Sunday, December 27, 2009

KPMG to Pay $456 Million for Criminal Violations Before Taking a Walk with the President

President Obama walking on Pyramid Rock beach on Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, on Saturday, December 26, 2009.


http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=146999,00.html


KPMG to Pay $456 Million for Criminal Violations

(Additional Link: Statement by IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson
IR-2005-83, Aug. 29, 2005

WASHINGTON — KPMG LLP (KPMG) has admitted to criminal wrongdoing and agreed to pay $456 million in fines, restitution and penalties as part of an agreement to defer prosecution of the firm, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service announced today.
In addition to the agreement, nine individuals—including six former KPMG partners and the former deputy chairman of the firm—are being criminally prosecuted in relation to the multi-billion dollar criminal tax fraud conspiracy. As alleged in a series of charging documents unsealed today, the fraud relates to the design, marketing, and implementation of fraudulent tax shelters.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins split confirmed

I'm sorry, but if we are to carry our over-arching logic forward about the events of 9/11, then it means that all the narrative elements from that day were, on some level, co-conspirators. This means that such highly publicized celebrity food-service "volunteers" as Susan and Tim were "placed" there for their newsworthiness.

What a brilliant ploy! It certainly alleviated my suspicions, to have the ultra liberal couple on the scene. Why did only they receive the uber-publicity? Were there other back=feeding news hounds bellying up to the donation's tent?

This doesn't cast doubt on Sarandon's and Robbin's left-wing credentials, just that they're owned and operated by the system of favors that runs their business, like every other business in the World.

Here's hoping they don't get pulmonary disease, in addition to lonely ends.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8429411.stm


Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, pictured in 2008
Sarandon and Robbins were one of Hollywood's most enduring couples
Hollywood couple Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins have ended their relationship after more than two decades together, Sarandon's publicist has confirmed.
"Actress Susan Sarandon and her partner of 23 years, actor Tim Robbins, have announced that they separated over the summer," she said in a statement.
Sarandon, 63, met Robbins, 51, on the set of their 1988 film Bull Durham.
The couple, who never married, have two sons. Sarandon's representative said no further comments would be made.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Paul Milora Contrives to Whet our Appetites


"This is a picture I found on the internet a few days after sept 11th. This was the exact spot I was standing with my mom and Fiance' when tower 2 came down.I think I inhaled about 2 floors of the building.I couldn't run because I had them with me.My Mom is no speedster.But I guess that it wasn't to bad because I could have been at my desk on the 84th floor of Tower 2.My company lost 61 out of 280. Paul Milora, Image #957"
My Mom is no Speedster is my new slogan, since I'm going for an overwritten effect, and I'm in on the joke---unlike Brian Clarke, the volunteer fire marshal for Euro Brokers on the 84th floor of Tower 2, which is said to have lost 64 employees. Read his story as fleshed out on Nova, and ask yourself if this man is a shocked and transformed survivor, or a foreknowledged minion pulling a James Frey on Oprah.

This AP image is the very definition of the word anonymous. No street sign, no facial expression, no kinetic butt action even. Nada. Why'd you pick it up to represent this near miss on your life?

Sorry. Doesn't fly.

I Don't Believe Tom Stewart For One Instant


"On Sept. 25th I traveled to Ground Zero with my two sisters. One of my brother-in-laws died in the attack. He worked on the 105th floor of the north tower for Cantor Fitzgerald. The photo was taken a few yards from where the north tower stood. It was taking with my camera by the fireman who escorted us." Cite as: Tom Stewart, Image #970, The September 11 Digital Archive, 4 September 2002, .
So, is that what the firemen were really doing down at the site? Functioning as public relations toadies? Are there any bone fragments under that firmly planted dirt beneath their feet? Can't the lazy firemen at least pick up their donated water bottles?

Are we supposed to derive meaning and respond emotionally based on how these three break at the hip, or how well their jeans fit? We can't see their faces to judge their plastic surgery scars. They're trying to signal something, given the quality of their outerwear, but the effect is of low-class bounders---coming, or going.

This image is false on so many levels. Fake people in a faked locale not even trying. Boo.

Does Louis J. Briendel Understand Physics?

Even crack whores don't sell themselves out as cheaply as does Mr. Briendel, in the narrative element he pimps for. (Calling him Louis J. just makes him sound like a jurist.) He informs us that on September 11th 2001, he was working on a rooftop 3 blocks away from Ground Zero. Was he stock piling the orange plastic netting in advance of the attacks?

Because in his operative contribution to the 9/11 bottom line, Briendel says this very heavy airplane landing gear was gently placed in this rooftop position of the Federal Building by the loving hand of God---and like Loyde England's taxi, the surfaces received nary a scratch in the process...no wait a minute, I'm saying that.
"This is part of the landing gear from one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11. I was doing the orange safety netting on the Federal Building, which is directly across the street from Ground Zero. The FBI and Postal Inspectors didn't allow anyone on the upper roof where the landing gear and other airplane parts had fallen. I had access because we were putting up the safety netting to keep the broken glass from falling on the rescue workers in the street. As of this date, I have not seen another picture of this landing gear on the Federal Building!" Cite as: LOUIS J. BRIENDEL, Image #402, The September 11 Digital Archive, 17 June 2002,
I didn't know that certain workers earned an "outdoor rooftop specialist" credential. Briendel is on roofs all around the site. But what do you make of the details of his toy bus story? Was it found, or was it placed there? And if placed, then...by whom, and what does it mean?


"While working on the Millenium Hotel roof, which is directly across the street from Ground Zero, this tiny toy rubber bus was found. The toy bus was placed on the ledge of the Millenium roof wall so that Ground Zero could be seen in the background. This picture was donated to the September 11, Photo Project, which is presently on tour to cities throughout the country." Cite as: LOUIS BRIENDEL, Image #400, The September 11 Digital Archive, 17 June 2002,
Lastly, in this attenuated nugget of narrative gold---do you think he could pronounce Minoru Yamasaki as well as spell it? Or do you think he had some help? Come on now---really?


This is a picture of a strip of microfilm which was found weeks after September 11, three blocks away at 2 Chase Plaza. The microfilm contains blueprints from 1 World Trade Center, all that remains of this strip of film is 72 frames. The film is burnt at one end and has a few holes in it. The blueprints are not the original ones made by Minoru Yamasaki. The blueprints are of the Bank of America, the Chanq HWA Bank, and a few of the B-Level Parking Areas and rooms. This microfilm is believed to be an archival film of different aspects from projects at 1 World Trade Center. The Bank of America was contacted concerning this strip of microfilm. The Bank of America stated that they did contract work in the early part of 1993, but never had the blueprints put to microfilm. After some research, it is believed that the Port Authority of New York made the microfilm for archival purposes and that the microfilm was stored in the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Photographic Services Office at 1 World Trade Center. In light of all that destruction that morning of September 11, it's amazing this 72 frames of microfilm survived! Truly a priceless historical artifact!Cite as: LOUIS J. BRIENDEL, Image #401, The September 11 Digital Archive, 17 June 2002,
With momentum, that jet plane landing gear is so heavy it would have punctured the roof top, delving many stories inside---it was traveling at 500 miles per hour! And lastly, why was the Federal Office Building referenced as the Federal Post Office in so many of the media stories? Didn't "we" sell the postal service some years ago?

OEM Tough Guy Ron Moser Really Rides My Ass!

What do I know? I saw the little doggies and I just reached for my Milk Bones. It was subliminal.

Ron Moser with his 2 bomb dogs Ajax & Laika at the front entrance of O.E.M. HQ. at pier 92. Cite as: Ron Moser, Image #3034, The September 11 Digital Archive, 6 September 2006,
Out of all the images at either the new or old September 11th Digital Archive that I have had trouble with as I tried to download them, so as to re-upload them here, (and let me tell you, I had trouble! In some cases, images could only be saved as a queer PJPEG file, which then turned into something called a BMP, and nothing normal would open them. But I found one program, which in most cases allowed me convert these back to a JPEG while saving them,) uniquely, Mr. Moser's images presented the most difficulty.

Nothing has compared to the hoops I jumped through to get four measly images posted here for you now. I mean, these images are alternately coded, if you catch my drift. I'm not saying I beat the system, mind you. Only---I don't know what all the fuss is about.


K-9 Ajax & Laika along with three of their new friends of the NYPD range and special weapons unit who worked every day to help secure O.E.M. HQ. at pier 92. Cite as: Ron Moser, Image #3033, The September 11 Digital Archive, 6 September 2006,
Oh! The doggies get their very own golf cart! How very like the Pentagon! I'd started to notice references to these golf carts being used down at Ground Zero in the firemen's oral histories, so I guess some were pre-situated in the vicinity, although I'm not surprised to see them being utilized in such a first-class set-up as the office of Emergency Management sprung into life on Pier 92. Clearly, this is why we drill men.

But you give them golf carts, then make them stay at the Hotel Edison??? What style would you call that headboard, by the way? And is that a white plastic garbage container there? How cool!

Bomb Dogs Ajax and Laika resting at the Edison Hotel after a long day of searching equipment and supplies for the Red Cross, OEM, FEMA and Victims Family Center at pier 92 & 94. Cite as: Ron Moser, Image #3032, The September 11 Digital Archive, 6 September 2006,
But then...uht ohh...I see two potential new names for the tribunals. Somebody please tell Officer Marion Finbar and Sgt.Kenny Russo that I was just joking about those tumbrels! Mock tribunals! Mock I said! Think Judge Judy!


NYPD Range Officers standing with K-9 Ajax & Laika. Officer Marion Finbar next to Laika and Sgt.Kenny Russo next to Ajax at the front entrance of OEM HQ (Office of Emergency Management ) at pier 92 where everything going in or under OEM had to be cleared by K-9 Ajax & Laika. Cite as: Ron Moser, Image #3031, The September 11 Digital Archive, 6 September 2006,
So anyway, I followed a second process and was able to print out these three, apparently actionable, images, and then I scanned them to my computer, and upped them here, where the rule is: Google Loves Me This I Know, Cause My Statcounter Tells Me So.

I don't know what messages they might have stegonagraphically underlying them,
[hiddentxt]Paul is Dead! Paul is Dead![/hiddentxt]
but they turned out fuzzier then the rest. Which reminds me: is Kerik doing his jail time as we speak?



Found another one. These bitches sure get around. Since the cadaver dogs were superfluous in the dustified environs, why'd they double down a duty on your bomb sniffers? Is it because they give such fierce face? Turn...find the editor.

The Anonymouses Wed at Windows on the World, Bastille Day 2001

What kind of a person would want to advertise their perverse stroke of good luck and bad taste by submitting a wedding picture taken in the North Tower of the World Trade Center less than eight weeks before the building was targeted for destruction, while at the same time keeping their identity a secret online?

That one's easy! A clandestine agent of the New World Order! Fulfilling the necessary task aspects in an operational hot spot with some personal/professional overlap, with the aim one of vicsim stabilization. Have a nice life together misfits, says Ms. SayHey!
"We were married at Windows on the World, 107th floor of the WTC North Tower, on 14 July 2001. Our thanks and prayers go out to Jackie Sayegh, our wedding coordinator at Windows who perished in the tragedy, as well as the Windows staff who helped make our wedding a truly memorable event." Cite as: Anonymous, Image #1465, The September 11 Digital Archive, 13 September 2002. Name Withheld
Did anyone check to see what kind of bookings Windows on the World had upcoming in the fall of 2001 and into 2002? It's an important detail in insurance fraud you realize. Was there much discomfiture as other such elaborate upcoming do's were "bumped?" (Really, I should have written this drama. I would have done a much better job. Damn straight people.)

The remains of Jeffrey Wiener


Why was Wiener found on the roof of Building 5, on February 2, 2002 and why did it take so long?



This grid map of the World Trade Center site records the location where the remains of Jeffrey Wiener were found.

WTC Damaged Buildings 75 ft by 75 ft Grid. A useful map for charting the distances between structures.


A photograph of Jeffrey and Heidi Wiener, conveniently taken on August 25, 2001



Why does the listing at SourceWatch for Robin Wiener say she
"is currently a Board Member and Treasurer of Families of September 11, the leading organization representing family members of the victims of 9/11.
"A lawyer by training, Ms. Wiener was involved in the activities of the 9/11 Commission and in pushing for legislation supporting its recommendations. Her brother, Jeffrey Wiener was at the World Trade Center." And on the Advisory Board of "Terror Free Tomorrow,"
while neglecting to also inform us that
Robin is the President of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) in Washington, D.C. A lawyer by training, she has experience in matters relating to the activities of Congress and knowledge of the legal and political workings of the government. Her brother, Jeffrey Wiener was at the World Trade Center.



 Families of September 11th.

Who We Are
Families of September 11, Inc. (FOS11) is a nonprofit organization founded in October 2001 by families of those who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks. Membership is open to anyone affected by the events of September 11, be they family members, survivors, responders, or others as well as those who support our mission. The group has two goals:
  • To support families and children by offering updated information on issues of interest, access to resources, relevant articles, and advocacy to raise awareness about the effects of terrorism and public trauma.
  • To champion domestic and international policies that respond to the threat of terrorism including support for the 9/11 Commission Recommendations, and to reach out to victims of terror worldwide.
Many of our Board Members are professionals who lost immediate family members in the attacks. The members of our Advisory Board bring expertise and knowledge to our organization in specific areas that ably support our goals.
We are committed to offering current and accurate information, to promoting resiliency and strength, to advocating on behalf of our members and issues of importance to them, and to continuing a dialogue with an expanding group of our families, friends and supporters.
Board Members
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Donald W. Goodrich, Chairman of the Board, is a partner in the law firm of Donovan & O'Connor in North Adams, MA. One of the founders of FOS11, Don analyzed and recommended improvements to the Victim Compensation Fund as well as various forms of ongoing and potential litigation against organizations whose actions have affected victims' rights. Don helped develop questions for the online 9/11 Grief Survey; was involved in petitioning Congress for legislation in support of the 9/11 Commission; and raised money to build a girls’ school in Afghanistan. His son, Peter Goodrich, was on United Airlines Flight 175.
Paul H. Bea Jr., Secretary, is a government relations advisor specializing in transportation and the maritime sector. In 2006 he formed PHB Public Affairs after serving for over 25 years as Washington Representative of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey in Washington. A native of New Jersey, he started his public sector career as legislative aide for a congressman and governor. In recent years Paul has focused his attention on Federal freight transportation matters including homeland security. He has been appointed to several panels and currently serves on the Marine Transportation System National Advisory Council and the Eno Transportation Foundation Board of Advisors.
Nancy Aronson, Treasurer, is an experienced director of advocacy, educational program development and management. Nancy recently retired as a Senior Legislative Representative for AARP in Washington, D.C. She came to AARP as a program consultant for NRTA, a division of AARP that supports retired educators. Previously, Nancy was with the Association for Financial Professionals and George Washington University's Center for Career Education. An experienced public relations and policy director, she also served on the staff of former Representative E.J. Patten. An advisor on the Nuclear Threat Initiative and Safer World Project, Nancy is featured in their public service announcements. Her sister-in-law, Myra, was killed on 9/11.
Timothy P. Barr is the Vice President for Development at St. Joseph's Healthcare System in Paterson, NJ, and Executive Director of the St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center Foundation. Tim’s 20-plus year career in fundraising has focused in the areas of higher education, healthcare, and public television. He serves as a Vice President of the Board of Education and on several township committees in his community, such as the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. Tim has also served as Vice-Chair of the board of the Community Pre-K in his town.
David B. Edwards is a Carl W. Vogt ’58 Professor of Anthropology at Williams College and Director of the Williams Afghan Media Project. Prof. Edwards has been conducting research on and writing about Afghanistan for more than 25 years. A graduate of Princeton University (BA, 1975) and the University of Michigan (PhD, 1986), he is also the author of two books on Afghanistan (Before Taliban: Genealogies of the Afghan Jihad, University of California Press, 2002 and Heroes of the Age: Moral Fault Lines on the Afghan Frontier, University of California Press, 1996), along with many articles on Afghan history, religion and culture. Prof. Edwards is also the co-director and producer of the film, Kabul Transit, which was screened in 2006 at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in North Carolina; the Los Angeles Film Festival, where it was a finalist for the Best Documentary award; and in the Independents Nights series at Lincoln Center in New York City. Edwards has received research fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, and the National Science Foundation. He has also been a Fulbright Fellow, and in 2002 was named a Carnegie Scholar by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Advisory BoardBack to top

Tom Devine, a partner at Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell LLP in Washington, D.C., has more than 25 years experience in aviation law. He assisted Families of September 11, Inc., in seeking changes to the regulations governing the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and represented individual families in filing claims with the fund. He currently represents airports in legislative and regulatory matters as well as administrative enforcement proceedings and related cases in the U.S. Courts of Appeals. Tom has also represented airline pilot's unions on federal legislative and regulatory matters concerning aviation safety. Prior to entering private practice, he was Vice President for Legal and Environmental Affairs with the Airports Council International-North America and was an attorney on the Legislative Staff of the FAA Office of Chief Counsel. He also served as General Council to the National Airline Commission.
Julian Ford, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut Health Center. He has developed a Trauma Adaptive Recovery Group Education and Therapy (TARGET) model for adults in treatment for chronic mental illness and addictions. Since November 2001, he has served as the Director of the Center for Trauma Response, Recovery, and Preparedness, which is dedicated to the development of systems of services for communities affected by mass trauma. Julian also serves as a Senior Academic Fellow with the Child Health and Development Institute.
Donna Gaffney, APRN, BC, DNSc, FAAN, is on the faculty of the International Trauma Studies Program in New York City. She holds a master’s degree from Teachers College in child cognitive development, a doctorate in child mental health from the University of Pennsylvania and was awarded the Prudential Fellowship for Children and The News at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. Dr. Gaffney has long addressed the issues of trauma in the lives of children and families. In an effort to address the issues of trauma and loss among young girls in urban schools she created and administered the AAUW-funded bibliotherapy program, "Growing Heroines," at one of New York City’s largest elementary schools. After the Challenger explosion and the Pan Am 103 crash in Scotland she worked with schools and families. She is currently working with children and families affected by the World Trade Center Terrorist Attacks. As an advisory board member for the Families of September 11 she consults on media and policy issues addressing the needs of children affected by terrorism and loss. Dr. Gaffney is the author of The Seasons of Grief, Helping Children Grow through Loss. She wrote a professional guide to accompany the young adult book, 911: The Book of Help. Dr. Gaffney co-produced the award-winning educational film, Remembering September 11th, A Guide for Schools.
Carol Kellerman, was the Executive Director and CEO of the September 11th Fund, a $500 million charity fund created to help 9/11 victims. Carol previously served as Executive Director for Learning Leaders, the oldest school volunteer program in the country and was also Chief of Staff for New York Senator Charles (Chuck) Schumer when he was in Congress. Her career has included stints as a government and public affairs consultant to corporate and nonprofit organizations as well as varied positions within the New York City government such as: Staff Director of the Mayor's Advisory Task Force on the Homeless, Deputy Commissioner for the City's Department of Finance, and Special Counsel to the Office of Tax Policy and Analysis. She began her professional life as an associate appellate attorney for the Legal Aid Society of New York City.
Carie Lemack, advocated for the creation of the 9/11 Commission and for passage of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. She continues to pursue activities and legislation supporting the Commission's recommendations. A founder of FOS11, she spearheaded a campaign to develop warnings and increase awareness of the effects of the media's use of real-life graphic 9/11 images. Currently running her own national security business, The Camilla Group, LLC, Carie remains focused on working with government, private sector and nonprofit organizations to improve the nation's safety and security, and is leading a project to prevent nuclear terrorism in conjunction with the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Carie has an MBA from Stanford University as well as a Masters degree in public administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Her mother, Judy Larocque, was on American Airlines Flight 11.
James Lewis, III, Psy.D., is a clinical neuro-psychologist and nationally certified school psychologist at the Yale School of Medicine, Child Study Center. He is the Chief Operating Officer of the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence. James is a consultant for the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Project for New Haven Public Schools and is on the adjunct faculty at the Center for Social, Emotional Education at Columbia University, and the Michigan State University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry.
Paula A. Madrid, Psy.D. is a New York State Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Associate Research Scientist at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. As the director of the Psychosocial Preparedness Division, she runs the Center’s Resiliency Program, a 9/11 program established in November 2001 to provide direct and supportive services to those most impacted by the terrorist attacks. Dr. Madrid is also on the adjunct faculty of the University of Hartford's Graduate School of Professional Psychology. In October of 2005, Dr. Madrid was appointed as the director of Mental Health Services for "Operation Assist", a joint initiative by the Children’s Health Fund and the National Center for Disaster Preparedness to assist victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast. Madrid has published papers and presents nationally and internationally on the impact of underserved populations in disasters, resilience as an essential aspect of disaster preparedness, community preparedness and culturally appropriate psychosocial programs post-disaster.
Stefanie T. Norris, MSW, LCSW, is a clinical social worker and the Founder and Executive Director of Willow House, a Chicago-area program providing and developing supportive services for children, teens, families, and communities coping with death and dying. Stefanie’s 20-plus years working in the field of death ultimately led her to concentrate on the unique needs of grieving children and families and to specialized work in the field of bereavement.
Thomas H. Rogér As a founding FOS11 Board Member, Tom has been a committed advocate for 9/11 families; raising awareness and personally supporting initiatives to improve airline security, the Victims Compensation Fund, 9/11 curriculum in schools, the memorial at Ground Zero, and more. He is Vice President of Gilbane Building Company, currently serving as their Program Director for "Kids First", involving the complete reconstruction and/or renovation of all 46 of New Haven, Connecticut's public schools. He has been prominently involved in the memorial process as a member of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's Families Advisory Council, the Memorial and Museum Program Committees, and currently serves on the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation Board of Directors. His 24 year old daughter, Jean Rogér, was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11.
MaryEllen Salamone, P.T., J.D., is an FOS11 Advisory Board Member and former FOS11 Board President. MaryEllen has been a dedicated advocate for family and children’s issues. She has practiced as a pediatric physical therapist and a special education attorney and previously worked with New Jersey's Office of Education. MaryEllen currently works with schools, organizations and trauma specialists to assess special needs of children affected by 9/11, trauma and loss. She was a member of the New Jersey’s Acting Governor Codey’s Special Council on Emergency Response and Trauma Preparedness, addressing issues affecting adults and children and making recommendations for legislation. In 2006, MaryEllen served as faculty on Mt. Sinai Medical School’s Reaching Children Initiative (RCI) and she is currently serving as committee chair in a learning collaborative jointly sponsored by NICHQ (National Initiative for Childhood Healthcare Quality) and Mt. Sinai’s RCI. She is also an active Board Member of the National School Center for Crisis and Bereavement. Her husband, John Salamone, died at the World Trade Center.
David J. Schonfeld, MD, FAAP, is a developmental- behavioral pediatrician and the Thelma and Jack Rubinstein Professor of Pediatrics, Director of the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, and Director of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Schonfeld established the School Crisis Response Program in 1991and consulted to the NYC Department of Education (DOE) to help optimize the infrastructure within the system for crisis preparedness and response in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001. In 2005, he was awarded funding by the September 11th Children’s Fund and the National Philanthropic Trust to establish a National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement (NCSCB). Dr. Schonfeld has authored articles, book chapters, and a handbook (published by ASCD) on school crisis preparedness, spoken extensively and consulted to school systems on the topic of pediatric bereavement and the mental health needs of children in crisis situations. In addition, Dr. Schonfeld is actively engaged in school-based research involving children’s understanding of and adjustment to serious illness and death and school-based interventions to promote adjustment and risk prevention.
Ron Shindel, Deputy Inspector (NYPD-Retired), was the commanding officer for a select group of investigators who were assigned to the World Trade Center Recovery site on September 13, 2001, until that group was disbanded on January 29, 2002. Positioned at every station of the site, the group worked two shifts around the clock without scheduled days off and was responsible for the verifiable information made available to the public. In 2002, after 21 years with the NYPD, Ron was recruited to the American Stock Exchange as Senior Vice President in charge of Security, Property Management, and Business Continuity. He is currently the Vice President for Public Safety and Quality of Life for the Times Square Management District, a not-for-profit business improvement company providing services to member constituents with a combined annual economic output of $53 Billion. Ron also heads the Times Square Security Council, a group of security professionals within the constituent district with the emphasis on counter-terrorism, safety, and crime reduction. He also works with KKP, a strategic planning firm, where he lectures and advises on national security, law enforcement, and leadership during crisis management to candidates for public office and sitting members of Congress. He graduated first in his class at Hofstra University, summa cum laude, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Elinor L. Stout, has a background in strategic communications with a focus on health care. Elinor is a former reporter and broadcast producer for WGBH in Boston, where she received prestigious national awards for her work. She worked immediately after 9/11 with the American Islamic Congress, a group of moderate Arab leaders speaking out against terrorism. An advisor on the Nuclear Threat Initiative and Safer World Project, Elinor is featured in their public service announcements. Elinor's son, Tim, was at the World Trade Center.
Kit Transue, who serves as the online security consultant for FOS11, is Principal Engineer with AccuRev, Inc. in Lexington, MA. Kit focuses on creating tools to improve the process by which software is created. Prior to his current position, he was Director of Development at Software Emancipation Technology.
Robin Wiener As an early Board member and officer of FOS11, Robin has been a dedicated advocate for families who were directly affected by 9/11. Robin was involved in the activities of the 9/11 Commission and in pushing for legislation supporting its recommendations. She was a member of the Family Steering Committee which worked to advise the 9/11 Commission about the families’ concerns. Robin is the President of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) in Washington, D.C. A lawyer by training, she has experience in matters relating to the activities of Congress and knowledge of the legal and political workings of the government. Her brother, Jeffrey Wiener was at the World Trade Center.
StaffBack to top

Anastasia Holmes, MPA, Executive Director, has worked in the nonprofit sector for 14 years. As the executive director of Disaster Psychiatry Outreach from 2002-2007, she led that organization's day-to-day operations, including program development, financial management, fund raising, and marketing. Prior to this position, she held fundraising positions at cultural and social service organizations in New York City. In May 2006 she completed her Masters of Public Administration (MPA) at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, majoring in nonprofit management and finance. Before entering the nonprofit sector, she worked as a writer, editor, and communications consultant. She earned a journalism degree from Boston University in 1990.
Brian Richardson, LCSW, Program Consultant, brings more than 36 years experience to FOS11 and works on children and family issues by developing content and resources for the children’s newsletters and the Children of September 11 webpage. He updates the FOS11 website with information about mental health, Ground Zero health, case management and more. Brian previously served on the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island as the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster Coordinator. Prior, he was an Assistant Director of Project Liberty, the FEMA crisis counseling and bereavement program that assisted victims of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks.
MembershipBack to top

Families of September 11 (FOS11) represents the families and children of victims, survivors, and others affected by the events of September 11, 2001. Our membership also includes those who have lost relatives in other acts of terrorism and concerned individuals who are interested in advancing the organization’s goals. Our organization seeks to unite its members with the broader public through common goals: to respond to terrorism, prepare to address its effects, and support efforts that may diminish the possibility of future attacks.
Since our inception, more than 2,400 people have joined our organization (FOS11 has a volunteer, opt-in membership policy), including approximately 1,700 family members and 700 individuals who are concerned with our mission. About half of our members reside in the New York tristate area. Our membership is not only growing in terms of affected populations, but it is also expanding geographically as we attract new members from around the world. Members now reside in 48 states, from California to Maine, and in 23 countries ranging from China to South Africa.
To ensure that the organization is broadly representative, FOS11 membership is open and free. We maintain an active dialogue with our members and reach out to them in a variety of ways — through our website, through mailings, and through personal contact. In addition, FOS11 believes that feedback from our members is critical to our success. To that end, FOS11 surveys our membership from time to time through both formal and informal polls. Members are also invited to provide feedback via our email info box, our bulletin board, our chat program, our developing virtual photo album, and through contributions to our monthly e-newsletter.



Terror Free Tommorow is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit that researches attitudes toward extremism worldwide.

For our Mission Statement, click here. For our latest activities,click here.

ADVISORY BOARD

Lee H. Hamilton Lee Hamilton served as Co-Chair of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States—The 9/11 Commission.

Lee Hamilton is currently the Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, DC. Prior to becoming Director of the Wilson Center, Lee Hamilton served for thirty-four years as a Congressman from Indiana. During his tenure, he was both Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and chaired the Subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East. Lee Hamilton also was Chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran.

John McCain John McCain is the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona.

After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1958, John McCain began his career as a Naval aviator. During the Vietnam War, John McCain’s plane was shot down over North Vietnam, where he spent five and a half years as a POW in Hanoi. In 1982, he was elected to Congress from Arizona, and in 1986 he was elected to the United States Senate. Senator McCain is currently the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He also serves on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and formerly served as Chairman.

William H. Frist Bill Frist served as the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate.

After becoming the first practicing physician elected to the Senate since 1928, Senator Frist led the Senate for three terms on issues of global health care and national security, including international terrorism. In addition to now serving on the Advisory Board of Terror Free Tomorrow, Bill Frist co-chairs Bono's ONE Campaign presidential initiative: ONE Vote '08. He also serves on the Boards of the Hope through Healing Hands Foundation, Africare and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Bill Frist is leading a drive by Save the Children to make the preventable deaths of millions of children in the developing world a priority for all Americans.

Charles S. Robb Chuck Robb served a United States Senator from Virginia from 1989 to 2001.

While in the Senate he became the only member ever to serve simultaneously on all three national security committees (Intelligence, Armed Services, and Foreign Relations). Before becoming a member of Congress he was Lt. Governor of Virginia from 1978 to 1982, and Governor from 1982 to 1986, when he also chaired the Democratic Governors' Association.

Thomas H. Kean Tom Kean also served as Co-Chair of the 9/11 Commission.

Tom Kean is the former governor of New Jersey and president of Drew University. Governor Kean served for ten years in the New Jersey Assembly, rising to the positions of majority leader, minority leader and speaker before being elected governor.

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

Kenneth Ballen Ken Ballen has spent more than 20 years on the frontlines in law enforcement, international relations, intelligence oversight and congressional investigations. As a federal prosecutor, Ken successfully prosecuted international terrorists. Ken also prosecuted major figures in organized crime, international narcotics and one of the first cases in the United States involving illegal financing for Middle Eastern terrorists. Ken served as Counsel to the House Iran-Contra Committee under Chairman Lee Hamilton, where he was a lead investigator responsible for questioning key witnesses during the nationally televised hearings. Among other assignments on Capitol Hill, Ken also served as Chief Counsel to a bi-partisan Senate special investigative committee with Senator John McCain and as Chief Counsel to the House Steering and Policy Committee, where he directed policy initiatives on crime prevention and security, intelligence oversight and select national security matters for the U.S. House of Representatives. Ken received his J.D. with honors in 1980 from Columbia Law School, where he was an Editor of the Columbia Law Review. He is also an honors graduate of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, obtaining a M.A. in International Affairs. He received his B.A.summa cum laude from Tufts University in 1977.

Andi Hutomo Andi Hutomo, an Indonesian citizen, attended Surabaya University in Indonesia, as well as Southeastern University in Washington, DC. Among other assignments in Indonesia, Andi worked for the French Consulate in Surabaya, as well as a reporter for Warta Ubaya. Andi is fluent in Bahasa Indonesia, Javanese and English, and is also an experienced computer programmer.

Shirin Farhadi Shirin Farhadi, an Iranian citizen, attended University of Tehran, continuing her studies in the United States at the University of California, Berkeley. Among other assignments in Iran, Shirin was active in various student organizations, as well as writing for a number of print and web publications. Originally from Isfahan, she is fluent in Farsi and English, and is also skilled in IT and Internet protocols. Shirin Farhadi is an assumed name to protect the safety of her family, who still live in Tehran and Isfahan.



Jeff Wiener lost his life in the World Trade Center. Sitting at a desk in a library, deep in the part of the museum visited only by staff, I read through a fat file of paper donated by the Wiener family. There were official documents, reports from the medical examiner’s office detailing the effort to recover his remains, evidence of a long and careful search for information. And then there were stacks of sympathy cards. You could tell that Jeff was someone special, loved by many. The Wiener family donated his things to the museum to create a legacy for a young man who died without having had children of his own. I like the idea that in a hundred years another curator, researcher, or filmmaker may read those same cards and also try not to cry directly on them.



Smithsonian's SEPTEMBER 11: BEARING WITNESS TO HISTORY

Missing person material
Description: This collection of material documents one family’s search for a missing relative.

Context: The attack on the World Trade Center touched not only the occupants of the buildings but their friends and relatives as well. Jeff Wiener worked for Marsh Risk Technologies and had an office on the 96th floor of the north tower—the point of impact for the first hijacked jet.

At the moment of the attack Jeff's parents were driving north on the New Jersey Turnpike from where they could see the towers. They immediately called their daughter, Robin. She drove from Washington, D.C., to New York to join the family in the search for her brother. The morning of the 12th, Robin, Jeff's wife, parents, and other family members began distributing missing person posters, visiting hospitals, contacting police, and checking with relief organizations. Sadly, they never found Jeff alive.



September 1, 2011, Waste Age, Reclaimed Memories, by Allan Gerlat, 12:00pm

Robin Wiener’s seven-year-old daughter, Jennifer, has been asking more questions about Sept. 11 recently. It’s a particularly delicate subject for the president of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. Robin’s brother and Jennifer’s uncle, Jeff Wiener, was killed in the World Trade Center attack 10 years ago.

“She always knew she was named after someone special,” Wiener says. “The last couple years she’s asked more questions about how he died. We will try to be as careful with her as possible. But she’ll hear things. We’ll answer her questions. We hope it doesn’t scare her.

“One of my own fears for her is that it involved planes, and I travel a lot.”



Jeff was a 33-year-old manager of Marsh & McLennan’s risk technologies group in 2001. He worked on the 96th floor of the North Tower and was in the direct path of the first hijacked plane.

Wiener’s own feelings about Sept. 11 haven’t changed that much over the years. “I still miss my brother every day,” she says. “I’m incredibly sad that it happened. But I’m also grateful. I’ll always remember him and the great support the industry showed – to me personally and to the country by the work that was done.”

The recycling industry’s response to Sept. 11 wasn’t unique to this disaster, Wiener points out, as it was subsequently a big player both in terms of recovery efforts and financial contributions following disasters such as Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast and this year’s earthquake off Japan. “The industry is very committed to being a good citizen,” she says. “That makes me very proud.”



Wiener’s family continues to be involved in the children’s library they set up at Jeff’s synagogue, and they facilitate an annual student achievement award for community involvement. Daughter Jennifer, who never got to meet her uncle, is now participating in that event. She gets to talk with the other award winners – children too young to remember Sept. 11. “That’s one of the ways we decided to introduce him to her in a more positive way,” Wiener said of the award.

Wiener’s second daughter, Alex, is now two and a half years old. Wiener says they plan the same gentle education about Sept. 11 and its significance to the family as she grows. “We don’t want to forget her,” she says in light of the current focus on Jennifer’s growing awareness.

After a little more reflection, Wiener reiterates a thought she first expressed five years ago. Though the events of Sept. 11 are hard to forget, she says, “it’s what we do with what happened that matters.”



John Aravosis Spills the Beans


John Aravosis, Image #415, "I ran into these cops from Las Vegas in Times Square at midnight. They were visiting NYC in early December 2001 to attend memorials for their brothers killed on September 11." http://old.911digitalarchive.org/images/details/415
They were shipping in shills to staff the funeral rackets. These happy campers wouldn't know a vicsim from a blow up doll. Don't take any wooden nickels rubes!

Rare View of Liberty Street Before the South Tower Fell

(My definition of rare: something I've never seen before.)

First off, why is the parking lot only one-third full? Was that standard for the start of a normal working day there?

Secondly, note the nature of the debris and the lack of it. This is, approximately, (according to the various stories,) where fireman Danny Suhr was struck by someone who fell from the South Tower.

Now notice the near absence of people. The headquarters for the 10 & 10 firehouse is one block away to the right. There doesn't appear to be any response taking place on this front. The man seen running along the sidewalk is over 150 feet away from the tower. The man walking away from the action is about 250 feet from the tower.

Let's hope some more images get released soon from data central.

On edit: Hopes fulfilled! I just found a new (to me) resource, at www.swulinski.com, with lots of fresh tidbits of info. (H)e says, this view shows the south (Liberty Street) pedestrian bridge after the first building fell, so it is either facing south on West Street from above the corner with Vesey, or he's mistaken/lying. I wonder if this isn't the sign for the parking lot seen above, but that would mean it's facing east, not west, unless the image was flipped. Doesn't that strong black horizontal member look like the overhang from the Deutsch Building we see above? The white car also seems like the same.

Aren't I clever?

Dr. James Donovan, Katherine Cintron, and an Inspiring Jennifer Simon,

This one needs a subtitle. How about Nest of Vipers in Chappaqua Exposed!

My attention had been drawn to this image from the old.911digitalarchive.org

I felt there was a certain disconnect between the parts on display here. Why, for instance, was this picture of men dressed in civilian clothes captioned in a style of the utmost dramatic union solidarity?
"The firefighters working on top of the twisted steel would yell for cutting tools, we would pass them up the same line we were taking debris down from. Watching the firefighters work without fear of injury, trying to save their fallen brothers is something that I will never forget. I could feel their desperation. Yelling hot, heavy, as we passed the debris down from the top, mangled pieces of steel, buckets of dust then we would hear a yell QUITE! No one moved, then the call, it’s a stand down, everyone off the rubble." Cite as: James Donovan, Image #1750, The September 11 Digital Archive, 12 November 2002, .
These guys are displaying too much personality in my book, and I'm not talking about the over-the-top rhetoric. I thought there were whiffs of coded reference here, with their oblivious disregard for a proper bucket-brigade meme protocol, it seemed like a counterpoise. I wondered if this wasn't a discrete formal portrait of some kind, like Michelangelo painting himself into "The Last Judgment" on the wall of the Sistine Chapel, as Saint Bartholomew holding the knife of his martyrdom, representing himself as the face on the flayed skin? Were these big guys on the down-low and did I know what I didn't know??

So I Googled the only name I had, "James Donovan" plus 9 11 +World Trade Center, and what came up was a Fall 2001 newsletter for the Chappaqua School District, where, taking over that fall, was the new Superintendent, an un-illustrated Dr. James Donovan.

Not surprisingly, the majority of the news in the quarterly was related to the 9/11 attacks. But there were some very particular tidbits, like this, for instance:
"Moved by the magnitude of the disaster, Greeley students too, pitched in to do what they could to raise funds to help victims and relatives of those who died. Inspired by Jennifer Simon, a new biology teacher at Greeley, who lost both her father and brother at the World Trade Center, Greeley students made ribbons and sold them in the cafeteria. “I want to thank everyone at Greeley for their kindness and support which is helping me get through each day,” said Simon, who has returned to work and to her students."
A stranger to the community starts working in a school district only days before she experiences a devastating double tragedy on September 11th, but then she is back in the classroom in time for the Fall 2001 News & Views report? Hmmm.

But it gets even stranger:
"On Nov. 5, the school held a special assembly where students handed over the check to Katherine Cintron, director of philanthropy for the American Red Cross in Westchester County who thanked the students. “You students are terrific,” said Cintron. “Do you know what you have done?”
No. I mean, really. What are the chances that Katherine Cintron would turn out to be related to Edna---her mother perhaps? Somebody call Rosalee Grable!

A brief piece from the Westchester County Business Journal, dated March 21, 2005, provides an updated CV:
"Katherine Cintron of Danbury, Conn., was appointed executive director at Westchester County Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, White Plains. Since 2001, Cintron was director of philanthropy at the American Red Cross in Westchester County, White Plains. Prior to that, Cintron was director of development at Search for Change, White Plains. Prior to that, she was an account executive for 13 years at GFI, Manhattan. Cintron holds an associate's degree in marketing from Westchester Community College and an associate's degree in fashion merchandising and marketing from Tobe Coburn. E Photo Monday"
Search For Change. Girls With Wings. Stories That Matter. More hmmm.

Katherine's Google is highly suspect, with only a handful of references establishing her in her recent career in not-for-profit development in Westchester County. Her 2001 career change represents a significant elevation I should think. The fact that she, James Donovan and Jennifer Simon were all recently placed in brand new jobs in the fall of 2001, is highly significant.

I can find no mention of a connection between Katherine and Edna Cintron, but that doesn't mean that one wasn't the intent in creating a "Cintron" persona.

I find the Westchester County area to be an extremely spooky place for these sorts of things, with lots of working-class retirees north of there, like police, and fire-department members, ready, willing and able to do the bidding of an elite ruling over-class. This would stand as their last bastion if push ever came to shove in the religious and economic "culture wars." The education and charitable networks at play here also provide the infrastructure that can easily move chess pieces around on a board, let alone indoctrinate.

There was a chilling passage in the school newsletter
"At Greeley High School, a school-wide Forum discussion was held on Oct. 25th to help students learn more about the history and politics of Afghanistan and the region where our new war is taking place. Principal Kathy Mason said she was pleased with how interested the students are in learning more about what led to the terrorist attacks. At the Forum, the entire school population of 1,100 students assembled in the gym to hear a panel discussion led by four of Greeley’s social studies teachers: Steven Houser spoke on the history of terrorism; Mark Jagels, on Islam; Mary Devane talked about Kashmir (disputed region between India and Pakistan) and Stephen Walker discussed the present challenges facing our country since Sept. 11th.

"After the teachers spoke, students broke into smaller discussion groups led by student Forum leaders who raised questions that explored how our country can keep its freedoms in a society threaten by terrorism. “How long should we be able to detain suspects we think may have terrorist ties, but who have yet to commit a crime?” “Many students are waking up and appreciating our freedoms,” said junior Forum Leader Matt Goldshore. “Students want to learn as much as they can about America’s new war in Afghanistan,” said Greeley history teacher Stephen Walker, a former U.S. diplomat who uses what is going on in today’s headlines to teach students in his American History class and foreign policy elective classes.

“History is more relevant to them than ever before.”
They were already articulating the concept of preventative detention in the days and weeks after 9/11. And I thought it had started with Jane Harman. This is, to me, just more evidence of foreknowledge.

I will do further searches on James Donovan and Jennifer Simon, but frankly, I think this piece already stands on its own. The scales have fallen from our eyes, and we can see the full panorama before us. Amongst us are culprits, about which, the good must soon take action.

And let us duly note, that nowhere else in the news of the Chappaqua School District, beyond Jennifer Simon, are any victims of 9/11 mentioned. Affluent networks of families with school-aged children are the most likely locus to feel the tragedy acutely, and are likely to extend throughout Westchester County, but here, only one person is doing double duty.

Oh, by the way, Michelangelo's "The Last Judgment" also contains a little known depiction called the "punishment of sodomy." It's so little known, that only a black and white drawing of it can be found online:
But that speaks volumes, on so many levels---about Catholics and control, and pleasure and pain, and about the conflicts at stake, and our hopes for the future. So you see, it's not just about the Jews.

Organizing the Work Product on 14th Street: Mourn-sims or Grief-sims?

My God. Not only did they invent the victims, they invented the mourners too! Can we as the ultimate observers be real then?

The following three images are said to be of victim memorials, assembled with missing persons posters, at different locations on 14th Street in New York City, following the attacks of September 11th 2001. They are attributed to three different photographers: B G Karney [on 14th Street], James Sullivan [on 14th Street and Avenue C], and Olga Maryschuk [at SW corner of 14th St. and Avenue A] and are all found online in the 911digitalarchive.org galleries.

For quite a while now, I've taken Mr. James Sullivan at his word when he says he photographed the mural "on Avenue C and 14th Street." Since the two other images are very similar, but in some respects, are mutually exclusive, I arrived at the erroneous conclusion they all represented internal fabrications, where the various image elements were being manipulated using computer morphing technology. Such a default analysis is all the rage in certain nihilistic, 9/11 research circles.

For instance, in one image, the peaked gold roof of a skyscraper sits before the two trade center towers, but in another image, the same gold-roofed building sits beside only one trade tower, with the other details obscured or shaded out. This putative scene is next to a doorway on the right, rather than a further mural scene as the alternate image has it, which makes the semi-permanent street architecture they share inexplicably at odds.

In another point of comparison, a red heart with white lettering is seen painted high up in two of the images---but in one, it's to the right of a doorway; in the other, it's located to the right of a black-painted air ventilator. Such irreconcilability was like a bottomless pit of trickery, to the point, I even began to imagine girls dressed in Catholic-school uniforms were standing in ways impossible for mammalians, given the field of depth.

My conclusion was these various digital elements contained visual vocabulary pieces that were being morphed in an illusory ruse. The only counterargument I had---perhaps---was whoever had created the depicted work, might have made also made a copy, using similar iconographic elements of gold-roofed towers and red hearts, but assembled it in different ways, in at least two locations along 14th Street---but then that begged the next question, why?

"Memorial on 14th street in Lower Manhattan. This memorial was in honor of family and friends lost in the attacks on 9/11." Cite as: B G Karney, Image #2047, The September 11 Digital Archive, 9 August 2003, above.

"I took this picture on 9/18 after having revisited Ground Zero. It is a mural on Avenue C and 14th Street in Manhattan. I was particularly struck by the eerie irony of the traffic sign." Cite as: James Sullivan, Image #214, The September 11 Digital Archive, 12 April 2002, above.

"Sept. 17, 2001. Schoolgirls on the SW corner of 14th St. and Avenue A, NYC.
"Did you know anyone there?" "No, but my mom knew a lady cop." Cite as: Olga Maryschuk, Image #199, The September 11 Digital Archive, 3 April 2002, above.
Finally, however, I spotted a telling detail in one image, which reorganized my awareness and put to rest this line of questioning. First, Mr. James Sullivan has made a simple mistake in saying he took the image at a location on Avenue C. Whether he deliberately was mistaken, in order to confuse questioners like myself, only leads to the dangerous shoals of an irrational debate. Mr. Sullivan will be unable to mislead me again.

Given the paranoia that new technologies are engendering as they are misused to affect our perception functions, I got caught up in this new game of guessing real motives and tactics, while living in a world made up of fakery elements. I understand how high the stakes are, when one side is continually operating in what amount to the "crime of the millennium," which isn't an exaggeration to say, given September 11th, and the illegal and immoral wars which stem from it.

My insights into the image record only came about after I'd searched and found some higher resolution versions of the images to work with. We 9/11 truth and justice questlings are all accustomed to the substandard fare fed us, the attributes which we accept without fear. But don't forget to ask for better service and we just might get it. I remain humbled and dependent on the source who can provide me with more of such high-resolution goodies. I definitely know it is a power greater than myself at work!

Click on the Karney image above---you should be able to see, as I did, in the oblique view of the red heart, the clear white lettering, which spells out the inverted words "Crying Hearts." For a bonus point, note the inverted numbers on the edge of the adjacent window awning, which are "0905." This is not the phone numbers for the dry cleaning business there. But rather, they are the last four digits of the phone number for the pizza joint that neighbors the mural site on the other side. This means the Sullivan image is just a flipped, mirror image of the other two scenes, with the numbers and letters reading backwards, in the style of L. DiVinci. Some plot thickening perhaps?

I found the location these images represent, over at Google Maps. The address is 224 Avenue A, and both the businesses to either side of the one-story brick structure are the same in Google Maps, as they were when the photographs were taken in 2001.

A scholarly article written by Barbara Kirshenblatt- Gimblett, Kodak Moments, Flashbulb Memories: Reflections on 9/11, gives us specific information about how this mural site came about.
"Memorial wall by graffiti artist Chico, on Avenue A at 14th Street, lower Manhattan. Chico, a celebrated graffiti artist who lives on the Lower East Side, immediately painted this memorial wall to honor the victims of the attack. Neighbors spontaneously brought candles, flowers, pictures, toys, and religious icons to the wall and gathered there to pay their respects to the dead."
Looking at the Google Map street view, I see only a tiny bit of the mural is surviving. That is Chico's signature tag up in the top corner, apparently too high up at the roof line to destroy properly.

I found Kirshenblatt- Gimblett's analysis of the mural's genesis stilted and odd. I no longer believe, as she does, that these sorts of displays, which followed in the aftermath of 9/11, are the result of some "spontaneous memorialization," which is what we are told. By definition, this means they weren't planned by a committee, or orchestrated by anyone, or commissioned by any government force.

But I think the evidence points to the exact opposite as being the truth. Rather than the dissimilar organic acts of unorganized individuals, the missing persons narrative follows a senseless script, where the so-called family members are really only actors playing the roles of distraught survivors for the required public relations benefit. In this analysis, anybody who figures in the narrative at all, is really a partner to the crime.

Getting back to the question of authenticity, I recall, that years ago, a street art memorial like this one, would cost somewhere between five and ten thousand dollars to commission. Why should a successful artist voluntarily go to such trouble for the sake of sentimentality? We don't expect tax attorneys to volunteer their professional services to the public as a way to assuage their grief, why would a talented "ethnic" artist act any differently? Did he have a demonstrable stake in the events of 9/11, that nobody mentioned, or was his "family and friends," gesture, just a generic artistic license?

If Chico did volunteer his "celebrated" services, would it then have been kosher to have other people---non-artists, by the way---overwrite his work by posting fliers, poems, and other assorted ephemera and detritus onto his freshly painted mural surface---treating it as an equivalent to the blank walls and fences, which elsewhere became memorials? That attitude appears on display, where the fruit of someone's talent and generosity was viewed as merely the jumping-off place for more of the same sub-standard craft project applications, which were incorporated in memorials all over the city. Meant as a humanizing element, I think it actually is evidence of the poor judgment, and lack of talent, which underlies the entire government-orchestrated 9/11 narrative.

I recall these Puerto-Rican cultural artifacts from my old neighborhood---the graffiti-wall memorials, with their bodega candles burning mystically before them, which sprang up after the tragic, or premature death of someone seen as deserving memorialization. They were beautiful and moving sights, stylistically complete in their own rights---with the representational art holding iconographic significance for the departed. They also tended to remain basically unmarred for a long time afterwords---evidence of the respect, which was the intent of such memorializing.

Certainly, no one would think to disfigure such a shrine by adding on their own tacky five-and-dime crafting projects, of the sort we saw at every pop-up venue around town. To a degree in New York, but more painfully so in Arlington and Shanksville, these banal memorizations were empty examples of maudlin sensibilities. Seen in the second-hand images that record them, they are always in the poorest of taste, without any genuine sentiment. It's hard to fake a monument---you only have to look at the Pentagon memorial in Arlington to see the unavoidable result of falsity.

So, to me, it doesn't appear like any real Puerto Ricans were art directing this "offering," which has the distinction of looking both too expensive, and too cheap, at the same time.



Moreover, I find lots of internal evidence that points to some real funny business underway here, but not until I saw the rare image below, which was the first to provide a legitimate overview and context to understand the specifics of the site. This view is probably what was originally conceived by the artist "Chico."

That the art work began by being segmented into two unequal halves, which never were complimentary to each other, was a bad choice to start, and there must be some screwy covert rational behind it. A desire seems apparent to give the illusion this low structure consists of more than just one single separately owned and maintained property.

However, if you move around the corner onto 14th Street, (via Google Maps street view,) you see that the building occupied by Dion French Cleaners & Tailors is an exceedingly narrow one. Since a sign up front says, "all work is done on the premises," any legitimately run business would need to occupy the whole building---all the way back to the pizzeria---back where we find the standard large ventilation fan that these sorts of establishments require.

I have no doubt that this "concept" carries meaning, the particulars of which can safely escape me for now. This is even more clear after seeing how the building has been updated, and the mural destroyed (via Google street views.) The primary part of the mural was covered over by an advertising billboard surface, which is commercially rentable. The mural probably exists in good condition under this covering, since Chico's name, and some of his mural colors, can still be seen peeking out from above the addition.
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So why was the rest of the building treated so differently? This is the section which Chico had painted with memorial signage, in the style of a good James Rosenquist. Like the dominant heading---a large God Bless America, which hinted at the potential for a church within, along with the Crying Hearts below it, this half has been inexplicably destroyed with an application of crude white-wash, over which, the area was then allowed to attract the attention of some real graffiti artists, but ones able to limit their tagging to marking just this one section.

There is an exterior door to this section. Although it is equipped with a modern security gate, matching the ones on the building's front windows, this is observed in only one image out of the series. The rest of the time we see a busted up folding gate substituting for the secure one, in what would appear to be aiming for a deliberately substandardized ghetto look.

But an amazing visual aspect is now presenting itself. Found in the recently surfaced image of a wide-angle street view of the entire mural site, it was hitherto a completely unknown element in the original mural decor. It consists of three absolutely massive painterly numerals, of the now-common identifier, 911. But for some unknown reason, perhaps as a perverse act of artistic pentimento, the numbers were deliberately obscured from public view. The 911, done in a flat white paint and oriented on a bias, occupies what is otherwise an unadorned corner of the work. But in what can only be viewed as a deliberate and hostile act of covering up, various fliers and sundry materials have been carefully applied to hide any indication that a numerological component was ever here.

This stunning, over-scale graphic wasn't apparent to my eye in any of the images before, until I deliberately went looking for it and spotted its vestigial remains above. You can see the strong diagonal of the middle digit one, underlying the image. Why such an effort was made to obscure any notice of this date number is very curious indeed. So successfully has it been covered up under a mish-mash collection of missing person's fliers and other assorted jibbies that the very fact of its faux pas existence could once be denied

Left unexplained in all of this is the question of what prompted this kind of behavior.

In the sudden absence of this 911 component number, what exists on the mural as marking the date is a puny dangling, Sept. 11, 2001, which seems cast in a ridiculously under-scaled font, the faint voice like a verbal stepchild within the memorial message. How else do you pay honor to the memory of family and friends whose lives were supposedly savagely ended in an evil tragedy, if you shortchange the historic acknowledgment of the date they departed on?

I can see this was by some design intent, but I can't fathom a motive for why yet. Were the numerals proposed to be spoken in code: Nine, One, One---instead of the Rudi-licious lingual Nine-Eleven? But such a strange behavior as this only adds to my underwhelming sensation that all of the efforts made on behalf of the supposedly missing and the dead, are just faked props, inescapably fraudulent exercises in the absurd.

That an existing form of expressing urban grief could be so mocked and sullied by an overarching program of lesser value, is proof that committees, and not individuals, were at work here.