Who's staying in London over 2012?

Totally agree with you, Walter. The moment we start planning our lives around a terorist threat, the terrorists have won. Now they're running our lives; we're no longer in charge.

Danger zones are of little consequence. It is the uses to which "incidents" can be put that is most important. You don't seriously think the terrorists want to kill and maim people here for the sake of it.

They want to cause the effects such things have as ehBeth suggests.

i wouldn't worry about terrorism, the general public should be well armed and protected, apparently there are bin bags with loaded sawed off shotguns in them just laying in the streets in england

That reminds me of a Mae West quote TK. You ought to be on the next plane if your reputation as a great lover is to remain intact.

I saw a talk given by somebody at the Hay Festival in which he listed the Acts of Parliament curtailing our liberties during recent years. It was horrendous.

Anyway-- there's a lot of mileage in 2009 yet without bothering about 2012.

I've got a big problem with the subject of paralympics, which we in this country seem to be going overboard for, in our "modern" PC way.

A beauty contest is about beauty.
An athletics contest is about athleticism.
I think a paralympics competition, especially a big international one, is a perversion of the ideal.

Well, the mentally and physically disabled people I worked with were and are really enthusiastic about the para games.

Like the Olympic games, it's not just a competition about beauty and athleticism ...

Cripes Mac--let them have their fun. It's the human spirit to overcome things. You can't deny disabled people the right to do that. They are human.

Yeah... It's about a lot of other things than just physical strength/perfection- spirit, competition, determination and whatnot.
My only gripe with the paralympics is that I'm not sure how the do the grouping to quantify 'how' disabled the competitors actually are.

Although no-one is answering my question. Do you reckon that 2012 is going to result in there being a lot more competitors in the 2016 paralympics?

Events like this are always bound to raise security concerns. The utility of terrorism is to leverage violence or the fear of violence to manipulate others. It is the time between attacks where terrorists do the worst attack on the mind.

We're left to guess when the ball will drop.

I understand your concern, and it's mine too, but what are we to do?

T
K
O

No.

But I'm glad I'm not in charge of security.

I went to quite a few of the Paralympic performances when they were in Sydney.

Really terrific! REmarkable activities - and some reaslly fit bods! Even things like wheelchair table tennis were fascinating. I now regularly go to Australian wheelchair tennis championships, yearly at Olympic Tennis Centre.

More fun than the able Olympics, too! (and cheaper!)

I am not anti-Muslim but the cops or MI5 or 6 should keep an eye on Muslim suspects such as their travels, purchases and meetings. Muslim charities and mosques should be under surveillance. Internationals from countries with substantial Muslims should be on their list as well as those with one-way tickets. Roof tops should be manned and so on. There should be concrete slabs to block off traffic in case of bomb threats from trucks or car bombs. Security should be head quartered near the games. Jewish athletes should be guarded so as not to repeat Munich.

Well doubtless they are going to. They're probably doing a hell of a lot more than we even imagine.
I don't know. See, in a certain sense I agree, but putting all that like that makes it sound so invasive and prejudiced.

Think of the contracts Queenie. And the overtime. Think money like Andy said to do. The only art form remaining now that the soul of the culture has exhausted itself.

It is a short term event and the world has been invited. It is the duty of the host to provide protection for all the guests. But I guess you haven't seen too many detective or spy movies. These activities need not be invasive or diruptive. Purchases can be checked with producers or sellers such as shops or supermarkets and hardware stores. All that is needed is that if anyone who buys high energy exothermic products should alert the police. These products could be made into explosives. As you know Al Qaeda is a Muslim group and has targeted the US and UK so you need to include Muslims in the surveillance. Their lives need not be disrupted just put on a watch list.