Blogtrek

Planeattack and Trainattack

Now Spain has had a major terrorist attack. On 2004 March 11, early in the morning, ten bombs ripped through cars of commuter trains taking passengers to or away from Madrid, killing exactly 200 people (this may go higher). It reminds us of Planeattack on 2001 September 11, and it occurred 2 1/2 years after Planeattack. It was only one-third the intensity of Planeattack; in a nation of 52 million people, or about 1/5 the size of the US, 1/15 of the people (200 versus about 3,000) died. Still, it was a terrible tragedy.

However, I do note a problem and an error appearing in the media about this event. First of all, they are calling it 3/11 or even March 11. This is just as inappropriate as calling Planeattack 9/11 or September 11. It demeans people born on March 11, and the phrase "March 11" can't be used for anything else (such as 2005 March 11) without causing confusion. Further, the numbers 3/11 can also cause confusion. If one says that something will occur on March 3-11, then that will cause confusion.

It is difficult to find names for these events, and it was only after some searching that I came up with the name Planeattack for the events of 2001 September 11, choosing it over Attack on America, Towerfall, and several other names. But now that I call the events of that day Planeattack, that suggests that the events in Spain on 2004 March 11 be called Trainattack (el Trenataque or el Trenatentado in español). One problem with both names is that there could very well be another event of this type, especially Trainattack. I suppose it would be Trainattack II, or for the first one, Trainattack in Madrid, instead. Indeed, I have already used planeattack, with a small p, to denote the deliberate crashing of planes into buildings as terrorist attacks in general. But I still am lacking a better name, so for now it is Planeattack and Trainattack.

An error that the media has made is saying that Trainattack occurred 911 days after Planeattack. Maybe this is the reason the day was chosen (more likely is the 2 1/2-year anniversary), but it is just plain wrong. Planeattack occurred on Tuesday, and Trainattack occurred on Thursday. It occurred on Wednesday to people in the Western Hemisphere, but that isn't what counts: it occurred on Thursday in the place where it mattered. The number 91 is divisible by 7, so likewise 910 is divisible by 7. Hence when 911 is divided by 7, the remainder is 1. This means that 911 days after a certain day of the week is the next day of the week. So 911 days after Tuesday is Wednesday, not Thursday. It is true that 911 days lie between the two dates, but that is not how the media states it. The two events occurred 912 days apart, and if the media continues to call it 911 days, then I will have to answer them the same way as the receiver of an unwanted call did: "Ah no, you got the wrong number. This is 91…2."