London Bombings: The Blogsphere

Well I was going to resume normal service tonight and give you more acres of mind-blowingly dull trivia about my mundane life, but I did some browsing this evening and found a few real gems that I want to share.

The first one is this one which I picked up from the ever readable RandomReality blog. The writer says it all really and it is quite fun to read. I’m afraid it’s another sign of the cultural gap widening; many Americans like to gush emotionally which is just so un-British. Seriously, though, I can see where it’s coming from. There was wall-to-wall coverage of the bombings (which I moaned about at the time!) so naturally lots of people get emotionally invested in the situation and need to release it somehow.

Then there is this site, which I suppose has the same aims as the first but seems more appropriate somehow. I guess it just fits with my ‘understated’ British sensibilities.

The last post is this one. I remember thinking on the day that the headline was a bit naff. The sentiment expressed by Julie in Tallahassee, about the rest of the world now joining America as a victim of terrorism, does seem to recur again and again in US comments on the bombings. The comments by Tom here on Twenty Something’s blog really got my goat this morning. I actually posted a comment of my own on his blog to complain about his insularity. Fortunately, Brett restored my faith in Americans by being equally as gobsmacked as I was when he heard Tom’s view. You know I really think that the Grand Tour should be made a compulsory part of every teenagers life. I hate to be the hippy preaching love and understanding, but it strikes me that gaining experience of the wider world would probably be a lot more useful in than the current War On Terror™

Update: Monday 11^th July 11:05

Just found this site too – full of pithy/funny quotes. Some of my favourites:

“Coping with emergencies the British way: The nearest branch of Pret has sold out of chocolate cake.”

“NEWSFLASH: There has been a widespread outbreak of grumbling and tutting today in London, along with a large number of people going home instead of to work, with a certain amount of guilty pleasure.
Sorry, bad guys. We've been bombed before, and we just adjust our day to account for it. This is London calling.”

“God I love the British... Nobody does pissed off disdain like 'em... This *rules*”

“They did their worst, and they managed to disrupt our transport network and get fatalities in the low double figures. That happens on a fairly regular basis anyway, you twits. What's your next trick - a fiendish weather control device which makes it rain on a bank holiday weekend?”

“From the BBC website: statement from Al Qaeda: "Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern, and western quarters". Erm really... where? I think you will find that's a reaction to the winning the Olympics bid or perhaps just the effect Bush has on us when he visits?!”

“The BBC paused news coverage to show *Eastenders*. That'd be the nationwide fear, terror and panic, then.”