Massively Multiplayer: Gaming In The New Millennium
- Thread starter RySenkari
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Dang I was about to reply on that Ry for my guess. The Nintendo Blu Drive.... Nintendo HD Blu.... Nintendo Blu.... Blu Dream
Man, Homecoming sounds awesome! I would have loved to play it, too bad it’s a timeline away. Samus ditching the suit for a decent chunk of the game is pretty surprising, but the way you describes it sounds super cool. Also, damn, what a tragic fate for the Chozo, but at least Samus has finally made peace with herself and who she is.
Either of these are the most likely to me, though I'm personally fond of Nintendo Prism too. I don't think that Nintendo is going to be going with something sun-themed as, remember, the Bandai Solaris is the system that tanked one of Japan's biggest companies into bankruptcy (not that the general public outside of die hard video game fans would probably be aware of that fact at this point in the timeline).
This is only worth it if they pay royalties to Frank Sinatra's estate to have it be part of the commercials.
Deleted member 100251
Ooh Nintendo Prism also sounds good. Agreed on the sun-theming aspect.
I want to thank the creators of this tl. This timeline has helped be a nice little distraction when I need to get away from it all. This timeline has helped me torugh some tough times and I can't thank y'all enough
Keep up the good work.
Keep up the good work.
Reading the Street Fighter IV post and that is a one-two punch in the stomach for me to see no Juri Han and yet Rufus is still there.
I'm glad that even though future releases are going to be set before the final chronological Metroid game ITTL, it happened in 2006 and not 2002 like what we got with Fusion and everything after Fusion OTL.
I'm glad that even though future releases are going to be set before the final chronological Metroid game ITTL, it happened in 2006 and not 2002 like what we got with Fusion and everything after Fusion OTL.
I honestly kinda missed otl other m, only if it could be dine better frim a story standpoint.
I have an in-universe reaction to Metroid: Homecoming 2, but first I need to know: Is AngelFire still a popular social media platform as of 2006 (or at least would people who already had an AF account still be using it) and does it have a voice chat? (For that matter is voice chat even a thing over non-gaming web platforms yet?)
My guesses for the 7G Nintendo:
BluSea (following on from Wave)
BluSun (though they may owe royalties to Joss Whedon and/or Fox)
BluLazer/BluLaser
BluRevolution
Nintendo BluRay (plain and simple)
and (if we go with @Beta.003's Famicom-style idea) the Nintendo BluRay/BluDisk System.
My guesses for the 7G Nintendo:
BluSea (following on from Wave)
BluSun (though they may owe royalties to Joss Whedon and/or Fox)
BluLazer/BluLaser
BluRevolution
Nintendo BluRay (plain and simple)
and (if we go with @Beta.003's Famicom-style idea) the Nintendo BluRay/BluDisk System.
TTL's Metroid games will forever make me jealous.
The incoming next gen consoles have me giddy! Here's what we know so far:
-The iTwin will be released in March 2007, for $399.99. It will have full online capabilities, including an online store. It uses a proprietary disc format, and has some level of connectivity with the iPod Play. It also uses unconventional controllers, almost like two Wiimote Nunchucks, although a standard controller is also an option.
-The Xbox 2 will be released in November 2006, making it the first seventh gen system. Presumably, it will still have Xbox Live and all its features. Taking one step further than OTL, it'll use HD DVD discs for games and be able to play HD DVD movies out of the box. It'll be just a smidgen more powerful than the iTwin.
-We know nothing about Nintendo's next console, aside from it using Blu-ray discs. As it's rumored to be revealed at E3 2007, it will be arriving much later than the other consoles. Nintendo's been dodgy on online capabilities thus far, so it may or may not have them. It's pretty much guaranteed to be more powerful than the Xbox 2 and iTwin.
On a side note, the late release could set back Blu-ray adoption. HD DVD would have at least a year headstart.
Personally, there are no consoles but the iTwin in my eyes. It's the only place to play Sega Rally!
The incoming next gen consoles have me giddy! Here's what we know so far:
-The iTwin will be released in March 2007, for $399.99. It will have full online capabilities, including an online store. It uses a proprietary disc format, and has some level of connectivity with the iPod Play. It also uses unconventional controllers, almost like two Wiimote Nunchucks, although a standard controller is also an option.
-The Xbox 2 will be released in November 2006, making it the first seventh gen system. Presumably, it will still have Xbox Live and all its features. Taking one step further than OTL, it'll use HD DVD discs for games and be able to play HD DVD movies out of the box. It'll be just a smidgen more powerful than the iTwin.
-We know nothing about Nintendo's next console, aside from it using Blu-ray discs. As it's rumored to be revealed at E3 2007, it will be arriving much later than the other consoles. Nintendo's been dodgy on online capabilities thus far, so it may or may not have them. It's pretty much guaranteed to be more powerful than the Xbox 2 and iTwin.
On a side note, the late release could set back Blu-ray adoption. HD DVD would have at least a year headstart.
Personally, there are no consoles but the iTwin in my eyes. It's the only place to play Sega Rally!
Maybe HD DVDs having a head start would mean that they could end up in a situation similar to OTL's situation with DVDs and blu ray where despite the advantages of the blu ray format the DVD hasn't gone the way of Betamax, Laser discs, or VHS yet. They'd still take a hit from digital distribution and streaming services, though.
Possibly. I assume DVD usage is super high TTL, same as OTL. Having the market split between HD DVD and Blu-ray may leave a path open for DVDs, as they'll be cheaper, and most people will already have a DVD player.
Either way, we could see an actual format war, rather than Microsoft saying "Oh yeah btw the Xbox 360 can play HD DVDs with a separate kit for another hundred dollars NVM JK JK" and HD DVD never being heard of again.
On one hand, The Transporter games sound awesome.
On the otherhand, I am still sad they star Vin Diesel, and that Statham may not have the action career he did ITTL.
On the otherhand, I am still sad they star Vin Diesel, and that Statham may not have the action career he did ITTL.
We're really glad to hear that, I love hearing that reading this timeline makes people happy ^_^
AngelFire exists, but the social media component of it is called AngelSphere. Voice chat is "sort of" a thing, it exists on some platforms but not AngelSphere yet. There are podcasts now and people do post those on AngelSphere sometimes.
Fall 2006 (Part 3) - The Down And Out Democrats
The midterm elections of 2006 were a referendum on Al Gore's second term, and thus far, that second term had been one of the most disastrous in modern American history. Gore was dealing with problems both foreign and domestic, his economic programs were being blamed for a stagnant economy, and he was also being blamed for increasing turmoil in the Middle East. Though the Iraq-Israel conflict was winding down with the death of Saddam Hussein, it had led to the deaths of over 200 Israelis, and Gore was blamed by some on the right for "abandoning" a staunch American ally (even though by all accounts Israel had won resoundingly, with bumbling to blame for about half of Israel's combat deaths). There was also a growing wave of social conservative fervor, with Americans making their voices heard on contentious issues such as gay rights and abortion. Mike Huckabee, who'd lost his gubernatorial primary in 2002 to John Walton, had been seen as somewhat of a disgrace and who would probably never challenge for national office again, but in 2006 he beat Mike Ross in Arkansas' 4th congressional district race, becoming one of many Republicans that would defeat Democratic incumbents. Most analysts knew that Democrats had no chance to win the midterms, and believed that they should simply try to staunch the bleeding that they would inevitably suffer. President Gore didn't make matters much better: he largely neglected to promote many Democrats in the congressional races. Gore's defenders would state that the president was dealing with far more pressing matters in the leadup to the election, and that was true, but others, particularly progressive Democrats, thought that Gore had abandoned the party, and it began somewhat of a grassroots movement to push a more progressive Democratic presidential candidate in 2008.
Most of the headlines were made in the Senatorial races, where a number of longtime Democratic incumbents were up for re-election in surprisingly competitive races. One of those incumbents was Dianne Feinstein, who was being challenged by the young and controversial arch-conservative Andrew Breitbart. Breitbart had made headlines when he'd finished third in the 2003 California recall elections, and had continued to make headlines as a fierce voice for conservative issues, appearing regularly on networks such as Fox News, and also being a frequent guest on Glenn Beck's increasingly popular radio show, which had become the #2 conservative radio show in the country behind Rush Limbaugh. Breitbart won an extremly contentious primary that saw Breitbart triumph over congressman Sonny Bono. Bono, who'd famously reconciled with his transgender son Chaz Bono in 1999 and who was considered a pro-LGBT Republican, differed sharply with Breitbart on the issue of LGBT rights. The two had a single debate weeks before the election, in which they nearly came to blows after Breitbart referred to Chaz Bono as Sonny's "degenerate daughter", and Sonny had to be physically restrained from attacking Breitbart. The incident had been thought to be fatal for Breitbart's candidacy, but the socially conservative Republican base rewarded Breitbart with a narrow win. With Breitbart's ex-wife (but still friend and campaign advisor) Arianna Huffington helping him to fine-tune his message, Breitbart had begun appealing to more mainstream voters, and the race was thought to be a dead heat going into election day. Ultimately, Feinstein triumphed over Breitbart by less than a percentage point, and Breitbart would use the narrow loss to claim that he was "robbed", which sent plenty more traffic to his website in the months to come.
Feinstein holding off Breitbart would be one of the few bits of good news that Democrats would have on Election Day: it would be a bloodbath at the polls. Jeb Bush, fresh off his second term as Florida's governor, easily defeated incumbent senator Bill Nelson by 12 percentage points, Michael Steele would defeat his Democratic challenger Ben Cardin to become Maryland's junior senator, Shelley Capito would score a massive political upset by defeating longtime senator Robert Byrd in West Virginia, and Rick Santorum would absolutely crush his Democratic opponent by a 70-25 margin to retain his Senate seat in Pennsylvania. Santorum's huge win was yet another indication that he was becoming a frontrunner in the 2008 presidential race, in which it seemed increasingly likely that a socially conservative Republican could be the party's standard-bearer.
All in all, Republicans gained eight Senate seats in 2006's midterms, taking control of the chamber with 57 seats. Democrats were knocked all the way down to 42, though independent Bernie Sanders would continue to caucus with them. In the House, the results were similar to the 1994 Republican wave election: Republicans would gain 44 seats in all, retaking control of the chamber by a staggering 260-175 margin. Texas congressman Lamar Smith would be named Speaker of the House, while Indiana senator Richard Lugar became the Senate majority leader. The election of such a sharply Republican congress would drastically limit Al Gore's ability to push his agenda forward over the last two years of his presidency, and many began to call him a lame duck, even with half of his final term left to serve.
-
"Amend For Arnold" Movement Gaining Steam?
Longtime actor and bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger has become increasingly vocal and active in politics as of late. Recently in 2003, he considered throwing his hat into the ring for the California recall elections, and would have likely been the front-runner, but declined to enter and instead threw his support toward longtime friend and eventual winner Richard Riordan. Schwarzenegger's name also came up in the conversation for California's open 2006 Senate seat, in which longtime senator Dianne Feinstein was said to be vulnerable. Schwarzenegger declined to enter that race as well, but did condemn Republican candidate Andrew Breitbart for a number of anti-transgender comments made during the Republican primary race. Schwarzenegger also stated that had he known Breitbart would win the primary, he would have entered himself. Now, Schwarzenegger has become vocal once again, stating that he'd be willing to consider a run for president should he be made eligible. The United States Constitution currently prevents non-natural born citizens from running for president, but there's been talk about amending the Constitution to strike that provision, especially amongst moderate Republicans who would like to see Schwarzenegger run.
There's been criticism of amending the Constitution to allow foreign born people to run for president, with Breitbart among conservative critics of the proposal. In a statement made shortly after Schwarzenegger announced interest in the presidential race, he said: "the Constitution is a safeguard against foreign entities who would harm America and its citizens. There's a good reason people who aren't born here aren't allowed to run for President, and amending it for anyone, no matter how qualified, is a dangerous proposal". A majority of Americans seem to share Breitbart's sentiment: a recent poll taken shortly after Breitbart's statement had 51 percent of voters stating that the Constitution should stay how it is, 35 support amending it to allow for naturalized citizens, and 14 percent were unsure. There is now a growing "Amend For Arnold" movement circulating online, with an informal petition garnering half a million votes. As of right now, the new Republican congress hasn't stated anything about pushing forward a possible amendment, and either way, it would be extremely unlikely that such an amendment could be ratified in time for the 2008 elections.
When asked who he would support for president if he wasn't allowed to run, Schwarzenegger mentioned his friend Sonny Bono, who has also mentioned a possible presidential run.
from a Yahoo! News article, posted on November 10, 2006
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Early Presidential Polling Has Santorum, Clinton As Frontrunners
An early national poll taken amongst 1000 likely voters from each party has been taken, indicating possible voter preferences for the 2008 election. Ten of the most mentioned candidates for each party were selected and offered to the voters, and the results are as follows:
Rick Santorum: 29%
John Kasich: 22%
Rudy Giuliani: 10%
Sonny Bono: 10%
Mike Huckabee: 8%
Jeb Bush: 7%
Peter Fitzgerald: 4%
Richard Lugar: 4%
Andrew Breitbart: 3%
John Walton: 3%
Hillary Clinton: 28%
John F. Kennedy Jr.: 27%
Barack Obama: 10%
Maria Cantwell: 7%
John Edwards: 7%
Dennis Kucinich: 6%
Paul Wellstone: 6%
Bob Menendez: 5%
Bill Richardson: 2%
Robert Wexler: 2%
Rick Santorum has taken a commanding lead in the Republican race, though there's also a great deal of support for 2004 candidate John Kasich, who hasn't definitively stated that he wouldn't be willing to run again. Former New York mayor and 2002 Senate candidate Rudy Giuliani has also seen significant support, which could set up a potential rematch with John F. Kennedy Jr. with the White House on the line. Speaking of JFK Jr., he finished just behind Hillary in a Democratic poll that also saw Illinois senator Barack Obama and Washington senator Maria Cantwell make strong showings. While the Republican party has overwhelming control of Congress, the sharp divide between economic and social conservatives could see a party divided going into the 2008 election, an election Republicans are expected to do quite well in if the economy continues to falter.
-from an article on Politicwatch.com, posted on November 17, 2006
-
Steve Irwin: And so these conservation efforts, I think, are so important to ensuring the continued health of the world's marine life. Bleached coral is becoming a major problem, and with climate change occurring at an even more rapid pace, it's more important than ever to monitor the status of coral reefs and the creatures living within them, because it really is the backbone of our worldwide oceanic ecosystem.
Paula Zahn: That is incredibly fascinating, and it's really troubling to hear about how quickly these reefs are becoming endangered.
Irwin: It just proves that no matter where you live, we all have a part to play in taking care of our environment and the creatures that live-
Matt Lauer: Steve, I'm really sorry but we have to cut this just a bit short, we have breaking news out of the capital of Pakistan right now and we need to switch over to that because something quite terrible has happened.
*A video is shown of a massive cloud of black smoke rising over the city.*
Lauer: We're getting word now that a massive truck bomb has been detonated right in the heart of Islamabad, Pakistan, and we also have reports of several gunmen throughout the city, and we're hearing right now that the truck bomb was detonated outside of one of the most frequented hotels in Pakistan, a hotel frequented by American travelers and businessmen. We're hearing initial reports that over 400 people have died in just the truck bombing alone, but we're also hearing that a gunman ran into a restaurant and that at least 18 people were killed there, and more gunmen are attacking tourist sites and shops throughout the city. It is an absolutely chaotic and horrible situation in Islamabad right now.
Zahn: And we have on the phone an American tourist who was staying in that hotel, this is exclusive right now and they were staying on the other side of that hotel from where the truck was parked, that hotel sustained enormous damage but this tourist somehow was able to get to safety and we're talking with them right now. Julie, you're on the phone with NBC's Today, how are you doing right now, are you all right?
Julie: *sounds very scared and distressed but is able to talk coherently* Yes, I'm fine, I'm bleeding from my arm but I think I'm fine.
Zahn: Julie, don't put yourself in danger to talk to us, if you need to get to a hospital-
Julie: I'm fine, it's okay, it's horrible here though. *sirens can be heard loudly in the background*
Lauer: Julie, this is Matt Lauer, can you tell us what happened? *as Julie speaks there's video playing on the screen of emergency personnel rushing to the scene of the bombing, dozens of people being pulled out of the wreckage, bloodied people crying or looking for friends or loved ones*
Julie: I was eating supper in my room when all of a sudden there was this huge explosion, I was thrown out of my bed and one of the walls was blown up... some rubble fell on me and all I could hear was screaming, I couldn't hear very well though because the explosion was so loud.
Zahn: If you need to go to the hospital you should go, where are you right now?
Julie: I'm not sure, I'm looking for my friend because she was outside the hotel when it happened, she had gone shopping and I don't know where she is but they said it's too dangerous to go anywhere because there might still be gunmen...
Zahn: How many people are around you right now?
Julie: There are so many people and a lot of them hurt...I saw so many dead bodies when I was coming out of the building... *starts crying*
Zahn: Julie...Julie we're going to let you go, you need to get to a hospital to take care of your arm, okay?
Lauer: Julie, thank you for taking the time to speak to us but you-
*Some screaming is heard*
Julie: Oh my God! No, wait- *gunshots can be heard, along with several loud cries including "Death to the American whore Musharraf!" in Punjabi before the call is cut off*
Zahn: ....*her hand is covering her mouth, she's speechless*
Lauer: I, um...
Zahn: *shaking her head for a moment, her hand still covering her mouth*
Lauer: We're just...going to go to the NBC News studio where Katie Couric will continue to cover this unfolding and terrible situation.
*Cut to commercial for about 20 seconds before the NBC Special Report graphic is shown*
-from NBC's broadcast of Today on November 20, 2006
Most of the headlines were made in the Senatorial races, where a number of longtime Democratic incumbents were up for re-election in surprisingly competitive races. One of those incumbents was Dianne Feinstein, who was being challenged by the young and controversial arch-conservative Andrew Breitbart. Breitbart had made headlines when he'd finished third in the 2003 California recall elections, and had continued to make headlines as a fierce voice for conservative issues, appearing regularly on networks such as Fox News, and also being a frequent guest on Glenn Beck's increasingly popular radio show, which had become the #2 conservative radio show in the country behind Rush Limbaugh. Breitbart won an extremly contentious primary that saw Breitbart triumph over congressman Sonny Bono. Bono, who'd famously reconciled with his transgender son Chaz Bono in 1999 and who was considered a pro-LGBT Republican, differed sharply with Breitbart on the issue of LGBT rights. The two had a single debate weeks before the election, in which they nearly came to blows after Breitbart referred to Chaz Bono as Sonny's "degenerate daughter", and Sonny had to be physically restrained from attacking Breitbart. The incident had been thought to be fatal for Breitbart's candidacy, but the socially conservative Republican base rewarded Breitbart with a narrow win. With Breitbart's ex-wife (but still friend and campaign advisor) Arianna Huffington helping him to fine-tune his message, Breitbart had begun appealing to more mainstream voters, and the race was thought to be a dead heat going into election day. Ultimately, Feinstein triumphed over Breitbart by less than a percentage point, and Breitbart would use the narrow loss to claim that he was "robbed", which sent plenty more traffic to his website in the months to come.
Feinstein holding off Breitbart would be one of the few bits of good news that Democrats would have on Election Day: it would be a bloodbath at the polls. Jeb Bush, fresh off his second term as Florida's governor, easily defeated incumbent senator Bill Nelson by 12 percentage points, Michael Steele would defeat his Democratic challenger Ben Cardin to become Maryland's junior senator, Shelley Capito would score a massive political upset by defeating longtime senator Robert Byrd in West Virginia, and Rick Santorum would absolutely crush his Democratic opponent by a 70-25 margin to retain his Senate seat in Pennsylvania. Santorum's huge win was yet another indication that he was becoming a frontrunner in the 2008 presidential race, in which it seemed increasingly likely that a socially conservative Republican could be the party's standard-bearer.
All in all, Republicans gained eight Senate seats in 2006's midterms, taking control of the chamber with 57 seats. Democrats were knocked all the way down to 42, though independent Bernie Sanders would continue to caucus with them. In the House, the results were similar to the 1994 Republican wave election: Republicans would gain 44 seats in all, retaking control of the chamber by a staggering 260-175 margin. Texas congressman Lamar Smith would be named Speaker of the House, while Indiana senator Richard Lugar became the Senate majority leader. The election of such a sharply Republican congress would drastically limit Al Gore's ability to push his agenda forward over the last two years of his presidency, and many began to call him a lame duck, even with half of his final term left to serve.
-
"Amend For Arnold" Movement Gaining Steam?
Longtime actor and bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger has become increasingly vocal and active in politics as of late. Recently in 2003, he considered throwing his hat into the ring for the California recall elections, and would have likely been the front-runner, but declined to enter and instead threw his support toward longtime friend and eventual winner Richard Riordan. Schwarzenegger's name also came up in the conversation for California's open 2006 Senate seat, in which longtime senator Dianne Feinstein was said to be vulnerable. Schwarzenegger declined to enter that race as well, but did condemn Republican candidate Andrew Breitbart for a number of anti-transgender comments made during the Republican primary race. Schwarzenegger also stated that had he known Breitbart would win the primary, he would have entered himself. Now, Schwarzenegger has become vocal once again, stating that he'd be willing to consider a run for president should he be made eligible. The United States Constitution currently prevents non-natural born citizens from running for president, but there's been talk about amending the Constitution to strike that provision, especially amongst moderate Republicans who would like to see Schwarzenegger run.
There's been criticism of amending the Constitution to allow foreign born people to run for president, with Breitbart among conservative critics of the proposal. In a statement made shortly after Schwarzenegger announced interest in the presidential race, he said: "the Constitution is a safeguard against foreign entities who would harm America and its citizens. There's a good reason people who aren't born here aren't allowed to run for President, and amending it for anyone, no matter how qualified, is a dangerous proposal". A majority of Americans seem to share Breitbart's sentiment: a recent poll taken shortly after Breitbart's statement had 51 percent of voters stating that the Constitution should stay how it is, 35 support amending it to allow for naturalized citizens, and 14 percent were unsure. There is now a growing "Amend For Arnold" movement circulating online, with an informal petition garnering half a million votes. As of right now, the new Republican congress hasn't stated anything about pushing forward a possible amendment, and either way, it would be extremely unlikely that such an amendment could be ratified in time for the 2008 elections.
When asked who he would support for president if he wasn't allowed to run, Schwarzenegger mentioned his friend Sonny Bono, who has also mentioned a possible presidential run.
from a Yahoo! News article, posted on November 10, 2006
-
Early Presidential Polling Has Santorum, Clinton As Frontrunners
An early national poll taken amongst 1000 likely voters from each party has been taken, indicating possible voter preferences for the 2008 election. Ten of the most mentioned candidates for each party were selected and offered to the voters, and the results are as follows:
Rick Santorum: 29%
John Kasich: 22%
Rudy Giuliani: 10%
Sonny Bono: 10%
Mike Huckabee: 8%
Jeb Bush: 7%
Peter Fitzgerald: 4%
Richard Lugar: 4%
Andrew Breitbart: 3%
John Walton: 3%
Hillary Clinton: 28%
John F. Kennedy Jr.: 27%
Barack Obama: 10%
Maria Cantwell: 7%
John Edwards: 7%
Dennis Kucinich: 6%
Paul Wellstone: 6%
Bob Menendez: 5%
Bill Richardson: 2%
Robert Wexler: 2%
Rick Santorum has taken a commanding lead in the Republican race, though there's also a great deal of support for 2004 candidate John Kasich, who hasn't definitively stated that he wouldn't be willing to run again. Former New York mayor and 2002 Senate candidate Rudy Giuliani has also seen significant support, which could set up a potential rematch with John F. Kennedy Jr. with the White House on the line. Speaking of JFK Jr., he finished just behind Hillary in a Democratic poll that also saw Illinois senator Barack Obama and Washington senator Maria Cantwell make strong showings. While the Republican party has overwhelming control of Congress, the sharp divide between economic and social conservatives could see a party divided going into the 2008 election, an election Republicans are expected to do quite well in if the economy continues to falter.
-from an article on Politicwatch.com, posted on November 17, 2006
-
Steve Irwin: And so these conservation efforts, I think, are so important to ensuring the continued health of the world's marine life. Bleached coral is becoming a major problem, and with climate change occurring at an even more rapid pace, it's more important than ever to monitor the status of coral reefs and the creatures living within them, because it really is the backbone of our worldwide oceanic ecosystem.
Paula Zahn: That is incredibly fascinating, and it's really troubling to hear about how quickly these reefs are becoming endangered.
Irwin: It just proves that no matter where you live, we all have a part to play in taking care of our environment and the creatures that live-
Matt Lauer: Steve, I'm really sorry but we have to cut this just a bit short, we have breaking news out of the capital of Pakistan right now and we need to switch over to that because something quite terrible has happened.
*A video is shown of a massive cloud of black smoke rising over the city.*
Lauer: We're getting word now that a massive truck bomb has been detonated right in the heart of Islamabad, Pakistan, and we also have reports of several gunmen throughout the city, and we're hearing right now that the truck bomb was detonated outside of one of the most frequented hotels in Pakistan, a hotel frequented by American travelers and businessmen. We're hearing initial reports that over 400 people have died in just the truck bombing alone, but we're also hearing that a gunman ran into a restaurant and that at least 18 people were killed there, and more gunmen are attacking tourist sites and shops throughout the city. It is an absolutely chaotic and horrible situation in Islamabad right now.
Zahn: And we have on the phone an American tourist who was staying in that hotel, this is exclusive right now and they were staying on the other side of that hotel from where the truck was parked, that hotel sustained enormous damage but this tourist somehow was able to get to safety and we're talking with them right now. Julie, you're on the phone with NBC's Today, how are you doing right now, are you all right?
Julie: *sounds very scared and distressed but is able to talk coherently* Yes, I'm fine, I'm bleeding from my arm but I think I'm fine.
Zahn: Julie, don't put yourself in danger to talk to us, if you need to get to a hospital-
Julie: I'm fine, it's okay, it's horrible here though. *sirens can be heard loudly in the background*
Lauer: Julie, this is Matt Lauer, can you tell us what happened? *as Julie speaks there's video playing on the screen of emergency personnel rushing to the scene of the bombing, dozens of people being pulled out of the wreckage, bloodied people crying or looking for friends or loved ones*
Julie: I was eating supper in my room when all of a sudden there was this huge explosion, I was thrown out of my bed and one of the walls was blown up... some rubble fell on me and all I could hear was screaming, I couldn't hear very well though because the explosion was so loud.
Zahn: If you need to go to the hospital you should go, where are you right now?
Julie: I'm not sure, I'm looking for my friend because she was outside the hotel when it happened, she had gone shopping and I don't know where she is but they said it's too dangerous to go anywhere because there might still be gunmen...
Zahn: How many people are around you right now?
Julie: There are so many people and a lot of them hurt...I saw so many dead bodies when I was coming out of the building... *starts crying*
Zahn: Julie...Julie we're going to let you go, you need to get to a hospital to take care of your arm, okay?
Lauer: Julie, thank you for taking the time to speak to us but you-
*Some screaming is heard*
Julie: Oh my God! No, wait- *gunshots can be heard, along with several loud cries including "Death to the American whore Musharraf!" in Punjabi before the call is cut off*
Zahn: ....*her hand is covering her mouth, she's speechless*
Lauer: I, um...
Zahn: *shaking her head for a moment, her hand still covering her mouth*
Lauer: We're just...going to go to the NBC News studio where Katie Couric will continue to cover this unfolding and terrible situation.
*Cut to commercial for about 20 seconds before the NBC Special Report graphic is shown*
-from NBC's broadcast of Today on November 20, 2006
AeroTheZealousOne
Monthly Donor
Oh God. Looks like OTL's 2008 Mumbai hotel terrorist attack had its analogue in Islamabad in 2006 (and it seems to have similarities to OTL's Paris terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015 as well), and on steroids, too. RIP to the over 400 odd innocent people who died in Pakistan.
And I think we all saw the wave of conservative support coming to wipe clean for the Democrats any Congressional majorities from about ten miles away...let's just hope this timeline and much of the good in it doesn't come crashing down in the early 2010s. It probably won't, but all I am going to say is we still have the events at North Carolina State sometime next year to go through...
On a brighter note, Arnold Schwarzenegger for President! And if the Constitution isn't amended for that...he'll be back.
Oh come on, I just had to make a Terminator reference.
And I think we all saw the wave of conservative support coming to wipe clean for the Democrats any Congressional majorities from about ten miles away...let's just hope this timeline and much of the good in it doesn't come crashing down in the early 2010s. It probably won't, but all I am going to say is we still have the events at North Carolina State sometime next year to go through...
On a brighter note, Arnold Schwarzenegger for President! And if the Constitution isn't amended for that...he'll be back.
Oh come on, I just had to make a Terminator reference.
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