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It’s hard to believe that this is the final weekend of July – and as we enter August, all of our thoughts will be directed to the upcoming fifth anniversary commemorative events to honor the lives of our loved ones. We have already received several reservations for our September 10th Information Forum and September 11th Commemorative luncheon. Please contact our office if you haven’t received an invitation in the mail. The final agenda will be distributed this coming week and also posted on our website. We are excited about how this years event is coming together and hope you are marking your calendars to join the 9/11 community.
9/11 related subjects continue to be in the news. Most recently it was announced that the LMDC will be closing. Many family members have voiced their concerns about a list of unresolved issues. In the meantime, the Memorial Foundation continues to evolve and is in the process of planning the content and programs for the Memorial Museum. I am attending memorial museum planning presentations, along with other 9/11 family members and the broader community. I have been very impressed by the leadership of Alice Greenwald, the Director of the WTC Memorial Museum and her staff.
One final note in the news is the release of the Oliver Stone movie concerning the attacks on the World Trade Center. Several family members have mentioned they attended the viewing and have commented that the movie was an accurate recreation of the devastation that occurred that day. However, several individuals said the film was extremely difficult to watch – some had to leave the theatre. I mention this as a reminder to be cautious when viewing any visuals, especially for your children. Details are included in this weeks e-Newsletter.
Please feel free to contact our office if you have any concerns. We remain here to help at (866) 505-3911 or at email@voicesofsept11.org
Warm Regards,
Mary Fetchet
VOICES of September 11th wants to help you get the word out about memorial events taking place around September 11th this year. If you are planning an event, please email us with the event name, date, location, and contact information as well as a brief description. We are soliciting information on various types of events including: Memorial Foundation fundraisers, community remembrances and memorial dedications, mental health or resiliency support, cultural events, informational meetings, and others as well. A running calendar of events will be published on our website and the weekly e-Newsletters. Add your event to our listings today!
When: Saturday, August 5, 2006
Time: 12:30 PM: Registration/Pick-up beverages in Clubhouse;
1:00 PM: Review Rules of play;
1:30 PM: Shotgun start;
Post tournament: Dinner (buffet style) and drinks. Non-golfers please feel free to enter the dining area after 5:30 PM
Location: Riverview Country Club in Easton, PA
Contact: Please contact Benjamin Supinski 201-679-6552 or Sean Reilly 201-892-7731 if you are interested in donating prizes, sponsoring the event or have any general inquiries about the foundation or the tournament. You may also email us at golf@cmsfoundation.net
Please
click here to send us information on your memorial or foundation event. The
information will be posted on the VOICES website and included in upcoming
e-Newsletters.
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On September 11, 2003, the people of Middletown, New Jersey, dedicated the World Trade Center Memorial Gardens to the 37 Middletown residents who lost their lives on 9/11. The memorial, which was developed by the Middletown WTC Memorial Committee and made possible with donations, consists of a landscaped walking path featuring personalized memorials for each life lost on that day. A section of the walking path with three of the individual memorials is pictured at left. At the dedication ceremony, Middletown’s Mayor, Rosemarie D. Peters declared, “While much has changed since the World Trade Center attacks, Middletown’s thoughts and prayers have remained with the friends and families of those who lost a loved one on that tragic day. We invite the community to pay tribute to their memories by visiting Middletown’s WTC Memorial Gardens.” The memorial is a lasting tribute that allows the people of Middletown to reflect upon their great loss. If you would like to view pictures of each individual memorial, please visit Middletown's website.
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9/11 Families to View "World Trade Center" |
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Paramount Pictures has invited 9/11 Family Members to attend a screening of Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" movie next Thursday at 6 pm in New York City. Interested Family Members should RSVP as soon as possible at (212) 846-4346. Please note that you will be asked to provide a name and daytime phone number, and give information about your relation to a 9/11 victim to ensure that only bona fide Family Members attend. You will receive more detailed information on the location of the screening after registering with Paramount.
Please keep in mind that the film contains graphic imagery that could potentially be very difficult for 9/11 Family Members, especially those with loved ones who died in the World Trade Center. In deciding whether or not to view the movie it is important to remember that the grieving process is different for everyone. The film may be useful for some family members and traumatic for other. We would like to encourage each family member to decide for himself/herself if seeing this film is appropriate for him/her.
On the day after the family premier, Friday August 4th, Voices of September 11th will provide a special teleconference at 11:00 am for family members to discuss the film with each other and share opinions and points of view. Registration is required prior to the start of the teleconference. If interested please call toll free (866) 505-3911. In addition to the teleconference Voices staff will is available to talk to you individually Monday through Friday.
Reviews of Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center"
A group of Port Authority Police officers attending a screening last week gave "World Trade Center" good marks for accuracy in recreating the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, and noted the emotional power of the story (read more from last week's VOICES Weekly e-Newsletter). Early critical reviews have described the film's reverant tone and emotional power in telling the heroic story of retired Port Authority Sgt. John McLoughlin (played by Nicholas Cage), Officer Will Jimeno (played by Michael Pena) and three other PA officers who answered the call on 9/11. "At the center of this story are two men with families, still with their wives, relatively happy… real men and women who don't have everything, but have enough to live with. They are America, or at least our hope of what America is," David Poland writes in a positive Movie City News review.
Despite Oliver Stone's reputation as a leftist and a political filmmaker, "World Trade Center" is primarily a rescue story, not a political conspiracy thriller like JFK. In fact, the movie earned a strong endorsement from conservative FOX news television host Cal Thomas, who called it "one of the greatest pro-American, pro-family, pro-faith, pro-male, flag-waving, God Bless America films you will ever see" in his nationally-syndicated column last week. Thomas was particularly gratified by the unabashed spirituality of some characters and apparent Christian symbolism in the film. Stone probably appreciates Thomas' urging of all Americans to "Go and see it beginning Aug. 9 and make him a large profit." Stone has voiced concerns about the film's box office potential, citing the disappointing audiences for Paul Greengrass' "United 93" despite good critical reviews and the endorsement of United 93 Family Members. This week, a New York Times article, highlighted Paramount Pictures' efforts to market the film to conservative audiences by hiring Creative Response Concepts, the media firm that came to prominence for creating the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" television ads during the 2004 Presidential election.
Also, Paramount announced this week that it will donate 10 percent of the box office proceeds from the opening weekend revenues of "World Trade Center" to the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and three other 9/11-related charities. 5% of the proceeds will go to the Memorial Foundation and the remaining 5% will be split between Tuesday's Children, the Tribute WTC Visitor Center, and the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund. Click to read a Newsday article on the announcement.
Downtown Rebuilding Agency Says It Is No Longer Needed --
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the state agency created to help rebuild the area south of Houston Street after terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center, will soon go out of business (New York Times)
Mayor's 9/11 Vow --
Mayor Bloomberg vowed to examine whether enough is being done for 9/11's forgotten victims after a Daily News editorial revealed yesterday the suffering of 12,000 workers who labored in Ground Zero's toxic cloud (NY Daily News)
Ground Zero Illness Claims Triple -- The number of 9/11 legal actions filed against the city have tripled in the last year - with more World Trade Center emergency responders claiming that toxic air at Ground Zero has made them ill (NY Post)
Airline In 9/11 $$ Deal -- American Airlines has agreed to settle claims by 32 families of 9/11 victims for alleged security failures that enabled terrorists to seize control of two of the jets in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (NY Post)
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