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Unread postPosted: Thu Jul 07, 2005 12:33 pm
by pd Rydia
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4659641.stm

Hospitals treating many injured

Hospitals across London are treating significant numbers of casualties after blasts in the centre of the capital.


More than 200 people were taken to Whitechapel's Royal London Hospital, three of which are in intensive care.

Paddington's St Mary's Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital in north London and University College Hospital also received large numbers of injured.

Police said about 150 people were seriously injured in the four explosions.

University College Hospital said it had treated about 50 casualties, of whom a number were seriously injured.


[HOSPITAL CASUALTIES
Royal London Hospital - 208 brought in, 13 in theatre and three in intensive care
St Mary's Hospital - 36 arrived, six critical, 17 seriously
Great Ormond Street - About 22 brought in
University College Hospital - About 50 people treated
Royal Free Hospital - 55 arrived, most with minor injuries
Guy's and St Thomas's Hospital - Eight brought in
BMA doctors tend casualties]


Professor Jim Ryan, a senior A&E consultant who is leading the major incident team, said: "They came in with blast injuries.

"They have fragmentation, skin, inhalation and limb injuries.

"The characteristic injury of a terrorist incident is multiple injuries to multiple body systems, and that is what we have seen."

The Royal Free Hospital said 55 people had arrived, most suffering from minor injuries but 10 were in a serious condition, while eight have been taken to Guy's and St Thomas's on the southern bank of the Thames.

The London Ambulance Service (LAS) said it was only attending life-threatening illnesses and injuries so it could concentrate on the blast scenes.

--Major incident plans--

Surrey and Royal Berkshire ambulance crews have also been sent into the capital to lend support.

Wounded people were assessed at triage sites set up near to the blasts, with the most serious being taken to nearby hospitals.

Public buses took some of the wounded to hospital.

Many hospitals have put their major incident plans into operation, and unconfirmed reports suggest the entire NHS has been put on standby to receive patients and support the emergency response.


AMBULANCE CASUALTIES
Ambulance crews have treated 45 people for serious and critical injuries, including burns, amputations, blast injuries and fractured limbs
More than 300 patients have been treated for minor injuries, such as lacerations, smoke inhalation, shock and cuts and bruises
Seriously injured and those with minor injuries needing hospital treatment were taken to the nearest facilities. The others were treated at the scene

Under the plans, hospitals can call in off duty staff and halt non-urgent surgery to free up theatres.

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children even set up makeshift facilities - it does not have an A&E unit - under its emergency plans, but later closed them after treating more than 22 people.

Most hospitals said they were coping with the flood of casualties.

Paul White, chief executive of the Royal London Hospital, which has just practised its emergency drill, said: "This is probably the most major incident we have had in recent years but we are coping well, we are not overwhelmed."

Julian Nettel, a spokesman for St Mary's Hospital, which has admitted 36 people, six in a critical condition and 17 seriously injured, said: "We cleared as many beds as possible within the hospital.

"We also cleared and cancelled immediately all of our out patient activity so that we created space to treat more minor injuries."

But he said even though they had to deal with sickness and injuries on a day to day basis, it was an extremely distressing situation.

The Department of Health, which has the power to take overall control of the deployment of NHS resources during complex incidents, said: "We would like to reassure the public that the NHS in London is on full alert and everything is being done to help those injured."

London MP Nick Raynsford said the NHS, police and fire service had been preparing for major incidents ever since the terrorist attacks in the US.

He said: "The emergency services are prepared for multiple attacks occurring in London."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/h ... 659641.stm

Published: 2005/07/07 14:54:47 GMT

© BBC MMV



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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4661059.stm

More than 30 die in London blasts

A series of bomb attacks on London's transport network has killed more than 30 people and injured about 350 others.


There were three explosions on the Underground - which police said left 33 dead - and one on a double-decker bus in which an unknown number died.

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has returned to London from the G8 summit, has described the attack as "barbaric".

An Islamist website has posted a statement - purportedly from al-Qaeda - claiming it was behind the attacks.

The Queen said she was "deeply shocked" and sent her sympathy to those affected and the Union Jack was flying at half mast over Buckingham Palace.


[Blast timeline
0851 Seven people die in a blast on a train 100 yards from Liverpool Street station
0856 21 people die in a blast on a train between Russell Square and King's Cross stations
0917 Five people die in blast on a train at Edgware Road station
0947 An unknown number die in a blast on a bus at Tavistock Place.]


US President George Bush told reporters at the G8 Summit in Gleneagles that "the war on terror goes on."

All London Underground services have been suspended until at least Friday.

Bus services have resumed in central London (Zone One) with diversions in affected areas. Most mainline train stations are open.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick confirmed 33 people had died in the blasts on the Underground.

He said there were 21 confirmed fatalities following the blast at 0856 BST in a tunnel between King's Cross and Russell Square.

There were seven confirmed deaths after a blast at 0851 BST 100 yards into a tunnel from Liverpool Street station. The train was either a Central Line or Circle Line train.

And at 0917 BST an explosion on a train coming into Edgware Road underground station blew a hole through a wall onto another train in an adjoining platform.


[It's particularly barbaric that this has happened on a day when people are meeting to try to help the problems of poverty and Africa
Tony Blair]

Three trains were thought to be involved and there were five confirmed deaths so far, Mr Paddick said.

He said it was not yet known how many died in the bus blast at 0947 at the junction of Upper Woburn Place and Tavistock Square.

London Ambulance Service said it had treated 45 patients with serious or critical injuries including burns, amputations, chest and blast injuries and fractured limbs.

Some 300 more people were treated for minor injuries including lacerations and smoke inhalation, LAS assistant chief officer Russell Smith added.

In other developments:

* The officer in charge of policing the G8 summit said many of the 1,500 Metropolitan Police officers in Scotland would be urgently redeployed to London

* The police set up a casualty bureau number on 0870 1566344

* New Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said celebrations to mark the homecoming from Singapore of the successful London Olympic bid team have been cancelled

* Pope Benedict said the blasts were "barbaric acts against humanity" in a message to the Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor

* London Mayor Ken Livingstone, speaking from Singapore before flying back to the UK, said Londoners would not be divided by a "cowardly attack".

* 54 state schools were closed in Westminster

* Mobile phone services across London were jammed with all major networks reporting problems as people tried to contact relatives and friends. A spokeswoman for Vodafone said the emergency services were being given priority.

Mr Paddick confirmed police were looking into whether the bus blast was the work of a suicide bomber.

But, he added: "It could as easily be an explosive device left on the bus as the work of a suicide bomber. We are not able to determine which it was yet."

He said no warning had been given before the blasts and that no-one had yet claimed to be behind them.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said a previously unknown group calling itself the Secret Organisation Group of al-Qaeda of Jihad Organisation in Europe had claimed to be behind the attacks in a statement posted on an Islamist website.

The group's statement said the attacks were revenge for the "massacres" Britain was committing in Iraq and Afghanistan and that the country was now "burning with fear and panic", he added.


[HAVE YOUR SAY
There are a lot of people phoning loved ones to make sure they are ok
Amy Hinkley, London,]


Early reports had suggested a power surge could be to blame for explosions on the Underground but this was later discounted.

Describing the bus blast in Tavistock Square, witness Belinda Seabrook said she saw an explosion rip through the vehicle.

"I was on the bus in front and heard an incredible bang, I turned round and half the double-decker bus was in the air," she said.

She said the bus had been travelling from Euston to Russell Square and was "packed" with people turned away from Tube stops.

"It was a massive explosion and there were papers and half a bus flying through the air." she said.

One caller to BBC Five Live said his friend had seen "the bus ripped open like a can of sardines".


[Blasts occurred:
Between Aldgate East and Liverpool Street tube stations
Between Russell Square and King's Cross tube stations
At Edgware Road tube station
On bus at Tavistock Square]


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/4661059.stm

Published: 2005/07/07 15:48:47 GMT

© BBC MMV



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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4659933.stm

Blair vows terrorists won't win

Tony Blair has said terrorists will not succeed in destroying "our values and our way of life" after blasts hit London's transport network.


The prime minister has now returned to Downing Street from the G8 summit, but has made clear the talks will continue.

Earlier he read a statement from the G8 leaders saying the blasts were "an attack not on one nation but on all nations and civilised people".

The Queen said she was "deeply shocked" and sent sympathy to those affected.

US President George Bush said there was an "incredibly vivid contrast" between the work at the G8 to alleviate poverty and the "evil" of those wanting to kill.

"We will not yield to these terrorists," said Mr Bush.

Mr Blair is now chairing a meeting of Cobra, the government committee which brings together various senior ministers and security officials to deal with emergencies.

--'Barbaric'--

Speaking before he left Gleneagles, he said: "It is important that those engaged in terrorism realise that our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people in a desire to impose extremism on the world.

"Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilised nations throughout the world."

Visibly shocked, Mr Blair said it was reasonably clear terrorists had timed the attacks to coincide with the start of the G8 summit.


[[It is particularly barbaric this has happened on a day when people are meeting to try to help the problems of poverty in Africa
Tony Blair]]


"It is particularly barbaric this has happened on a day when people are meeting to try to help the problems of poverty in Africa and the long term problems of climate change and the environment," he said.

In the joint G8 statement, Mr Blair said all the leaders believed the terrorists had no respect for human life.

"We are united in our resolve to confront and defeat this terrorism...," he said. "We will not allow violence to change our society and values nor will we allow it to stop our work at this summit."

--'Cowardly'--

London Mayor Ken Livingstone said he was returning to the city in the next few hours from Singapore, where he lobbied for the Olympic bid.

Mr Livingstone said: "This was not a terrorist attack against the mighty and the powerful. It was not aimed at presidents or prime ministers. It was aimed at ordinary working class people."

The mayor said the blasts were a cowardly and indiscriminate attempt at mass murder which would fail in its bid to destroy free society.

He added: "They seek to turn Londoners against each other... London will not be divided by this."

--'Keep calm'--

In a statement to the House of Commons, Home Secretary Charles Clarke said: "Our first responsibility is to protect and support the public."

He urged people not to rush to judgement and should behave in a "calm and considered way".

Mr Clarke added: "People are strongly advised not to travel into central London as the emergency service must be allowed to do their work as effectively as they can."


[This country is completely united in our determination to defeat terrorism
Michael Howard
Conservative leader]


Conservative leader Michael Howard and Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy both sent their sympathies to those injured and the families of those killed.

And they praised the "heroic" work of the emergency services.

Mr Howard said it was a "dreadful day for London and for our city" and pledged his party's full support for the government.

"This country is completely united in our determination to defeat terrorism and to deal with those who are responsible for the appalling acts that we have seen today," he said.

The Tory leader said Londoners had put up with bombings and disruption before and "the sprit of Londoners was absolutely solid and strong".

--Solidarity call--

Mr Kennedy said: "What has happened is appalling and those who carried out these attacks must be brought to justice...

"The moral contrast between those who seek to disrupt and destroy and those who are trying to build for the future [at the G8 summit] could not be more stark. The terrorists must not prevail."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said he had joined with Muslim leaders in condemning the attacks during a visit to West Yorkshire.

"Such solidarity and common purpose is vital for us all at this time of pain and sorrow and anger," said Dr Williams.

Respect MP George Galloway said the attacks were "despicable but not remotely unpredictable" - saying the security services had warned the Iraq war could increase the risks of terrorism.

Mr Galloway argued it was not possible to deal with every angry person in the world and said the causes of hate, such as the Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prisons, had to be tackled.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/u ... 659933.stm

Published: 2005/07/07 16:01:33 GMT

© BBC MMV


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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4660391.stm

Statement claiming London attacks

The BBC has located an Islamist website that has published a 200-word statement issued by an organisation saying it carried out the London bombings.


The organisation calls itself the Secret Organisation Group of al-Qaeda [literally the base] of Jihad Organisation in Europe.

The group is previously unknown.

The website has previously carried statements purporting to be from al-Qaeda. It is not possible to verify such claims published on the web.

This is the full text of the statement.

In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, may peace be upon the cheerful one and undaunted fighter, Prophet Muhammad, God's peace be upon him.

Nation of Islam and Arab nation: Rejoice for it is time to take revenge against the British Zionist Crusader government in retaliation for the massacres Britain is committing in Iraq and Afghanistan. The heroic mujahideen have carried out a blessed raid in London. Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern, and western quarters.

We have repeatedly warned the British Government and people. We have fulfilled our promise and carried out our blessed military raid in Britain after our mujahideen exerted strenuous efforts over a long period of time to ensure the success of the raid.

We continue to warn the governments of Denmark and Italy and all the Crusader governments that they will be punished in the same way if they do not withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. He who warns is excused.

God says: "You who believe: If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/4660391.stm

Published: 2005/07/07 12:27:20 GMT

© BBC MMV
<p>
<div style="text-align:center">"Pants are bad!!! We should wear pants only on our head you conformist bastard!!! Pants are the devils work!! Run freee!! And pantless!!!" -- Vulture</div></p>

Re: ...

Unread postPosted: Thu Jul 07, 2005 10:29 pm
by Elitegamer7539
My best wished to those in Britain right now, London especially. <p>
____<span style="color:fuchsia;font-family:helvetica;font-size:x-large;">t(</span><span style="color:black;font-family:helvetica;font-size:x-large;">'.'</span><span style="color:fuchsia;font-family:helvetica;font-size:x-large;">t)</span>____
Kirby is not amused.</p>

Re: ...

Unread postPosted: Thu Jul 07, 2005 11:47 pm
by BrainWalker
Will religion ever stop having it's broken form beaten and dragged through the muck? I can't imagine a God that would condone, much less bless the act of his children slaughtering one another. Fucking self-righteous zealots. Absolutely disgusting. <p><div style="text-align:center">Image</div></p>

Re: ...

Unread postPosted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 12:51 am
by PriamNevhausten
There are still those who believe fully in rituals and unbending principles and rules. In this context, a few dozen humans do not matter in the least--there are quite a great deal more where that came from, after all.

I, for one, am rather surprised at how terribly often the word 'barbaric' comes up, even within the same article. Jesus Christ in a handbasket, we heard you the first time. <p><span style="font-size:xx-small;">"It's in the air, in the headlines in the newspapers, in the blurry images on television. It is a secret you have yet to grasp, although the first syllable has been spoken in a dream you cannot quite recall." --Unknown Armies</span></p>

Re: ...

Unread postPosted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 2:24 am
by BrainWalker
Repetition seems to be a mainstay of modern journalism. <p><div style="text-align:center">Image</div></p>

Re: ...

Unread postPosted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 10:36 am
by Zemyla
I, personally, don't mind "barbaric" being repeated.

Because it is. <p>-----
Do not taunt Happy Fun Zemyla.

<span style="font-size:xx-small;">I think boobs are the lesser of two evils. - Inverse (Pervy)
Dammit, Dan, I'm not dating a damn NPC! - OOC Will (Will Baseton)
Of course! Anything worth doing is worth doing completely wrong! - Travis English
Ultimately, wizards and clerics don't say, "Gee, I want to become a lich because weapons hurt less and I don't have to worry about being backstabbed; that whole 'eternal life' thing is just a fringe benefit."-Darklion
But this one time I killed a walrus with my bare hands, and I suddenly understood spherical coordinates. - KnightsofSquare
Also, when you've worked a 36-hour shift as an intern you too just might pour yourself a catful of coffee and sit down to cuddle with your travel mug. -eirehound
</span>

Adventurers! | RPG World World | The Phantom Lord's OT Board mkII | Indie Madnesse | Brotherhood of Elitist Bastards</p>

Re: ...

Unread postPosted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 1:50 am
by The Great Nevareh
I think the site is faking. That does NOT look like an Al Qaeda statement. <p>[---------------------------]
"There is great disorder under Heaven, and the situation is excellent."
-Mao Tse-Tung

"I eat the talking bees because I am George Washington Christ"
-From "Bob the Ball"</p>

No.

Unread postPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:02 am
by Sage in Taiwan
If it's faking, it's gotten to the newspapers too. I've seen the story overseas, too. Of course, Al Qaeda is not the -only- group to try and take responsibility for the attack...


Re: No.

Unread postPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:29 am
by KingOfDoma
Something is definitely lost in translation, Nev. Also: Can you at least show me another Al-Qaeda statement so we all can compare? <p>--------------------
Remember, even God has a sense of humour. Just look at the platypus.

-Kevin Smith</p>

Re: No.

Unread postPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:38 am
by pd Rydia
The folks making the statement might not be who they claim to be, as well. <p>
<div style="text-align:center">dictionary.com | encyclopædia dramatica</div></p>

Re: No.

Unread postPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:56 am
by KingOfDoma
That is a possibility. But let's rule out the most likely candidate first, I say. <p>--------------------
Remember, even God has a sense of humour. Just look at the platypus.

-Kevin Smith</p>

Re: No.

Unread postPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:06 am
by pd Rydia
I think it best to acknowledge as many different possibilities as reasonable, and realize there's more still possible. If you narrow it down to "it's this or this or this," then you're setting yourself up to overlook the answer.

Though, we aren't going to do much but speculate. We're roleplayers. On a message board. On the internets.

For serious. <p>
<div style="text-align:center">dictionary.com | encyclopædia dramatica</div></p>Edited by: pd Rydia&nbsp; Image at: 7/14/05 9:10

Re: No.

Unread postPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:06 pm
by Besyanteo
*gives Dia a hug*


Re: No.

Unread postPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:58 pm
by Ganonfro
*Opens his mouth to try and say something witty to lighten the mood, but closes it shortly after*

...Why the hell... They're attacking civilians, whom more than likely have nothing to do with whatever the bombers beef is with... If they want to prove a point, they should do it from attacking the people that are behind their anger, not people on their way to work... Cowards... Bloody, murdering cowards...
Even if the people on the trains were part of their anger, they endangered numerous other people who have nothing to do with this. What kind and loving God hurts innocents? ...Just makes me wonder what exactly happened to piss terrorists off in the first place....


.....

Unread postPosted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 11:25 am
by FF Fanatic 80
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4703777.stm

London blasts cause chaos on Tube

The Tube has been plunged into chaos and several stations evacuated after minor blasts on three trains and a bus.


Met Police chief Sir Ian Blair said only three Tube lines were still suspended and it was time London started to return to normal.

The minor explosions - just two weeks after blasts killed 56 - involved detonators only, a BBC reporter said. There was only one injury.

A blast was also reported on a Number 26 bus in Bethnal Green.

There were no injuries and the bus suffered no structural damage.

Eyewitnesses heard bangs and saw abandoned rucksacks at the sites of the incidents at Warren Street, Shepherd's Bush Hammersmith and City line and Oval tube stations as well as the number 26 bus.

At Warren Street and Oval a man was seen running away from the scene.

Large areas around all four sites were cordoned off.

One person was injured at Warren Street. There were reports the injured person may have been holding a rucksack containing the detonator.

Sir Ian appealed for witnesses with mobile phone pictures of any of the incidents to send them to http://www.police.uk. he said it was "time to get London moving" again.

Prime Minister Tony Blair said: "We can't minimise incidents such as this because they obviously have been serious in the four different places as we know.

"I think all I'd like to say is this that we know why these things are done, they're done to scare people and to frighten them, to make them anxious and worried."

The BBC's Andrew Winstanley said devices had been found but appeared to have been dummies, containing no explosives.

Police said armed officers were deployed to University College Hospital after an incident. A large area was cordoned off, but the incident is now over.

There were reports a memo had been circulated to staff to look out for a 6ft 2in black or Asian man with wires sticking out of his top.

The hospital has not received any casualties or been alerted to casualties.

A man was arrested near Downing Street by armed police and led away down Whitehall.

The whole of the Northern Line has been suspended, along with the Victoria Line, the Hammersmith and City line, Piccadilly and the Bakerloo line.

A number of other stations were closed including Great Portland Street, Westminster, Waterloo, St Paul's and Oxford Circus tube stations, as well as Waterloo tube station and King's Cross Thameslink.

Tony Blair cancelled events in the afternoon and attended a meeting of the Cobra committee along with Sir Ian. Whitehall was briefly closed down.

London Underground went to an amber alert with trains taken to the next station and evacuated.

An eyewitness at Oval station said there had been a small bang, and a man had then run off when the Tube reached the station.

A spokesman for Stagecoach said the driver of the number 26 bus travelling through Shoreditch had heard a bang on upper deck, gone upstairs and seen the windows were blown out.

The bus driver was very shaken but said to be fine.

At Shepherd's Bush Hammersmith and City line station, police told reporters that a man had threatened to blow himself up and then ran off.

Sosiane Mohellavi, 35, was travelling from Oxford Circus to Walthamstow when she was evacuated from a train at Warren Street.

"I was in the carriage and we smelt smoke - it was like something was burning. "Everyone was panicked and people were screaming. We had to pull the alarm. I am still shaking."

Edited by: FF Fanatic 80&nbsp; Image at: 7/21/05 11:26

I watch from a far on me cloud

Unread postPosted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 1:40 pm
by Choark
Honestly, if this is you guys trying to get me ya aims well off. I'm in Liverpool fools! Not London.

On a more serious note, Wow, not since the I.R.A. scare bombings and yesteryear has London been hit in quite such a way. Bet if this continues its going to have people freaked for quite some time. I expect movies and bad straight to T.V. shows to come.

My thoughts goes to anyone who has lost people. I've yet to paint the flag on my face and declare war on anyone yet but give me time and we'll see. <p><div style="text-align:center"> </div>
<div style="text-align:center"> Image </div>
<div style="text-align:center"> Something cute plots your death </div></p>

Re: I watch from a far on me cloud

Unread postPosted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 2:17 pm
by FF Fanatic 80
Damn, I've been found out! =[

Seriously, just seemed appropriate to update this thread, in light of it.


Re: I watch from a far on me cloud

Unread postPosted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 2:06 pm
by pd Rydia
Indeed, thanks for the update.

I remember reading about that from a friend's journal, and then seeing it on the news at a restaraunt. Mike and I were talking about it, and about Fox news'...take on BBC's response to the previous bombings. I meant to go look up some articles on google afterwards, but forgot about it after running around. Here's what I found after playing around with search words:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1524856,00.html?gusrc=rss#article_continue

Fox News slammed over 'callous' line

Julian Borger in Washington
Saturday July 9, 2005
The Guardian


Rupert Murdoch's Fox News channel was under fire yesterday for comments by some of its leading journalists in response to the London bombs.

Speaking about the reaction of the financial markets, Brit Hume, the channel's Washington managing editor, said: "Just on a personal basis ... I saw the futures this morning, which were really in the tank, I thought 'hmm, time to buy'."

The host of a Fox News programme, Brian Kilmeade, said the attacks had the effect of putting terrorism back on the top of the G8's agenda, in place of global warming and African aid. "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."

Another Fox News host, John Gibson, said before the blasts that the International Olympic Committee "missed a golden opportunity" by not awarding the 2012 games to France. "If they had picked France instead of London to hold the Olympics, it would have been the one time we could look forward to where we didn't worry about terrorism. They'd blow up Paris, and who cares?" He added: "This is why I thought the Brits should let the French have the Olympics - let somebody else be worried about guys with backpack bombs for a while."

Media Matters for America, a watchdog and frequent critic of Fox, criticised the comments on its website. "I think it's absolutely sickening three Fox anchors had such callous reactions to the bombings that took dozens of lives," said the Jamison Foser, of the group.

The Fox News media relations office had not responded by the time the Guardian went to press yesterday.


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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,162242,00.html

Anti-American Danger
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
By Bill O'Reilly

How Jane Fonda and the BBC put you in danger: that is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo."


As you may know, I was in Europe last week. And whenever the discussion turned to Iraq, it was not about deposing Saddam's brutal regime, or about allowing millions of Iraqis to vote for the first time in decades, or about the terrorist Zarqawi (search) beheading civilians and blowing up women and children.

No, on the telly, Iraq was all about Abu Ghraib (search) and Guantanamo Bay (search). Thank you, left-wing media.

The anti-Bush press and the people who aid them have greatly succeed in turning the war on terror into a "bash America" fest. You have to hand it to those people. They are effective.

But that was before the London terror attack. Will things change now? Don't count on it. That's because media like the BBC won't stop at spin. While in Ireland, I watched in amazement as a BBC interviewer named Gavin Essler baited an incredibly dim Jane Fonda into putting the worst possible face on her country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GAVIN ESSLER, BBC: But is it like the Vietnam days in the sense that — is it even worse than the Vietnam days in some ways— because people around the world don't think that the Bush administration is telling the truth about why they went to war and what the consequences of war in Iraq might be?

JANE FONDA, ACTRESS: I don't know about better or worse than Vietnam. Externally, I'm not sure it's worse than Vietnam. We were being so severely criticized around the world because of the war in Vietnam, which is one of the reasons that it ended, because of world opinion.

But I think that the situation inside the United States right now is worse than then. It's really scary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

What is really scary is that millions of people all over the world believe what Miss Fonda is saying. They believe the USA is going through another Vietnam-like upheaval, which is far from the truth.

Most Americans are solidly behind the War on Terror. And even the division on Iraq is based on performance, rather than ideology.

The big problem with all this America bashing is that it makes it almost impossible for the USA to get a fair hearing on terror strategy. We've been stigmatized. Anything we do to hunt down the true evil-doers is either suspect or rejected out of hand.

Once again, "Talking Points" urges all Americans to understand that people like Jane Fonda (search) do damage to the country, even though the woman probably doesn't realize it. The only way to defeat worldwide terrorism is for the world to unite against it and overcome differences in support of that greater good.

Maybe the London killings will help in that effort. What say you, BBC? And that's "The Memo."

--The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day--

I know many of you feel that being a news reporter is a pretty soft job, but it isn't true, especially if you're Geraldo, who went down to cover Hurricane Dennis, and down is the right word.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERALDO RIVERA, HOST, "AT LARGE": We have plenty of this. Oh, gee. Oh, my goodness. I'll be right back after this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: Messed up the hair. Did you see that?! Messed up the hair. Ridiculous? Well, Geraldo got some new pants out of it. So...

—You can watch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Most Ridiculous Item" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com
Seeing the Guardian article may take registration. I had to register to see other articles this one links to, but this popped up without registration. Go figure. I could only find the O'Reilly stuff from Fox, as some blogger had actually bothered to reference the article by title--couldn't find the rest. <p>
<div style="text-align:center">dictionary.com | encyclopædia dramatica</div></p>

Re: I watch from a far on me cloud

Unread postPosted: Sat Jul 23, 2005 1:36 am
by Magnus de Silentio
I know I'm coming to this thread a bit late, but as a journalism major, I found one of the earlier comments here interesting.

It's true that journalists often rely on a limited vocabulary, rendered repetitious by its constant use. This is a function of many traditions and journalistic concepts, but the basic thing to keep in mind is that journalists are expected to be "objective". Of course, you can't really do that, especially not in a language as richly defined as ours. Everything has centuries of culture and connotations attached. So what journalists essentially end up doing is finding out which words are safe -- which ones people will ACCEPT as objective, whether or not this is the case.

No one has objected to the idea of terrorist attacks as barbaric, so barbaric they are. Again and again and again.

One could also accurately describe them as "stemming from complicated geopolitical/economic issues and historical grievances," but you can bet people would object to that characterization. So out it goes.

I think a particularly instructive case in understanding the media under this particularly aggressive administration can be found in the history of the term "the nuclear option." If you're unfamiliar, the nuclear option was (and still is) the strategy of Senate Majority Leader and 2008 presidential hopeful Bill Frist to eliminate the filibuster through an obscure parliamentary procedure. (I will explain this to you if you want, it is a pretty fascinating plan that they had!)

The term was originally invented by a republican senator. I don't remember which one for sure, but off the top of my head I want to say Trent Lott. This occurred on the record, and it's not hard to find with the proper research tools. At any rate, the republicans discovered that -- surprise, surprise! -- people found anything called "the nuclear option" a little scary.

So they took two steps. They started insisting that the democrats had invented the term "the nuclear option" (an outright lie!) and then said that actually, the correct name, if you really thought about it, was "the constitutional option." (This was, in turn, based on more lies -- the fillibuster was always intended, as all checks and balances, to be used as it has by democrats and republicans alike throughought this last decade. Their contention was that the constitution somehow implied otherwise. This was patently ridiculous. Oh well!)

The papers bought it. Some referred to it as "what democrats call 'the nuclear option'" while others referred to it as "what some are calling 'the constitutional option.'"

Another fascinating case study is in private -- I MEAN PERSONAL OH GOD PLEASE KARL ROVE DO NOT HURT ME -- accounts.


Re: I watch from a far on me cloud

Unread postPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 4:50 pm
by FlamingDeth
I guess it's worth mentioning that one of my good chums went to London like, two days after the bombings, since the trip had been planned for a while, and so soon after an attack like that, London has gotta be the safest place on the planet, right?

Left like, the day before the second attack. Kinda scary. <p>
<hr width="50%"><center><span style="font-family:comic sans ms; font-size:x-large;">AVAST!</span></center></p>

Re: I watch from a far on me cloud

Unread postPosted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 4:08 pm
by Uncle Pervy
I wonder how this is helping the crazy British Facist Party (whose proper name I cannae recall)? <p>---------------------------

ReakoSomner: regardless, I was poor, and in need of diamonds</p>