September 11th’s Week in Review

2. September 11th’s Week in Review | Timothy Comeau
Last weekend hearing the words “September 11th” as part of a documentary made me realize how it has become an integral part of our vocabulary, used almost unconsciously. The following is an account of my hearing in conversation or radio, and seeing in print, the words “9/11” or “September 11th”. I have tried to record the time and the context as accurately as and as agreeably as possible, without extraneous detail.

sun 26 jan

  • on Catholic.net, in an article headlined, “The Day they begged for priests”
  • 12:29 AM | in a Trektoday.com BBS posting about two particular episodes of DS9

    • mon 27 jan

  • 12.10am | heard on BBC radio report on the impending Hans Blix report
  • 3pm | “stories from 911” as a subtitle to a book seen at Pages
  • 5pm | completely unrelated paragraph in the book Citizens by Simon Schama, refering to September 11 1792
  • 8.08pm | David Frum speaking in an interview on TVO
  • 9.20pm | In an article by Christopher Hitchens on Slate.com

    • tues 28 jan

  • 12.30pm | Walter Mead, writing in the Globe and Mail, includes “Sept 11.” three times in his commentary article by Walter Mead in the Globe and Mail with the headline “How Bush grasps the world”.
  • 1.55pm | “9/11” seen in a graphic from a CNN screencapture of the memorial service in a Google.com image search for the Ground Zero architectural proposals (prompted by an article headline in artsjournal.com).
  • 2.36pm | David Collenete, Minister of Transport, speaking during Question Period broadcast live on CPAC, said “September 11th 2001”
  • 8.13-14 PM | “September 11th” was said three times in the space of two minutes during the Newshour special on the 108th Congress on PBS

    • wed 29 jan

  • 1.14 am | “9/11” heard in an interview on the State of the Union address with Alexie Simingtiger (not sure if that’s spelled right) broadcast on the BBC World Service.
  • 1.44-46pm | Isabelle Devos, speaking about her “Insecurities Project” in a CBC Newsworld interview said, “September 11th” twice in two minutes.

    • thu 30 jan

  • 3.14 am | “September 11th” was said in a voice over and in print on CBC News. The story involved the Privacy Commissioner’s report on the Federal Government’s proposed security legislation.
  • 1.31pm | From Google.news: “September 11 relatives relive trauma > Expatica > 1 hour ago > 30 January 2003 HAMBURG > Five relatives of victims of the September 11 attacks offered tearful testimony at the al Qaeda terrorism trial in Germany”
  • 1.34m | Headline on CBC.ca: “Witness > Tonight’s documentary, “Security Threat” shows how far security demands have threatened our privacy and curtailed our civil liberties since Sept. 11th”.
  • 2.33pm | Headline on GlobeandMail.ca “Privacy under ‘unprecedented assault’ Radwanski accuses Ottawa of ‘using’ Sept. 11 to become Big Brother”.
  • 4.40pm | Google.news “Ridge Touts Border Security Plan > Washington Post – 2 hours ago > New homeland security chief Tom Ridge, telling America’s enemies: “We are coming after you,” set out his plans on Thursday for tightening security at US borders and preventing further Sept. 11-style attacks. “
  • 4.46 | Headline on CNN.com ” 9/11 families confront terror suspect in German court”fri 31 jan
  • Rick Groen’s review of the movie “The Recruit” in the Globe and Mail: “Certainly, there can be no doubt that the setting here is post-Sept 11”.
  • 4.12pm | George W. Bush, speaking at his press conference with Tony Blair, “After September 11th 2001 the world changed…” Tony Blair, speaking a minute after, said, “…his leadership since September 11th…”sat 1 feb
  • This week’s issue of the Economist, in an article envisioning the world in 2033 mentions “September 11th”.
  • Shuttle Accident: CNN reporter in front of the White House mentions “September 11th”
  • I visited Sasha at Mercer Union and told her about Shuttle Disaster II. We went on the internet to watch videos on CBC.ca; Sasha and I began to talk about how it was like September 11th, the news coverage being on all channels. Notable comment by Sasha regarding our use of the net to follow the story, “…the internet wasn’t very good during 9/11…”.
  • Later I was browsing in Pages and my eye caught Noam Chomsky’s “9/11” book.