Good Housekeeping

I started this blog out of frustration from not seeing any of the legitimate questions about 9/11 dealt with in the mainstream media; but now I've found that having a blog is a bit like having a restaurant—people come in, sit down, sample your fare, then let you know whether it satisfies or makes them want to hurl. I grew up in a restaurant, in Miami, in the 70s, so from watching my parents know that the customer is always right. So here are some of the housekeeping things that have come up in your emails:

Yes, I know need to learn about formatting; my paragraphs are all strung out like jump ropes all over the screen. I have a call in to my web guy (the talented Pat O’Toole at Kishmish). Sorry for any eye strain.

Am also trying to figure out how to post pictures so I can post the photos I have of the 9/11 truth march at Ground Zero on September 11, 2006. Thousands of people—some from as far away as Italy, Canada, and California, many in black “Investigate 9/11” T-shirts—appeared at Ground Zero on the fifth anniversary of the attacks; and yet there was no mention of it (that I have seen) in the American media. Whether or not you agreed with the protest, it was a good story. (See a run-down at www.911truth.org.)

No, those gams on the homepage don't belong to me; they belong to a 17-year-old girl on her prom night in 2001. The photo was taken by Harry Benson, my favorite photographer, and included in my story, “Ben and Dara Are In Love And Nothing Else Matters,” in Vanity Fair, about the tumultuous relationship of two New York private school kids.

Harry has had a fascinating career. He was one of the original paparazzi, riding around Rome in the 50s trying to catch shots of Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor. In the 60s, he came to New York on the same plane as the Beatles and took many wonderful shots of them, including the one where they’re all jumping on the bed in a hotel room. He was in the room when RFK was shot, and took the photo of the fallen Kennedy. Harry captures life, as it’s happening, and that’s why his photos continue to be so important and exciting. Check him out at harrybenson.com. This April, there will be a retrospective of his work at the Smithsonian in Washington.

And speaking of interesting men: Yes, my husband, Frank Morales is the same low-cost (or no-cost) housing advocate who was the leader of the NYC squatter movement of the 80s and 90s. He's also the author of Police State America (Arm the Spirit: 2002; available at amazon.com). My favorite article about him can be found at www.thevillager.com/villager_83/fromskellytosquats.html.
Here's his entry in wikipedia:

Frank Morales is an Episcopal priest and activist in New York City.
Morales was born in 1949 and grew up in the Jacob Riis Houses on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. His father was Puerto Rican and his mother Peruvian. He first became involved in politics after the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King as a member of the Assassination Information Committee.
Morales became an assistant pastor in 1978. In the Bronx he worked with squatters. In one interview he recalled, "I used to walk out of services with a crowbar and we’d open up abandoned buildings.." He now works at St. Marks Church-in-the-Bowery.
Morales is known for his articles about the Military Industrial Complex published by magazines such as Covert Action Quarterly and Global Outlook. In 2003, he founded the Campaign to Demilitarize the Police in NYC.
Morales appears as a character named "Jesus" in Seth Tobocman's graphic novel, War in the Neighborhood.