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this means WAR!!! florida dangerous for Brits! they don't know the half of it! :yh_sungla (should bode well for tourist dollars) Florida (AP) -- School officials in southwest Florida said terrorism concerns led them to keep a high school band from marching in a London parade, but now angry British officials are telling travelers that Fort Myers is no safe haven, either. Local tourism officials fear the dispute could cost Lee County millions in tourism dollars, and even Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has commented, saying, "Perhaps the superintendent is being overly cautious in this regard."

Bush said Superintendent James Browder probably should have looked at the U.S. Department of State's travel advisory before declaring London unsafe for Fort Myers High School's band to march in London's 2007 New Year's Day parade.

District administrators nixed the trip in early March, citing the threat of terrorism in Europe -- especially the 2005 terrorist bombing of London's city buses and subway system, which killed 52 people.

On Friday, London parade officials released a statement to the News-Press of Fort Myers, warning British travelers about the city's crime and homicide rates, Lee County's record number of traffic deaths in 2005 and that the "entire area is prone to catastrophic hurricanes."

British media were expected to publish the statement Monday.

Browder said he's not changing his mind and the band should stay within the United States. *SIGH* here we go again! the British AREN'T coming! :yh_rotfl where's paul revere when you need him?? (boy, am i going to hear about this! )

ArnoldLayne wrote: Trafalgar Square is particularly nasty. Huge swarms of child eating pigeons are known to swoop and take kids as old as 8 and leave them perched on top of Nelsons Column. :DNot forgeting Ken Livingstone of course, he'd put a levy on each trombone carrying pupil that walked down piccadilly circus.

abbey wrote: Not forgeting Ken Livingstone of course, he'd put a levy on each trombone carrying pupil that walked down piccadilly circus.


and probably suggest they all go back to their swamps:D

when i see these guys marching on Miami, i will give them some Cuban coffee and stone crab and and key lime pie then direct them to the everglades

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lady cop wrote: this means WAR!!! florida dangerous for Brits! they don't know the half of it! :yh_sungla (should bode well for tourist dollars) Florida (AP) -- School officials in southwest Florida said terrorism concerns led them to keep a high school band from marching in a London parade, but now angry British officials are telling travelers that Fort Myers is no safe haven, either. Local tourism officials fear the dispute could cost Lee County millions in tourism dollars, and even Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has commented, saying, "Perhaps the superintendent is being overly cautious in this regard."

Bush said Superintendent James Browder probably should have looked at the U.S. Department of State's travel advisory before declaring London unsafe for Fort Myers High School's band to march in London's 2007 New Year's Day parade.

District administrators nixed the trip in early March, citing the threat of terrorism in Europe -- especially the 2005 terrorist bombing of London's city buses and subway system, which killed 52 people.

On Friday, London parade officials released a statement to the News-Press of Fort Myers, warning British travelers about the city's crime and homicide rates, Lee County's record number of traffic deaths in 2005 and that the "entire area is prone to catastrophic hurricanes."

British media were expected to publish the statement Monday.

Browder said he's not changing his mind and the band should stay within the United States. *SIGH* here we go again! the British AREN'T coming! where's paul revere when you need him?? (boy, am i going to hear about this! )


Seems this dingleberry has let the terrorists win one, as they have accomplished one of their goals- to disrupt peoples every day life's events! The decision to go or not, should have been left up to the students & their parents.:wah: :guitarist

cars wrote: Seems this dingleberry has let the terrorists win one, as they have accomplished one of their goals- to disrupt peoples every day life's events! The decision to go or not, should have been left up to the students & their parents.:wah: :guitarist


You've hit the nail on the head there cars. After the bombings last July most London workers were apprehensive to say the the very least about using the public transport system but i think most realised how necessary it was for things to regain some semblance of normality as quickly as possible :-3

mind you, there wasn't much option for many of us...

i posted this thread tongue-in-cheek obviously, but Cars makes an excellent point...this may turn out to be a bigger incident than i initially realized. florida depends on tourists from everywhere, many from the UK. it's going to hurt us. and i know florida adverts a LOT in the UK. this yahoo is going to be fed to the 'gators by various chambers of commerce.

As Bigears rightly points out, not much choice for those of us who work in Central London and who are potential targets every day. I don't travel on the Tube if I can avoid it, but if the nutters decide to blow up a bus beside where I'm walking I've had it anyway.

Interesting to know I'm braver than Rambo and James Bond.................

BBC this morning............... a group of US pupils has been banned by officials in Florida from taking part in London's next New Year's Day Parade, reportedly over safety fears.

Suggestions there was a risk of "trains blowing up" have prompted protests from the parade's organisers.

About 140 pupils at Fort Myers High School had accepted an invitation to perform at the parade.

But officials in Lee County ruled it was too dangerous, in the wake of the 7 July bombings which killed 52 people.

The parade's chief executive Bob Bone criticised Herb Wiseman, the official quoted as saying he was reluctant to send the pupils to London.

"How can he make a decision banning so many young people embarking on a cultural visit which they will remember for the rest of their lives without first bothering to find out the facts?" asked Mr Bone.

I wouldn't want to have kids in London that were going to come participate in some kind of festivity in Florida be told that it was unsafe

Florida Governor Jeb Bush

He has written to ask the Lee County authority to reconsider, saying the trip was backed by the school and parents.

He also pointed out that the murder rate in Fort Myers was much higher than London's, and that it was prone to hurricanes.

Florida Governor Jeb Bush said the ban would be correct if the State Department advised people not to go to London, but that was not the case.

He added: "I wouldn't want to have kids in London that were going to come participate in some kind of festivity in Florida be told that it was unsafe."

In a statement, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said US citizens were among its most frequent visitors, and it would continue to welcome the people of Florida.

He added that London was among the safest places in the world. The annual parade attracts thousands of performers from across the world.

SnoozeControl wrote: I remember not so long ago when German tourists seemed to be targeted in Florida. Some rental car scheme? I can't remember the specifics.



No offense LC, but I'd rather take my chances in London than Miami.it was years back...ALL tourists who left the airport with a rental car were at risk for robbery and serious injury. after a while the car rental companies stopped putting their decals on the cars...nothing to ID them as rentals. miami is the wild west, no question. and no offense is taken, i'm the one moving to England! i hate florida, except for the keys.

And be careful to look the right - er, proper - way when you're crossing the road or you'll be strawberry jam.

Tigerlily wrote: As Bigears rightly points out, not much choice for those of us who work in Central London and who are potential targets every day. I don't travel on the Tube if I can avoid it, but if the nutters decide to blow up a bus beside where I'm walking I've had it anyway.

Interesting to know I'm braver than Rambo and James Bond.................


I'd still say that I'm safer taking the risk of terrorists on the daily tube journey than accepting the risk of an RTA by driving in.

Bryn Mawr wrote: I'd still say that I'm safer taking the risk of terrorists on the daily tube journey than accepting the risk of an RTA by driving in.Living in London, driving a Ferrari and treating the accelerator as an on/off switch? I'd say that was a fair likelihood, yes.

spot wrote: Living in London, driving a Ferrari and treating the accelerator as an on/off switch? I'd say that was a fair likelihood, yes.


I thought on a Ferrari it was a velocity control, not an accelerator - but yes, it's still an on/off switch :wah:

Bryn Mawr - how right you are about not driving in. I wouldn't dream of it. But I know people who do regularly. Even leaving out the possibility of an accident I'm sure I'd die of boredom and frustration trying to find some where to park!

And having parked, there is always the possibility of being blown up by nutters while walking along the street anyway.............

Tigerlily wrote: Bryn Mawr - how right you are about not driving in. I wouldn't dream of it. But I know people who do regularly. Even leaving out the possibility of an accident I'm sure I'd die of boredom and frustration trying to find some where to park!

And having parked, there is always the possibility of being blown up by nutters while walking along the street anyway.............


I spend four months after the Hatfield rail disaster going in to central London on my motorcycle (luckilly there's parking at the office). Virtually every day of that time I had at least one car driver deliberately try to knock me off the bike

Eventually the train service came back to some form of normallity.

It took ages for the trains to be right after that. They all went incredibly slowly for months. And you must have been biking in during the winter months. Brrr. Perhaps it would be safer now motorcyling as there certainly seems to be less cars since the congestion charge was introduced. Or is it my imagination?

Tigerlily wrote: It took ages for the trains to be right after that. They all went incredibly slowly for months. And you must have been biking in during the winter months. Brrr. Perhaps it would be safer now motorcyling as there certainly seems to be less cars since the congestion charge was introduced. Or is it my imagination?


Happily I wasn't caught in the bad weather much. Since then we've moved further out and riding in is no longer an option.

[QUOTE=lady cop]...ALL tourists who left the airport with a rental car were at risk for robbery and serious injury. so you've been to Hackney then.....

pantsonfire321@aol.com wrote: [quote=lady cop]...ALL tourists who left the airport with a rental car were at risk for robbery and serious injury. so you've been to Hackney then.....


You really do have a down on Hackney - why? It's not *that* bad

:-6

randall ambling along,

Frequently when walking or driving along the Bruce B. Downs Highway and other roads/street/Thruway/right of way/overpass/underpass not to mention the Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Highway (that last word my be wrong - but it is certainly a long, long name!)

Yes we actually do walk along these roads in the blazing heat of the day - like mad dogs and englishmen go out in the noonday sun.

My wife and I frequently remark to each other why is it that after seeing all those thousands of high speed car chases and "Bullet", "Kojak", "Colombo" plus the relentless "real high speed chases" on British TV almost everyday at midnight - WE - poor we - who have spent to much time energy and money to get there never, ever have seen even one?????

My daughter is scared stiff about us and one evening whilst leaving a concert in downtown Tampa, and her husband went off for the car, I suggested we walk to the restaurant rather than use a car

She said to me "Dad this is a rough area and you just don't walk down these streets."

"I always had to if I wanted to get from the boat to the town. All over the world."

SILENCE REIGNED!

God bless.

randall.

:)

Bryn Mawr wrote: [quote=pantsonfire321@aol.com]



You really do have a down on Hackney - why? It's not *that* badi am NOT the person who said that.

lady cop wrote: [quote=Bryn Mawr]i am NOT the person who said that.


My apologies - I aimed it at Pantsonfire!

lady cop wrote: i am NOT the person who said that.I think you just found out how he mis-quoted though, LC. That's really quite funny, hitting exactly the same error.

I'd say the quote system has got out of sync!