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London Terrorist Attacks July 2005

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17:24 / 07.07.05

The buses definitely seem to be moving around now, at least in North London. If it helps anyone, Farringdon/Angel seem to have plenty of bus action, although there may of course be plenty of would-be passengers...

There was a very chipper atmosphere on my walk home - lots of people providing directions for the lost and confused; some folks making new friends on their journey.

Now I'm going to get quite drunk and have a long bath.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

17:29 / 07.07.05

Yay! The last three people I couldn't get in touch with have finally been able to send me text messages!

And I've obviously hit the rolling point and can post again!

BTW, anyone who knows me in meatspace, if you know my friend with the camp shoes (you'll know who I'm talking about) then if you tell him I was worried I WILL kill you.

17:57 / 07.07.05

Galloway was a bit of a fucking disgrace, though, wasn't he? Well, I thought so. Not impressed.

18:03 / 07.07.05

Anyone else get home and totally fucking lose it?

fucking hell. i wasnt there, in london, but i was there in nyc on 9/11; things come slowly and not all at once. i didnt get home until early evening that day, and when i did, i went straight for the bar. soaked head to toe in water because they wanted to get all the/any chemicals/asbestos off us. bartender poured me free drinks for an hour.

it's ok to totally fucking lose it. everything is ok. not going to harp on psychobabble here or try to say i understand. but just to say everything you think is ok. trust me, dont wonder what the right reaction is. if you really want to know what the right reaction is, look in the mirror - there you go. thats the right reaction. dont wonder anymore, just get on with reacting.

cnn.com has really sensationalist headlines so far today - really crazy. they're really trying to up the POW BAM BOOM factor, i guess. sick. it's all sick.

i've taken my xanax for the first time in months today, and i'm gonna go home soon and get high and drunk and maybe try to write a bit about this thing. and i'm thousands of miles of ocean away, so to totally lose it, wherever you are, i think is perfectly fine.

18:18 / 07.07.05

This news was the very first thing I woke to this morning. Dreadful.

I find myself thinking on how we all, as members of the same species, are on some level involved in the dynamic that's fostering these occurances...

At least at the moment (or should I say for myself) I'm hoping to avoid the assigning of Blame . . .

18:25 / 07.07.05

great question from BBC - "muslims are communters too, aren't they?"

The resistable rise of Reidcourchie

18:30 / 07.07.05

Strange, bad day.

I decided to call my parents just because I felt it was that sort of day. Called them to discover that my Uncle, Aunt and one of my cousins had flown in from South Africa today. All well and fine, the airport weren't heavily effected. However my cousin is involved in the music business as a DJ and producer and he had a meeting in London, he also did not have the number of where my Aunt & Uncle were staying at his sisters. Now again not a huge problem but I've just called my gran and she's a worrier and not in the best of health, she was very scared earlier on but it was her my cousin called to get the right numbers. The reaon I'm mentioning this is because my cousin got trapped in London and the business associate he was meeting who he had never met before just offerred to put him up without a moment's second thought.

It's been a shit day, I just thought it was nice that complete strangers were looking out for my family.

18:37 / 07.07.05

BBC Radio creases me up. Apparently they had a suspect package outside the building when I was listening on my way home (around 7pm) and so Radio 4 was alternating between playing music, doing flurried news reports about a minor emergency at the BBC and scuffling around to find recorded programmes to entertain us. So I switched to Radio 5 (stupid I know since they're also BBC) and their presenters were moving from studio to studio in an effort to try and keep 'away from the windows'.

Woo yay for the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Scrubb is on a downward spiral

18:57 / 07.07.05

Psych Safeling: Anyone else get home and totally fucking lose it?
ShadowSax: ...i'm thousands of miles of ocean away, so to totally lose it, wherever you are, i think is perfectly fine
...which is pretty much what I did. First I heard of it in LA was an email from Ex this morning letting me know what had happened, and that my dad and a large chunk of my friends were fine. Spent the next while sifting between the BBC news website, LJ and Barbelith trying to work out who I'd heard from and who I hadn't.

Remembered I was meant to be doing a phone interview at 10am. Went to my office, phoned interviewee and very calmly asked him if he'd mind rearranging until Monday? He said fine and (he knows I'm British) just checked I was ok; I said yes, fine, speak Monday. Hung up phone. Totally lost it.

Now - better, but looking forward to company and whisky tonight.

Shiny: Well Over Thirty

18:59 / 07.07.05

Shit. Shit. Heard about this at work this morning and sat around all day worrying and bobbing a bit – we didn’t have a TV or Radio on and all day we were just hearing these awful rumours of about a dozen bombs going off all across London and explosions in Swindon, Bristol and Coventry with hundreds dead across the country. I suppose I should have been relieved when I got home and found out it wasn’t quite as apocalyptic, but somehow I’m not, just kind of angry and empty at the same time and kind of scared of what the long term effects of this are going to be. Terrible, terrible thing and all my sympathies go out to anyone who has been affected by this shitty, shitty thing today.

19:02 / 07.07.05

Bomb disposal experts have carried out a controlled explosion on a bus in Edinburgh after a suspect package was discovered on board.

Police evacuated a section of Princes Street after the find was made.

A spokeswoman said they had cordoned off the area and added that officers were on high alert due to the terror attacks in London and the G8 summit.

Source: The Scotsman

I wonder was this an actual bomb or just the Police being extra-careful?

hanabius yamamura

19:17 / 07.07.05

... late to the board ... apologies ... glad / hope the london 'lithers are all safe ... stupidly ineffectual words but they're heartfelt ...

h x

19:17 / 07.07.05

Glad to see your names here, everyone.

19:23 / 07.07.05

I am very, very glad you guys are alright.

19:38 / 07.07.05

Shit. Shit. Shit. I went to the evening shift today, and heard about this there. A friend sent me a text message. Another friend is currently working at London, but after a couple hours frantic waiting he finally emailed somebody.
The Factory doesn´t have an internet connection for us lowly blue-collar workers, and some idiot turned the radio into a channel that plays only music. (I think it was the only goddamn radio station in Finland that didn´t have anything on about this bombing.) I got a couple of text messages to keep me informed, but I wanted to come here after work just to check out that everyone is OK. Luckily there is one net cafe, that is open until 02.00. It´s been a long time since I was here, and I am so happy that you are all all right (can I say that?)

Light and love.

Lilly Nowhere Late

19:40 / 07.07.05

waddaday.

I am numbly afraid of what the future holds.
Does it get worse before better?

Every single person I know and actually care about in the world is safe and relatively healthy and all right, in this very moment. How lucky is that?

Do we think any of the bombs were "dirty"?
Do we think tomorrow morning will be any easier?

Thanks Barbelith.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

19:52 / 07.07.05

Can I just say this thread is why I love Barbelith.

And you lot too.

20:03 / 07.07.05

Olulabelle - I'm not normally one to defend my employers, but it is worth remembering that the BBC gets a fair amount of bomb threats and is often seen as a symbol worth attacking - after all it's only been four years or so since someone put a car bomb outside television centre. Five Live are based in Television Centre in the heart of hte news operation so it's not really going to be a surprise that they're tense. The BBC also has a whole emergency process of its own (you can find out about it at bbc.co.uk/159) and have security levels and stuff (which were elevated today, presumably after alerts from the police).

Basically you're going to get that kind of stuff from the BBC and not from Virgin or Classic FM or whatever because no terrorist organisation gives a crap about Virgin or Classic FM.

unheimlich manoeuvre

20:10 / 07.07.05

Thank God.
Finally heard that all are safe and sound.

Just got to hope now that this doesn't lead to any *revenge* attacks against *suspected* muslims...

20:16 / 07.07.05

Oh fuck, I hadn't thought of that.

Lilly Nowhere Late

20:22 / 07.07.05

Must say that despite the sensationalism, etc. and definitely add some nauseum, respect to the bbc for all they've been through to get the news to us.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

20:25 / 07.07.05

The various Muslim councils and whatnot seem to be recommending that Muslims keep their heads down for the next few days, what a country when such advice is considered necessary. I suspect we'll have to look to the usual flashpoints like Bradford to see if this restarts the street battles of times past.

(Tom: How about if we get a flashmob of people with screwdrivers tonight to swap the 'Radio 5' signs with the 'Capital' ones, would that help? Then any terrorists would be doing the country a favour by taking out Doctor Fox.)

Tryphena Absent

20:27 / 07.07.05

In defence of olula I think she was quite enjoying the radio chaos, the reason we all love the beeb so much is that they continue broadcasting while under bomb threat. It certainly endears me to the organisation.

20:35 / 07.07.05

I liked Sky News'/Blair's note that "not all Muslim are responsible for this attack".

Not all? WTF.

20:39 / 07.07.05

A cheering aside from Fox News' Fox & Friends:

KILMEADE: And he [British Prime Minister Tony Blair] made the statement, clearly shaken, but clearly determined. This is his second address in the last hour. First to the people of London, and now at the G8 summit, where their topic Number 1 --believe it or not-- was global warming, the second was African aid. And that was the first time since 9-11 when they should know, and they do know now, that terrorism should be Number 1. But it's important for them all to be together. I think that works to our advantage, in the Western world's advantage, for people to experience something like this together, just 500 miles from where the attacks have happened.

VARNEY: It puts the Number 1 issue right back on the front burner right at the point where all these world leaders are meeting. It takes global warming off the front burner. It takes African aid off the front burner. It sticks terrorism and the fight on the war on terror, right up front all over again.

KILMEADE: Yeah.

So you see, it's not all bad. This might help us limeys get our priorities straight.

20:40 / 07.07.05

On some level I'm liking that this whole ordeal is just labelled as "major incident" in most of the text I've seen. There's something totally British about that, like it's another health warning. Glad it's not been blown out of proportion and labelled 'SEVEN SEVEN' 'LONDON FUCK BOMBING'.

I did see Target London somewhere on telly before but that was shit and makes it sound like we're under seige by roaving gothy teens, their heads bopping to arcane electrical musics.

Tryphena Absent

20:46 / 07.07.05

That was ITV being hyperactive, they love doing "Target London" type of stuff.

21:02 / 07.07.05

Olulabelle - I'm not normally one to defend my employers, but it is worth remembering that the BBC gets a fair amount of bomb threats and is often seen as a symbol worth attacking.

Oh for God's sake. All I meant was I love the BBC for doing everything in their power to continue to broadcast.

I love the BBC, I think it's ACE that all they do is move away from the windows or look for other programmes to broadcast in the midst of bomb threats. Any other station would have just stopped broadcasting. I meant "crease me up" like that. Oh forget it. If you want to assume I think they're twats then go ahead. Like I'm the sort of person who would.

I am fed-up with today.

In defence of olula I think she was quite enjoying the radio chaos, the reason we all love the beeb so much is that they continue broadcasting while under bomb threat. It certainly endears me to the organisation.

Perhaps I just don't have the lovely words that Nina did about it. Thank you Nina.

I just don't know how anyone could read what I wrote so mistakenly.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:04 / 07.07.05

Especially Mr Tony's assurance that the majority of Muslims are "like us". Cos, obviously, none of "us" could possibly actually BE muslims...

Barbelith has been, as I think I've already said, absolutely indispensible today. Thank you again Mr Coates, and everyone who posts here.

In other news, in true British style, I am happy to report that life at "the pub" (doesn't matter which one, any pub'll do) remains unchanged. (Is that what Mr Tony meant when he said they'd never destroy our way of life?)

I'm glad everyone's okay (especially me, obviously) though I fear Mr Posters may be in for a severe talking to at the next Barbemeet for frightening everyone so.

Me, I'll be happy when I wake up tomorrow, look out of my window, and see that London's still there.

I'll worry about the future when it happens.

21:04 / 07.07.05

Glad all lithers are accounted for and my sympathies to anyone involved by association or affected by this in anyway.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:07 / 07.07.05

Umm. that last post of mine was in response to Triplets' last post.

I don't wishe to mistakenly add fuel to a fighty fire that shouldn't be happening anyway.

Everyone's understandably a bit edgy, aren't they?

21:07 / 07.07.05

...And anyway, there's another thread for slightly innapropriate responses. If I thought the BBC were idiots, don't you think I might have posted it there?

21:10 / 07.07.05

I'm not edgy. I just can't understand how anyone could read what I wrote as a criticism.

If it does read like that then there's no point posting anything is there, because I obviously haven't got a clue.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:13 / 07.07.05

Sorry. That wasn't meant as a snark attack. FWIW, I didn't take your post as a criticism of Auntie, though I can see how it may have been (mis)read so.

21:18 / 07.07.05

Excellent. Nice one Lula. Say what you think and make it sound like exactly what you don't.

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