16
September 2001
14 September – 0:06 – Apparently there have been arrests at JFK
airport. There is a “ground stop” in effect, meaning that no planes are allowed
to take off, and planes going to those airports are not allowed to take off
from their originating airports. They didn’t say anything about the flights
that are already in the air enroute to those airports. I assume they’re in a
holding pattern or will be allowed to land.
I’ve been
trying to go to bed for an hour now, but things keep developing, so I cant.
0h18 – The
Capitol Building has been “cleared” and is being reoccupied.
This is one
of those times I’m frustrated with my small town. All I have access to are CNN,
Sky News and BBC World. I don’t have access to the internet or print media! There
is so much more going on out there that I have no way of knowing about!
0h29 – Three
people have been detained at JFK airport, but CNN hasn’t said why yet.
0h39 – I’ve
found the CBS Evening News. Sky News is broadcasting it at 0h30 Poland time,
which is 18h30 NYC time, the normal time that it is on in the East Coast of the
USA.
Another
flight restriction put into affect at this time is that international flights
can only arrive in USA airports if they’re on domestic airlines, unless they
were flights that were diverted to Canada on Tuesday. If that’s still in effect
next year, I may have a problem since I use Swissair.
0h42 –
Supposedly the “FBI activity” at JFK was due to immigration problems, not based
on what happened on Tuesday. Or at least that’s what they want the world to
think.
1h04 – The
poor reporter (Elizabeth Cohen) who is at the Armoury doing the stories about
the missing people…she ends up crying after each person tells the story about
their loved one.
CNN has a
poll going on their website asking how people feel about the situation on
Tuesday, with the choices being shock, sorrow or anger. They’ve had 524,000
responses so far and here are the percentages:
Shock 26%
Sorrow 26%
Anger 48%
1h14 – Hilary
is being interview by CNN now. She’s doing a great job, but then she always has
with the media.
1h24 - The
ban on flying over central London is due to be lifted on Saturday
1h26 –
National Airport in DC will be closed “for the foreseeable future” due to it’s
close proximity to the Pentagon, White House, etc. People in the DC area will
have to use either Dulles or Baltimore.
1h27 – All
sharp objects are banned on flights, even razors. They were showing men at
Dulles opening up their shaving kits and throwing out their razors. I came back
with a full pack of 10 disposable razors. Once again, good thing I came back
earlier.
1h30 – Okay,
I’m really gonna try to go to sleep.
7h15 – It’s
cold and cloudy. It rained most of the night.
Here’s what I
woke up to…It appears that another attempt at a hijacking could have been
thwarted… According to Sky News, the people detained at JFK earlier (it turned
out there were 5 of them) were of Arab appearance and were asked to produce
identification. It was found out that the identification was false and one had
a fake pilots license. At the same time, an Arab man dressed in an airport
employee uniform was found walking in restricted area at LaGuardia. At almost
the same time, a few Arab men were asked to produce identification on a Saudi
Arabian flight at Newark and it turns out that they shouldn’t have been in the
USA at all. All of the NYC airports are still on “ground stop.” Four of the
people arrested were seen at one of the airports on Tuesday, but fled when
challenged at the ticket counter. It appears not to be over.
7h20 –
Microsoft is considering removing the Word Trade Center from its upcoming
flight simulator game. I think they should.
7h36 – There
have been arrests in Germany & Italy and a hotel has been raided in The
Philippines, all in relation to the attacks on NYC and DC.
7h41 – A CNN
reporter on the rescue scene said, “It’s hard to believe that the towers are
really gone.” I’m glad that I’m not the only one who feels that way.
8h36 – Bill
Clinton was also at the Armoury yesterday talking to people and hugging them.
He had been in Australia and when he heard out about what had happened, he came
back to the USA immediately. He also encouraged people to support W, regardless
of party affiliation.
8h42 – Sky
News has reported that Qantas, the Australian national air carrier, is going to
put Air Marshals on all flights into the USA.
8h45 – Sky
News has reported that 10 policemen (5 NYC officers and 5 Port Authority
officers) might have been found alive in the rubble, but it’s not confirmed
yet.
Beginning at
midday, Europe will observe three minutes of silence in respect for the people
who lost their lives in the tragedy. I’ll participate in that.
9h16 –
According to MSBNC, United Airlines will resume some flights today, including
flights from London Heathrow. British Air has resumed flights to Canada.
13h01 – I’ve
just returned home. It appears that both black boxes for the plane that hit the
Pentagon have been found. It’ll be interesting to hear what is on them,
although I’m not really sure that I want to.
14h21 – I’m
trying not to watch too much of the news today. It’s been an absolute obsession
with me since Tuesday and I’m sure that’s not good.
I used the
internet today. I received an email from a friend in NYC that I had planned on
emailing today. She said that she was fine, which I was glad to hear.
15h32 – We’ve
had a few peeks at the sun today. It was out briefly around 11h30 and is out
right now. I’ve hung some of the laundry I did last night in the window for the
sum to dry it quicker.
15h58 –
Giuliani is on again – He asked reporters to be more patient and responsible in
reporting unverified information. They’re going to try to open as much of Wall
Street as possible on Monday. The Staten Island Ferry will start running again
on Monday. He also warned NYers that there is a telemarketing firm that is
calling NYers and asking them for donations to help the families of victims. As
far as they know, that is a scam. All of the NYC airports will remain closed
until further notice due to security concerns.
16h04 – The
sun has gone away again.
17h – CNN has
changed the title of all that is going on in the USA from “American Under
Attack” to “America’s New War.”
17h36 – It’s
raining now.
18h – I’m
watching the Prayer Service at the National Cathedral in DC (I didn’t even know
there was a national cathedral). W & Laura are there, Bill Clinton, Hilary
& Chelsea are there, and Bush Sr & Barbara are there. Rev. CNN has a
split screen and it appears that something similar is going on in Ottawa
(Canada).
23h09 – I’m
awake! I went to bed at 18h30 because was very tired. I think not getting much
sleep for the past few days is finally catching up to me. They’ve turned the
heat on in my building. The radiator in the living room is nice and warm. I
probably wont be up for long.
23h35 – CNN
is reporting that Chelsea Clinton was only 12 blocks away from the WTC when it
collapsed. She wasn’t injured. I know this sounds gruesome, but I wonder how
things would have changed on the rescue effort if she was.
Also, CNN has
reported that Wal-Mart sold 314,000 flags on Tuesday and Wednesday. I wish I
had one, but I didn’t see a need to bring one with me. All of this that
happened the past few days wasn’t supposed to happen.
The NYC
airports were reopened earlier today.
23h37 – I was
just looking at some photos I took of NYC when I was there last August. I
should do that as I almost started to cry when I saw the WTC buildings. It’s
still unreal to me that they’re gone. I guess it won’t be real until I’m out on
the Staten Island Ferry next summer and look back at the city and don’t see the
WTC buildings.
All of the
problems and hassles of life seems so much more insignificant now.
15
September – 0h24 –
There’s a movie called “Payback” on. Perhaps I’ll try to stay up and see it.
0h43 – Well,
it seemed like a good movie, but the cable went out. Back to bed after this cup
of tea is finished.
0h56 – The
cable is back on.
1h17 – It’s
still raining.
1h24 – There
are candlelight vigils going on in NYC & Boston. There have been many going
on in the USA. I wish I could be there to participate. Yes, I’m back to
watching the news.
1h31 – Okay,
that’s it… BBC just said that they have pictures of the inside of the Pentagon.
That’s not something I want to see, so I’m going back to bed.
2h12 – I’m up
again. I couldn’t sleep.
2h39 – The
Continental Airlines terminal at the Newark Airport has been evacuated.
Boston’s
Logan Airport will reopen at 5am EDT USA on 15 September. Passengers are being
told to arrive 4 hours before their flight leaves!
2h55 – CNN is
reporting that Air Force fighter jets tried to intercept the second plane that
crashed into the WTC, but didn’t arrive in time.
3h – Larry
King Live is on. Among his guests were NY Gov. Pataki, NYPD Office Victor
Laguer (who was on the scene of the WTC 1 minute after the first plane struck
it. His partner is still missing), Michael Hingson (a blind man who was working
on the 78th floor of the WTC and was guided out of the building by
his guide dog and a co-worker) & Ted Olson (the USA Solicitor General (what
ever that may be) who’s wife was on American Airlines flight 77 – the one that
hit the Pentagon).
3h59 – I
should go back to bed, but am not tired. While watching Larry King, I typed
three letters to be emailed when I use the internet next (probably Monday).
4h – The
Department of Justice is saying that there are still terrorists in the USA and
there may be more attacks and other types of threats. I’m glad I’m in Poland.
4h30 – Okay,
time to try to sleep again. I’m still not tired, but know that I need to.
9h – I’m
awake. It’s not raining now, but rained most of the night.
USA airspace
has been opened to international carriers that fly directly to the USA from
high security airports (all major British airports are high security). British
Air is operating half of its normal 36 flights to the USA and Virgin Air is
operating a full schedule. Priority is being given to those who have
“compassionate reasons” (funerals to attend, family missing in the disaster,
etc).
10h – The US
Treasury has been authorized to offer War Bonds, the first time since WW II
11h –
Afghanistan is warning that an attack on bin-Laden is an attack on all Muslims.
I doubt if all Muslims feel that way.
11h45 – CNN
has a new segment called “America Remembers,” where they portray some of the
people who were lost in the tragedy. They’re portraying people of all different
walks of life.
13h02-
According to MSNBC, Logan Airport has reopened.
Wednesday,
two men were detained on an Amtrak train in Texas. On Tuesday, they boarded a
plane in Newark that was headed for San Antonio, but got diverted to St. Louis
due to the closure of USA airspace. They had box-cutting knives with them
similar to what was allegedly used by some of the hijackers. They took Amtrak
to Texas and were detained by police in Texas after they got into an argument
on the train. They’re being sent to New York for questioning.
I’m tired.
Not just lack of sleep tired, but emotionally drained. I’m tired of watching
the reports on the news.
13h46 – Death
toll in NYC has been confirmed at 185. 408 other body parts have been found.
The number of missing people is now 4,717. No survivors have been found since
Wednesday.
Afghanistan
has ordered all foreigners out of the country. Too late..they all left two days
ago.
There are now
reports of looting in lower Manhattan.
14h – On 23
September, more than one 1 million people are expected to attend a memorial
service for the firefighters who have lost their lives in all of this.
16h30 – I’m
heading over to Lucja’s house for our usual pre-work meeting.
21h – I’m
back. It was a nice time at Lucja’s house. We discussed the upcoming school
year, had tea & cake, and I was given my books and class lists. Good news,
they’re not combining my G & B Groups. They’re adding students that are
ambitious from a different Intermediate class (thus getting rid of that class)
to my M Group. That’ll work out a lot better. Also, Lucja mentioned possibly
getting internet access. That would be great, even if it was only for work
related information.
22h – At
Logan Airport, the police pulled an Arab looking man off an airplane because he
was acting strange in first class. He was going from empty seat to empty seat.
After questioning him, it was determined that he just wanted a better seat.
There are now
4,972 people missing.
22h15 – I’m
trying to cut down on watching the news as I’ve become completely obsessed with
it. I’ve turned to the movie “Bloodsport,” which I’ve only seen 100 times.
There’s a better movie that comes on at 23h35, so I’ll watch this until then.
22h54 – I
should to go to bed early tonight, but I’m not tired. I think that I’m afraid
I’ll miss something on the news if I go to bed. However, I haven’t looked at
the news since I turned to the movie. Maybe I can do something productive. I’ve
already made a syllabus for the first 7 weeks for Group M. At some point in
time I’m going to have to start sleeping more and better. Once I get back to
work, I’ll probably be too busy to keep up with the news as much. I I’m not
sure whether I’m still in shock or have moved to denial.
23h41 –
Bloodsport is almost over, but I’ve turned to “Merchant of Death.” I’ve never
heard of it before, but it’s from 1997 and is supposed to be an action movie.
23h58 – The
cable has gone out. In my old flat, that only happened once or twice a year.
This is twice the same day. Now what do I do?
16
September – 0h35 –
Well, I’ve listened to a CD and have washed the dishes. Still no cable. I guess
all there is left to do is go to bed. G’night. By the way, the seventeen
minutes of “Merchant of Death” that I saw seemed pretty good. It’s an action
movie.
8h – It’s not
raining, but rained most of the night and looks like it might at any minute.
10h09 – It’s
raining now. I’m still very tired, so I’m going back to bed.
12h33 – BBC’s
programming has returned to normal. They’re still covering what is going on in
the USA, but have adapted their programmes to it.
The rain has
stopped.
Even Saddam
Hussein’s statement (a 12 page letter) is said to have been partially civil.
12h54 – I’m
trying to figure out exactly how I’m going to speak about the tragedy with my
students. Since they know that I’m American, I’m sure that they’ll want to discuss
it and hear my opinion on it. I’m going to turn it into a discussion topic for
my CAE class tomorrow.
13h02 – Even
though no survivors have been found since Thursday, Giuliani has said that it
is still a rescue operation until “all hope is gone.”
14h23 – I’m
my desperation to get away from the news, I am now watching Baywatch (and
planning lessons for tomorrow).
16h35 – I’ve
just started my usual Sunday routine of making chicken soup. Homemade chicken
soup is great.
17h03 – WHY
CANT THERE BE ANY GOOD SHOWS ON TV !!!!!! I don’t want to watch the news
anymore. Even the Travel Channel doesn’t have anything good on.
17h04 –
Giuliani is speaking…transitioning work from the Armoury to a of Family Centre
to 57th street pier in the next two or three days. 180 confirmed
dead, 115 have been identified. Officially missing 5,097. Rudy almost was in
tears as he said this “The hope is still there that we might be able to save
some lives, but the reality is that we haven’t found anyone in the past four
days. He said that he was given this advice ”Feel the pain, allow it to happen,
then focus on the good things in life and participate in the good things.” He
advised NYers that one of the best things that they can do to show how strong
we are is to go about their every day activities so that terrorists don’t think
that they have won. Well, Rudy, even though I’m not a NYer, I go back to work
tomorrow. It’ll be the best thing for me, as it’ll get me away from the news.
17h25 – CNN
has reported that Interpol has issued a “red order” for Osama bin-Laden. I have
no idea what that means, but it can’t be good. I’m sure it’ll be explained
better eventually.
17h32 – Sky
News has reported that many people from in Britain are turning up at the USA
Embassy in London to lay flowers in memory of the people who died. The Duchess
of York was heading back to her office in the WTC when this happened and the
Duke of York was in the air flying to the USA when his plane was turned back in
midair after the US airports closed.
18h – I’m
back to watching the Travel Channel now. There’s a great show on Thailand.
Wonderful beaches, clear water. I love it.
19h – There
were very brief notices on CNN that the four domestic airlines were cutting
back service, and Continental Airlines is laying off 12,000 people.
It turns out
that if there was an airplane heading for DC or NYC, the Air Force was
authorized to shoot it down (thus killing innocent civilians). Also, there were
Air Force fighters already in the air when it appeared flight 93 was hijacked.
There is no evidence that flight 93 was shot down by an Air Force fighter, but
it makes one wonder if it really was or not. It also makes one wonder if the
Air Force would admit that they shot one down. Hmmmm
19h15 –
According to MSNBC, there are Combat Air Force patrols flying over most
American cities at this time. Also, for year now, many officials have wanted to
close National Airport due to its proximity to DC.
19h28 –
According to BBC World, Delta has announced a 20% cutback in flights.
Also,
according to BBC World, 3 Billion people in the world on live less than $2 per
day and 2 Billion people live on less than $1 per day. Considering that I am
still thinking of going to Spain (by plane) for winter break, I feel guilty.
20h – There’s
a movie called “Girl in the Cadillac” on (although the Polish TV guide
translates it to “Red Cadillac”). I’ve never heard of it before, I’ll watch it,
then watch another movie and go to bed. No more news for me tonight (I hope).
20h35 – Soup
is done. I’ve poured a bowl and will have it after it cools.
21h00 – Ahh
yes....a bowl of soup. A great dinner. The soup was fantastic. Campbell’s, ear
your heart out.
21h03 – It’s
raining heavily and is very windy.
21h49 – The
movie “Martial Law II: Undercover“ is on. The first one was on last Sunday.
This on has completely different actors in it.
22h – I feel
a lot more clam now that I haven’t been watching the news, but I also feel like
I might be missing something.
22h30 – I’m
going to bed before I feel the desire to watch the news again.
23h00 – Well
that lasted a long time. I couldn’t sleep, so I’m up again. Also, I know I
shouldn’t be, but I have CNN on now. Sorry, but the movie I was watching was
too stupid to go back to.
It’s been a
long week.
