Tag Archives: education

March 29, 2010 · 12:52 pm

A Conversation About 9/11

They say arguing on the internet is like winning the Special Olympics–even if you win, you’re still retarded. It’s typically a saying used by people who don’t use the internet to its full potential and often live in a microcosm of their own blatant self-satisfaction. I enjoy learning and educating myself. If I don’t know the answer to something, I’ll try to find out. When it comes to Conspiracy Theories, I’ve always been intrigued by the notion that people actually believe. Is it naive to have faith in something that there is no evidence for?

Usually my private debates are just kept between me and the danger-seekers, but…this one stood out to me as particularly scary and revealing.

Somehow, I was “Friended” on Facebook by someone who claimed to be a professional 9/11 Researcher. I won’t reveal his name, but the conversation that ensued should speak for itself. I’ll try to spice it up with some fun pics and videos so you don’t have to strain yourself clicking on links. Let’s begin.

hi my name is D. i am a 9/11 researcher and have published my own books on the 9/11.I am a independant researcher and willing to look at other peoples conspiracys…Hi Alex

hey

Just wondering if you no any thing about the 9/11

I do, yes

would you like to tell me.

what would you like to know?

what you no

I know that a bunch of hijackers, most from saudi arabia, came to America, trained and received payment by terrorist organizations, then got aboard 4 aircraft–flying 2 into the world trade towers, 1 into the pentagon, and 1 made a detour into a field in PA

ok that is wrong…you have been brainwashed

oh, okay. would you tell me what really happened?

ok a plain cannot hit a building and melt steal lead

it didn’t melt any steel

it melted the structure

no, it didn’t

ok there was 94 floors

that’s a misconception. The fire weakened the steel. Didn’t melt it

the tower come down in 8 seconds

no it didn’t…it took a while for the tower to collapse

ok i will not bother going any further…you can lisson to the goverment and get brainwashed it is fine…it all comes down to the american goverment

my father was working for m i5…he was the wisleblower…if you like i can send you his link and you can look it up…becasue i dont think you no what is going on

I’m not listening to the government…I recognize that the 9/11 Commission Report is flawed and incomplete…there are elements we still don’t completely know

which is fine because the goverment are making people brainwashed…we will not no

but to say that basic physics is wrong is just naive…no one ever said that the steel melted. it didn’t melt

the only way we will find out is if the US goverment got eye whitness…yes it did melt

it warped and weakened until it was structurally unable to hold up the rest of the building. no it didn’t

the goverment did not want to do a public eye whitness…why is that…the building fell in 8 seconds

because the public “eye witness” was people terrified and running the opposite direction?

but they still could have come up and given whitness…but it was not them it was the US goverment

Do you research the facts, or just your side of the conspiracy argument?

i have been doing this for 8 years…i am not brainwashed…there was no plain which hit the building

then what did we see on TV? because it was pretty fucking real when I watched it

the plain 575 what they said did was never found

and when all those people died…bullshit…go tell the families of the victims that their loved ones aren’t dead…I’m sure they’d love to hear your side of the story

i would happily

Where are they then?

its better than being brain washed

so all those people are alive?

there was no plain

no planes…okay…so all the images we saw were fake

any 1 with intelligents would no that if a plain hit the building the way they said it did the building would not have fell like that any way…no plains…missile and booms in the building

missile and booms, eh? So all the people on the planes that never existed are alive?

the goverment did not releas that on the same day the 7 building come down as well

or did all of those people never exist in the first place?

my friend

Yes they did release that. Yes the did. You’re making shit up, dude

there was only 1 flight allowed to leave that airport that day

It’s all fun and games to have a debate, but you’re just making shit up

no i am not

Yes you are! Why did I watch a plane fly into a building?

why would i make stuff up

Why did witnesses watch that? Why do photos show planes flying into buildings?

it disintergrated before hitting the building

Okay…listen–you have the burden of proof on your hands. I have evidence on mine. You need to prove your case

same

I’ll ask you a question and you answer it…k?

Where are the 3000 people who were “killed” on 9/11?

dead…what else do you want me to say appart from that

How did they die if there were no planes for them to be on?

that is what i am telling you

you haven’t told me anything yet

the people in the building died

yes. that’s true…go on

the building had 5 layers of concrete if a plain hit that it would not go throw all 5…where is the plain?

here:

its brain wash…ok can i send you my fathers link

IT’S A FUCKING PICTURE…how is it brainwashing?…I have proof…you don’t

i do

prove your point and I’ll listen…just prove something…anything

i can send you it now if you like

fine

ok 1 sec

I show you a picture or a video and you say “It’s brainwashing”

If I can’t refute your “evidence” with science and facts, then you win

ok i win then wacth it

okay I am

its my father

That’s fine…Is he actually your father?

yes…it gets interesting now

Why does he claim to be the Son of God?

becuase it can not be proven to this day that he is not

Why is he a transvestite anti-semite conspiracy theorist nut-fuck?

that’s my father…he is not a tranvestite

I found evidence to the contrary:

i dont want to see it sorry

what my father is saying is correct it was a goverment set up

Hmm…do you think that his batshit insanity might discredit his completely fatuous arguments?

it is not bullshit we are just not brainwashed…and not stupidu

Listen, you seem like a cool guy, I don’t want to do this anymore. You’re a nice kid. If we talk again, maybe we can find that we have stuff in common that doesn’t relate to 9/11.

im not a kid

We’d probably get along great as long as we don’t discuss this–so let’s just drop it, cause I gotta go

ok see you

peace

dude…the picture u sent me i no the guy…the 1 on the laptop

oh yeah? awesome

yes very good guy…i dont see why they r squatters

maybe they find it difficult to function in society

or reality

that’s what I’ve been saying! at last, we agree!

agree on what?

nvm

–Alex G/via Facebook

(return to MAIN PAGE)

List-o-Ramma! Why Philadelphia is one of the Great Cities of the World

This afternoon, I’d like to take a little while and talk about why Philadelphia, the great city where I was born, raised, and continue to live, is the greatest city in the world. Scoff, laugh and shrug, but stay with me on this one…

This is a blocky stick-up!

1) Crime - In 2007, Philadelphia had a murder rate of 11.8 per 100,000 people. Play around with those numbers, that’s 1.18 murders per 10,000 people. 709 violent crimes per 100k people (thats roughly 1 in 100), and about 3000 REPORTED property crimes per 100k, about 3% of the city (remember, REPORTED). Clearly, there are some big problems regarding crime in our fair city. It seems, however, that most murders are drug/gang related, so called “non-innocent victims,” but this doesn’t tell the whole story. Our prison system, the one designed to keep you and I safe, is dangerously overcrowded, which leads to criminals being inconsistently punished, and released early, but it also keeps criminals from receiving the rehabilitation they need to re-enter society as productive citizens. For shame, criminals; for shame, city government.

Shouldn't there be a house there?

2)Poverty and Blight- High crime is often the result of poverty, something we have far too much of around here. Even though it’s one of the most affordable places in the county to buy a house, many of these properties are in locations that are less than desirable, and many are simply left empty to rot. There is certainly no easy solution to this one, other than fight the crime as it come up, and help people receive the education they need to get good jobs…which leads to…

Ed-you-kay-shun FAIL

3) Schools- In 2001, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania forcibly took control of the nation’s 8th largest school district, the School District of Philadelphia. Our schools blew. The still blow. Kids are allowed to, essentially, attend any high school in any part of the city, which means that the neighborhood school isn’t filled with neighborhood kids. This, alone, is not a problem…however it becomes a problem when the citizens of a neighborhood have absolutely no interest in their neighborhood school. Parents are less interested in being devoted to a school they have to drive across town to get to, and students are less interested in keeping the area around their school nice. A big fat reoccurring theme pops up here…LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY on so many levels…

One for you, 19 for me...

4) Taxes- Our property taxes (well, not mine…I don’t have any property TO tax) pay for our schools. Our schools (see above) suck. That’s a pretty bad return on the investment, considering how staggeringly high our property taxes are. It’s really no wonder why people move to the burbs in droves when they have kids. It’s actually much cheaper! Make sense of that!

I-76: The Surekill Expressway

5) Traffic- Okay, traffic is bad in ALL cities, and ours is actually quite a bit better than some (LA). But highway travel aside, it sucks driving in town during the day. Narrow streets, bad roads and idiot drivers…not to mention those asshats from TimeCycle…driving in the city sure can be stressful, then you have to park. Deal with the PPA or a lot, either way, get ready to bend over. One of the things that frustrates me about the traffic situation isn’t so much the traffic itself, its the bureaucracy around the traffic. It took like 40 years for I-476 to get built (many reasons, and many people’s faults {mostly the NIMBYS}), The Roosevelt Boulevard is a death trap, I-95 is dangerous and unsightly…and we can’t even get new rail lines built or extended. Maybe some of this New Deal stuff will help us out, but I’m not holding my breath.

Wait, wait, wait…hold on…I just listed five HUGE problems with the city…isn’t this supposed to be why the city is one of the world’s greatest? Well here it is…

Philadelphia is one of the World’s Great Cities because, in spite of what I mentioned above (and God, so much more), I (someone who is notoriously bitter and cynical, someone who could complain about anything at the drop of a hat) still love it more than any other city, town or boro I’ve even been to. Despite its flaws, Philadelphia’s character is one that I identify with more than the over-busy New Yorks, the partying New Orleanses, or the Sopranoseque New Jerseys. Philadelphia is the scrappy underdog, the under-performing over-achieving little brother, the hidden gem that really pulls through after all. It’s my city, through and through.

So here’s to you, Philadelphia. I’m sorry for pulling apart a few of your flaws (you really do deserve it…tough love), and here, dear readers, are some of the things I love most about the city.

Puppy Love

1) World Fucking Champions- Oh man, the Fightin’s really did it this year. It’s been so long in the making. I once told Michelle that if I were dying in the hospital, unaware of what was really going on in the world around me, she was to tell me the Phillies had won the World Series, so I could feel that victory just once before I died. See, always the cynic, I loved…adored my Phillies, but I guess I never really thought it could happen. But it did…we have the best team in the best sport. How sweet that feels. (Also, just so I acknowledge it, we DO have a great, even if defeated, football team, a basketball team, a hockey team, soccer, minor league hockey and CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING ARENA FOOTBALL team, and the Big 5+1, so I do recognize that Philadelphia is a world class sports city…even when we don’t win championships, our teams are generally at least on the winning side of things…)…Side note, I was going to include the Big 5 as its own entry, since it’s a pretty unique thing, but they refuse to acknowledge Drexel, so they can suck it.

Save a Boatload of Benjamins!

2) The Historical- So I couldn’t find that hilarious picture of the Boatload of Benjamins in the shipping crates, you’ve seen the Comcast commercial…”this…isn’t Philadelphia…” and “Liberty Bell?” But come on, what look at the city could be complete without mentioning this? One of the US’s oldest cities, its clearly the most important. The US was friggan’ INVENTED here. We have the highest Olde Tymey Reinactor
per capita in the entire country! (I just made that up) But seriously, walk pretty much anywhere downtown east of City Hall on a nice day, and you’ll see what I mean if somehow, you don’t yet.

The greatest cause of all...awareness!

3) Concerts and Big Events- Okay, so the Phillies parade basically broke the city and SEPTA for an afternoon, but we were fine the next day. Live Aid, Live8, 4th of July Concerts on the Parkway…these things are huge. Everyone from Elton John to Lionel Richie comes here to play for FREE. Let’s also mention that we have a GREAT music scene. Everyone comes here, and they play in our amazing venues; The Troc, The TLA, The First Unitarian Church (notice the absence of a certain Electric Factory…). Everyone who’s anyone has played at these places, and quite often there are Battles of the Bands there too, so you can play the same venue your favorite superstar or garage band played.

No witty comment here, just enjoy the beauty

4) Fairmount Park- One of the, if not THE biggest landscaped urban parks in the world, it’s made of over 9000 acres of forest, parks and water. Thats like an entire THIRD of the city as dedicated parkland. AND they caught the Fairmount Park Toe Sucker, so it’s moderately safe to go at night again.

2500 Calories, not one of them nutritious

5) The Food- This is sort of hand-in-hand with culture and diversity, but we have some of the best food anywhere. The Cheesesteak, the hoagie…5 star restaurants to negative star fried chicken joints. We have the best food because of our vast, proud and diverse heritage. The Europeans brought their deli meats, pretzels and pizza, our Latin citizens and their Hispanic cuisine, even the Soul Food places we have scattered around…Philadelphia’s food is just fantastic. You can find ANYTHING to eat within 2 or 3 blocks downtown, probably from a cart!

Finally, and I was going to make this a 5 point list but just couldn’t cut this out…

America's Oldest Brewery

6) Yuengling- Ask for a “Lager” ANYWHERE (except that one time at a Macaroni Grill) and you’ll get a Yuengling Lager. That’s all there is to it. Yuengling, once known as being a cheap, college party beer (like Lionshead is now) is the beer of choice around these parts, and is essentially the exclusive beer of the Townhouse of Doom. Okay, so it’s really more of a Pennsylvania thing than a Philadelphia thing, but if you want to know what people from around here REALLY drink (minus the malt liquor), look no further. It’s the beer we cut our teeth on, the beer we were nursed with…the beer we drank when the Phillies won the World Series, when our friend got that new job, on our 21st birthday, at our wedding reception. Its as much a part of our culinary culture as the cheesesteak, and has about as many varieties, each of them distinct and clearly drinkable (except Lord Chesterfield’s Moustache Trimmings Ale, that stuff is TERRIBLE).

Okay, that seems like a fitting place to end, a Yuengling toast to the city.

Go fuck yourself, San Diego.

-phila maneto

*******

Glad to see that your five spare hours at school are being well-spent!!!

–alexG