of all the ACC football teams, only UVA and newest member Louisville (which hasn't yet played VT) have not beaten VT in a conference game.

One thing that I always have to check upon my return is my recently-purchased answering machine.  Thanks to this device, I have become convinced that the phrase "please leave a message" is above the pay grade of the vast majority of telemarketers.  No messages were left in my absence, but six callers were listed by the Caller ID function.  That would be a low number for the almost four days I was not at home.

As usual, there are a few stories worth passing along:

For the third time in two weeks, migrants in Brussels riot.  (Back in 2005, this was the first place in Belgium that my tour group got to see.  Fresh off the plane, we were bused around the city.  We were taken downtown, fed Belgian waffles, and finally driven to our accommodations in Brugge.  If my own experience was any indication, some of us got some sleep on that part of the ride.)

ISIS threatens a Christmas massacre in London.

Muslim women attack Jews - in Carcassonne, France.

If you're in Mecca or Medina, don't take photos, videos or selfies.  (These instructions are for Muslims only.  Non-Muslims are not allowed to be present in these two cities.)

The death toll of the attack at an Egyptian mosque has been revised to 305.

In Pakistan, a bomb planted under a car is defused, thus preventing a terror attack.

An overview of Norwegian policy on immigrants and refugees.

Five migrants are shot in Calais, France.

The "surprisingly flawed past" of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Fifteen things that we Americans might want to stop taking for granted.

Will 2020 be the time to feel the Bern?

And last but not least, if Prince Harry is indeed engaged, here's some protocol for his wedding.