by Lionel Bascom — February 19th, 2008 — No comments
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had to pay nearly $15 million in late fees for not completing excavations for two building sites on time.
The New York Times reports the sites for two office towers have now been turned over to the developer, Silverstein Properties. The initial site prep was finished on a 3-acre, 80-foot deep pit and it took just 48 days longer than promised and the PA had to pay penalties of $300,000 a day.
A spokesman for the authority says the agency had planned to finish on Dec. 31, but there was just a six weeks delay in a five-year process that involved an enormously difficult building site and process.
The excavation, in an area called the East Bathtub, will be the sites of Tower 3 — at 175 Greenwich Street, which will have 2 million square feet of office space — and Tower 4, which will have 1.8 million square feet of office space at 150 Greenwich Street. Silverstein Properties, owned by the developer Larry A. Silverstein, is the leaseholder on the site and will build on it.
“We will be in full construction mode in a couple of days,” says Janno Lieber, the World Trade Center project director at Silverstein Properties. He told the Times there will be at least “50 workers and 30 pieces of heavy-duty construction equipment working on site” now that the excavations process is over.
by Lionel Bascom — February 18th, 2008 — No comments
The Port of Authority of New York and New Jersey says the excavation work for Towers 3 and 4 at Ground Zero, two nearly 80-story office towers at the World Trade Center site, have been completed. These sites have now been turned over to Silverstein Properties.
Over 13 months, the Port Authority excavated and constructed an entirely new 80-foot-deep foundation in concert with the continuing daily operations of the World Trade Center PATH Station moving 80,000 commuters a day. The project involved the removal of nearly 400,000 tons of concrete, soil and rock, the construction of an 80-foot-deep slurry wall and the installation of more than 240 steel tiebacks to hold that wall in place.
Since the Port Authority took over substantial responsibility for rebuilding in September 2006, all aspects of the site are moving forward.
In addition to completion of the excavation work for Towers 3 and 4, major construction at 1 World Trade Center, The Freedom Tower, continues with rising steel nearing street level and the building’s foundation and footings nearly complete. Construction of the foundations for the World Trade Center Transportation Hub and Memorial are also in progress.
Major steel beams for both projects will be erected during the upcoming year, and a new PATH station entrance is scheduled to open in the coming weeks, which will be in place until the Hub’s completion.
by Lionel Bascom — February 17th, 2008 — 1 comment
The Perfect Haven: A Frightening Tale of Economic Terrorism by James C. Pringle
In his new book, James Pringle says it is a dangerous, frightening world in which we live. It was all brought home to us — live on TV and in horrifying color — on Sept. 11, 2001, when airborne terrorists brought down the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing thousands of innocent people.
The world has not been the same since; it will never be the same again — every single day, the newspapers bring more of the world’s terrors and fears straight to our doorstep. Against that backdrop comes The Perfect Haven, a new suspense novel from the pen of Ontario-based author James Pringle.
Terrorists have hatched a plan to cripple the Canadian economy, severing nation’s vital import and export links to the United States. The key, the focal point for the terrorists, is Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. It is through Pearson airport — and across southern Ontario’s border bridges — that so much of the Canadian-American trade flows. If those links are severed, Canada’s economy would find itself under enormous threat.
Colonel Jamie Chaudry, head of Canada’s elite Maple 4 anti-terrorist division, is the man assigned to disrupt the terror plot. He is Canada’s top terrorism specialist, answerable to no one but the nation’s prime minister. It is Chaudry who must match wits and weaponry with the fanatical terrorists.
This is a tale of mystery, intrigue and suspense — and Pringle weaves it seamlessly, building the story page by page, exposing the plot twists, escalating the suspense and thoroughly captivating the reader in the process.
The Perfect Haven is an old-fashioned page-turner, the kind of book you can’t put down, a novel fully in step with these dangerous days of our lives. It is a novel that will make you stop and think — even as it makes you shiver with fright.
Author James Pringle was born in Scotland, immigrating to Canada four decades ago. His career experience includes 27 years of working for a major airline where he saw for himself how exposed Canada and other nations might be to terrorist assault. He is currently working on his next novel, One Step Ahead, which deals with terrorism on the high seas.
by Lionel Bascom — February 16th, 2008 — No comments
A Yahoo photo slideshow of Ground Zero allegedly demonstrates the bias news agencies frequently insert into captions., according to a website called NewsBusters (newsbusters.org). ”Instead of just describing the photo, Yahoo included captions with partisan cheap shots unrelated to the image to score typical anti-War On Terror points.
Out-of-place comments about waterboarding, the downturn in the economy and a criticism of Rudy Giuliani were captioned under photos of a smoking World Trade Center and Ground Zero rubble
Go to the site and you’ll see morning light that illuminates the wreckage of the World Trade Center on September 25, 2001 in New York. The site says the head of the CIA is saying that it is uncertain whether the use of waterboarding, a form of simulated drowning widely condemned as torture, would be lawful if used today against Al-Qaeda detainees. This photo and those comments have nothing to do with each other and when juxtaposed in a story like this, the message it suggests is clear to me.
In the same photo, the caption says CIA director Michael Hayden for the first time admitted publicly Tuesday that the agency had used “waterboarding,” or simulated drowning, in interrogations of three top Al-Qaeda detainees nearly five years ago.
Yahoo also used a photo of the “Tribute in Lights” at Ground Zero to criticize Giuliani, which is, of course, the appropriate time to address his fatal decision to locate a police command center in Ground Zero after earlier attempts to destroy the buildings had failed.
“The ‘Tribute in Lights’ shines on the skyline of lower Manhattan as the sixth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center is observed in New York, September 11, 2007. A detailed 1998 New York Police Department analysis opposed the city’s plans to locate its emergency command center at the World Trade Center but then-mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s administration overrode the objections, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
This series of six photos perfectly illustrated how the media skew captions to drive home a specific message. In this case, Yahoo used photos of Ground Zero construction to make negative comments about the economy. The news agency started with different captions for each photo and then cut-and-pasted the same negative statement about the economy into each one.”
by Lionel Bascom — February 14th, 2008 — 1 comment
A lawsuit filed in New York State supreme court claim contractors who were hired to take down a ground zero skyscraper turned it into a death trap for the firemen killed there last summer.
The lawsuit charges the Lower Manhattan Deevelopment Corporation with negligence in the death of firefighter Robert Beddia killed in the Deutsche Bank tower.
The state Supreme Court lawsuit renews charges made by lawmakers and community officials who have looked into the fire: An inexperienced contractor was hired to take down the toxic tower, and multiple agencies didn’t have emergency plans, accessible stairwells with exit routes for firefighters or a working standpipe that would have supplied fire hoses with water.
The LMDC “and the array of contractors conducting the demolition, led by Bovis Lend Lease and The John Galt Corporation, were responsible for numerous and serious safety lapses that converted the building into a veritable death trap for firefighters,” the lawsuit said.
Galt, the main subcontractor, allowed its workers to smoke, while Bovis and other contractors, including URS Inc., failed to fix fire hazards and give firefighters floor plans or other information to be able to safely fight the blaze, the lawsuit said.
by Lionel Bascom — February 13th, 2008 — No comments
February 12, 2008 — New York, NY – Today, Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Vito Fossella (R-NY) and Edolphus Towns (D-NY) demanded that the Administration provide answers within seven days about how it plans to provide care to thousands of Americans who are sick as a result of the 9/11 attacks.
In a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt, the Senators and Reps. said that HHS officials have not adequately responded to growing concerns that health programs for 9/11 responders and others outside the NYC metro area could be halted within weeks. Limited 9/11 health treatment programs outside the NYC area are currently funded by the American Red Cross, which has said that its funding for such programs is running out.
The New Yorkers noted that nearly two months have passed since the Administration canceled a request for proposals (RFP) to start the World Trade Center Business Processing Center, which would have been the hub of a national 9/11 health program. The letter states that if the Administration “does not take some action… in the next few weeks, there will not be time to announce and process a new RFP in time to keep the program running. Failure to fund treatment - even for a few weeks - is likely to deprive thousands of responders living outside of the New York City metropolitan area of badly needed medical care.” HHS refused to send a representative to a House field hearing last month on the Administration’s cancellation of the RFP.
“The Administration continues to turn its back on the heroes who helped rebuild a country following 9/11. When the attack happened in New York, people from every corner of America spontaneously answered the call. It is simply tragic to think that HHS would cancel the World Trade Center Business Processing Center, designed to give aid to those same individuals, who are beyond the reach of our area clinics. The heroes who toiled on the pile now suffer debilitating illnesses that are only exacerbated by this Administration’s stubborn failure to provide the testing and care they so urgently need,” said Senator Schumer.
“Some of the brave people who came from across our nation to aid New York following the terrorist attacks of September 11th became victims themselves after being exposed to the toxic substances at Ground Zero and Fresh Kills. Instead of acting quickly to provide a means to treat those who are suffering, the Administration has responded by canceling solicitations for contracts that would establish a critical program to manage the care of those responders who live outside of New York, and throughout the country. As a Senator from New York, I am grateful for the compassion and dedication these heroes showed our city and its people, and we cannot afford any delay in providing the care and attention they so urgently need,” said Senator Clinton.
“The clock is running out on health care programs for thousands of 9/11 heroes,” said Rep. Maloney. “We want the Administration to deliver a nationwide 9/11 health program, not more empty promises. Our patience with the Administration’s non-response responses ran out a long time ago. Secretary Leavitt needs to finally tell the thousands of Americans who are sick from 9/11 exactly how he plans to meet their health care needs.”
“When the smoke was still rising at Ground Zero, concerned and dedicated Americans from across the country came to aid in the rescue and recovery effort,” said Rep. Nadler. “In doing so, they selflessly put their own health at risk. Now, the Bush Administration has the chance and obligation to help provide for these compassionate people. The World Trade Center Business Processing Center is critical in efforts to provide health care to the thousands of people across the country whose health was affected by 9/11. This country must meet its moral obligation to the living victims of 9/11 and we must move forward with this program.”
Rep. Fossella said, “The news that HHS pulled the plug on the World Trade Center National Business Center marked a sad chapter in our efforts to secure a full federal commitment to those people who are sick as a result of their work on 9/11. The federal government has still not told us what the alternative will be or the level of its commitment to these unsung heroes. It makes no sense that at a time when more centralized data on sick 9/11 workers nationwide is needed, HHS refuses to move forward with this important initiative. My colleagues and I will continue to fight for those who have become sick as a direct result of working at ground zero, regardless of where they live.”
“The refusal of HHS to plan for health care for 9/11 heroes is inexcusable. They seem to think that the issue will just go away. If HHS had sent a representative to our hearing in January, they would have heard from 9/11 responders whose health and financial problems keep getting worse and worse. The challenges these heroes are facing aren’t going away, and we in Congress won’t go away until they are taken care of,” said Rep. Towns.
by Lionel Bascom — February 13th, 2008 — No comments
The New York press is reporting that the World Trade Center owners have created a new job to oversee all safety issues and prevent accidents.
As multiple construction projects at Ground Zero get underway, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey created the director of safety position.
Joseph Schwed of Honeywell International started as safety director of the World Trade Center site last week, the press reported. Previously, the PA had separate safety managers for each construction project. Schwed, 40, will oversee all of the safety contractors and coordinate all activities on the 16-acre site. Work at the site began in 2005 and construction is underway for the Sept. 11 memorial, a transit hub, the Freedom Tower and towers 2, 3 and 4. The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2012, Port Authority officials said.
“It’s of the utmost concern that the safety of the employees and the general public are all taken into account and that this unprecedented project is being done in a safe manner,” Schwed said.
by Lionel Bascom — February 11th, 2008 — 1 comment
U.S. military prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for at least six detainees now being held at Guantanamo Bay. They are about to be officially charged with murder and war crimes in connection with the Sept. 11 terror attacks on America, and the Pentagon wants to execute them, according to press reports.
Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Hartmann told the Associated Press and other reporters the charges against the six lay out a long-term sophisticated plan by the al-Qaida organization to attack the United States. The attack occurred over six years ago and killed nearly 3,000 Americans.
Hartmann is the legal adviser to the military tribunal system. He says the six include Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the attacks, in which hijacked planes were flown into buildings in New York and Washington. Another hijacked plane crashed in the fields of western Pennsylvania.
Military prosecutors will ask for the death penalty for the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans, according to a second official who asked to remain anonymous because the charges have not been announced.
Among those held at Guantanamo is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the attack six years ago in which hijacked planes were flown into buildings in New York and Washington. Five others are expected to be named in sworn charges.
“The department has been working diligently to prepare cases and bring charges against a number of individuals who have been involved in some of the most grievous acts of violence and terror against the United States and our allies,” the Pentagon acknowledged.
by Lionel Bascom — February 10th, 2008 — 1 comment
The Jerusalem Post says the British foreign secretary in Israel issued a carefully crafted statement last week expressing “concern” at reports that Israel had reduced electricity supplies to Gaza and called on Israel to “reverse its decision” and to “fulfill its obligations under international law.”
The statement also “condemned” the suicide attack in Dimona and called upon the Palestinians to stop rocket attacks against “innocent civilians.”
International law allows states to defend themselves not only against attacks by foreign states but also against attacks by terrorist groups emanating from states that are either unable or unwilling to prevent such attacks.
The classical rule of international law allowing self-defense against non-state terrorist attacks was reaffirmed explicitly by the UN Security Council after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.
There has therefore been little, if any, recent international criticism of Israeli armed strikes against the rocket launchers and against Hamas operatives. States friendly to Israel apparently acquiesce to Israel’s right to take measures of self-defense against such Hamas military targets.
Under international law, only military objectives are legitimate targets and deliberate attacks against civilians or against civilian targets constitute a violation of the laws of war. Military targets may be attacked even if the attack is liable to cause civilian casualties, provided that the civilian casualties caused will not be disproportional to the military benefit of the attack.
International law also forbids destruction of property, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations. Hence, if a building houses terrorists or terrorist Therefore, destruction of civilian houses as a punishment or deterrent, as proposed by some, would be clearly illegal. The fact that the other side, in this case Hamas, deliberately attacks civilian targets does not absolve Israel from its obligations.
by Lionel Bascom — February 9th, 2008 — No comments
A couple of weeks ago it was announced that New York City’s Freedom Tower may be welcoming back Windows on the World, or at least a similar panoramic restaurant, in the 100th and 101st floors of the new building. Before the World Trade Center towers were destroyed in 2001, Windows on the World was the top-grossing restaurant in the U.S. with an annual revenue of $37 million. The 34,000 square foot restaurant is set to open in 2013 (only five years away) and hopefully it can offer some of the same fantastic atmosphere and culinary options the previous restaurant did — and who can forget the wine. It certainly holds a nostalgic place in many New Yorkers’ hearts.