Snippets

[thessalian]

I am roasting a chicken for proper Sunday lunch. Really it was supposed to be last night's dinner, but last night was sort of a "Oh, we're out and look how late it's got" meet-up with dodgyhoodoo and weaselbitch so we went to Bengal Bertie's instead. Of course, that was slightly marred by the fact that the people next to us were talking utter shit about Saudi Arabian politics in the face of the London tube bombings (?), something about the value of virgins in Saudi Arabian society (??) and similar topics. I resisted the urge to tell them to go fuck themselves quite admirably, I thought.

Question for my American friends: are any of you seeing any news reports about the armed police on the Tube? Or anything about how scared we Londoners are? Because corone recently posted an entry alluding to this and it strikes me as a little bit ... um, inconsistent with the number of Americans I know who've been saying how much they admire the stoic manner in which London is dealing with the situation. So clear that one up for me, please?

I'm trying to think of the next writing project. I think I have an idea for the recent non_plot challenge, I still have to finish Wormwood and Chamomile (or else dodgyhoodoo is going to glare me to death), there's the Aidan/Pietro conversation dealing with the sinking of Caligari Island to do and a few story snippets to divide up the sections in the Affils book. I'm seeing that taking another couple of sessions to go through the scenario -- I think I've proven that it has long-term playability by now, no need to stretch it out. Then, of course, there's the other stuff -- I think I'd miss the Thursday gaming if we stopped just because Affils was tested. Anyway, I've got an hour and a half or so before my chicken's done so I can give it some thought.

7th Sea day today. I am trying to stay off the anti-inflammatories so I can at least think straight in tonight's game. Pain I can deal with. Doped, not so much.

[Edit: Narrow escapes being the non_plot challenge, I can combine that with the Aidan/Pietro scene. Baka Thess!]

Comments

American Journalism & how this American sees it.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm not the best source of US news reporting as I work nights & miss the televised news. On line newspaper have ranged from sensational political driven headlines from the Washington Post, New York Times and a few other political agenda type "rags" to the more standard news reporting. The first reportings were more along the line of panic & mayhem but have calmed down to stoic & resolute. This I believe to be greatly influence by the manner in which the British people are conducting themselves and by blogs, livejournals etc. There are still a few news sources that are still trying to portray the events as panic in the streets & tubes but those are a very small percent of the whole. The larger percent are more along the lines of back to business of reporting what's happening & not hype it up.

As for how my opinion & perception of what happened & what's happening... Of course, I think the bastards should be caught and mass amounts of slow agonizing torture should be place upon their person. (That's the emotional response to death & injury of innocent humans.) Logically, prevention of such a thing happening again or to other countries is near impossible if you don't dispose of the leadership & find a way of as peaceful as possible co-existence.

Americans are a hard headed lot. It is our greatest strength but it is also our greatest weakness. I see the British as stoic. It is a great strength but can also be a great weakness as with any strength in character.

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

Armed police, no, not so much. You must remember, though, that all our police go armed as a matter of course, so the image of police carrying guns in public thoroughfares doesn't have the impact with us that it does with you. Thus, it might be partly a cultural misfire. It's entirely possible that most Americans are overlooking that as being nothing unusual.

I have read some statements from people to the effect of, "I hate the thought of riding the tube now," or "I think I'd rather walk than use public transportation." But they stand in distinct contrast to most of the reporting, which on the whole is depicting the British as being fairly calm, organized, and rational about the entire thing.

My personal impression is that the authorities are handling it calmly, and the investigations are thorough and methodical, but that doesn't make most men and women any less frightened to consider how close they could be to death every time they go outside. Probably much the same as it was here--except that, frankly, the US attacks were dramatic and unlikely to be repeated, while the British are forced to realize that their day-to-day activities are distinctly in harm's way.