So. What were you doing on September 11, 2001?

[Sir C]

I don't mean that in a threatening way; I'm not accusing anyone here of being involved. Although if you were, you might want to hand yourself in.

It seems like a lifetime ago, especially when one remembers how TV was the place most people learnt about it or watched it happen.

My first thought when the scale became apparent, never having heard of Al-Qaeda and so on, was Palestinians, and I remember thinking, '**** me, they'll definitely nuke someone, but can they nuke the Palestinians without fúcking Israel?'

In October I was in Thailand, and Bangkok was awash with DVDs showing the whole story over and over again and t-shirts showing pictures of the towers being hit. The Thais loved that ****, not because they had anything against the Yanqui, but simply because it was an amazing event. Oddballs.

[SWv2]

I don't mean that in a threatening way; I'm not accusing anyone here of being involved. Although if you were, you might want to hand yourself in.

It seems like a lifetime ago, especially when one remembers how TV was the place most people learnt about it or watched it happen.

My first thought when the scale became apparent, never having heard of Al-Qaeda and so on, was Palestinians, and I remember thinking, '**** me, they'll definitely nuke someone, but can they nuke the Palestinians without fúcking Israel?'

In October I was in Thailand, and Bangkok was awash with DVDs showing the whole story over and over again and t-shirts showing pictures of the towers being hit. The Thais loved that ****, not because they had anything against the Yanqui, but simply because it was an amazing event. Oddballs.

Playing 5 a side football in my lunch hour down off Edgware Road. As I walked back to the office and saw what was occuring I thought it was a little odd.

That night I drank pints in the Highbury Barn watching us play some forgettable CL game.

[Sir C]

Playing 5 a side football in my lunch hour down off Edgware Road. As I walked back to the office and saw what was occuring I thought it was a little odd.

That night I drank pints in the Highbury Barn watching us play some forgettable CL game.

Oh yes, I'd forgotten that we had a game. We lost in Majorca.

[Luis Anaconda]

Playing 5 a side football in my lunch hour down off Edgware Road. As I walked back to the office and saw what was occuring I thought it was a little odd.

That night I drank pints in the Highbury Barn watching us play some forgettable CL game.

the 1-0 loss to Real Mallorca (Eto'o penalty after Cole was sent off). Watched it a pub on Liverpool Road, the something Fox I think. Now the Duchess of Kent.

As for 9/11 I was at work, getting annoyed with people watching the television as we were on deadline. News getting in the way of producing a newspaper ffs

[Burney]

I don't mean that in a threatening way; I'm not accusing anyone here of being involved. Although if you were, you might want to hand yourself in.

It seems like a lifetime ago, especially when one remembers how TV was the place most people learnt about it or watched it happen.

My first thought when the scale became apparent, never having heard of Al-Qaeda and so on, was Palestinians, and I remember thinking, '**** me, they'll definitely nuke someone, but can they nuke the Palestinians without fúcking Israel?'

In October I was in Thailand, and Bangkok was awash with DVDs showing the whole story over and over again and t-shirts showing pictures of the towers being hit. The Thais loved that ****, not because they had anything against the Yanqui, but simply because it was an amazing event. Oddballs.

I had a week between jobs and was hitting balls at a golf range. Went into the club shop for another token and saw the second plane hit.
Bloke in the shop said to me at one point: "They've been happy to pay the IRA to bomb us for years - about time they got a bit of it back." While his point was a good one, I couldn't help but feel it was perhaps somewhat ill-timed and missing the larger point.
I'm with the Thais on this one. I thought it made for brilliant news. Most news is so boring, isn't it? This was at least something to get one's teeth into.

[Mo Britain less Europe]

I was at the Lagonissi beach resort in Greece. Went from the beach to the bungalow to pick up something and saw the second plane.

Flew Athens to Venice two days after that, stayed a night at the Gritti Palace and got on the Orient Express back to UK. Must admit I didn't fancy the idea of flying from Athens (security was risible) or using the Channel Tunnel, fantastic target.

[Billy Goat Sverige]

I don't mean that in a threatening way; I'm not accusing anyone here of being involved. Although if you were, you might want to hand yourself in.

It seems like a lifetime ago, especially when one remembers how TV was the place most people learnt about it or watched it happen.

My first thought when the scale became apparent, never having heard of Al-Qaeda and so on, was Palestinians, and I remember thinking, '**** me, they'll definitely nuke someone, but can they nuke the Palestinians without fúcking Israel?'

In October I was in Thailand, and Bangkok was awash with DVDs showing the whole story over and over again and t-shirts showing pictures of the towers being hit. The Thais loved that ****, not because they had anything against the Yanqui, but simply because it was an amazing event. Oddballs.

On my way home from school. I think i got home before the second plane hit and saw it on TV.

[Sir C]

I was at the Lagonissi beach resort in Greece. Went from the beach to the bungalow to pick up something and saw the second plane.

Flew Athens to Venice two days after that, stayed a night at the Gritti Palace and got on the Orient Express back to UK. Must admit I didn't fancy the idea of flying from Athens (security was risible) or using the Channel Tunnel, fantastic target.

I went flying the following evening as they anounced that all private aircraft were to be grounded from the next day; it was ****ing weird flying over the east end watching a pair of Tornadoes circling high over central London. Quite chilling, really.

[Sir C]

On my way home from school. I think i got home before the second plane hit and saw it on TV.

At such a young age, did it strike you then that the world had changed, irrevocably?

[Billy Goat Sverige]

At such a young age, did it strike you then that the world had changed, irrevocably?

I was a teenager then, C. 13 years old, almost 14, and thinking about boobies and girls most of the time. I didn't really think about it too deeply.

[Pokster]

I don't mean that in a threatening way; I'm not accusing anyone here of being involved. Although if you were, you might want to hand yourself in.

It seems like a lifetime ago, especially when one remembers how TV was the place most people learnt about it or watched it happen.

My first thought when the scale became apparent, never having heard of Al-Qaeda and so on, was Palestinians, and I remember thinking, '**** me, they'll definitely nuke someone, but can they nuke the Palestinians without fúcking Israel?'

In October I was in Thailand, and Bangkok was awash with DVDs showing the whole story over and over again and t-shirts showing pictures of the towers being hit. The Thais loved that ****, not because they had anything against the Yanqui, but simply because it was an amazing event. Oddballs.


Sitting in the city of London next to a very tall tower thinking I didn't want tp be sitting in an office next to a very tall Tower......

[Burney]

At such a young age, did it strike you then that the world had changed, irrevocably?

I was thinking about this the other day and thinking that in fact the world has probably changed rather less than one might have imagined. After all, if someone had told you then that in 2016 large parts of western establishment would be bending over backwards to accommodate and appease extremist muslims within our societies, you'd probably have been incredulous - and yet that's exactly what's happening.

[PSRB]

I don't mean that in a threatening way; I'm not accusing anyone here of being involved. Although if you were, you might want to hand yourself in.

It seems like a lifetime ago, especially when one remembers how TV was the place most people learnt about it or watched it happen.

My first thought when the scale became apparent, never having heard of Al-Qaeda and so on, was Palestinians, and I remember thinking, '**** me, they'll definitely nuke someone, but can they nuke the Palestinians without fúcking Israel?'

In October I was in Thailand, and Bangkok was awash with DVDs showing the whole story over and over again and t-shirts showing pictures of the towers being hit. The Thais loved that ****, not because they had anything against the Yanqui, but simply because it was an amazing event. Oddballs.

Working at The Sun, came back from lunch early and saw on some website that a plane had crashed in NY, went into see the Commercial Director and told him, we then wheeled out a telly and then as everyone came back from lunch we all gathered round watching (in between cancelling vitrually every advertiser from the next day's paper) until about 4pm when we were told to go home

Very surreal day, as was 7/7, especially after the elation of winning the Olympic bid the day before

[Sir C]

I was thinking about this the other day and thinking that in fact the world has probably changed rather less than one might have imagined. After all, if someone had told you then that in 2016 large parts of western establishment would be bending over backwards to accommodate and appease extremist muslims within our societies, you'd probably have been incredulous - and yet that's exactly what's happening.

But that's simply a part of the change; not, perhaps, the one we might have expected, but indicative of change all the same.

Wasn't it the day we realised ***uyama was wrong?

[Sir C]

Sitting in the city of London next to a very tall tower thinking I didn't want tp be sitting in an office next to a very tall Tower......

Yes, I had a friend in One Cabot Square who emailed at some point, 'Now we're being evacuated' and made me think something was going down here.

[Burney]

But that's simply a part of the change; not, perhaps, the one we might have expected, but indicative of change all the same.

Wasn't it the day we realised Fúkuyama was wrong?

I think anyone with the slightest grasp of the fact that world history didn't start in Boston in 1776 realised that Fúkuyama was wrong, didn't they? It is precisely that sort of 'big events define eras' thinking that led to his absurd pronouncements. History moves in often unseen increments, not in leaps.

Fúkuyama knows how that **** is still in a job, btw.

[SWv2]

Working at The Sun, came back from lunch early and saw on some website that a plane had crashed in NY, went into see the Commercial Director and told him, we then wheeled out a telly and then as everyone came back from lunch we all gathered round watching (in between cancelling vitrually every advertiser from the next day's paper) until about 4pm when we were told to go home

Very surreal day, as was 7/7, especially after the elation of winning the Olympic bid the day before

I always thought 7/7 was a spectacularly silly name for the event.

[Burney]

Yes, I had a friend in One Cabot Square who emailed at some point, 'Now we're being evacuated' and made me think something was going down here.

I trust you replied that he should in fact have written that in fact the building was being evacuated, not him and his colleagues?

There is no excuse for the imprecise use of language.

[Ash]

I was thinking about this the other day and thinking that in fact the world has probably changed rather less than one might have imagined. After all, if someone had told you then that in 2016 large parts of western establishment would be bending over backwards to accommodate and appease extremist muslims within our societies, you'd probably have been incredulous - and yet that's exactly what's happening.

And if someone had told you that in 2016 it would be widely understood that the Government of Saudi Arabia was behind the attacks but were still 'essential partners' for the west then you'd have to think that there was something terribly wrong somewhere.

[Burney]

I always thought 7/7 was a spectacularly silly name for the event.


I always thought that, if they'd pulled 9/11 two months earlier, it would have given the lads at 7-11 a real branding headache.

[Sir C]

I trust you replied that he should in fact have written that in fact the building was being evacuated, not him and his colleagues?

There is no excuse for the imprecise use of language.

He was foreign. One likes to cut the foreigner a little slack.

[Burney]

And if someone had told you that in 2016 it would be widely understood that the Government of Saudi Arabia was behind the attacks but were still 'essential partners' for the west then you'd have to think that there was something terribly wrong somewhere.

I would argue that that is simply evidence of how 9/11 was simply a big ripple on the surface rather than a genuinely transformative event. Business carried on pretty much as usual. :shrug:

[Pokster]

I always thought that, if they'd pulled 9/11 two days earlier, it would have given the lads at 7-11 a real branding headache.

I don't think 9/9 would have mattered to them much, of course if it had happened 2 months earlier....

[Burney]

He was foreign. One likes to cut the foreigner a little slack.

It's precisely that sort of namby-pamby thinking that got us into this problem in the first place.

[Sir C]

And if someone had told you that in 2016 it would be widely understood that the Government of Saudi Arabia was behind the attacks but were still 'essential partners' for the west then you'd have to think that there was something terribly wrong somewhere.

Hmm, I'm slightly skeptical about the 'widely understood' element of this theory.

Perhaps I'm just scared to believe it. :-(

[Burney]

Hmm, I'm slightly skeptical about the 'widely understood' element of this theory.

Perhaps I'm just scared to believe it. :-(

Look, I'm no lefty, but even I can't argue with the fact that Saudi Arabia is pretty much Mordor as far as this business is concerned. We keep working with them because we need their oil and their money and - in deeply cynical terms - have been prepared to accept their profoundly malign influence on the world as an unfortunate but manageable side effect. Of course, the minute we no longer need their oil, the rest of the world will fúck them hard up the arse, but until that time... :shrug:

[SWv2]

Hmm, I'm slightly skeptical about the 'widely understood' element of this theory.

Perhaps I'm just scared to believe it. :-(

A chap in New York once explained to me how it was all a massive inside job. Remarkably believable he was also.

[Burney]

A chap in New York once explained to me how it was all a massive inside job. Remarkably believable he was also.

Thing about those theories is that they always ascribe levels of organisation, logistical capability, competence and secrecy to our governmental and security services that they repeatedly prove that they don't possess. The US Government can't stop people publishing their highly sensitive data on the internet, ffs! What chance do you think they have of covering up a fake moon landing or a false flag 9/11?

[Luis Anaconda]

Look, I'm no lefty, but even I can't argue with the fact that Saudi Arabia is pretty much Mordor as far as this business is concerned. We keep working with them because we need their oil and their money and - in deeply cynical terms - have been prepared to accept their profoundly malign influence on the world as an unfortunate but manageable side effect. Of course, the minute we no longer need their oil, the rest of the world will fúck them hard up the arse, but until that time... :shrug:
Does this mean the biggest threat to Saudi Arabia could well be Mathieu Flamini?

[Burney]

Does this mean the biggest threat to Saudi Arabia could well be Mathieu Flamini?

Sadly, I fear not. Not unless his business plan involves producing synthetic oil at less than the price of tapwater. The yanqui shale boom is more of an issue, but it looks like they're going to ride even that out.

That's the thing with oil: there's ****ing loads of it, it works really well with all our machines and the Saudis have a ridicules amount of it. :-(

[PSRB]

Sadly, I fear not. Not unless his business plan involves producing synthetic oil at less than the price of tapwater. The yanqui shale boom is more of an issue, but it looks like they're going to ride even that out.

That's the thing with oil: there's ****ing loads of it, it works really well with all our machines and the Saudis have a ridicules amount of it. :-(

:nod: I'm fairly sure I was told by various "clever" people in the 80's that we were going to run out of oil by 2020

and lets not get started on Global warming

[Mo Britain less Europe]

The days of Saudi dictatorship are over. Shale gas is here to stay for 20 years or so, more oil fields are being discoverd all over and alternatives are improving. By the time shale runs out oil will only be used in some vehicles, planes and little else.

[Sir C]

Sadly, I fear not. Not unless his business plan involves producing synthetic oil at less than the price of tapwater. The yanqui shale boom is more of an issue, but it looks like they're going to ride even that out.

That's the thing with oil: there's ****ing loads of it, it works really well with all our machines and the Saudis have a ridicules amount of it. :-(

No one seems to listen when I suggest a reasoned answer to this conundrum.

Go in and take the oil. Execute King Wossisname, Al-Saud probably, subjugate the locals. :shrug:

[Burney]

The days of Saudi dictatorship are over. Shale gas is here to stay for 20 years or so, more oil fields are being discoverd all over and alternatives are improving. By the time shale runs out oil will only be used in some vehicles, planes and little else.

Certainly there's been a shift, which is what has forced the Saudis to turn on the taps and is why the oil price is where it is, but it's not just about where oil is, it's about quality and how much it costs to produce. Shale has changed the market hugely and allowed the US to distance themselves from Saudi a bit, but not completely.

As to alternatives, fossil fuels aren't going anywhere for a very long while yet.

[Burney]

No one seems to listen when I suggest a reasoned answer to this conundrum.

Go in and take the oil. Execute King Wossisname, Al-Saud probably, subjugate the locals. :shrug:

Well I know. But that's not the done thing these days, apparently. :shrug: Also, we and the Yanqui have been selling them some rather nice weapons for years now, so it might get a bit messy - particularly when we occupy places like Medina and Mecca and the whole Islamic world goes fùcking apeshít.

[Sir C]

Well I know. But that's not the done thing these days, apparently. :shrug: Also, we and the Yanqui have been selling them some rather nice weapons for years now, so it might get a bit messy - particularly when we occupy places like Medina and Mecca and the whole Islamic world goes fùcking apeshít.

I suppose it might need a little planning. How about 3 ICBMs? Riyadh, Mecca, Medina? All over. It's not even as if there are loads of crops to contaminate, the place is, quite literally, a desert anyway. And as for the Islamic world going apeshít, how much worse can it be. Anyway, if they go truly apeshít and actually bring a fight, we have a chance of finishing all the nonsense.

I feel my plan has much to commend it. I admit that there are a few details which might need ironing out.

I shall write to that nice Mr trump forthwith.

[Mo Britain less Europe]

Just back from Iceland where of course they use loads of thermal energy, made me wonder why that isn't exploied more.

Seriously, in 20 years time oil will be cheap ur it will be used less, that will be the only alternative the Saudis have.

[Burney]

I suppose it might need a little planning. How about 3 ICBMs? Riyadh, Mecca, Medina? All over. It's not even as if there are loads of crops to contaminate, the place is, quite literally, a desert anyway. And as for the Islamic world going apeshít, how much worse can it be. Anyway, if they go truly apeshít and actually bring a fight, we have a chance of finishing all the nonsense.

I feel my plan has much to commend it. I admit that there are a few details which might need ironing out.

I shall write to that nice Mr trump forthwith.

It is a pleasing plan. Maybe we could hit Mecca when it's full of pilgrims and get double bubble? For the look of things, maybe we could get the Israelis to do it for us?

[Mo Britain less Europe]

If someone were talking about nukeing Jerusalem on Yom Kippur for maximum holocaustion, might that be considered offensive?

[Sir C]

It is a pleasing plan. Maybe we could hit Mecca when it's full of pilgrims and get double bubble? For the look of things, maybe we could get the Israelis to do it for us?

I see a role for us in the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Donald would be mad to ignore our grasp of diplomatic discourse.

[Burney]

Just back from Iceland where of course they use loads of thermal energy, made me wonder why that isn't exploied more.

Seriously, in 20 years time oil will be cheap ur it will be used less, that will be the only alternative the Saudis have.

Iceland is basically one big active volcano. They have a wee bit more thermal energy than most. They also have a population smaller than Croydon's.

Oil will still be going strong in 2036. I speak to energy majors all the time in my job. They all believe the fuel mix will become more diverse, but that it will still be dominated by oil. And, when you consider that the world's population is growing at an alarming level, the likelihood is that the global demand for energy will be simply massive by then.

[Mo Britain less Europe]

The thermal energy is below all of us, only need to dig a little deeper.

There are known unknowns on the way which energy majors ignore.

[Burney]

I see a role for us in the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Donald would be mad to ignore our grasp of diplomatic discourse.

We could be the new Henry Kissingers :cloud9:

[Burney]

If someone were talking about nukeing Jerusalem on Yom Kippur for maximum holocaustion, might that be considered offensive?

Sorry, were you under the impression that I was trying not to be offensive?

[Mo Britain less Europe]

Sorry, were you under the impression that I was trying not to be offensive?

I was under the impression that these days if someone were to complain to the Met about a post like that this site could be closed down. But perhaps that's what Chris wants?

[Burney]

I was under the impression that these days if someone were to complain to the Met about a post like that this site could be closed down. But perhaps that's what Chris wants?

Yes, such a hypothetical person could try, I suppose. But to be honest, the day I start to worry about that sort of shít, you can throw the earth over me.

[barrybueno]

Had the week off work as I was moving in to my flat (moved in on the 6th) I'd finally got on the ladder and all of a sudden they were predicting all sorts of ****, financially and whatnot, thought that's ****ing typical that is, I'm going to get screwed here. Anyway as we know nothing happened and the world's never been a safer place :headinsand:

[71 Guns - channeling the spirit of Mr Hat]

I don't mean that in a threatening way; I'm not accusing anyone here of being involved. Although if you were, you might want to hand yourself in.

It seems like a lifetime ago, especially when one remembers how TV was the place most people learnt about it or watched it happen.

My first thought when the scale became apparent, never having heard of Al-Qaeda and so on, was Palestinians, and I remember thinking, '**** me, they'll definitely nuke someone, but can they nuke the Palestinians without fúcking Israel?'

In October I was in Thailand, and Bangkok was awash with DVDs showing the whole story over and over again and t-shirts showing pictures of the towers being hit. The Thais loved that ****, not because they had anything against the Yanqui, but simply because it was an amazing event. Oddballs.
I was out with the Mrs house-viewing. We got back and my collie had chewed the knobs on her Welsh dresser...he was being bòllocked when her daughter said "I think something's happened in America". Osama bin Laden saved my collie's life.
I had been stood on the observation deck of the South Tower about 6 weeks previously and had eaten a burger (of course) in the restaurant. Some of the people I dealt with that day had undoubtedly perished.
I have been back since and paid my respects at the memorial which was a very sobering experience. I have no time whatsoever for the tinfoil hat brigade - the CIA can't even crack an iPhone ffs so to think that them/the federal government/Haliburton/McDonalds/Ben & Jerry's/Whoever could be complicit in the mass-murder of their own citizens is nonsense imho. I saw an online post yesterday by this nut who stated that she knew that teams of workers had been in the towers rigging up explosives in the days leading up to 9/11...honestly!

[Sir C]

I was out with the Mrs house-viewing. We got back and my collie had chewed the knobs on her Welsh dresser...he was being bòllocked when her daughter said "I think something's happened in America". Osama bin Laden saved my collie's life.
I had been stood on the observation deck of the South Tower about 6 weeks previously and had eaten a burger (of course) in the restaurant. Some of the people I dealt with that day had undoubtedly perished.
I have been back since and paid my respects at the memorial which was a very sobering experience. I have no time whatsoever for the tinfoil hat brigade - the CIA can't even crack an iPhone ffs so to think that them/the federal government/Haliburton/McDonalds/Ben & Jerry's/Whoever could be complicit in the mass-murder of their own citizens is nonsense imho. I saw an online post yesterday by this nut who stated that she knew that teams of workers had been in the towers rigging up explosives in the days leading up to 9/11...honestly!

Imagine how many people would have to be in on the fix to achieve something like that. And they all happen to be great at keeping secrets. :hehe:

Mind you, MH370 is sitting in a hangar at the US air force base at Diego Garcia with the bodies of the passengers still strapped into their seats FACT.

[Luis Anaconda]

my collie had chewed the knobs on her Welsh dresser...

When Awimb had standards there would be no getting away with a comment like that RIP awimb

[71 Guns - channeling the spirit of Mr Hat]

Imagine how many people would have to be in on the fix to achieve something like that. And they all happen to be great at keeping secrets. :hehe:


They've all been silenced by nefarious means, C. As someone said on Facebook. :hehe:

[71 Guns - channeling the spirit of Mr Hat]

When Awimb had standards there would be no getting away with a comment like that RIP awimb

Indeed. That and words like àdblock and bòllocks being censored...

[Bergkamp Was Best]

I was at work and my Irish female boss was getting a little irate because everyone was watching events unfold on various news websites. When I told her what was happening she replied "Oh well, it's only the yanks!" and walked out of the office like it was no big deal :hehe:

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Playing 5 a side football in my lunch hour down off Edgware Road. As I walked back to the office and saw what was occuring I thought it was a little odd.

That night I drank pints in the Highbury Barn watching us play some forgettable CL game.

That's right. We played that night cos I remember the opposing German fans chanting "USA...USA" Can't remember the score, or even the opponents. But definitely Germans.

[Sir C]

That's right. We played that night cos I remember the opposing German fans chanting "USA...USA" Can't remember the score, or even the opponents. But definitely Germans.

Mallorca. Away. We lost.

[Luis Anaconda]

Mallorca. Away. We lost.

tbf Mallorca is very German