I was told on phone this evening that Wal-mart supercenter located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma is shut down because their new shipment of magazines contained a white powdery substance on them. Supposedly they are unsure just what the substance is and will not reopen until the authorities give them the okay.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), October 15, 2001

Answers

Oh! I was going to ask Ken to make sure they don't have any talibans in their shipping dep't. All this makes me wonder just how careful we should be of opening any mail that we get in our mail box.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), October 16, 2001.

Who told you about this, We do not need unsupported undocumeted urban rumors spreading across the internet. If you have hard proof that can be verfied fine if not this should be removed from the forum. We as Americans have the obligation not to spread anything untill we can confirm with out doubt. If its real we have to be careful but we have to keep living out our daily lives. To do other means the enemy has accomplished his goal. My goal is to remember the people that died by hoping for the news that all that had anything to do with it gets the same. Then when they meet their God find some radical religious nut has lied to them about their reward.

-- David (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), October 16, 2001.

It's probably just the same stuff that shut down our Ford plant in Kansas City. Someone found powder in a newspaper bought from a vending machine in the plant. Turned out to be some sort of newspaper "sawdust" for want of a better word. Just a byproduct of printing the paper. Probably the same for the magazines in Oklahoma.

-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), October 16, 2001.

I am not sure what would be worse, Anthax in my magazines or those stinky purfume inserts. At least I can get medicine to get rid of the antrhax.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), October 16, 2001.

My husband used to be in printing. Frequently the high gloss type magazines will have a powder residue because it is part of the printing process on some of the presses, and just a little glitch will leave a little residue. These are trying times for us all and I agree that things need to be verified before they are posted to the forums. We owe it to each other to not perpetuate the terror that is going on.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), October 16, 2001.

This scare is true. I live in Arkansas and it made the local news. But stilll haven't heard if it was Anthrax.

-- renabeth (renabeth@yahoo.com), October 16, 2001.

Makes ya wonder about opening up those monthly bills!

Dave, i hear your concerns about fanning the flames, but what concerns me is the number of anthrax cases that have broke out over the past few yrs and it has not made media attention, like the cows in wisconsin or Michigan, forgot where exactly. i just read an article on that. So having said that, is this really a concern or media hyping it up? I would love to forget that 9-11 never happened bit i can't. And I am worried that this anthrax outbrak may be part II

We are in the midst of a very scary time here now.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), October 16, 2001.

I live in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The Walmart Supercenter was shut down there for about ten hours after a white powder was found in a shipment of magazines. The truck was quarantined and the store was evacuated. The powder turned out to be some type of normal printing residue. It was not a prank. It was a normal substance that would not have excited alarm before 9-11.

-- cannot say (not@this.time), October 16, 2001.