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World Trade Towers and Pentagon Attacked
The World Trade Towers in new york were crashed into by 2 planes, one on each tower, 18 minutes apart. Nobody really knows who did it, but the planes were big ones. Normally I wouldn't consider posting this on Slashdot, but I'm making an exception this time because I can't get news through any of the conventional websites, and I assume I'm not alone. Update We're having server problems. Sorry. Updated info, both towers havecollapsed, pentagon hit by 3rd plane. Part of it has collapsed.
apologies to cnn for ripping this off their site:
NEW YORK (CNN) -- What appeared to be two passenger planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers in Manhattan on Tuesday, leaving both towers in flames.
About 18 minutes after the first plane hit the northern tower, a second plane slammed into the southern tower, erupting into a huge fireball. The harrowing images were caught in live video.
Live pictures showed a gaping hole on the side of the northern building, several stories down from the top. Black smoke was billowing from at least two sides.
The second crash hit the second tower several stories lower than the first in a huge burst of flame.
Sean Murtagh, a CNN vice president, was in an office near the World Trade Center towers at the time of the first crash. He witnessed the crash.
"It was a jet, looked like a two-engine jet," Murtagh said. "It looked like maybe a 737."
Murtagh said he saw the plane "teetering back and forth, wingtip to wingtip" before the plane smashed into the side of the building.
Jeanne Yurman witnessed the explosion that followed the crash.
"At first it was like leaflets," she said, describing the debris that fell to the ground. "There was tons of debris and it continues to fall out."
Yurman said she did not see the plane.
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Rare Window - free your photos
Ok this is what I know:
8:55 one Plane or missile hits tower
9:05 secone 727 Passanger plane hits tower
Eye witnessess are pretty sure the first one was a plane, but some believe they saw a missile.
2nd crash caught on tape because news crews came to cover 1st crash.
Not sure if it is navigational error or deliberate attacks.
All I know, and could be erronous - everything is the first hour into an event like this
the washington post has a photo
http://www.sky.com/skynews/storytemplate/storytopp ic/0,,30000-1029102,00.html
This is the stopry on sky news
This is the story at BBC.
I hope you all enjoy. The BBC ususaly is better at reporting anyway.
bash-2.04$
bash-2.04$yes "Don't you hate dialup connections?"| write USERNAME
I was going over the Williamsburg bridge this morning...at that time, I saw that the first tower was on fire. I saw the clock at the Essex/Delancey station, it was about 3 of 9.
When I got to work in DUMBO, I saw that the other tower was on fire.
This is insanity.
see http://www.canoe.ca to see the hole in the WTA!
Realize that not everyone has access to a TV right now, and EVERY MAJOR NEWS WEBSITE IS UNREACHABLE for this story at the moment. OK - it's not NERDY NEWS, but news for nerds all the same. SOME people have SOME interest in things that happen outside their cubicle.
creation science book
The second plane was shown crashing in. From the outline of the plane in the video, it was a Boeing 737 or 727. Midsized twin-engine jet, full of fuel.
Reports are confirmed of one hijacking; they are also sure that they were both planes.
I'm thanking God that my father didn't have any business in NY today. I'm also praying that none of my family were around there.
Planes Crash Into World Trade Center
NEW YORK - An aircraft crashed into the upper floors of one of the World Trade Center towers Tuesday morning, and black smoke poured out of two gaping holes, witnesses said. Shortly afterward a second explosion rocked the other tower.
There was no immediate word on injuries or fatalities in the disaster, which happened shortly before 9 a.m.
The plane was coming in low and ... it looked like it hit at a slight angle," said Sean Murtagh, a CNN vice president, the network reported.
Large holes were visible in two sides of the 110-story building, one of landmark twin towers.
There was no immediate word on injuries or fatalities in the twin disasters, which happened shortly before 9 a.m. and then right around 9 a.m.
The towers were struck by bombers in February 1993.
"The plane was coming in low and ... it looked like it hit at a slight angle," said Sean Murtagh, a CNN vice president, the network reported.
Large holes were visible in sides of the 110-story buildings, landmark twin towers.
The tops of the twin towers were obscured by the smoke.
Thousands of pieces of what appeared to be office paper came drifting over Brooklyn, about three miles from the tower, one witness said.
The center bombingon Feb. 26, 1993, killing six people and injured more than 1,000 others.
In 1945, an Army Air Corps B-25, a twin-engine bomber, crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building in dense fog.
I really don't see how this could be an accident. The rule is that any airplane accident is a combination of at least three different errors/factors.
However. Any urban area, especially one with such a dense traffic, is at all times under radar surveillance and Air Traffic Control. Unless a number of people simultaneously had their braincells commit mass suicide, this could (or should) not have happened.
I fear that this is the result of terrorism. And if the news say different, I'll be very skeptical. After all, if it were terrorism, what does this show to the US public? That they're vulnerable at any time. Not exactly a sentiment the Powers That Be would like to instill to their voters...
And one last thing. Whatever this turns out to be, and as much as people all over the world are glued to their PCs or TV sets for news, there's one thing to remember here. It's not 'exciting', it's not 'fun'. It's tragic. These were real, live people...and the news channels are having a field day.
So long, and thanks for all the fish
As an interesting aside, days like this are something that our NSA and CIA are here to prevent. They monitor communications traffic (SIGINT) and attempt to forcast terrorist like events. My question is:
How many slashdotters will rethink their views on the necessity of CIA and NSA covert SIGINT after today's tragedy?
-jerdenn
Congress typically feels the need to respond after some high profile incident like this. There is no way at this time to know what accually happened, or how to prevent this. (Much less how to prevent this without trampeling your rights). Still congress wants to do something, so they appear to have the ebst attentions. Odds are this will be used to trample on your rights.
They hit tower one of the WTC and *now toppled both over*. And got the pentagon too..
.. but we should
Now, a couple things.. this is bad, this is really bad..
Apparently it was Palestinian terrorists that
did it (so TV is reporting)..
If it really was Palestinians, as much as I hate to say this.. I sort of understand..
before I start, I am a normal American white guy, am open minded, and think every race in the world has a right to their own safety and piece (including Americans).. I have absolutely nothing to do with the Arab israeli conflict (I am not arab, or Jewish, or anything like that), nor do I know any of either side closely at all..
But I was in Isreal once on business, and I saw what the Israelies do to the Palestinians, and what I saw made me sick to be an American because of how our government supports what the Israelis do to those people..
Basically, the isrealis take palestinian land bit by bit to make settlements for Israelis only, and shoot/run over/kill Palestinians with the guns, helicopters and bullets that we, America give the Israelis.
We dont report these travesties on American news (though you can get it on the BBC, CBC and other foreign outlets, and watch Israelis shoot with machine guns, 12 year old arab kids throwing rocks).
It is worse than south Africa, and I go as far to say, that the Israelis have put the Palestinians in concentration camp like conditions for the last 20 years or so, bulldozing their houses for their land, shooting their kids, controlling their land, their economy and choking them off one by one..
And when other countries like the Africans try to tell the truth (yes, the Israelis are racists..absolutely, they have dual licence plates for Palestine cars, dont let them drive on the same roads as Israelis, and occupy their country).
And we, the United states government, give more money, bombs, guns and weapons to Israel than to any other country in the world in foreign aid.., knowing (and allowing0 the Israelis to shoot, maim and rob more palestians of there property, lives and freedom.
And we have been doing that for 20 years now at least..
What else should we have expected really?
This terrorism really sucks,
also look at what we have been doing too the last 20 years.. and why a people felt so driven to do this to us..
As I said in my first reply, they don't have me running scared. I'm pissed. And I'm ready to do whatever I'm called to do to. They haven't won. I will not break.
--Fesh
Kill -9 'em all, let root@localhost sort 'em out.
I was going to post the same thing. This shows how incredibly foolish and shortsighted that it is of us to believe that this missle defense shield will do us any good. It has often been mentioned that anybody can get a suitcase-sized nuclear bomb into the country, but this shows that it doesn't even take that to entirely shut down the country.
Here we all are -- on Slashdot. I'm at home, and I bet that I won't go to work until late this afternoon. Most of the country is in similar shape. No missle defense shield could help this. In fact, I'm not sure that *anything* could help this. If half a dozen guys decide to hijack airplanes and crash them into major buildings, no defense shield or anything else will help.
Constitution. Whenever a tragedy likes this occurs, the government always announces a get tough on terrorists policy that will have no effect on the psychopaths who do this, but will severely limit our rights.
The huge loss of life is bad enough. The subsequent loss of what truly represents what this country stands for will be intolerable.
-- Will program for bandwidth
Can see it billowing smoke from the office
windows. We heard a second large explosion around 10:30. Don't know what it was yet.
One guy here was outside when the plane hit
the Pentagon, he heard the plane's engine, saw
the fireball. We had debris coming down in the
courtyard here from the explosion. Have a couple
people from the company over at the Pentagon, but
everyone's accounted for now.
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
Two planes have smashed into the World Trade Centre towers in New York and a third into the Pentagon in what is being described as the worst terrorist attack in history.
Both the 1,360-ft towers have now collapsed. More than 50,000 people work in the complex.
There are also reports of an explosion at Capitol Hill and of a fourth hijacked aircraft heading towards Washington.
A separate fire forced the evacuation of the White House.
Reports are coming in that another large plane has crashed south of Pittsburgh.
Hijack
It is reported two United Airlines passenger planes were hijacked shortly before the first plane struck the Trade Centre in Manhattan.
One was thought to be a 737 capable of carrying more than 100 passengers. The other was confirmed as an American flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles. A Boeing 767 can carry up to 269 people.
A third plane has slammed into the Pentagon just outside Washington DC parts of the complex collapsed after fire engulfed the building. Much of the complex is in flames.
Gaping hole
The first plane smashed into the top stories of one of the Trade Centre's towers, leaving two gaping holes in the side.
Minutes later another aircraft approached, turned in the air and crashed into the lower storeys of the second tower - the footage was seen live on TV stations around the world.
The second explosion engulfed several floors.
A person who answered the phone on the trading floor at interdealer-broker Cantor Fitzgerald, located near the top of the World Trade Center, said: "We're f***ing dying," then hung up. There was screaming and yelling in the background. A follow up call was not answered.
"This has got to be one of the most horrendous terrorist attacks perhaps ever perpetrated," terrorism expert Chris Yates told Sky News.
Flights grounded
At least 1,000 people have been reported injured. The 110-storey towers are in lower Manhattan.
All flights to the US have been diverted to Canada. All flights in the US have been grounded. Telephone lines to New York are all down.
President Bush was in Florida at the time of the attacks but is now returning to Washington.
More follows .
Last Modified: 15:44 UK, Tuesday September 11, 2001
If you are wondering what you can do to help.
http://www.krmg.com/features/091101worldtradeattac k.html
All major downtown cities are being evacuated. All federal buildings across the country are also being cleared. The president is heading toward a secret destination with a squadron of fighter jets as an escort.
Both Trade Center buildings have totally collapsed. A plan has hit the pentagon building.
The FAA is reporting that SEVERAL planes are unaccounted for. No word on how many of those might be hijacked or their destination, although one Trans-atlantic flight is reportedly headed for Washington,DC. As a result, fighter jets are currently flying cover over the city as everyone evacuates.
No other word so far.
Natural != (nontoxic || beneficial)
My prediction is that they'll wait until the investigation has turned up some solid information before doing anything. I should point out, Clinton made a not very subtle threat against the middle east in the wake of Oklahoma City. He looked pretty stupid when it turned out to be an American anarchist. Still, given that something on the order of half a dozen attacks occured nearly simutaneously (two planes into the WTC, one car bomb nearby, some unknown means of attack against the pentagon building, and a crashed plane outside of western PA), this was probably the work of either a very large terrorist organization or a foreign government.
"The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
Although FAA has grounded all flights, many (**) are past the point of no return coming from Europe (Schiphol, DeGaulle, Heathrow, et al), South America, or Asia... while others (=) have turned back.
_ tracker_home.xsl
Trackable here, with maps, direction, and air speed:
http://www.flightexplorer.com/FastTrack.asp
Track a random flight, or select one of particular interest.
Reports just gathered on random flights:
Continental express #4804 from GWB Intercon to Jackson Inter ETA 14:42 UTC
** American #14 from Brussels to JFK, ETA 18:28 UTC
American Airlines #2401 Dallas to Phoenix ETA 14:40 UTC
** United #26 Schiphol to Newark ETA 18:22 UTC
Delta #368 Seattle to Seattle ETA 14:34 UTC, turned back
** Air France #378 De Gaulle to Philadelphia ETA 16:17 UTC
** American #936 Simon Bolivar to Miami ETA 15:38 UTC
Northwest #1019 George Bush to Memphis ETA 14:54 UTC
Southwest airlines Kansas city to Will Rogers ETA 14:18 UTC
Southwest airlines Indianapolis to Albuquerque ETA 14:44 UTC
** Telford Aviation #106 Heathrow to General Edward Lawrence ETA 17:42 UTC
** Continental #37 Dusseldorf to Newark ETA 18:08 UTC
= Chataqua #4758 Gatwick to Orlando, has turned back
** Northwest Airlines #12 Tokyo Intl to Detroit ETA 19:14 UTC
Northwest Airlines #1843 Buffalo to Minneapolis ETA 15:13 UTC
** American #83 Frankfurt to Chicago ETA 18:33
= Delta #127 Barajas to JFK at 16:32 , has turned north
** Virgin Atlantic #27 Gatwick to Orlando ETA 18:32
= Delta #11 Gatwick to Atlanta ETA 19:33 UTC, now turned west
Flight International Jacksonville, Jacksonville circling.
** Delta #1852 Schiphol to GWBush ETA 18:14 UTC
** American Eagle #622 Frankfurt to Dallas ETA 19:53 UTC
Air Canada #993 from Toronto, turned back to Toronto
= Delta #1581 Heathrow to ? now turned north to Toronto ETA 14:17 UTC
= Unknown #LU Gatwick to BWI at 19:33 UTC, now turned back Northeast
= US Air #2296 Luis Munoz to Philadelphia ETA 16:06 UTC, now turned back south
Note that some flights may not have sufficient fuel to turn back or divert -- perhaps those from the Far East, Africa, or the Middle East are the most likely to need to land in the US.
Other options:
http://www.trip.com/trs/trip/flighttracker/flight
GS http://www.unblinking.com/
The TV is reporting that a Palestinian group conducted these attacks. No matter who did it many Americans will believe that it was done by Palestinians. Over the last 5 years public opinion in the US has been turning toward the Palestinians and away from the Israelis.
But now, this attack will rate up their with the loss of the Battleship Maine and the attack on Pearl Harbor. Who ever has done this has doomed themselves, and they have destroyed Palestine as well.
If you are religious this would be a good time to pray that no nukes are used in retaliation. There will be retatliation. Even God can't stop that.
Stonewolf
First plane had 81 passengers and 11 crewmembers. Second plane had 58 passengers and a crew of 6.
I work right across the river from NYC, and around 9 someone told me that a plane had hit the WTC. I ran down to the conference room and saw a huge cloud of smoke. There was a giant hole in the building, and i could see the flames licking out. A few minutes later, the second airplane hit in a huge explosion. I went back to my office to talk to co-workers, and about 20 minutes later, went back to the conference room. I just got there when there was this huge puff of dust and smoke, and I saw the building fall.
Please, if anyone wants to help, go see your local red cross, and donate a few pints of blood. We are going to need it.
99.9999 of Arabic people in the US are here because they love the US. They may express it differently, and sometimes have odd viewpoints, but at the end of the day, they are here and love the USA.
Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.
We are turning our business into an emergency blood donation center for the red cross. I ask that anyone who has a business that has a large amount of free space to donate it as an emergency center for the ARC to setup at.
If you cannot do that please just go and donate blood. It is desperately needed.
Prospecting Stinks. Stop Wasting Time on Cold Calling.
I think I heard that one before.
Did it work then ?
I sympathise with your desire for revenge. But please try to bear in mind in the days and weeks to come that revenge against a large group of people will hurt many innocent people. Those responsible for this attack are unspeakably evil individuals, but don't get so caught up in your desire to punish them that you end up hurting yet more innocent people - for example the civilians of another country. God forbid this tragedy should get any worse; that's what will happen if the US seeks revenge against an easy national target such as Palestine or Afghanistan rather than hunting down the individuals responsible for this awful attack. Please don't add your voice to those calling out for blood. Enough blood has been spilled already. Let us find and punish the individuals responsible, but let us not make an easy scapegoat out of innocent civilians, whatever their nationality or religion.
Oh, great! This sort of revenge attitude is precisely the kind of thing that which whe terrorists want, and the kind of thing that leads to more of these terrorist attacks.
-
We get attacked, and innocent people die, so
- we go out and 'punnish' innocent people who are vaguely associated with the cause of the killers.
- switch sides and go to step one.
Hatred and random violence are not the appropriate responses to violence. Hatred comes from fear. Generating fear in random people on the other side is only going to create an opening for those who wish to generate more hatred against us.Most notably: attacks against innocents only vaguely associated with the terrorist only helps the cause of the terrorists. It makes more people desperate and angry -- feeding the machinery of the terrorists. This is the last thing we want.
Free Software: Like love, it grows best when given away.