We were all Americans that day

The 11th of September was a day that changed the American history. People from all over Europe, and probably other continents looked at America as a country full of happiness and joy. Fear, danger and terrorism were words we never would have felt a sense of belonging to the fantasyland over on the other side of the world, until the date of 9/11/2001.

Tony Benetatos had just started as a firefighter and the Naudet brothers wanted to make a film about the new firefighter in New York City Fire Department. Because of this idea, the remaining firefighters, survivors and people all over the world have gotten to see how it was like working the day the tragedy occurred. 

The firefighters was called out for a gas-leak and as they were about to check for anything serious something else took their attention away. Never did planes fly over New York City, why was it doing it today? Jules Naudet, who did the filming at this moment pointed the camera towards the airplane and in the documentary we can see how the plain is heading to the first tower, and crashes into it.

               Here is the north tower right after the first crash

It didn't take many seconds before the firefighters who were checking the gas-leak jumped into their trucks and drove as fast as they could towards the World Trade Center. When they arrived the met up in the lobby, more and more firefighters were coming in while the employees in the tower were coming out. Jules continued to film through all the drama and you can see all the peoples pain, ignorance and fear. It was like nothing else.

While the crowd of firefighters continued to grew in the lobby of the first tower, another plain sound was heard. The faces hardens while a loud boom comes from right above their head. People were screaming, running and yelling. Everyone was in panic. The second tower was also hit.

         This is a few seconds before the second plain hit the south tower

All the reactions, feelings and emotions are live and real. This is a movie like no other. As a watcher of the movie from an other country then America this move makes me understand how they felt much better than just seeing those serious TV-reporters. It breaks my heart to see all the pain in their faces. A lot of good lives were taken away from the United States, but as a Norwegian it is not easy to exclude the episode we had i Norway this summer. I feel that this tragedy is just as big as in Norway, because that is were my heart is, but the different is the amount of people dying. I feel sorry for everyone who had to have something to do with both things.

The movie is worth seeing, I learned a lot about both how the firefighters handled the situation, the peoples reaction and got to feel the situation on another level than before. Everyone should she it. If you want to read more about the movie, read at IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312318/

Live everyday as best you can, a tragedy can harm you any minute. 

Erin Brockovich - National Hero

Erin Brockovich started as a young woman wanting to achieve something. After going to various colleges, she decided "I want to move to California and become a California-girl". Her first job was as a management trainee for K-Mart, something that didn't make her quite satisfied. She wanted to try something new and started studying electrical engineering, but this girl wanted something more, so she decided she might as well join the Miss Pacific Coast and managed to win.

Beauty pageants weren't exactly Erin's thing so as a normal woman she moved with her husband an two kids to Nevada to settle down. This didn't actually work out because she got divorced. After that she got married again, got another kid and another divorce. She ended up as a typical single mother of three, searching for a job to make the living of her family.

Erin is using all her days calling around searching for a job, and when she one day is going out for a drive she gets hit by a car. Her neck is injured and when she visits the lawyer firm Masry and Vititoe  and goes to court wanting to get replacements for her injuries, she only gets a small amount and is heavily in need of a job. She walks right up du Ed Masry, one of the lawyers of the firm and requires a job at the moment, something she gets. She started sorting out papers and finds a real-estate file with medical records in. This changed her life for ever.

All her time went to investigate the case. What she found out was that Pacific Gas & Electric had been poisoning the water of the town of Hinkley for over 30 years. They had been leaking Chromium 6 out in their drinking water which made  the population of Hinkley sick with various danger diseases.

In 1996, Erin and Ed leaded the largest direct action lawsuit of its kind against the PG & E. The utility giant had to pay $333 million to more than 600 Hinkley residents. After this, Erin became a national hero and has been in media several times. She is a well known speaker, have had her own TV-show, has her own company, it is a movie about her and she most importantly put down the PG & E for their crimes.

Erin is now living in South Carolina with her husband, three children and 5 Pomeranians while she is working as President in her company "Brockovich Research & Consulting" being busy all day working with  numerous environmental projects woldwide.

If the movie may interest you, watch the trailer over.