A forlorn Friday Fiver:

1. How did you learn about yesterday's bombings in London? I switched on the television in the morning to check the weather. I fleetingly saw the breaking news headline "London's Olympic bid celebration halted" and was surprised that the French would be so upset and immature as to thwart their rival's joy. It wasn't until I rode the elevator up with my Japanese friend from the lab next door that I heard there had been explosions in the city.

2. Do you have any personal connections to the area? I have never been to London and don't know anyone that lives there. My sister sent me a cute picture of herself inside of a cherry red phone booth taken when she was there in 2003, however.

3. Do you use public transportation? Once in a while, I ride the UM buses and now that I'm a big girl, I take the subways and trains if I travel out of town. It's unnerving to think that terrorism has infiltrated life in this way.

4. Have you ever let threats of terrorism change the way that you live each day? To be honest, I was scared to fly after September 11 for a short time. I feel that the best way we can stand in solidarity against terrorist acts is to encourage understanding and diplomacy in our lives and to not buy into a culture of fear.

5. If you could say something directly to the person or group responsible for this tragedy, what would you say? I don't know about what I would say directly to those responsible, but I think it's important for all of us to remember the words of John F. Kennedy:

Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind...War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today.

xoxox