There is something unwordly about hearing Bob Shepard talk about america:

"As terrorist tried unsucessfully to break the spirit of americans". Him saying that is just incrediable. He doesn't dive into politics, the war--he just has a few breif moments in memory of the day, with the most powerful words anyone has ever spoke.

Bob shepard may be the voice of the yankees, but he is the soul of much more than just the(greatest) team(ever).

Just an update: The article is almost done-I hope I can finish it by friday, by working through my lunch periods. In the meantime, here is something that I wrote a while back, that has been sitting in my folder:

Why Gay Marriage is not Specail Rights, but Mearly Additional Rights:
By Alexander Michaels

    People are always saying how giving homosexuals the right to marry is giving them special rights, that heterosexuals do not have. That we already have equal rights, they will say. And this statement is absolutly true. We have equal rights. Any man can marry any woman, and vica-versa. If gay marriage was legalized, now any man could marry and woman, or any man, and again, vica-versa. This would not be special rights, this would not be equal rights, this would be additional rights for all.

   And why shouldn't we give these additional rights. Because homosexuals will be the only ones using them? Well, lets flip the table. Say only homosexual marriage was allowed, and we wanted heterosexual marriage. It would be additional rights, only heterosexuals would use. See what I am getting at? This would not be about giving someone special rights, or equal rights. This is giving an additional right, that gives everyone a choice. Yes, homosexuals, bisexuals, transexuals will be the only one using this. But only heterosexuals are using the marriage that exists right now.

JOIN OPERATION AMERICAN FREEDOM!

http://www.xanga.com/operationamericanfreedom

So...I finnaly started the article was going to write on the envriornment..have an intro done--thats it because I keep leaving my notes on my desk, and haven't writen at my desk in recent weeks. But still, dont expect it any time soon. Kinda busy right now.

School just started, so I am trying to get into habbits, like retyping my notes as a form of studing- My 8th grade bio teacher told me to do this--I never did. I ened up with a 80 average, and an 87 on the regents. The class I am starting this with, AP World History, I'd like to get over a 90 average, a 90 on the regents(because I have gotten either an 87 or 88 on all 3 I have taken..and could have gotten a 90 on all 3.) And I'd like to do well on the AP also. So thats what I am going to be moving onto after this. Than I have to add to those notes--my only homework in that class--which is actually going to be very difficult. That shouldn't take me more than 20 minutes thought(not counting typing the notes).

Deca is awsome. The class is a bunch of preppy losers, and I rather dislike all of them. But I got a couple of friends in the class. And It will be great for scolarships and what not. Math...the class I could get a 90 in..except for homework. Got the bitchy teacher I had last year...but she isn't as bitchy as last year....could be because I was prepared the first day, and did my homework(ON THE FIRST GOD DAMN NIGHT!). But that shouldn't be to bad. French is awsome..well the class anyway. The actually french part.......well fuck. English-tale of 2 cities to start....Chem is a cool course...but I am the only sophmore in the class(or maybe 1 of 2 or 3 anyway), and i know nobody in the class....which kinda sucks. But in a way its good...I'll make freinds with some juniors, who will be seniors...seniors have cars...cars allow you to truelly enjoy open campus. And lets see...those are my classes..8 periods..and maybe a 9th in the spring...Im probably gonna drop that course though. Photo course that went digital this year...i like old school photo(yo).

Also eating up my time: redoing the house--swtich a couple of rooms(mine and the den), repainting the living room....when the living room is painted, we are getting new floors---its just a pain in the ass to have all this funniture moving around, in a 1500sq foot house. Everything fits perfectly when nothing is moving...but when we gotta get stuff someplace else...what a pain in the ass.

So, thats whats going on. So, thats why I wont be posting anything major in the next few days(or weeks). I'll continue to comment though.

Researchers Mount Sinai Medical Center find that ground zero is linked to lung conditions of workers

Researchers at  Mount Sinai Medical Center found that dust and toxic particles in the air at ground zero are responsible for the lung conditions of thousands of responders at the WTC. In fact, 7 out of 10 worker have been found to develop some lung condition, including asthma, enthasema, and lung cancer. This study comes after claims from workers, claiming to have developed health issues they never had before working at ground zero, were denied benefits by NYC. Bloomberg when asked about this, said simply(not in these exact words), that you cannot give thousands of people benefits, based on claims.

With the claims now confirmed, the question comes in, who is going to pay the benefits. The claims are the responsibility of NYC, but should all this really be laid on the cities plate? After all, this was an "attack on america".

In my mind, as well as the mind of many city officials and residents, the bill should at least, in part, be picked up by the federal government. There are two reasons I believe this. First, there is the fact, as I already stated, that this was an attack on america. The federal government(particularly the Bush administration), loves to say this. And as I have said before, if this was an attack on america, NY should not be the only ones paying. And second, these claims could literally bankrupt the city. When you consider all the money the city shells out each year, and that all the taxes are barely enough to cover it, and many years have not been enough, where is this money suppose to come from? Are we going to take it out of the fire fighters and cops salary next contract? Or the teacher or sanitation workers? Is it going to come from the budgets of the fire department, police department, transportation department, port security, airport security? What about the schools, or parks, whatever? Pure and simply, the city does not have the money to pay out all the claims. The federal government must step up to the plate.