Citi employee(s) can someone email me at the above address.

We have recently been taken over by Citigroup and no one will talk to us about estimated benefit costs, etc.

Can anyone tell me what the medical/vision/dental benefits run for low/high plan for single and then family (me & child) and then family (me/sign other & child)?

I would really appreciate it...HR says they cannot give estimates because it might give false expectations....I don't want to lock them down on anything, I just wonder what the current people see for benefit costs and what I "might" expect when we get switched over.

Thanks!

Bush is totally whacked and on antidepressants:

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_4921.shtml

Sterling,

And YES, the Reagan administration supported the poor, downtrodden and oppressed indigenous population of Afghanistan in their noble struggle against imperialism. You have a problem with that?

Um, I do. by "supported the poor, downtrodden and oppressed indigenous population" of course you mean funding the establishment of terrorist training camps, paid for by the CIA and run by Pakistani intelligence, where TENS OF THOUSANDS of "freedom fighters" were trained in tactics such as guerilla fighting, assasinations and bombings. We also armed them to the teeth.

And this was all in the environment of the mid-1980s in which we were being attacked by islamic fundamentalists in Lebanon, Pakistan, Iraq and Libya To get into bed with these same folks to the tune of a billion$ in aid annually, while it was clear they were posing an increasing threat to us, was as nearsighted a foreign policy as I can possibly imagine.

Sterling, you are truly a Bush supporter. Full of lies. Not worth responding to.

Sounds like faux-clinical horseshit to me.

I mean, I hate to burst your bubble but I don't know that Bush didn't go to AA meetings, and neither does Frank. (We all remember what the second "A" is for, right?) Also, regarding the "strict Christian beliefs" - I don't know how strict they are and neither does Frank. And not for nothing, but most of the original colonies were founded by strict Christians, especially the ones that vote Democrat now.

It's fine if you want to read it, Heather, but don't mistake a partisan broadside for fact.

Jerry - you're just wrong. Whatever Afhgani resistance movements came to the fore can more properly be understood as a response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. (It's lovely how you folks always leave that part out.) And YES, the Reagan administration supported the poor, downtrodden and oppressed indigenous population of Afghanistan in their noble struggle against imperialism. You have a problem with that?

As for Osama, he was rich beyond describing, and his involvement in Afghanistan shows that he's been directed to mischief for 20 years or more. He'd be a problem today regardless of US foreign policy during the 80s and 90s.

Bush is attempting to affect transformation in the Middle East, to short-circuit the reactionary Islamism by allowing malcontents voices within their home countries' political systems. Will this breed hostility to America while it's underway? Yes. Will it prevent consolidation of terror entities over the long term? Probably.

I don't think Bush is promising anyone a panacea. But what he's saying is, by toppling some odious regimes and replacing them with more responsive systems, we might be able to eliminate a major root cause of Islamic rage over the next 20 years. I admit I'm not sure that this will work, but it's a reasonable and arguably valid approach. And the minute I encounter someone who is unwilling to admit the potential validity of the approach - someone who voices unmitigated certainty that it can't work and that Bush's motives are venal - I know that I'm dealing with an unhearing, unreasoning fanatic.

People forget that Osama and the origins of the Taliban were results of Reagen's (through the CIA) foreign policy in the 1980s--they trained these people as terrorists to fight the Soviets. And people forget the pictures of Rumsfeld being cozy with Saddam. This terrorist threat is the long term result of American foreign policy. Bush's Iraq stupidity is producing a new generation of terrorists. Wait a few years and we unfortunately will experience the blowback from Iraq right here in New York. And today will be a picnic in comparison. This will not stop until people own up to the long term consequences of foreign policy and act accordingly.

Wag the dog - you're aware that a chunk of Manhattan was leveled by Al Qaeda three years ago, right? And I suppose the Bush Administration has some ulterior motive for terrifying the residents of Newark?

It never ceases to amaze me - the logical gymnastics you people do to blame Bush for everything that goes wrong.

From Tuesday's New York Times (reg. required):

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/03/politics/03intel.html?hp

"Much of the information that led the authorities to raise the terror alert at several large financial institutions in the New York City and Washington areas was three or four years old, intelligence and law enforcement officials said on Monday. They reported that they had not yet found concrete evidence that a terrorist plot or preparatory surveillance operations were still under way.

Wagging the Dog? Politically motivated? Yup.

If you want to see why Al Qaeda is still a threat to us three years after 9/11, read "Imperial Hubris" by Anonymous (a CIA analyst).

Who's terrorizing who here? Is it Middle Eastern 'evildoers' scaring the shit out of New Yorkers or is it just local law enforcement?

Sizing up these posts from over here in L.A. it seems quite clear that somebody has decided to scare the crap out of you New Yorkers.

I'd imagine the early efforts are being undertaken for the following reasons:

1. It's a good practice drill for local law enforcement prior to RNC's arrival

2. It's strategically smart to terrify NYC residents, remind you of your fragility, soften you up and turn you into a bunch of weak-kneed scardey-cats afraid to voice any opinions counter to the current administration's

3. It's an interesting challenge for government troops to to try turn all of Manhattan into an annexed militarily controlled territory

4. It's got to be fun to freak out major media outlets based in Manhattan since many are astutely analyzing current events (i.e., beat the brain trust into submission!)

5. Test the local climate early to see what levels of protest the RNC might encounter when it descends unto the grid

Remember in 1969 Ronald Reagan proved that peace-loving liberals are easy targets when with the help of the National Guard he teargassed Berekley students. Let's see what weapons of mass disillusionment W. can use against Manhattanites.

Hey Heather - Did Dr. Frank actually get Bush on the psychiatric couch or is the title just a fallacy in metaphoric clothing?

I'll tell you what I suspect about Bush's mental state - feelings of guilt that the 9/11 attack occurred on his watch, and a savage determination to make sure it doesn't happen again. That's what it's like to be president - the whole world rests on your shoulders. It's not a job I would want, and I doubt it's one that Bush enjoys. But he's sticking with it and I'll vote for him again.

And that blundering Bush will be bringing his circus to New York, seeing how many people he could fool. I agree, under Bush, the whole terrorist situation is so poorly handled--it is more public relations than substance.

There's a book out by Dr. Justin Frank, a professor of psychiatry, entitled "Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President." He talks about the Presidents paranoid, self-righteousness, inability to have feeling, etc. He concludes that the president is unfit to lead this country. Sure we had 9/11, but with Bush it has become worse and worse and worse. I live in downtown Manhattan and even during the worse of those days after 9/11 I was optimistic that we as a country could deal with this crisis. But as Bush has blundered and blundered again, I am no longer optimistic. Days like today are a reflection of the pathetic and stupid leadership of this country.

from my website:

I work in one of the buildings that they are saying is being targeted by Al-Qaida.

I know that the fact that this has been publicized makes it unlikely that the attack will occur. I know that this may just be a publicity ploy by the Bush administration to influence the election. I know a lot of things.

That doesn't mean this hard knot in the pit of my stomach will go away. This doesn't mean that each time they show my building on the news, a wave of nausea doesn't make me run to the bathroom. That doesn't mean I can be calm, cool and collected.

It's going to be a very long night. And an even longer work day tomorrow.

Update

It is very, very strange here. There are concrete barricades all around the four buildings we have here. There are national guardsmen with machine guns. There is a lot of media people walking around. We have to wear our employee IDs around our necks and carry them at all times. Everyone is a bit jumpy and everyone has bags under their eyes. I don't think any of us slept much last night.

It's going to be ok. We are very well protected. But it's still very scary. And it's sad that we have to live in times like these when people can have such a high capacity for hatred.

We just had a bomb threat around Columbus Circle--I think it was the AOL-Time Warner building. The police blocked off several streets 'n such, but it appears to be ok now.

We just had a bomb threat around Columbus Circle--I think it was the AOL-Time Warner building. The police blocked off several streets 'n such, but it appears to be ok now.

Any supporters of Dennis Kucinich? Check out the website: hagelin.org John Hagelin ran for president twice. He has an approach towards terrorism that is supposed to be scientifically validated and would surprise (and dumbfound) a lot of people.

the skyscraper i work in adjacent to the seaport says PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL in huge letters on the front of it. Prudential used to have staff on several floors here, not they just have a few employees stationed here. We asked our boss why there's no extra security today and he told us that he is sure that the terrorists know that Prudential doesn't have a lot of staff in our building anymore. Now we all have to hope is that the terrorists did really good research and that they are not after any place because it's big, near a big tourist spot (the seaport) and unprotected.

Woo-hoo! I win the double whammy! I transfer underneath the Long Island City Citibank to the E train, which takes me under the Manhattan Citibank building.

Actually, since I owe Citibank 10k in credit card debt, it's really a triple whammy. I now face the distinct possibility of being "buried under debt" both literally and figuratively. Not good times. Bad times.