London Bombings (Originally: Tube warning after 'bang' heard)

[kiwi_the_iwik]

Well - it's been 24 hours since the terrorist activities in Central London, and it seems that things are returning to some semblance of normality.

I initially had the day off roster, but that quickly changed as the news became clearer as to what had happened, and I was called in to town about an hour after it all kicked off.

The emergency services were brilliant - it was if they were dealing with an exercise, and they were extremely efficient and competent. The people affected were incredibly resolute and determined to continue as best they could with their daily activities.

We all can't help but think that it could have been a hell of a lot worse, but it seems the bastards who attempted to disrupt the lives of Londoners didn't really do their homework - they'd picked the wrong city if they thought they'd break their spirit. After years of the IRA threat, and their suffering during the Blitz of WWII, this was quite simply an inconvenience.

However, it was awful to see that in this day and age there is an element of society who are intent on killing and maiming innocent people to prove that THEIR way of life is the best.

Quite a paradox, really.

 

[Lau]

London's Euston Station being evacuated currently after a suspicious parcel was found..God make this end already!

You'd think people would keep hold of their stuff on today of all days. It's not that hard to do, and the people who were evacuated must be pretty shaken up.

 

[bartelby]

My place of work is on Amber alert, the security are checking underneath cars, in the boots (trunks), random bag searches etc.

It's all a bit un-nerving really.

 

[Applespider]

You'd think people would keep hold of their stuff on today of all days.

Never underestimate the stupidity of the average tourist on the Underground (however bright in normal circumstances).

The Sunday after 9/11, I reported an abandoned suitcase on the Northern Line platform at Bank. The guy shrugged and said it happened all the time, people left cases there while they nipped upstairs to get tickets etc. He wasn't concerned and they didn't even send anyone down to check... I left the station asap.

 

[Lau]

The Sunday after 9/11, I reported an abandoned suitcase on the Northern Line platform at Bank. The guy shrugged and said it happened all the time, people left cases there while they nipped upstairs to get tickets etc. He wasn't concerned and they didn't even send anyone down to check... I left the station asap.

 

[Music_Producer]

Never underestimate the stupidity of the average tourist on the Underground (however bright in normal circumstances).

The Sunday after 9/11, I reported an abandoned suitcase on the Northern Line platform at Bank. The guy shrugged and said it happened all the time, people left cases there while they nipped upstairs to get tickets etc. He wasn't concerned and they didn't even send anyone down to check... I left the station asap.

Well you were in the UK, I was in New York a few weeks after 9/11. I took my wife to the Empire State Building (she had never been there before and that was..or rather, is my fav skyscraper) We were a bit afraid that it might be the next target so we wanted to ..you know.. go there and look at it and all that.

On the 1st floor (where the tickets can be purchased) I saw a backpack..pretty stuffed and lying in a corner. I kept looking at it and looked around to see if anyone was observing it, or looking for it. After a few minutes I was a little nervous and approached a security guard and told her about this and she was so nonchalant about it ..like it was nothing. She didn't call her colleagues or anyone and was busy chatting with a ticket person.. hello!!!! Finally after a few nerve wrecking minutes (for me) some moron finally came and picked up the backpack with his wife and kids. I swear I could have hit him in the head with it.

 

[Badradio]

I'm trying not to succumb to fear and loathing, as that's what the terrorists want, but this crap really winds me up.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

I'm trying not to succumb to fear and loathing, as that's what the terrorists want, but this crap really winds me up.

I saw this on the news this morning – it's absolutely disgusting. The hotels doing this should be named and shamed.

 

[Music_Producer]

I'm trying not to succumb to fear and loathing, as that's what the terrorists want, but this crap really winds me up.

That is absolutely deplorable. The hotels that have done this should be boycotted..that will teach them a lesson. Thats sickening..its like..selling bottles of water at a disaster location for $50 a bottle instead of giving them out for free!!

 

[iGary]

I'm not a religious person, but my every thought and feeling go out to those involved.

Very sad indeed.

 

[MongoTheGeek]

On the 1st floor (where the tickets can be purchased) I saw a backpack..pretty stuffed and lying in a corner. I kept looking at it and looked around to see if anyone was observing it, or looking for it. After a few minutes I was a little nervous and approached a security guard and told her about this and she was so nonchalant about it ..like it was nothing. She didn't call her colleagues or anyone and was busy chatting with a ticket person.. hello!!!! Finally after a few nerve wrecking minutes (for me) some moron finally came and picked up the backpack with his wife and kids. I swear I could have hit him in the head with it.

They say the person who looses a war did the best job refighting the previous one. We look for things that bit us before. The unattended bomb wasn't really popular in the US as a means of killing people. They only check for it in airports and then only out of fear its going up in a plane. Only one actual unattended bomb comes to mind and I can think of 2 car bombings in the same time span. In Israel I have heard they are fanatic about unattended packages because they were a common tool of the PLO (less so now because of vigilance)

I am surprised that this worked in London after all of the IRA attacks back in the 80s. I guess memory is a bit to shallow.

 

[crap freakboy]

BBC quote-"But some US tourists have now cancelled bookings for the coming week following Thursday's bomb attacks, which killed at least 37 people and left 700 injured."

Go USA!! Bless 'em!

 

[mac-er]

I saw this on the news this morning – it's absolutely disgusting. The hotels doing this should be named and shamed.

Is that not illegal there? In the US, those hotels would be sued by the state for everything they have for price gouging.

 

[Warbrain]

Is that not illegal there? In the US, those hotels would be sued by the state for everything they have for price gouging.

They wouldn't be sued by the state. They would be sued by consumers and then possibly fined by the government.

And is it a surprise that people take advantage of this? No. That's also part of human nature. Same thing happened here in the U.S. on 9/11. Anyone else remember Starbucks making people pay for water, specifically paramedics who needed it for injured people?

 

[Applespider]

Anyone else remember Starbucks making people pay for water, specifically paramedics who needed it for injured people?

I thought that had been tied down to a specific store with a moronic manager who wasn't 'empowered' to make sensible decisions and thought that it would come out of his/her bottomline for the month. I've seen several cases where someone without the common sense to react as circumstances demand instead of following standard operating procedure create these situations.

In this instance, hotel management put the prices up after the initial panic/kneejerk kicked in which is entirely wrong. i suspect they'll argue that their systems are set up so that they only have x rooms at each price band.

 

[EJBasile]

Its amazing how much courage and patience the English have displayed. Their ability to absorb such a dastardly act and go on with their lives should and must be admired. After 9/11 air travel in America was down..and never picked up.. for atleast a year! People in London are back on the subway and buses.. cheers!!!

Keep in mind the death toll on 9/11 was 60 times larger plus part of a city was completely destoryed. In London last time I checked 50 dead people, 3 blown up subways, and a bus. Not exactly the same.

Both of these events though were horrible and very sad though.

 

[psycho bob]

Keep in mind the death toll on 9/11 was 60 times larger plus part of a city was completely destoryed. In London last time I checked 50 dead people, 3 blown up subways, and a bus. Not exactly the same.

Both of these events though were horrible and very sad though.

I don't think any attack on England be it with planes or conventional means could be as devastating as 9/11 was. We don't have cities like you do, even our largest population centres are dwarfed by yours. I think this is more shocking on a subcontious level because the US has always been a target due to its size and standing in the world, the UK has always been a force in the world (less now than a century ago) but attacks on its soil have been limited to civil conflict (the IRA bomb in Canary Wharfe etc) world wars asside.

I still feel that the Muslim terrorist links are unlikely or even if that was the case show a lack of commitment compared to 9/11. These bombing were crude and poorly planned compared to how they could have been. We were lucky although I'm sure the victims famalies will not see it like that. These bombs for the most part seem to have just been left on the tubes and fortunately detonated in tunnels or quiet areas, they were not suicide attacks committed by would be religious martyrs.

Also remember in any comparisson to the scope of 9/11 that the UK is over 60 times smaller than the US and since the September 11 security has made it hard for such large scale attacks to occur. In politcal terms this attack was more senseless, carried out by faceless people of unknown origin, but deserves just the same united response. The British people have never given in, in many ways as a country I think we are more united in our resolve than Amercia was before 9/11. We will not let this destroy our way of life. People may knock Tony Blair but his speech yesterday was spot on, thoughtful, composed and with the right message.

 

[MacsRgr8]

This morning I made myself some coffee, and poured it into a cup I blindly grabed out of a cupboard.

It was a white cup with the London Underground map on it.... And a slogan: "You can't beat the system"

Indeed. You can't. And nobody will. NOBODY.

 

[evil_santa]

London was very quiet today, the Central Line hardly had anyone on it, it was like traveling on a weekend. The office was also very quiet, a lot of people opting to 'work from home' There was quite a big police presence on the street, particularly near train stations.

 

[asif786]

London was very quiet today, the Central Line hardly had anyone on it, it was like traveling on a weekend. The office was also very quiet, a lot of people opting to 'work from home' There was quite a big police presence on the street, particularly near train stations.

yeah, i kinda expected that - i think it's because suspicious packages were still being found so people didn't want to take risks.

hopefully everything should be back to normal by tomorrow or monday.

 

[garybUK]

I don't think any attack on England be it with planes or conventional means could be as devastating as 9/11 was. We don't have cities like you do, even our largest population centres are dwarfed by yours. I think this is more shocking on a subcontious level because the US has always been a target due to its size and standing in the world, the UK has always been a force in the world (less now than a century ago) but attacks on its soil have been limited to civil conflict (the IRA bomb in Canary Wharfe etc) world wars asside.

I still feel that the Muslim terrorist links are unlikely or even if that was the case show a lack of commitment compared to 9/11. These bombing were crude and poorly planned compared to how they could have been. We were lucky although I'm sure the victims famalies will not see it like that. These bombs for the most part seem to have just been left on the tubes and fortunately detonated in tunnels or quiet areas, they were not suicide attacks committed by would be religious martyrs.

Also remember in any comparisson to the scope of 9/11 that the UK is over 60 times smaller than the US and since the September 11 security has made it hard for such large scale attacks to occur. In politcal terms this attack was more senseless, carried out by faceless people of unknown origin, but deserves just the same united response. The British people have never given in, in many ways as a country I think we are more united in our resolve than Amercia was before 9/11. We will not let this destroy our way of life. People may knock Tony Blair but his speech yesterday was spot on, thoughtful, composed and with the right message.

But 11th September was what ???? a 1000th of what happened during WWII in many cities over England and Germany, I know different circumstances but the people didn't give up then either.

Edit: I admired how George Bush dealt with 11th Sept and how the American People dealt with it, remember the Word Trade Center had many people from around the world. It was very Surreal event, extremely moving. Equally what happened in Madrid & London was bad but not on that scale.

 

[Ugg]

Keep in mind the death toll on 9/11 was 60 times larger plus part of a city was completely destoryed. In London last time I checked 50 dead people, 3 blown up subways, and a bus. Not exactly the same.

Both of these events though were horrible and very sad though.

Yeah, but the US' was more horrible is sadder according to you. Why is it that people need to say, "we had it worse"? I find it sickening that anyone could belittle the UK at a time like this. After 9 11 everyone was a New Yorker, now it seems that nobody could care less about the UK. Brit Hume was more concerned about making money on the stock market, Rush said this was nothing to worry about, phelps wished more people had died, etc.

I guess Americans' true colors really come out when somebody's disaster isn't as disatrous as ours was. That is very sad.

 

[eva01]

I guess Americans' true colors really come out when somebody's disaster isn't as disatrous as ours was. That is very sad.

Might want to put down "I guess some Americans'" because not everyone feels this way, i bet there were other people in other countries that said the same thing about 9/11, *******s are *******s no matter what nationailty

 

[asif786]

Might want to put down "I guess some Americans'" because not everyone feels this way, i bet there were other people in other countries that said the same thing about 9/11, *******s are *******s no matter what nationailty

exactly..this isn't about who had more people killed. every londoner and people that have visit london know that this attack was not designed to kill mass amounts of people. if it was, it would've been done in a different manner..they could've flown a plane into canary wharf (which has been done before). they could have dropped a bomb on oxford street. they didnt.

this attack was to put fear in londoner's minds. and i dont think they've succeeded. 9/11 was planned to kill as many people as possible.

whatever the case, we're all together. what's more important than how many people are killed is how countries support each other. so far, i think the US has done a damned-good job of supporting us while we go through our share of terrorism. it kinda makes me feel bad that i didn't give madrid much thought when they had their terror attack last year. that's a lesson to be learned.

pheew, deep breath now

 

[Applespider]

I find it sickening that anyone could belittle the UK at a time like this. After 9 11 everyone was a New Yorker, now it seems that nobody could care less about the UK.

Ugg - have you read this thread all the way through? There are many, many messages from Americans expressing their sorrow about the London bombings, including many saying 'everyone is a Londoner at a time like this'

While this has had a major impact on London, I personally found 9/11 more shocking due to the sheer magnitude of the crime. Bombs, sad to say, are commonplace - we've seen them all across the world and London has had its fair share of them. Even now watching that second jet crash into the WTC and those people jumping from the top floors makes me shudder - it's more like a movie than real life. And it has had a far bigger impact upon the world than the London bombing will have.

Saying that doesn't belittle either event. I have equal compassion and respect for those who were killed or injured in them. And I'll get back on the Tube on Monday morning and thank my lucky stars I wasn't one of them.