Dreaming of a White Christmas: We're having an Orange Christmas this year, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This means we should go about our traditional Christmas shopping, travelling and gathering with family in secure undisclosed locations. We should be vigilant and get ready. Whilst Santa is making a list and checking it twice this Christmas, parents and their children should:

1. MAKE A KIT of emergency supplies;
2. MAKE A PLAN of what you will do in an emergency; and
3. BE INFORMED of what might happen.

Trouble is nobody seems to know what might happen. The Christian Science Monitor clarifies the confusion:

"Here's the difficulty: One color code is trying to give us too much information," says Randall Larsen, a senior fellow at the ANSER Institute for Homeland Security in northern Virginia. "If we go from yellow to orange, the threat of an attack is higher. But is that the threat of a small car bomb or a nuclear weapon? I'm going to worry about one much more than the other."

In reality, says Mr. Larsen, we live in a two-color world, yellow and orange. Code Red will mean an attack is under way, and the two lower levels are politically infeasible. All of which leads to speculation that the alert system is, in part, a means by which the government can protect itself from public criticism in the event of another attack.

Colors might be evocative of the various states of alert but, without words and other memorable brand images, it's hard for many people, especially small children and the president, to visualize and remember the current threat level. To make sense of all this, Alan, who is a geek and proud of it, has put together an excellent naming and branding tool for the Homeland Security Advisory System. Those who want their own websites to be informed automatically of the current level of threat advisory can find the code here.


For greater clarity, and so as not to frighten the kiddies, we're calling the current threat level ERNIE. But, what is that meant to communicate to us this Christmastime? In the words of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary:

Finally - no matter your faith or culture - now is the time of year for important celebrations. So, I encourage you to continue with your holiday plans. Gather with your family and friends and enjoy the spirit of this season. There is no doubt that we have a lot to be thankful for - not the least of which the opportunity to live in the greatest country in the world. It is a country that will not be bent by terror. It is a country that will not be broken by fear. But instead, we are a country blessed with a population marked by goodwill and great resolve. We will show the terrorists both this holiday season - goodwill toward our fellow men, readiness and resolve to protect our families and our freedom.

...and continue dreaming of a white Christmas.