September 2009 Weddings
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Remembering 9/11 - Death of Osama Bin Laden
Where were you on 9/11/01? What did you do? Did you know anyone at the attack sites?
How does the news of Osama Bin Laden's death make you feel? Those of you in larger cities, what is the mood like there? Did you join any gatherings last night or do you plan to today?
Do you believe it was really him who was killed or are you waiting for the results of the DNA tests and/or photos before you'll feel a sense of closure?
Do you feel safe given that we are at level 'yellow' an elevated significant risk of terrorist attacks? Do you fear an attack in your area?
Any other thoughts?
Re: Remembering 9/11 - Death of Osama Bin Laden
I heard on the radio that they did do a DNA test on him, using some from his sister that was on hold at a Boston hospital, and that it was him.
Honestly, I don't know what to think. I'm glad they got him (sure took long enough), and gladder it happened on Obama's watch (take that, Trump!), but ultimately, I know that his death does not signal the end of terrorist activity. We probably just made some more enemies.
I was in my Earth Science class. They came over the intercom to announce what had happened. Class let out and our school was a madhouse. The front office and counseler's office were flooded with students trying to make calls because the majority of parents worked at the Pentagon. My next class was World History. My teacher's son worked at the Pentagon and she couldn't get in touch with him. She cried the entire period, and none of us spoke, we just watched the news. After that period, the teachers weren't allowed to play the news anymore, but none of us did any work for the rest of the day, we just talked. Were I lived at the time was situated perfectly between DC and Quantico, so we were terrified. We missed like a week of school after that.
My mom had a view of the Pentagon from her desk and saw it get hit. We were really lucky that none of the people we knew who worked there were harmed.
I don't know how to feel about what's happened.
I remember walking into the hallway between classes, it was my sophomore year of high school, and someone said "Did you hear? A plane flew into a skyscraper in NYC!" My response "What idiot doesn't see a whole building?!" As I walked into my History/Economics class, my teacher had the TV on, I remember watching the second plan hit the tower and realizing that we were watching history in motion and thinking about how terrifying it would be to be sitting at your desk at work and having a plane hit your office. I remember then saying out loud to my friends at the desks next to mine "I bet the Pentagon is next." To this day, I have no idea why that was the first thought in my 15 year old head, but when the plane hit the Pentagon our jaws dropped.
I remember feeling overwhelmed and wanting to do something to help but feeling helpless to do so. My 16th birthday was 9/14 and I canceled my birthday party because I didn't feel like it was right to celebrate when this catastrophe had just happened. Looking back that was rather silly, because obviously me canceling my 16th birthday party would have no great impact on anything, but at the time I felt like it was the only thing I had control over to contribute in some way.
The closest I got to "knowing" someone involved was my school's secretary's son who graduated from my high school, he survived though.
I'm rather secluded up here in central NY where people aren't gathering/don't really have a place to gather in celebration so I'm watching CNN. If I were in NYC or DC I would likely have gone to take pictures of the gatherings and to experience that group mass emotion.
I am excited to hear the results of the DNA testing on the 'body samples' from Bin Laden, I think I will feel more closure when the results show that it was he who was killed because right now it's more of a sense of disbelief that I feel.
I'm not in a high risk area, so I feel personally safe in my home, I do fear for our troops over seas, those at the US Embassies abroad as I do believe Al Qaeda will retaliate in some way. I don't have any travel plans right now, but if I did, I wouldn't change them.
I'm just in disbelief that after nearly 10 years he's really dead and I'm nervous for what the days and weeks ahead hold because they will surely retaliate and it's not as if his death ends all terrorism, it will continue on.
ETA: I agree that Obama wouldn't have made the announcement without significant evidence, as I said, I'm just in disbelief that they actually found and killed him. Also, I didn't find out about Osama until 3:30 this morning when I was nursing Alex and I saw everyone's facebook statuses, I got right onto CNN.com and watched the President's speech. That's what Joel and I get for watching Animal Planet before bed, they're programming isn't interrupted by Presidential announcements apparently...
My thoughts exactly. I'm glad he's dead, but I do fear that this will just enrage his followers and bring on more attacks. I don't think it's such a good time to be living so close to DC.
<a href="http://s65.photobucket.com/albums/h205/adia83/?action=view
Where were you on 9/11/01? What did you do? Did you know anyone at the attack sites?
I was working at my drug store the morning of the attacks. The guy working next door came over and told us about a plane crashing into the first building. We listened to the radio for the rest of the day, and that was the last night I made a choice to walk into a church. Luckily, I didn't know anyone involved in the attacks, but I have heard numerous stories from people I know about their change of plans that would have landed them there.
How does the news of Osama Bin Laden's death make you feel? Those of you in larger cities, what is the mood like there? Did you join any gatherings last night or do you plan to today?
I can understand how the American people would want to celebrate -- it is a huge triumph. Will I personally celebrate? Probably not.
Do you believe it was really him who was killed or are you waiting for the results of the DNA tests and/or photos before you'll feel a sense of closure?
Last night I said pics or it didn't happen. I saw a pic -- google Bin Laden Dead and you'll see if for yourself (its kinda gross and not really SFW so I wouldn't wanna offend anyone). But a DNA confirmation would be nice.
Do you feel safe given that we are at level 'yellow' an elevated significant risk of terrorist attacks? Do you fear an attack in your area?
I don't fear an attack, but retribution is going to be a b!tch, so I sure hope the government knows what it's doing...
Any other thoughts?
This is only the beginning...
updated 10.03.12
I was in my first week of high school. I had study hall and when it happened we all ran to the commons area where the tv are and watched the news and saw the second tower fall. I was supposed to have a swim meet but it was cancelled and had to walk to my grandmas. I was so scared that something was going to happen to me that I cried the entire way there. No. I didn't know anyone personally in the attacks.
I don't feel any safer with him gone. I worry about retaliation but I know there is nothing I can do if something happens, it's going to happen.
I do think it is him. I don't think Obama is the type to say something his huge with out careful details.
ETA: I didn't know Jon at the time, but his Grandfather was working in the Pentagon when it was hit. He worked in a different part of the building that was not hit, but it took his family a few hours before they could get a hold of him. I am sure it was quite terrifying for them.
Agreed. I was especially curious about how the DC niners are feelings right now. I think I would feel more uneasy if I lived there.
I was in my Junior year of high school and I was supposed to fly to Michigan on the 13th for a special educational program. I wasn't allowed to fly solo as a minor, so we packed up the car that evening and drove to Michigan so I didnt miss the experience.
I definitely am glad that he is dead because I think that he was evil to the core. I think that he could and would organize another terrorist attack.
But on the flip side, I am concerned about retaliation and what this means for our future. I also am saddened that this doesnt mean an end for our troops who are at war.
Additionally, I think he should have died because he ordered the killings of so many people, but I think that us assassinating him doesnt really make us any better of a person than he was.
Do you have a link? The only pic that I have found looks like it is photoshopped (Warning the photo shown in this link is very graphic): http://www.unconfirmedsources.com/nucleus/media/21/20060923-torturedosama.jpg The bottom half of his face is blurrier than the top part = photoshopped in my opinion because the top portion is very clear and not pixalated and the quality of the bottom half of his face isn't as crisp as the top.
Lemme see if I can find it.
updated 10.03.12
I was sitting in my writing class junior year of high school. Out of all classes to be in, I was in a class with the biggest conspiracy theorist teacher. He was called out of class, told of the attacks and then he came back and told us that there would be an announcement for us to all go back to our homerooms. I first heard the "World Trade Center was hit". We have one here in Boston and Big M doesn't work far from the site - so, I was terrified.
My cousin lives in NYC and he lived there at the time. I was so worried for him and I was frantic until I heard from him. Apparently, his roommate at the time had a job interview in one of the towers - and in good ol' NYC fashion, he was stuck in traffic, running late for his interview and watched the towers fall from the back of the taxi.
I have NEVER felt more proud to be an American that I did when I heard the news this morning. However, now that the news is sinking in - I'm scared for what this means for us. I have plenty of friends in the military - and others that are not in the country right now for other reasons. I'm worried about them and what this means for them and our country. I'm definitely worried about retaliation - I don't know that Boston would be attacked...but, the planes from 9/11 did take off from our airport - so, it's not out of the realm of possibilities.
The fact that his body was tossed out to sea had me questioning whether or not this is really real. I like concrete evidence - a body at sea is not concrete to me. I really want to see concrete evidence.
~ I was living in Italy at the time. We had been out until 3am the night before, so I was just waking up from a nap and everyone was starting at our tiny television trying to figure out what was going on because we couldn't get a news station in English.
After we figured out what had happened, it was kind of mayhem. We were all trying to call home but couldn't get through. It was almost impossible to go about the day even after all of us had spoken to our families. I ended up in a coffee shop in Piazza della Republica reading the only US newspaper I could find, crying hysterically. The owners came over and brought me tissues, a cappuccino and a pack of cigarettes and I remember being so thankful that people were so kind. A lot of the Italians that we were friends with made sure to tell us that they were supportive and that they were so sorry.
Even now, it's weird to not have been in the country for such a HUGE event. In some ways I feel this weird sense of detachment from it because I wasn't subjected to the media blitz that occurred afterwards. I didn't see a lot of the coverage and honestly, it's been hard to process it the same way.
One of my roommates at the time - her best friend at home was on one of the planes. She ended up going back to CT for the funeral and to be with her family but then she came back to Italy.
~ Personally, I probably won't be doing any celebrating, but I'm sure there are rallies and gatherings going on in Boston.
~ I'm happy to hear about the DNA results, otherwise I'd be concerned. But I'm sure the President wouldn't make such a huge announcement without being 100% positive.
~ Yes, I do worry about retribution. I certainly do not believe that this one death means that everything is hunky-dory. I do worry about attacks anywhere, not just in my area. It makes me nervous for our military in general and for my cousin specifically.
I was working at the preschool. My boss's husband called and we turned on the tv and took turns watching. My dad came over and got my car and filled it up with gas since everyone was freaked out that gas prices would skyrocket.
I feel a sense of closure knowing he's dead, but I also know that there will be some retaliation. It's not over, but it's a start.
Where were you on 9/11/01? What did you do? Did you know anyone at the attack sites? It was my senior year of college (you are all making me feel old) and we lived in an off-campus house and there were some guys doing work on the house. One of them came busting through the house and said "turn on the tv" and we did, and it was unbelievable. I know friends of friends how passed away, but no one close. Although my husband works with a woman whose husband was on one of the planes.
How does the news of Osama Bin Laden's death make you feel? Those of you in larger cities, what is the mood like there? Did you join any gatherings last night or do you plan to today?
I was in bed very early last night, so only learned of it this morning. My first thought was "was it really him?" just because he has fooled us so many times. I guess I was kind of surprised because the whole thing had kind of dropped off the radar. But I'm proud of our country and proud of our president.
Do you believe it was really him who was killed or are you waiting for the results of the DNA tests and/or photos before you'll feel a sense of closure?
I was feeling a little doubtful, but I'm sure it was him. They would not announce all of this until they were sure.
Do you feel safe given that we are at level 'yellow' an elevated significant risk of terrorist attacks? Do you fear an attack in your area?
I am flying this week, and am honestly a bit nervous about it. I feel like there will be some kind of retaliation....and just because he is gone doesn't mean the threat of terror is gone. If anything, like others said, it may have increased.
I was in my 10th grade art class. Our teacher was on leave from the army at the time, she ushered us to the cafeteria to watch the news. They sent us home early that day because our county is home to two nuclear plants and they were afraid of possible attacks on them.
While I'm glad they got Bin Laden, I'd like to see physical proof. I was disappointed to hear that they buried him at sea less than 24 hours after he was killed. I think it would have been nice to actually SEE him dead, not just hear about it.
I was in my freshman year of college. In the "dorm" I lived in, someone was on duty at the front door to answer the phone and coordinate visitors. I had spent the night at my boyfriend's house and did the walk of shame to get home in time for my door duty at 9:30. My boyfriend called me and told me to turn on the news in the living room. My housemates started to come downstairs to watch the news, too. We saw the second plane hit and watched the towers fall. I don't think I went to any of my classes that day. I was terrified. I was thousands of miles from home, surrounded by relative strangers, and college boys who kept insisting they were going to up and join the military RIGHT NOW so they could "go out and kill those ba$tards".
Being so involved with the fire service now, a few of my husband's coworkers, including his lieutenant, responded to 9/11 in the search and rescue efforts, and one of the beams recovered from the tower is on display near the fire station. It's truly an unforgettable event.
I think bin Laden's death is more of a symbolic victory than a strategic one. I'm glad the saga of finding him is over, and I think the makeup of al Qaeda will change because of his death, but I definitely feel concern for retaliation. I am also a little concern about our relationship with Pakistan considering he was hidden in their country, even though Obama's speech said the Pakistani present was happy about it as well.
Congrats to both my TTC buddies, Amberley18 and sb2006 on their beautiful babies!
I was a freshman in college. I had been in chemistry lab from 8am-11am. No one came and told us. I went back to my dorm, and weirdly enough didn't turn on the TV. I was heading downstairs to go to the sorority house for lunch. I ran into a friend who asked where I was going. I told him, he looked at me like I was crazy. "haven't you heard?" He told me that someone hijacked a plane and crashed it into the WTC. I was like WTF?! At that point I had no idea the scope of what had really just happend. I ran across campus to the house and stayed parked there the rest of the afternoon.
I'm pretty in awe of what happened yesterday. I'm glad he's finally dead, but I'm not sure it deserves the party that many are throwing. Like pp have said, I think we' have a lot to deal with after this.
And for those questioning laying him to rest at sea, apparently that has something to do with Muslim tradition, and if that's true, I'm glad they are respecting that. Defying that would have really opened a can of worms (even more so).
Also:
updated 10.03.12
Agreed.
My story is similar to dbucks: I was in art class when we first heard the news. An announcement was made on the intercom. When going to my next class, there were a bunch of people in the hallways trying to call their parents. One of my friends had parents that worked in the Pentagon and she was crying. A lot of people were upset. I didn't see any of my teachers upset or crying. It was very surreal, my memory is fuzzy but I just remember watching the news pretty much all day and not really doing any work at all.
I don't know how to feel about the whole thing since I honestly just found out when I checked the board. But it doesn't make me feel any better. I don't feel less safe living close to DC but that's because I don't actually live or work that close to DC at all.
This. When I first saw this at 3:30 this morning i thought it was pretty suspicious that they buried him nearly immediately at sea, but as I'm watching CNN this morning they explained that it is tradition to do so very soon after death and I agree to defy that tradition, even though he was an evil man, would be more detrimental to our efforts.
My friend had the same Mark Twain quote.
I remember 9/11 very clearly. It was the 2nd week of classes my senior year in college, and BFF was studying abroad in Rome. We usually chatted over AIM while I ate breakfast in my room before class. So that morning I checked email and the community message board (we used first class) and saw all these posts about some plane crash. I thought it was odd there were SO many posts about it, but went down to the dining hall and brought my breakfast back. Then BFF imed me asking what I knew about the plane crash, if I had heard anything she didn't know, and I was like, what? But I had to run to my new testament class so I told her I'll check it out and be in touch later. About 10 min into class (around 10am), where no one was really talking about anything other than normal college stuff, someone came in and said what had happened and that classes were canceled for the rest of the day, and for us to get in touch with our families. BFF said it was hard for her being in Rome, that all the students in her program weren't allowed to go out very much and were told to hide that they were American.
Clint was in grad school then, and the night before, a tree had fallen in their yard, knocking out all the wires except electricity, so no one in his house had any outside contact and had no idea what had happened. When he got to his office at school around noon, his officemate said his mom had called about 15 times, frantically looking for him since his landline was dead (not sure why his cell phone wasn't working).
I remember the most significant part for us was that there were bomb threats on Copley Square in Boston the following weekend, and my friends and I were really annoyed because we'd planned to go shopping. I think we went anyway, but on Sunday.
My cousin's husband had an office in the WTC. His MIL had come over the night before with this giant snapping turtle she found in her backyard and put in a garbage can that she wanted to show her granddaughters. The turtle got loose, he had to chase it around and catch it and as a result he was late to work the next day. He stepped off the subway and saw the second plane hit, and a nearby cop told him to get immediately back on the subway and go back. Everyone in his office died, so thank god his MIL brought that stupid turtle that made him late to work.
Last night we weren't watching tv at all, just reading when we got home from CT. I happened to check fb and saw all these "ding dong the witch is dead" posts, so I was kind of confused. Therefore it feels pretty anticlimactic. I think there's also going to be a lot of doubt, especially after hearing they had to bury the body at sea in order to not desecrate the body according to islamic law. I don't really care whether it's him or not, because I think this issue is much bigger than one man.
I don't really feel any safer, and I won't be surprised if his death changes nothing. When I lived in NH, a year after the attack when everyone was still terrified, I felt *very* safe- who would ever attack a small town in the middle of no where? I was glad I'd left the Boston area.
I was a junior in high school. I was in the dark room in photography class and when I came out, everyone was around the TV. I asked what was happening and someone said that the WTC was hit by airplanes and the Pentagon was on fire. I remember that the rest of the day was us just watching the news. We were under a lock down (as were the rest of the schools in the county), because we are only about 2hours from Shanksville. And a lot of the students got really afraid when we heard about the plane going down in Somerset county. I think the image burned into my brain from 9/11 was the picture in the newspaper of the person jumping from the WTC. My first thought was, "Who the hell puts that picture on the front page?! That is someone's husband/brother/son/etc." I didn't know anyone personally in the attacks or friend-of-a-friend kind of stuff.
I was in disbelief when I read it. I saw it last night on Yahoo at 10pm or something. it was just a yellow banner that read: Breaking News: Osama bin Laden reportedly dead. I read it aloud to Danny and he said, "Well, we can't find him, but we know he's dead?" Besides that I really have no feelings either way. I was pretty disconnected when it happened (it didn't feel like I really experienced it), and it doesn't really feel connected to me now that he's dead.
I have enough anxiety already than to think about possible attacks, so I feel relatively safe. I'd say I don't fear an attack in my area, but being so close to Shanksville kinda goes against the whole "small town overlook" thing.
I do feel that even though he's dead, it's definitely not the end of what we all consider the "War on Terror." al Qaeda is pretty much like the government here; when one dies there's a whole list of people to take that person's place.