Meet the 2011 Hero Dog Award Winner

10/05/2011

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Michael Hingson and his seeing eye dog Roselle were on the 78th floor of Tower One the morning of 9/11. Once the first plane struck, the Yellow Labrador and her owner guided others down 1,463 stairs to exit the building.

Tower Two began to collapse shortly after Hingson reached ground level. According to Recycler.com:
"We were literally 100 yards from Tower Two when it collapsed," Hingson said. "We had to run for our lives and again, she just focused and did everything that she needed to do to guide us safely. And we survived."

Sadly, Roselle passed away earlier this year. But check out the video below to see her owner tell her amazing story at the Hero Dog Awards!

 

Andi Grill
Digital Producer
Discovery Channel

Creating New Memories of Ground Zero

09/16/2011

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The tenth anniversary of September 11th, 2001 has passed and news media coverage of the event and  abounds. I personally found it a bit difficult to watch coverage and look at some of the beautiful, yet heartbreaking photos of those mourning their loved ones at the memorial site.

In perusing some of the media covering the anniversary, I stumbled upon this great Huffington Post piece by Joe Daniels. He talked about his experiences visiting Ground Zero shortly after the attacks in 2001 and his experiences visiting the site during the anniversary this year. It's definitely worth a read, as he reflects upon the meaning of the Ground Zero site - and the new memories that can be created there.

Kate Delmonico
Social Media
Discovery Channel

Rising: An Open Note of Thanks from the GM of Science

09/09/2011

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I want to thank each and every one of you who touched Rising. You have given me new role models of courage and dedication.

Working on this series changed me. I am really lucky. I absolutely love what I do. As General Manager of Science, I lead a wonderfully talented creative team who push to find stories and ideas that make science, engineering and innovation more thought provoking, relatable and inspiring. Rising, Rebuilding Ground Zero turned out to be the mother lode of all these things. I will never forget the amazing  people we met on this journey, both in front of and behind the camera. The Rebuilders.

The architects and workers who are literally rebuilding with their incredible passion and remarkable physical skills to transforming lower Manhattan.

The family members who are rebuilding their lives after their terrible loss on 911 and channel their grief into helping others.

The residents and businesses of lower Manhattan who believed and rebuilt their lives and their community.

The first responders, fire fighters, port authority and police. Thank you for doing what you do and sharing your stories. You inspire us all.

Thank you to the producing team, composers, photographers, sound engineers, editors, assistants, marketers, who worked round the clock. Your dedication shines though. This wasn't easy and I am in awe of the care and devotion you gave to this project.

And to you, our Science and Discovery audience, thank you for embracing these stories and donating to help the families and first responders. We will be staying with this project until all of the buildings are complete and will bring you annual specials documenting the progress. Please continue to give us feedback, as it helps to guide us.

In the beginning we were warned by many people this project couldn't be done. You can't mix engineering with emotional stories. You'll never get access to the site. Deadlines have been missed for years. Or, my favorite: There is nothing going on there. A final thank you to our spirited partners who helped us pull this off. You believed and it mattered. I will never be the same, and I thank you all.

Debbie Myers
General Manager
Science

P.S. Lee Ielpi, you are my hero.

Shankvsille, PA & Washington, DC Prepare for 9/11 Anniversary

09/08/2011

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While the National 9/11 Memorial prepares for its 10th anniversary ceremony on Sunday in NYC,  Shanksville, PA and Washington, D.C. are also readying for memorial events to commemorate those lost in the attacks on their regions.

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, as well as Vice Presiden Joe Biden and Speaker of the House John Boehner will attend a memorial dedication in Shanksville, PA on Saturday's dedication of the Flight 93 National Memorial.

The Pentagon Memorial Fund has reinvigorated its fundraising efforts to raise resources for teaching the history of 9/11 in classrooms. "By offering lesson plans and activities Pentagon Memorial Fund is helping teachers of all levels revisit this most historic and important day. I know I speak for all the families involved with the PMF when I express our sincere thanks for all the hard work that went into this effort. We hope this initiative helps ensure that we as a country never forget the importance September 11, 2001," says James J. Laychak, President of the Pentagon Memorial Fund.

How will you be remembering 9/11 in your community?

Kate Delmonico
Social Media
Discovery Channel

Rising: The Reviews

09/03/2011

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Though I am a newcomer in comparison to most others working on this project, I still cannot believe that Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero premiered last week on both Discovery Channel and Science. We have been dilligently updating this blog for the past year, in anticipation for both the premiere of the show, but the much larger event of the 10th anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 attacks.

As the day draws closer, and the 6 part series continues to air, I have to say how proud I am to have touched this project, even in the most distant of ways. When the dust settled and I had a chance to check out some of the reviews of the show, the resounding sentiment was that Rising was a project of hope and moving forward, which has been the desire of those involved all along.

Stay tuned as the series continues - something tells me the positive spirit of the show will only continue to shine through as that tower climbs back into the sky.

Kate Delmonico
Social Media
Discovery Channel

Help Support 9/11 Charities

08/31/2011

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How can we ever say thank you to the people that have dedicated their lives to a better tomorrow since September 11? A great place to start is by supporting two incredible 9/11 nonprofit organizations: The FealGood Foundation and the Tribute WTC Visitor Center.

The FealGood Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of 9/11 first responders. Founded by John Feal, a construction demolition expert and fellow first responder, their mission is to educate the public about the health needs of those individuals that came to the aid of fellow citizens following the September 11 attacks. Your donation will help the FealGood Foundation continue to support 9/11 first responders.

The Tribute WTC Visitor Center helps connect visitors to ground zero with those who experienced the historic events of 9/11 through tours, exhibits and other programs. Founded by Lee Ielpi, a former firefighter who lost his own son in the attacks, the center welcomes more than 500,000 visitors to the World Trade Center site each year. Donate and help the Tribute WTC Visitor Center continue to support visitors and school groups from all over the world.

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Every penny will go a long way towards caring for first responders and educating the next generation.

Andi Grill
Digital Producer
Discovery Channel

Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero - A Note From The Producer

08/25/2011

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I have been working on "Rising - Rebuilding Ground Zero" now for two years, by far the longest I have ever been on a project. An army of incredibly dedicated and talented people put their lives on hold for these shows. It is surreal that tonight the first shows will finally hit the air.

Producing these six very important hours was intimidating from the get go. It started with a career defining tour of the site with Steven Spielberg and ended with the busiest month of work in my life. "Rising" has been both rewarding and humbling. It has also been the toughest challenge of my career. The 16 sacred acres at Ground Zero are not only where thousands were murdered, they are the site of the most important construction project in the history of the United States. There is both sadness and hope at Ground Zero and this series had to do justice to both. We had to honor the past while celebrating the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan. We had to look back while also looking forward. Finding that balance proved to be the key to the show.  

Along the way, the production team has had its ups and downs. We had good problems... too many stories to tell, too many great, quintessential NYC characters, volatile weather. And bad problems...restricted access to the site, voice over drama, construction delays. I am incredibly proud of how we powered through and where we ended up. The series is full of emotion and heart-wrenching stories of the aftermath. But, the shows also capture ground-breaking engineering, masterful planning and superhuman attention to detail. They shine a light our response to the terrorists and reveal the triumph of the American spirit. We show that what has been going on at Ground Zero for the last ten years is not an embarrassment, it is a national treasure. 

I realized a few Saturdays ago while watching yet another "Rising" cut that this series is my small way of contributing to the rebuilding, to the healing. I was not in the US on 9/11. That Tuesday was the first day of my honeymoon. I hope that nearly ten years later this show can help someone still grieving. I hope it makes people proud to be from this country. If it does either, it is a success in my book.

'Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero' premieres tonight on Discovery Channel at 8PM ET/PT.

Christo Doyle
Managing Executive Producer
Discovery Channel

WTC Steel Used As Foundation For Memorials Across 50 States

08/20/2011

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On September 11th, the eyes of the nation will be on Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center attacks ten years earlier. However, across the nation, 225 smaller memorials will be sites of remembrance as well.

The NY Daily News is reporting that across America and even overseas, some 1,200 tons of twisted metal has been distributed for use at 9/11 memorial sites. 

"One such place is the farming town of Brown City, Mich., (population, 1,000), which received a 19-foot, 15,000-pound icon to display at the local firehouse.

"We're nobody from nowhere, but every year on 9/11, we put 343 flags in front of our fire station to remember New York's lost firefighters," said Fire Chief Jim Groat Jr., 51."

Kate Delmonico
Social Media
Discovery Channel

Bloomberg Gives NASA Shuttle Crew Tour of New WTC Site

08/18/2011

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As my colleague Kate mentioned in her last post, the last mission of the NASA shuttle program was an incredible event that is close to our hearts here at Discovery. You just can't help but feel inspired by the people behind the shuttle program who have given so much of themselves to make the program a success over the years - a sentiment that seems to be shared by many both here in the US and around the world.

So I was thrilled to see a piece from MSNBC about none other than NYC's Mayor Bloomberg giving the last shuttle team a tour around the gorgeous new World Trade Center site yesterday. This is just part of a larger tour around the city, including a meet and greet with Elmo at a science fair! 

I can't deny it, I'm a little jealous of this itinery (who doesn't want a private night tour of ground zero and a chance to meet Elmo!). But the last shuttle crew has certainly earned some special rewards back here on planet Earth. 

Check out these photos of the astronauts' tour of NYC on Space.com!

Andi Grill
Digital Producer
Discovery Channel

Photographer Re-Visits Ground Zero

08/12/2011

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I recently had the distinct pleasure of attending the final NASA shuttle launch at Kennedy Space Center. I was unsure of what to expect and how I would react, but the emotions of that day totally overtook me in that moment and it was a truly powerful, incredible, and utterly unforgettable experience. When I returned to DC, sufficiently exhausted and mosquito-bitten, I tried to sift through the scores of media hits and press pieces surrounding the previous days events. But it was a simple photo that a co-worker sent me that truly made me stop in my tracks. A photo of a father and son at the first shuttle launch, then re-created 30 years later at the final launch. There was something so simple yet so poignant; it symbolized this unwavering relationship between a father and son and between two men and their pride for their country.

So maybe I am just a sap for nostalgia, but I was intrigued when I saw this MSNBC piece on a photographer who was revisiting Ground Zero, 10 years after he grabbed his camera and inadvertantly walked into the war zone that was September 11th, 2001. I think there is something innately beautiful about this piece and the photos simply speak to the resilience of our country through this last decade.

Kate Delmonico
Social Media
Discovery Channel