[pyrnet] 3 minutes of silence around the world

["Barb Bowes" <bamb@monmouth.com>]

Received this privately today.  Barb

> This was written by an Eastern Oregon State University
professor living
> in France this year.  It is long, but encouraging and I thought
you would
enjoy
> reading it.
>
>
> >
> >    As a short (I promise!) follow-up to my rather verbose
message, I
> >wanted to  tell everyone about the extraordinary three minutes
of
> silence
> >observed across  Europe at noon today for the fallen in
America.  I've
> >been traveling for  many years, visited nearly 30 countries,
and never,
> >but never, have I seen  anything like this.  At three minutes
until
> noon,
> >people simply stopped,  stood silently, bowed their heads, and
sent a
> >remarkable combination of  appreciation and sympathy to
Americans.
> >Subway trains stopped wherever they were, some in mid-tunnel.
Traffic
> >stopped.  Restaurants went silent.  Factory floors fell quiet.
Kids
> >gathered in the courtyards of their schools.  The British
House of
> >Commons stood silently.  The French president stood in the
courtyard of
> >his  palace with the French National Guard at attention in
full dress
> >uniform.   The German Bundestag stood up quietly.  Every flag
in Europe
> >from Lisbon to  Bucharest, from Dublin to Warsaw, went to half
mast.
> >People literally  stopped whatever they were doing in the
streets.
> Shops
> >and supermarkets  and malls were still.  Every one of these
millions of
> >people, with their  range of customs and languages, their
cultures and
> >conflicts, no matter what  their social class or
situation--every one of
> >them--stood silently and expressed  their abiding sympathy and
affection
> >for Americans.  And they didn't  cheat.  They stood, still and
grieving,
> >for three full minutes,  many---thousands of them--with tears
in their
> >eyes.  I can think of no  occasion, ever, when such a thing
has
> happened,
> >for any country, anywhere.   Americans often feel
unappreciated.  I
> can't
> >imagine that they should  feel that way again.  I can't imagin
e another
> >country whose people would  inspire such a reaction.  Cathy
and I
> >journeyed to the American embassy  today, guarded heavily by
French
> police
> >in bullet-proof vests who, it occurred  to me, would give
their lives to
> >defend it, and left a flower in the pile of  flowers and
candles and
> >messages growing rapidly across the street.   We signed one of
the many
> >condolence books.  There was a long line, almost  entirely of
French
> >people, waiting patiently to sign and express their  sympathy.
Some had
> >dressed up specifically to come there.  There  was another
crowd just
> >standing there silently by the flowers.  There are  similar
lines and
> >crowds across the world right now, not only in  Europe.  I
hope, I wish,
> >that Americans will continue to deserve  this.  I hope the
American
> media
> >are telling them about it.  When one  travels as much as I do,
one can
> get
> >pretty cynical about things, but this event  really touched me
quite
> >deeply.  I was overwhelmed.  Compassion and  tolerance have
always been
> >the better angels of our nature.  It is the best  about us
that is being
> >reflected back upon us by all these millions of our  friends.