Simultaneous blasts leave at least two people dead and more than 80 injured as runners cross marathon finishing line.
Security has been stepped up around the US after twin blasts near the finishing line of the Boston Marathon left two people dead and at least 80 injured, six critically.
A White House official said the explosions occurred just before 3pm on Monday and would be handled as an "act of terror".
Police officials said mobile phone service have been shut down in the Boston area to prevent any potential remote detonations of explosives.
A witness describes the aftermath
A fire at the John F Kennedy Presidential Library also took place several miles away more than an hour later. However, Ed Davis, the Boston police commissioner, said investigators had not linked the fire to the blasts.
A senior US intelligence official said two more explosive devices had been found near the scene of the explosions and were being dismantled.
Davis said that powerful devises caused the blasts. "We are questioning many people but there is no suspect in custody," he said.
Barack Obama, the US president, vowed to hold accountable whoever carried out the blasts and said he had directed his administration to increase security around the country.
The White House was cordoned off with tape after news of the explosions broke. Loud explosion
The blasts happened about three hours after the winners crossed the line as thousands of runners finished the 117th running of the Boston Marathon, with crowds watching and cheering at the finish.
There was a loud explosion on the north side of Boylston Street, just before the bridge that marks the finish line.
Another explosion could be heard a few seconds later.
Smoke rose from the blasts, fluttering through the national flags lining the route.
A Rhode Island state police officer, who was running in the event, said he saw at least two dozen people with very serious injuries, including missing limbs.
Many of the Injured spectators were carried to a medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners.
The stragglers in the 40km trek were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts, as a Massachusetts General Hospital spokesperson said it had four patients from the incident under evaluation and was expecting more.
Several competitors and race organisers were crying as they fled the chaos.
"There are a lot of people down," said one man, whose running number 17528 identified him as Frank Deruyter.
Laura McLean, a runner from Toronto, Canada, said she heard two explosions outside the medical tent.
"There are people who are really, really bloody," McLean said. "They were pulling them into the medical tent."
Runners who had not finished the race were diverted straight down Commonwealth Avenue and into a family meeting area, according to an emergency plan that had been in place. The race was later abandoned
Hope all our bros and srs in Boston are OK anyone living there knows the latest?
Are they gonna blame it on Muslims? They're already talking about that before any investigation and this is the Arabic source I hazard go into CNN or BBC
Isn't wanting the words changed exactly what the image is describing which is turning a blind eye to what is going on? I personally think that the designer is pointing out people who are being oppressed but if you want to point out that there are people whose lives are lost due to starvation or an atomic bomb then instead of suggesting that the words are changed why not suggest addition if u feel that it would be more compelling if they were pointed out?
I don't think Pygo was saying that the poster shouldn't point out to the Western world that Muslims are suffering in some parts of the world; but instead to BROADEN out the message that we should not forget OTHER PEOPLE outside the Western world who also suffer but don't make headline news either (or at least not for very long).
Peace glo
Here I stand.
I can do no other.
May God help me.
Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down •
and kneel before the Lord our Maker
[Psalm 95]
Judged by the media coverage, it is hard not to conclude that western lives are valued much more highly than those of people in Afghanistan, Iraq or the Middle East.
Those who died in Boston a couple of days ago - two or three, those who killed in Syria the day before yesterday >200. Countries offering condolences and outrage for Boston >204 - countries completely mum about what's going on in Syria >204. Yeah draw your own conclusions we too have drawn ours!
Like people have already said one here, one of the reason there’s more media coverage about this event is because it’s much rarer in America or Europe. We do get information about bomb blasts in the middle east but they’re happening so often that if they were to give the same amount of coverage there would never be anything else on the news.
Also here in the UK we have adverts asking for donations for a Syrian’s children’s charity- it’s on television every day. Just a couple of weeks ago the Red Cross sent out letters to every household asking for donations for Syria- my mum donated. A couple of weeks ago there was a debate on TV about the use of drones. So yes, we do have coverage about the middle east here.
Last edited by Hulk; 04-18-2013 at 06:01 PM.
Reason: Off topic comments removed
Those who died in Boston were 8 years old child, American, 29 years old woman, American and Chinese woman. What crimes they had done? They all were civilians. Who ever did that attack is a terrorist. Just same what ideology or religion he supports. He killed people he had no idea who they were. May he rott in the hell!
Terrorism has no religion whether it is in Boston or in Syria.
Our religion doesn't teach us to be happy on people's' miseries.
Also, someone was believed to have sent a letter which contained some kind of poison addressed for Obama and the Sen. of the United States. I really thought these two cases would be reviewed but they aren't.
Oh and btw crap like this happens in the U.S all the time - every other day some nutter opens fire in a school, mall Sikh temple with hopes that Muslims are dead(by morons who can't tell the difference) or theatre have you not been watching the news with that same level of alarm and concern? the only reason at all this is wholly exaggerated is because their initial reaction and hope for it to be an 'Islamist' and link to 911 with every speech did it to fuel further public hatred and more drones but pls you go discuss if dropping drones on civilians daily is a bad thing or should we be occupied with it since it happens everyday!
Best,
Text without context is pretext If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him
Countries offering condolences and outrage for Boston >204 - countries completely mum about what's going on in Syria >204. Yeah draw your own conclusions we too have drawn ours!
Really now?
Syria has been suspended from both the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The world media has certainly not missed it, and the issue of the civil war and how to respond to Assad has gone all the way to the UN Security Council.
and the issue of the civil war and how to respond to Assad has gone all the way to the UN Security Council.
Oh yippe yay qaya.. all the way to the UN council gee willikers-- glad they have it down on paper, do write again when something is done about a two year, 80+K death toll mostly of women & children.
If the west wasn't quite happy with the situation as is, and Asad feeding them about the 'terroristic/'alqaeda' rebels' the situation wouldn't have taken more than 20 days...
And what should they do? Invade Syria and topple Assad? Somehow I think you, and a great many too, would regard that as an act of Western imperialism. I suppose that when you hold it as axiomatic that they are the bad guys of history, they can't win, it's "heads I win, tails you lose", and regardless of what they do, an evil ulterior motive is made up and postulated after the fact.
The scenario here is simple depending on where America would like to invade next sow a few wild oats by way of bases and protect its interests- pick your poison of what matters to them most, Amero/Israeli interests in Syria? or North Korea?.. It is all just a game and nothing but and often comedicaly timed. What is the most unfortunate thing is how many civilians have to die for the games of nations!
You're indeed correct that it is about exercising hegemony over the world- what should we also apologize for calling it like it is because it offends sensibilities?
The scenario here is simple depending on where America would like to invade next sow a few wild oats by way of bases and protect its interests- pick your poison of what matters to them most, Amero/Israeli interests in Syria? or North Korea?.. It is all just a game and nothing but and often comedicaly timed. What is the most unfortunate thing is how many civilians have to die for the games of nations!
You're indeed correct that it is about exercising hegemony over the world- what should we also apologize for calling it like it is because it offends sensibilities?
All of which is an irrelevant red herring and in no way supports your initial allegation that the world ignores Syria.
All of which is an irrelevant red herring and in no way supports your initial allegation that the world ignores Syria.
That's not my initial allegation nor have I any 'allegations' In fact my initial concern if you'd go read page one is whether or not they'll pin this on 'Islamists' to further their interests domestic and abroad given the reaction on most media outlets being that it is perpetrated by 'Islamists' which they later rescinded although not in totality!
Talk about cognitive conservatism!
best
Text without context is pretext If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him
There are a couple of reasons why the Boston bombings get so much attention in the Western media:
It is geographically closer. Distance matters.
It is easier to identify with the victims, as it involves Westerners. I can see myself, my friends or my family cheering at the finish line of a marathon. I cannot really see them being involved in, say, a civil war in Syria. I am not saying this is right, but it is natural. It is the same reason why so many Muslims are very much more involved with the war in Syria than in, say, Congo. Being able to identify with the victims fosters a "it could have been me or my family" feeling, which means it becomes more interesting to viewers.
It is very rare for something like this to happen in the US. As such it is real 'news'. Unfortunately that is no longer true for Syria. War has become the norm there.
The US is a super power. It might have an international connection and as such there could be big (geo-)political consequences to this event.
Of course, this isn't necessarily fair for people who are living in, say, war-torn Congo, but these are some of the reasons why people are more interested in Boston than Congo or even Syria.
Some people in the USA care about Americans more than anybody else, and hate outsiders with different cultures and mindsets. You get jingoistic nationalism, islamophobia, etc. USA USA USA #1. American Exceptionalism, and all that garbage. This same phenomenon runs in all directions as we see here. It is simple tribalism. And yes, I know me saying that will pop a vein in the foreheads of some here, but it is the truth. We need to grow beyond our tribal identities and strive to be brothers and sisters in humanity.
The photos glo posted show the kind of mindset we need to foster. Citizens of Boston and Kabul are not in competition for death count. They are in solidarity in compassion, or at least that is how it should be, and that is what we should work towards.
Last edited by Hulk; 04-18-2013 at 06:14 PM.
Reason: Removed quote and comment of deleted post
The photos glo posted show the kind of mindset we need to foster. Citizens of Boston and Kabul are not in competition for death count. They are in solidarity in compassion, or at least that is how it should be, and that is what we should work towards.
Peace with you my brother in humanity
I totally agree with you and Glo.
From Occupied Palestine:
We have suffered too much for too long. We will not accept apartheid masked as peace. We will settle for no less than our freedom.
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anyone living there knows the latest?
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