We have a debate on the recent transportation attacks in London here, London's Underground under Fire. However, I know some of us aren't ready or wanting to debate this, but are looking for a way to reach out to our UK friends.

To all of you in London, and the many ADers with family and friends across the pond, you are in our thoughts. We wish you only the best. Take care.

I second the sentiment!

I hope all of our AD british friends, Julian and Ptarmigan and everyone else are fine as well as their families.

You are in my thoughts and our family prayers, friends across the pond. I hope that everyone is okay.

Terrifying - I got off Aldgate about 10 minutes before the bomb went off.

Lucky me


I can't think of anything remotely intelligent to say on the matter. Ambulances are racing past my office as I write.

Oh my. So glad you're ok. (Hugs)

Keep us posted, if you can.

OH MY GOD, Ptarmigan, that is awful. Thank God, you are alright. Please keep us posted.

I'm shaken - but otherwise unharmed.

Its all a bit crazy (although clearly this is a great one for the whole 'You know when your an AD addict when'....you narrowly escape a bomb blast and yet STILL go online to talk about it...)

It means a lot everyone...thank you...

I'm glad this topic got started. I work at a British owned company so we have more than a few folks trying to check in with family. My thoughts are with them and the members of this community who call the UK home.


This made me smile, Ptarmigan, thanks. And its so true. Another sign, when this happened did I go to CNN.com first? Nope, .

I also would like to send my prayers, as well as those of all Americans to those in the UK whom have been affected by this tragedy.

God Bless everyone whose lives have been touched by the hand of this awful day, and I hope that if there is anything we can do as Americans to aid in this day of need that we will do so gallantly.

Just saw the news. Good thoughts & prayers your way, hope all goes as well as can be.

On a day like that I feel myself a Londoner (even though I've never been to that great city).
My thoughts are with you, residents of London.

Well, we're certainly glad you're alright. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this morning's events. Thanks for checking in with us and letting us know you are alright.

Thinking of all of you...

*edited because I mistakenly thought this began in the afternoon in London...didn't realize it happened at or around 9 a.m. in London.

I add my thoughts and prayers to those of others here for the people of London. I'm thankful you made it out of that station ok, Ptarmigan.

Heh. Guess where I first heard the news? I'm comforted that we are all part of this community during times like these.

--Well I managed to get throught to my parents in Edinburgh

The conversation went along the lines of:

'Hi Dad'

'Hello son - .......- errrr why are you phoning in the middle of the day?'

'Well, I was phoning to let you know I was still alive?'

'Err - why wouldnae you be?'

(I sigh)

'Have you turned on the tv today Dad?'

'No'

'Has mum?'

'No - she oot gardenin''

'Dad, would you go and turn on the tv just now'

(hiatus whilst Ptarmigan's parents turn on the tv)

(sound of shocked parents)

(sound of entire family, brother, sister, grandparents et al being dragged through to watch the tv)

(I sigh again)

'DEAR GOD SON, ARE YOU ALRIGHT ????'

'Yes dad'

I could do with being back in Scotland right now....

I just heard about this, and wanted to add my thoughts and concerns for our English friends.

Ptarmigan, thank goodness you're ok; wow, that was way too close for comfort.

....and the conversation with your dad made me smile.

Congratulations on your luck.

Could you please do me a favor and pick 5 numbers at random between 1 and 53 before Saturday?

Thanks in advance....

My condolences to your country and your fellow citizens.

4,8,15,16,23 & 42

Well, thats 6, but the tv show Lost assures me they are lucky

The British are made of stern stuff there Ptarmigan ( I always liked your handle BTW- it is the Alaskan state bird LOL- the unofficial one being the mosquito LOL)- I am have always been proud to see the behavior of the British in the face of adversity- and you should be too.

I am not a praying man, but in this occasion, I will make an exception for the British and this ignomious attack.

I am happy to see you are okay- and pray for the families of the dead and injured. It is a sad day for Britain.

My condolences to the victims and their families. There will be no Spanish type surrender here.

I'm still waiting to hear from some of my friends who live or work in London - I sent text messages (you call them SMS over there I think?) to check, as soon as I heard, and although the next news update this morning said that the netwroks had effectively been reserved for emergency service use, at least one has replied that they're fine and not to worry.

Ptarmigan - I had no idea you weren't still in Scotland! Glad you're okay. It doesn't surprise me that you're coming across as not only stocial but still making jokes, because I think that's what the British do when we're put through the mill like that - we laugh. Good for you, mate!

Hugo. Well, you're right, there will be no surrender. It's not something that the British really have any experience of doing. And, in the scheme of things, even as the death toll rises well aove the 43 now confirmed, this is peanuts. The IRA and their offshoots used to regularly hit that many people, and apart from a few days' of extra visible police presence, nobody changed their behaviour. If this is the worst that whatever group of fanatics is responsible can do, then they aren't even worth our fear. Derision, maybe (which I think will make tham madder than any number of threats of revenge, so let's all laugh at the pathetic {expletives deleted}

But you're wrong in saying that's what the Spanish did - I assume that you're referring to the election result following the Madrid bombings. The Spanish punished a government whose first response to terrorism was to blame their domestic political enemies rather than to tell the truth. Like (I hope) we all would.

The thoughts and prayers of my family and I go out to all who were affected in the terrible events today.

Julian, I am so happy to hear that you are ok! I didn't think you lived in London, but you never know. Plus, I am sure you have many friends and/or aquaintances there.

My thoughts and prayers are with both you and Ptarmigan.




This is typically and exactly the kind of attitude I would expect from the British. I think everyone around the world admires the Brits for their fierce strength, strong will and courage. Kudos to all of you!





Thanks Julian. I did not realize that there was a different explanation for the Spanish response at the polls. I, like many others I am sure, immediately assumed that the response was based purely on the attacks. I am glad to hear that there is another explanation.

Today....we are all British.

My thoughts and prayers to all affected by this tragedy.

To all of the United Kingdom, my prayers and best wishes. The free world morns your losses and stands firmly committed to giving any and all assistance.

I hope that none in this world ever have to see this type of horror ever again.

May G_d bless each and everyone here and aboard.

My thoughts and prayers go out to those affected.

I am glad you are ok, Ptarmigan, given your proximity to the events. These types of things are harrowing to say the least (my building was evacuated on 9/11 due to a "suspicious" plane being landed at Hopkins International in Cleveland, luckily it was a hoax/unsubstantiated threat).

God Bless.

It is unfortunate that it takes a tragedy to remind us that we're not targeted because we're liberals or conservatives or white or black or Jewish or Christian or because we live in New York, Madrid or London.

We're targeted because we are "US" and not "THEM" and that's all that matters to these murderous scum.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the courageous citizens of London. Their pain is our pain and we will get beyond these difficult days to emerge resolute in our unifying desire to make a better world and push into the ash heap of history the barbarians who unable to rise up and create seek instead to drag down and destroy.

Nice post.

Perhaps you could support "HIM" who is leading our fight against "THEM" for a change? In other words, our PRESIDENT???

I would welcome you to our side in a heartbeat.

It's time to leave petty politics, the type practiced by Dean, Pelosi, and Reid in the scrap heap of history and join the fight.

Are you in or out??

Guys, the point of this topic was to focus on the people, and not the politics involved. There are at least 2 other debates for folks to focus on that. There is a reason this is in casual conversation, can we keep it that way, please?

I agree with Doc, nighttimer and lordhelmet. I am appealing to you as a fellow member, not the admin. Can we keep the petty bickering out of this? We at AD should be above that.

It was good to hear from you Julian.

Ptarmigan - thanks for sharing your story about your family. It's good to laugh a bit.

Hey, I got winning lotto numbers out of this deal.

I'm happy.....

Thoughts and prayers to our steadfast ally.

Glad our British AD’ers are safe.



I’ve always been amazed at the resolve of the Brits, including the use of humor in dark times. Was reading one of the English boards that I frequent where they were debating the merits of humor in times like this. It was going back and forth until someone posted this:



Cheers to that bulldog resolve! It will server you well in the days ahead.

Reading through this thread, particluarly the comments made here by our friends in the UK brings back some old memories of stories my father told me about the Brits. He was in London in 1944 a few weeks before he took a little boat ride across the channel to a place called Omaha Beach. While he was in London a couple befriended his unit and used to invote them for Sunday dinner. London had been hammered by the Nazi V-1 and V-2 bombs, devastation everywhere, but dad said the Londoners never lost their spirit. If anything with each attack their resolve was strengthened. During one Sunday dinner, this couple (who remained friends with my dad for the rest of his life) told him that things would be ok in London just so long as one of those bombs didn't hit the local pub.

I am reminded of those stories today reading the words of London's Mayor. London has their own version of Rudy I think. In part he said the following:



Like my dad over 60 years ago, I'm sure glad these folks are on our side! And Julian, I am thankful you are safe and I hope all your friends are as well.

I doubt that any of my family have been hurt today since they aren't really the type of people who take public transport. I haven't actually heard anything so I assume they are all okay.
Some of my friends were inconvenienced by the attacks but I'm happy for that sínce the alternative is too appalling to even be imagined.

Ptarmigan.
I did not realise you were in London either so I am most happy to hear that you not been hurt.

I am sorry for the families of the dead and wounded and I hope the people of London will face this threat with their traditional strength and resolve. I wish I could take heart from the political leadership of my Mothers country, but I fear I am unable to. Instead I must trust to the native courage of Britain.

To all those who live or have loved ones in Britain, especially London, our thoughts are with you.

To all Britons; you've always been a resiliant people and never one to shy from a fight, especially when you're backs are against the wall. Those pitiful excuses for what passes as people will surely have their day of reckoning. America stands beside you.

Courage les gars! On pense à vous

I wrote my post in a uneasy combination of both sorrow and fury and used one word ("scum") that might have been blunter than necessary, but one that seemed appropriate when one considers how cruel and ruthless a man must be to blow up innocents on their way to work.

As a former editor, I probably could have chosen a less polarizing word. It seemed like a apt one at the time and I believe were I in a London hospital tonight with a missing arm or a leg, smelling my burnt and charred flesh, blinded or deaf for life and facing years of physical and mental rehabilitation, "scum" would be the perfect word to describe the terrorists.

I did not invite lordhelmet's comment. I take no responsibility for anyone's words but my own.

This thread is in Casual Conversation but there's nothing casual about the slaughter of innocents.

Others can express their sentiments and sorrow in their own way. Sorry if the way I chose to express mine offends some.

Personally, I thought scum was a little to mild a description. Of course the terms I have in mind would not get through the profanity filter.

I am so thankful that you, Ptarmigan, and Julian were not harmed in the violence.

Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time. We fervently hope that those people involved in the planning as well as the execution of this crime will be captured, and that survivors will be able to get their lives back together after such a cruel disruption.

I am so sorry that this happened to our friends across the ocean.

May god bless everyone in britian. Within the past 3 days they have been through alot. They win the Olympic games in 2012 and now they are faced with a tragedy that can only live in the minds of all people. God bless Britan and America. We stand united.