Never forget. (William Alatriste/City Council)

The proposed ventilation plant. (Curbed)

As a resident of the West Village, Lee Ielpi trudged by a fence of ceramic tiles daily in the raw weeks after 9/11, one that developed a comforting presence over the next decade, transformed from an impromptu memorial to an enduring memorial. Now that they have been to a library nearby, on display for all to come see and remember that horrific day, Ielpi was fighting off tears at an unveiling this morning.

“Time does not heal the wound—it has a scab on it, and every now and then I peel it off and talk about my son,” said Mr. Ielpi, president of the September 11th Families’ Association. He lost his son, a firefighter, in the attacks. “We have an obligation to our children, to our grandchildren, to never forget. It is through education, it is through enlightenment. This is part of that process.”

The tiles had stood at the corner of Greenwich and 7th avenues since shortly after the attack before being moved to the Jefferson Market Library on 6th Avenue and 10th Street, an accommodation to the MTA, which had long-standing plans to build a ventilation plant on the old corner.  In there new home, the tiles will be displayed behind glass in an exhibition throughout 2013. Created by average New Yorkers and out-of-towners to honor those who perished in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11th, 2001, the Tiles for America project was originally the brainchild of Lorrie Veasey, a potter and purveyor of several local ceramics stores (and now a consumer website) Our Name is Mud.

Tiles for America had been a “spontaneous” memorial where Ms. Veasey and any member of the public could paint a tile with an inspirational message—one reads “fight hate with love”—and hang it on the fence. The MTA had been weighing its controversial plan for years, before deciding in the fall it would move ahead. Some in the neighborhood wanted the memorial to remain there, and the MTA has said it would incorporate some of the tiles into the plant’s design.

Some of the tiles were given to the families of 9/11 victims, some are missing—Ielpi stressed to reporters not to focus on the missing tiles—and the rest are on display at the Jlibrary, where Council Speaker Christine Quinn worked with New York Public Library President Tony Marx to have the tiles placed temporarily.

“They’ll stop, they’ll talk to their parents, and they’ll ask about these tiles and they’ll learn about the horrible act that happened that day,” Ms. Quinn said. “And then they’ll learn about the thousands of thousands of people who came looking for their loved ones but also who came just to send love and support and the difference that can make.”

Although some 400 Ground Zero workers have died of cancer, the disease was not covered in federal legislation that set up the fund. Now, however, scientific findings have led authorities to conclude that up to 50 types of cancer are related to exposure to toxic dust at the site.

That is welcome news for thousands of workers and their loved ones. There is little doubt that those who worked the pile were exposed to carcinogens—and it may take many more years before some workers exhibit symptoms. Now, at least, they know that they will be taken care of if they become ill.

That’s the least we can do.

When it comes to anything World Trade Center progress moves at a notoriously glacial pace. But the decision of what to do with Fritz Koenig's Sphere—damaged and dented, but still intact after the WTC attacks— has been excruciatingly slow, even by World Trade Center standards.

Still, as of Thursday, a small bit of progress was made when Pat Foye, executive director of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said he believes the sphere should be made part of the World Trade Center memorial, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The statement came as a relief to Sphere supporter Michael Burke, who lost a brother in the attacks and has been a staunch advocate of the sculpture’s relocation to the 9/11 memorial site ever since.

“They say the sphere is reminding us directly of the attacks,” Mr. Burke told The Journal. “That kind of ignores the sphere’s existence. It’s absurd. Barring it from the site is a betrayal.”

"The point that Mr. Burke made resonates with many people in New York and New Jersey and many people here at the Port Authority, especially given the fact that 84 members of the Port Authority family were killed on 9/11," Mr. Foye said. "This is an artifact that survived and was affected by the horrors of 9/11, and placing it on the memorial plaza, we think, is entirely appropriate."

And while it's good to see some headway being made after back-and-forth debates (which were supposed to be settled back in May), especially give the impending homelessness of the statue, which has been camped out in Battery Park for the past decade but needs to be moved for park renovations, Mr. Foye's vague statement of support doesn't give many details about where exactly the 25-foot-tall, 45,000-pound sculpture will go.

Mr. Foye said that he hopes “the ultimate result will be one that is an appropriate site for the sphere and one that’s respectful of the views Mr. Burke spoke of at our meeting today.”

sgrothjan@observer.com

Ever vigilant. (Getty)

Though the 9/11 Memorial's attendance has been underwhelming, a few safety concerns have surfaced in the recent months. Terrorism, of course, has always been a focal point in post-9/11 debate and planning, but the NYPD acknowledged another concern: suicide.

As it sits, the granite memorial lined with artificial waterfalls drops three stories into the ground. Police officers are concerned that grief-stricken visitors will be overwhelmed and tempted to jump to their death, the Times reports:

[I]n New York, as the Sept. 11 memorial began to take shape in 2006, the concern about possible suicide attempts was expressed by James K. Kallstrom, a former adviser on counterterrorism. At the time, the greater concern was that someone would throw a satchel laden with explosives or release an airborne contaminant around the memorial’s twin, one-acre watery voids.“Our big worry several years ago, in the original design, was terrorism, and now we add suicide to the equation,” said Glenn P. Corbett, an associate professor of fire science at John Jay College, who is advising the Skyscraper Safety Campaign in its criticism of the memorial as inadequately safe and secure. “I think it’s going to happen — a suicide. I think it is an unbelievably emotional site.”

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said there is a plan in place to prevent suicides, though he refused to divulge it. Normally, this seems like hiding the truth from the public, but in this case, it probably makes sense not to make this any easier than it might already be.

mewing@observer.com

Slowing down? (Joe Woolhead/WTC Progress)

Was last year magical for the World Trade Center site, or was it merely a mirage? The Observer has heard more than once of a sort of media blackout—promises of cooperation so as not to taint the 10th anniversary of 9/11 with the same backbiting, political infighting and constituent-driven trench warfare that had reigned almost since the towers fell.

Instead, there were celebratory milestones. One World Trade Center was finally skyrocketing toward heaven, putting up nearly a floor per week. Condé Nast signed its game-changing lease for half of said tower. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an agreement with the long-suffering Greek Orthodox Church. And of course, the 9/11 Memorial opened on time, and quite a bit further along than originally hoped. The city was triumphant.

Was that real progress, though, or simply a one-year reprieve out of respect for the dead? With the exception of last week’s news that Condé would be taking additional space at 1 WTC, the bad news has been piling up all year.

The first was a disagreement that began in December between Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg over funding for the 9/11 Memorial. The Governor, who controls the Port Authority and thus the entire 16-acre site, says the Memorial Foundation owes the Port $300 million for infrastructure work. The Mayor, who is head of the memorial board, sees the reverse, and argues the Port owes the foundation $140 million.

He recently admitted that whatever the outcome of their disagreement, which could be bound for court, the museum will almost certainly not be open by the 11th anniversary, as had been long been the hope .

On Friday came more news that the project may have been mismanaged by former Port Authority executive director Chris Ward. He has been credited with getting the project on the right track and now headed for a job in a multinational private contractor, but both governors Christie and Cuomo have attacked him for everything from construction management at the site to the recent toll increases to help replenish the Port's capital funds—ostensibly depleted by the $10 billion World Trade Center project.

A fall report in the Post and now one from Crain’s both suggest that Mr. Ward spent lavishly and irresponsibly on the project, including a $60 million premium to get the project finished in time for the 10th anniversary. Supports of Mr. Ward counter that these were necessary steps to achieve the crucial result of an on-time memorial, and in the scheme of a multi-billion project, what is a few hundred million dollars but a rounding error? (Tell that to the people paying higher bridge and tunnel tolls, of course.)

This dispute may never fully be resolved—there will be no punitive impacts besides the criticizing of past leadership—so really it boils down to an argument between economics and emotions and which side New Yorkers fall on. Then again, there was the mega-report prepared by Mr. Ward when he arrived in 2008, that reestablished timetables for the site and largely set it on the course it currently rides. This latest white paper could have a similar effect, especially if it concludes that too much money is being spent in the name of a faster project.

Today comes the real bombshell, delivered again by Crain’s. As Towers 1 and 4 rise at the World Trade Center, racing to see who can top out first this spring—and transforming the Manhattan skyline in the process—it turns out that Larry Silverstein is prepared to cap construction on Tower 3.

He would leave one of the so-called stumps, a retail platform and a few mechanical floors atop which he might someday build. (Remember how long it took for the Hearst Tower?) The latest reports peg this at 7 stories, and far from what would have been the third tallest building in New York when it is completed.

But both Silverstein and Port Authority officials are deriding the news as “news,” or even non-news. This is nothing new they say, this has long been the plan, that without a tenant to take at least 10 floors of the 80-story tower, it would be capped for the time being. Now is simply the time when a decision must be made, and the unfortunate truth is that it does not look like there will be a suitable tenant in place in time to keep the tower rising.

Port Authority executive director Pat Foye agreed that this decision should not come as a surprise to the media or the public after a luncheon today at the New York Buildings Congress industry association. "No one's made any money in this city betting against Larry, in the city or the region or at the World Trade Center," Mr. Foye told reporters. "I don't think there was any news there. He needs a 400,000-square-foot tenant, or tenants, and my money's on that he'll get it and that tower will go forward."

He also said earlier, while on the podium, that he does not like negotiating in the press, in reference to a question about contractors not being paid on time at the World Trade Center. So the negotiations continue.

But what if that is precisely the problem. Last year, when UBS passed on taking space at 3 World Trade Center, it was seen as good news. Hey, at least people are looking. Now, nobody is looking, and it makes the front pages. Maybe things have always been as rough as they have always been and everyone just got tired of admitting it. Maybe nothing changed at ground zero except for the way the media is covering it.

mchaban [at] observer.com | @MC_NYC

Mark Wahlberg: 9/11 revisionist hero (Men's Health)

Mark "Say Hello to Your Mother for Me" Wahlberg might play a rogue vigilante in his new movie Contraband, but his recent boasts in Men's Journal about how he would have handled the hijackers during September 11th is over the line, according to one widow of the attacks.

“If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn’t have went down like it did," the actor and Entourage creator told journalist Erik Hedegaard in a profile for the February issue called Mark Wahlberg Handles His Business. "There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, 'OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry.'"

Deena Burnett-Bailey, whose husband Thomas Burnett died after rushing the cockpit of Flight 93 after it was overtaken, isn't so sure circumstances would have turned out any differently just because Marky Mark was there.

"Does Mark Wahlberg have a pilot's license?" the widow asked TMZ. "Then I think hindsight is 20/20 and it's insignificant to say what you would have done if you weren't there. "

"The plan for Flight 93 was foiled by heroes. For him to speculate that his presence on board could have stopped everything is silly and disrespectful. Sounds like someone is grandstanding."

Either that, or he's testing the waters for a controversial Con Air sequel that no one asked for.

No guns allowed!

And the answer is surprisingly...no. No you can't bring a gun into the 9/11 memorial, even if you politely tell a guard that you have a gun in your purse, forgot totally about it, and just want to check your firearm in the front desk, as was the case with 39-year-old Meredith Graves, a Tennessee native who didn't know the rules about big city mice and 32-caliber firearms.

Although the 9/11 memorial guard's response was pretty hilarious.

The guard told her that she was in luck because of “law enforcement day” — and led her to another area.

When she got to that section, she asked another cop, “We have this gun — can we check it in here? We [my husband and I] are not law-enforcement.”

That’s when she was arrested.

For a more festive memorial, however, travel across the waters of New York harbor to Staten Island, where a crèche honoring the first responders who died 10 years ago has been installed.

At the Casa Belvedere/The Italian Cultural Foundation, an 18-foot-long nativity crafted  artisans from Campania has been installed, a gift from the Naples Chamber of Commerce. The crèche, created in the style of 18th Century works, looks utterly normal except for the Three Wise Men, who instead of gold, frankincense and myrrh are presenting the baby Jesus with the helmets of three fallen firemen.

“The opportunity to exhibit this very generous gift from the Naples Chamber of Commerce to the New York City Fire Department as a tribute to the brave firefighters, police and EMS heroes is particularly meaningful on this, the 10th anniversary of 9/11,” Casa Belvedere Founder Gina Biancardi said. "It tugs at the heart."

mchaban [at] observer.com | @MC_NYC

Making his way down the red carpet, the young Mr. Horn spoke of his gratitude towards Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock—his co-stars—neither of whom “had any responsibility to be so kind to me”. He then outwitted one reporter who attempted to get him to describe the poster, (which features the young boys face hidden behind his hands), asking him if he was always that sad.

He replied at length about Asperger's syndrome, a form of which his character suffers from.

The rest of the cast were also impressed by the 13 year old, many of them referencing his eloquence. He told us how he landed his role due to a winning appearance on Teen Jeopardy—after which he was contacted by the producers.

“We hope that this film will show people that the best way to overcome grief is to connect with other people,” he explained. “But I can’t personally know that because I’m lucky enough not to have been through it myself.”

Summing up the focus of the film the young actor surmised. “We’ve tried our best to portray the story in a way that could be seen as accurate. We’ve done our research on 9/11, the victims of 9/11 and also on Asperger's syndrome.”

Max Von Sydow, who plays Horn’s grandfather, told us about what the film means to New York and the difficulties involved in taking a character away from its author. “It is a chance for us to come together. There are certain things that help in the healing process and I think this is one of them.”
He also told us of the challenges the actors (and script writers) faced in conveying the deeper themes of Mr. Foer’s novel. “We had to change [the script] once or twice throughout the process...I’m interested to see what he thinks.”

We also ran into Viola Davis, who in addition to having a role in Extremely Loud, got news of her Golden Globe nomination for best actress, for her turn in the The Help that same day. She was asleep when she heard the news. Of her new film, she said, “It reminds us of a time when we woke up to the fact that we need each other to feel and we need each other to grieve.”

During the pre-screening introductions, Mr. Hanks, seemingly in a volubale mood, made the most of his audience—throwing his hands up in the air and punctuating his contemporaries comments with witticisms of his own. As the credits rolled the cast received a tearful ovation and we too headed home with a lump in our throat.

Horn and New York City.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a bold and honorable film, beautifully made, and sensitively acted (especially by a kid named Thomas Horn, in his first acting role, who literally steals the movie right out from under everyone else). It is meticulously directed. It is richly photographed, with the kind of dreamscape quality that makes New York look like a museum mural. It is also preposterous.

Every talent involved with this endeavor is first-rate. Based on the 2005 best seller by Jonathan Safran Foer, it boasts a screenplay by Eric Roth (Forrest Gump). The cast is exemplary. The direction is by Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot). Chris Menges (The Killing Fields) is behind the camera and the music is by Alexandre Desplat (The King’s Speech). The word “quality” is stamped on every frame, and as movies go, it does indeed tower above the norm. In addition, the story is a wrenching mix of hope and despair about disrupted lives in the aftermath of 9/11. So what’s wrong with this picture? Or what’s wrong with me? I was told going in to bring a box of Kleenex. But nobody around me was sobbing. It was two hours and 10 minutes long. I kept checking my watch. I admired all the good work by so many good people, but clearly I found something about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close labored and muddled, and it wasn’t just the title.

Here’s the plot, in a peanut shell. A brilliant 11-year-old boy named Oskar Schell (the remarkable young Mr. Horn, who was discovered stumping the world on the addictive TV show Jeopardy) hears the voice of his beloved dad (Tom Hanks) for the last time on a phone from the World Trade Center the morning of Sept. 11. Oskar’s world turns upside down from that day forward. His mother, Linda (Sandra Bullock), spends most of her time in bed, unable to give her son the healing he needs. A year after this life-changing horror, a vase falls from the top of his father’s closet and shatters, revealing a mysterious key in a small envelope with the word “Black” on it. It must be a sign. The rest of the movie is about his search all over the city of New York to find the lock that fits the key and possibly the secret that unlocks the future. So with the aid of the back-breaking phone books for the city’s five boroughs, Oskar sets out to ring the doorbells of 472 people named Black, armed with binoculars, an Israeli gas mask, an ancient camera, a cell phone and a tambourine he beats to settle his nerves. Because public transport makes him nervous and he’s afraid of bridges, he walks all the way to Brooklyn to begin his quest. Here is an extremely loquacious, querulous and precocious child, psychologically damaged and easily susceptible to panic, on a mission to locate and interrogate 472 people in a New York maze that would, in real life, take about 472 years. The fact that the search ends in just over two hours of screen time is another puzzler, and for the most part, the adventure is as fascinating as it is daunting.

Then, under closer analysis, the questions begin to nag. A peculiar old mute (Max von Sydow) with the words “yes” and “no” either written, tattooed or branded into the palms of his hands, becomes Oskar’s traveling companion throughout the hundreds of miles of streets winding from Manhattan to the Bronx. He shortens the journey (and the movie) by taking the subway. The action is intercut with memories of special times Oskar spent with his dad (providing Mr. Hanks with more than just a walk-on) and the patience and knowledge he learned from their extraordinary relationship. The clever, elaborate strategy the kid maps out to track down every Black in the metropolitan area gets more implausible by the minute. He never goes to school. His mother never goes to work. His grandmother (Zoe Caldwell, in a cameo that consists of no more than a dozen lines of dialogue in a phony German accent) disappears from their lives completely. A nice little literary exercise on paper, perhaps, but I’m afraid it didn’t add up to anything convincing for me on the screen.

It seems like a waste of time to list all the ways the story fails to work, or how the daily actions (especially the geographical challenges) of the boy (and, as it turns out, his mother!) prove downright impossible—because in a film that distills the varied and decimating emotional traumas of 9/11, it’s easy to overlook the flaws. The kid carries the movie and is in every scene. It’s a monumental task and he carries it off heroically in a demanding role that requires a bright youngster who is intensely involved in the moment. Reading the press notes, it’s worth noting that Mr. Horn seems born to play Oskar; he’s a wunderkind who excels in karate, tennis and piano and speaks fluent Croatian and Mandarin. He’s never been in a film before, but I doubt if those abilities will ever be needed, utilized or even understood in Hollywood. Still, he makes this movie worth the effort. Maybe the holes in the plot that need clarification are the fault of the book, which I never read, but Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close did not affect me the way it seems to touch others. Certainly not a bad movie, but a disappointing one. It knocks itself out trying to break your heart, but it’s too starched and blow-dried for its own good. Maybe if it had manipulated me less, it would have moved me more.

rreed@observer.com

EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

Running Time 130 minutes

Written by Eric Roth and Jonathan Safran Foer

Directed by Stephen Daldry

Starring Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock

2.5/4