Disaster 9/11 story megathread - post your 9/11 articles here.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...ers-death-toll-dna-breakthrough-a8531686.html

Advancement in DNA testing has led to the identification of more victims of 9/11, 17 years after the deadly terrorist attack in New York City rocked the world.

The death toll after two planes hijacked by al-Qaeda extremists were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre was 2,753, but around 1000 of the victims are yet to be positively identified.

Ahead of the 17th anniversary of the atrocity, a team of experts announced a scientific breakthrough in the extraction of genetic material from Ground Zero.

The new technique works by placing bone fragments in a chamber containing liquid nitrogen to make them more fragile so they can be pulverised into fine powder. The more a bone is broken down, the more likely scientists are to make a successful DNA extraction.

"We're going back to the same remains that we've tried five, 10, 15 times," Mark Desire, who leads the Medical Examiner's crime lab said.

"We are making DNA profiles from remains we had no hopes of identifying in the past," he added.

The pioneering method made it possible to identify financial worker Scott Michael Johnson, 26, who worked on the 89th floor of the south tower.

While many may welcome the latest findings from the largest forensic investigation in US history, the update has opened old wounds for families of those whose remains may have been buried in a landfill site.

Fresh Kills Landfill - a waste site on Staten Island was covered with layers of soil and other materials to prevent the release of toxic gas from decomposing rubbish into the atmosphere.

Diane Horning, who led a failed court battle by a group called World Trade Centre Families for Proper Burial, to stop the city from building the park in the wake of the tragedy, said the advancement offered little consolation to grieving families.

"We are grateful that the identification continues, but there is more material that could have been part of that had the city not been so cavalier with us," Ms Horning said. Her 26-year-old son Matthew was one of those identified early on.

Charles Wolf, whose late wife Katherine has yet to be identified insists that if they are in the sealed landfill, he considers it "God's will" and he is "at peace" with it.

"What’s the remedy? Dig everything up and risk exposing all those toxins again to the environment?” Mr Wolf said.

"No, that’s not the answer, because all of a sudden now the cure is worse than the disease.”

https://ny.curbed.com/2018/9/10/17838802/world-trade-center-nyc-construction-update

This week marks 17 years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, during which thousands of New Yorkers lost their lives, and the area surrounding the Twin Towers was all but destroyed.

Though it’s been a long road back for Lower Manhattan, the past 17 years have seen a lot of progress. One World Trade Center, the centerpiece of the rebuilt complex, opened in 2014; since then, many other elements—including the 9/11 Memorial, a somber tribute to victims of the attack—have come to fruition. While the complex isn’t quite finished, and some parts are still up in the air, it’s getting closer and closer to completion.

Read on for a status report on the World Trade Center site, which has become the centerpiece of a booming Lower Manhattan.

One World Trade Center
The centerpiece of the new WTC stands 104 stories and 1,776 feet tall (including its somewhat controversial spire, which shines every night). Its design is the creation of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s David Childs. At the top of the building is One World Observatory, which opened in May 2015.

The building’s three million square feet of rentable space is still not full, but it still has Condé Nast as its anchor tenant (though with not quite as much space as when the media giant first signed its lease back in 2011). Other tenants include Servcorp, the federal government’s General Services Administration, Moody’s, Ameriprise Financial, and Mic.

The site of 2 World Trade Center, now home to a large public art installation.
2 World Trade Center
Located at 200 Greenwich Street, 2 World Trade Center was initially going to be designed by Norman Foster. Then, after 21st Century Fox and News Corporation signed on as anchor tenants, the Foster designed was scrapped in favor of a boxy creation by Danish starchitect Bjarke Ingels. But in another twist, in 2016, Fox and News Corp. backed out of that deal, but the BIG design—calling for a 90-story tower standing 1,270 feet tall encompassing 2.8 million square feet—remains.

As of right now, the building is still due to rise, but the when will depend on snagging an anchor tenant for the skyscraper, which Silverstein Properties is still in the process of doing. In the meantime, several murals have been added to the site where the building will eventually stand.

3 World Trade Center
Ten years after the official groundbreaking for 3 World Trade Center, the 80-story tower finally opened in June. Manhattan’s fifth-tallest building (for now) encompasses 2.5 million square feet, with the first five floors given over to retail, though several planned restaurants have abandoned plans to move into the skyscraper. It also connects to the WTC Transportation Hub.

The building’s anchor tenant, GroupM, already has a 20-year lease for 700,000 square feet. Other commercial tenants include consulting firm McKinsey, and stock exchange IEX. The design is by architect Richard Rogers of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.

3 and 4 World Trade Center, both of which are now complete.
4 World Trade Center
This 72-story, 977-foot-tall building encompasses 2.3 million square feet, and was designed by Fumihiko Maki of the Tokyo-based architectural firm Maki & Associates. It opened in November of 2013, and was the first of the buildings in the historic 16-acre WTC complex to debut. Five years after it opened, the building is fully leased, with Spotify becoming the latest big tech company to make the move to the complex.

4WTC also connects to the WTC Transportation Hub and the shopping center within the Oculus, with retail tenants that include Eataly, Banana Republic, and H&M.

5 World Trade Center
Nearly a decade ago, J.P. Morgan was due to anchor a new 42-story building designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, part of which would cantilever over the new St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. But plans change: There is no longer a design or development plan for the site.

7 World Trade Center
Located at 250 Greenwich Street, 7 World Trade Center sits on 1.5 acres of land just north of the historic 16-acre World Trade Center campus. The original 7WTC, completed in 1987 (and destroyed in the aftermath of 9/11), sat on the same site. The new structure stands 741 feet tall with a design by SOM’s David Childs. It was the first building rebuilt after 9/11, opening in May 2006. The 1.7 million-square-foot building is fully leased, with tenants including Fast Company, BMI, Moody’s, and Omnicom.

National September 11 Memorial Museum
The official memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks debuted in two parts. The memorial itself, a large open-air plaza, opened on September 11, 2011. Since then, more than 37 million visitors have taken in its two waterfalls (known as “Reflecting Absence”) in the footprints of the fallen Twin Towers.

The 9/11 Memorial.
The museum was dedicated on May 16, 2014, and opened to the public five days later. It features artifacts such as tridents from the Twin Towers, fire trucks and an ambulance from 9/11, and the remains of the old WTC broadcast antenna, and more than 150 new artifacts were put on view in 2016 alone. Nearly 11 million people have visited since it opened.

Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center
The site that will give eventually way to the erstwhile WTC PAC is located between 1 and 2 WTC. In 2016, philanthropist Ronald Perelman donated $75 million in exchange for the naming rights for the building. The new design, by REX, was unveiled the same year, and will contain three reconfigurable and combinable theaters and a café, where not just performance attendees will be encouraged to enter.

Earlier this year, Port Authority granted a 99-year lease for the venue, and after a slight setback, construction is now underway.

Inside the Oculus.
Oculus
Two years after it opened, this 150-foot-tall winged creation, the work of Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, has become a lower Manhattan landmark. The striking architectural piece is the topper for the larger WTC Transportation Hub, with a skylight that opens every September 11 as its centerpiece.

It’s also home to the Westfield World Trade Center mall, which has 365,000 square feet of space for more than 100 retailers, including an Apple Store, Sephora, Kiehl’s, and other luxury brands. The total cost for all of this ended up being north of $4 billion.

World Trade Center Transportation Hub
One of the final pieces of the puzzle that is the WTC Transportation Hub finally opened this month: The MTA unveiled the new subway stop at Cortlandt Street, now dubbed WTC Cortlandt, which sits within the footprint of the old 1 stop that was destroyed on 9/11. The new subway stop also features an installation by artist Ann Hamilton that incorporates text from the Declaration of Independence and the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The hub connects myriad transportation options in lower Manhattan, including the subway lines at Fulton Center, those at the World Trade Center, the PATH trains, and the ferry terminal in Battery Park City.

Liberty Park, now the permanent home of Fritz Koenig’s Sphere.
Liberty Park
This one-acre park occupies a site just south of the 9/11 Memorial, and cost $50 million to construct. It sits atop the World Trade Center Vehicle Security Center, and overlooks the rest of the World Trade Center campus.

In addition to having greenery and plenty of seating, the park is also now home to Fritz Koenig’s Sphere, which was placed between the Twin Towers when they opened back in the 1970s. It was badly damaged on 9/11, and sat within Battery Park until 2017.

The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, construction on which is currently stalled.
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Located within Liberty Park, this church will replace the one of the same name destroyed when one of the Twin Towers collapsed on it on 9/11. However, when that will happen is currently up in the air: Construction stopped at the site last year amid larger questions of financial solvency for the Greek Orthodox church. A spokesperson for the church confirms that progress is on hold as they figure out next steps and fundraising.

The new structure is the second Santiago Calatrava design at the World Trade Center, and has elements that echo the design of the Oculus.

 

[The Last Stand]

https://www.ajc.com/news/national/c...ing-benghazi-than-did/hlWHBsbtLlZz3UoZ5vSK9J/

Does this count?

 

[Rumpled Foreskin]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/11/politics/donald-trump-september-11-hurricane/index.html

Spoiler

9/11 anniversary? Hurricane Florence? Donald Trump wants to talk about collusion.
Analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large



Updated 10:04 AM ET, Tue September 11, 2018

(CNN)On the 17th anniversary of the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in American history and with a monster hurricane bearing down on the East Coast, the President of the United States woke up on Tuesday morning and tweeted this:

"'We have found nothing to show collusion between President Trump & Russia, absolutely zero, but every day we get more documentation showing collusion between the FBI & DOJ, the Hillary campaign, foreign spies & Russians, incredible.' @SaraCarterDC @LouDobbs"

That was one of three tweets Trump sent early Tuesday morning in which he quoted from guests or anchors on either Fox Business channel (that's where Dobbs' show runs) or Fox News channel. Trump also quoted Dobbs maligning the Justice Department and did some bashing of the department himself by insisting more should be done about the text messages sent between former FBI employees Peter Strzok and and Lisa Page.
Trump did send a few tweets referencing the 9/11 anniversary -- although they were decidedly self-referential.

First, he retweeted a post by White House aide Dan Scavino noting that Trump had signed a proclamation designation today "Patriot Day" and adding "#NeverForget #September11th."
Then, he offered this "remembrance" up: "Rudy Giuliani did a GREAT job as Mayor of NYC during the period of September 11th. His leadership, bravery and skill must never be forgotten. Rudy is a TRUE WARRIOR!"
Next came a picture of himself and First Lady Melania Trump in front of the White House with this text: "Departing Washington, D.C. to attend a Flight 93 September 11th Memorial Service in Shanksville, Pennsylvania with Melania. #NeverForget."
Finally, this: "17 years since September 11th!"
(The exclamation point. Why????)
That tweet about departing for the Shanksville service is the only one even close to the sort of thing that a traditional president might consider sending. Compare and contrast how Trump handled the 9/11 anniversary this morning with how other politicians did:
* Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee: "No political or cultural content from me today. Just solemn reminder of a day we will never forget the innocent victims and the heroism of fire, police, and other 1st responders to whom we owe respect and thanks. #Remember911"
* Former President Bill Clinton: "Today we honor all those who lost their lives 17 years ago in NY, VA, and PA, their loved ones, and the brave first responders who risked their own lives to save others. The best tribute we can pay is to live our lives in a way that redeems the years they could not have."
* New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: "Seventeen years ago, as the world witnessed a heinous act of barbaric terrorism, we also saw the best of our nation as thousands of firefighters, police officers, federal and local law enforcement officers, medical workers, construction workers, and other heroes selflessly rushed to Ground Zero to answer the call of duty."
* Florida Sen. Marco Rubio: "Today is a day for remembrance and quiet reflection. We will never forget the heroes and victims of September 11, 2001."
Hell, Paul Levesque -- the professional wrestler known as Triple H -- had a more "presidential" approach to the day than Trump, tweeting:
"With every passing year we will #NeverForget:
Those we lost...
Those who showed extraordinary courage...
Those who work every day to protect us. #September11th"
I've always maintained that the best way to get a true sense of what Trump cares about and what is occupying his mind is to pay attention to his Twitter feed. And what his Twitter feed makes plain is that the President of the United States spent some decent-sized chunk of his morning watching a taped show by a conservative anchor who has emerged as one of his biggest defenders. (Dobbs' show on Fox Business Channel runs live at 7 p.m.)
Trump's bows to the solemnity of the 9/11 anniversary feel forced and perfunctory. (Seriously, why is there an exclamation point at the end of that final tweet? And why did Trump feel the need -- after his three previous tweets -- to send something out noting that today is the 17th anniversary of that terrible day?)
In his Twitter feed Tuesday, Trump had yet to make mention of Hurricane Florence -- a Category 4 storm that had already forced the evacuation of more than 1 million people on the eastern seaboard. It's worth noting, however, that Trump sent three tweets on Monday night detailing the preparations he, his staff and governors in the potentially affected states are making, as well as a warning that "my people just informed me that this is one of the worst storms to hit the East Coast in many years. Also, looking like a direct hit on North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Please be prepared, be careful and be SAFE!"
Trump defenders will insist that all Tuesday morning's Twitter activity reveals is that the President can focus on a bunch of different things at once. He can attack his own Justice Department while also remembering 9/11 -- albeit in his own very unique way. And of course he is keeping his eye on Florence -- even if he isn't tweeting about it.

Maybe so. But to start a day like today -- with the emotional significance of the 9/11 anniversary and the very real urgency of a major East Coast hurricane -- by banging the same drum about "NO COLLUSION" and how the Justice Department has its priorities all screwed up speaks to a tin ear for the moment and an inability to focus on what matters to the country as opposed to what matters to you personally.
For Trump, the presidency isn't about the country. It's about him. And with every tweet, he makes that more and more clear.

 

[Duke Nukem]

I was just finished with first period class and my second period teacher came to us to say that the world trade center got hit, we watched TV all day. It was also a Tuesday.

 

[UnclePhil]

17, senior in high school, sitting in math class. Probably right after the planes hit. The assistant principal breaks out over the loudspeaker. "Attention teachers: turn off your television sets. I repeat, turn off your television sets."

I am an obnoxious fuck at the time. A C grade class clown at best. The room is completely silent. I think we're taking a quiz. I happen to glance up at the blank CRT television mounted on the wall. I smile. A moment? Yes.

"Hey, better turn off your television set!" Yuck yuck.

Behind me, a black kid sucks his teeth and says, "Man, somebody oughta smack that boy."

So class ends, and for the next few hours I go about my day, having no idea at all what happened or that anything is amiss. Then, lunch time. I'm sitting with my group in our usual spot when one of our own comes rushing up to the table. "We're going to fucking war!" she says, a little too bright and excited for the occasion.

"I just saw it in the library!" she continues. "Fucking terrorists ran fucking planes into the fucking World Trade Center!"

Another girl: "It's the beginning of the fucking end."

And that's the first time I realize what happened around 9 AM in math class. The entire mood of the day changes. Even the sky, swear to God, gets overcast after that reveal. I go home and everybody's paranoid and scared on Instant Messenger. I log into an IRC chatroom where two opposing forces are duking it out. Somebody with a handle ThePatriot demanding retaliation and some Arab saying "I promise you, today was only the will beginning. We will bring about more."

Anyway, the rest of the day and the rest of that week is confusing, angry, and generally shitty. I watch our President go from the butt of a joke to an indisputable and revered decider, at least down here in the South.

The next few years suck.

 

[RoofGook]