9/11: 8 10th anniversary

We recently approached Philadelphia from the east, crossing the Benjamin Franklin Bridge near sundown. We hadn't been in Philadelphia in years and years, and our reaction upon seeing the skyline was, "Holy cow! That's spectacular!"The two buildings that caught our attention aren't that tall, but they're glass and they're blue and they're beautiful. I couldn't find a picture from the east, but here's a high res picture (sorry, loads slow) that includes the buildings, doesn't quite do them justice though: I hope the New York skyline will become similarly spectacular. I grew up in Jersey across the Hudson from New York City and witnessed the World Trade Center towers going up on my travels up and down the Turnpike. The drab, anonymous, squarish towers were initially criticized, but they eventually became beloved and a symbol of New York. Whatever building replaces the World Trade Center will become the new symbol of New York, but I hope the new Freedom Tower is as spectacular and beautiful as those towers in Philly.--Percy

Don't most people with public relation issues tailor their public utterances for public consumption? I think bin Laden's reasons sound authentic, but I don't see how one can reasonably argue that we should accept everything people say at face value.--Percy

I have no opinion concerning whose take on bin Laden's motives is more accurate, but the argument that we know bin Laden's motives because he told us struck me as odd.Actually, the real reason I'm hassling you is because of your anti-Israel stance. --Percy

Hi Dronester, sorry, I guess I'm being cryptic, I thought the smiley would help.Just as bin Laden could be courting favor among various Middle Eastern groups by citing motives they would like, I faked like I was courting favor with Hyroglyphx by citing motives he would like. It was meant to be illustrative.I don't actually hold your irrational anti-Israel stance against you at all, and it has nothing to do with why I'm hassling you. The real reason is your fanatical anti-BBC stance. --Percy

One World Trade Center recently reached the 52nd floor, check out The World Trade Center | World Trade Center for details.As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I grew up across the river in New Jersey and watched the World Trade Center towers being constructed on my travels up and down the New Jersey Turnpike. As the years passed they gradually became a familiar and beloved symbol of New York. I've been to the top twice, once with my wife and kids in 2000 just a year before 9/11, and I check in on rebuilding progress every now and then. Today I found this computer rendering of One World Trade Center at Wikipedia: For anyone familiar with them the very top of this new tower with it's squarish lines is strongly reminiscent of the original towers. It's as if the spirit of the old towers lives on inside the new one. I hope the actual tower turns out like the picture.A couple years after 9/11 I was at the tennis U.S. Open at Flushing Meadow in Queens, and it was too painful to look from the stadium toward the southern tip of Manhattan where the towers once stood, so I didn't. I had more fortitude when I was there again a couple years ago. The Manhattan skyline looked placid yet moving, dominated once more by the Empire State Building and its Chrysler Building cousin. Though still a beautiful skyline, anyone who remembers the towers knows something is missing.--Percy

Over the next four days the media will be inundating the country with 9/11 material. Please post links to this material to this thread, or provide broadcast or rebroadcast times.I grew up in New Jersey only about 40 miles from NYC. While growing up I visited NYC many times. I watched the World Trade Center towers being built while driving up and down the New Jersey Turnpike as a teenager. I first went to the visitors center at the top in 1974, and I visited it again with my family in 2000, a year before 9/11.The NYT has some material today:

• Audio recordings from the airlines and traffic control centers:
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  The 9/11 Tapes: The Story in the Air - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com
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• Photo Gallery: The Towers Rise and Fall:
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  The 9/11 Decade: The Towers’ Rise and Fall - Photographs - NYTimes.com
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  When you come to picture 23, July 4th, 1986, I was on the Jersey side beyond the bottom left of the photograph.

--Percy

Page Not FoundGrew up with the song.--Percy

Darn, didn't see this in time. Did they archive the broadcast?--Percy

I'd be more interested in hearing the show than just the songs. I'll try to catch the October show.--Percy

The Empire State Building is once again not the tallest building in New York City: I was hoping the Freedom Tower would be spectacular, and it looks possible it might just be.AbE: That's the space shuttle passing by in the foreground.--PercyEdited by Percy, : Grammar.Edited by Percy, : AbE.