Monday, April 06, 2015

Mummy Mummy What Does a Hack Look like?

Update below.

Well sweetheart, there are those that come in tins . .


and there are those that don't.


And there are some that come all singing, all dancing.



And it is of the all singing, all dancing, that we are going to take a little look at today.

Now unless you have been living in a MSM newsroom (BBC included) for the last fourteen years, you may have come to your own conclusion, that there is something not quite kosher with the official narrative as to what happened on that world changing day, the day of America's new Pearl Harbour, September 11 2001.  

Far beit for me to set before you examples gleaned from the terabytes of data already writ on the subject, your tent is already pitched in the reality camp, or it is pitched in the official camp,the camp where our two featured hacks are firmly ensconced. What ever you may believe, it is not my purpose here today, to try and convince you otherwise. Rather it is to look at some of research claims, and integrity if you wish, of our chosen hacks, Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan.


The Truth is Out There

Saturday, September 10, 2011
By Jonathan deBurca Butler

Pile upon pile of files are laid out on the floor or hastily stacked up on the writing desk.

The only dash of colour is the pink and yellow post-it-notes that peek out from the heaving folders. Some carry obscure reference numbers, others recognisable words like ‘Taliban’, ‘Clinton’, and ‘Al Qaeda’.

Stuck to the frame of a large, light-giving window is a pleasant, black-and-white photo of the couple smiling. Below it is the cover of their latest book, The Eleventh Day, with the dramatic picture of the vomiting explosion that followed the crashing of American Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower of The World Trade Center at 9.03am on September 11, 2001.

Their study-library is the type of room for which an anxious parent might scold an obsessively studious teenage child. In the case of Summers and Swan, it is the other way around.

“Every night, we come back into the house, sit down at the dinner table [with their three teenage children] and start talking about September 11,” says Swan. “And then Tony looks up at me and says to the children, ‘We’re not going to talk about the book now.’ And they don’t believe us.”

For the last five years, from their base and home near Cappoquin in Co Waterford, Summers and Swan have been investigating and writing about the most infamous day in modern history.

It has been a tough slog. Summers, who was born in London and whose father was from Kerry, has lived in the area since 1973. Having worked for the BBC in war zones, he was offered the opportunity to write a book on the Romanovs in the early 1970s, which he thought “might earn enough to get me a new car.” It topped the bestsellers list and afforded him the choice of his own work. Several successful books followed; later, while researching a book on J Edgar Hoover, in Washington, Summers met Swan, who was then working for The London Independent.

“Well, Tony hired me to be his researcher,” says Swan. “He claimed it was going to be two weeks’ worth of work. And it ended up being two years. And when he could no longer afford to pay me, he offered to marry me.”

Swan, who was born and raised in Connecticut, says that moving from the capital of the USA to the somewhat more easygoing and sleepy Waterford countryside was a culture shock.

“Moving from a big city, where everything was happening, to the back-of-nowhere was hard,” she says. “But now I treasure the back-of-nowhere and I wouldn’t change it. I’m never, ever sorry that I did it.”

The couple’s home is situated opposite an early 19th century castle, on the River Blackwater. In this somewhat idyllic setting, they have worked on numerous books and biographies, including Official and Confidential: The Secret Lives of J Edgar Hoover and The Arrogance of Power: The Secret Life of Richard Nixon.

In the era of 24-hour-news, quick-fix facts and panting, speculative conclusions, Summers and Swan stand out as champions of old-school journalism based on diligence and digging around.

Really?  champions of old-school journalism based on diligence and digging around.

“It’s no longer feasible to spend the amount of time that we would typically spend on a book anymore,” says Swan. “This book we turned out more quickly [than usual], although it still took the guts of five years. But, you can’t have it both ways. And this is a product of the internet. The problem with the internet is that they expect you to turn out beautiful copy that’s new, and breaks news while sitting in your house doing nothing except reading other stories on the internet.
 Quite.
“But that’s not how good journalism is done. We go down the road, we interview people, we read thousands of documents and spend a lot of time on the phone, but at the end of the day we have to think, we produce the goods.”

Ah so! That's how it's done is it?.  But that’s not how good journalism is done. We go down the road, we interview people*

 We go down the road, we interview people* Do you really? I'm glad you've cleared that one up. But pray forgive me if I mark this lesson in good journalism with a small * Should I forget.

As for producing the goods, might you afford me the question; for whom?

In the case of The Eleventh Day, they most certainly do. It is a compelling (and often harrowing) read from start to finish and with 116 pages of notes and sources listed at the end, it is clear that this tome was a labour of love for both writers.

“We saw that all sorts of sane people were actually confused,” says 68-year-old Summers. “And what we do for a living is take controversial cases or people, and as an old friend of mine used to say, pick them up by their ankles and shake them to see what change comes out. So it sounds like a cliché, but we were trying to get at that elusive thing called ‘something like the truth’.”

Confused are they? Poor souls. ‘something like the truth’ But the actual truth?

One of the strongest aspects of this investigation is how it debunks the conspiracy theorists; people and academics who believe that the Bush administration was involved with the attacks. “We thought we’d poke around and see what we got,” says Summers. “And, in the end, we found nothing. And, really, the conspiracy theorists’ theories do not stand up, they’re not backed by the evidence. And it has blurred a whole lot of it that is serious.”

By academics, am I to assume that includes Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth? One of the strongest aspects of this investigation is how it debunks the conspiracy theorists; people and academics But you are probably right, there being only 2,343 of them and two of you.

“And, in the end, we found nothing. Fancy! And, really, the conspiracy theorists’ theories do not stand up, they’re not backed by the evidence. No? But then that's the trouble with conspiracy theorists (and haters) all the trouble they go to, when all they have to do is read one of your books. Aren't they silly?

“We felt that we owed it to these people who were looking at the internet and reading these [conspiracy] books to turn the whole thing upside down and subject it to hard treatment,” says Swan.

 We felt that we owed it to these people who were looking at the internet and reading Your altruism knows no bounds.

That hard treatment does not in any way let the Bush administration off the hook. The administration comes across as incompetent, hot-headed, and, in the case of facing down Iraq but never asking questions of other more-economically powerful Arab states, frightened.

Within hours of the attacks, the administration, much to the disbelief of high-ranking intelligence agents, was targeting Iraq. It was later proved that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with the attacks on September 11. Indeed, Osama bin Laden despised the Iraqi leader.

The chapters dealing with bin Laden show him to be a complex character; at one moment intelligent and charismatic, at others a childish bully, but always a religious zealot. The book also reveals that the intelligence agencies knew of the arrival of one, if not two, of the terrorists before the attacks, but failed to act.

There are insights into chief terrorist Mohamed Atta and the other 18 self-proclaimed martyrs and it becomes abundantly clear that their motive was Palestine — something Summers says “people in the States need to understand.”

“We want people to read this book because, to be quite honest, this was a cataclysmic event for the world,” says Swan.

We want people to read this book You don't say? You wanted people to read another of your books quite recently, how did that work out for you?

“It has shaped all of our lives. It has shaped the lives of our children and it will continue to do so. And they should have their lives shaped by the truth, as far as we can know it. People should know what to be afraid of and what not to be afraid of, and know what the lessons are from this and not have them peddled by an administration or by fantasists.”

 The Eleventh Day by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan is published by Random House Irish Examiner

And now a little look at what set the ball rolling. The audio clip I had listened to previously, but it wasn't until my colleague and researcher, Maren, a lady from the Netherlands, came up with the article, did the whole thing come together.


Answers on a postage stamp please.





Sometimes it's what you don't do that speaks volumes. Or in this particular instance, it's not what's there that's telling, rather it's what isn't there that screams from the rooftops.

The blog of Anthony Summers & Robbyn Swan Where you will be rather hard pressed to find any mention of:


Odd that.



Update: Where to begin?

Perhaps by stating that when I opined about the rubbish some people write, it was at the time, without association to our chosen subjects, Summers and Swan.

Let me set the tone.

Further our discussion on the properties of aircraft aluminium.

People do write some shite.

In the case of the 757 that hit the Pentagon, one wing hit the building and the other was forced off by the impact with the building’s load-bearing columns. The remains of the plane then entered into the building in a state “closer to a liquid than a solid mass.”

Close to a liquid than a solid mass. Utter shite in fact. It's not a pie tin from the corner shop we are talking about, it's aircraft Aluminium. For want of a better but less technical description, it's as hard as fuckin' iron.

To cut a long story short, the scribbler of said merde, non other than establishment shills for 9/11, Popular Mechanics.

Debunking Popular Mechanics: Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth link

Popular Mechanics' Assault on 9/11: Truth 9/11 Research.net link

Although at the end of the piece, I did utter this tongue-in-cheek remark:

 Can’t help but wonder how much of the content of Summers and Swan book is attributable to Popular Mechanics?

So dear reader, if you have managed to guess what's coming and think there may be a prize for doing such? Sorry, we don't give out prizes for easy peasy.

Debunking the 9/11 Myths: Special Report - The Pentagon
Mete Sozen: Why wasn't the hole as wide as a 757's 124-ft.-10-in. wingspan? A crashing jet doesn't punch a cartoon-like outline of itself into a reinforced concrete building, says ASCE team member Mete Sozen, a professor of structural engineering at Purdue University. In this case, one wing hit the ground; the other was sheared off by the force of the impact with the Pentagon's load-bearing columns, explains Sozen, who specializes in the behavior of concrete buildings. What was left of the plane flowed into the structure in a state closer to a liquid than a solid mass. "If you expected the entire wing to cut into the building," Sozen tells PM, "it didn't happen." Popular Mechanics

No, but you might expect a few broken widows in the area of impact. Which of course, there were none.


Truthers and Consequences: The Trouble with Dean Hartwell’s “Perspective”

Turning to the crash of American Airlines flight 77 into the Pentagon, Hartwell complains that we do not say at what time the mangled debris – some with AA markings – “arrived” on the Pentagon lawn. The Eleventh Day, however, contains several eyewitness accounts of an American Airlines plane crashing into the Pentagon, as well as a detailed explanation of the disintegration of the plane on impact by the respected engineering professor Mete Sozen. Even a casual reading of this information makes it obvious that it was after this impact that the debris arrived – to use Hartwell’s word – on the Pentagon lawn. Anthony Summers & Robbyn Swan

Nice quote. Nice research.

And you wonder why your work of fiction on Madeleine McCann was pulled to pieces?

Try being less of a hack.

As well as.



A sweeping flourish of the bonnet to Maren. Research.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a slime ball... I don't mean Craig!

Thanks for that video, I hadn't seen it before.

Anonymous said...

The problem with the internet is that they expect you to turn out beautiful copy that`s new and breaks news,

Just eye watering.

The internet being the greatest medium of decentralised information exchange that the world has ever known.

They being the "plebs" who contribute to this global scriptorium of ideas, assimilation and reportage.

It`s pretty clear where Summers` grievance really lies.

....they expect beautiful copy...he actually said that?! Is this man a parody?

Agnos

Anonymous said...

“But that’s not how good journalism is done. We go down the road, we interview people, we read thousands of documents and spend a lot of time on the phone, but at the end of the day we have to think, we produce the goods.”

It is clear; Looking for Madeleine is not how good journalism is done (let’s blame the internet), but as for producing the goods, good question H; for whom? M

Himself said...

20:55

You're welcome.

Himself said...

21:02 Agnos

I watched, once-upon-a-time, a belate: The Internet, The Good Versus The Bad or some such title.

"We have the knowledge of the ages at our finger tips, how bad is that? - Stephen Fry

How bad indeed.

Or in a slightly different context, but germane to our two hacks.

"It's the age of the internet, you can't lie any more." - Bill Maher

But if you want the ultimate in bullshit, try this. (that I sent to Martin R)

We had been discussing the properties of aircraft Aluminium, me being familar with such things. It was just some short time later that I happened upon this . . this . . astonishing piece of hackery.

-------------------------

Further our discussion on the properties of aircraft aluminium.

People do write some shite.

In the case of the 757 that hit the Pentagon, one wing hit the building and the other was forced off by the impact with the building’s load-bearing columns. The remains of the plane then entered into the building in a state “closer to a liquid than a solid mass.”

http://www.topsecretwriters.com/2014/10/disrespectful-911-pentagon-conspiracies-need-stop/

And this dear boy, from a site that hosted two reasonable articles on McCann/Leyland.

Unless of course, it falls into the, so bad it’s good, category? *

I haven’t as yet checked out the rest of the site.

http://www.topsecretwriters.com/2014/11/mccanns-real-trolls-bridge-part/

*Nope, Gabrielle Pickard is a regular contributor.

But then, when you look at her sources, Popular Mechanics of all people. Stroll on!

And ‘tis from this bunch of establishment shills, that she draws the: closer to liquid nonsense.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/news/debunking-911-myths-pentagon

Check out the article comments, not least the writer’s.

Can’t help but wonder how much of the content of Summers and Swan book is attributable to Popular Mechanics?

Regards dear boy.

------------------------

And regards to you too, dear boy.

Himself said...

06:40 Maren

For whom?

For whom the bell tolls?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w-8JKaTohe4/TESXt06rmnI/AAAAAAAAavQ/Go2hsSRicO0/s1600/for_whom_the_bell_tolls.jpg

Anonymous said...

Agnos wrote

People do write some shite.

"In the case of the 757 that hit the Pentagon, one wing hit the building and the other was forced off by the impact with the building’s load-bearing columns. The remains of the plane then entered into the building in a state “closer to a liquid than a solid mass.”

Rofl! @ the quote you posted.

Himself said...

Maren, good morning. I shall reply here to your link posted in the link dump.

As I shall reply here, to your other comment in the dump.

http://www.whodidit.org/cocon.html

Most interesting. All the usual suspects of course, but lots of previously, "unknown knowns" to me.

Unsurprisingly:

Victor Ganzi— president and CEO of Hearst Corporation since June 1, 2002; the Hearst publication, Popular Mechanics, has repeatedly tried to debunk the truth of 9-11

But this fellow! He's Michael Chertoff's cousin, for Christ's sake.

Benjamin Chertoff — 25-year-old cousin of Michael Chertoff; senior “researcher” for Popular Mechanics’ hit piece on 9-11 Truth Movement

I chose these four, with Ian Puddick in mind. (Good morning Ian)

A bleedin' plumber from down sarf (South) mixing it with the likes of these powerful shitbags. Respect to you boy, respect.

Jules Kroll — founder of Kroll Corporation, a “security services” company which was in charge of “security” at WTC on 9-11; has close links to CIA and is active private military contractor in Iraq; Zionist


Maurice Greenberg — CEO of American International Group (AIG) on 9-11 which became co-owner of the “private spy agency”, Kroll Associates, in 1993 and was a major share-holder in Marsh & McClennan whose CEO on 9-11 was Maurice’s son Jeffrey; director of the New York Federal Reserve bank (1988-1995); deputy chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in 1996; major investor in the Blackstone Group


Michael Cherkasky — CEO of Kroll on 9-11; former investigator in the Manhattan DA’s Office from 1978 to 1994; now CEO of insurance-firm Marsh & McClennan


Jerome Hauer — managing director of Kroll and senior adviser to US Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for National Security and Emergency Management on 9-11; put John O’Neill at the WTC on 9-11; lied to Dan Rather on CBS News on 9-11 about the controlled demolition of WTC buildings; director of Giuliani’s Office of Emergency Management from 1996 to 2000


And last but nor least Billy Kristol. Only chosen for the reason, that if I had to choose two words that described him the best, they would be: fucking insane.

By comparison, he makes John Bolton look like a rational dove.

William Kristol — PNAC co-founder; adherent of Leo Strauss; editor of The Weekly Standard; strong advocate of the Iraq war; “dual citizen” of US and Israel; Zionist

Himself said...

Maren, I have decided to update the post with your little gem.

And it's all of that, a gem. You are a star.

Anonymous said...

Himself,
Thanks for the above links.

And a great update (Maren?)...thank you!

Mr Summers does have something of a latter Cnut(sp) about him. (Cnut or Lear, it's a close run thing!)

Agnos

Anonymous said...

(latter...DAY)

Agnos

tigger said...

The best comment I've ever read about 9/11 was that it wasn't so much an airplane hitting a building, as a building hitting an airplane - the recent crash in the Alps shows exactly what happens if a large and thin- skinned object meets a solid mass. Smithereens is what - it's not in the nature of an airplane to slice through concrete like a knife through butter.

Pentagon was a missile most likely, at least that makes sense to me. A plane would have brought down the facade and fragmented in thousands of pieces.
Best thing about that is Rumsfeld running around helping the first aiders.
(See Unter Falschen Flagge on YouTube)

Lots of holes in the stories, most of all the passenger lists, not much about them thar passengers at all, apart from the impossible heroics. That's what made me sit up. Didn't fit, just like the killing of officer Tippett didn't fit in the Kennedy assassination and urgent need for a group timeline written on the child's colouring book told anyone with 2 brain cells that she would never use that book again and told me even more about her parents.

Anonymous said...

Barbara Honegger, former White House policy analyst's long talk detailing her research findings on 9/11 Pentagon attack. The nub of her conclusions starts at 2.15.18 approx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JT-94jysi8

Redhead Space said...

You bring up a lot of interesting facts. It's important to stop listening to the MSM and think for yourself.