h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22160691

Horrible, isn't it? My thoughts go out to everyone in Boston or those with relatives there

Indeed - I have a good friend who is very much into sport like this - I really do hope he and his are OK

Photos of really quite unadulterated brutality - be warned. Not for tittilation - this is what bombs do.
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/04/photos-of-the-boston-marathon-bombing/100495/

I'm too angry to say anything yet


lil x

they are NOT human and they are NOT animals, as the true species would never do anything like this.

I wish there was a word for them

Oh jeez, picture 8...poor guy

It was a small blast, but it occurred right in the crowd near the finish line ... so the number of casualties was high for such a blast. The Boston marathon is an international event attended by participants from around the world so it is difficult to understand why it happened. It could have been an individual nutter putting two explosives in two bins, one near the finishing line (where there was casualties) and one near a public library (no casualties reported).

I heard about it on the radio shortly after it happened. I wa splanning to take public transportation to Copley Square tomorrow and walk to Brookline to see the film "On the Road." It may not be safe to do so. My heart goes out to families of the dead, as well as the people who lost arms or legs in the blasts.

There's some evil bastar*s out there. My thoughts and sympathy with those affected.

I can't see any pictures (not that I particularly want to)

What impressed me at first was the number of people who ran towards the blast to try to help. Immediately followed by me shouting at the screen: run away, there may be a secondary device.

The first responders over there are seriously good people.

not just the first responders though, it was people who were there and they just ran in. On the one hand, wow, brilliant. On the other: arghhhh! think of your own safety too.

The reports that I've also thought " ! " to were of those marathon runners who finished the marathon, and then ran to the hospital to give blood.

>> heard about it on the radio shortly after it happened. I wa splanning to take public transportation to Copley Square tomorrow and walk to Brookline to see the film "On the Road." It may not be safe to do so. <<

It should be a lot safer now, as everyone will be suspicious of everyone else now, including unattended packages etc,

>>What impressed me at first was the number of people who ran towards the blast to try to help.<<

It's instinct, especially if you think loved ones might be in there.

Early reports of a device near to a library were wrong --> it was an unrelated fire.

There were two devices going off where the crowds were, within seconds of each other, and separated by about 50 to 100 m. The devices are said to be small and crude, but this is all being currently investigated.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22162884

Crude but effective . Two more devices were found but dealt with

With a lot of the writing I do, there is the need to sit down and think "How could I do this that would be believable?" and it is quite depressing how easy it is to hurt a lot of people without much specialist training or knowledge, but just with a bit of thought.

I can't help but wonder if too much of the thought of protecting people is aimed at the wrong end, at the higher, more complicated, more expensive side of things. Having a huge missile defense system, or incredibly tight border controls will only stop certain things. There's so much more that they won't stop. They do however give people a bit of a sense of security, and that makes them feel better about it all. But it is depressingly easy to be depressingly effective.

Thing is you take overly cautious steps in the name of defense it becomes untenably intrusive to ordinary individuals and oppressive

Absolutely Peanut, you just can't protect against everything. The only hope is to stop people thinking that doing stuff like this is in any way right.