WebProNews

Tag: World Trade Center

  • Freedom Tower: One World Trade Center Officially Open

    One World Trade Center is officially open for business. According to a New York Times report publishing company Condé Nast moved employees into the building on Monday, becoming its first tenant.

    Planning for the building, referred to as the Freedom Tower until 2009, began shortly after the terrorist attacks on the twin towers in 2001. By 2005 planners revealed the official design for the building.

    Led by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, construction for One World Trade Center began in 2006 and took nearly eight years. Lessons from the 2001 terrorist attacks have been incorporated into the building’s design. According to Silverstein Properties, the real estate company that owns the lease for the World Trade Center site, One World Trade Center has fireproofing, biochemical filters, and multiple backup emergency lights in excess of what New York City building codes require. The building also has extra-wide stairs and exits designed with evacuation in mind.

    “Lower Manhattan is poised to become one of the world’s most sought-after central business districts,” said Scott Rechler, vice chairman of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. “This would have been hard to predict in the aftermath of the tragedy of 9/11.”

    At 1,776 feet, One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the U.S. The office tower is located in the World Trade Center complex in Manhattan, near where the twin towers stood before September 11, 2001. The building is 104 stories tall and has three million square feet of space including offices, a sprawling lobby, and an observation deck.

    Two more office towers are currently planned for the World Trade Center complex. Just last week Siverstein Properties announced that $1.6 billion in funding had been secured for Three World Trade Center, an 80-story skyscraper that will be located on Greenwich Street in Manhattan. The building is expected to be completed in 2018 and advertising media company GroupM has already signed on as a tenant.

  • CNN Producers Arrested Trying to Get into World Trade Center Site to Cover Recent Break-ins of the WTC Site

    Two CNN producers have failed at something a set of BASE jumpers and a 16-year-old parkour enthusiast succeeded in doing: getting past security and scaling the World Trade Center.

    Reuters reports that 35-year-old Yon Pomrenze and 26-year-old Conner Fieldman Boals were arrested and charged with criminal trespass, obstruction of governmental administration, and disorderly conduct after attempting to bypass security at the site not once, not twice, but three times. The last attempt wasn’t the charm.

    The producer’s first attempt was pretty straightforward–they simply walked up to a main gate and tried to enter the premises. Unsurprisingly, the pair was stopped by a Port Authority officer and a New Jersey Police officer. According to those officials, the CNN producers argued that they should be able to get in if a 16-year-old kid could get in.

    Of course, the producers were referencing Justin Casquejo, the teenager who was able to slip past security, make his way to the top of the new WTC, traverse the spire, and snap some selfies.

    Rebuffed but resolute, Pomrenze and Boals reportedly tried to scale a fence in break-in attempt number two–but were caught.

    Finally, the pair apparently tried to muscle their way through a manned gate and were subsequently arrested.

    Not exactly the smoothest tactics, guys. The aforementioned Casquejo had to crawl through a hole in a fence, possibly don a construction uniform to hitch a ride up an elevator, and sneak past a sleeping guard. That’s how to do it.

    A spokesperson for CNN said that the producers were looking into doing a story on the recent security breaches at the World Trade Center:

    They were not asked to sneak onto the WTC site. They were in the surrounding area to do a story about the recent incidents at the WTC and other sites–and the notion that daredevils are being drawn to them.

    As you may recall, four BASE jumpers were arrested this week after turning themselves into police following an illegal jumping exercise performed at the WTC site back in September of last year.

    I say we keep the chain going. Who’s up for getting arrested trying to break in to report on the producers who were arrested trying to break in?

    Image via WTC Progress, Facebook

  • World Trade Center BASE Jumpers Arrested

    World Trade Center BASE Jumpers Arrested

    According to ABC News, four men who are accused in the BASE jumping incident at One World Trade Center Freedom Tower back in September of last year have turned themselves in to police.

    Three of the men, 27-year-old Marko Markovich, 33-year-old Andrew Rossig, and 32-year-old James Brady were accused of the jump itself. Another, 29-year-old Kyle Hartwell, was accused of acting as lookout on the street below.

    The four face criminal charges in the stunt, including third-degree burglary, which is a felony, and reckless endangerment and jumping from a structure, which are misdemeanors.

    We brought you a story recently about a teenager who had broken in to the One World Trade Center construction area, made his way through a hole in the fence, up an elevator accompanied by a union elevator operator, past a sleeping guard, and took pictures from the rooftop and spire of the building.

    In this case, the jumpers filmed the jump, but did not release anything to YouTube.

    “Our intent was never for this to go public,” Rossig said. “We never posted the video footage. People didn’t know about it. We kept things quiet. As far as we were concerned, no one ever needed to know.”

    In fact, the men were surprised that anyone came looking for them at all.

    “It’s six months after the fact,” Rossig said. “We were a little bit shocked that they spent that much time and energy continuing to pursue something that they knew was not a terroristic act.”

    As for why they did it, he said, “A peaceful, quiet moment looking at the world from a different place, a place that most people don’t ever get to see.”

    “It was illegal, you know, we never meant to upset anybody or anything like that,” Brady said. “It was a very simple thing. A positive, simple thing.”

    But police see things differently. NYPD Commissioner William Bratton indicated that they pursued these arrests for six months in order to send a message to other would-be daredevils.

    “These men violated the law and placed themselves, as well as others, in danger,” Bratton said. “These arrests should send a message to anyone thinking about misusing a landmark this way. They will be tracked down and they will face serious charges. Being a thrill-seeker does not give immunity from the law.”

    Especially after the parkour stunt a few days back, perhaps police saw a need to let folks know that they will pursue prosecution. Otherwise, One World Trade Canter could become a target of a new kind – one for thrill seekers – and an embarrassing situation for the people who are assigned to protect this Trade Center tower from threats – foreign or domestic.

    Watch the jump, in its entirety. Go full screen with it, since it is HD. It is a real thrill all the way through.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz7sxt9xeJE

    Image via YouTube

  • World Trade Center Parkour Stunt Climber Caught

    World Trade Center Parkour Stunt Climber Caught

    Justin Casquejo is a daredevil. And he is not alone. Casquejo is part of a team of young folks who get their thrills from scaling heights, running obstacles, and collecting proof that they conquered things that most folks would be fearful of going near.

    Casquejo and his friends call themselves Team Destiny, and they are parkour aficionados. Parkour is a sport with its roots in European free-running, wherein participants adeptly and quickly traverse obstacle courses, usually simply the given terrain in an urban landscape such as buildings, walls, stair railings, windows, construction equipment, and other items that just happen to be there.

    Casquejo himself chose a lofty obstacle to conquer: One World Trade Center, the single building being constructed on the site of the former World Trade Center twin towers that were destroyed by terrorists on September 11, 2001.

    According to the New York Post, the police say that Casquejo, who is only 16, observed the area for a while before devising his plan to get all the way to the top of the tower, climb the spire atop it, and snap pictures to prove he had been there.

    Casquejo first crawled through a hole in the fence surrounding the Ground Zero site. He then got a lift from a union elevator operator, perhaps by wearing a construction uniform, though he had no I.D., then sneaked past a sleeping guard. He then spent two hours on top of the building before being discovered by a construction worker and escorted down to face police.

    Fortunately, Casquejo was only interested in the fun and adventure of his parkour pastime, not someone intent on doing damage to property or harm to U.S. citizens. But the Port Authority, which is in charge of security at Ground Zero, is still quite chagrined that anyone was so easily able to slip past security. The sleeping guard has been fired, the union elevator operator has been reassigned, and the other lapses are being investigated.

    Image via Facebook

  • 9/11 ‘Truther’ Disrupts Super Bowl Press Conference (VIDEO)

    “Investigate 9/11. 9/11 was perpetrated by people within our own government.”

    Those were the words said by 30-year-old Matthew Mills, an independent journalist who decided to take matters into his own hands during the Super Bowl press conference on Sunday.

    As MVP Malcolm Smith of the Seattle Seahawks was about to speak, Mills stole the microphone and interjected with one of the most trendy and common conspiracy theories of the 2000s: the attack on the World Trade Center and events alike on September 11, 2001 was an inside job.

    The sudden interruption took the room by surprise and even had jaw-dropped Smith quite puzzled.

    Oddly enough, security officers didn’t immediately react to the confusion. Instead, an obviously irritated staff member shoved Mills off the podium.

    According to RT.com:

    “…he was escorted out of the area by public relations and arrested by police for trespassing. He was later released, but his ability to gain entry into the stadium without a press pass or a ticket raised questions about the security in place at the Super Bowl.”

    Mills reported to NJ.com that he initially wanted to get near the MetLife Stadium just to interview fans about the game, but then saw his opportunity to get closer to the press conference by boarding the employee bus.

    Mills says that he was wearing a press pass around his neck, but not the same one as those who were permitted entry into the press conference. After gaining admission pass the gate and into the stadium, he said he was “dumbfounded” that he had actually gotten that far.

    “I just said I was running late for work and I had to get in there. It was that simple,” he told NJ.com.

    Coincidently, Coach Peter Caroll of the Seahawk’s is rumored to be a 9/11 ‘truther’ as well. According to reports, Caroll confronted a former four-star general last year about his suspicions of the government’s involvement.

    Nonetheless, Mills’ scandalous interruption is bound to raise questions about security procedures during the Super Bowl.

    Image via Youtube

  • World Trade Center Owner Suing For Billions Over 9/11

    World Trade Center Owner Suing For Billions Over 9/11

    Larry Silverstein, the owner of the World Trade Center, is seeking billions of dollars in compensation from the airlines whose planes flew into the towers on 9/11.

    Though Silverstein was paid out $5 billion in insurance money, his attorneys say that doesn’t mean he can’t sue the airlines for his loss as well. He’s asking for $3.5 billion from United Airlines, US Airways and American Airlines; U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein is overseeing the trial, which began on Monday.

    Roger Podesta, the attorney for the airlines, says that the amount Silverstein is asking for amounts to double compensation, and is more than two and a half times the value of the buildings that fell. However, Silverstein’s attorneys countered with claims that the figure was drawn up from estimates given by accounting and construction experts. They say the cost of replacing the twin towers is upwards of $7 billion, and are accounting for an extra $1 billion to replace the third building.

    “This did not just come out of a hat,” attorney Richard Williamson said of the damage figures. “You can’t just say, ‘I have economic loss.’”

    Judge Hellerstein is expected to give his ruling later this week, as the trial is expected to only last a few days.

    Image: Wikimedia Commons

  • Amazing World Trade Center Photos

    Amazing World Trade Center Photos

    Construction at One World Trade Center today, will officially make it New York Cites tallest skyscraper. Workers are set to erect skeletal beams that will make it over 1,250 feet tall, just surpassing the Empire State Building.

    You can also keep up with the One World Trade Center contruction at NYC-Tower.com.

    Construction is scheduled to end about a year from now. When it is all said and done, the building will be the tallest in America and the 3rd tallest worldwide.

    …Technically. The building will come with a 408 foot needle protruding from the top. Take away the needle and the Willis Tower in Chicago is America’s tallest building.

    The debate on whether or not to include the antennae will certainly confound record keepers and keep the debate going for years to come. But what is important, historically, is that The World Trade Center has reclaimed New York’s skyline over a decade after the 9/11 tragedy.

    To celebrate this milestone, here are some stunning photos of the current progress of One World Trade Center. You can stay updated on the progress and see more photos at @WTCProgress on Twitter.

    (image)

    (image)@WTCProgress
    WTCProgress    One World Trade Center Is Lit Red For Cardinal Dolan http://t.co/q1HMwWYv(image) 61 days ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)

    (image)

    (image)

    (image)

    (image)@WTCProgress
    WTCProgress    The Tower Crane Hoisting Erection Steel for Tower 1 http://t.co/tINXiMrL(image) 90 days ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)

    (image)

    (image)

    (image)

    (image)

    (image)

    (image)@WTCProgress
    WTCProgress    Working hard on rebuilding One World Trade Center http://t.co/ougp71c9(image) 21 days ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)

  • Grenade Found In Package At 2 World Trade Center

    A suspicious package found its way into the WTC today, prompting a cautious evacuation of employees after an X-ray turned up an image of what appeared to be a grenade.

    The item was discovered just before eleven this morning and police immediately responded, bringing along a bomb squad for good measure. But a search uncovered a harmless toy grenade, and all employees were safely returned to work.

    It’s doubtful that there is anyone above elementary school age who doesn’t know about the devastating attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, so it’s hard to imagine why anyone would send a package through the building which contained an obviously threatening-looking item, even if it was just a toy. Officials are no doubt looking further into the origins of the package, and WebProNews will provide more coverage as we receive details.

  • World Trade Center Listed as Destination in Google Flight Search

    Google’s Flight Search feature is barely a day old, so it’s only fair to forgive it for minor hiccups and glitches. And although it’s obvious that this gaffe was completely unintentional, it’s somewhat fitting that a service that had such a hard time getting off the ground (sorry) runs into a problem right out of the gate.

    Earlier this morning, a reader of the Sydney Morning Herald first spotted the fact that Google Flight Search was listing the World Trade Center in its search results for New York. You heard right – searches for destinations in New York showed the WTC as a place for incoming flights. That’s uncomfortable, to say the least.

    To be fair, the WTC was listed as an “unavailable” destination, but that really doesn’t change much of the awkwardness.

    Once apprised of the situation, Google quickly removed it as an option in the search results.

    A Google spokeswoman said:

    Our intention with Flight Search is to provide information only about active airports. We are removing the WTC code now that we’re aware of it and we will look for other airports that need to come out as well.

    See, what happened is that Google Flight Search launched without Google knowing that inactive airports (or in the WTC’s case, helipads) would be listed in the search results. Google Flight Search uses destination codes provided by the International Air Transport Association and the International Civil Aviation Organization. The codes for airports and heliports continued to exist even after they were decommissioned.

    If you search for New York right now, the WTC destination has been removed. Flushing (FLU), 39th Street Ferry (XNY) and Marine Air Terminal (QNY) still exist.

  • The Internet Remembers 9/11

    It is a day of remembrance and perhaps mourning for the United States as the calendar turns to 10 year anniversary of September 11, 2001. The effects of that cataclysmic day are still being felt around the globe, but instead of focusing on the negative repercussions of the attack, instead, we’d like to turn your attention to the goodwill and the level of reverence that’s currently permeating throughout the Internet, especially on Twitter. Before that however, it is important to remind yourself of the significance of the date, and while that may sound like a painful experience, there is a level of catharsis as well.

    Point and center with the meaningful content is the New York Times. Today’s issue accepted the challenge of capturing the scope and the connection the city had to the World Trade Center, and they did a masterful job doing so with an amazing 76-image slideshow that captures the life and death of the Twin Towers, and however painful that idea may sound, it’s well worth a look. A few tears is fair trade for such amazing photojournalism. In fact, the incredible image this article is being led with comes courtesy of the NYT’s slideshow.

    While there’s a good chance you might experience a level of inundation with today’s 9/11 content, it’s important to at least acknowledge those who perished either in the collapse or the rescue efforts. Today is also the first full day of the NFL’s regular season, and so, there will be a great deal of attention paid to the anniversary with both recollections of the day and by athletes wearing apparel the pays respect to the first responders, like so:

    cleats
    Image courtesy of Cincy Jungle

    Much like the Times, the New York Post also features a slideshow that pays respect to the twin towers, and again, because of the emotion attached, it may be a hard trip to take, but it is worth your time.

    Another area where people are paying their respects, is, of course, the social media world. While Facebook’s many members are doing their part–largely with avatar changes to commemorate the anniversary–Twitter is very much engaged in the significance of the date. There are currently two Twitter trends dedicated to today’s date, one using the #GodBlessAmerica hashtag, the other using RIP 9. Both of these trends are quite active, with new posts arriving in droves. An example of the sentiment being shared:

    @MeezyThaKiiD
    Meezy ✔     Heart goes out to all the people that lost there life on 9-11 and all the families that lost a loved one. RIP 9 / 11 21 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @OhMyTheWanted
    Meg Griffin, Blates.    ╱╭━━╮╱╱╱╱┏┓╱┏┓╱ ╱┃╭╮┃╱╱╱┏╯┃┏╯┃╱ ╱┃╰╯┃┏━┓┗┓┃┗┓┃╱ ╱╰━┓┃┗━┛╱┃┃╱┃┃╱ ╱┏━╯┃╱╱╱╱┃┃╱┃┃╱ ╱┗━━╯╱╱╱╱┗┛╱┗┛╱ RIP 9/11 Innocent Victims ♥♥ 3 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @SoRelatable
    Glen Coco    My thoughts and prayers go out to all who lost someone on 9/11. #GodBlessAmerica 10 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    @AverageBlackMan
    Simmons    R.I.P to all the people who died on 9/11, and thoughts with the families, #GodBlessAmerica 18 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    @frandrescher
    Fran Drescher    Remembering all our heroes 2day. 4ever in our hearts, minds & prayers EVERYDAY. #GodBlessAmerica 20 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @FoxNews
    Fox News    A moment of silence will be held at New York City’s Ground Zero to mark the first plane striking the World Trade Center. #GodBlessAmerica 1 hour ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® · powered by @socialditto

    @AshleyMcCourt
    Ashley McCourt    A very sad morning, all of us are crying… tears coming down our eyes. But guess what? Unity makes us stronger!!! #GodBlessAmerica 40 seconds ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    As you can clearly see, the events of 9/11 touched many people, regardless of creed, social achievement or color.

    With that in mind, it’s important to take a moment and pay respects to those who sacrificed their lives to protect ours, and the Internet, especially social media and the New York City publications are doing a fantastic job of doing so.

  • Share Your 9/11 Story through New Augmented Reality App “110 Stories”

    It’s hard to believe that it was 10 years ago today that the biggest terrorist attack on the United States of America took place. The tragedy of 9/11 was felt throughout the country then and continues to be felt today. It was a day that easily goes down in history as a day all Americans will remember.

    Do you remember where you were when you heard of the tragic attacks? Let us know.

    There have been numerous attempts made to remember both the fallen and the Twin Towers, and one of the latest attempts involves technology. Brian August and a team of developers built a mobile app that uses augmented reality to put the World Trade Center back into the New York City skyline. As a lifelong New Yorker, he told us that he felt a huge void after the Towers were destroyed.

    “After they were gone, I found myself longing for those views that didn’t exist anymore,” he said.

    He assumed that others felt the same way and began to think about what he could do. He said that the idea came to him a long time ago, but that the technology didn’t exist to make it happen. However, with smartphones and social media now on the scene, he knew his dream could become reality.

    He began working with a team of developers from doPanic and also with Kickstarter. Through Kickstarter, they were able to raise $27,809 in just 30 days to help fund the project. From there, an app called “110 Stories” began to form.

    The app helps users orient their phones to help them find the former site of the Twin Towers. It then, through the augmented reality capabilities, creates an “extremely accurate” outline of the buildings and takes a picture. Users can then submit a story about the Towers, the fallen, or the tragedy and share it on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.

    August believes that numerous people have stories to tell, and he wanted to provide a means for them to share it.

    “If you spend any time in the city, you have some kind of memory that involves the Towers,” he said. “Maybe you’ve forgotten that memory and maybe when you see the Towers rendered in the app from the place you were standing, suddenly a flood of memories comes back to you.”

    All the stories are also compiled on the 110 Stories website and placed on an interactive map. Although, at this point, the augmented reality portion of the app, just works for users within a 40 mile radius of the Towers, August told us that all the users could view the stories on their site. He also said that they hoped to extend the augmented reality portion to all users eventually.

    The app is currently available on both the iOS and Android platforms.