What the 'Mericans say

Watching the 'Merican news coverage of the London bombings and the investigations and incidents since then, we've noticed a few things that maybe could have been said better, not at all...

Thursday, 7 July.
"People in London are used to this." Charles Gibson, ABC news, in reference to the bombings carried out by the IRA in the past. This is an astonishing thing to say. Londoners are probably used to rain or three busses arriving at once after waiting 45 minutes or paying £3 for a pint, but bombs?!? Who would be so balze to say they are used to bombings? I'm sure there are people in Bagdad that wouldn't even say that.
"'The Tube' is their name for the subway." ABC & Fox news. This was reiterated over and over and over... Not once was it referred to by it's propper name, 'The London Underground.'

Monday, 11 July.
"The raids happened in a community north of London, called 'Leeds'." Charles Gibson, ABC news, trying to explain to America that there are other places in England other than London. Leeds was also reffered to as a town, and less precisely as just West Yorkshire. 'Mericans have more likely heard of Yorkshire than Leeds though. We know what kind of areas of Leeds these raids took place in. Some of the neighbours of the raided houses were interviewed by the 'Merican news networks as they all had reporters out there. There was a young girl with a really broad Yorkshire accent, fully fitting the term 'Loiner' describing one of the suicide bombers; "He din't do noffin'. He just had a kid... that were it." She was the best character witness they could find? A couple of days later another local was featured. A woman who had looked like she had litterally been dragged through a hedge backwards before getting infront of the camera. She had various front teeth missing and they had to give subtitles to what she was saying! Very funny, from my point of view. God knows what 'Mericans thought when watching this representive of the British public. I don't feel too ashamed though, when watching the local news here, and a local or a neighbour is asked to comment on camera, they typically look like they have just stepped out of their trailer, wearing a string vest and a beaten old, oily, red baseball cap and have at least one of their chewing tobacco stained teeth missing. The men don't look too good either... =) I know living here that these people don't represent the population at large but it's easy to judge when you see someone on TV from somewhere you've never been.

Today, 21 July.
"People were rushing from one carriage to the next. Carriage is what they call a subway car." David Wright, ABC news.
"...There is a degree of certanty that there are other terrorist cells operating, or at least 'sleeping' as they would say here in Britain." David Wright, ABC news.
"Sky News has been very spot on with their coverage, as they say here in the UK." Fox News.