Category Archives: Politics (9/11, Year of Turkey/ Occupy Wall Street, etc.)

Hand in Hand Remembrance for 9/11

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Today(9/10/2011),I participated in the Hand in Hand event in lower Manhattan. About 5000 people held hands to commemorate 9/11 at the exact time(8:46 am) when the north building got attacked. Even though it is such a early time at weekend, people never mind sacrificing their sleeping time for the meaningful event. The volunteers of this event started their tasks at each register station at 6:30 am. Some of them don’t live in the city. I really get touched by people’s passion on this event and their compassion for the victims. When I arrived, people at different ages were already there. Although Hand in Hand event didn’t last for a long time, during the moment of people holding hands together, we all felt the air of unity. Evil will never win because we are united fighting against the evil. You could see related news about this event here

(this picture is from http://gothamist.com/upload/2011/09/091011hand4.jpg )

Magazine Covers About 9/11

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I was just passing through the den when I heard it. The T.V. was on and through the speakers blared the clear and distinct voice of a commercial voice-over. I caught a tiny tidbit: “…ten years later, new, never before seen footage from Ground Zero during the attack.” I froze. My mind was racing as I recalled images from that haunting day. “It’s still too soon,” I thought. A decade has passed, but I don’t think time has fully healed.  I still can’t bring myself to look at the pictures. I certainly can’t fathom watching live footage.  That’s why I was so struck by the New York Times article “Magazine Covers on a Topic Known All Too Well,” addressing how editors approached the cover designs for their respective 9/11 magazine issues. The article mentions that most art directors thought it in poor taste to feature an image of the actual attack, opting instead to convey more subtle messages of reflection and continuity. I was taken by the sensitivity and thought put into the covers, and was particularly pleased with the way Jeremy Peters, the author of the article, presented the matter overall. There was, however, one thing that didn’t quite sit well with me, namely the mercenary undertones in some of the editors’ comments. I understand that much of the “real world” is business, but why must even this be turned into a detached commercial endeavor? I found it ironic that in an article about editors attempting to be as tasteful and tactful as possible, some, with their unfortunate statements, succeeding in being quite the opposite. Click here for the article, and let me know whether or not you agree.

Remembering 9/11

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The exhibit “Remembering 9/11” is now open at the New York Historical Society on Central Park West in Manhattan. What I like about this exhibit is that it really gets into the heart of what that day was all about. It isn’t some memorial that was built after the fact to commemorate the attack. This is a display of pictures from the actual day. It shows images that are hard to look at but crucial to see and to remember– burning buildings, bodies, horrified witnesses. What is perhaps the most heart-wrenching part of the exhibit is the collection of signs that were posted all over the city in the days following the attack, signs that read “Missing Person” and “Have you seen my daddy?” The exhibit also includes first-person video recollections of the terrorist attack. A link to the NY Times article with more information can be found here.