The U.S. Department of State issued a travel alert for those traveling and living abroad which is in effect until August. And American government facilities remain at a heightened state of alert worldwide.

Basically, anyone who lives abroad who might be in an area affected by the "current situation"/ "recent events" (aka Osama kicking the proverbial bucket) are asked to stay at home and avoid mass gatherings and demonstrations. That goes for people traveling to these volatile locations too. And they should remain in regular contact with family members and loved ones, just in case.

So, stay vigilant people and keep informed of what's going on. Though, in regards to updates about Osama, I think one of my co-workers' old sayings probably applies best: "Still dead."

In all seriousness, one of my old tricks for avoiding conflict and confrontations while abroad (especially in the Middle East) has been to say I'm Canadian. Sure, it's a little cowardly but the Middle Eastern people I encountered, mainly from Egypt, loved the Canadians. They would always say 'Oh, Canada Dry!' after I said I was Canadian. To this day, I still have no idea what they meant by that. I don't think they were referring to the ginger ale.

When I was taxi-ing/training around that country, I actually took a poll of my own with people I met. And most had no qualms with Americans. They just didn't like our involvement in their region and they really didn't like Bush (I think most can agree with that one).

Just to be on the safe side, I'd listen to the travel alert. And maybe brush up on your Canadian culture, eh?