Journeys of the Questress - WTC
4th Anniversary
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The Way it Was - 1
The Way it Was - 2
Sept 19 - When Tomorrow Never Comes
Sept 27 - Oral Interpretation
Oct 5 - A Mile of Tears - Part 1
Oct 5 - A Mile of Tears - Part 2
Oct 5 - A Mile of Tears - Part 3
Oct 11 - Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
Oct 28 - Each Day I Search the Rubble
Nov 12 - When Spires Fall
Nov 19 - 911 The Rape of America
Dec 14 - Just A Thought
Dec 18 - A Sense of Place
Feb 2 - Final Pass to the End Zone
March 3 - Sitting on the Edge
March 14- Do You Still Remember
March 20 - Virtual Walk-Through
March 25 - When Will It End - Part 1
March 25 - When Will It End - Part 2
April 1 - Towers of Light
May 14 - View From Above
May 30 - Tunnel At the End of the Light
May 31 - Seventeen Hundred
Aug 9 - From the Margins Erased
Aug 30 - The Train Doesn't Stop There Anymore
Sept 9 - Ceremonies of Light and Dark
Sept 10 - Just An Anniversary
Sept 12 - September Holds Great Promise
Literary Reflections
Rebirth and Resurrection
The Winter Garden Springs To Life
The Winter Garden Springs To Life - con't
Underpass to the Past
Rebuilding Ground Zero
Under Hallowed Ground
Borders
Yahrzeit
What Will Fill the Void?
I Submit a Design
Footprints in the Dust
My Memorial Design Submission
My Memorial Design - Drawings
New Path Train Station
Path Station Tour
May We Never Forget
That Which Surives
War Without End
4th Anniversary
Footprints in the Dust
Void
I Miss 9/11
Time Comes Between Us
A Thousand Cranes
Fear Factor
Love Letters On The Wall
Empty Chairs
Sitting on the Edge of Forever
Walking the Perimeter of Emptiness
A Counting of Days
For Friends Absent But Not Forgotten
Stigmata
The Memory Keeper's Promise
Unbreak My Heart
Standing On The Edge Of Forever
Both Sides Now
A Memory In Time
The Gravity of Loss
The Survivors Rise Up
Flowers Will Bloom
The Fire Within Us
The Sentinel
Stronger Than The Storm
Between the Candle and the Stars
Ghosts
A Journey Through Remembrance
Canticle of Remembrance
Beyond the Crucible of Chaos
Journey Through Remembrance project
What See We Now
Forever In Our Hearts
Keeping the Flame Alive
The Rebuilding of Ground Zero continues
Does Anyone Care Anymore?
Where Is Our Story Teller of Pain
At Memory's Edge
Dust Thou Art and to Dust Thou Shalt Return
7x7x70
Heroes Never Die
The Flame Inside Our Hearts
The Year of the Heroes of 9/11
Déjà Vu
Remembering 9/11 in the year of COVID-19
Coronavirus Decimates Ailing Sept. 11 Responders
Touching From a Distance
That Which Survives 20 years later
2021 - 20 years later
Memories of Terror Return
Putin's Name Covered Over On Teardrop Memorial
The 9/11 Tribute Museum Closes
When Memories Fade Away
St. Nicholas at Ground Z is rebuilt
The Blue Wall of the Unidentified Victims
When Time Calls Your Name
When Art Gets It All Wrong

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4th Anniversary: A Year of Controversies, A Year of Battles
As the fourth anniversary has come to pass, Ground Zero remains an open pit. A scar on the earth, its emptiness reflecting the pain of that morning. Tourists from all corners of the globe still flock to the site, curious to see the epicenter of this historic event. They are hungry for information, hungry to learn about the events of that day. And four years later all we have on that site is dust, a cross of beams, and a metal fence with a brief history of the World Trade Center along with a list of those who perished. This past year saw mostly battles and controversies erupt over exactly what should be done in order to rebuild the area and memorialize the dead and the missing.
 
Freedom Tower not free from controversy
The first building planned to be constructed as part of the rebuilding is the Freedom Tower. Its symbolic height of 1776 feet represents the year when America attained her freedom. So far it has been beset by controversy and numerous redesigns. This past year saw another redesign to make it more "safe" in this post 9/11 world. The start date for the construction to begin was once again delayed. Currently, all that sits on the site is the cornerstone laid by New York's Governor George Pataki.
 
Freedom Center
Another building at the center of controversy this year was the Freedom Center.
Originally conceived to hold information about not only 9/11 but also on the world's history of human rights abuses. However, the families and survivors of 9/11 feel that this is not appropriate for a space so close to Ground Zero. On September 10, just a day before the 4th anniversary, they staged a protest at Ground Zero.  "Preserve Sacred Ground" was their rallying cry and are requesting that only materials relating to 9/11 here in New York City, Washington and Pennsylvania should be included. A mediator has recently been recruited to help museum officials and the families communicate.
 
A tale of two theatres
Two performing arts centers are planned for the rebuilding of the area around Ground Zero. For various reasons these buildings have gone through numerous redesigns. However, as the redesigning goes on there arises the issue of funding. Money is not forthcoming. The theatres seem to be no more than a footnote. Their sponsors realize that the Memorial and Freedom Center take precedence, but wonder how much longer they can pour funds into the planning stage without having any guarantee of results. And many people ponder the need of performing arts space so close to hollowed ground.
 
Redesigning the Memorial design - again
How many iterations does this make from the originally submitted concept? I lost count. All this writer knows, is that after over 5000 people poured their hearts and souls into submissions in 2003, two years later we have a design that is in constant flux, not really liked as the choice and no ground breaking plans even contemplated.
 
Fresh Kills Landfill still contains human remains
The biggest controversy remains over what to do at the Fresh Kills Landfill. Those whose loved ones remains were never recovered feel this is now a cemetery containing sacred ground. Others have petitioned that all the debris should be moved elsewhere. The city wants to turn it into a cemetery of sorts. But at present it is still just part of a closed landfill, a place where these people can't even go to grieve. How sad...
 
The shroud is removed
Starting out our "positive" section, the Deutche Bank building next to ground Zero, the tall building with the black covering over its entire façade, will finally to be torn down. For years it was a constant reminder of the destruction the fall of the Towers caused to nearby property. It was another ping pong piece: First they were going to decontaminate it, then they were going to tear it down, then they were afraid that would spread contaminants. Now they've hired environmental specialists and slowly it's being dismantled piece by piece.
 
Voices of 9/11
On another more upbeat note was the release of the tapes of the New York City firefighters' last radio conversations. It took all this time for the loved ones of the lost and missing firefighters to have the tapes of their last utterances. The news stories showed individuals crying as they held CD's with these recorded voices, for some all that they will ever have of their loved ones.
 
7 World Trade Center is nearly completed
The first building to be nearing completion, 7 World Trade Center, is nothing like its original namesake. This one is built to post 9/11 specifications to protect against terrorists' attacks. It's nice to see at least one building rising from the ashes but the question still remains as to who will occupy it. Most businesses seem to be shying away from relocating back to such a traumatic place. So will it remain empty? Tune in next year.
 
New Transportation Hub design selected
Construction has just begun on the first phase of what will become the new "Transportation Hub." Conceived as linking the PATH trains, and 4 subway lines it is a massive undertaking that will take years to realize. Presently all it will accomplish is inconvenience people by shutting down one of the subway stations near Ground Zero, and creating construction blockages right near the eastern perimeter. According to the designer, Santiago Calatrava, it will embody the spirit of 9/11 in it's soaring steel columns, spacious areas, and pools of light. It is seen by him as both a tribute to those who were lost in the attack and as a symbol of renewal.  Let's hope it lives up to its hype.
 
Tribute Center to open in Spring of 2006
Eventually, there will be a place called the Tribute Center, where tourists can come and learn about what happened on that day. Slated to open in Spring of 2006, there will be displays and tour guides of sorts will be available to tell the story to people out on the street.
 
Time marches on
As this 5th year progresses, let us see what becomes of both the controversies and the positive elements rising near Ground Zero. Will this be the year we see progress...or will this be a continuing "war" over whose vision will predominate for our nation's most sacred ground?
                     c 2005 Leona M Seufert

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