I have to admit I miss your icons – such as this one and the "sweet delicious CRACK" one. :)

Best of luck with the RL strike situations. I still recall when the sanitation workers went on strike here in NYC ages ago, we had piles of trash everywhere. And it took place in the summer, yuck.

The talk of plagues seems a bit...hyperbolic; I'll check the BBC and read about what's going on in your area.