In the heart of Lower Manhattan, an unusual 29-story skyscraper, devoid of windows, stands tall and mysterious. Its code name is Titanpointe, and it is located at 33 Thomas Street. This building has baffled New Yorkers for years.
The building, constructed in 1974, was designed to withstand atomic blasts and was initially intended to house vital telecommunications equipment. It was envisioned as a communication nerve center, fortified against nuclear threats, by the architectural firm John Carl Warnecke & Associates.
This imposing structure, a gray tower of concrete and granite soaring 550 feet into the New York skyline, remains, unlike any other building in its vicinity. Unlike neighboring residential and office buildings, it does not have a single window and remains unilluminated. At night, it takes on an eerie presence, and by day it casts a giant shadow, its square vents emitting a faint hum, often drowned out by the city’s bustling sounds.
For decades, 33 Thomas Street, also nicknamed the “Long Lines Building,” has captured the imagination of New Yorkers as one of the city’s weirdest and most iconic skyscrapers. But the true purpose of this enigmatic structure has remained largely concealed, shrouded in secrecy.
The Secret Behind 33 Thomas Street
Beyond its enigmatic exterior, 33 Thomas Street conceals a deeper secret. This building appears to be more than just a telecommunications hub. Evidence from documents obtained by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, along with architectural plans and interviews with former AT&T employees, suggests that 33 Thomas Street served as an NSA surveillance site, code-named Titanpointe.
The NSA’s involvement goes beyond mere speculation. Inside the building, there’s a major international gateway switch that routes phone calls between the U.S. and countries worldwide. The NSA is believed to have tapped into these calls from a secure facility within the AT&T building. This covert surveillance program has targeted not only international organizations like the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank but also numerous countries, including U.S. allies.
While AT&T has cooperated with the NSA on surveillance, few details have emerged about the specific role of facilities like 33 Thomas Street in carrying out top-secret programs. The Snowden documents, however, provide unprecedented insight into how NSA equipment has been integrated into AT&T’s network in New York City. This integration reveals the methods and technology employed by the agency to gather communications data from the company’s systems.
The NSA’s presence within this iconic skyscraper raises questions about the boundaries of surveillance in the modern world. As Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the liberty and national security program at the Brennan Center for Justice, points out, “This is yet more proof that our communications service providers have become, whether willingly or unwillingly, an arm of the surveillance state.” The deep integration of the NSA within domestic communications infrastructure challenges the notion that such surveillance can be neatly confined to non-American targets.
One of Patrick Dempsey’s twin sons called ‘his clone’ & ‘next McDreamy’ after their red carpet appearance
Recently, the sexiest man alive, 57-year-old actor Patrick Dempsey, made a red carpet appearance with his wife and his children.
The Dempsey family stepped out in style for the movie premiere of Ferrari, and as everyone agreed that they all looked incredibly stylish, one particular member of the family stole the spotlight, one of the actors twin sons, 16-year-old Darby.
Why this young man made many talking is his striking resemblance to his handsome dad.
Fans couldn’t help but comment how much Darby looks like his dad. “OMG! His son, the one on the right side of the photo, is his clone! 😳😳,” one person wrote.
Another fan likened the young man to his dad’s character on Grey’s Anatomy and dubbed him “the next McDreamy.”
The truth is that good looks run in the Demspey family.
Patrick and wife Jillian first became parents in 2002 with the arrival of their daughter, Talula, 21. A few years later, they welcome their twin boys, Darby and Sullivan, 16.
Speaking of being a dad of three, Patrick revealed that having a bigger family made things easier for him and his wife.
“I love having a big family. I think it’s easier, oddly, in some ways, having three children as opposed to one. And it’s been great for my relationship with my wife and our life and everything,” the Grey’s Anatomy alum said in 2008.
However, when his children turned teenagers, he revealed that things were now harder because raising teens required a lot of energy.
“Because you need to be around, but they don’t want you around because they’re fighting for their independence, which they should,” he told People in 2023. “They need to find out how they interact in the world, they need to learn those boundaries, they need to make mistakes. And you need to be there for them and allow them to learn from that.”
After years of being a runner-up, Patrick finally received the well-deserved title of “Sexiest Man Alive.”
Asked how his children would react, McDreamy said they would probably tease him.
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