The terrorist attacks that brought down the World Trade Center, damaged The Pentagon, and downed U.A. Flight 93 in Shanksville, Penn. are unique in several ways. They were arguably the turning point in American Warfare, turning our defensive procedures to a larger, more focused scale for our Homeland Security measures. It turned our full attention offensively to the Middle East, which has occupied our military efforts over the last decade. They have also had the distinction of being the first major U.S. tragedy to hit during the information age, making it one of the better documented historical events in our country’s existence. Using much of the video footage, audio recordings, and transcribed conversations between the individuals involved with the tragedy, The Discovery Channel has put together a new documentary tentatively called The 9/11 Tapes: Chaos in the Sky, a minute to minute recount of the morning of September 11 2001 through the eyes of the military and air traffic control units that dealt with the hijackings first hand.

The majority of Chaos in the Sky is told through the eyes of the soldiers stationed at Otis Air National Guard Base in Cape Cod as well as air traffic controllers in New York City and Boston. The documentary is done in a minute to minute basis, covering the beginning of the morning at both Otis and JFK airport in Boston. When the initial hijack occurs, the recorded conversations in both Otis and JFK reveal the general feeling on all fronts was that they had a hostage situation on their hands and no high amounts of alarm were scene, being that there was a procedure in place for such things. This of course changes when the hijackers crashed American Airlines 11 into the World Trade Center’s North Tower. From there the documentary becomes a chaotic and somewhat frightening look at the nature of our vulnerability to such an attack and the actions that were taken by the officials who were in charge of handling it.

Though several specials about the attacks have been made in the last year (marking the ten year anniversary of the attack), Chaos in the Sky does have a very unique angle to it. This is mainly stems from how calculated and official the tone of the documentary is and the use of the official recordings from Otis. While most of the pieces put out about the attacks last year where focused on the civilian and public service aspects, this special focuses almost completely on the air traffic controllers and military pretense during the attack. This gives the documentary a very war-like tone, with much of the dialog becoming aerodynamic jargon and military code. There is also a difference in message from most specials about 9/11, with a large portion of the time spent pointing out the shortcomings of the official bodies involved, including the failure of the Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.) to inform North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) of the hijacked plane’s initial redirection in a standard amount of time, NORAD’s failure to scramble jets immediately, and the unorganized fashion the jets were eventually scrambled in that prevented them from arriving on the scene sooner.

It is the job of historians to record the events of the past in as accurate and unbiased way possible. Now, a decade after what is arguably one the first major world changing event for Generation Y, we can begin to look at not only what was done to our country, but also what could have been done in order to control it at the time. Chaos in the Sky is a great look at the events of the morning at 9/11 not just for it’s preciseness, but for its new view on the subject and is a must see for history and military buffs.

The special premieres TONIGHT, February 12 at 9 p.m.

Ten years ago, I sat in class as a high school sophomore listening to my teacher talk about English. Or maybe it was math? I can’t remember now. What I do remember quite vividly was when another teacher knocked on the door and interrupted our class. She made her way to the front of our classroom and said she had to let us know what had just happened: “There has been an attack on the World Trade Center in New York. A lot of people have been killed – it’s very serious.”

As a high school student, the weight of the situation didn’t fully sink in. I remember being confused and so was everyone else. Smart phones hadn’t taken over the world yet, so no one could quickly figure out what was going on. As my teacher explained that two planes flew into the Twin Towers and one into the Pentagon, the situation became a little clearer to us. People were scared and none of us really know what to make of the situation. How many people were hurt? Would there be more attacks? Who was responsible? Would Boston be hit next? These were my initial thoughts, and in retrospect, I could have never anticipated how this tragic event would shape the next decade of my life.

My teacher went on to explain that the attacks were being blamed on a group of people that called themselves Muslims. Because our school was housed in the classrooms of a mosque, we were told to remain vigilant against potential violent backlash against us. Many of my peers, including myself, fit the “profile” of what an Arab or Muslim looks like and we were advised against taking public transportation alone during a time of hostility, anger, pain and confusion. We were instructed to stay away from windows and my hijaab-clad peers and I pulled up our hooded sweatshirts over our scarves. Students that commuted home by the train were driven home by the school staff to make sure they were safe.

As faculty members continued to debrief us on the events as they unfolded, my thoughts were fixated on my father, who was about 250 miles away from home working in Lower Manhattan at St Vincent’s hospital. He used to tell my mother and I that sometimes he was around the World Trade Center for meetings, lunches, or other random day-to-day happenings. Once I realized the gravity of the situation- that my father was in walking distance of those falling towers, I made frantic attempts to call him to make sure he was okay. I’ll never forget the level of anxiousness I felt when my calls went straight to a recording that said that all of the circuits were busy, “…please try again later.” Excruciating hours passed before my mom and I got in touch with him, but when we finally did, I listened in horror as he described the chaos that was around him. Hospital workers were not allowed to leave so that they had all hands on deck for treating victims and receiving causalities from the attacks. My dad described how when he finally did get to leave the hospital, he could still see and smell the smoke from where the Twin Towers no longer stood.

On September 11, 2001, not only did I feel hurt and confused like my fellow Americans – but I also felt abandoned, victimized and fearful for my safety. I felt my neighbors, who I never had reason to worry about, all of a sudden saw me as someone to blame for what was going on. I knew that I was the same person on September 10 as I was on September 11, but the world would never see Muslims in the same way again.

As a 15 year old student, I was afraid of more attacks that may happen, of my father being in close proximity to these acts of war, of my mother’s safety as a woman in hijaab and the fear that on my way home from school, someone may attack me because they’re angry and don’t understand. I couldn’t really understand either.

As an American Muslim, looking back I feel that we have taken a step backwards in combating prejudice and hate – the same perverted motives that drove the 9/11 attacks in the first place. Since 9/11, inappropriate and uneducated stereotypes that were cast upon all Muslims have been a commonly occurring theme – from the exponential increase in anti-Muslim backlash, to the Peter King hearings, to the debate over the “Ground Zero Mosque”, and the irrational fear over Sharia law. In the 2011 State of the Union Address, President Obama said, “American Muslims are a part of our American family.” Despite these assurances, many Muslims feel that they should be apologetic for the actions of the terrorists that have prostituted the name of Islam for their evil actions. I resent this notion and will never apologize for something that I didn’t do – and with that, I should never be blamed for something I’m not responsible for.

With the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it is my sincere hope that all Americans can internalize the truth that Muslims were not at fault for the attack on America, that those acts are exponentially contrary to the teachings of Islam. Not even a small group of Muslims were at fault. A group of sick individuals that call themselves Muslims carried out the tragic events on 9/11 and I have nothing to do with that.

People will say that it is the duty of American Muslims and Muslims globally to “clear up the name of Islam.” While Muslims and non-Muslims can certainly help do this, I do not believe it is my personal duty to do so. If a person is uneducated and narrow minded enough to believe that I personally have something to do with terrorism simply because of my faith, it is not my responsibility first to educate them – it is their responsibility to not be an ignorant human being and uphold one of the the fundamental principles of this country- religious tolerance and freedom. I am always willing to take the extra steps and show that the followers of Islam (not those that pervert it) are peaceful and normal people – but 10 years later I still resent having to feel responsible for enlightening those filled with hate. Being ignorant and stereotypical is never an excuse, and the media circus that propels these ideas is frustrating.

I also resent that my sincere sadness and condolences toward the victims of 9/11 may be looked at as disingenuous by those shrouded in bigotry and Islamophobia. After the 9/11 attacks, I remember we put up an American flag on our front door. The reason was because with two hijaab-wearing Muslim women living alone, we were afraid of the negative backlash that might occur and wanted to do something that might deter it. But did we feel any less American before we put up the flag? The answer is no. My mother is from the Philippines and immigrated here decades ago and met my father, a Pakistani, and they got married. I was born in the United States and have visited the Philippines once and have never visited Pakistan. I could have out-teenyboppered anyone with my die-hard fandom for NSYNC, funky nail polish and TRL. America is my home and I know no other allegiance, yet I have been made to feel like an outsider. Even today, people will yell things like “go back to your country!” or “you don’t have to wear that [hijaab] here anymore… we’re in America.” My reactions are always divided- sometimes I get angry, sometimes I sincerely feel bad for the person and want to educate them, but it is always unsettling. This struggle is something that persists until today and is widely felt within the American Muslim community.

At the annual White House Iftar dinner during Ramadan, President Obama said the following:

“Muslim Americans were innocent passengers on those planes, including a young married couple looking forward to the birth of their first child. They were workers in the Twin Towers — Americans by birth and Americans by choice, immigrants who crossed the oceans to give their children a better life… Muslim Americans were first responders — the former police cadet who raced to the scene to help and then was lost when the towers collapsed around him; the EMTs who evacuated so many to safety; the nurse who tended to so many victims; the naval officer at the Pentagon who rushed into the flames and pulled the injured to safety. On this 10th anniversary, we honor these men and women for what they are — American heroes. Nor let us forget that every day for these past 10 years Muslim Americans have helped to protect our communities as police and firefighters, including some who join us tonight. Across our federal government, they keep our homeland secure, they guide our intelligence and counterterrorism efforts and they uphold the civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans. So make no mistake, Muslim Americans help to keep us safe.”

On that note, I wish to put aside my discontent with the fragmented, distorted view that most Americans have towards Islam and their hardworking, completely human Muslim neighbors in the painful wake of 9/11/2001. I wish to remember every life that was lost on September 11, 2001, and to give my continual condolences to all that have been affected by the events of that tragic day. Ten short years later, I am still as proud as I ever was to be an American and proud to know that my father was helping victims on 9/11 to ease their suffering, even in a small way.

I pray that our country continues to heal from the attacks that we suffered on 9/11 – both the attack on our country as a whole and the attack on our unity that was sustained through stereotypes and hate. I hope we never forget that we are one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all and that the only way forward is to remember this always.

NEW YORK — A tip claiming Al-Qaeda may have sent American terrorists or men carrying U.S. travel documents to attack Washington or New York on the ten year anniversary of 9/11 has heightened security within the two cities.

Though the tip is unconfirmed, it is said to be credible. A CIA informant who has proven reliable in the past approached intelligence officials overseas to say that the men had been ordered by newly minted Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahri to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks Sunday by doing harm on U.S. soil.

According to AP, one U.S. official says Al-Qaeda dispatched three men, at least two of whom could be U.S. citizens, to detonate a car bomb in one of the cities. Should that mission prove impossible, the attackers have been told to simply cause as much destruction as they can.

Speaking in New York, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said there was “a specific, credible but unconfirmed report that Al-Qaeda, again, is seeking to harm Americans and in particular, to target New York and Washington.”

In a notebook found in the compound of Osama bin Laden after he was killed in May, the Al-Qaeda leader mused about the possibility of mounting an attack on the 9/11 anniversary, and the police in New York and Washington were already on alert for trouble.

According to New York Times, two senior American law enforcement officials said an informer in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region passed word of the plot, intended to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, to American intelligence officers on Wednesday. The informer said two American citizens of Arab ancestry had left Afghanistan, traveled through one or more other countries and reached the United States as recently as last week.

But the informer’s information on the plot was second or third-hand, another official said. It included only a vague physical description of the two men — one described as 5 feet tall, the other 5-foot-8 — and a first name for one, Suliman, that is common in the Middle East. The tipster also described a third conspirator, but he appeared to have traveled to Europe. “All this information is very, very sketchy,” one of the law enforcement officials said.

At Penn Station in New York, transit authority police carried assault rifles and wore helmets and bullet-proof vests as they watched crowds of commuters. Police searched passengers’ bags as they entered the subway, and National Guard troops in camouflage fatigues moved among riders, eyeing packages.

Bomb-sniffing dogs were deployed in the Washington subway, and the police searched vehicles at the Brooklyn Bridge. More bomb sweeps of parking garages were planned; ferries were to be given extra police coverage; and cars parked illegally were to be towed quickly, not just ticketed.

In Washington, Police Chief Cathy Lanier warned that unattended cars parked in suspicious locations or near critical buildings and structures would be towed.

Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security, issued a statement Friday urging public vigilance. “As we head into the 9/11 anniversary weekend, we continue to urge the American public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement authorities. Simply put, if you see something, say something. We take all threat reporting, including the recent specific, credible but unconfirmed threat information, seriously.”

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, too, made a point of taking the subway to City Hall. Of the latest threat, the mayor said, “It’s serious, but I think the right answer is to go about your business.”

In the September 8 issue of “Page Six Magazine” inside the “New York Post” Rachel Uchitel speaks to Annie Karni about losing her fiancé on September 11, and how her life spiraled out of control immediately following this tragic event — most notably when her infamous affair with pro golfer Tiger Woods went public.

The 36-year-old candidly opens up about twice becoming famous “for something I didn’t want,” as well as turning into a “recluse” following the Tiger Woods scandal.

On losing her fiancé in the 9/11 terrorist attack:

“I believe Andy was meant to die because he was too good.  I’m almost happy it ended the way it did because I’ve learned so many lessons from him. It would have been tragic if we got into fights and then divorced. He lives on in my memory larger than life. I’m glad I didn’t get to see any flaws that time brings on everyone. I would [otherwise] be a fat housewife with three kids living in Sands Point, Long Island. I would have been fine, probably. I wouldn’t have known any different.”

On her reputation:

“For whatever reason, I rub people the wrong way. It’s been like that my whole life. I know I can come off as condescending and detached and rude. Girls usually hate me and the boyfriends have to pretend to hate me. But it’s because I’m so used to being on the defensive because people have always been out to get me. It’s a cycle that has kept repeating itself.”

On her gig as a VIP hostess:

“My experience meeting celebrities was that they were all miserable. I got to see them as real people and they were struggling and angry. I never wanted any of that for myself.”

On the after-math of the Tiger Woods affair:

“Men would make reference to the fact that they were huge Tiger fans. They felt like being with me was a trophy thing. People knew I had a lot of money and would ask me to buy them a drink. The whole thing was gross. ”

On her current love life with boyfriend Matt Hahn, 26, and starting a family:

“[My boyfriend Matt Hahn] is normal. He’s not a famous person. I find him to be grounded and I’m totally going to marry him. I never wanted [kids]…They kind of suck. I can’t deal. But I know how much I love my dogs and I think I’d make a good mother to my own kids.”

A collaboration across the American government resulted in a successful strike that killed Osama bin Laden. Only a small group of people within the White House knew the details of the operation that was underway.

On Sunday morning, President Barack Obama ordered an attack on a compound suburb of Pakistan called Abbottabad that bin Laden was believed to be occupying with family and confidants.

Based on intelligence that had been being gathered since August 2010, there was a strong probability that the location of bin Laden was known. Due to the high security of the compound and its location near Islamabad, Pakistan’s capitol, extreme caution was taken to carry out this dangerous mission, according to White House sources, speaking to Blast last night.

A helicopter raid was conducted by a small team of nine US special forces operatives. Bin Laden tried to fight back and was shot and killed in the resulting firefight. Three other men were also killed, including one of bin Laden’s sons and two reputed al-Qaeda couriers. 

Women and children were also present in the house at the time of the raid. One woman was killed when she was used as a shield by one of the male occupants of the house, the sources said. Two other women were injured during the operation. No children were hurt and there were no civilian casualties.

The operation aimed to minimize “collateral damage,” the sources said.

The team left the compound in less than 40 minutes and was not confronted by any local authorities.

One US helicopter was destroyed during the mission, but the soldiers escaped safely from the aircraft.

Planning began in early September 2010 between the CIA and Obama. Beginning in March 2011 Obama conducted at least five National Security Council meetings once it was determined that there was enough intelligence to continue, the sources said.

The raid on the compound stemmed from information regarding a mansion owned by two brothers who had no explainable source of income, yet lived in a $1 million, heavily secured fortress of a home. The security measures for the compound were elaborate and included 12 to 18 foot walls topped with barbed wire, the officials said.

In addition there were two security gates guarding the entrances and trash was burned by the residents instead of being taken out. There was also no phone or internet service connected to the mansion.

The White House officials believed that the house was custom-built for bin Laden. It was built about five years ago, but it is unclear how long bin Laden had been a resident. He was living there with two other families and his family members, including his youngest wife.

Obama made the final decision to authorize the operation on Friday morning, and it was carried out successfully on Sunday.

Before addressing the nation regarding the mission, Obama spoke to former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to review the events of the day and share the statement that he was going to make to the nation.

During his nationally broadcast statement he said, “The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al-Qaeda. Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort.  There’s no doubt that al-Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us.  We must — and we will — remain vigilant at home and abroad.”

Although there have not been any specific threats, precautions are being taken by the US government to increase security and protect Americans in the United States and abroad. There is a possibility of violent retaliation by al-Qaeda and other terrorist leaders can also decide to increase their efforts, but the US is prepared to fight.

Bin Laden was the head of al-Qaeda, the organization responsible for the September 11 terrorist attacks. His death is a significant disruption to the organization’s efforts and may lead to its demise. Bin Laden’s successor, Ayman al-Zawarhi, is thought to be less of a threat due to his lesser influence in the organization. He is believed to be less charismatic and not as respected by the members of al-Qaeda, according to White House intelligence from other leaders.

The government adhered to American and international law in carrying out the mission, but details of the operation were not shared with any other country, the officials said.

Obama, in his remarks, did point out that cooperation with Pakistan helped lead to bin Laden and the mansion.  Since bin Laden was responsible for attacks against Pakistani people and had declared war against the country as well, Pakistan’s president shared in the US sentiment of accomplishment.

Obama said in his speech, “The United States is not, and never will be, at war with Islam.  I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam.  Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims.” Nevertheless, bin Laden’s body is in US custody and will be treated in accordance with Islamic practice and tradition.

Ultimately, in spite of the fight that may still lie ahead, Obama stated yesterday that “justice has been done.”

Bin Laden is dead.

Nearly 10 years after the fateful day, the most wanted enemy of the United States of America, the leader of the terrorist group al-Qaeda and the reputed mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks has been killed, and the United States has his body, President Barack Obama announced in a live television address.

Addressing to the world from the White House in an extremely rare live Sunday night news conference, President Barack Obama reflected on the 9/11 attacks and their effects in Americans.

Bin Laden was killed in a mansion in Abbottabad, about 45 miles outside the Pakistani capital city of Islamabad. American Navy SEALs carried out a helicopter attack, which killed bin Laden, one of his adult sons, and two other men. A woman was also killed after one of the combatants used her as a human shield, according to a White House source.

No Americans were killed in the attack. Obama confirmed that the Americans took custody if bin Laden’s body.

“Justice has been done,” Obama said.

CBS news Washington producer Jill Jackson reported the news Sunday night and Tweeted: “House Intelligence committee aide confirms that Osama Bin Laden is dead. U.S. has the body.”

Reports indicate that Vice President Joe Biden called House majority leader Eric Cantor around 10 p.m. to tell him the news.

Bin Laden was the face of anti-American terrorism for the past decade. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks are branded into the minds of every American and those across the world. The attacks and others have shaped foreign policy and resulted in two American wars.

He had been hunted in Afghanistan and in the Pakistan border region, including tribal land and mountainous caves.

Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks, which included four hijacked airliners; two crashing into the World Trade Center in New York, one into the Pentagon, and one crashing into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers reportedly fought back against the hijackers. The War on Terror, which includes the still ongoing invasion and operation in Afghanistan, was started in the aftermath of the attacks.

The news set off celebrations around the country. In New York City, large crowds gathered, particularly around Ground Zero. In Philadelphia, crowds chanted “USA! USA” at the Phillies game against the New York Mets. Large crowds celebrated outside the gates of the White House as well.

The Associated Press reports that Republican and Democratic senators have compromised on a scaled-down 9/11 first responders health bill.

The threat of filibuster and block from certain Republican senators, including medical doctor Senator Tom Coburn from Oklahoma appears to have forced the hand of Democrats, leading to a decrease in the funding and amount of time that sick dying police officers and firefighters have to receive help.

Countless first responders have become sick or may soon become sick from breathing in the dust from the World Trade Center after the September 11, 2011 terrorist attacks.

The AP reports that Congressional aids close to the negotiations said the deal would provide $4 billion over five years instead of $6.2 billion in total aid.

Both Houses are expected to vote on the bill Wednesday.

New York lawmakers are pressing the House, which already passed the full bill and would have to re-vote, to remain in session for the vote.

First period Honors Physics with Mr. Cretella. Senior year.

It started as a rumor from one classmate. My good friend Luke said that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. We thought it was someone in a little propeller plane who veered off course. We were troubled, and the class was uneasy. But we didn’t know what was going on.

My high school principal then came over the air and announced that teachers should not turn on the televisions.

Second period Honors Pre-Calculus with Mr. King.

Screw that.

He turns the television on, and as soon as the news channel came into focus we watched the second Twin Tower come crashing down, live.

It was hard to watch. We were all fixated and dazed. “We’re at war,” someone murmured. Some cried.

I went to my car at lunch and put on 880-AM WCBS and listened. I’d never heard a newscaster sound so somber, so sad, before. But then again, I wasn’t alive when John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King were killed. With that in mind, I became instantly aware that what was happening on September 11 was the biggest, most terrible thing to happen in my life so far.

It was Generation Y’s first tragedy.

That night, my father, who’s a fire fighter in East Haven, Conn., went to New York with his crew. I was scared that he was going but proud at the same time that he was one of the people who was being called to service.

What do you remember from 8 years ago? Where were you? Share your story in the comments section.

I attended a preseason football game at Gillette Stadium on September 3 — the Pats and the Giants. I was inspired by the halftime event where members of the Massachusetts National Guard took their Oath of re-enlistment on the field. All of these brave men and women have already served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and were volunteering to return. They didn’t forget.

I was proud and stood to clap. Sadly, I looked around and noticed very few fans were even paying attention.

John Guilfoil Jr. (left) the father of Blast's editor, is a career fire fighter who was in New York after 9/11 as part of the rescue efforts

Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless To USA” was playing and no one seemed moved.

I know it was just a preseason game and all, but I felt a little ashamed. These young men and women were reenlisting to go back into harms’ way to combat terrorism and no one seemed to care.

September 11, 2001 seems a long way off eight years later.

There are so few tributes anymore. People seem to want to forget. Blast keeps the tribute alive every year. Take a moment and look at the article and pictures.

I am a firefighter in Connecticut. I went to New York that evening — to ground zero to help. The sights, sounds and smells of that day are etched in my mind. I will never forget the determination of the firefighters, police officers, the iron-workers and construction workers on the “pile.” All just hoping to rescue someone.

September 11, 2001

Lest We Forget

The events of September 11, 2001

Lest We Forget

The Firefighters and Police Officers who lost their lives in New York

Lest We Forget

The Innocent workers at the Twin Towers and the Pentagon killed that day

Lest We Forget

The people killed in the planes in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania

Lest We Forget

The families left behind

Lest We Forget

The terrorists responsible

Lest We Forget

Why our troops are in harms way

Lest We Forget

Those same rescuers, some who spent months at ground zero, are now sick from breathing the smoke and dust. These same people being denied health and workers compensation claims. I ask President Obama and our elected officials to be mindful. What are you going to do about these injustices?

Lest We Forget

Our men and women serving the military

Lest We Forget

FREEDOM

LET’S NOT FORGET.

NEW YORK — A whole nation, if not the world, anxiously anticipates the day when they can visit the once melancholy location of the greatest terrorist attack in American history, and instead of reeling with the pain of loss and fear, look instead upon a place of hope and energy.

Santiago Calatrava intends to give us that hope. In fact, he wants to share that excitement and vivacity with the world, as New York welcomes her “tired, hungry and poor” to the new World Trade Center transportation hub, perhaps the most anticipated building project in New York since the battle between the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building.

Calatrava is a rare breed indeed — a blend of engineer and architect, which allows for his projects the breathing room to let the needs of millions of commuters around the world speak to him in a way no other architect or engineer independently could manifest.

Most of Calatrava’s commissions are of the civil engineering variety: bridges, train stations. He is a humble man and states that building such things, being the architect is an experience of humility. He says the new hub is a “message of reconciliation,” is going to be “high-speed train” -ready, and that idea of a great building is “a lesson in humility. They are for everyone.”

Let’s come back to earth though for a second out of the clouds of hope and humility. New Yorkers aren’t an easy bunch to please, and the building of the new World Trade Center transportation hub hasn’t been an easy, wistful chore. There has been the eternal push and shove among the other buildings, the Port Authority, and Calatrava over what has become the city’s focus and fallout. But Calatrava explains that the cost is immaterial. This is being built for our children. It is priceless in its destiny and its necessity for the commuter.

The design itself explains this destiny. Calatrava adds that the design is inspired by a child releasing a dove. The child speaks of “the future of the city”, and the dove, of course, of peace. The sleek ribs protrude from the ground creating a canopy of white, forming Calatrava’s desired “luminous spaces.”

The hub is formed from three main spaces. There is an east-west corridor spanning a gargantuan amount of space for a real-estate indoctrinate city, 2,000 feet in linear grace. The mezzanine has a horizontal spread of 200 feet, and Memorial Hall lifts in vertical air.

“It is like a musical composition — the spaces, in this matter (it forms) a common language,” Calatrava said.

The hub itself serves many purposes, not just the purpose of moving millions of people through New York’s sometimes elusive tunnel system. It’s also providing an infrastructure, a plaza and “inter-modality, circulation between the other (new World Trade Center) buildings,” he said.

There has been a lot of talk on changes made recently, due to an apparent cost-factor, but Calatrava stresses, “it is very similar to its original design. (There have been) minor changes in details, and security.”

The manifestation of hope hasn’t been an easy process. Calatrava explained that on one hand the New York bedrock makes a great foundation, but is hard to move. They are also building 30 feet below the water table, and partially through bad soil, the remains of the compost from the extension of Manhattan — the island once ended at Church Street — then later filled in to Greenwich Avenue, and again to the West Side. Calatrava, however, said he likes a challenge.

The hub is expected to be finished four years from the date of the opening of his reception at the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute, 684 Park Avenue. The exhibit contains a large model of the World Trade Center transportation hub, in which the viewer can stand inside of the model and get a 360 degree view of the true expanse, grace and linear flow of the project. There is also a gallery of small models of other American projects, including the 80 South Street building, in which blocks form singular homes, rumored to be in the $30 million dollar ballpark, and the gondola-lift connecting Brooklyn and lower Manhattan with Governor’s island. The exhibit runs through August 31.

Calatrava gains his inspiration for this project from a religious icon of New York architecture history: Grand Central Station. He cited Grand Central as “a model for the evolution of New York,” bringing to mind the timing as reminiscent of the economic struggle the city is again surviving through.

Isn’t this the true intent of the new hub — to show the city that it can always survive, no matter the odds? Some worry that the design is too new for New York City, but Calatrava can help ease that doubt, striving to build a monument to the city doing what it does best: changing, growing, advancing, surviving.

By the way: Because of a reporting error, Calatrava’s name was spelled wrong in this story

MUMBAI, India — In a newly crafted display window, tucked in the back corner of the lobby of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, was a piece of art, aptly named the “Tree of Life.” The work, beside a plaque listing the names of those who had perished in the Taj, was all that remained visible of the day that terrorists had stormed the lobby, and held hostage its guests and staff. In front of the window, hotel guests lined up to sign their named in a book, writing things like, “The spirit of the Taj is uncrushable,” and, “terrorism will not prevail.”

These sorts of comments have come to engender the spirit of the Indian population. As a nation, India has endured nearly one terror attack every month since last July, and lost over 2000 people to these attacks in the past year, but in the face of terror, the country has always bounced back immediately. Though the Indian media jumped at the chance to compare they day they dubbed “26/11″ to 9/11, the societal reactions haven’t compared.

When I made my first visit to New York, two months after the assault on the twin towers, the city was still in deep mourning, wreaths, candles, and photos of missing loved ones plastering every corner of the metropolis. When I eventually moved there three years later, the photos of missing people had vanished, but little else had changed. After seven years, New York City is still having trouble moving on. Every September 11th the city fills the skyline with two perpetual spotlights in place of the towers. Bagpipe players mourn for the dead in the streets of the Financial District, as throughout the day all the names of those who were lost when the towers crumbled are read aloud. As we come into 2009 the site of the twin towers is still nothing more than a gigantic hole in the ground, an open wound that refuses to allow New York City to move on. The Financial District is still a comparative ghost town.

The Taj a month later/KRISTEN V. BROWN FOR BLAST MAGAZINE

One month to the day after gunmen entered the Taj Mahal Hotel on November 26, the lobby of the hotel looked once again as it always had. In the hours of the attacks, the perfectly polished marble floors were stained with blood, the stately atmosphere muffled by screams and sprays of bullets. But by December 26, the hotel that had once played host to Mick Jagger, Jackie Kennedy and The Beatles had regained its regal composure, the lobby decorated for Christmas as it buzzed with equal mixes of tourists and the well to-do. Easily the most majestic landmark of the Mumbai skyline, the Taj is an architectural marvel that has played host to many of the worlds most powerful since it first opened its doors in 1903, founded by industrialist Jamshedji Tata, as the first luxury hotel in the city that booked Indian as well as white guests.

The day after the firing stopped, Indian papers and news stations reported of an eerie ghost town Mumbai had become. But by that time , everyone was already back at work. And only one month after the attack on Mumbai, life had once again become de rigueur, at least partially because for Indians, unlike Americans and 9/11, terrorism is the norm. In New York, we obsessed over the events of 9/11 for years, letting our obsession dominate our public space, and keep us from resuming our normal lives. In India, even though the Mumbai attacks were thus far unprecedented and surely have had a lasting impact on the people of Mumbai, Mumbaikers have learned not to let terrorism get the best of them. They pull together, go back to work, and refuse to let such evil misdeeds interfere with their way of living.

Certainly I have some personal stake in the health and safety of the 9/11 emergency responders.

But so does everyone else. 9/11 was a day where we saw the worst of people and the best of people. In the backs of the minds of cops and firemen, they knew the stuff they were breathing in was bad for them, but — as always — they focused on the immediate health of others versus their own long-term wellbeing.

The facts have been the same for ages: police officers, firefighters and soldiers don’t live as long as civilians. Their jobs often put them in immediate danger, expose them to toxins and leave them with increased rates of hypertension, depression, divorce, and alcoholism. But that’s the way it is.

These people are part of a close, often insular fraternity. Their families are in the same league, often socializing almost exclusively with each other. Their children, like me, live their lives holding in a mixture half awe and half terror, because we know what can happen, and all too often we’ve seen it.

Many of the 9/11 emergency responders and rescue workers are sick and dying from the toxic air around Ground Zero in New York. This is irrefutable.

Look through my dad’s photos. It was a cloud with a smell he’ll never forget. It’s death, fire and asbestos.

For someone who’s seen murder, suicide, drug overdose and burn victims, this sticks with him.

Think you could stomach that?

Or rather, breathe it in?

Detective Zadroga’s death was the first to be officially linked to the toxins at Ground Zero.

There were others before him, and many officials have said he won’t be the last.

As reported by Fox News last year, the organizer of an event supporting 9/11 rescue workers, Les Jamieson had this to say:

“We’re not just talking about health here,” he said. “There are serious financial and psychological issues as well, and a lot of people are being left out in the cold.”

That sums it up.

Last year the Associated Press reported nearly 70 percent of Ground Zero rescue workers have suffered lung ailments and “abnormalities.”

“There should no longer be any doubt about the health effects of the World Trade Center. Our patients are sick,” Dr. Robin Herbert, co-director of the group that investigated the long-term effects from exposure to Ground Zero told the AP last year.

Most of the rescuers wade through physical health problems. Others quietly suffer from depression, anger and post traumatic stress.

Detective James Zadroga died last year. The death of the decorated NYPD officer was the first 9/11 rescuer to be directly linked to exposure to the ground zero toxins.

He was 34.

There will be more.