United 93

I first saw United 93 on TV I think - and the comment was made that with it being the first of the September 11 movies to be released, it set a very high standard.

It's one of those movies that I feel are a _must_ see. It's based on a seminal historical event, something which touched the lives of millions and it is thus important to absorb what we can from films made around the subject.

It was thus with great expectation that I entered the cinema, alone, as per usual.

I was greeted with one of the most memorable cinematic experiences ever, not only because the movie was very good, but also because the movie brought everything so close to home.

Watching the movie is a special privilege because it's like being a fly on the wall of all the aircraft control towers as well as the military command installation, norad. You're are also taken on a journey alongside the passengers of the doomed United 93 airline.

The movie is based on the events of September 11 - and apart from the scenes inside the aircraft, there is real hard evidence to backup what you're seeing i.e. Actual recordings of the conversations between the airline pilots and control towers, as well as between control towers. Seeing the events of the day from such an intimate perspective yields real insight into the challenges faced on the day, and the gravity of events of the day. It brings it all back, like a ten ton truck!

For instance, the major in charge at Norad wasted no time in scrambling fighter jets in response, but not only did he disregard the FAA's objection to those planes flying over manhattan but the jets that were scrambled were not all armed; the option of ramming the rogue plane was real, but from whom would permission be required? I remember them saying "but it's a commercial airline"... the president would be required for something like that - you can't just dial the president's number can you? Co-operation between the various control towers involved was not up to the challenge, neither was co-operation between the control towers and the military up to the challenge.

The scenes from inside the doomed aeroplane are revealing but they are also harrowing. The bulk of the material from that re-enactment would have come from the last ever conversations between the people on board and their loved ones. The events in minute detail would have been conjecture, but for the large part, they are probably correct. That the plane was destined for the white house or some other great american landmark is highly probable, that the plane was brought down by the passengers is also highly probable, and so the events depicted in the movie are very likely.

I watched the movie by myself, and I'm glad I did because it was a very intense emotional experience. To see these people fight for their lives and die doing it was almost too much, to realise that this was not make believe - it was like I lived through what they were doing.

It highlighted big time how unbelievable that whole event was. It was only when the passengers on United 93 got word that the Trade Centre had been taken down that they realised that they were going the same way and thus took action. Typical behaviour for hijacking up until then was not to take the plane and all aboard on a suicide mission, which is probably why the other planes were not averted in the same manner, that and the extra bit of time that the United 93 passengers had.

In closing, I think one of the most acute memories I have from that experience was when the hijackers pronounced that they were doing it for god. To think that man can be so deceived and disillusioned is devastating and cut to the heart. To think that man can do something like this in the name of a god that is not a god at all...

Voices of Spring

Saturday, 9 September 2006 saw the annual Philharmonia Choir, Rondebosch schools choir concert.

Since the choir, of which I am a member, began using the Rondebosch prep school as their practice facility, we thought having a joint concert would be an appropriate way to give something back to the school. And this year was the second time this concert was staged.

The concert this year was bigger and better than last year and this year saw the high school as well as the high school band added to the line up. The junior phase of the prep school were on first, they always acquit themselves well – the cuteness factor always helps. The performance was polished, they used a lot of actions and one could see they had been well prepared.

The senior phase of the prep school followed, they were very good I felt, did a particularly good number about Pharaoh which led into a rousing rendition of “Aint no mountain high enough”...

The high school was represented by a chamber choir whose standard was high. The works chosen were not easy, with lots of harmony throughout. They made significant use of the four voice parts. Their repertoire I felt could be significantly improved. There is so much good, happy, interesting material available for a choir of this nature that I don't know why they don't use it. They should do some barbershop numbers for instance.

Our performance was, in the words of our director, “fine”. The choice of music was far better then last year – this year there was a better spread between classical and pop. The pop stuff was exactly that.

We went from Laudate, a modern number by a Norwegian composer, to a french romantic composition. We included to African indigenous songs, as well as and even some fun, light hearted classics, “bare necessities” and that old favourite, “Old Macdonald”. We also did a popular opera chorus.

The material was difficult, but not out of our abilities, and we were well prepared. There were one or two mistakes where we just lost it completely, which was unfortunate.

The grand finale was two combined items, Look at the World – a John Rutter marvel and a poignant arrangement of the Lord's prayer. These were well done and proved a fitting finale. The audience responded very well to these songs. Combined items tend to have that effect given the size of the choir.

All in all the concert was a success. I think it is fast becoming a fixture in the life of philharmonia choir as well as in the Rondebosch school choirs and can look forward to growing steadily in stature and prestige.

Humanity at its core

It was a long time ago that I setup this blog, at that stage I was thinking i would blog about my "after hours" exploits (yip, you guessed, the after hours name was already taken, which is why I chose this name).

But now, I suddenly realised that there are things that I can and will put on this blog, and it won't be climbing...

Saturday...

On Saturday I returned with a bunch of people to a children's home I had been to before, with a similar bunch of people. One of the members of The Message (a church on the UCT campus) is studying OT (occupational therapy) and one of her assignments was to work with the children of this particular home so she organised a visit to this home with a bunch of The Message people. The home is for mentally handicapped people, apparently the PC term is intellectually challenged, but that, is an understatement. These children are severely handicapped such that they cannot walk or talk. Most of them have pretty serious cerebral palsy.

There is also a smattering of normal children as well however, they're just abandoned or neglected and so they end up there.

The day was quite simple, the aim was simply to go there and spend time there, maybe bring joy into the lives of the children. It was great. I think we achieved that.

It arouses a strange kind of feeling in me when I go, I do not get depressed or sad at the predicament of these people, "melancholic" is probably the best way to explain it. In a negative sense my sensitivities are aroused because of the terrible state some of the patients are in and I feel with them. They know nothing else however so I probably feel for them more than they feel for themselves.

The other manner in which I'm affected is probably analogous to the kind of bond that forms between a mother and her offspring. With these kinds of people, _all_ they want and are looking for, is love. All the rest of the complications are stripped out. All the trappings of modern society are null and void in that environment, they do not see people as they are empirically, "Michael the computer programmer", or Michael the rock climber/dancer, they do not see Michael who owns his own flat or michael that can sing... Your "credentials" mean absolutely nothing in that environment, and I think that's why I like it so much. It strips you down to your brutal humanity. All these little people see is someone who can love me. They do not ask "what can you do for me?", "what can you buy for me?", "can you make me laugh?", do you wear the right labels, do you hang out in the right places. No, all they're looking for is a shoulder on which to lay their head. EVERY person alive is fully equipped to bring joy into the lives of these little people.

And just like a dog never scolds his master for coming home late - in fact the later the master comes home, the _more_ happy the dog is - so these children put no conditions on the encounter. Any contribution that is made is seen as a significant contribution, no matter how small!

It certainly reminds me of what life is all about.