I should start by noting that theater has never much been my thing. I’ve seen Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Avenue Q etc. etc. and I enjoyed them to be sure, but not enough to pay the exorbitant price tag that inevitably goes with them. Here, in New York, I have discovered the masterpiece of theater for those of us whose goal is to drink and have a good time; Flanagan’s Wake. Continue reading »
Last week, Mike suggested we write about our experiences with or thoughts on the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. I thought about it… where I was (Russian TA session), how old I was (freshman in college – I had just turned 18), who was affected (my roommate and dorm neighbors were from Manhattan; my uncle worked in the Pentagon), and how I felt (outraged, shocked, numb, upset). I had retold the story a hundred times – to friends, mostly foreign and often younger, and mostly on the anniversary of the attacks. I thought about typing it up again, here, but decided it was almost too difficult to articulate. Also, why would my experience be worth reading about? Everyone was freaking out, especially us on the East Coast. I dropped the idea.
Until today.
I was catching up on my Preston and Steve podcasts and listened to the show from September 11. They had an author of a book about the action taken at the Pentagon that day (a story which I agree is overshadowed by the harrowing events in New York City and the legend surrounding Flight 93). A moment of silence was observed, during which all the emotions of that day came swarming back. Those feelings of deep sadness for our nation’s collective loss (loss of life, loss of peace, loss of security) were replaced by the statement’s made next.
While interviewing the author of the Pentagon book, Steve Morrison (co-host of the radio show) made a comment about conspiracy theorists to the effect that to even posit an alternative theory on the events was not only disrespectful to the dead, but made you a stupid human. And this is the most prominent ideological (note: not PHYSICAL) loss to America – the loss of our ability (and perhaps, our will) to question the government.
I’m not saying that I disagree with the standard story of events surrounding 9/11, nor am I a “truther.” The point I am making has nothing to do with my own personal or political beliefs surrounding that day. However, I DO believe that is our right and our DUTY as Americans to question the actions of our government. Why is it suddenly WRONG and UNPATRIOTIC to question authority (and, thus, the authority of the mass news media)? Is it because we’re really that incapable of conceiving that maybe, just maybe, the government killed its own people? Did we forget that this is the same government built out of bloody revolution? The same government who sold arms to Iran and lied about it. The same government who passed a law to listen to your phone calls and read your text messages without a writ of habeas corpus. Yeah – that government.
People who question the events of 9/11 are often compared to those who denied the Holocaust. From what I’ve seen, no one is questioning the fact that the events were horrific and that they did, indeed, occur. That’s not the point. We should be able to question HOW and what our government KNEW (if anything at all) that they didn’t tell us. The freedom to police our government is one of the fundamentals of democracy and shouldn’t be quelled simply because a tragic event occurred. ESPECIALLY now, when the event led to a war (um… that the government admittedly started under false pretenses) is when we should question the motives and methods of our leaders. Even if it leads to a consensus, at least the job was done.
When lives are lost on American soil, it becomes inappropriate to ask “why?” Seems like now, when thousands more Americans are dying in Iraq, all we can say is “why not?”
Casting calls, er cattle calls…
Dozens of doods in tight designer jeans, tighter shirts with random decals on them and hair that is gelled and frozen in place for weeks. They all sit there sizin one another up with fake smiles and uncomfortable laughs hoping that they will book this one gig that will pay them a grand for 6 hours of work next tuesday so they can spend it on more jeans, hair gel, a shit load of alcohol and some coke that theyll snort in the bathroom of some random dive bar in the lower east side while hoping to get down with one of the girls they met at the afforementioned cattle call.
The girls have their caked make up applied liberally around their faces. Shirt lines give way to low cuts and expose clevage that a porn star would envy. Ive realized something too about all these girls. They all look the same, its all very cookie cutter. Its not even like these girls are especially pretty, they just happen to be very unique looking. Cookie cutter unique. If that makes any sense.
Anyway i sit there with all of them and im always the only one reading a book. Not that it puts me on a pedestal but i do wonder at times whether any of them can actually read because i never see it happen, except to of course when i hear one of them read something from the cue cards like, “mmmm tomato soup!”. Generally they take out their portfolios and google over pictures of one another, seeing who can post their best blue steel.
Eventually five of us are called into a room where one young man sits behind a camera who looks like he would rather be cutting the skin between his fingers with a sharp edge of a piece of paper and then applying lemon juice to the laceration. In other words he is obviously very happy to be here. He then asks us all to take off our shirts and apply a sticker with numbers onto our chests, so we can be further relegated to cattle status. The one thing i notice is that i am the only gentleman in the room with hair on his chest. The four other guys have all waxed their chests and look like that lil 12 year old muscle kid. You know, the one who has the face of a 30 year old and is short and thin like a 12 year old but is built like arnold schwarznegger. So i make the comment “I should have waxed my chest like the rest of you” To which they all actually laugh without realizing im making fun of them.
Its at that point that i realize i might be in the wrong line of work.
Recently, the internet and some friends have been buzzing about the 9/11 conspiracy-theory documentary Loose Change. Written and directed by 23-year-old Dylan Avery, this documentary posits that the events of September 11, 2001 were perpetrated by the United States government and not Al-Qaida operatives. While there are many 9/11 conspiracy theories out there (ranging from the extreme, neo-Nazi driven to the watered-down Michael Moore versions), this is probably the most coherent alternative explanation for the bizarre and frightening events of that day.
Avery and Co. suggest that the US manufactured the attacks and was the only entity both technologically and financially capable of doing so. Motives of personal greed, opinion polls, and the ability to initiate scrutable foreign policy moves influenced the attack. The filmmakers cite the lack of wreckage, scientific paradoxes (jet fuel doesn’t burn hot enough to melt steel, etc), and refusal of the US government to release specific documents and pieces of evidence (where are the flight recorders?) as their bases for this theory. While the film doesn’t answer every question that the viewer might have, it certainly offers a twist in the way one typically thinks about 9/11. This fact does not harm the overall effectiveness of Loose Change; rather, it only proves that not all theories are water-tight, including the socially-accepted theory that a group of poorly-organized Muslim extremists brought down landmarks of freedom in the most militarily powerful country in the world.
I want to state that I am far from your typical conspiracy theorist. I also want to state that 9/11 conspiracy theorists are NOT anti-Holocaust sympathizers (apparently, according to 9/11 conspiracy websites, this is a typical complaint of standard-9/11-theory proponents and is a common misnomer). I lost people in 9/11 and was paralyzed into a state of fear momentarily as I watched the towers fall on live tv. I now have a man in the Iraq, involved in a war that neither of us believe is right, so I feel especially connected to this issue, as 9/11 has been used as the justification for much of our recent foreign policy. I ache for those affected, because no matter who was at fault, it was senseless and a blow to the American psyche. It should not have happened, but it did. Now, as protectors of free speech and democracy, it’s up to us to demand an explanation of why and how.
The film is currently undergoing a third revision to be released in theaters in the near future. Until then, there is the passable 2nd version, that while intriguing is marred by a too-personal first person narration (the narrator explicitly states his opinion; not only does the audience not care, but we also should be thought clever enough to let the facts speak for themselves). No matter your thoughts on 9/11, I highly suggest that you give 90 minutes of your life to viewing this movie, if only to get other opinions. You can view the 2nd cut free of charge (yes… gratis. They just really want you to see the movie) through the links here (you can choose either Google video or DivX platforms. The resolution isn’t stellar, but it’s, you know, free).
Give the video a shot and leave comments below, or feel free to get at me directly. I’m interested to see what others think or know about this issue! While you’re waiting for it to load, check out these other 9/11 conspiracy-theory sites:
Day before yesterday I received a frantic email from Adrienne, someone had contacted her via MySpace (I’ll never list email addresses here on the site for spam reasons) about her article here on Randomn3ss about banging Bear Grylls. The person claimed to be a writer for the NY Post and wanted to talk to her on the phone to get a quote for a human interest piece they were doing on the celebrity. A quick Google search revealed that this was not a prank, it was very much a reality.
Excited, Adrienne sent her phone number via MySpace message and within a few hours got a phone call. Twenty minutes later, she had given her quotes and hoped for the best.
Today the article was published! Adrienne got her name published in the NY Post for something she had written here on Randomn3ss! Big congratulations to Adrienne, please show her some love.
This little bit of excitement goes to prove that while you may only be writing a story or article for yourself, you never know who may be reading it. Randomn3ss is always looking for more writers, regardless of your skill level, so drop us a line.
View the NY Post article here
Fat City Reprise is poised for world domination and you are powerless to stop them. And if they don’t get to dominate the world, they at least dominated my liver on this bus trip.
Monday – I get strep throat and a fever.
Thursday, same week – I am on a bus at 3pm with 25 other people drinking bottles of Jack, smoking, and generally carousing around on our way to New York City. This was also after I called out of work that day. And the next.
Who could possibly throw together such a debaucherous affair (gratis, mind you, and one that dragged this feverish amazon out of her death bed) for their friends and fans?? Only the fabulous foursome known as Fat City Reprise (Nick, Mike Vivas, Frankie Pedano, and Jay Miraglia), a Phildelphia-based pop-funk band with a devoted local following. Their songs are catchy and danceable – if you aren’t bouncing around as soon as they plug in, then you should just go on back home because you are not fun. Nick Anastasi, guitarist and Gemini, has described their sound as both “Thrift Store” and “ADD” rock, because the listener is in for almost anything with Fat City – they add stylistic nuances to their songs as to never be boring (and also to stay classy, Philadelphia).
I’m entirely too hungover to read the news and come up with something erudite this morning, so I’m going to repost this YouTube video of some stupid ass child running into a breakdancing routine.
I mean, I realize that kids run around willy-nilly because they don’t know any better and as soon as you figure out how legs work, you’re off like a speeding bullet. I am sure I gave my mom years worth of migraines running up and down the aisles at church (at least I didn’t immediately burst into flame like I would if I set foot in a church now). But I’m entirely over little kids being allowed to run around like hellions. I work part-time in retail in a bi-level store and cannot tell you how many times I’ve rescued some kid before they go ass over noggin down the steps because their irresponsible parents are too busy trying on $80 Nike workout capris to notice.
So, put your kid on a leash or use a condom.
Thanks to Gawker.com for first look at the vid.
So you cant make it to Times Square to see what all the fuss is about? No problem, check out every advertisement that is in Times Square. Pretty amazing that someone went to this length to document this, as I’m sure it will change fairly often.
It is not a total replacement for visiting, there are no bums asking for money and you cant hear 20 different dialects being spoken in the same time, nor the feeling that everyone is in a rush, from this site. Everyone should visit New York City at least once in his or her life.
