Entries Tagged with London
July 18th, 2006
Bet you thought I forgot about this…
So, the morning after the family picnic, English, PW, and I got up incredibly early — like so early people in the States probably hadn’t gone to bed yet. Our plan was to catch an extremely early train out of Woking to London Victoria Station where were would meet up with our tour for the day: Bards & Battles!
As you can see, at 6:00am on a Sunday morning, Woking’s train station is pretty dead.
However, somewhere between Woking and Victoria Station, we were joined by a very rowdy crew of World Cup revellers who’d been up early preparing for that day’s England game which was still some 8 hours away and they were already 3 sheets to the wind. Still they were quite spirited in their singing and I still can here them echoing in my mind…
There Were Ten German Bombers In The Air,
There Were Ten German Bombers In The Air,
There Were Ten German Bombers, Ten German Bombers,
Ten German Bombers In The Air.
And The RAF From England Shot One Down.
And The RAF From England Shot One Down.
And The RAF From England,
The RAF From England,
The RAF From England Shot One Down.
There Were Nine German Bombers In The Air…
They never did get down past four. They just kept restarting. The other song just involved repeating “En-ga-land!” over and over again.
Oh, and this one below is for Mom and SQ. 
Ironically, the whole time I was in the UK, they were the only ones who wore anything indicating “US” or US-related places. I had purposely designed my wardrobe that way after reading an article about how you should try not to draw attention to your nationality as an American while in other countries. Everywhere we went, however, they both seemed to wear US-tainted clothes.
OK, so back to the tour. 
While I will recommend Astral Tours (we did another of their tours too) to anyone looking for a good tour company in the UK, I cannot recommend whoever that tour guide was who drove the bus on our tour. Unfortunately, I don’t recall his name. Just beware of the tall skinny guy who appears to not want to be there.
Anyway, here are a few interesting facts I learned while in Oxford:
- Christopher Wren, Tolkein, and C. S. Lewis all went to Oxford University.
- The owl who plays Hedwig has his own limo.
- It used to be that you applied to three colleges in Oxford and if one of them picked you, you got in to Oxford, but now, you have one chance and one chance only. You apply to one college.
- Colleges are not specific to specialties. For example in each college, there might be 10 English majors, 5 engineers, 12 math majors, 6 political majors, etc. Whereas over here in the states, our colleges within our universities are specialty-specific.
- Did I mention that the owl in Harry Potter has his own limo?
- Their semmesters are extremely short compared to ours, which leaves a lot of time open for filming of movies, which apparently happens quite often.
- Apparently, also you can rent rooms in the colleges during non-semmester months for vacation.
Anyway, I’m trying out Andy’s Slideshow plugin for my Oxford pictures and it took me so long to figure out that I’m too tired to write up the rest of the day. ;) So, you’ll have to wait to find out about the Cotswolds and Shakespeare’s birthplace and how many steps there are in Warwick Castle…
Enjoy the slideshow…
Tags: UK, Woking, London, Victoria Station, World Cup, astral tours, Oxford, Harry Potter, Christopher Wren
February 26th, 2006
Peter and Meg have set the date for June 30th. If I understand their plan, they are using their honeymoon as an excuse to go to PW’s wedding in England. Meg indicated that it was the only way they could afford to go to PW’s wedding and get married this year as well.
Unfortunately, because I’ve already bought my tickets to leave for London on June 23rd, I won’t be able to go to both weddings. However, I’ll probably be able to do some sightseeing with them in London. Meg indicated that they planned to spend a few days alone but suggested joint sightseeing, which I’m glad for. I don’t know that I’d want to be the third wheel on a honeymoon. As it is, I’m considering staying in a hotel my last two nights in London to give PW and English some time alone after their wedding and in case they actually go out of town for a honeymoon.
I’m a little worried about El being in London for PW’s wedding. Meg indicated that she’d probably go and I’ve always said that I doubted she’d waste this excuse to go to London, but I also remember how she was at the last wedding. Granted she was much more likely to mood swing back then and she was having some sort of personal crisis about her fiance. However, she also tried to put the moves on the groom and also had some sort of drama moment at the reception about how she was never getting married and how we all pittied her. I’m a little worried that two weddings of friends so close together might send her over the edge — particularly since PW is marrying a rich Brit which is about 2/3rds of what El would like in a man.
You know, being away from home is going to be stressful enough. I really don’t want to be drenched in the old drama. Oy.
Tags: wedding, England, London, friendship
July 31st, 2005
Remember 10 days ago when I thought that second London Bombing attempt was a copycat?
This article appeared on CNN.com today. Apparently they’ve arrested one of the July 21rst attempted “bombers” in Italy and he claims that is was an act of protest against London’s participation in the War on Iraq and seems to indicate that he never intended for anyone to die.
Hussain Osman, who is also known as Hamdi Issac, said the four men who partially detonated backpack bombs before running from their targets on July 21 were not working with the July 7 bombers who killed themselves and 52 travelers on three London Underground trains and a bus, the source said.
Osman also claimed the July 21 group was not working for al Qaeda, the Islamic terrorist organization behind the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States, last year’s Madrid train bombings and numerous atrocities worldwide.
Further, the source said, Osman told authorities the bombs were meant to draw attention to anger over the war in Iraq and not to kill anyone.
“I am against war,” the source quoted Osman as saying. “I’ve marched in peace rallies and nobody listened to me. I never thought of killing people.”
Further more, the 4 men involved in the 7/7 attack were of Pakistani ethnicity while at least three of the men involved in the 7/21 “attack” were from East Africa.
Why admit to the crime but deny Al-Q connections if you are a true soldier of the jihad?
And if they really were just trying to protest the war, why pick this method?
Oy. What a messed up world we are in. Sometimes I think I’m the only sane one, but I’m in therapy, on anti-anxiety and anti-depression meds, and come from a line of family displaying signs of odd quirks and mental illness…still I do think I’m increasingly becoming one of the few sane ones left.
Tags: CNN, London bombing, terrorism, anti-war, protest
July 29th, 2005
From The Guardian in the UK:
Brazilian did not wear bulky jacketJean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian shot dead in the head, was not wearing a heavy jacket that might have concealed a bomb, and did not jump the ticket barrier when challenged by armed plainclothes police, his cousin said yesterday.
Speaking at a press conference after a meeting with the Metropolitan police, Vivien Figueiredo, 22, said that the first reports of how her 27-year-old cousin had come to be killed in mistake for a suicide bomber on Friday at Stockwell tube station were wrong.
“He used a travel card,” she said. “He had no bulky jacket, he was wearing a jeans jacket. But even if he was wearing a bulky jacket that wouldn’t be an excuse to kill him.”
Flanked by the de Menezes family’s solicitor, Gareth Peirce, and by Bianca Jagger, the anti-Iraq war campaigner, she condemned the shoot-to-kill policy which had led to her cousin’s death and vowed that what she called the “crime” would not go unpunished.
“My cousin was an honest and hard working person,” said Ms Figueiredo who shared a flat with him in Tulse Hill, south London. “Although we are living in circumstances similar to a war, we should not be exterminating people unjustly.”
Another cousin, Patricia da Silva Armani, 21, said he was in Britain legally to work and study, giving him no reason to fear the police. “An innocent man has been killed as though he was a terrorist,” she said. “An incredibly grave error was committed by the British police.”
Mr de Menezes was shot seven times in the head and once in the shoulder at 10am last Friday after being followed from Tulse Hill. Scotland Yard initially claimed he wore a bulky jacket and jumped the barrier when police identified themselves and ordered him to stop. The same day the Met commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, said the shooting was “directly linked” to the unprecedented anti-terror operation on London’s streets.
The following day Sir Ian apologised when detectives established that the Brazilian electrician, on his way to a job in north-west London, was not connected to attempts to blow up three underground trains and a bus in the capital.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has began an inquiry which is expected to take several months. Yesterday it emerged one armed officer involved has been given leave, and two have been moved to non-firearm duties. Ms Figuerdo condemned Sir Ian’s decision to authorise the leave, saying she wanted to see the man who shot her cousin, and he should be in jail.
Read the rest of the story…
Next thing you know, our neighbors, our loved ones, our co-workers will just start inexplicably disappearing in the night. No judge. No trial. A strange feeling of deja vu is coming over me…didn’t they try this in Germany at one point?
Are we supposed to be fearing the terrorists or ourselves?
And how far away are we from Guatamo Bay to death squads and the Gestapo?
Why isn’t anyone doing anything about this? Why are those of us who actually care, written off as bitter sore losers and non-Patriots? More and more I feel like I’m in a horrible Twilight Zone episode.
Tags: Jean Charles de Menezes, London, Terrorists, Conspiracy Theories, innocent
July 21st, 2005
O.K. I’ve mentioned this to two people I know, but the conspiracy theorist in me really wants it written down somewhere in case I’m right.
I think that this set of bombings in London this morning, just two weeks after the nightmare that killed over 50 and injured plenty more, is more likely a copycat bombing attempt. My reasoning is that
- traditionally, when Al-Q pulls this sort of operation, they usually succeed.
- Al-Q’s bomb makers are usually pretty successful at their jobs
- The story of the guy who dropped the bag on the bus and ran, really makes me doubtful about his brainwashed commitment to the cause.
I’m just saying…it’s a theory. I’m not always right, but I admit to having my doubts.
And once again, London spent all day on our news channels, but bombings in Iraq and the Middle East get a 30 second mention or just a headline scrolling across the bottom. *tsk*
Tags: al-Qaeda, London bombing, terrorism
July 11th, 2005
It’s good to see people banding together in a peaceful manner to let the terrorists know that we will not be controlled by fear of them.
Web site shows defiance to bombers:
“They were expressing great strength that they wouldn’t let these things worry Londoners,” Dennen told CNN.com. “I thought it would be great to have a place where people could share these feelings.”
And within two hours We’re Not Afraid was born, asking for images and messages from the worldwide online community to show that terrorists would not change the way people lived their lives.
Two hours after that, “we became inundated,” Dennen said. “We weren’t prepared for it … the images were just coming in, people were finding the site and posting comments.”
The photos show people, pets or London landmarks, all with the added message that “We are not afraid.”
By 10 a.m. Monday, four days after the blasts, about 3,500 images had been submitted and more then 1,000 posted on the site. Dennen said some 250,000 people had visited the site.
Blogger’s note: As of this posting, We’re Not Afraid was unaccessible due to heavy traffic loads.
Edit: The site is currently experiencing issues. An explanation can be found here.
Tags: London bombing, blogs, We're Not Afraid
July 8th, 2005
PW recently went to London to visit her boyfriend who she met through Everquest. She spent almost two weeks there and got back last week. She was supposed to call me last Saturday evening to tell me all about it but she didn’t and I assume some responsibility because I could have called her despite the whole being sick thing.
Anyway, with the bombings in London yesterday, I was very worried about English as I knew he lives in London and even though I’ve never met him, I was worried for PW’s sake. She did send me an email letting me know he was o.k. as he lives and works on the outer edge of the city. Still, I called her anyway.
The strange thing is that originally English’s family wanted her to come this week and she decided to go earlier luckily. She said they had been on the underground and in a double-decker bus while she was there and that if she’d gone this week, she could have been in the middle of it. I’m glad she went early.
The new plan for them is for her to start sorting through her things. She will take the bare minimum (I guess) and either give away, sell, throw away or store the rest. Meanwhile, English is looking for a three bedroom home to buy. He will narrow it down to a couple he likes and when she goes back in October (he will be here in September, which is when I’ll get to meet him, btw), she will see the ones he’s narrowed it down to and add her 2 cents.
Next February, she and the cat will head to England. Apparently, you can go to England with no Visa for 6 months on your passport, but she won’t be able to work during that time. She says, they’ll see how things go for three months and then in May, they are planning a trip to Hawaii to get married sans family and friends. On the way back to England, they’ll probably stop in New Orleans for a reception and in New York to file for a spousal Visa.
I must say I was a little hurt that I wouldn’t get to go to the wedding. She said I might be invited to the wedding in Hawaii, but I’d be the only one — and quite frankly, I have no desire to be the third wheel on anyone’s honeymoon. I’ll probably just fly down to New Orleans for the reception.
I’m happy for her. I really am. I hope this works out. He sounds like a nice guy. She’s had such a hard life — granted, some of it she brought on herself — and I’m happy she’s found someone rich and British and thoughtful and responsible. I just hope she lets herself be happy and doesn’t sabatoge things based on her past experiences.
And I hope she doesn’t let El poison her either. El apparently is jealous of the fact that PW got to go to England and has an English beaux and has a rich beaux. She’s also apparently made some snide remarks about how English isn’t that good-looking so why would PW want him? This has caused PW to make defensive remarks to me about his appearance, though I’ve never inquired about his looks. Looks don’t particularly matter to me in the real world. Anyway, PW keeps saying that she likes English despite him not being a Hollywood Hottie. I keep trying to reassure her that he doesn’t have to be as long as he makes her happy. Maybe I should call her more often to reinforce that so El’s continued presence will have a less negative effect on PW.
And I must admit to feeling a little jealous, though I have no interest in marriage or children (which she is already talking about). I guess deep down, I would like someone in my life — someone who is caring and thoughtful and independent, someone who doesn’t smother, isn’t obsessive, and will be understanding, and someone who accepts me as I really am and isn’t blinded by some self-designed delusion of who he wants me to be.
Tags: London bombing, dysfunctional drama
July 7th, 2005
I am felling better. Except for my nose, nothing is itchy. The sinus pressure is seriously reduced. The coughs aren’t in my chest anymore, but my chest is aching (possibly anxiety from the London Bombings). My nose is runny and my voice sounds bad, but really this is a big improvement.
Supposedly they are sealing the parking lot while I’m away at work. I am considering making a run to Target for a few things to postpone my arrival on the scene and hopefully things will be dry enough when I get home so as to not cause any sort of relapse. Of course, I’ve forgotten what I needed to get from Target…
Maybe I’ll just go see a movie instead. There’s probably nothing on tv tonight except bad news and I can hear my shrink telling me to take it in small doses and not get overwhelmed by it all like I tend to do. I had to be tranquilized on 9-11, if I recall…ironically with the medicine I’d been prescribed for fear of flying.
Anyway, I bet the movie theater will be empty.
Decisions, decisions…
Tags: wellness, anxiety, London bombing
July 7th, 2005
I really want to say something enlightening and intelligent about what is happening with the bombings in London this morning, but I just can’t. I’m just stunned and overwhelmed and swimming in that strange surreal sea of confusion, just as I was on that September 11th. It all seems so unreal and yet I can’t deny it happening. It’s like something out of an action thriller and any moment Keanu or Arnold or Vin Deisel is going to appear and save the day…and yet, there aren’t heroes like that in the real world. The real heroes are the rescue workers, the medical folks in the field and hospitals, the troops, the police, the every day people who helped strangers despite their own fears and injuries. It’s not like the movies. There is no happily ever after right before the credits. London and the rest of the world will have to deal with the aftermath for a long time to come.
And the saddest part is that I think that this will never end. There will always be some group or another that wants to wage a holy war against someone or some country or some ideology or whatever. You can’t wipe this sort of thing out. The War on Terrorism isn’t like any war we’ve fought. There’s no capital to storm, no country to embargo, no real cities to drop bombs on. These fanatics have infiltrated everywhere and every one we kill or capture is a martyr and a recruitment tool.
Iraq has become the ultimate training ground for terrorists because of us. We opened the borders to them. We made ourselves targets. We killed innocent men, women, and children and left relatives and friends with vendettas. We made this mess and we should take responsibility. We have to stop lying to ourselves. The world is not a safer place because of anything we’ve done since 9-11. If anything, we’ve made it worse by fueling the fire and giving them reasons to justify their hatred of us.
This is never going to end. There’s not going to be an action hero to save the day for us before the credits roll.
Tags: London bombing, Suicide Bombers, Terrorists, terrorism
