lappell

“The real problem of humanity is the following: we have palaeolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and godlike technology.”

[James Tate @JamesTate121]

Dear MAGA, you are the Chicken.

[lappell @lawrenceappell]

@JamesTate121 All the way from Mykonos

[lappell @lawrenceappell]

@OleTimeHardball Yes, that is me in the crowd shot after the winning run scored. 40 years ago. Amazing. The ride from Shea to home was better than New Year’s Eve.

[Hosna ⚖️ בניטה @DOGEQEEN]

Lauren Manning ran out of the North Tower while her body was still on fire. Burns covered 82.5 percent of her body. Doctors believed she had a 90 to 95 percent chance of dying, while her 10-month-old son was waiting at home for a mother who might never return.

She had not even reached her office yet. That delay may have saved her life.

Manning was a partner at Cantor Fitzgerald, whose offices occupied the upper floors of the North Tower. On the morning of September 11, 2001, she was running late and entered the lobby just as American Airlines Flight 11 struck the building. High above her, all 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees who were at work that morning would die.

Then the fire reached Lauren.

Jet fuel and flames blasted down the elevator shafts. The doors exploded outward, and a wall of fire engulfed her. Her clothes caught fire. Her hair burned. Her skin began burning across most of her body.

Lauren did not wait for someone to rescue her.

She ran.

Still on fire, she somehow made it out of the North Tower and across the street. A stranger eventually reached her and put out the flames.

The damage was catastrophic. Burns covered 82.5 percent of Lauren's body, most of them third-degree. Some were so deep that they damaged muscle and bone. Her lungs had also been injured by smoke and fuel inhalation. At NewYork-Presbyterian's burn center, doctors estimated that her chance of dying was between 90 and 95 percent.

Lauren understood enough to know how serious her condition was. But before heavy sedation took over, she made a decision. She had her husband, Greg. And she had Tyler, her 10-month-old baby boy.

Greg later wrote that while Lauren was at St. Vincent's Hospital, she told him she had decided to live for Tyler and for him.

Then the real fight began.

Lauren was placed into an induced coma for almost two months. Her lungs collapsed. Severe infections threatened her life. Doctors performed one operation after another, including skin grafts, procedures on her joints, and partial amputations of her fingers. During that initial hospitalization, she underwent 11 major surgeries, many of them involving multiple procedures.

There were days when simply staying alive was the only goal.

Her husband stayed beside her. He talked to her even when she could not respond. He read poetry to her and told her about Tyler. Friends and relatives constantly wanted to know whether Lauren was still alive, so Greg began sending email updates. He signed every one the same way:

"Love, Greg & Lauren."

Lauren was fighting for her life while the full scale of September 11 was still being kept from her. When she eventually regained consciousness, she did not immediately understand everything that had happened. Only later did she learn that both towers had collapsed and that 658 of her Cantor Fitzgerald colleagues had been killed.

Then another frightening question entered her mind.

Would Tyler recognize her?

The mother who had left home on September 11 no longer looked the same. Her hands were badly damaged. Her body was covered with grafted and scarred skin. She had been unconscious for weeks and could barely move.

But Tyler was still there.

So Lauren began learning how to live again.

Sixty-six days after the attacks, she walked approximately 30 to 40 feet from her hospital room toward the nurses' station. Her physical therapists were so stunned by how far she had managed to go that they ran to get her parents. People on the burn ward cried as they watched her standing there.

Those few feet were only the beginning.

Lauren spent more than six months in the hospital, and her recovery continued for years. More procedures followed. The pain never simply disappeared. Even two decades later, she described living with ongoing pain, fragile skin, infections, and complications caused by her injuries.

But September 11 had not taken away what she had been fighting for.

She went home. She raised Tyler. Later, she had another son.

[Headquarters @HQNewsNow]

Trump’s Department of Justice just removed every single one of Trump’s pardons from their website. Too bad we saved them before they could delete them:

—George Santos, wire fraud
—Julie Chrisley, conspiracy to commit bank fraud (5 counts); bank fraud; wire fraud; conspiracy to defraud the U.S. to obstruct and impede the Internal Revenue Laws
—Todd Chrisley, conspiracy to commit bank fraud; bank fraud (5 counts); wire fraud; conspiracy to defraud the U.S. to obstruct and impede the Internal Revenue Laws
—Tina Peters, for those offenses she has or may have committed or taken part in related to election integrity and security during the period from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021
—Changpeng Zhao, failure to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program
—Nearly 1,600 January 6th insurrectionists: seditious conspiracy; assaulting, resisting/impeding law enforcement; destruction of government property; obstruction of an official proceeding
—Ross William Ulbricht, fraud with identification documents
—Terence Dale Sutton, Jr., murder in second degree; conspiracy; obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting
—Andrew Zabavsky, conspiracy; obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting
—Lawrence S. Duran, conspiracy to commit health care fraud; health care fraud (11 counts); conspiracy to defraud the United States and to receive and pay health care kickbacks
—Kentrell D. Gaulden, Felon in possession of a firearm
— Michael Gerard Grimm, aiding and assisting in the preparation of false and fraudulent tax returns
—Michael Ray Harris, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to aid and abet possession and distribution of cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine
—Larry Hoover, narcotics conspiracy; continuing criminal enterprise; use of persons under age 18; distribution of cocaine; distribution of cocaine (2 counts) use of a firearm in the commission of a drug trafficking crime
—James M. Kernan, knowingly and willfully permitting a convicted felon to be engaged in the business of insurance
—Marlene Mary Kernan, permitting a convicted felon to engage in the business of insurance
—Tanner J. Mansell, theft of property within special maritime jurisdiction
—John R. Moore, Jr., theft of property within special maritime jurisdiction
—Marian I. Morgan, conspiracy to defraud the United States; wire fraud (7 counts); transfer of funds taken by fraud (5 counts)
—John G. Rowland, conspiracy to defraud the United States
—Charles Overton Scott, conspiracy to commit securities fraud; securities fraud
—Alexander Sittenfeld, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds; attempted extortion under color of official right
—Earl Lamont Smith, theft of government property
—Garnett Gilbert Smith, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine
—Charles Lavar Tanner, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; attempt to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine
—Anabel Valenzuela, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; conspiracy to commit money laundering; criminal forfeiture (2 counts)
—Imaad Shah Zuberi, violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act; tax evasion; illegal campaign contributions; tampering with a witness, victim or informant (obstruction of justice)
—Jeremy Young Hutchinson, conspiracy to commit bribery, aiding and abetting filing of false income tax return; conspiracy; criminal forfeiture of property
—Edward Ruben Sotelo, conspiracy; continuing criminal enterprise; possession with intent to distribute 1 kilogram of cocaine, aiding and abetting (2 counts); distribution of more than five kilograms of cocaine and aiding and abetting
—Joe Angelo Sotelo, conspiracy; possession with intent to distribute one kilogram of cocaine and aiding and abetting
—Brian Kelsey, conspiracy to defraud the United States
—Thomas Edward Caldwell, tampering with documents or proceedings
—Devon Archer, conspiracy to commit securities fraud; securities fraud
—Benjamin Delo, violation of the Bank Secrecy Act
—Gregory Dwyer, violation of Bank Secrecy Act
—Arthur Hayes, violation of the Bank Secrecy Act
—HDR Global Trading Limited, violation of Bank Secrecy Act
—Trevor Milton, securities fraud; wire fraud (2 counts)
—Samuel Reed, violation of the Bank Secrecy Act
—Jason Galanis, conspiracy to commit securities fraud (2 counts); securities fraud; investment adviser fraud
—Ozy Media, Inc., conspiracy to commit securities fraud; conspiracy to commit wire fraud
—Carlos Roy Watson, conspiracy to commit securities fraud; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; aggravated identity theft
—Michele Fiore, conspiracy to commit wire fraud (6 counts); wire fraud
—Paul Walczak, willful failure to pay trust fund taxes; failure to file return/information
—Scott Howard Jenkins, conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving Federal funds, honest services mail fraud, and honest service wire fraud; honest services mail fraud; honest services wire fraud (3 counts)
—James Callahan, filing false labor union reports
—Kevin Eric Baisden, shoplifting; second degree theft; bail reform act
—Mark Bashaw, violation of lawful orders
—Joan Bell, conspiracy against rights; FACE Act
—Coleman Boyd, conspiracy to obstruct access to a clinic providing reproductive health services; violation of the FACE Act
—Joel Curry, conspiracy against rights; clinic access obstruction
—Jonathan Darnel, conspiracy against rights; FACE Act
—Caroline Davis, conspiracy to interfere with access to clinic entrances; aiding and abetting interference with access to clinic entrances Conspiracy
—Eva Edl, conspiracy against rights; clinic access obstruction; violation of the FACE Act
—Chester Gallagher, conspiracy to obstruct access to a clinic providing reproductive health services; violation of the FACE Act
—Herb Geraghty, conspiracy against rights; FACE Act
—William Goodman, conspiracy against rights; FACE Act
—Dennis Green, conspiracy to obstruct access to a clinic providing reproductive health services; violation of the FACE Act
—Lauren Handy, conspiracy against rights; FACE Act
—Paula Harlow, conspiracy against rights; FACE Act
—John Hinshaw, conspiracy against rights; FACE Act
—Heather Idoni, conspiracy against rights; FACE Act
—Jean Marshall, conspiracy against rights; FACE Act
—Christopher Moscinski, interference with freedom of access to reproductive health services
—Justin Phillips, conspiracy against rights; clinic access obstruction
—Paul Place, violation of the FACE Act
—Jay Smith, FACE Act
—Paul Vaughn, conspiracy to obstruct access to a clinic providing reproductive health services; violation of the FACE Act
—Bevelyn Beatty Williams, violating FACE Act
—Calvin Zastrow, conspiracy to obstruct access to clinic providing reproductive health services; violation of the FACE Act
—Eva Zastrow, conspiracy against rights; clinic access obstruction; violation of the FACE Act
—James Zastrow, violation of the FACE Act
—Rod R. Blagojevich, wire fraud under color of official right (8 counts)
—Jean Pinkard, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute controlled substances
—Glen Casada, conspiracy to defraud the United States; honest services wire fraud (4 counts); use of a fictitious name to carry out a fraud
—Cade Cothren, conspiracy to defraud the United States; honest services wire fraud (6 counts)
—Robert Henry Harshbarger, Jr., introducing misbranded drugs into Interstate commerce; health care fraud
—Troy Lake, conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act
—Michael McMahon, acting as an agent of a foreign government without prior notification to the Attorney General; conspiracy to engage in interstate stalking; stalking
—Darryl Strawberry, Sr., income tax evasion
—Michelino Sunseri, leaving the Garnet Canyon Trail to use the shortcut of the Old Climber's Trail in violation of the Superintendent's 2024 Compendium
—Joseph Lewis, conspiracy to commit securities fraud; securities fraud (2 counts)
—Suzanne Kaye, Interstate Communications - Threats
—Joseph Schwartz, willful failure to pay over employment taxes; failure to file the Annual 5500 Report
—Daniel Edwin Wilson, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person; possession of an unregistered firearm
—David Gentile, conspiracy to commit securities fraud; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; securities fraud; wire fraud (2 counts)
—Juan Orlando Hernandez, conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States; possessing machine guns and destructive devices in furtherance of the cocaine importation conspiracy; conspiracy to use and carry machine guns and destructive devices
—Timothy Joseph Leiweke, conspiracy to restrain trade
—Jimmy Ray Barnett, possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of amphetamine; convicted felon in possession of firearms
—Zechariah Benjamin, distribute and aid and abet the distribution of 5 grams or more of cocaine base after having been convicted of two felony drug offenses
—Angela Wannette Cupit, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance
—Jacob Deutsch, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud
—Juan Mercado, III, conspiracy to possess, with intent to distribute, 2160.02 kilograms of marijuana; supervised release violation (conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine)
—Angela Reynolds, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance
—Andre Donnell Routt, did knowingly and intentionally conspire, combine, confederate and agree together, with each other and with other persons to knowingly and intentionally distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine
—James Phillip Womack, distribution of more than five grams of actual methamphetamine
—Adriana Isabel Camberos, conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud; wire fraud and aiding and abetting (7 counts)
—Andres Enrique Camberos, conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud; wire fraud and aiding and abetting (7 counts)
—Danny Preston Conrad, embezzling by postal employee
—Arie Eric De Jong, III, conspiracy
—Russell John Flint, Jr., aiding and abetting the making of false Selective Service Registration Certificates
—Julio M. Herrera Velutini, honest services wire fraud (2 counts); federal program bribery (2 counts)
—Kenneth Caprist Kelly, armed bank robbery; assault during armed bank robbery; use of firearm during a crime of violence
—James Michael Klos, possession of an unregistered firearm
—David Levy, conspiracy to commit securities fraud; securities fraud
—Hollie Ann Nadel, conspiracy to commit money laundering and bank fraud
—Mark T. Rossini, federal program bribery; honest services wire fraud
—Wanda Vazquez Garced, federal program bribery; honest services wire fraud
—Terren Scott Peizer, securities fraud; insider trading (2 counts)
—Travis Henry, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine
—Timothy S. Smith, conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service
—Nathaniel Newton, Jr., conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana
—Joseph Klecko, perjury
—Jamal Lewis, use of telephone to facilitate an attempt to possess with intent to distribute cocaine
—Elite Diesel Service, Inc., conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act
—Dr. Billy A. Cannon, conspiracy
—Stephen E. Buyer, securities fraud (4 counts)
—Jonathan Dean Achtemeier, conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act
—Timothy Curtis Clancy, II, Clean Air Act tampering
—Clancy Logistics Inc., Clean Air Act tampering
—Joshua L. Davis, conspiracy to defraud the United States and violate the Clean Air Act
—Matthew Sidney Geouge, conspiracy to defraud the United States and violate the Clean Air Act
—Jack Charles Harvard, false statement to a federally insured bank, and aiding and abetting
—Adam R. Kidan, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud; wire fraud
—John Dougherty, embezzlement of labor union assets (33 counts); wire fraud (24 counts); conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and federal program bribery; honest services wire fraud (7 counts)
—Ryan Reginald LaLone, violation of Clean Air Act
—Wade James LaLone, violation of Clean Air Act
—Accurate Truck Service LLC, conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act
—Diesel Freak LLC, conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act
—Griffin Transportation Inc., conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act
—Barry Kendal Pierce, Clean Air Act
—Custom Auto of Rexburg LLC, tampering with a monitoring device or method required by the Clean Air Act
—GDP Tuning LLC, conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act
—Aaron Lucas Roskin Rudolf, conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act
—Mackenzie Scott Spurlock, tampering with Clean Air Act monitoring device
—Patrick Tate Adamiak, receive and possess and unregistered firearm; unlawful possession and transfer of a machine gun
—Isaac Merrill Allen, conspiracy to tamper with Clean Air Act monitoring devices; obstruction of agency proceeding
—Spade K. Bailly, conspiracy to defraud the United States and to violate the Clean Air Act—Thomas Leon Brooks, Jr., manufacturing counterfeit currency
—Giovanna Campo, possession of counterfeit United States obligations
—Daniel Aaron Chase, tampering with Clean Air Act monitoring device
—Shane Cox, possession of an unregistered firearm; transfer of a firearm in violation of National Firearm Act (five counts); making a firearm in violation of National Firearm Act; engaging in business as a dealer and manufacturer of firearms
—Billi Jo Engbrecht, Bank Embezzlement
—Russell Fincher, selling ammunition to a prohibited person
—Michael Wayne Hanzuk, II, conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act
—Jessica Lynn Jacobson, conspiracy to make and utter counterfeit obligations and securities of the United States
—Christopher Paul Kaufman, Clean Air Act Tampering
—Jeremy Ryan Kettler, possession of unregistered firearm
—Eric Wayne Larson, conspiracy to distribute cocaine
—Jonathan F. Long, accessory after the fact of falsifying, tampering with, and rendering inaccurate a monitoring device required by the Clean Air Act
—Ryan Hugh Milliken, conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act
—Kyle David Offringa, conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act
—Louis Michael Olerio, Jr., money laundering conspiracy
—George Peterson, possession of an unregistered silencer
—Dustin Rhine, conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act
—James Sisson, conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act
—Travis Turner, accessory after the fact to Clean Air Tampering
—Emory Clash Jones, conspiracy to distribute cocaine hydrochloride and cocaine base
—Suzula Bidon, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; supervised release violation (conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine)
—Molly Ann Bloom, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance
—Holly Leanne Frantzen, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance
—Kevin Harden, conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana
—Jerry Haymon, conspiracy to distribute marijuana
—Shemika Alfrida Williams, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of a firearm during a drug crime

[lappell @lawrenceappell]

@sigg20 I get goose bumps thinking about the day it happened and watching it in the movie.

[lappell @lawrenceappell]

@GovernorShapiro thank you

[lappell @lawrenceappell]

@Travisjost1 @ThinkAppraiser Oh, I know what it is. Trust me.

[lappell @lawrenceappell]

@DaninCarteret @Yankees Agreed!

[Trump Lie Tracker (Commentary Account) @MAGALieTracker]

BREAKING: Doug Ford just unveiled a massive sign reading “Lake Ontario Now and Always” on the shoreline of Lake Ontario.

Trump would hate it if this went viral.

[Sarrah Bellus @sarrah_bellus]

This goes crazy 🔥

Zohran Mamdani did not hold back:

Reporter: “Why are you against Donald Trump?”
Zohran: “He’s a fascist.”
Reporter: “Why?”
Zohran: “He says Medicare is impossible while spending $500M a day bombing Iran and Lebanon. Americans are tired and so am I.”

An American politician with actual spine. 👏

[Steven Shaw 💙💙🌊 @ShawS983]

You 🫵🏽 know what you have to do! 🗳️💙💙💙

[Ed Krassenstein @EdKrassen]

Fox News thinks this graphic makes US Senate Candidate @AngieNixon look bad.

Let's spread it everywhere.

[lappell @lawrenceappell]

@triplehigh_uz We listened on the WABC or WMCA simulcast

[lappell @lawrenceappell]

@TalkinYanks I've already turned the sound off

[lappell @lawrenceappell]

And the best gelato in Italy!

[The Timeless Traveler 🇺🇸 @TimelessTrvlr]

San Gimignano once had around 72 towers because wealthy families kept trying to outdo one another.

Only 14 are still standing.

The towers dominate the skyline as you approach. Most weren’t church towers. They were built by noble families and wealthy merchants, especially between the 11th and 13th centuries. A taller tower was a very public way to show how much money and influence your family had.

In 1255, the town passed a law saying private towers couldn’t be taller than the municipal one. The Ardinghelli family apparently ignored the limit with two towers near Piazza della Cisterna. They were later cut down.

San Gimignano sat directly on the Via Francigena, the old pilgrimage route toward Rome, bringing pilgrims and merchants through town. It became an independent commune in 1199 and grew wealthy enough for its leading families to compete in stone.

Piazza della Cisterna became one of the main gathering places. The octagonal well in the middle is still there, with grooves worn into the stone from generations of ropes pulling buckets of water.

The town’s fortunes changed in the 14th century.

Plague, famine and political decline hit San Gimignano hard, and by 1353 it had come under Florentine control. It never developed into a major city afterward, which meant much of its medieval layout survived without the same level of later rebuilding seen elsewhere.

UNESCO added the historic center to its World Heritage List in 1990.

Piazza della Cisterna is a good place to start. After that, climb Torre Grossa, the tallest surviving tower in town.

From the top, you can see just how close together the old family towers were. In a town this compact, adding another few meters would have been impossible for anyone to miss.

San Gimignano is often called the “Medieval Manhattan.”

The nickname makes more sense when you know the skyline was partly the result of wealthy families competing with one another.

That’s the sort of history I’m always looking for when writing newsletter.

If you enjoy stories like this, subscribe.

https://t.co/eW2kBY27EE

[lappell @lawrenceappell]

@JamesTate121 Newman

[Paul Freid @PaulFreid5]

An American hero. Retweet if you agree.

[Maine Democrats @MaineDems]

Susan Collins announced she's a "no" on Todd Blanche.
Interesting timing! Right after the vote was basically locked up. Real profile in courage there, Senator.