Off Topic: We're Okay in NY

Glad to hear that some of the local (To me) members of our groups are okay
today although there are still a few more people I'd like to hear from
(Jenny Lobb, you okay?). We live about 50 miles east of New York
City. Today at work our school went into a state of emergency
lockdown. Everyone stayed in their rooms for the duration of the school day.

My children were fine as well, except for their afternoon babysitter whose
husband was working in the WTC area. He's okay but he couldn't get back to
Long Island. We got a message from her that he was two blocks away when
the second plane hit. He saw it go into the building. Almost all the
westbound highways out here are closed as far east as Holbrook New York
which is about 40 miles east of NYC.

A very bad day.
At 8:00am as I was leaving my house I thought what a beautiful nice day it
was. The heat wave had broke and we were enjoying the type of air you get
after a thunderstorm. 45 minutes later it started.

We had been in Manhattan in August for all my sons recent eye work, the
surgery and check ups. We're lucky to have gotten this work done before
this happened, I can't imagine getting the four of us out east in the
aftermath of something like this.

Thanks to the many fans who have already sent their thoughts and wishes to
the American fans. It was a terrible and cowardly act. Many of us want to
act, to do something to help.

If you are in America and want to help I suggest donating blood. We're
getting a lot of donors in NY but who knows how much will be needed.

And lastly sorry for being off topic....but thanks for being there.

Phil

Glad to hear you're OK Phil. I'm off to bed, what a day.
I don't think I'll be able to sleep well though .. even at
this distance in London I feel really disturbed by what's
happened .. I keep thinking what it must have been like for
the passengers on those aeroplanes, though they were probably
a tiny percentage of the overall dead.

I keep thinking of the number of times that I've been in NY
and glanced up and seen those familiar towers, of the time,
years ago when I spent a happy hour or two taking photos from
the top of the WTC public gallery. But most of all the awful
sense that a tiny number of people have the power to humiliate
the most powerful country on Earth and change our lives forever,
not only for those who will have suffered friends or relatives
killed, but for everyone else too - in terms of international
politics and tension, a diminished sense of security at home.
I honestly don't think that the world will ever feel like
the same place again. I've spent most of today in front of
BBC News 24 with a growing sense of disbelief, then numbness.
I feel like those pictures I've seen today will haunt me forever.
Even at this distance, in a different country, I feel violated.

I don't normally like to quote Tony Blair as I'm not a big fan
to say the least, but he said in the hour following the attacks
in NY that 'their brutality will stand forever as their shame'
and I think he put it very well.


Sorry for the OT post.

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