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Actually, the bombs we're incredibly crude, adding ball bearings is one of the simplest methods to maximize harm caused. I'm just happy they managed to find the other devices before more people got hurt.

As for peoples reactions. After more then a decade of this gak happening all around the globe. People have just become desensitized, it's a bit sad but understandable. Especialy if it's happening halfway around the globe from you.

That said, I've had the cnn on ever since I heard about it.

 d-usa wrote:

 DA's Forever wrote:
The only thing that sickens me more than the act itself is the way some people are reacting to it. People I know have seen the event, essential shrugged, and moved on with their day. I know people deal with things like this certain ways but that's just... its terrible. We have too many tragedies happening. People are, for lack of a better word, becoming used to this. Its not right.

I've been following it and been saddened by it.

I did decide to follow through with the plan I started the day with:

I am now painting the nursery for my unborn daughter.

I hate painting, there is just about anything I would rather do than paint that room. This event would be the perfect excuse to sit in front of the TV with a blank stare.

But now painting that room is kind of cathartic. A midst all the hurt and death and tragedy, it reminds me of hope and of life.

This is not really directed as any kind of criticism against you or your statement. Just had me thinking about ways we cope.

Indeed and I understand that is a way people cope. But I know these people and I've seen them react and cope to things like this, They way they are acting is most definitely not the way they cope. People are brushing it off. Maybe its because of my location (small town, not much changes, ever) Just doesn't feel like they way things were in the past, Even as recently as Sandy Hook The whole day we didn't talk about much of anything else.

I hope they find who's responsible soon. I however don't want shoddy work and jumping to conclusions on anyone either. I hope it gets resolved right and quick. My thoughts are with everyone in Boston at the moment.

Monster Rain wrote:My younger sister was at the finish line with her massage therapy class giving free massages to the athletes as they finished if they wanted one.

She was about 150 from the explosions though, thank God.

Glad to hear that you & yours are okay.

A facebook friend made a nice respectful post about this then soured it with a line commenting on How Praying for the dead/injured was futile. Really got my blood boiling, i didn't tell him what-for because i like the guy irl and have already Henpecked him about other slightly ignorant status updates.

I'd like to point to a public company making light of this and to find as many people as possible to berate them for being lowlifes.

I like their product, but this is just another straw in them lowering themselves to scumbaggery

Their "#prayfordontflop" tweet is directly a pisstake of the obvious pray for Boston tweets going out.

https://www.facebook.com/dontflop

There was a string of bombings in iraq today too, 33 dead 160 wounded.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/04/201341562946963175.html

The reports of the wounded in Boston keep going up and down, CNN was saying 64, then it was over a hundred then it went down agin. Al jazeera is claiming 80 injured, 6 critically. Pretty sad day all around.

Yeah it keeps hopping around. I had over a hundred earlier then above fifty, now their saying 80ish so maybe the pictures starting to clear up some

It's tax day too, so that might point toward domestic. Really though, I think things could have been infinitely worse. This was a marathon, and there was plenty of medical help on site.

Imagine if this had been a black friday crowd or something where all the first responders were largely in bed still. Or if they had used some of the tactics that have been used in Iraq and Afghanistan - have a fairly small device go off, kill/wound some people, and have a second, larger device ready for when the police and medical personnel arrived on scene. Or if they had had a larger explosive to begin with. You can pack a lot of ANFO into a truck, for example.




Imagine if something like that had gone up. I suppose maybe this one flew under the radar specifically because it looks like just a few small devices though, they didn't try for anything huge.

d-usa wrote:

 whembly wrote:

 filbert wrote:

 whembly wrote:


Also... the authorities has shut down Cell Towers in Boston? Why? To stop further terrorist communication?

Because bombs can be triggered remotely via cell phone.

Oh... duh.

Then if I'm not too forward... that's a sign of sophistication that this may be in fact a terrorist attack from a major group...right?

I don't think so.

It would appear that if you know how to use a timer or anything else to set off a bomb then you should be able to use a cell phone. With no background in this whatsoever I would think that you would simply connect a speaker or something else that would generate electricity when a phone gets called as the trigger.

Well from what I know from my, admittedly limited, reading on IEDs, is that the electric detonator is attached to two wires that are placed so that when the rotating hammer from the phone's vibrator starts to rotate it connects with both wires and completes the circuit. Takes about 10 minutes or so to set up once you have the materials at hand. The ballbearing liner on the bomb, or interspersed throughout, I don't actually know, is pretty much just common sense from a terrorist point of view. It creates an effect similar to that of a Claymore going off. I'm much more interested in what they used for explosives personally, as that seems to be the material which is both the hardest and most dangerous in terms of discovery when it comes to bomb making.

It is not my intention to seem callous in this post, I simply don't really have anything else to add to the discussion.

Yeah...I was one of those that pretty much shrugged and went on with my day (by all appearances). I hate that this happened, and I have nothing but sympathy for the victims and their families, but I'm not shocked or stunned. It's happened before, and it's going to happen again. I hope they find those that are responsible and burn them at the stake, but it won't stop it. One thing the world will never lack is a steady supply of those with hate and violence in their hearts for one reason or another...and no matter how much security and vigilance you put into stopping them, eventually they will succeed in something like this.

I will absolutely offer my utmost sympathies, but I refuse to be completely paralyzed by something I cannot be any aid to, and then spend all my time watching reporters repeat and exaggerate the same "undocumented" reports over and over, hoping to stall and keep the public tuned to "them" until they can get anything concrete.

Right now it's just a bunch of talking heads.

Now if I was actually in the area, i would be interested in helping. But as I am half a country away.....

Lots of stupid on Facebook, but every now and then there is something decent coming along:

I was just coming to post that image. Mr. Rogers is the man.

Also in Iraq: https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/319939_550391681668361_710113943_n.jpg

17 IEDs detonated across the country.

As ya'll know... Obama isn't always on my nice list...

But, after this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/15/obama-speech-boston-bombings_n_3088078.html

Kudos Mr. President.

It's dreadful to see that young man with both his legs practically shredded off the bone by the blast. I'm suprised he's still awake !

I hope he pulls through. I hope all the critically injured pull through.

I had some people on my facebook already cracking jokes about the blasts, they were quickyl removed I have no patience for people like that at all.

 Mannahnin wrote:
MGS- Glad you and Mrs. S are well! Daniela's mom is visiting and they nearly went down to this today. It's scary stuff.

 Albatross wrote:
If its not too soon, I'd like to take this opportunity to express my hope that the large Irish-American population of Boston revisit their support (if held) for the IRA in light of this incident. This is what terrorism is, this is the sort of thing donations to groups like the IRA and INLA enable in places like Omagh, Brighton and Birmingham - it isn't romantic or heroic freedom-fighting, it's hateful, cowardly and murderous, as was this act.

I think you'll find that the last lingering US support for the IRA and actions similar to this pretty much dried up back in 2001.

Being of Irish descent and raised on the outskirts of Worcester, MA I can attest that there was support for the IRA in the community and it shames me to this day.

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:

 Monster Rain wrote:
My younger sister was at the finish line with her massage therapy class giving free massages to the athletes as they finished if they wanted one.

She was about 150 from the explosions though, thank God.

Damn, glad to hear that she wasn't hurt in all this

Thanks, buddy. It's still pretty weird to think that your kid sister was 50 yards from a terrorist IED detonation.

 Wolf wrote:
It's dreadful to see that young man with both his legs practically shredded off the bone by the blast. I'm suprised he's still awake !

Like a broken porcelain doll and such a color...

How horrible.

 Wolf wrote:


I had some people on my facebook already cracking jokes about the blasts, they were quickyl removed I have no patience for people like that at all.

Seeking levity to drown out despair is a very human reaction, especially to something this horrific. My father remarked to me over the phone "I guess someone out there really hates joggers", perhaps I should close of all contact with him. He’s the least cynical person on the planet, he’s just not comfortable with this sort of thing and it’s his way of dealing with it.



On a side note those images are incredibly disturbing, I too was quite shocked the individual in the wheelchair was still concious.

 Bromsy wrote:
It's tax day too, so that might point toward domestic. Really though, I think things could have been infinitely worse. This was a marathon, and there was plenty of medical help on site.

Imagine if this had been a black friday crowd or something where all the first responders were largely in bed still. Or if they had used some of the tactics that have been used in Iraq and Afghanistan - have a fairly small device go off, kill/wound some people, and have a second, larger device ready for when the police and medical personnel arrived on scene. Or if they had had a larger explosive to begin with. You can pack a lot of ANFO into a truck, for example.

Hence why I'd be willing to bet this was a home grown idiot/s and not an true international terror cell.

Sadly, one of the two innocents killed was apparently just 8 years old.

As horrible as this has been, it seems like everything was very crude and at least one of the bombs failed.

While it displays many of the "styles" of our favorite terrorism network it also seems like it was very amateurish at the same time. I would not be surprised if it was home grown or a lone wolf kind of attack.

Am I wrong for thinking that if this was an actual terrorist attack that someone would have claimed responsibility by now?

Yeah its beginning to look "copycat'-ish They tried to pull off the style but didn't have the experience in bomb making

 Wolf wrote:
It's dreadful to see that young man with both his legs practically shredded off the bone by the blast. I'm suprised he's still awake !

I hope he pulls through. I hope all the critically injured pull through.

I had some people on my facebook already cracking jokes about the blasts, they were quickyl removed I have no patience for people like that at all.

I saw that picture too, man I hope he recovers within a decent amount of time considering the injury

 Monster Rain wrote:
Am I wrong for thinking that if this was an actual terrorist attack that someone would have claimed responsibility by now?

Maybe. The group could be waiting until some of the hysteria calmed down before making a statement.

 Monster Rain wrote:
Am I wrong for thinking that if this was an actual terrorist attack that someone would have claimed responsibility by now?

No one claiming responsibility by now (almost 6 hours later) has surprised me too

 Happygrunt wrote:

 Monster Rain wrote:
Am I wrong for thinking that if this was an actual terrorist attack that someone would have claimed responsibility by now?

Maybe. The group could be waiting until some of the hysteria calmed down before making a statement.

If that is the reason then it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Surely they would want the moment when hysteria is at it's peak to make there "Muhahaha, It was I blankityblank!" entrance.

Starting to think it might have just been a nutjob. Most organized groups would have called in by now i'd think

Well, amateurish bomb making doesn't mean it's not Al Qaeda, their guys are going to run the gamut, skill wise - especially ones snuck into/hidden in America. Plus when you are dealing with improvised explosives, usually carried by some junior lackey (no one with any pull is going to do that job) a lot can happen in transit.

 Ma55ter_fett wrote:

 Happygrunt wrote:

 Monster Rain wrote:
Am I wrong for thinking that if this was an actual terrorist attack that someone would have claimed responsibility by now?

Maybe. The group could be waiting until some of the hysteria calmed down before making a statement.

If that is the reason then it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Surely they would want the moment when hysteria is at it's peak to make there "Muhahaha, It was I blankityblank!" entrance.

Especially in this day and age, where Al Qaeda has a twitter account.

 Monster Rain wrote:
Am I wrong for thinking that if this was an actual terrorist attack that someone would have claimed responsibility by now?

Dunno... It can take a while for the 'martyrdom' videos to surface, usually via Al Jazeera. Unsuspiciously.