Congress meets in New York. Congress Commemorates 9/11 in New York: "More than 250 lawmakers descended on Manhattan Friday for a special joint session of Congress that is meant to be a show of solidarity with New Yorkers.

Lawmakers said the trip was a necessary statement from Washington.

"I think it sends a message to the country and the world that we're unified in the fight against terrorism," said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., said, "We're basically going to extend our condolences. This is still a year of mourning."

...Presided over by Vice President Dick Cheney in his constitutional role as President of the Senate, the congressional leaders have adopted an agenda that will include a one-hour joint session in Federal Hall -- just a block from Ground Zero -- featuring speeches by House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott and several others. Members will also pass a formal joint resolution supporting New York City and America."

'September 11th changed the world. But not enough.' Remember: "IT IS a terrible memory. A memory of four plane-loads of people, setting off on a beautiful morning but then hijacked to their deaths. A memory of thousands of innocent, unsuspecting civilians, of many nationalities, slaughtered when three planes hit the twin towers of the World Trade Centre and one side of the Pentagon; and of many more, lucky to survive but living ever since with the nightmare of that day, one year ago. It is a memory, also, of how the world looked a moment before 8.48am on September 11th 2001, and of how, by the end of that day, the world was different.


A year later, much more has changed, and mostly for the better. An America that Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda terrorists wanted to frighten, proving that the world's greatest power was actually weak, vulnerable and cowardly, has shown a remarkable resolve. Its patient but determined use of military power in Afghanistan, and threat of it in Iraq, has created more fears of its strength than contempt for its weakness. Afghanistan was liberated from the Taliban, al-Qaeda's bases and forces there were destroyed or scattered, and that war-torn country managed to choose its own provisional government. An astonishingly broad alliance backed America in that war, and the two old superpower foes—Russia and China—were respectively supportive and acquiescent."

American Idol winner pick. So the finale of American Idol is long and drawn out, as expected. It was nice to see the ten singers reunited and singing and dancing again. And how about Simon clapping along and actually enjoying himself. Justin and Kelly were both in my top three choices, but I'm going to have to call Kelly as the winner. She has that powerful Aretha Franklin-depth and she's always on top of her song choices. Not to mention she's really attractive. So there you have it - Kelly.

And no, I'm not addicted to reality shows, really. I just like Paula Abdul and people who can actually sing - some of which made it onto American Idol. Oh, and I still think many of the aspects of the show are flawed - the flagrant commercial placement for one - and should be renamed "American Idle," but I still can't help watching...

Baseball's 9/11 Plans. Baseball Games to Pause on Sept. 11: 'All major league night games on Sept. 11 will pause at 9:11 p.m. local time for a moment of silence in remembrance of last year's terrorist attacks.

Following the moment of silence, a videotape will be shown in memory of those who died. During afternoon games on Sept. 11, the moment of silence will be held during the seventh-inning stretch, and the video will follow.

"All of us in baseball were devastated by the horrific attack on our country last September 11, and it is with a great deal of sadness and grief that we will mark the first anniversary,'' commissioner Bud Selig said Wednesday. ``We take this opportunity to honor the memories of those lost and to pay tribute to the firefighters, police officers, rescue workers and all those who sacrificed their lives trying to save others.'''

China bans Google. China Blocks Google Search Engine: "As China's government prepares for its annual Communist Party meeting in November and clamps down on various media sources, the country has been left without major Internet access: popular search engine Google.

Attempts to look at the site through Chinese Internet services Tuesday were rejected with a notice saying it couldn't be found. Users and technical consultants who monitor the Chinese Internet said the site has been blocked for several days.

"We were notified by our users that access to Google in China had been blocked. We are working with Chinese authorities to resolve the issue,'' said Google spokeswoman Cindy McCaffrey."

Napster Liquidation. Napster Says It Is Likely to Be Liquidated: "The chief executive of Napster said today that the company was headed for liquidation and later resigned and laid off his staff. The move appears to be the final chapter in the story of an Internet business that allowed millions of people to exchange music free online but was undone by lawsuits by the recording industry.

The chief, Konrad Hilbers, made his comments after a bankruptcy judge ruled that Napster not be allowed to sell its assets to Bertelsmann, the German media giant. Napster, which had previously filed for bankruptcy protection, was looking to Bertelsmann as the probable, if not sole, candidate to revive it and restart it as a pay service that would reimburse recording companies when their songs were exchanged."

Homer Simpson is running Japan's nuclear plant. D'oh! Japan's Nuclear Safety Is Simpsonesque: "Japan's nuclear safety record resembles that of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, where Homer is the head of safety. He once went on an eating binge to qualify for disability and work from home, was sent to college after causing a meltdown in a simulator, and was the only worker fired when Montgomery Burns sold to German owners.

Japan's 126 million people now have reason to wonder if Homer's dedication to slackness -- and Mr. Burns' famed penny-pinching -- are shared by nuclear industry workers and owners here. It's no laughing matter."

Is Bin Laden alive and back in charge of al Qaeda? Editor: Bin Laden alive and in command: "The editor of a London-based Arabic language daily newspaper Sunday repeated his claim that Osama bin Laden is alive and added that he is now back in charge of the al Qaeda terrorist network.

Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of Al-Quds, told ABC's "This Week" he has not seen bin Laden and has no physical evidence the al Qaeda leader is alive. But "sources told me that he's alive" and that "he is in command," Atwan said."

Will the country ever eb back to normal after 9/11? 9/11 poll: Majority say U.S. not back to normal: "With the one-year anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks approaching, a new poll indicates many Americans feel no lingering effects in their personal lives but they believe the country is not back to normal and may never return.

Thirty-one percent of those surveyed in the CNN/TIME magazine poll said the events of September 11 didn't affect them at all, while 11 percent said their lives were completely back to normal and 37 percent said their lives were somewhat back to normal. Twenty percent said their lives were not at all back to normal.

By contrast, 52 percent of respondents said things were not at all back to normal in the country as a whole and 4 percent said the country was completely back to normal. Forty-four percent found things somewhat back to normal, the poll said."

A WTC memorial for so many different people is hard to decide on. Many Minds, Each Envisioning a Different 9/11 Memorial: "No one could expect the memorialization of the murder of more than 3,000 people to proceed without controversy. No significant memorial has avoided it, and the famous tendency of New Yorkers to do nothing without a fight makes it unlikely here.

But in planning for a memorial in New York City to the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks at the World Trade Center and elsewhere, a struggle for control of the process has laid bare a tangle of unending grief, cultural chasms, distrust of government and pure and simple rage among a host of disparate groups. Residents of Lower Manhattan, business owners, architects, commuters, historians and relatives of the dead are vociferously making their views known."