Oh Jesus. Not what I wanted to wake up to today. Or ever.

My thoughts with all who have peeps in London.

In double-plus exciting news, remember Breakit? [link] While I bet you people have gone on with your lives, I have finally beaten all 50 levels.

Oh Jesse, I have not yet played this, and since I finally sussed out a move in Stack-the-Cats that nets me 256,000 (not a typo) points in one blow, it just hasn't been the same. Also, my cats died long ago, so I have to make my own fun.

I guess I should just pick one and go with that, but it's kind of hard to come up with "qualities that made the learning environment effective" other than, "well, the teacher was pretty nice." This would be much easier if it was meant to be about a particularly ineffective learning environment. I seem to remember those more clearly.

Emily, if it's not too late, maybe you could work backwards from the bad experience. Identify (for yourself, just in a list, not formally) what was wrong with one of the ineffective environments, then look at your good experiences. Chances are the bad things from the ineffective environment were absent from the good experience. And you can flip the negs into positives. I hope this makes some modicum of sense.

Examples: If, say, in the bad environment, maybe the teacher was either incompetent or bored with the subject matter. So, it is likely that in one of your good experiences, you had a teacher who had mastery of the subject and enthusiasm for same.

Or say, if in the bad environment, you didn't have enough books, equipment, or space, then it is likely those things were present in the good environment.

Another example: If in the bad environment, part of the problem seemed to be that the students weren't into it, perhaps it was because it was a required course, and maybe in the good environment, students were there because they chose to be.

Or you could totally wing it.

Mark Valley is very short.

I imagine they had to concentrate the pretty, to get it at that strength.

Brenda, what? What happened?

eta...

Oh, no. Explosions--an apparent terror attack--in the London Underground: [link]

My thoughts are with all. I'm so sorry.

Series of subway and bus bomings. Not much detail yet. Blair is on his way back from Scotland, but plans to return tonight.

ETA: Seven confirmed blasts - six in the Underground, one on a bus. Apparently the trains were between stations, so they're still trying to reach them and get people out.

Tony Blair had me in tears.

Maybe only four train blasts. I guess that's something.

Possible suicide bomber on the bus. First in Britain.

Six bombs on trains, one on a bus.

UTTAD, you're in Scotland, right? Best to you and yours, and the whole country.

UTTAD, are your loved ones safe?

Random minutiae:

One of CNN's analysts is named Clark Kent Irwin.

I'm a little charmed by the signs that say "diversion" instead of "detour." It's brilliant, so you're all "ooh, I'll go that way" instead of "dammit, how far out of my way will this take me."

It's startling and wrong to hear the term "walking wounded" used in its literal sense.

My affection for Tony Blair is rekindling.

Heard the news this am around 6:30 ET and showered, dressed, and left. The commute was stressful, if only in my head, but at least it was pre-the main rush.

Are there posters in London? I feel confident that there are at least family members there: ita, Fay, Fiona, others? Can we do a check in?

I am waiting to hear from my brother's friends who work in the financial district and my Welsh friend who has friends who work for British tourism offices.

The head of our office brought in her two little dogs today. That is good, it will keep me from going all numby and shut down.

Man, I hate stuff sometimes.