Anxiety Meter

SEVERE The European allies balk at Bush's war cries, calling him a cowboy. Of course, if Saddam marches on Paris, we know whom they'll call.

HIGH Islamic militants in Britain may have plotted to poison troops with ricin. Just when we thought we knew all the deadly chemicals.

ELEVATED Identity-theft complaints doubled last year. We got suspicious when the dog walker wanted our Social Security number.

GUARDED Winter hits hard in the Eastern U.S.; frost threatens Florida oranges. When can we start worrying about global warming again?

LOW Can we endure more award shows after the endless Golden Globes? And how can Meryl Streep get so excited after another award?