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Lemming
Driving lesson, followed by Sainsburys, Homebase and Boots.
Lemming follows:
I like wandering around DIY shops - I get ideas for things. I've also bought myself a carbon monoxide detector and some insulating tape which are both just useful things to have in the house. Note to self - remind adults helping to load the lorry to wear thick DIY/gardening gloves + trousers. Also search for decent wellies. Consider buying weather proof matches. Mini barbeques * 4 for £8.99. Think about a camping lantern for the first aid tent - at one time we had a lantern type thing, but I've not seen it being used for a couple of years. Also consider a head torch. Whistles/personal attack alarms for the girls? - whistles possibly less disturbing to them ie. they're a more normal camp thing, but personal attack alarms would wake the whole camp *very* quickly.
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bopeepsheep
Where were you:
For Live Aid? (13 July, 1985)
God knows. I've no memory of it whatsoever. I'd have been just four at the time.
When flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie? (21 December, 1988)
Probably at school - I have vague memories of the television coverage in the evening.
When the Berlin Wall fell (9 November, 1989)
At school, though again I didn't see any television coverage until I got home and I was entranced by it. I could sense the emotion/elation of the people physically taking tools to the wall, but at the age of eight I didn't have any understanding of why there was a wall there in the first place, or the evil they were escaping from.
When Thatcher resigned (22 November, 1990)
At school - saw the beginning of the 6 O'Clock news before going off to Brownies. I felt really sorry for her. I think this is typical British sympathy for the underdog. Everyone was being so nasty to her. Back in those days I was a Liberal Democrat - I don't (and didn't at the time) think everything Thatcher did was right, some of it was plain Wrong, like the Poll Tax, but I still felt sorry for her. I didn't think much of the challengers - John Major was the best of a bad bunch as far as I was concerned though I can't remember *why* I felt that way.
When the Gulf War began (16 January, 1991)
Watching the Breakfast News on the BBC - I was surprised it had taken so long for them to start. As far as I was concerned Iraq was Evil, Bad and Wrong and it was our duty to stop it. Even back then I thought we were shirking our duty by not going after Saddam, though I didn't forsee the events of last year. I thought Iraq would just be neutralised by the UN weapons inspectors/sancations and not pose too much of a problem, and this would persist until Saddam died when hopefully the Iraqi people would rise up and overthrow his regime.
When the IRA bombed Warrington, killing two children (20 March, 1993)
ISTR that being a Saturday, but I could well be wrong. No idea where I was at the time. Saw coverage on TV afterwards.
When Thomas Hamilton shot 3 teachers and 28 pupils at Dunblane primary school? (13 March, 1996)
At school. Saw TV coverage and was horrified. My sister was five at the time - the same age as those children who were killed. Certainly supported the ban on handguns at the time.
When Princess Di was killed (31 August, 1997)
At home. It was a Sunday morning and my sister came to me when I was only half awake telling me that there weren't any children's programmes on. She said Diana had died, I said 'don't be silly - surely it's the Queen Mother?' and told her to try BBC 2. She did that and came back to me - I couldn't believe that the BBC had the news on both BBC 1 & 2 - I thought that was overkill. I was as horrified as Michael Burke (?) at the suggestion press photographers might have started to take pictures of her in the car rather than administer first aid. I'll admit conspiracy theories did cross my mind that day - prior to her death she was rarely out of the press. Earl Spencer's speech at her funeral was amazing - that appaluse through the church....the song by Sir Elton....
At midnight, 31 January, 1999?
Watching telly by myself I think, unless Helen was watching with me.
When Stephen Redgrave won his fifth Olympic gold? (23 September, 2000)
Watching it on telly with my Mum. That was special - what an amazing man.
When terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center (11 September, 2001)
At Exams Schools with Will, Eleanor & Colin discussing how we would manage the flow of students through Schools during Freshers' Fair. On our way back to the OUSU offices, someone can't remember who but he had a Scottish accent stopped us and said that a plane had crashed into the WTC.
When we got back to the office we turned the radio on and just listened. Then we hear that the first tower has collapsed and twenty minutes later the other one goes. The internet connection wasn't working/was being very slow which was pretty concerning. I had visions of us being at war (with a country) within hours. I was also pretty terrified of what Bush would do - 'please don't let him act without due thought' was my wish. I'd heard some news report where he referred to the terrorists in question as 'these folks' - for heaven's sake, what is someone with so little grasp of appropriate use of the English language doing in charge of America?
Everyone was referring to the events of that day as world changing; I was much calmer - it's one terrorist attack, yes lots of people have been killed, but no it didn't change the world, you just pick up the pieces and carry on. While I had every sympathy for those killed/those who've lost relatives, I've very little sympathy for the outrage felt by Americans about the attacks; the feeling of violation, that there's something particularly bad about the attacks because they were on American soil. Many countries have experienced terrorist threats for years - you develop your intelligence services and you take the precautions you can cf. removing litter bins from the underground and you get on with life. For so long as everyday life continues and people refuse to give in to terrorists they will *never* win, no matter how many people die in the meantime or how much property is destroyed. Treat them like the criminals they are - don't legitimise what they're doing by calling your efforts to stop them a 'war' on terrorism.
All of that said, I didn't realise the enormity of what had happened until I saw the television images that evening. I hadn't realised that the towers were the building. From the verbal description I'd imagined a huge building that was still standing with little towers at each end!
I also had my normal attack of practicality; why hadn't they built effective escape routes? Surely they could forsee when the building was built that there might be a fire on the lower floors and that it's not feasible for many people to walk down over a hundred flights of stairs fast enough ie. you normally have to evacuate a building in six minutes? Why not fit aeroplane style emergency slides round the building - ie you don't slide straight down, you slide down at a gradual slope round the building going down gradually. Or provide emergency ladders that can be thrown over the side of the building so people can climb down. How about parachutes on the roof? Abseiling equipment? And why, for the love of God did the Fire Department not park their vehicles at a safe distance? The deaths that could have been prevented by planning are the ones that really annoy me.
Lemming follows:
I like wandering around DIY shops - I get ideas for things. I've also bought myself a carbon monoxide detector and some insulating tape which are both just useful things to have in the house. Note to self - remind adults helping to load the lorry to wear thick DIY/gardening gloves + trousers. Also search for decent wellies. Consider buying weather proof matches. Mini barbeques * 4 for £8.99. Think about a camping lantern for the first aid tent - at one time we had a lantern type thing, but I've not seen it being used for a couple of years. Also consider a head torch. Whistles/personal attack alarms for the girls? - whistles possibly less disturbing to them ie. they're a more normal camp thing, but personal attack alarms would wake the whole camp *very* quickly.
Nicked from
bopeepsheepWhere were you:
For Live Aid? (13 July, 1985)
God knows. I've no memory of it whatsoever. I'd have been just four at the time.
When flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie? (21 December, 1988)
Probably at school - I have vague memories of the television coverage in the evening.
When the Berlin Wall fell (9 November, 1989)
At school, though again I didn't see any television coverage until I got home and I was entranced by it. I could sense the emotion/elation of the people physically taking tools to the wall, but at the age of eight I didn't have any understanding of why there was a wall there in the first place, or the evil they were escaping from.
When Thatcher resigned (22 November, 1990)
At school - saw the beginning of the 6 O'Clock news before going off to Brownies. I felt really sorry for her. I think this is typical British sympathy for the underdog. Everyone was being so nasty to her. Back in those days I was a Liberal Democrat - I don't (and didn't at the time) think everything Thatcher did was right, some of it was plain Wrong, like the Poll Tax, but I still felt sorry for her. I didn't think much of the challengers - John Major was the best of a bad bunch as far as I was concerned though I can't remember *why* I felt that way.
When the Gulf War began (16 January, 1991)
Watching the Breakfast News on the BBC - I was surprised it had taken so long for them to start. As far as I was concerned Iraq was Evil, Bad and Wrong and it was our duty to stop it. Even back then I thought we were shirking our duty by not going after Saddam, though I didn't forsee the events of last year. I thought Iraq would just be neutralised by the UN weapons inspectors/sancations and not pose too much of a problem, and this would persist until Saddam died when hopefully the Iraqi people would rise up and overthrow his regime.
When the IRA bombed Warrington, killing two children (20 March, 1993)
ISTR that being a Saturday, but I could well be wrong. No idea where I was at the time. Saw coverage on TV afterwards.
When Thomas Hamilton shot 3 teachers and 28 pupils at Dunblane primary school? (13 March, 1996)
At school. Saw TV coverage and was horrified. My sister was five at the time - the same age as those children who were killed. Certainly supported the ban on handguns at the time.
When Princess Di was killed (31 August, 1997)
At home. It was a Sunday morning and my sister came to me when I was only half awake telling me that there weren't any children's programmes on. She said Diana had died, I said 'don't be silly - surely it's the Queen Mother?' and told her to try BBC 2. She did that and came back to me - I couldn't believe that the BBC had the news on both BBC 1 & 2 - I thought that was overkill. I was as horrified as Michael Burke (?) at the suggestion press photographers might have started to take pictures of her in the car rather than administer first aid. I'll admit conspiracy theories did cross my mind that day - prior to her death she was rarely out of the press. Earl Spencer's speech at her funeral was amazing - that appaluse through the church....the song by Sir Elton....
At midnight, 31 January, 1999?
Watching telly by myself I think, unless Helen was watching with me.
When Stephen Redgrave won his fifth Olympic gold? (23 September, 2000)
Watching it on telly with my Mum. That was special - what an amazing man.
When terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center (11 September, 2001)
At Exams Schools with Will, Eleanor & Colin discussing how we would manage the flow of students through Schools during Freshers' Fair. On our way back to the OUSU offices, someone can't remember who but he had a Scottish accent stopped us and said that a plane had crashed into the WTC.
When we got back to the office we turned the radio on and just listened. Then we hear that the first tower has collapsed and twenty minutes later the other one goes. The internet connection wasn't working/was being very slow which was pretty concerning. I had visions of us being at war (with a country) within hours. I was also pretty terrified of what Bush would do - 'please don't let him act without due thought' was my wish. I'd heard some news report where he referred to the terrorists in question as 'these folks' - for heaven's sake, what is someone with so little grasp of appropriate use of the English language doing in charge of America?
Everyone was referring to the events of that day as world changing; I was much calmer - it's one terrorist attack, yes lots of people have been killed, but no it didn't change the world, you just pick up the pieces and carry on. While I had every sympathy for those killed/those who've lost relatives, I've very little sympathy for the outrage felt by Americans about the attacks; the feeling of violation, that there's something particularly bad about the attacks because they were on American soil. Many countries have experienced terrorist threats for years - you develop your intelligence services and you take the precautions you can cf. removing litter bins from the underground and you get on with life. For so long as everyday life continues and people refuse to give in to terrorists they will *never* win, no matter how many people die in the meantime or how much property is destroyed. Treat them like the criminals they are - don't legitimise what they're doing by calling your efforts to stop them a 'war' on terrorism.
All of that said, I didn't realise the enormity of what had happened until I saw the television images that evening. I hadn't realised that the towers were the building. From the verbal description I'd imagined a huge building that was still standing with little towers at each end!
I also had my normal attack of practicality; why hadn't they built effective escape routes? Surely they could forsee when the building was built that there might be a fire on the lower floors and that it's not feasible for many people to walk down over a hundred flights of stairs fast enough ie. you normally have to evacuate a building in six minutes? Why not fit aeroplane style emergency slides round the building - ie you don't slide straight down, you slide down at a gradual slope round the building going down gradually. Or provide emergency ladders that can be thrown over the side of the building so people can climb down. How about parachutes on the roof? Abseiling equipment? And why, for the love of God did the Fire Department not park their vehicles at a safe distance? The deaths that could have been prevented by planning are the ones that really annoy me.