Welsh kids get US lifestyle experience

Gob · Post by **Gob** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 9:54 pm

School children from Blaenau Gwent were caught up in a dramatic armed incident while on a trip in the United States.

One pupil from Tredegar Comprehensive School was on the phone to her mother when police shot an armed man as he tried to enter the US Capitol Building visitor centre in Washington.

Lisa Reardon told BBC Radio Wales how her daughter, Chelsea, began screaming down the phone, "he's got a gun".

The school said all pupils and staff "are safe".

Police called the shooting an "isolated" incident.

Ms Reardon paid tribute to the way teachers dealt with children, including her 16-year-old daughter.

"The next minute she is screaming down the phone to me saying, 'he's got a gun, he's got a gun'," she said.

"The first thing that goes through my head is what the hell is going on.

"Even though I'm panicking, I'm trying to calm her down as well, saying, you have to listen to the teacher.

"Everything was going through my mind. I felt more useless than anything."

A female bystander suffered minor injuries when police fired at the suspect.

Ms Reardon said: "The teachers were amazing for looking after them and reassuring them. They are carrying on with their trip. It is not going to stop them.

"I can't wait for her to come home on Thursday."

Tredegar Comprehensive School said all pupils and staff were safe, that it had spoken to parents to reassure them and the trip was "continuing as planned".

Chairman of governors at the school, councillor John Morgan, said: "We are just relieved that all the pupils and the staff are safe and happy and able to continue with this amazing trip, which is part of their history and arts studies.

"The staff, who are experienced at travelling with pupils on school trips, were extremely professional in caring for and supporting the pupils .

"I know that parents have been quick in expressing their gratitude for this."

TPFKA@W · Post by **TPFKA@W** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 9:56 pm

I hope none of the delicate flowers take to bed wetting on account of it.

MajGenl.Meade · Post by **MajGenl.Meade** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 10:09 pm

It would have been worse if the perp had a lump of coal

(sorry Gob)

RayThom · Post by **RayThom** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 2:52 am

An invaluable lesson in Jeffersonian Democracy, I'd say.

God bless America!

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:06 am

LMAO...

Does it get any more provincial then that?

"School children from Blaenau Gwent were caught up in a dramatic armed incident"

That reminds me of the headline from the old National Lampoon's take-off on local newspapers, The Dacron Republican-Democrat:

TWO DACRON WOMEN FEARED MISSING IN VOLCANIC DISASTER

Japan Destroyed

Gob · Post by **Gob** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:36 am

Well to be honest old son, if my kids had been at a shooting incident, parochial or not, I'd consider it news.

(Not that I'd let my kid go on a school trip to the USA. )

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:55 am

Well, I take your point, but if one of my children were on a tour group that was visiting Parliament in the UK, and there was a shooting incident at the entrance point that involved no innocent person being injured, I wouldn't expect the headline for the story to read:

"School Children From The Outer Sunset District Of San Francisco Caught Up In Dramatic Armed Incident"

I'd expect something more along the lines of:

"Shot Fired To Subdue Armed Man In Front Of Parliament; No One Hurt"....

Burning Petard · Post by **Burning Petard** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 12:09 pm

Well, the headline did say it was dramatic. In my personal vocabulary, 'dramatic' is a subset of 'fictional'

snailgate

MajGenl.Meade · Post by **MajGenl.Meade** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 12:35 pm

Oh gosh, I think being on the phone to mum and having shots ring out with police shooting down an armed chap is a bit dramatic. Especially to mum back in a teeny weeny country where 'dog sleeps' is the second lead. "Oh, I'd best telephone BBC Wales and tell them all about it, look you".

If it had been kids from California it goes like this: "Was that shots fired, dear?" "Yes mom". "So it's just like home then?" "Yes mom"

Gob · Post by **Gob** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 8:38 pm

Lord Jim wrote:Well, I take your point, but if one of my children were on a tour group that was visiting Parliament in the UK, and there was a shooting incident at the entrance point that involved no innocent person being injured, I wouldn't expect the headline for the story to read:

"School Children From The Outer Sunset District Of San Francisco Caught Up In Dramatic Armed Incident"

I'd expect something more along the lines of:

"Shot Fired To Subdue Armed Man In Front Of Parliament; No One Hurt"....

Yes, but you live in the USA, where shootings are more common than kisses. For people from civilised lands, being anywhere near a shooting is a major incident.

Joe Guy · Post by **Joe Guy** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 9:10 pm

Here's a similar article from "Incredibly Sheltered People" magazine.

School children from San Francisco were caught up in a dramatic police action while on a trip in Wales.

One pupil from Balboa High School was on the phone to her mother when police hit a man over the head with a billy club as he tried to enter a government building.

Lisa Reardon told KGO Radio how her daughter, Chelsea, began screaming into the phone, "An unknown man is trying to walk into the building and the cops are hitting him over the head with one of those sticks that the cops over here carry!!".

The school said all pupils and staff "are safe" but they're really shook up and stuff.

A police spokesman said that the man was not a terrorist. "He was a drunk Welshman... I mean.. you know... a Welshman", said the spokesman.

"The next minute Chelsea is screaming and saying, 'The cop has a big stick, he's got a big stick'," Reardon said.

"The first thing that goes through my head is what the hell is going on.

"Even though I'm panicking, I'm trying to calm her down as well, saying, you need to stand back and watch – maybe take a video for YouTube."

A female bystander farted when police clobbered the suspect and it was caught on YouTube.

Balboa High School said all pupils and staff were safe and that it had spoken to parents to reassure them that their kids wouldn't miss lunch.

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 9:21 pm

That one made my day...

Gob · Post by **Gob** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 9:30 pm

Joe Guy wrote:Here's a similar article from "Incredibly Sheltered People" magazine.

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 9:36 pm

As per usual, Mr. Stroppygob provides us with no link to his source material,

but I suppose if the source is something like The Blaenau Gwent Daily Bugle, the provincial focus and over-dramatic sensationalism is understandable...

The real story here of course, is that Capitol security worked exactly as one would hope it would, and the Capitol Hill police officers involved displayed enormous professionalism in handling a threat...

A guy shows up at a security check point for entrance to the Capitol armed with a weapon, and the police take him down (without killing him) and no one else is injured in the slightest, including those fragile Welsh darlings...

Three cheers for the Capitol Hill Police...

Well done those men!

ETA:

In fact, given the appalling screw ups by some of our federal law enforcement agencies lately, (I'm lookin' at you, Secret Service...) maybe the headline should have read:

A Federal Protective Force Finally Manages To Get One Right

Gob · Post by **Gob** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 11:50 pm

School children from Blaenau Gwent were caught up in a dramatic armed incident while on a trip in the United States.

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Thu Mar 31, 2016 1:41 am

Ahh, the BBC...

Well I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the provincialism, given the sort of questions that pass for "news" in their "Weekly News Quiz"...

" In an appearance that has tongues wagging up and down Fleet Street, The Duchess Of Cambridge this week appeared at a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new Local Council building at Ludlow in Shropshire wearing a hat of a colour that clashed terribly with her dress. The offending hat was:

A. Mauve
B.Chartreuse
C. Yellow with pink polka dots"

No Greater Fool · Post by **No Greater Fool** » Thu Mar 31, 2016 2:46 pm

Lord Jim wrote:Ahh, the BBC...

Well I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the provincialism, given the sort of questions that pass for "news" in their "Weekly News Quiz"...

" In an appearance that has tongues wagging up and down Fleet Street, The Duchess Of Cambridge this week appeared at a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new Local Council building at Ludlow in Shropshire wearing a hat of a colour that clashed terribly with her dress. The offending hat was:

A. Mauve
B.Chartreuse
C. Yellow with pink polka dots"

You forgot
D. All of the above

oldr_n_wsr · Post by **oldr_n_wsr** » Thu Mar 31, 2016 2:49 pm

Yes, but you live in the USA, where shootings are more common than kisses. For people from civilised lands, being anywhere near a shooting is a major incident.

Here in the States, our first response after hearing a gun shot is "bet it's a 9mm"

MajGenl.Meade · Post by **MajGenl.Meade** » Thu Mar 31, 2016 9:42 pm

Lord Jim wrote:Ahh, the BBC...

Well I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the provincialism, given the sort of questions that pass for "news" in their "Weekly News Quiz"...

" In an appearance that has tongues wagging up and down Fleet Street, The Duchess Of Cambridge this week appeared at a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new Local Council building at Ludlow in Shropshire wearing a hat of a colour that clashed terribly with her dress. The offending hat was:

A. Mauve
B.Chartreuse
C. Yellow with pink polka dots"

As was shown in the original story BBC WALES - BBC WALES - BBC WALES. That is to the BBC as the Toledo Mudhens are to the World Series

Bicycle Bill · Post by **Bicycle Bill** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 1:27 am

MajGenl.Meade wrote:As was shown in the original story BBC WALES - BBC WALES - BBC WALES. That is to the BBC as the Toledo Mudhens are to the World Series

I'll wager the Mudhens make to the World Series before the Cubbies do.

-"BB"-

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