I hope my worry-wart sister doesn't see this!
 

I just saw this story about the US sending military equipment to the Baltic States because of the possibility that Russian couldl become agressive toward them.

My sister sometimes worries about me when I travel. I have to email her frequently so that she knows I'm alive and in possession of my faculties. My Baltics trip isn't until June, so she has plenty of time to imagine the worst if she does indeed see this story.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/us-sends-h...6.html#s8ykLkH

The poor Baltic States have really had a hard time, having been under control of the Hanseatic League, the Teutonic Knights, Sweden, Poland, Russia and in modern times the Nazis and the Soviet Union. I've been told that the 3 countries together are about the size of Idaho. This comparison made me imagine Idaho being invaded by Washington State, Montana, Wyoming and British Columbia.

Outside of the Middle East and parts of Africa, most military equipment is sold with the intention of never using it. Since Russia is busy playing with its little friend Ukraine, I frankly don't think that they would find it wise to engage in other conflicts at the moment.

However, the arms dealers of the world tell their customers that it is urgent to stock up on everything they can afford right now and buy at least as much more on credit.

Why worry any more than the people there do? I am especially impressed by the new "war manual" the Lithuanian governmet is distributing to all the public libraries reminding people (and I quote from the BBC):

""Keep a sound mind, don't panic and don't lose clear thinking," the manual explains. "Gunshots just outside your window are not the end of the world."

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31759558

And why listen to the head of NATO? Why not take the word of people on the internet who tell you they think Putin is so predictable?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0LN0FV20150219

Maybe following the news as part of preparing for your trip will be more reassuring.

Here: You can show your sister that NATO has a plan (and it's not worried either)

http://breakingdefense.com/2015/03/p...to-has-a-plan/

I'm not worried about it. It's my sister who's the worry wart.

It's nice to have someone to worry about you, though, isn't it? Now that my parents are deceased, no one worries about me that much. I remember once my niece was a bit worried when a hurricane hit my area, but that was about it. My sister likes hearing from me sometime when I travel, but she doesn't worry that much, just might say "yes, I wondered if your flight would be affected" if there is bad weather or something.

I will be going to the Baltics and also worry since I saw an interview of the Lithuanian President on a news report in Uruguay (the US Press only reports what is directly connected to the US). The President said that the West needs to wake up that Putin has his eye on Lithuania, even putting tanks along the border. My husband assures me that this is different than the Ukraine since NATO will defend Lithuania. But do I really want to be there if that happens????

Obviously the link I included was in the US press.

It always surprises me when I look at newspapers in Europe--mostly Germany. They're loaded with international news and very little fluff. My local paper has some international news but not like the German papers.

Pegontheroad,
Everyone used to worry about us too, when we went to Syria in 2011, Egypt last year, Iran in 2003 (a month after Bush went to Iraq), Thailand after the Tsunami, India after the Mumbai bombings, Greece during the rioting, Tanzania after the Embassy bombings and Turkmenistan - well nothing had happened but they worried about that one because they didn't know where it was!

Here's the thing, they don't worry much anymore, they just think we must be bad news! Incidentally we will be in Helsinki this summer and possibly St Petersburg too, if we are going perhaps it isn't a good time to go to the Balitcs?!!

welltraveledbrit: Maybe I should rethink my plans to go to St.Petersburg and the Baltics, since you are going. (That's a joke, son.)

I don't exactly know where Turkmenistan is, either.

I always have coffee after church with a little group of my fellow parishioners. One of them said she'd wanted to bring her Atlas so she could see where the Baltics were. I told her I'd bring the map that's now spread out on my dining room table.

NO, it is not "nice" when the person who is worried about you causes YOU more worry than you already have. Would you please just DEAL WITH HER or ignore her or something? Hoping she "won't see" whatever it is does nothing to solve your personal sister problem. Why are you ALLOWING this to worry YOU????

Why are you shouting ?!!

Its nice when people are interested enough to learn something about where you're going, even just where it is. My aunt bought an atlas to follow our travels and so she now knows where Turkmenistan is!