Vol. 2, No. 17, September 11th, 2011
TITLE: “ 9/11 COMMEMORATION 10TH ANNIVERSARY: “On 9/11, I remember, support, pay homage; I also believe and have faith!*”
UPDATE – Sept.11, 2011
INTRODUCTION
It is Sunday, September 11th, 2011. I am again thinking about that fateful day in fall, 2001 when the world changed. I am also thinking about where we are now, on this, the 10th anniversary of 9/11. My book remains the same: “Commission Report 911 by Commission National” (Hardcover – Aug 30 2004) This book contributes to our understanding of this horrific event. (Editor’s Note: This is the first update of the blog post, first published Vol. 1, No. 14, September 12th, 2010)
PREVIEW: Next week, I will be starting a new series on job/job search, training, career/re-career, etc. I hope that you come by.
MORE OF MY LIFE & TIMES*
This week, it has been heartbreaking to again watch on television some of the footage on the events of the 911 attacks. Today, I watched some TV documentaries. I went numb in shock all over again. There were images of blown out windows, people running down the stairs trying to escape, etc.
The thought of the jumpers was extremely tough. The falling man photo was difficult to look at. The stories of flight 93 and the others were so moving. The fact is that many people didn’t make it. The lives of so many innocent people were lost.
A terrorist organization,Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility. It was the doer of the deed. We attempt to get into their heads, trying to make sense of their intentions – it can’t be done. It is necessary to find these to be evil acts. These were murderers. The hijackers died, but they were not punished. Many of the leaders, especially Osama Bin Laden have been killled, but they have not been punished. These people should have been punished.
The allies went into Afghanistan and waged war, toppling the Taliban, a regime in a failed state, harboring Al-Qaeda, The cost has been huge. Many soldier lives were sacrificed. There have been several notable subsequent attacks, foreign or home-grown, in many countries. Many further civilian lives have been lost. Now 10 years later, the world is still, very much, in a defensive mode. Gettting on a plane is still very difficult – high security is necessary. There have been many complaints about “patting down”. The announcement about the killing of Bin Laden, the master-mind of the 9/ll attacks, finally came. President Obama got it done, but there was no relief. The number two also was taken out, and still no relief. There still is a fear that other attacks might happen. Word is that Bin Laden had plans for another attack on the tenth anniversary. New York and most of the world are on high alert. The war against terror goes on.
There has been one controversy after another: what to do with ground zero, the building of a mosque in lower Manhatttan, the deteriorating health of the 9/11 first responders. (The US Congress just recently passed a bill covering their care.)
But I really want to talk about the people. I pray for those who left us so suddenly. I pray for the victim families. Last week on a morning show, a lady along with her children, talked about how they want to put the tragedy behind them and move on with their lives. From 9/11 victims fund, both of the children were given scholarships to study in Great Britain. They both took advantage of the offer and got a good education. It’s nice to know that these folks were provided for and are gaining success. That makes me feel good. And while I am brought to tears by the heroism of average people, so many heros, their selfless sacrifice …I am stregthened in my belief in people, their goodness. I thank you all who gave so much from the bottom of my heart.
In closing, I recognize that our world wide global village is getting smaller. No matter where we live, we were all witnesses to 9/11, the worst and best in humanity. The aftermath is just more of the same – the best and worst of what humanity has to offer.
Ground Zero refused to be the abyss. Instead, in a flash, it turned into holy ground and in 10 yuears, it has become a place for a memorial garden and a construction site where the new World Trade Center is proudly being erected – proof positive that good does indeed beat evil. We don’t forget, but togther we move on!
And that’s my thought of the week on books, what’s yours? *
ALP
“Books are life; and they make life better!*”
Take it out for a spin and tell me if you agree.
And that’s my thought of the week on books, what’s yours?*
ALP
N.B. There are big changes coming to my site – stay tuned.
P.S. I wish to remind you that I have a TWITTER page – it is located at: saveandread – please register as a follower.
P.P.S. #1 I also have a FACEBOOK page – it is located at: Alp Save Andread – please check it out.
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*TM/© 2011 Practitioners’ Press Inc. – All Rights Reserved.
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—————–ORIGINAL POST – Vol. 1, No. 14, September 12th, 2010———–
MY LIFE & TIMES*
This weekend, on the anniversary of 9/11, I got to thinking about that fateful day. I would like to share with you some of my experiences and thoughts.
Since I start work at 8:00 a.m., I was in the office when I first heard the bulletin. I will always remember that moment. It is one of the significant days of my generation. In the instance of the deaths of Pres. J.F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Dr. King, etc. and the walk on the moon by Astronaut Neil Armstrong and the fall of Saigon, I was younger and not quite part of the adult world. But with 9/11, I was of age and I had to deal with it.
It was approximately 10:00 a.m. when people were slowly trickling into my work space to discuss the tragedy. I could not quite believe it. I kept thinking that the TV pictures were from a horror movie not the news channel. When I kind of digested what had happened, it kept getting worse. I desperately wanted it to stop. Like everyone, I did not then know, how it would escalate and play out. It marked me along with the entire world.
STATISTICS/STUDY
Here are some stats:
Overall
*The victims numbered about 3,000;
* There were 19 hijackers who died;
World Trade Center
* There were 2,752 victims of which there were: (a) 343 firefighters; (b) 60 police officers from New York City and the Port Authority; (As per the New York State Health Department, 836 responders died as of June 2009.)
* Most were civilians, including nationals from more than 70 nations;
* People in the 100s were killed instantly upon the planes crashing into the the towers, while many of the others were trapped and died after the buildings collapsed.
* About 200 +- jumped to their deaths;
* There was one secondary death, from lung disease due to dust from the building collapse;
Pentagon
* At Pentagon, there were 184 people who died.
(Source: Commission Report, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, etc.)
THE AUTHOR: 9/11 Commission
The 9/11 Commission – its formal name is the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. It was established on November 27, 2002. Its mandate was: “to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks, including preparedness for and the immediate response to the attacks”
(Source Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
SERIES/COLLECTION
There are many books on topic; as for example, notably:
1. “New Pearl Harbour” by David Ray Griffin;
2. “ The 911 Commission Report Omissions and Distortions” by David Griffin;
3. “Crossing the Rubicon” by Michael C Ruppert;
5. “Towers of Deception” by Barrie Zwicker;
(N.B. These books are enumerated for your information – I am not recommending them and I do not necessarily subscribe to their conclusions.)
THE BOOK: Commission Report 911 by Commission National (Hardcover – Aug 30 2004)
It is a comprehensive document, fact-filled narrative of the real story, step-by-step, playing out in several locations involving many people. It is both heart-breaking from the immense tragedy and uplifting due to the heroic acts of ordinary folks meeting the challenges and becoming shining stars of the righteous. Read and endure, but also rise to the heavens. It is an impressive read, which will surely move you. You will finish it with an opinion of what was good and what was deficient in the U.S. response.
CONCLUSION
The 9/11 tragedy affected all of us emotionally. For me, I felt numb because of the innocent people at work killed for no reason. I also felt fear. But in the end, I felt hope out of courage.
The point
It was a horrible event. I will not deal with the policies – I will leave that to the governments. I will not deal with the politics – I will leave that to the politicians. I will not deal with the issues of the military – I will leave that to the top brass and the officer corp. But I will deal with the human side.
1. First, people perished that day – I remember and will never forget. I also acknowledge the tours of duty served and the supreme sacrifice of brave American, Canadian and other NATO soldiers in Afghanistan. etc., and I affirm my heartfelt gratitude and support.
2. Second, families lost loved ones – I extend my deepest sympathy and express my personal wish to stand with them to provide never-ending succor.
3. Third, there were heroes – I pay homage to these brave people.
4. Fourth, because of an appointment or a stop at a grocery store or just missing the bus, arrivals were delayed until after the tragedy had started; and as a result, lives were incredibly spared. When I heard some of the stories that were revealed later, it confirmed my belief in destiny – I believe.
5. Finally, I encourage each and every person who survived 9/11 to extend a courtesy to one another regardless, of nationality, creed, religion, etc. – I have faith that, someday, the world shall overcome the cause of 9/11 and we all shall live in harmony.
Take it out for a spin and tell me if you agree.
And that’s my thought of the week on books, what’s yours? *
ALP
“Books are life; and they make life better!*”
CREDITS
-Web Tech: richmediasound.com
The above is a new media production of Valente under its “United Author*” program.
*TM/© 2010, 2011 Practitioners’ Press Inc. – All Rights Reserved.
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ANNEX I: NEED SOMETHING FURTHER?, TRY AN ANECDOTE OR A QUOTE:
S & R* CHOICE ANECDOTAGE #1: Al Jazeera
“President Mubarak of Egypt was on an official visit to Qatar and asked to be shown the network [the fiestily independent Arab television network, Al Jazeera],” an Iraqi employee once recalled. “He arrived unannounced and at first the guys on the gate didn’t recognize him. When he finally got inside, he was appalled at how small we were. ‘So this,’ he said, ‘is the tiny tinderbox that started such a big fire.'”
[“Whatever we do, people say, ‘Why are you doing this now?'” Al Jazeera’s Ali Mohammed Kamal once remarked of Arabic culture of suspicion and paranoia. “They even said it when we did a story on the history of the Lebanese civil war. And when we ran a video of one of the 9/11 hijackers reading his own will before embarking on the attack, we were accused of distracting attentino from the [Israeli] siege on Arafat’s compound. [pause] But Arafat’s compound is always under siege. For us, the news is the news.”]
(Source: www.anecdotage.com) – http://www.anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=14709
S & R* CHOICE ANECDOTAGE #2: Tumbling Woman
“In 2002, officials at New York’s Rockefeller Center unveiled a sculpture called “Tumbling Woman” by Eric Fischl intended to commemorate victims of the 9/11 World Trade Center attack who fell (or jumped) from the towers’ windows. Following a host of complaints, “Tumbling Woman” was deemed inappropriate and promptly removed.”
(Source: www.anecdotage.com) – http://www.anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=16181
S & R* QUOTE #1: President George W. Bush
“It changed my presidency …it was like walking into hell.”
S & R* QUOTE #2: – Aristotle
“Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil.”
(Source: Wisdom Quotes) – http://www.wisdomquotes.com/index.html#nq
ANNEX II
SCHEDULE I
“IT WORDS FOR ME!*”
For today, my word/phrase(s) are: “World Trade Center (N.Y)”; “9/11 Attacks”; etc.
World Trade Center
“The original World Trade Center was a complex of seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is being rebuilt with five new skyscrapers and a memorial to the casualties of the attacks. As of September 2011[update], only one skyscraper has been completed with four more expected to be completed before 2020. A sixth tower is still awaiting confirmation to be built. At the time of their completion, the original 1 and 2 World Trade Center were the tallest buildings in the world, surpassing the Empire State Building, also in Manhattan.
The complex was designed in the early 1960s by Minoru Yamasaki and Associates of Troy, Michigan, and Emery Roth and Sons of New York.[2] The twin 110-story towers used a tube-frame structural design. To gain approval for the project, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey agreed to take over the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad, which became the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH). Groundbreaking for the World Trade Center took place on August 5, 1966. The North Tower (1) was completed in December 1972 and the South Tower (2) was finished in July 1973. The construction project involved excavating a large amount of material, which was later used as landfill to build Battery Park City on the west side of Lower Manhattan. The cost for the construction was $400 million ($2,169,167,354 in 2011 dollars).[3] The complex was located in the heart of New York City’s downtown financial district and contained 13.4 million square feet (1.24 million m2) of office space.[4][5] The Windows on the World restaurant was located on the 106th and 107th floors of 1 World Trade Center (the North Tower) while the Top of the World observation deck was located on the 107th floor of 2 World Trade Center (the South Tower). Other World Trade Center buildings included the Marriott World Trade Center; 4 World Trade Center; 5 World Trade Center; 6 World Trade Center, which housed the United States Customs. All of these buildings were built between 1975 and 1981. The final building constructed was 7 World Trade Center, which was built in 1985. The second King Kong was filmed in 1976 with some scenes mentioning and showing the World Trade Center. The World Trade Center experienced a fire on February 13, 1975, and a bombing on February 26, 1993. In 1998, the Port Authority decided to privatize the World Trade Center, leasing the buildings to a private company to manage, and awarded the lease to Silverstein Properties in July 2001.”
(Source: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia) – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Center
9/11 Attacks
“The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/11[nb 1]) were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks upon the United States in New York City and the Washington, D.C., area on September 11, 2001. On that Tuesday morning, 19 terrorists from the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger jets.[3][4] The hijackers intentionally crashed two planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City; both towers collapsed within two hours. Hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth jet, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers attempted to take control before it could reach the hijacker’s intended target in Washington, D.C. Nearly 3,000 died in the attacks.[5][6][7]
Suspicion quickly fell on al-Qaeda, and in 2004, the group’s leader Osama bin Laden, who had initially denied involvement, claimed responsibility for the attacks.[2] Al-Qaeda and bin Laden cited U.S. support of Israel, the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, and sanctions against Iraq as motives for the attacks. The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terror, invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, who had harbored al-Qaeda members. Many countries strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded law enforcement powers. In May 2011, after years at large, bin Laden was found and killed.
The destruction caused serious damage to the economy of Lower Manhattan.[8] Cleanup of the World Trade Center site was completed in May 2002, and the Pentagon was repaired within a year. Numerous memorials were constructed, including the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York, the Pentagon Memorial, and the Flight 93 National Memorial. Adjacent to the National Memorial, the 1,776 feet (541 m) One World Trade Center is estimated for completion in 2013.[9]”
(Source: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia) – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11
SCHEDULE II
STUDY/STATISTICS:
See above.
SCHEDULE III
S & R* NEWS ALERT* #1: 9/11 activities for Canadians
(NC)—”The images and painful memories of the September 11 terror attacks may still be fresh on the minds of the families who lost loved ones—even though they occurred a decade ago. For the rest of us, the constant dose of discouraging news events—from natural disasters, civic unrest, heinous crimes, scandal-plagued celebrities, and sporadic eruptions of violence—are enough to desensitize us to the horrors experienced by victims on that fateful day.
To soften your heart to the every day realities of the Sept. 11 victims’ families and friends, consider taking part in one of these activities:
1 Write letters of appreciation to your local fire, police, and emergency services departments. Also don’t forget the service men and women who fight terrorism overseas. These individuals live lives of sacrifice. Remember to say “thanks”.
2 Act on compassion. Think of ways you can make positive change in the world. Share your talents at a seniors centre. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Help a child living in extreme poverty through Christian Children’s Fund of Canada. The opportunities are there if you are willing to act.
3 Embrace multiculturalism. On 9/11, countries around the world set aside their cultural differences to unite in sympathy over the thousands who perished. Do your part to promote peace by: reading biographies about notable country leaders who had a positive impact on their constituents; opening your mind and taste buds to ethnic foods; or learning a new language.
Participate in these activities to make 9/11 a lesson learned on compassion and sensitivity. Keep informed on landmark events that changed the world and do your part to improve your world.”
www.newscanada.com
“News Canada” <article@newscanada.com>www.newscanada.com”
