Normally I don't talk about issues such as the ones I'm about to talk about, either because I don't know enough about them and don't want to sound foolish, or because everyone else has already done so and I don't want to "beat a dead horse" so to speak.

In 2004, Christopher Reeve, known the world over as Superman succumbed to injuries he sustained in a 1994 horse riding accident. He fought a long and hard battle, much like the hero he portrayed. He became a symbol of hope and courage not only on the silver screen, but in real life. His determination to do something as simple as walk, something we all take for granted made us all believe that there are better things in this world. He proved to truly be a Superman.

In 1991, fellow actor Michael J. Fox, probably best known to us as Marty McFly from the "Back To The Future" movies, was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's disease. This disease is crippling. It causes Tremors, speech disturbances, fatigue, just to name a few symptoms. Fox didn't come public with his condition until the late 90's. At first, he appeared to be doing OK, at least from what we can tell. Tonight, however, a friend sent me this brief clip of him in a recent commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9WB_PXjTBo

Now you see just how bad this disease can be. You may be asking just how this ties into Christopher Reeve. You will notice that Mr. Fox spoke about Stem Cell Research. This research could have potentially saved Christopher Reeves life, and it can also potentially save Michael's.
Now I know a little something about this after doing a paper on it for a college writing class last semester. I also know about the "controversy" behind it.

First, a stem-cell line is created from a group of other cells, these cells can replicate for a long time. This line is then given nutrients to help it continue to divide. The process of which this is done may embryonic cells, which can be done through something called Therapeutic Cloning. Now, I know that word "Cloning" sounds scary, but we are not talking cloning of actual people, we are talking cloning of cells. Cells that can and will save countless lives.

A team of Korean doctors transplanted cells into a paralyzed woman who had not been able to walk for nearly 20 years. This woman can now walk on her own without difficulty. While her condition was not as bad as Mr. Reeve's, this shows how amazing this process can be.
A procedure with healthy stem cells could potentially cure Michael J. Fox.

Stem Cell Research can also potentially lead to cures for everything from Lou Gehrigs disease, to blindness, to even baldness.

Then why do so many in this country suffer and die due to diseases that could be cured through this amazing science?

president bush chose not to permit funding on the research, citing the fact that it was "unethical" and against the catholic church. Well Mr. President, isn't allowing someone to die when they have the right to live unethical? And don't give me that religion bull. I'm tired of all these religious freaks deeming what is good and what isn't. Just because some book tells you it isn't right doesn't make it so. Now i'm not saying everyone should just go and listen to me, your beliefs are all yours. I am merely presenting my opinion on the subject.

Frankly, I don't want to have to see another person die when a cure could have been created but wasn't because commander coo-coo bananas is too busy deciding what country to invade next. Unethical my ass, georgie. I've said it before, and i'll say it again, religion is being exploited by far to many people for the wrong reasons. That is why I have a hole in my city.
Which leads me to my next topic.

In the spring of 2002, the mayor brought cleanup and recovery efforts at Ground Zero officially to an end. Everything cleaned up, no places left to dig, no more Bodies to recovery he said.
However, Across from where the towers once stood, at 130 Liberty Street, things were different. The building was ravaged so badly by the collapsing towers that it was declared a total loss and the process of demolishing it began. But, in September of last year, they began finding body parts on the roof of the building. Then this past March, workers removing now toxic materials began finding human bone fragments.

Naturally, families and friends of the victims were notably upset. These were their loved ones, almost thrown out with the trash. A complete and through examination of the building was done again and over 300 more bone fragments were found.

This past Thursday, October 19th, more then 5 YEARS later, on the western edge of the World Trade Center Site, electrical crews doing work on the "Freedom Tower" found more remains, in a manhole on the site. 5 years and they are still finding remains. This is not a criticism of the rescue crew that toiled non stop at that site for months and months on end. They were not trained in this type of work. That is the work of a professional anthropological team.

This team offered their assistance in the recovery efforts in 2002, while the recovery was still in an active state. The mayor, however, turned them down. No one is quite sure why he did that. One would easily think that now, after more then 90 bone fragments have been discovered in the past 6 days, the mayor would call in the experts.

Wrong. The mayor continues to show his thoughtlessness to the victims families and friends, and to the city. The mayor also refuses to stop "work" at the site while some crews do look for more remains. I used quotations because, 5 years later, nothing is being done down there. Its a political photo-op and nothing more. No memorial, no rebuilding, just a lot of back and forth. The mayor argues that shutting down the site to search for remains would set back the "timetable" of rebuilding. Well lemme ask you this mikey...how many times did you set back the timetable? This nonsense has to stop.

2,749 people didn't make it out that day. 1,151 of them have never been found. Now that more can be identified, the mayor shuns the notion of helping those who have been dealt an unbelievable tragedy. These people can be given at least some comfort in knowing that finally, there loved ones are at peace.

President and Mayor. These guys are supposed to be our leaders??

5 years. Has it really been that long? I started writing this at 1:47am. 5 years ago at this time, who knows what I was doing? Do many people, if any, really remember September 10th, 2001? It all seems almost non-existent to me. I’m pretty sure it was just a normal night, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing spectacular.

9 hours later everything was totally different. People were struggling, people were dying, people were helping others. In the face of absolute horror, an alarm bell rang out in peoples heads that told them “others need my help.” These people didn’t care if the person they were helping was black, white, Hindu, Jewish or anything like that. They cared because of compassion for a fellow being. Some of these people wore a suit and tie, some a t-shirt and jeans, and some a helmet and bunker coat. Some of these people helped with merely a window washing tool, others with a heavy axe.

Some had only the will and determination and a simple saying of “Let’s roll.”

For the past 5 years, many have called these acts heroic. To me, they are legendary. Heroes wear capes and jerseys. Those people, while heroic, do not posses the characteristics of legends who, despite facing certain death, pushed forward to give all of something to hope for. They gave us the hope that despite the horror we were facing at that moment, we would see another day. They gave us that chance.

Their sacrifice cannot be forgotten.

Many people heeded a call then. Many did not. They could have simply turned and walked away. But they didn’t. They rose up to the greatest challenge many would ever face, and not only succeeded, they far surpassed, perhaps even their own expectations. They showed us the power of will can be stronger then even physical strength. Many selfless acts were performed that day, and the days after.

These are people we probably wouldn’t have given a second glance to before. In this one day, a city and a nation stood up to a challenge of horrific proportions that no one could ever have imagined and selflessly persevered.

5 years ago right now it was 2:11am, September 11th, 2001. The last hours of “normal.” New York City was then the greatest city on earth, and since then has become even greater.

I love this town.


-Luke

Yesterday there was a fire in the Bronx. A Bad one. Before it was all said and done, A rookie, or probationary firefighter, Micheal Reilly was killed. Today, Lt. Howard Carpluk succumbed to his injuries received while fighting the same fire.

It has been told to me that the job is dangerous and these things, sad as they may be, happen. This is something I know and have known since deciding to chose this career path. I know its dangerous. I know its hard, and I know its sad. That does not make this or any other incident in which a firefighter or any emergency worker is killed any easier to take.

A few minutes ago I heard someone saying "ohh the fashion at the Emmy's last night was so horrid." I immediately had to think to myself "how fucking shallow are these people?" People in this world are fighting for their lives and our lives, hell...one year ago, a hurricane caused people to live in rags for months, and shallow fucktards like these are bitching about fucking $700 dresses and tuxes?!? How about you send a lil bit of that money or a lil bit of those thoughts to people who actually deserve it?? Huh? Is that to much to ask?!

This world is becoming increasingly shallow and its really getting to get to me.
Where are the values and sense of truth in this world? What happened to the day when people would care about real things and actually try and solve problems? What happened to the good? Why does everyone care what stupid-ass celebrity is wearing or eating? What the hell is wrong with people?

So today the NYPD announced that theyre going to be purchasing some of the new Dodge "Chargers" as part of a pilot program to see what they can use to replace the Ford Crown Victoria and Chevy Impalas that theyre presently using.

http://assets.cobaltnitra.com/teams/repository/export/0c2/1c13855c0100487be0003ba703341/0c21c13855c0100487be0003ba703341_355x0.jpg

For starters, that P.O.S....ain't a charger. It's a glorified Chrysler 300 and lucky to be called that much. The real humor for me is the idea of NYPD using a car that was made famous by "The Dukes Of Hazzard." So this means that all the cops are gonna start sliding across their hoods, and "Pull the vehicle over" will now be replaced with "Ya'll pull the car over now ya hear?" But perhaps the one good thing to come outta this will be the possibilty of seeing some of the NYPD female officers wearing Daisy Duke Shorts...

http://www.apparelsearch.com/Definitions/DEFINITION%20IMAGES/Daisy_Dukes_Catherine_Bach_as_Daisy_Duke..jpg

Now to the FDNY...oh boy...Here, we have the Hazmat 1 unit, almost finished:
http://www.emtbravo.lunarpages.com/SpyShots/FDNYHazmat.html

And here we have the secondary piece to Hazmat 1:
http://www.emtbravo.com/SpecFeat/FDNYHazmat.jpg

Now you'll notice both of them have "Chrome" or "Silver" rims, or wheels. So could Hazmat 1 be switching their nickname from "Better living through chemistry" to "The Bling Boyz"? While they're at it, why not have jewel encrusted Hazmat suits? Install some hydruallics so the rigs can bounce to the scene? Have Sean John design some bunker gear? Maybe we can replace the chemical retardent foam with "Cristal"? (Yea I don't know exactly how its spelled either.)

To me this is just more proof the doomberg really is out of touch with...well...everything.

By the way...we have 211 athletes in the Olympics, which is more then the host country, Italy's 170 something. So should they just give us our medals now or have us wipe out almost everyone on international tv?

One year ago today, three New York City legends went to work not knowing that they wouldn't return home. They did a job not everyone would do, they were New York City firefighters. There names were John Bellew, Curtis Meyran and Richard Sclafani. One year ago today they were killed in 2 seperate fires, one in Brooklyn and one in the Bronx. These men had families and friends.

4 other firefighters, Brendan Cawley, Eugene Stolowski, Jeffery Cool and Joseph DiBernado were seriously injured. Some to the point of having to leave the job.

Aristotle is quoted as saying; "We become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, and brave by performing brave actions."

What these men did and continue to do is not only brave, but legendary. To do what they do in a city like this is not at all the easiest task, but since the 1800's they have done this job, not for the glory or the fame, but for the love of the job. The camaraderie of the job is something not everyone can understand, for you have to expeirece it firsthand. In what other job do you sit down to dinner with the rest of the crew?

Many years from now, hopefully people will look back and remember these men as not only heroes, but as the legends they truly are.

Watching the news on the Mine...tragedy I guess you can call it now...it makes me actually sick to the stomach that a company can cover up the fact that 12 people didn't make it....not only that but have the nerve to make the families believe that they were alive...I feel sick...its not even anger that I feel...it's just shock...these are peoples lives and families that...just....i'm at a loss.