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28 Feb 2012 14:39

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Politics: Some remains of 9/11 victims ended up in landfill, Pentagon admits

  • review The Defense Department released a review of the mortuary practices at Dover Air Force Base today, where it had been exposed in November that remains of Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers had been incinerated and taken to a landfill.
  • reveal Dover did the same with some remains of 9/11 victims, from the attack on the Pentagon, and in the downed plane in Shanksville, PA. The landfill-bound remains were, the review notes, unidentified and in small portions. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Sep 2011 10:04

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Culture: Tony Bennett’s September 11 remarks draw strong scrutiny

  • They flew the plane in, but we caused it. We were bombing them, and they told us to stop.
  • Tony Bennett • Discussing September 11, 2001 with Howard Stern on Monday night. As you might guess, the legendary singer regretted saying this after the fact, because it drew a ton of controversy. “There is simply no excuse for terrorism and the murder of the nearly 3,000 innocent victims of the 9/11 attacks on our country,” he said in a statement released Tuesday night. “My life experiences — ranging from the Battle of the Bulge (in World War II) to marching with Martin Luther King — made me a lifelong humanist and pacifist, and reinforced my belief that violence begets violence and that war is the lowest form of human behavior.” So, in other words … he stands behind his basic point (violence begets violence), but admits he worded it really poorly. Check. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Sep 2011 21:11

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World: General: Afghan attack near 9/11 anniversary shows Taliban weakness

  • two Afghan citizens were killed in an attack on a coalition base on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary
  • 25 Afghan citizens were wounded in the attack, which the Taliban took credit for
  • 77 NATO forces were wounded; all of them were Americans, officials say source
  • » “A high-profile attack”: That’s how U.S. coalition leader Gen. John R. Allen described the vehicle bomb attack that injured over 100 people. But Allen sees the silver lining from a logistical perspective: “They have been ejected from the population in so many places around the country that their only ability to influence the battlefield on many occasions is simply to go for a high-profile attack,” he explained, “And that’s how we view this particular attack.”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Sep 2011 10:12

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World: Bloomberg, Obama, Bush reflect during September 11 memorial

  • Ten years have passed since a perfect blue sky morning turned into the blackest of nights. Since then, we have lived in sunshine, and in shadow. And although we can never ‘unsee’ what happened here … we can also see that children who lost their parents have grown into young adults, grandchildren have been born, and good works and public service have taken root to honor those we loved and lost.
  • New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg • Reflecting on the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001 during this morning’s memorial at Ground Zero. Obama and George W. Bush — the two presidents whose legacies were most affected by the events of the day — also reflected on the moment in their own ways. Obama read Psalm 46 from the Bible, while Bush read a letter that Abraham Lincoln sent to a mother who lost five sons in the Civil War. A reflective morning, with equally reflective words.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Sep 2011 13:32

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Biz: Early Web 2.0 site Meetup describes its roots — in September 11, 2001

  • One of the first real sites to take on social media in a tangible way — where it encouraged offline interaction as much as online — was Meetup, which started up nearly a decade ago. The roots? September 11, 2001. Really. “A lot of people were thinking that maybe 9/11 could bring people together in a lasting way,” noted CEO and co-founder Scott Heiferman. “So the idea for Meetup was born: Could we use the internet to get off the internet — and grow local communities?” Nine months later, a site which has proven an important tool for social and political organization went online, turning a negative into a positive — and likely building the roots for many social media sites that came after. A fascinating story. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Sep 2011 13:57

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U.S.: Joe Biden on terror threat: “We do have talk about using a car bomb”

  • There are specifics — in that sense it was credible — but there’s no certitude. There’s no smoking gun, but we do have talk about using a car bomb.
  • Vice President Joe Biden • Speaking on the credible terror threat this morning while on “Good Morning America.” He was slightly less vague than Michael Bloomberg was last night. NYC and DC have upped their security ahead of the 9/11 anniversary as a result of the threat, which up to this point has proven incredibly vague. Let’s hope that, whatever it is, authorities have their ducks in a row. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Aug 2011 10:32

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U.S.: Michael Bloomberg: Don’t put politics into Ground Zero ceremony

  • We’re trying to keep focus on families, and that’s where it belongs. This day is not above any of us, it’s about the families of 3,000-odd people who lost their lives 10 years ago.
  • NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg • Reacting to reports that nearby governors Chris Christie and Andrew Cuomo were angling for bigger roles in the Ground Zero ceremony next month. Bloomberg just ain’t having it. And we support this line of reasoning entirely — leave the memorial for the people who felt it most directly. The governors can have their speeches later. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

30 Jul 2011 20:15

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U.S.: Bush, Obama will be amongst first to check out 9/11 Memorial Plaza

  • Family members only will be allowed to walk onto the plaza, look at their loved ones’ names, look down into the voids. The first day it’s reserved for those family members who lost somebody on 9/11.
  • NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg • Describing the city’s plans for launching a 10th anniversary 9/11 memorial plaza at the Ground Zero site, which they’ve been working to get ready for such an event. Presidents Bush and Obama will take part, along with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, but amongst the general public, the first day will be limited to families of the victims involved in the attacks. After that, you’ll need to reserve a ticket ahead of time if you’d like to check out the memorial. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Dec 2010 12:10

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Politics: Kirsten Gillibrand: 9/11 first responders’ health bill still on table

  • We have the votes we need. We have indications from several Republicans that they very much want to vote for this bill.
  • Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand • Revealing her hopes of resurrecting the 9/11 first responders’ health care bill before Christmas – this time with GOP support. If this does in fact happen (Gillibrand suggests that they’ve found ways to pay for the bill, which was the main sticking point for the GOP), we think that it will be to Jon Stewart’s credit that this happened, because his cheerleading of this bill kept it on the front-burner even when it looked like it was relegated to the back-burner. Fingers crossed that the $7.4 billion bill passes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Sep 2010 10:44

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U.S.: Nine years later: Politics kept out of 9/11 remembrance ceremony

Suggestion to everybody: Keep the politics out of it today, just like they did. Nobody wants to hear about it. We’re personally collectively sick of it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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