Oddly enough, I didn't make a journal on the 7/7 incident when it actually happened. I wasn't in London on the day, but I did have to go through the city to get back to my then-home in the West Midlands the day after it happened.

For those not in the know, 7/7 is the term given to the events of the 7th of July 2005 when suicide bombers, irked by the Iraq war, struck London's public transport system during the early rush hour in the morning-taking out three trains on the London Underground, and one double-decker bus. The news initially reported the cause as a power surge, but it was ruled out by the National Grid. 52 people were killed and many more wounded. No public inquiry was reported into the attack, with then-Prime Minister Tony Blair saying an independent inquiry would undermine security service report. Rather curious behaviour eh? And perhaps familiar to that other big disaster. It's been the 2nd deadliest terrorist attack to occur in Britain (1st being the Lockerbie/Pan Am Flight 103 incident), and the deadliest attack since the V2 rocket assault of London back in early 1945.
It led to a follow-up assault on the 21st, a few weeks later, which luckily failed, which led to a jumpy police force killing Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian national mistaken for one of the bombing suspects. The controversy surrounding this event put a stain on the name of Ian Blair, the Met Police Commissioner, who resigned last October.

Needless to say, it was pretty rough. But things continued the way things did, or at least that's how it seemed. The injured were treated, the dead were buried, people drank cups of tea (it's always bloody tea), and fixing up all the damage...though with the general condition of British public transport, we don't need terrorist events to disrupt service It was pretty much light-heartedness amongst the tragedy, with some joking blaming the French (London won the Olympic bid over Paris and other cities the previous day), or generally saying the city's had worse attacks- like the Blitz or the Great Fire. Other people and places remained apathetic towards the event, saying "it's only London"- it may be the capital, but that doesn't make it the most beloved place in Britain. It's often the opposite in some cases due to ego- either of others or of Londoners themselves- or from the city's saturation of anything British and urban. Nationally, as well as internationally, a map of Britain according to uppity southerners might as well mark London by name, and other places under the phrase 'here be dragons!'.

But me? I was just perplexed. I was in Westgate, Kent at the time, visiting my Mom (she moved there in March, while I stayed in the old house in the West Mids until the start of my uni course in September), watching the news unfold on the morning news. I hoped no one was hurt badly, but considering the full story, there were going to be casualties no matter what. It put a dampener on the whole euphoria of winning the Olympics (I didn't care much for sports, but seeing a British city gain something over the rest of the world does something for the inner patriot), and on the mood of the day. I had called to talk to her about it, but the event caused a disruption to the infrastructure of mobile telecommunications...aka it made our conversation sound more like walkie-talkie chat than anything else, so I had to cut it short. What made this particularly daunting was that I had booked to go back home on the following day, the 8th of July, and the coach journey had to go through London. I didn't particularly fear another terrorist attack, but that possibility was in the corner of my mind. My other fears were much more likely- extreme congestion, and the chance I wouldn't catch my bus due to a police investigation of all forms of public transport. The congestion was extreme, but not as bad as any other London day (in fact, I think the detours made the journey quicker than its regular route), and I caught my connecting bus just as the police were clearing out the whole station. With the nearest exit being the bus driveway, this annoyed the driver a bit, with him saying "Get out of the way! Or I'll blow you up!" out of jest. When I got back, I got an email from asking if I was okay, as she was unsure if I was in the vicinity of the event- a sentiment I rather appreciated

That said, it was a rather tragic set of events, but perhaps not quite a scar to the city or the nation that 9/11 or the Madrid Bombings were to the US or Spain. Though it makes me wonder if other places have reacted in similar ways to attack- that mixture of light-hearted jest while rebuilding the damage- or if it's just a case of the British 'stiff upper lip' and emotional restraint. Maybe it depends on the scale of the disaster- the amount of damage done or a death toll. But be it 52 people or a thousand, the value of life is worth a lot, and any loss of life to such degrees is terrible. Hopefully at least the UK won't see such an event again, or worse ones, but we won't know what the future will bring until it's been brought.

HUMBLE PLEA
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Rachel, the girl in question, is one of my girlfriend's close friends. Things are looking dire for her, but there's still a chance left for her, but it requires your help. All you need to do is leave a donation, no matter how small or how large, in a bid to get her across to Duke University and get her a life-saving lung transplant. You don't have to give much, but if you give what you can spare, then that could make the difference between life and death.

Please, check out the link and read it fully, then decide whether to give or not.

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