I shouldn't laugh, I know, it's serious...

[DanaC]

Certainly the headline didn't make me laugh. I read and thought: well, fuck.

London 2012 - Fake bomb smuggled into London Games park

And then I read on:

A newspaper embarrassed the organisers of the 2012 Olympic Games on Sunday by disclosing it had smuggled a fake bomb past two security checkpoints into the London complex housing the sporting festival's main stadiums.

The best-selling Sun newspaper conducted the stunt on Friday, at the end of a week-long pre-Olympics military exercise that saw a warship sail up the River Thames and plans announced to put missiles on rooftops near the Games venue in East London.

The paper said it had given the fake device - a plastic box containing wires and harmless Plasticine - to the driver of a mechanical digger working on the construction of the park, who then drove with it past security guards into the site.

The driver had contacted the paper because he was concerned that he was searched only when he arrived each morning, and was then able to leave and re-enter without further checks, it said.

"If I had terrorist connections I could be bringing in explosives, chemicals - anything at all," the paper quoted him as saying, without revealing his identity.

Video published on the paper's website showed the driver being waved past two checkpoints. He also took photos of himself with the mock explosive near the main stadium, a day before it was formally opened at a test event with a 40,000-strong crowd.

For fuck's sake people!

What, in Christ's name is the point of this:

Britain is spending more than £1 billion guarding the Olympics in what will be the country's biggest peacetime security operation.

Typhoon fighter jets and Lynx helicopters will be ready to defend a 9/11-style airborne attack, while on the ground a force of 24,000 guards and soldiers will protect Olympic venues, where spectators will pass through airport-style screening gates.

If construction workers are being waved in and out in the run up. It's allvery well saying they'll be doing a thorough check and lock down before the games start...how fucking confident are they they'd find something planted there during the fitting out?

[elSicomoro]

When I used to do deliveries in St. Louis, I was always waived through the security checkpoints at St. Louis City Hall. I found that kinda funny...I could've been carrying some dangerous shit, but the cops or security personnel were just like, "Hey man, go on through!"

[Rhianne]

The passes we needed for entry to an Open Golf (never call it the British Open - the snobs don't like it) tournament never turned up one year. I got 15 or 16 technical staff and 'humpers' in using two passes borrowed from the soft drinks company that shared our compound. I have little doubt it would be just as easy today.

[DanaC]

I remember helping several people get into Glastonbury one year when they were doing the handstamps. Easy enough to press your wrist up against someone else's and create a faint enough stamp to suggest there's been one there and it has faded out a little.

[Blueflare]

The entire thing is going to be a fucking catastrophe.

[DanaC]

Spoken like a true Brit. I swear, Blue, I got a proper little patriotic shiver :p

[Rhianne]

Haha!

[Sundae]

It's going to be wonderful and I'm going to love it and I will cry.
The Torch is coming through Aylesbury. Right at the end of Dunsham Lane!

I'll be at school but Mum and Dad will be there to cheer it past.

[monster]

Can't you suggest a walking field trip to watch it?

[infinite monkey]

Yeah, an event of that magnitude...the school kids should get to see! Once in a lifetime opportunity for most.

I love the symbolism of the torch. I bet I'd get right teary-eyed if I got to see it.

[glatt]

When the space shuttle was scheduled to fly over Dc on its way to its final resting place in the Dulles Air and Space Museum, the Principal of my son's elementary school arranged for there to be a fire drill and then let the kids mill around outside for an extra 20 minutes before coming back inside so they could get a good look at the shuttle.

These things are a more memorable learning experience than whatever lesson is being taught in the classroom that day. The principle should let the kids go see the torch go by. They will probably never have another Olympics there in their lifetimes.

[Sundae]

Trouble is as a school we number 300+ pupils.
It passes over two miles away. Not easy to get them all there and back - certainly not the littlies, although I think all of them will be 5 by then.

I'd vote for having the morning off, then the parents will be responsible for getting the tykes there and back (it's less than half a mile from my house, so I'm-Alright-Jack).

I'm sure some pupils will get to see it - we're big on sports and important occasions - but only a few staff can expect to. The school sports teams and their coaches possibly.

[monster]

No harm in suggesting it, eh?

[infinite monkey]

I would request it, citing the above reasons put forth by dwellars.

[Sundae]

I raised it a while back. The Senior Management Team are already on it.
But I will raise a reminder next time there is a TA meeting.