I Will ALWAYS Be A New Yorker – My September 11, 2001 Story (A touching story by Zilla Stevenson)

This is my personal story of September 11, 2001 and what happened after – as I experienced it 60 miles away from Ground Zero…
My father’s grandparents, (both sets) Irish Catholics, somehow managed to survive the Famine in Ireland which killed so many. They came to America to escape the oppression in Ireland and landed in New York City. It would be a hundred years before anyone in that family line ever moved out of the City to other places. My mother is from a tiny country called Grenada. She saw there were few opportunities for a young lady there, so she packed her bags and came to find the “American Dream” in New York City. She found it. She also found my father and it was love at first sight. They met at the famous Rainbow Room in NYC and were married a few months later.
They started their family in New York City and they started with nothing.
My parents managed to find success in their lives and eventually moved out of the City to give us kids some fresh air and a taste of the “good life”.
My father continued to work for the City until his retirement despite moving to the country and then the suburbs.
I grew up on Long Island in the shadow of New York City and made frequent trips into the City to see relatives and also to have fun. In sixth grade it was a rite of passage at my school to take a field trip to NYC. I got to go to South Street Seaport, and the Empire State Building. The highlight of the entire day was going up to the top floors of the magnificent World Trade Center, the Twin Towers. The view was incredible. To be at the top of the City looking down on the world is a memory I will always cherish. Even from the ground looking up at those buildings was an experience in itself. Nearly twice as tall as the tallest buildings, they were! As a teen, taking the train into Manhattan and wandering around the village or seeing a concert at Madison Square Garden was the most fun you could have on a Friday or Saturday night.
When I grew up, I eventually left the Island and moved to where I live now, in the Hudson Valley, about 45 minutes north of the City.
You can tell a person is a New Yorker by the way we refer to it as “the City” and are understood that “the City” means no other City but New York City itself.
I remember well that terrible day when the world as we knew it was changed forever. The day we collectively lost our innocence – September 11, 2001. This is the day as I experienced it…

Read how Zilla lived the events

 
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Canada to Iran: You sponsor terrorists, eh?

 Canada's foreign affairs minister John Baird cut diplomatic ties with Iran yesterday, closing it's embassy in Teheran and expelling Iranian diplomats from Canada, in the latest chapter of a long history of difficult relations with the middle east country.

On Saturday, the head of Iran's parliamentary committee on national security said there could be an "immediate and decisive" response to the move by Canada, according to the Fars news agency and reported by Reuters. "It is essential that the foreign ministry respond to this action by Canada on the basis of national interests," Alaeddin Boroujerdi was quoted as saying. ***CBC.ca***

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A JIHAD against you, Ali? REALLY??

Funny how things can evolve overnight sometimes. Last night, founder and CEO of the National Bloggers Club ALI A. AKBAR went yet again on the record via Twitter denouncing us, NACBU and The Impolite Canadian, of waging a JIHAD against him and his shady organization. A personal HOLY WAR that will lead us to kill the NBC and Akbar. Is that so, Mr Credit card fraudster?
 
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Bi-Partisan effort to rid the conservatives of Ali Akbar and the NBC

NACBU (North American Conservative Bloggers United) stands with Conservative Blogger Larry Sinclair and Liberal Blogger Bill Schmalfeldt, as well as with Paul H. Lemmen, Ladd Ehlinger, Jerry Wilson and Peter Ingemi in their DEMAND that Ali Akbar and the National Bloggers Association and Vice & Victory Agency immediately publish the following:


The names of every National Bloggers Club Board member including the date each became associated with the NBC

A complete financial report showing the amounts of all monies paid to in contributions; services; or sponsorships made to NBC or BlogBash.

A complete financial reporting of all funds paid out by NBC or BlogBash including the names of those receiving said payments and the reasons for each.

A complete financial accounting of all funds paid out by NBC/Blogbash including an accounting of what the payments were for and if they were made for the personal benefit of Ali Akbar or any other member of the NBC Board.

A complete accounting of all contributions made to the Breitbart Scholarship Fund as well as an accounting of all disbursements of said funds as well as the name of the financial institution(s) where contributions are on deposit.

A statement as to Bill Murphy’s past and current connections with NBC and BlogBash; whether Murphy has been involved in any NBC/BlogBash activities and or promotions since becoming the official Social Media Director for the Romney/Ryan campaign.

The IRS 501(c)(3) documents confirming the below stated claim by NBC:

National Bloggers Club is a new 501(c)(3) founded by top new media operatives, bloggers and journalists as a loose association of bloggers who are for free enterprise and limited government and to advocate on bloggers behalf.

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Lefties take office in Quebec: 1 dead, 1 injured--with pictures

 I was gonna blog about how I may apply for a green card since the Parti Quebecois, a notorious lefty party, won the provincial election last night. I guess it's gonna have to wait.

A crazed man, wielding a Kalashnikov-type assault rifle tried to force his way thru the artist entrance of the Metropolis theater, where freshly elected lefty Pauline Marois was giving her victory speech, throwing a smoke bomb and a Molotov cocktail. 2 sound and light techs were at the door at the time, who are said to have tried to keep the madman out, were shot. 1 dead, 1 in serious condition. The suspect's truck is being searched as I write this.



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The View From My Front Door

We moved last week, to a nicer apartment in a nicer town. No drug dealers next door, no loud music in Spanish until 4AM, no four-year olds riding their bikes up and down at midnight because mommy has visitors.

Here's the view out my front door:

Here are a few more shots of the side porch and grounds around our new place:

 

 

 

And a view of the parking lot from the front door (note our beat up old Mustang):

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I’ll be at the Emergency Room for Meningitis – UPDATED – I Hate the ER ( By Zilla Stevenson)

Three days ago I woke up feeling like I had whiplash. My neck still hurts really badly and is very stiff. That’s why I haven’t been online since it hurts to hold my head up to look at the computer. I was hoping it would pass, but nothing has been helping and I’m also having weird headaches, fevers and chills. I am very very nauseous and feel really shaky. The headaches are different from my regular ones. I finally called my specialist, he said I need to go to the ER and I got chastised for not calling the 1st day this started because that’s when a spinal tap would be most useful. I don’t want to go to the hospital, but it looks like I have to. I’m waiting for my mother-in-law to be able to come over to watch the kids.
It is not fun being me right now. In addition to the possibility of meningitis, I also had a tooth break into pieces the other day on the one said that still wasn’t too messed up to eat with. I cannot do anything about it right now except buy temporary filling goop from the drug store to try to keep it covered.
I will try to update about what’s going on with my poor brain when I get back home from the hospital if I can or as soon as I am able. Please keep me in your prayers, and also, please hit the tip jar if you can because I know that this is going to be expensive. Thanks. Wish me luck.

UPDATE – August 16, 2012:
Thank  you to everyone who prayed for me and to the couple of people who hit my tip jar – as it turns out, I forgot that my gas tank was empty before I left for the hospital, so you really did help a lot right away!
I still don’t know if I have/had meningitis; there are 3 types, bacterial (very contagious and deadly), viral (very contagious, less deadly), and “aseptic” (which could be caused by something else, like a fungal infection or even medications, isn’t contagious and not usually as deadly as the other 2 kinds). It is not uncommon for people with tick diseases to get the 3rd kind, and some of those people have chronic forms of that type of meningitis and they even get chronic encephalitis. I do not know if this is what caused my fever, chills, headache and horrible neck pain, because while the hospital people were initially very professional and respectful, once I had to tell them what medications I am on and WHY I am on antibiotics, that all went out the freaking window and it was if someone had flipped a switch – suddenly they decided, without even looking at me, that there was nothing wrong with me, they laughed at me right to my face, and I could hear the nurses mocking me from a few feet away because they talked among themselves about me as if I wasn’t even there.

READ MORE ON ZILLA'S BAD ER EXPERIENCE!
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The Impolite Canadian: Montreal Police needs to UPHOLD THE LAW!

The Impolite Canadian: Montreal Police needs to UPHOLD THE LAW!: Those good people who have been following my blog know that I posted quite a bit on the Student strike dubbed the ''Printemps Érable'' (Mapl...

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Paul Ryan does not like Canada's health care system. And he's RIGHT!

 Sun News is fussing about Ryan's 2009 speech in witch he described Canada's health care system as ''archaic and obsolete''. You know what? I FULLY AGREE WITH HIM!

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan

 Has the Obama administration explained to Americans the facts about Canada's model of government health care? Is this the kind of national health service the U.S. should imitate?--Paul Ryan in the American Spectator--

Before you get your undies in a bunch, hear me out:

I know all too well the woes of our system. My wife has a chronic illness, Crohn's disease. We visited MANY hospitals over the years, usually thru the ER when she has a bad relapse. The average waiting time in Quebec's ERs is 14 hours. I say we waited more than 24 hours more than once. The system being free, the hospitals are crowded by people with various situations from open fractures to a bump on the noggin. While we wait we see a slew of people with colds and the flu, waiting, and spreading their disease with everyone who have LEGITIMATE REASONS to be in the EMERGENCY rooms. ( let me point out that I strongly believe that you have NO BUSINESS in the ER with a cold. Unless you are immuno-suppressed, take 2 Tylenols and drink plenty of fluids. Seriously.)

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The Radical Progressive Left: We Shall Call Them Out By Name ( By Randy Hahn)

"The Democrats say that the United States has had its days in the sun, that our nation has passed its zenith. They expect you to tell your children that the American people no longer have the will to cope with their problems, that the future will be one of sacrifice and few opportunities. My fellow citizens, I utterly reject that view." – President Ronald Reagan  

 

The time for action is now, not later; but now. I have had all I can take of the infighting that is going on in the conservative party; it is doing nothing and getting us nowhere fast. What some of these media personalities see in bickering on Twitter all day, and night is beyond me.

The old saying “Conservatives fall in line” Liberals fall in love” Is not holding true. I don’t see ANY on the right falling in line; I see a bunch of people doing their own thing. We need all hands on deck, and I do mean all. Blue dogs, moderates and Republicans; anyone with conservative values we need to be reaching out to.

Read more at THE TEXAS PRESS
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Of Guitar Strings, Cream of Wheat and Us ( By Jerry Wilson , Goldfish and clowns)

A followup to my most recent post. (Yes, more guitar talk in order to make a point.)
The type and age of guitar strings, along with how much they’ve been played, have a huge effect on how a guitar sounds, especially an acoustic one. Everyone has their own taste and preferences; mine lean toward strings with a bright, clean, deep sound. I’ve tried numerous string brands and variations over the years looking for that one best of the best for me. There was a brand made in the ’70s that I loved, the name of which regrettably slips my mind, that I absolutely loved. They came in a long cardboard sleeve rather than the usual square paper envelope, the company insisting that bending strings into a loop for insertion in said envelopes adversely affected the tone and their method of packaging was much better. Whether it was I don’t know, but I do know they sounded wonderful. I haven’t seen them in decades (ouch); I seriously doubt they’re still being made.

Read the rest at Goldfish and Clowns
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Oath-Breakers Among Us (By Paul H Lemmen)

There are oath breakers among us. Wherever we go, they influence our lives, our daily activities, our social intercourse.

They cause the prices of fuel, food and housing to rise precipitously. They lengthen unnecessarily the wait times to travel by air, train and even bus. Their perfidy extends into every aspect of life in America circa 2012.

By writing legislation, supporting and voting for said legislation and acting contrary to the very words of the Constitution (as well as the spirit of the Constitution) these oath breakers steal our Liberty incrementally and in doing so bind us in chains of slavery to the government, not as masters and institutors of that government.

On January 3, 1974 I swore the following oath:

“I, Paul Howard Lemmen, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

Read more HERE

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Exciting!!! #RomneyRyan2012 #TCOT – Updated ( By Zilla Stevenson at Marezilla.com )

It is taking a lot longer than usual to come back from the latest flare up of my illness, but seeing good news when I flipped on the TV, shortly after waking up, about Mitt Romney’s VP pick had me smiling for much of the day despite my medical issues.
Here are some of my initial thoughts on the news that Mitt Romney chose Paul Ryan for his running mate, as I watched the live coverage of the announcement and then the Romney and Ryan speeches, I’m including some stuff from the A-C page, Tweets, and also a roundup of  links to awesome posts about #RomneyRyan2012 from other bloggers:
It is finally morning in America again, and as our long national nightmare draws to a close, a glorious new day is dawning.

Read more of Zilla's toughts HERE
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Obama Chokes on Chick-Fil-A ( By SideTrakd)

I absolutely love Chick-Fil-A.
My original affection for the fast food chain has little to do with the recent controversy centered around the topic of traditional marriage.  We don’t have many of them in my area, so it is a treat when I get to eat there.  The food is always great, and I’m a huge fan of waffle fries..!
Yes, I am a life-long fast food junkie, and since Chick-Fil-A is rarely available to me, it has always been elevated a little higher than the other chains I frequent.
This recent controversy just elevates them higher in my eyes.  They handled the entire situation wonderfully, with grace.  By all accounts (including my own) people who went to support them during the height of all of the drama had a very pleasant experience.  The planned boycott and protests against them fizzled.  Angry activists were greeted with the same warm kindness and service standards set for those who came in support.
Now, according to Scott Rasmussen, 61% of people hold a favorable opinion of Chick-Fil-A.


 Read more here:


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Israel-Iran war BEFORE the U.S. election? (By Impolite Canadian)

 ISRAEL’S PRIME minister and defense minister would like to order an attack Iran’s nuclear sites before the US election in November. That war with Iran could be imminent, even though it might bring tensions on relations between Israel and the United States.

Israel has long threatened to attack its arch enemy, Iran, seeing a menace in their nuclear advances and dwindling opportunities to deal them a blow with its limited military clout. Washington has urged Israel to give diplomacy more time.
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