London too dangerous for high school students!
Mar 31st, 2006, 02:42 PM
#1
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London too dangerous for high school students!
Get ready. Apparently this story is breaking nationally tomorrow, but a Ft. Myers, Florida band group contracted to play in next year's London New Years Day parade has cancelled their trip, citing that it is "too dangerous". Authorities in London are supposedly furious and threatening "retaliation" of Londoners visiting SW Florida (which they do by the droves) as it is just as unsafe here.
Sounds like this is going to be a big deal.
Sounds like this is going to be a big deal.
Mar 31st, 2006, 03:22 PM
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I'll assume the post is true (I'm not sold it is)...
London is one of the safest cities in the world (I know about 07 July, I was there on that day but then again do people not go to NY because of 11/09?)
No place in the world is 100% safe of course, just ask the parents of the girl allegedly killed in Aruba but I have never for one second felt threatened or unsafe in Central London at most any hour of the day.
London is one of the safest cities in the world (I know about 07 July, I was there on that day but then again do people not go to NY because of 11/09?)
No place in the world is 100% safe of course, just ask the parents of the girl allegedly killed in Aruba but I have never for one second felt threatened or unsafe in Central London at most any hour of the day.
Mar 31st, 2006, 03:27 PM
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I'm a teacher and can remember when some colleagues cancelled a European trip with students around the time of the Paris metro bombings (the 80s, I believe). I thought it was absurd. But not nearly as absurd as this...
Is it street crime or terrorism they are afraid of?
Is it street crime or terrorism they are afraid of?
Mar 31st, 2006, 05:35 PM
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It's sad that these kids will miss such a great opportunity. But what's sadder is the ignorance they are being taught by the school.
Here's another forum I found with comments on this situation.
http://www.news-press.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1070
Here's another forum I found with comments on this situation.
http://www.news-press.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1070
Mar 31st, 2006, 05:58 PM
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It's sad but there is so much ignorance out there and as one of the people who wrote...you are thumbing your nose at your greatest ally and best friend in the war on terror...Tony Blair within days of the attacks in NY was on hand at ground zero to lend his personal and country's support....they played the Star Spangled Banner several days later at a changing of the guard ceremony to show their solidarity with the US and now some ignorant fools pull something like this with the idiotic claim that London is a dangerous place to be because of the bombs of 7/7 (date/month of course)...I can not express my absolute lack of comprehension what the idiots, and they are idiots, who made this decision, could do this to the kids.
Mar 31st, 2006, 05:58 PM
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Terrible! Poor kids, mine were in London alone many times, we have been so many times, it is not any more dangerous than our own cities..even less than some!
I guess though, when you have a lot of kids that you are responsible for, you can get a little paranoid and want to be sure nothing bad happens.
Hopefully, the parents will make it up to the kids and take them on a family trip to London.
I guess though, when you have a lot of kids that you are responsible for, you can get a little paranoid and want to be sure nothing bad happens.
Hopefully, the parents will make it up to the kids and take them on a family trip to London.
Mar 31st, 2006, 06:35 PM
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There is no way that I can relate to the decision that was made to keep these students from taking this trip to London and to participate in what would no doubt be a memory of a lifetime. How very sad. As a US citizen I also find it embarrasing.
If this is what some of our educators and those that make decisions regarding education think no wonder that only something like 20% of US citizens hold passports.
IMO even if some of the parents of these students are able to take their children to London at some point it would not be the same as the band students going together to play in London's NY's Day parade.
It seems to me that to many American's treat their teens as though they are little youngsters rather then people that in just a few years will be adults. I feel that the European way of giving older teens more freedom and allowing them to make a lot of their own decisions helps them mature in a more normal manner. For example the English are known for their teens taking a Gap Year after high school and taking off to see the world. Guess that wouldn't be suitable to the educational decision makers in Ft. Myers. So so sad.
If this is what some of our educators and those that make decisions regarding education think no wonder that only something like 20% of US citizens hold passports.
IMO even if some of the parents of these students are able to take their children to London at some point it would not be the same as the band students going together to play in London's NY's Day parade.
It seems to me that to many American's treat their teens as though they are little youngsters rather then people that in just a few years will be adults. I feel that the European way of giving older teens more freedom and allowing them to make a lot of their own decisions helps them mature in a more normal manner. For example the English are known for their teens taking a Gap Year after high school and taking off to see the world. Guess that wouldn't be suitable to the educational decision makers in Ft. Myers. So so sad.
Mar 31st, 2006, 07:32 PM
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Actually, the rate of violent crime has risen dramatically in London so that it is possible to argue that London is more dangerous than New york in the sense that you are somewhat more likely to be a victim of violent crime in London than NYC.
However, the murder rate in NYC is still several times that in London so if one restricts danger to the danger of being murdered then NYC is far more dangerous than London.
However, the murder rate in NYC is still several times that in London so if one restricts danger to the danger of being murdered then NYC is far more dangerous than London.
Mar 31st, 2006, 07:49 PM
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I doubt if what some Ft Myers FL band group wants to do on a trip is some big secret story that is going to break nationally tomorrow. Really, who cares, let them go to Cancun or wherever they want.
Mar 31st, 2006, 08:23 PM
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this made me curious..so I found a Crime Rate Comparison chart while googling..I wondered where my home town (Portland Or) stood in comparison to some other states..
As far as murders:
London has 2 per 100,000
Washington DC has 70 per 100,000.
Portland has less, but not by much. And more in the catagories of assault and rape.
So, going by this-London is much safer than some cities in America ( maybe even Fort Meyers)...
As far as murders:
London has 2 per 100,000
Washington DC has 70 per 100,000.
Portland has less, but not by much. And more in the catagories of assault and rape.
So, going by this-London is much safer than some cities in America ( maybe even Fort Meyers)...
Mar 31st, 2006, 09:00 PM
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Neopolitan:
"Authorities in London are supposedly furious and threatening "retaliation"
Don't be absurd. Even if anyone here cared twopence, how could "authorities" retaliate? Wherer we choose to take our holidays is no damn business of any government. Only servile people allow their governments to dictate which countries they may or may not go to.
But it's unlikely the story will ever even be published in Britain. From a country that's been "led" by draft-dodgers for the past 14 years and that bans its troops from London while every schoolchild is happily riding the Tube (http://tinyurl.com/z6tn8), risk-averse hysteria just isn't news.
"Authorities in London are supposedly furious and threatening "retaliation"
Don't be absurd. Even if anyone here cared twopence, how could "authorities" retaliate? Wherer we choose to take our holidays is no damn business of any government. Only servile people allow their governments to dictate which countries they may or may not go to.
But it's unlikely the story will ever even be published in Britain. From a country that's been "led" by draft-dodgers for the past 14 years and that bans its troops from London while every schoolchild is happily riding the Tube (http://tinyurl.com/z6tn8), risk-averse hysteria just isn't news.
Mar 31st, 2006, 09:16 PM
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Why did I say what I did about "retaliate"?
Because on this evening's news when I heard this story there was a man -- I still don't know who it was (but clearly some sort of London official) who was being interviewed on camera and was stating specifically that "there are a great many Londoners who travel to Southwest Florida. Perhaps they should rethink their plans about going to the US and spending their travel dollars there considering this decision. When this news comes out tomorrow, and it will, there will be a price to be paid." This may not be an exact quote, but it is very, very close.
Now is it more clear why that sounded like a "threat" -- silly as it may seem?
So please don't call me absurd. Call the London official who made this statement absurd if you want, but please don't shoot the messenger.
Meanwhile I still don't know exactly why the decision was made.
Because on this evening's news when I heard this story there was a man -- I still don't know who it was (but clearly some sort of London official) who was being interviewed on camera and was stating specifically that "there are a great many Londoners who travel to Southwest Florida. Perhaps they should rethink their plans about going to the US and spending their travel dollars there considering this decision. When this news comes out tomorrow, and it will, there will be a price to be paid." This may not be an exact quote, but it is very, very close.
Now is it more clear why that sounded like a "threat" -- silly as it may seem?
So please don't call me absurd. Call the London official who made this statement absurd if you want, but please don't shoot the messenger.
Meanwhile I still don't know exactly why the decision was made.
Mar 31st, 2006, 09:30 PM
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After 9/11, for at least a couple years, the French club at my son's high school cancelled their yearly trip to France, because of terrorism. This is in Vancouver. But keep in mind that it's no exaggeration to say that at least half the kids at that school travel to Asia every year, and another 25% or so travel somewhere else off the continent (it was an affluent public school with many first-generation immigrant students). One must conclude that sometimes such decisions to cancel travel are made with no logical basis.
I hope no one takes the school administration of this one Florida school as being representative of US commonsense, because that would be most ridiculous and unfair.
I hope no one takes the school administration of this one Florida school as being representative of US commonsense, because that would be most ridiculous and unfair.
Mar 31st, 2006, 09:52 PM
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I just had a most cynical thought...the cynic in me being activated...
The article speaks of the costs of sending the kids to London and the fund raising that would have to be done.
Maybe, and in 1 way I hope it is but of course in another way this would stink, the idea is to extract sympathy from around the US so that some organization will pick up the costs of the trip and then the school board will magnanimously issue a statement to the effect we have re-considered.
Or am I being too cynical?
The article speaks of the costs of sending the kids to London and the fund raising that would have to be done.
Maybe, and in 1 way I hope it is but of course in another way this would stink, the idea is to extract sympathy from around the US so that some organization will pick up the costs of the trip and then the school board will magnanimously issue a statement to the effect we have re-considered.
Or am I being too cynical?
Mar 31st, 2006, 11:04 PM
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xyz..I wouldn't discount your thoughts. I read all the posts on the website that P_M posted. It sure is a strange situation IMO. I am wondering what the parents of the band members are thinking. Evidently some money has been raised as one of the posters said the funds that have been raised would be allocated for a trip to Atlanta and some other places. It would seem to me at least some of the parents would be outraged by this decision..well maybe there will be more information tomorrow. A mystery!
