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September 11, 2007 |
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You Da Best, Miss U.S.A.
FOUND by David
in E train from Queens to Manhattan, New York
Found on the subway. So many things to ponder here: the use of a half of a paper with a pixilated wreath on the back, the date written at the top (the first World Trade Center bombing), the gentle script.
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Journal Entry October 02, 2007 |
Blue Whale June 10, 2007 |
Love January 16, 2007 |
I'm Just Thinking... November 03, 2002 |
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We collect FOUND stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids' homework,
to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, telephone bills, doodles -
anything that gives a glimpse into someone
else's life. Anything goes...
» We're hopping on a plane and jetting to Europe for our Fall 2008 Euro Tour!
» Join Peter Rothbart for his mini-tour of the Pacific Northwest
I'm keeping my mouth shut today for fear of a patriotic argument.
This is one of the strangest finds I think I have ever seen. 2 internets to the first to come up with a coherent theory that explains all points...
And on this tragic anniversary, let me offer up my sincere hope that someday, it will instead be common sense and logic in which we trust.
on a day like today, it reminds me the sooner bush is out of office, the better.
but i would add knowledge to that list of trusts
Feb. 26, 1993-first world trade center bombing
Miss USA was booed in Mexico City?
9-11 we all know what that is
I have no idea what the very merry Christmas has to do with anything.
Maybe "Miss USA" is just a pretty way of referring to our nation... since countries and the like are usually referred to in the feminine. it's just da rest of da peeps in da world dat r craaaaazy. oh, and 01-20-09...
The handwriting is beautiful.
Let me echo the sentiments offered by Personman. And also remind you to go shopping today, because if we don't all go shopping, the terrorists win. (the world according to Dubya.)
Nuttin' wrong with most Americans its 'R prezident what's crazy!
My heart hurts for all of you today. I'll never forget.
I know I'm not wrong, but I am backwards R apostrophe crazy!
Wow, Found already removed the first impostered post. Watch out you guys, they are on their toes today.
This is really good. Thank god Dubya is on his way out.
I just thank Jesus and my teacher Miss Snow that that we are free. AND George w. Bush.
Way to get um NJ! You just go Girl! OOPs, your girls are getting out!
Hey, Herve, not today. Let's everybody chill out today, hm? Tomorrow we'll start up the bickering, but today let's be a little more respectful than usual. Just don't think it's appropriate.
I did not know that it takes six years for the days to rotate, although it just makes sense. The original 9/11 happened on a Tuesday. The biggest thing that I remember from post 9/11 is when I was driving home in my touristy town on the highway when all of a sudden people started to pull over and gather in little groups. Some to pray, I'm sure, some to just remember what happened not a month ago. It was about 5:00 Standard Mountain Time. Powerful stuff. I would have pulled over too, but I think I was on the verge of crying so getting home in one piece was more important.
That and the first airplane that flew overhead after 9/11. We didn't know how much we missed them.
Take care everybody.
Today, I wish i could invent a time machine. But how far would i go back? How far would you?
I think it probably says merry christmas because it was written around christmas time... maybe since it was written to Miss USA (assuming a pageant winner?), the writer found it appropriate to mention the world trade center attacks.
I am intrigued by the pretty, flowing script in conjunction with the gangsta talk.
I am impressed with the rendition of the flag. They managed to get all thirteen stripes up there. If only the stars were there too!
wow, i can't believe it has been six years...
i was taking a math test in my high school pre-calculus class when it happened.
I agree with Sara. I think the contrast between the language and the beautiful writing is kind of funny.
How appropriate .
I don't like George Bush. Stop making me look bad imposter!
I'm not sure i understand everything on this found. What's the significance of Feb 26, 1993?
I think we should all refer to America as Miss USA from now on. Nuttin wrong with dat!
on sept. 11, i was in a cow pasture digging holes while listening to the radio in awe. we finally quit to go back to the hotel room to watch cnn.
I'm not sure about Feb 26, 1993 either, but the 911 reference is clear enough. Hard to believe that it was 6 years ago today. So much has changed since then.
What was written on this find sounds almost like the lyrics to a song. Maybe a rap song, with gangsta-speak? Wouldn't make it any less moving if it was
Why is "Hey" in quotation marks? Why does it say February and then there are Merry Christmas wishes?
I think this was written by an elderly woman (the handwriting) with Alzheimers or dementia who wanted to write an inspirational note to our country.
I might start doing that. I'll litter the ground with notes like "Keep on keeping on! Happy Halloween!" and such.
i don't agree, plastic. i don't think an old lady would use the backwards R.
This person was able to make a capital G look pretty. I think that's difficult. I would like to have this handwriting as a computer font.
Hey girl in cheap dress, I believe plastic was being silly. Beth, please.
my bad! norma jean, are you really in the mall?
9 ........> 11
The eleven looks like the Twin Towers
Norma Jean, "I believe plastic was being silly" is a funny sentence. In fact, that whole comment makes me chuckle. hehe!
On the morningh of 9-11 I was greeting pre-schoolers. It was so hard putting on a happy face all the while wondering what kind of world they would inherit. I still wonder. Thanks for not spewing today.
February 26, 1993 was when a car bomb exploded in the World Trade Center underground parking lot.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stori
God bless and protect the USA.
I believe the note was penned by a middle-aged black woman in a contemplative mood and doodling on her way home.
Clover, I'm glad you like it. I didn't feel like looking up facetious, so I said silly.
you're right...the 11 is shaped like the towers.
maybe the merry xmas was written afterwards?
It's amazing what you can do with a ruler, a couple of pens and some partiotism.
The other side of the paper looks like a print out of a pattern for needle-point?
Really, I got nuttin'.
Rememberences to all today. Never forget the courage of the man who said, "Let's roll"
Animal, when i think of the bravery of that man, i get all teary, seriously. I wonder how many of us would have the courage to do what he did. Even tho I am Canadian, and freaking proud to be one, i think of all of us as citizens of the world. It makes me sad that there are people who would do harm to so many. The carnage and destruction that happened on that day, and that continues to this day, the loss of innocent lives then, and the continuing loss of life that occurs in the name of..... i dont know what its in the name of. I too, look forward to the day when its logic and common sense that we trust in.
Thank you, Freon. I remember that happening, now. I forgot the date, i guess.
Peace, everyone. Teach your children love and acceptance.
Mona Lisa, very well said.
I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. But in the meantime, pass me that bong.
Flargy, thanks for getting Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" out of my head with an equally shitty song. Jerkface.
mona, thanks for your thoughts!!
Flargy - I pledge my undying love to you!
Yeah, I guess I was being silly. But I do wish more elderly women would use backwards letters in their notes, so perhaps it was wishful thinking.
On 9/11 I was sitting with my roommate watching it all unfold, while she tried to get ahold of her mother who didn't work too far from there. Heavy stuff.
I recall 9/11/01 very vividly. I was working in a nursing home and the residents were watching Regis and Kelly (as always) when Regis reported breaking news - a plane had been flown into one of the towers. The first reports said it was a small commuter plane. Then Regis and Kelly were gone, replaced with the regular news and everything sort of fell apart.
One of my residents, who had severe dementia and hadn't spoken in years, said, "Did he just say both towers were hit? Dear Lord." It was spooky becasue I had never heard her speak in all my years working there. She never spoke after that either, to my knowledge.
They sent my husband home from work because he worked in a tall building downtown and no one knew what cities would be hit next. I got off my shift and drove home and I started crying when I realized he was home. Part of the brain always looks for a connection when we hear horrific news, and mine made the jump that his building would be hit. I was so relieved to see him. I still get a little prickle on my spine every year when he goes to work on this day.
This note was written on Fed 26 1993, immediately after the author heard about the first bombing at the World Trade Center.
The author (a middle aged black woman, let's call her... Diana, of course) was doing her needle work when she heard the news and immediately had a vision...
Now, Diana gets these visions all the time and is so accustomed to them that the fire and death no longer frighten her and cause her to start shouting dire prognostications to strangers. Actually the compulsory state-sponsored therepy and drugs to "cure" her of her "psychosis" after a few public occurances of such helped immensely in getting control of her visions. Now her brain translates the violent images to more innoculous content and no matter how strong they are the most bizarre action she is compelled to take is to write or draw the images or phrases she sees.
This is the pictoral representation of the vision she had on that day, a vision of love and patriotism interupted by a number 9 shooting an arrow at the number 11, followed by a zealous religious crusade, which her brain translated into safe memories of christmas. Then a Miss World beauty pagent with a disputed outcome.
She knew this vision was relevant, more relevant than most of the nonsense that goes through her brain, and considering the events that kicked it off, she thought she'd send the note to the NYPD. She sent it anonymously, so as to not get sent back to the e-ward.
A detective at the NYPD was intrigued enough to file it away rather than trash it and was of course immediately reminded of it on that fateful day. This detective then saved it for years, pondering it's importance and regretting not taking it seriously from the start. Now that "the tradgedy" is so far in the past the detective has overlooked this reminder, lost it on the subway.
Diana is still out there, riding the subways, doing her needle work and occasionally having visions that cause her to draw pictures of toy soldiers, circus performers, and the uprising proletariat, with little red books in their hands and the blood of the bourgeoisie on their lips.
I was in school. On my way to my morning class: Policital Science 302: War and International Conflict, when I saw students crowded around the TV's in the Union. I assumed there was some over-blown media expose on something going on and ignored it, until i got to class where the professor had the big projection screen pulled down and CNN on up there, with the burning towers 10 feet tall. Suffice to say discussion in class that day (which was actually scheduled to be about terrorism) was especially interesting and confused.
i like your creative, and sensitive rendering of your vision of the events surrounding this find, Rex. That's why you're the playwright, and I am the appreciative audience member. Or hopeful actor, praying for a small role in a meaningful and evocative scene such as those you wrote.
Wow Rex, I'm impressed.
Good senario Rex, however, the name Diana doesn't fit a middle aged black woman with visions. Maybe Lettie, Viola, Cookie....
More suggestions please?
Good senario Rex, however, the name Diana doesn't fit a middle aged black woman with visions. Maybe Lettie, Viola, Cookie....
More suggestions please?
God Bless America and everyone else! Have a blessed day to all my fellow foundmagazine freaks.
maybe if one of the 1's in 11 had a thinner line coming out the top it would look like the world trade centres, but hey. 11s always look like the Twin Towers.
I walked into my 8th grade science class in my Conservative, Sheltered Utah Environment, saw the news, and had no idea at all what was happening.
Later during home room we watched the news instead of Channel 1, it was in my American History class as taught by a monotonous old man who couldn't wait to retire. It was then I knew what happened, but even to this day I cannot relate to the extreme Patriotism everyone else felt. I still cannot comprehend the devastation and horror and pain. I know it happened, but I don't understand it.
The Merry Christmas is really throwing me off. Was it in conjunction with the wreath in the background? I thought the Backwards "R" was an oddly-written A in this writer's flowing script. Y'all a' crazy! I'm thinking this a patriotic gangsta who got As in calligraphy and loves to show it off. A particularly christ-loving gangsta to whom every day is christmas and deserves wreath stationary.
interestingly, my spam protection today is "what is the number before twelve?"
i wonder if that's on purpose.
Turbo, for the longest time I thought she was saying, "some underworld spy or the wife of a postman, wife of a postman..."
There, are you feeling better now that I've gotten that song stuck back in your head again? Because I aim to please.
And Nicky, those are excellent choices of names for the woman in Rex'a scenario. The only name that might be better would be Calpurnia.
I think "Diana" is the perfect name, Rex. Of course. 8-)
You're right Flargy, because the postman is so busy on his route satisfying his postal customers, that he has nothing left at the end of the day for his wife.
I was in the hospital with a freakin bad migraine. None of the doctors or nurses were paying attention to me because they were all watching the TV. After awhile the doctor would come in every once in a while and give me updates. Finaly, he said "just give her a shot of demorall in her butt and send her home." As I was leaving the hospital I saw the first tower fall on the TV in the waiting room of the hospital. As I walked out the door this middle aged black women was walking in and she said "This is war!" and kept on walking. I think her name was Auntie Julia.
I was with a friend in Vegas at their tallest hotel on September 10th. She and I slept through the pounding at the room’s door for the hotel evacuation since we are deaf. The morning on the 11th, we had noticed that something were amiss, when there were security guards all over the hotel and several events were cancelled but still totally oblivious about the WTC collapse until we got back to the hotel later in the day and watched the news on TV.
Lost, don't hotels have a plan in place for notifying deaf guests in the event of an emergency? It seems like something you should at least inquire about, if you know that you might not be woken up by things that are strictly sound-based (alarms, knocking, etc.).
Fucking Carly Simon.....
I used to work nights so I usually rolled out of bed at 3 p.m. My roommate, who was up all night with a tooth ache and not looking forward to his root canal, came into the room around 10 and tried to wake me up.
"Some terrorists have flown planes into the World Trade Centers. They are attacking all over the United States!!"
"Fuck off and let me sleep."
I did care, just not that early in the morning.
how commemorative. the handwriting is so neat and precious. man it makes u think of all the things that happened after this day...sad.
I have a chronically injured back, and I was in a lot of pain the night of September 10th. I decided to skip my morning classes (they had exempted me from attendance in high school, my health was/is that bad) so that I could make it through the rest of the day. I woke up to my mom calling me on the phone. She said, "Now honey, I don't want you to be scared, but somebody flew a plane into the World Trade Center. Don't turn on the TV or anything, it'll just freak you out." That's how she is.
Of course I went and turned on the TV, just in time to see the second tower fall. Then I sat and thought. I realized I wasn't too far from Texas Instruments, and Cisco, and other things that could be targets if lots of things were going to be targets. And that it was 9 or 10 on a weekday and I was alone in my house in suburbia and everyone in the world was at work or school and the world was falling down around my shoulders. So I drove to school and watched the news with my classmates all day.
I turned on the TV in time to see the second tower get hit. I sat, alone, watching them fall. Then I drove to school. Not like it really makes that much difference.
About the find: I see it as being written by a black woman in her mid 20s with kids. Maybe she had kids early, so she's got a little bit of maturity, but she's still got a little street in her. Maybe she's doodling on the bus; the next page could be her laundry list or something.
Yeah, I did the same thing, Turbo. I was asleep and my phone rang about 20 times before I answered the phone with a crabby, "WHAT?!"
I don't have a TV, so I ran to school to catch the aftermath with the rest of the college. It was absolutely mind-blowing.
P.S. the 'R is like Toys 'R Us, right? Is their "R" backward like this? Maybe it's an employee... :)
This is an excerpt from Secretary Rice's speech in Halifax, a year ago today:
"It is often the darkest of times though that summons the better angels of our nature. It is often in those times that we see the good side of the human spirit. And this was certainly true on September 11th, especially among the people of Canada. On that morning, hundreds of planes bound for the United States were ordered to land immediately in the nearest county -- the nearest country. For more than 33,000 people aboard 224 flights, that country was Canada. When these travelers arrived here in Halifax, or in Gander, or Moncton or Vancouver, most were weary and confused and scared. In fact many, shut off from the news, didn't know where they were or why there were there. And then they learned of the attacks. All across this country, you and your fellow Canadians greeted your guests with warm hands and comforting words and clean clothes. You opened your churches, your community centers, your own homes, to offer a bed or a blanket, a warm place to stay no matter how long. You took to your kitchens to prepare meals for thousands of hungry people and you gave everyone a chance to call their loved ones and tell them not to worry, to tell their loved ones, 'I'm safe, I'm well. I'm in Canada.'"
Thank you for taking care of our friends and families who were on in-bound international flights that day.
Flargy,
My late flight was delayed for some forgotten reason and the Stratosphere Hotel released my reservation with an ADA compliance room so we ended up in a room without a fire alarm made with flashing lights.
I have been back to Vegas a few times since then and the best one with total compliance with ADA laws was Treasure Island now called TI. Treasure Island at that time, even loaned me an alarm clock with flashing lights which was COOL! Most hotels would just use the modified fire alarms with lights.
Thanks to everybody for being respectful. That's freaken awesome.
I a junior in high school at the time and thought that it was an innocent mistake when I heard that the first tower was hit (I like to think better of people) and then thought the same when the second tower was hit (ok... a little naive, but hey, wouldn't you stare at the burning tower instead of where you were going? I know I would... which is why I'm not a pilot) but then I saw the towers go down and I started to cry. I never cry in public. Afterwards I was told that my crying made everything more "real" for them. They understood (while, like me, not really understanding) what was going on.
Yeah, it's a quiet day. Take care all.
Lost,
Good to know. It was incomprehensible to me that something like that could be overlooked as a matter of course.
and...
Midlife,
You forgot to thank the Canadians for the most important thing they have given us...
HOCKEY!
Midlife, thanks for that reminder of the kindness and generosity of the Canadians. A friend's mother was one of those taken in during that time and she truly was grateful.
I had just returned from Las Vegas on the 9th, readjusted to the time zone change on the 10th and was back in the office for the first time in ten days on the 11th. A co-worker informed me of what was happening soon after the first hit. Like Lizardbits, I thought/hoped/prayed the first hit was an accident. I sent email to the Freon spouse that it had happened. By that time the second plane had hit and I knew the world had changed forever. Since my home was closest to the office, I hurried there and brought a TV back to the office so we all watch the news. When Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania, I turned to my co-workers and said, "there were heros on that plane." I cried for days for the loss of the brave firemen and police and the innocents in the planes and building. Tears still well up in my eyes when I think about it too long or hard.
I was in 6th grade in my science class.
I went to Catholic school in a really small town (Harrison, Ohio). They stopped class, brought in a T.V., had us watch the towers falling, then wheeled out the T.V.
They didn't tell us what was going on. I guess they were scared of our parents freaking out.
I think we went home early.
I was 11. Kind of a cloudy memory.
I just remember not really caring. I didn't know why the hell they were making such a big deal out of it.
I mean, I get it now. But not when I was 11.
Today is a day of remembrance, not just of those who passed, those who were heroic, of our own experiences, but of the urgent need for tolerance and acceptance in the USA and abroad.
Because of this need I think that today is a good day for some self-reflection about our biases and prejudices. For example, I think we need to examine the idea that nice penmanship and artistry are incompatible with not using Standard English (or Gangsta Speak as it was called).
Rather than exposing the ignorance of the speaker, you just end up sounding ignorant. and racist. If today has taught us anything, it's the dangers of ignorance.
Also, I had my students (in nyc) freewrite on the day and most of them said they didn't want to because it's too emotionally difficult for them. They were in 5th or 6th grade then.
Katherine, my brother was in 8th grade at a small private Catholic school, and they brought in a TV too. Then a mother called and demanded that they stop because she didn't want her son to know. They stopped, but at that point all the kids already knew.
I was in 5th grade at a large public elementary school. My teacher gently broke the news to us, reminded us to be careful what we said and to whom because some kids were more affected by the news then others. But even then, I couldn't grasp the shear magnitude and horror of what had occurred.
I would like to encourage everyone who hasn't already to take a moment of silence during your day to reflect. Thank you.
FUCK YOU. I MISSED A GOOD ONE
At my large public middle school, they wouldn't allow the teachers to tell us what was going on. Any students who knew were strongly encouraged to keep quiet. We might have been young, but we weren't dumb. There were floods of kids being picked up by their parents. Teachers were barely holding themselves together. All in all, it was much scarier than if we had just been told what was going on. My last teacher of the day finally went against orders and clued us in. We were horrified, but we were also enraged that something like that had been kept from us all day.
MissinG compassion.. I don't get it.
I was having sex. True story.
But the t.v. in the living room was on and I could hear that something was going on. So after we were done I went out there. After watching for about a minute, the second plane flew in. I really couldn't believe what I had just seen and I thought it was a couple of freak accidents too, really I thought that something must have happened to the air traffic controllers.
Very kind of everyone to remember your relatively safe haven to the north. Thank you.
However, if you think getting rid of G W Bush is the end of your troubles, you better do some more reading. You guys ain't seen nothin' yet.
I was in my third grade class, public elementary school. I had been looking forward to that day because my neighbor was going to come and see our new cat. The principal came in and asked us if any of our parents worked in the world trade center.
All that day, kids left, one by one, as parents came and took them away. I remember feeling very confused. They didn't let us go outside for recess; they told us there was "spraying" going on outside on the grass. I think we had a sub that day, and we were pretty nasty to him... :(
When I got home, my dad had on the TV- an image of a tower of black smoke still stands out to me. My neighbor was discussing the situation with my parents, talking about the Middle East and stuff... I didn't really know what was going on at first, but I was a pretty smart kid and I knew something awful was up.
One of the planes hit as the late bell rang, that much I've figured out. Scary stuff. Stay strong, America.
It amazes me how diverse in age our group here is. Some of you were young kids six years ago and now you're young adults. I was in my early 40's then and late 40's now, which makes me feels like 9/11 was last week.
It's already been 2 years since Hurricane Katrina. Where does the time go....
I think the writer of this note was trying out some new markers. The "voice" sounds more Italian American to me. You know, like that Andrew Dice Clay or Vinnie Barbarino character. Is that a classic Brooklyn accent?
PS-it's been so nice in here today. Thank you James. Thank you friends.
My father died of a massive heart attack at 50 years old, on September 10, 2001, so I borded a plane for Michigan the morning of Sept. 11, we had just taken off when the pilot came on the intercom and said we would be turning around because two planes had just hit the World Trade Center and all flights were canceled. When we landed and got of the plane, the airport was completely silent (you could have heard a pin drop), there was no monitors or TV's on. I went home got in my car and drove 16 hours straight. Sept. 11th overshadowed my father's death, but that's okay, it could have been worse. He could have been in one of those towers, or the pentagon, or on one of those planes. At least it was quick and without terror.
No shit, Night in gale I never realized how young some of the commenters really are. Perhaps Mona, Salt, Flargy, and Turbor are teenagers.
Sorry for your loss, Pepper. That must have been an extremely difficult time for you.
The silence in the skies for the remainder of that week was frightening in itself. I didn't realize how many planes flew to and over the area where I live.
Night in gale, you and I are of the same age and have lived times that many here only know from history books or stories from their relatives. We've seen some truly awe-inspiring events, haven't we? Is there an event in the live span of the Tweens that equates to the excitement and amazment that gripped the world when Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon? Or, will they take with them just the horror of September 11?
Freon, you're right. I was 11 when the towers fell; the only thing I'll be telling my kids about is when the world trade center fell and when Dimebag Darrel got shot. That's kind of horrible.
It was my mom's birthday.
She and my dad went out for a nice dinner and got many odd looks.
We flew to Paris a few weeks later on an otherwise empty flight.
And it was beautiful.
It's always a shock to remember how young I was at the time, and how very little I understood. I came home to my mom sitting on the front stoop, waiting for me, making sure I was okay. I thought that was silly because Chicago is very very far from New York when you are 11.
My dad was still alive then.
I have just finished reading the interesting posts of today. We are a diverse group that has Found in common. I'm realizing that many have lived almost their entire adult lives with the reality of the world after 9-ll -- in other words, ever since you were old enough to be aware of worldly goings-on. You have heard that "the world changed" on that day.
That morning I was driving to work, for the first time listening to French music instead of NPR on my 20-minute drive. When I got to work, I noticed my answering machine blinking. I played to the recording, to hear my husband's voice shaking as he told me there had been an attack on the World Trade Center. I called him back immediately, and as we were talking the second tower was hit.
We are on the west coast. My first thoughts? Now we won't be able to travel freely around the world. This is the death of freedom as we know it. Honestly, those were my immediate thoughts, at a time before anyone even began to connect the dots.
Suddenly images of war and soldiers and weaponry and fear reappeared in the American consciousness. Those of you who are in your late teens or early 20s have never known anything different. Those in my generation (and Nightengale's) have lived through fear overshadowing us during the Cold War, images of death and losing friends to war during Vietnam, and then, miraculously, through more than a decade of relative calm and peace.
Just a few thoughts that come to mind as I reflect on the events since that day six years ago.
Heart in my throat, I made myself get on an airplane and fly somewhere, anywhere as soon as possible just so I would not be afraid to fly. I specifically chose to fly on American Airlines and on United. The airports were nearly deserted and the flights almost empty and the flights were dirt cheap. And scary. As I was flying I decided that if ever I was on a flight and someone was dumb enough to try to commandeer it that I would be willing to die trying to rip the dirty, stinking bastard's throat out with my bare teeth and hands.
Freon, I hear you. In one way it made me trust people more; I think if something like that happened again, we'd fight. (-by that same token, I think we can be trusted to take our nail files on planes!)
I was about to start my freshman year of college. I woke up because they TV was on and it was never on in our house in the morning. I thought it was an accident at first, too.
I remember when the first airplane flew overhead again after they'd all been grounded. You could say, "Look, an airplane!" again, as if you were five, but now everyone else also stopped and watched it pass (and probably prayed that they stayed up! I know I still sometimes do).
Freon, I agree, flying was inexpensive, pleasant and less crowded in the months following 9-11. Even though they took away our scissors and tweezers.
But I just want to clarify what I was trying to say: I was not afraid to fly after that day. I was afraid of the limits our government would put on our travels and flights. I had recently discovered the thrill of flying to Europe, traveling to other countries where I could speak French with real French people. I was never afraid of other countries, cultures, or people who were different from me. In fact it felt deliriously liberating to be able to travel and explore other countries. Pure joy.
So it made me mad to have that taken away. I don't know if we will ever have that sense of freedom again.
After that day I wasn't afraid to fly, or afraid of being the victim of terrorists. What I am afraid of, and angry about, are the restrictions on the freedoms that so many Americans have died for in numerous wars. The innocent people who have been delayed or jailed, or worse, around the world in the name of "freedom." The loss of habeas corpus, and the threat to our constitution. That doesn't feel like freedom to me.
im not sure i know what to say. i didnt realize what today was untill around 7 tonight. i remember when it happened. my room mate woke me up. i was on the west coast. i was hung over. just like today.
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o22/m0rer0n/when
I flew out of Newark to Amsterdam on September 20th, 2001. I had called the airline to see if I could reschedule my flight for a later date, given the recent events. They wouldn't let me do it without paying ridiculous fees, so I just gritted my teeth and got on the plane. I'm so glad I did, because it was one of the best weeks I've ever had...without even partaking of the pot and/or the hookers!
Like others here, I was also in 8th grade on September 11th. At our school, it was strictly not allowed to be mentioned, and for literally months afterwards I waited anxiously for my grade 8 teacher to slip up and mention it (it was everywhere at that time and quite inescapable), but he never did. I also remember the night of the attacks I couldn't sleep as I was terrified that terrorists would attack again (I live within 20 minutes of a major city). Eventually, both of my little brothers and myself ended up crying (out of sadness about the loss, recongition of change to come and fear) and sleeping in our parents' room in a sort of mass huddle.
EhA, that is sad. I think it emphasizes the powerful effect of this event on those who were young at that time.
Also, Flargy, Amsterdam is a truly fun and fascinating place. I love the Netherlands and the tolerant, warm and welcoming people.
The shipping museum is absolutely awesome!
So many of the comments today made me think of "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Saffran Foer. Love that book!
I was at the gym on the treadmill with the paper and I went out to see why the crowd had gathered and saw the towers coming down on the TV. A lot of the ladies were standing around and crying, yelling into cellphones. No doubt some of their husbands worked at the Pentagon not 10 miles away.
Clover, I missed the shipping museum, but I did go to the torture museum, the Van Gogh museum and Rijksmuseum.
The people were great. Everyone I talked to about 9/11 was compassionate, and not judgenmental of me just for being American.
I also randomly happened upon a flyer for a Jello Biafra spoken word performance taking place at the Paradiso while I was there, which was a nice (and totally unexpected) surprise.
Night in gale, I too was suprised at how young some posters are, another thought here would the actual number of people posting. I know some days I've commented 5 times under 5 different alias. This way I don't fall into the same trap Mona Lisa, SALT, and (some) the rest do by forming a special persona for people to harass. Not that that's a bad thing, it just not for me. I know two other people on this site who do the same type of posting.
Shit Nickey, you're right. It's supposed to be Cassandra. I'm mixing up my greek myths again.
Sandy, I'm hardly a teenager.
I was a junior in high school, like a few other people here. The Bush administration and September 11 were when I started to become politically active, when I started caring about what the word "America" actually stood for. People my age don't remember any other type of conservative but neocon, and we've been living under the Patriot Act my entire adult life.
I mourn for what the terrorists did to us, and I mourn for what we continue to do to ourselves in the name of safety.
It's a rap (a rhyme). Those are lyrics. How do I know?
1. "Hey!" has quotations, which from a song writer's point of view may mean that their are multiple voices say the word in unison.
2.It rhymes. If it were written in proper English you wouldn't be able to tell. However, if you pronounce the word "crazy" as "cray-zay" then it becomes a rhyme.
3. Look at the slang. "nuttin'", "wit", and "da" are all slang words, which are commonly used in popular culture and by todays rap and r&b artists.
However... the usage of the word "'tis" is confusing. Maybe this girl (I assume it's a girl because of the handwriting) is a square, preppy, white girl who isn't really down... but likes to pretend she is when she's using public transportation. Or maybe she is down, and is just trying to mix it up. Either way, I doubt she has any future in the rap industry.
Some other symbolism includes the 9 and the 11.
9 = an airplane
11 = the world trade towers
I under stand the "God bless America" and the heart and American flag. As for the date and the "Merry Christmas"...
Perhaps the date shown is the birth date of someone the writer knows who was killed in the 911 attacks. Of course, this would make the deceased fairly young, but it's still plausible.
Which leaves "Merry Christmas". Maybe it actually was Christmas time when the writer was improvising her rhyme.
Anywho, that's my take. Sorry if I'm repeating anything, I couldn't read all the comments.
Yup, it was definitely Christmas at the time...
I forgot about the wreath design on the paper.
Gemma D, the date wasn't a birthday. That was the date the car bomb exploded in the WTC underground parking garage. Google the date and you can find many links to information on that subjest.
That 9---> II thing is freaky. Looks like a plane on its way to 2 towers, as well as referring to the 9/11 attacks.
And if it was 1993, did someone know that the 9/11 attacks were going to happen before they actually did?
Hmm...
Over 100 comments have made the easy connection to 9/11 and ignored the last two-thirds of the message that begins with a reference to Miss USA, Rachel Smith. I believe the message reflects disappointment that her countrymen failed to come to the defense of a young lady of color when she was systematically harassed by racist Mexicans at the Miss Universe pageant in May. For weeks leading up to finals, she was heckled whenever she appeared in public, and on the night of the finals she was booed thunderously before she even set foot on stage when tapes of the national costume competiton were shown. Pageant organizers had to increase security for fear the hostile mob would storm the stage. Very possibly as a result of her mental stress, she slipped and fell; the American media repeatedly showed only the embarassing fall, for the most part without attempting to place it in the context I've described here or showing her astonishingly graceful and self-possessed recovery from the fall. When the time came for the crucial Q&A portion of the competition, the mob attempted to drown out her answer with more boos and chants of "Mexico! Mexico", to which she responded with a gracious smile and "Muchas gracias!"
What happened in Mexico City was not a fair competition but an ambush. One might have expected the American media to expose and condemn Mexican racism for their abuse of Miss USA for no other reason than her national origen -- that is, being one of us.
Instead, they joined in their glee at her humiliating fall. And that, I think, is the point of this find.
wow, Robert, thank you for your informative and enlightening post. Someone up there mentioned Miss America and Mexico, but I think it was dismissed as a joke or something.
Thanks also to Midlife Crisis, for the heads up from the future.
This looks very similar to something I found on the No. 1 Uptown local train. I actually submitted it to "Found" online. I'm looking at the original right now. It's got the same red heart, American flag and the number "9" with the bee-line arrow-thingy. Except the arrow is pointing to two downward pointing arrows; but it's clear that the message reads 9/11. Underneath it is the date "Feb. 26. 1993" (I looked it up; it was the first attack on the World Trade Center/Twin Towers). What follows is "I Love You..... We Love You." And then a list of proper nouns all beginning with the word "precious."
The list is similar to the "Found" item labeled "Fleet Week" and dated 7/14/02. It was found on the No. 6 train. I'll bet all three of these finds are by the same NYC straphanger. :-D
I think the author's name would be "Jehmima".
GOD Bless...
Message from the future: Deb's find is posted on July 5, 2008.
http://foundmagazine.com/comments/2438
Hopefully Found will add a search-by-date feature someday, but in case they don't, here's the URL for Deb's Find, Precious. And
http://foundmagazine.com/find/619
Here's the URL for Fleet Week, which was found on the #6 train, and mentioned in the comments above. (more than likely the same author, but it's not quite as elaborate.) I also find it interesting that someone up there referred to this handwriting as "precious."
I'm in the UK, so I don't think we were as affected by 9/11 as Americans. That said, I think it shocked the majority of the Western world.
With the time difference, I was leaving school as the planes hit. I got home, and put on the TV. I had the *exact* same reaction as when I learned Princess Diana had been killed; namely 'where are the cartoons?'.
After realising every channel had the news on, so obviously something had happened, I went straight back to the BBC, and watched the coverage.
It still sends a chill over me to think of it, maybe more so now as it is just 2 years since the terrorist attacks in London. I think the knowledge that everything was about to change was scarier than actually watching the towers fall.
I was in fifth grade & all the kids were rotating to the next class. Mine was English.
The teacher already had the TV on, & all the teachers left us for the teachers lounge. So, we were all left alone.
Then maybe twenty minutes later the principal started announcing that parents were going to be picking up their kids & if their name was called to come down to the main office.
They also had turned off the televisions. Trying to act like it was going to "protect" us.
Following into Social Studies the plane crash in Pennsylvania had me in a daze considering my father lived there.
By the time I came home my older brother had made a video of all the breaking news coverage & mixed in a song by MOBY [I believe?] & then the rest of the day it played in our living room since the VCR wouldn't eject it.
By Friday, it was now "Show-Me Your Patriotism" & we got shamed upon by not wearing red, white & blue clothing color-coordinated in that order. I never did it.
Then I think a couple months later, maybe a year or so my dad took us to New York on our summer vacation & we gaped down at the large expanse of where it all had happened. It was when all the fences/trees/sidewalks in New York were covered with "God Bless America" signs, flowers, & candles.
Anyhow, it's in seventeen days, & rarely anyone mentions it anymore.
PS: Sorry if my story was long & boring. What can a kid living in suburban Florida do?