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Jeffrey S. Abramson announces his plan to build a Tower of Invincibility in Washington, DC--Part III-Answering questions from the Press
by Global Good News staff writer

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12 October 2007

Mr Abramson answers questions such as where will the Tower of Invincibility be built, how will the site be selected, what will the design be?

Where will the Tower of Invincibility be built?
Mr Abramson explained that he had called the news conference for the citizens of America to decide where this monument to peace and invincibility should be built. 'We have already received about 150 suggestions,' he said.

'People seem to be very much enjoying deciding where it should be built and being part of history. Most of the ideas are that it should be near the other monuments that are graced around the Capitol and the White House.

Mr Abramson gave some of the suggestions: The Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial; Lafayette Square; Anacostia near where the proposed soccer stadium will be.

Some have suggested the Teddy Roosevelt Island, which is seen by all of Washington; the Old Convention Center site; and many have suggested across from the Pentagon, where one would see it from Washington, D.C.

'Others have said it should be the blocks overlooking the Potomac river, either in Virginia or in Maryland. Someone suggested that it should be along Mount Vernon Parkway, which connects the national airport to George Washington's home in Mount Vernon so that it could be seen by everyone as they fly into the nation's capital.

Where he would like to build it?
Mr Abramson answered that he would want it built where the citizens of America want it built. This is a democracy, this is our privilege, this an opportunity that we all have living in America, and that's where I want it built.

Is there any room left in Washington, D.C. to build this Tower?
Mr Abramson said that listening to the people and their emails, there are plenty of ideas that he would have never decided on, or never would have thought about, but there are plenty of public areas, garden areas that could be built or filled in.

He stated again that this is a monument that fulfils all the aspirations of our country and our founders, and it belongs in our city. Additionally, if there is no particular vacant land at this moment, we could purchase an existing building on an existing site and place something new there.

Would you go over the process of deciding when and how a site will be selected?
'Firstly, it would come from the list of suggestions of the people,' he said, 'and obviously it has to meet certain standards, the zoning codes of Washington, D.C. It has to be in a commercial zone.'

It would have to be an area with parking around it that the public already comes to. Mr Abramson said that he sees it as an area where tourists of the Washington area are already coming. 'So we don't have to rely on them driving to it,' he said. 'That will reduce the pollution in Washington; people would be able to use public transportation.'

20,000 sq. ft. [1,858 square metres] is a lot of room for a monument; what is the design idea that takes up so much floor space?
Mr Abramson said that we see the Tower of Invincibility as a science hall, a science exhibition hall. It will provide through new state-of-the-art multimedia presentations: the knowledge of the most cutting edge discoveries of quantum physics; principles of invincibility found in nature, neuro-science, and the changes in the physiology through these technologies of consciousness. It will also present the basis of the principles behind world peace and national invincibility.

When did you decide that Washington needed a new monument?
'Washington has always needed a new monument,' said Mr Abramson, 'and America has always needed peace.'

He had heard about the Tower of Invincibility about two months ago, and as a builder, has always been inspired by the early philanthropists in our country who built the galleries along the national mall. They created the culture for our country, and he has always wanted to build something that would be enduring in America, but he didn't have a collection.

'All I had is the desire that America could be at peace; it could be a great, great nation again. Finally, the knowledge is now available how to prevent war, and it should be housed. It should be a concrete monument. That is how we understand and learn throughout the world; we symbolize our knowledge and aspirations through buildings.

Who did you hear about it from two months ago?
'The first time I heard about it was from the Founder of the Transcendental Meditation Programme, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who conceived the Tower.'

'This Tower is also being built all around the world, so other builders and philanthropists like myself, are coming up to build it. That's why we put on the poster, that it's becoming a fashionable political feature of the year 2007 in the family of nations. All nations should be invincible, therefore you are seeing the citizens of all those countries rising up and saying we should have symbol to the prevention of war.'

What about the cost?
Mr Abramson estimates that it will cost about US$5-10 million. Those costs will vary depending on the land; if there are land costs then construction costs are related. 'But I see as most important, not how much it costs, or how much I will spend to built this Tower, it's what the Tower represents. And I feel that by building the Tower it represents our most priceless achievement, invincibility.'

What about putting that money into technology as you mentioned?
The technologies of consciousness are already being implemented, and schools and businesses everywhere in America are using these technologies of consciousness, answered Mr Abramson.

'That is going on anyway. What I am proposing is to build the Tower of Invincibility for the entire nation. So we are doing it. We are offering these programs on every level of society, but the Tower represents that this is what America now stands for, these technologies are being utilized, and this is what America wants for all nations.'

Do you have a timeline for building and do you have a completion date?
'Yes, my timeline was yesterday.

'We've already begun looking for land. I would hope to be able to stand before you in about a month or 6 weeks to say that we have a particular land we are given or under contract, then the engineering can begin and the Tower can be built.

Mr Abramson said it will take about nine months to build, using some very unique technologies for sustainable material—such as steel and other recycled materials—that can be used in order to reduce materials that create a lot of pollution, so it really is an example of the creativity of America as well.

How about financial sustainability once it's built?
'Like any other museum and exhibition centre in the Washington area, there will be either a voluntary admission or a set admission. A large staff is not needed to maintain it, so it can be maintained as well by some donations to support it. It is very easily sustainable economically.'

Mr Abramson said that other Towers of Invincibility are being built in New Zealand, Germany, Canada, and Central Europe. They are also planned in Japan and Thailand. 'That's where the activity already is, where the land is being looked at or has already been found. There are builders like myself that are already organizing in those countries.

So this is really a sort of monument inspired by the politics or the times that America has lived through in recent years?
'No, it is not a message, it is not a statement, it is not a political statement.

'It is a monument to the knowledge to prevent war. It represents scientific principles found in nature that can be utilized and practised and become part of our national defence.'

What is the knowledge to prevent war?
Saying that 'I am not a scientist, I am a builder,' Mr Abramson again mentioned the extensive published scientific research to show that Transcendental Meditation reduces stress and improves health for the individual.

Now there is a growing body of published research to show that when large groups of individuals, say 1,000 or 2,000 people practice advanced meditation techniques together, there is what science calls a 'spill-over' effect. Reduced stress in the individuals spills over into society, creating calm, reducing societal stress, crime, violence across the entire population.

So is it a monument to meditation?
'It's a monument to the technologies . . . that have proven themselves. It's a monument to the scientific verification of techniques that can make our nation invincible,' said Mr Abramson.

Take part in history!
To vote for your choice of location for the Maharishi Tower of Invincibility for Washington DC, please visit www.towerofinvincibilitydc.org and make your vote! It is also possible to vote more than once if you drive round the city and have ideas for a second piece of land.

The people making their suggestion and their vote 'are the people who are praying for peace, wishing for peace in our country, and they are not alone,' said Mr Abramson. 'I could fall in love with any spot in Washington, so wherever it lands it will be perfect.'

Copyright © 2007 Global Good News(sm) Service.

Global Good News comment:

For information about Maharishi's seven-point programme to create a healthy, happy, prosperous society, and a peaceful world, please visit: Global Financial Capital of New York.

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