Skip to main content

Putrid WAS the word.... I was really worried as my son was only 11months old and god only knows what asbestos etc got into his tender lungs... I kept the poor lamb swaddled in the apt windows shut but course it still stank with that heady tar PUTRID smell..

What now.... http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/11/international/11OPIN.html
I found this article interesting....in todays NY Times ... how people on a personal note now feel about America (and I know in the case of allot of Brits I know 'Americans')
"..............A lot of people had sympathy for Americans around the time of 9/11, but that's changed," said Cathy Hearn, 31, a flight attendant from South Africa, expressing a view commonly heard in many countries. "They act like the big guy riding roughshod over everyone else."

In interviews by Times correspondents from Africa to Europe to Southeast Asia, one point emerged clearly: The war in Iraq has had a major impact on public opinion, which has moved generally from post-9/11 sympathy to post-Iraq antipathy, or at least to disappointment over what is seen as the sole superpower's inclination to act pre-emptively, without either persuasive reasons or United Nations approval................"
Thanks, Chi Chi. It definitely makes sense that those close to the site, especially over the long run, would've been exposed to higher levels of chemicals and other harmful materials in the air.

And, of course, the wind patterns would play a significant role in the downfall.

Still, I'm not convinced that anyone yet has a firm grasp of which people, in any particular neighborhood, will suffer a variety of ailments.

Personally, I'm not concerned for myself. But when I read about the effect the air may have had on babies, animals, and others, I am concerned.

We've been down this road before, with Agent Orange, DDT, malathion (a mosquito control chemical sprayed over hundreds of thousands of roads and homes), Gulf War Syndrome, and now 9.11.

I'm not yet interested in conspiracy theories. The fact is, it may very well be too soon to know the long term effects. Still, I won't be the least bit surprised if, as time goes on, we hear more and more about problems effecting everyone in the area on that day.
Anna Nicole, you always post links to what seem to be interesting articles, and then when I click the links it's for subscribers only. Doh!

The problem with America's place in the world is that as a whole we're very self-centered. That's why Americans are ignorant about world geography and often "forget" completely about Canada and Mexico. International news doesn't "sell" well here, because most people don't care about what happens outside our borders unless it directly affects them. Tragedies and terrorism were happening around the globe before 9/11, but it was only until 9/11 when it happened to Americans directly that we as a collective started caring about terrorism and reporting attacks that occur in other countries. But for America, it's still all about us and 9/11. We just want to go to the Middle East and blow them up as revenge for 9/11, even if it means not targeting the right people. Otherwise we would've been more concerned about what was happening in Liberia, which most Americans, if they were even aware of the situation there, are apathetic about. Today is also the 30th anniversary of the right wing coup in Chile (which America was indirectly involved with), but will that even be mentioned in American news channels? No.

The world that previously showed support and sympathy for the U.S. after 9/11 "turned on us" after the invasion of Iraq. While the average American believed what was fed to them about the war in Iraq being about fighting terrorism, liberating the Iraqi people and installing democracy, and defending America's freedom (when was it ever in jeopardy???), the rest of the world saw the illogistics of it all. The U.S. was using sympathy for 9/11 to get support for an unrelated invasion of Iraq and ignoring Afghanistan and the reason we invaded that country in the first place. Bush went from fighting justifiedly against al-Qaeda to seizing an opportunity for an unjust invasion of Iraq. We started giving the French real reasons to hate us.

Much of the antipathy is due to the U.S.'s unilateral invasion of Iraq and snubbing of the UN. Bush went against the UN's request for more time, went against the UN and world opinion that this was an unjust war, and then when things go wrong in the post-war theater Bush expected the UN to bail him out. My undergrad degree was International Economics, with a lot of international relations courses, and my theory on the invasion of Iraq was oil, but not why most people assume. Bush didn't want the oil for the U.S., he wanted to control it against Iraq's biggest oil customers. I think before the invasion, the U.S. only got 3% of its oil supply from Iraq, so we didn't need the oil. But who was buying the other 97%? France, Germany, and Russia. France was the major partner in the Oil For Food program before we invaded, and was also paying for some of the oil with weapons components (not WMD, though). Who were the three major opponents of the invasion of Iraq? France, Germany, and Russia. After the U.S. invaded Iraq and it was apparent that we were now in control of the country and the oil, who all of a sudden recinded their opposition to the war and signed treaties with the U.S.? France, Germany, and Russia. They had no choice. When they realized that the U.S. controlled Iraq, the oil, and the entire reconstruction effort, they were forced to sign agreements in order to continue buying oil. This war was being planned ten years ago by the neo-con "hawks", many of whom were in Bush Sr.'s stable. But they couldn't proceed with Clinton in office for 8 years. They needed a Republican in the White House in order to invade Iraq. How convenient that Bush Jr. was made the Republican nominee in 2000. Republican caucuses had no other option, really. As soon as Bush took office in 2001, there is documented proof that he initiated activity with Iraq, assumedly to lead up to the war. After 9/11 the Bush administration had their "in" for invading Iraq. They used emotions after 9/11 to justify invading Iraq, and people ate it up. Here, that is. The rest of the world was now leary of the wounded guy that turned out to be a bully again.

It's not only worldwide anti-American sentiment that's growing. People here in NYC are beginning to hold the same opinions. For example, the reports that 9/11 might have been avoided, and the recent news that the Bush administration might have covered up ecological hazards near ground zero, etc.

Jeez, am I rambling again? I'm sorry. I get a little overzealous when it comes to discussing stuff like this. 9/11 was a horrible event in U.S. history. Don't turn a blind eye to horrible events that happen everywhere in the world. Don't forget that more people die each year from hunger, smoking related illnesses, or drunk drivers, none of which the current administration is making efforts to combat. Take care everybody.

I lost my gag reflex and all you got was this lousy message board posting.
works for the EPA, and was at GZ testing the air. He seemed to feel that anyone working on the site who was not wearing a respirator was taking a foolish chance, but 100 feet off the site, even though there was a stink, there was nothing toxic.
I think the people in Brooklyn will be just fine if they stay away from places where people smoke.
Listen, everyone who could smell the smoke and dust at anytime anywhere in this city was exposed to toxins. Believe it. Just what the ingredients were (or still ARE since it all could still be lingering around) that may cause real health problems to manifest over the coming years will be speculated on massively. That so many conflicting official opinions from a multitude of various organizations keeps cycling through the official voices we hear is a sure red flag and really indicates that the governmental agencies do not really want to talk much about it. One of the very first reports about contaminants in the dust simply said incomplete information was being released because to accurately point out the amount and wide range of toxins would necessitate a clean up of a scope and scale that simply was beyond current resources to effect. My brother worked on the pile for several months as a volunteer and said it was impossible to get the stench or actual dust off work clothes, that a high proportion of workers didn't even wear breathing filters of any kind. It is in you. To what degree and what the consequences will be, if any, won't be known for a long time. I don't say this to be an alarmist, just to be realistic. I still haven't been able to finish emotionally processing the reality that that dust contained the atomized remains of fellow citizens. That I, that we all, have become the final resting place for many caught in the atrocity.
A Dog Named Dudley (1990-2004)

It truly seems like the end of an era down in Tribeca. Passing away last week, at the ripe old age of 14, Dudley the dog"”a Golden Retriever/Chow/Samoyed mix-- was a very large presence here, both physically and personality-wise, living just blocks from Ground Zero. Sometimes called " The King Of Tribeca" by neighborhood residents, he would always be found sacked out in front of his owner's pet food shop, Dudley's Paw-- named after him of course-- on Greenwich Street. Sometimes he would even be blocking the door with his friendly bulk. His owner, Yvonne Fox opened the store in 1990; prior to that we had to walk all the way up to Christopher Street to buy pet food"”a trek of over 15 blocks. And the events of September 11, 2001 made Dudley into an even bigger neighborhood star. "Hey-- I ain't goin' nowhere, and neither should you!" he seemed to be saying, during the area's lengthy lockdown. So stay we did. Adios, Dudley, old friend!

Add Reply

Post
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×