Surreal is the only way I can describe racing into work at the New Zealand Herald in Auckland to cover the terror attacks on the World Trade Center.
It seemed like a dream.
How could such a thing happen?
It was such a huge story and like many readers I can remember watching
in disbelief replays of the planes flying into the giant buildings and causing so much grief.
The world changed that day. It has lived with a heightened terror alert ever since that horrendous act of war.
Despite the Americans getting Saddam Hussein, I often wondered if they would ever find Osama bin Laden.
Now they have and the playing field has changed again.
Again, I watched in surprise yesterday as television news anchors announced US forces had killed him.
Here in the Western Bay, we are thankfully removed from many of the world's dangers.
But yesterday's attack on the world's most wanted man has struck a blow for all of us in the western world.
For many, it was justice done and justice long overdue.
Today we have coverage of bin Laden's capture in the Bay of Plenty Times.
In other news today, we talk to the man whose home was badly damaged by fire in Te Puke.
We carried the story on the front page yesterday and today talk to the hero former policeman who could have easily died in the blaze, along with his wife and daughter.
Hopefully it inspires those who do not have smoke alarms to go out and buy some.
