What's going on in London

[Scottie]

Hope any of our London guys Euan and the likes are ok.:)


There is some real sick folks out there:(

[euan]

F*** me, it's bloody scary down here.

I am working at home today, but the missus was at Bank when it kicked off. She's ok, but nobody can leave the office, Police are stopping them.

My mates are all ok, one of them was at Kings X, then walked back past Russell Square as the bus blew up. She's pretty shaken by it.

What scares me is that I used to stay in hotels at Russell Square, and walked down that street at pretty much the time the bus blew up. Katy (my other half), her mum used to work in the BMA building where it did blow up.

[euan]

BTW, thanks Scottie. Appreciate the thought!

Hope everyone else on here who is down here is ok.

[Scottie]

glad your all ok.:)


Reuters site is down too. News just said that Arab sources which monitor AlQ are saying that they believe its almost certain that its them AL Q B*stads!

[sh@z]

Glad you are ok, got some friends workin down in london too, one of them on the tube an hour or so before the bombs went off.

Hope they dont discover its worse than it has been reported so far in terms of fatalities/injuries

[euan]

I saw that on BBC news 24.

Just heard from the last of my mates. He had got back from a business trip to Stockholm and was on route to Kings X to get a train to york. He's ok, but stuffed for getting home now.

[sh@z]

Sat watching the bbc news stream, this is surreal, cant believe it has happened :(

Yeah your mate will be well and truly stranded tryna get home. London is gonna be at a standstill for a while i presume.

[Duncan Stewart]

:( Scum! absolute scum, is all I can say :(

[bpirie1000]

bet it is putting the sh*ts up everyone for teh G8

What is the world comming to..

[GAJ]

I just heard from a friend, she is also stuck in Kings Cross and pretty shaken. Seems to be chaos down there. What a week!

[Cooper_si]

thoughts and prayers go out to affected people of the london bomb blasts!

the emergency services are doing a great job and should not be forgotton also

[The Dogfather]

Terrible events, we've been ringing work to find out which of our collegues are down in London, thankfully only two both are OK though.

I hope that this is the end of it.....

[euan]

Horrible stuff - they reckon more than 45 people have been killed.

Emergency plans seem to be working and the emergency services are working like troupers and doing great job.

Heard that someone we know was on the tube that blew. She is ok, has glass dust in her legs and in hospital now about to go into surgery. Not life threatening though, thankfully.

[duncan]

Terrible events.

Looks like Blair will be flying out of Dundee Airport, a BAe 146 landed about 12ish, and there's a heck of a lot of armed police there just now.

[Monsta Mo Mini]

I feel sick - I was traveling from Aldgate to KingsX at 9am yesterday morning. Doesn't bare thinking about.

Glad I'm home!:(

[Julz]

My boss is in London just now, can't get hold of him on his mobile! He has apparently phoned in to say he's still with us though!:dead:

Duncan, did you notice the army helicopters flying overhead, there was about 4 of them just before lunch time!:sleepy:

[duncan]

My Flat is near the Bandstand on Magdalen Green, so I only saw the 146 out the window as i was in the kitchen making lunch!
I heard what i presumed were Helicopters, but never actually saw them though.
Went for a wee spin past the airport out of curiosity, and it was teeming with police.

[euan]

See they have just evacuated Terminal 3 at Heathrow.

Seeing as we live not far from the flight path, I'm a tad worried.

[Burple]

quote:Originally posted by Julz

My boss is in London just now, can't get hold of him on his mobile!


And you won't be able to get hold of anyone on a mobile in London Just now.
I was just reading how *all* Mobile networks in London have been shut down, because there's a strong feeling that all the bombs were set off using a Mobile as a triggering device...

Eep... :dead::disapprove:

[Craig]

not just london lnl ;) we were having hassle up here due to unprecedented use of mobiles in scotland at the mo.

lets just hope it doesn't get any worse, but as I was leaving stirling, they were boarding up a lot of shops in the city centre - obviously expecting it to kick off there tonight :disapprove:

I wish I was on holiday at the moment...:disapprove:

[euan]

Don't know if that is really the case - mobiles don't work on the underground.

[Burple]

quote:Originally posted by euan

Don't know if that is really the case - mobiles don't work on the underground.


Yeah.. that's what I thought... would they work in the stations? to start a timer?

They say the networks might not be off, just routed for only Rescue service calls? Lots of web = Too Much Info!! :dead:

[euan]

quote:Originally posted by low_n_loud1


quote:Originally posted by euan

Don't know if that is really the case - mobiles don't work on the underground.


Yeah.. that's what I thought... would they work in the stations? to start a timer?

They say the networks might not be off, just routed for only Rescue service calls? Lots of web = Too Much Info!!

The mobile signal basiaclly stops the minute you go underground i.e., on the escalator, so i can't see it being the network that would set it off.

Mobile networks are easing off, I've had no problem using using mine since about 3. They had done an emergency routing thing and cut the capacity.

[Gismo]

Can't mobiles be used to transmit a signal, not just as a phone, but someone with the savvy to change the internals etc :(

[euan]

quote:Originally posted by Bonnie Scotland

Can't mobiles be used to transmit a signal, not just as a phone, but someone with the savvy to change the internals etc :(



In theory, anything is possible. You'd look a bit suspicious on the underground with a mobile out though.

My other half is at home with me now, but seeing as she works 500m from liverpool street, it's all scary. Feel numb, I have to admit.

[Wul]

Was reading about this elsewhere - apparently one of the tube routes affected was a surface section and a mobile can trigger it underground by it's alarm function. :(

[Willie M]

What a nightmare. My thoughts go out to all the folks who have lost loved ones, friends and family. I was really quite shaken last night :(

These last two or three days have been really surreal, the troubles in and around Stirling, Auchterarder, etc.... and now this. It truly shows us what a thin line there is between living a peacful, orderly life or living in fear and chaos.

Feeling quite sickened by it all this morning :(

[Big Col]

I agree with Willie M. It just goes to show how fragile the peace we take for granted can be. I'm proud of the nations reaction to it though and the emergency services were uttery amazing yesterday. As one reporter on the BBC said, their calm professionalism drained the terror out of this terrorist attack. My hat is in hand for all of them.

[The Dogfather]

It does make you realise just how much we take for granted.

One of the commentators yesterday spoke of how normally people run away from the destruction and yet the police, fire and ambulance services run towards it. Thank God there are people out there who are willing to risk their own lives to save others.

It's time like this that make you feel proud to be British!

[euan]

I was ok about it all until my mate called last night from Oz, then it felt "real" if that makes sense. I got full of what if's and all that.

We heard from our friend, she has had one op with another to come. She was on the tube that blew at Liverpool St, she was near the front of the tube where the bomb went off in the middle. She's really lucky - the woman next to her lost her feet in the blast, someone died in their carriage.

Like I said, full of what if's today.

It's been a pretty wierd week, full of highs (live 8, Olympics) and then the lows (yesterday and the troubles up in Stirling/Auchterarder) - I know I just want to put it behind me and get on with next week.

[Burple]

quote:
It's time like this that make you feel proud to be British!



Just for once.. I'm gonna let that one go, and agree with you!! :D:D:D:D


The reaction of the whole country has been amazing. Was reading sme other forums yesterday, with reports of all these pubs round London filling up with people "Checking for News Reports"..
Not to make light of the situation, but:
Terrorist attack on America = National panic, fear and paranoia..
Terrorist attack on UK = We go to the pub... heh... typical!

[orich]

low n loud1,
I don't know how serious you were in your post where you said "Terrorist attack on America = national panic, fear and paranoia. I have to say that as a NYC police officer who responded to the attack on our country, I saw fear, sure, but I saw incredible bravery on the part of the public as well as emergency services. Please don't judge what has gone on over here by what the biased news media reports. I work with some of the bravest and selfless people in the world. And I live among some of the finest people in the world.
That being said, please accept my heart felt condolances, and prayers. Having gone through Sept. 11th here, I have an idea of what Londoners went through yesterday. I stand in brotherhood with your emergency personel, and in solidarity against terrorists with your people.
God save the Queen, and God bless America.
Thank you,
Rich
PS Please don't take this post as confrontational or anger. I am truly saddened by yesterday's events.

[Julz]

quote:Originally posted by orich

low n loud1,
I don't know how serious you were in your post

I think I can assure you that LnL's comments were purely tongue in cheek and more aimed at taking the piddle out of the Brits seeing as our answer to everything appears to be a visit to the pub or a nice cup of tea!!:sleepy::)

[Big Col]

Julz is right Orich his post was a tounge in cheek reflection on our reaction to things. Making jokes about the terrible things that happen in life is in itself another typically British trait. :)

Also I never thought for a second you were being confrontational. :)

[orich]

I kinda figured that it was tongue in cheek. There have been so many times where I have had to defend myself and my city, I guess sometimes I see things that aren't there. Please accept my apologies if I offended or angered anyone.
Rich

[Burple]

Oops..
Sorry! It slipped my mind that we had members on here from across the pond who may not have seen the humour in that there comment. My bad. It was all purely tongue in cheek - a jibe at ourselves as Col and Julz mentioned, rather than a dig at the US.
Believe me I know all about the feelings of 9/11, because I was in Houston, Texas visiting a friend when it all happened. :disapprove::disapprove::disapprove::disapprove:
Being there (in the US), seeing the effects of the event first hand and trying to comprehend the implictions of us trying to get home was a terrible enough experience, never mind being anywhere near 'Ground Zero' itself.
I'm right with you on the 'bravest and selfless people' - Emergency services or not! :)

Hope I didn't really offend anyone, it was just an observation made on another (U.S based - www.fark.com) forum about the media coverage and mindsets of the two different nations.

Suppose a lot of people down in London have become (dare I say) 'used to' all this after all the IRA attacks and bomb threats...


Didn't think for a minute that you were being confrontational
:D No worries! :D:D

[orich]

Low n loud1, I should remember that I am really a guest here on this forum, and I should learn more about your culture before I respond. I am fascinated by your country, though. I recently started a thread about living in Scotland. In 5 years when I retire, I would seriously consider moving to the Highlands part of Scotland.
Thanks for being understanding.
Rich

[euan]

quote:Originally posted by low_n_loud1

Suppose a lot of people down in London have become (dare I say) 'used to' all this after all the IRA attacks and bomb threats...



I suspect there is an element of this in it, but from what I've seen it's more an understanding that at some point it was going to happen.

That's certainly been my mindset since I moved here and was a huge consideration. It doesn't make me want to leave (my missus would kill me!) but it does have a bearing on it. In a few years we will be leaving London, hopefully to move back to Scotland where, certainly while I lived there, I never felt like it was in danger of being a target. That's not to say it doesn't have it's problems, but I live in contstant fear of getting mugged for my ipod (happens so much round the station) or worse. You just get on with it and accept that it may happen, however unlikely.

In saying all that, and to live up to reputation put about earlier, I'm now off to the pub to enjoy a Friday night beer before I finish making my curry for tea :cool: