Health Problems, Funding Fights Cloud 9/11 Anniversary

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* Politicians excluded from speaking at anniversary

* At least 1,000 emergency workers have died from respiratory ailments

* WTC collapse, jet fuel and burning plastics released carcinogens

By Chris Francescani

NEW YORK, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Eleven years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, New Yorkers will mark the anniversary on Tuesday against a backdrop of health concerns for emergency workers and a feud over financing that has stopped construction of the $1 billion Ground Zero museum.

While notable progress on redevelopment of the World Trade Center has been made since early disputes over financial, design and security issues, the project remains hobbled by political battles and billions of dollars in cost overruns.

A major sticking point is the museum at the heart of the World Trade Center (WTC) site redevelopment. Construction has been suspended because of a feud over finances between the National September 11 Memorial and Museum foundation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

When the foundation announced recently that for the first time, politicians would be excluded from having speaking roles in the Sept. 11 anniversary ceremonies, it was seen by many victims' families and others in the 9/11 community as a public reflection of these behind-the-scenes disputes.

Overall site redevelopment costs have grown to nearly $15 billion, up from $11 billion in 2008, according to a recent project audit.

But for many of the families of 9/11 victims and ailing Ground Zero workers, the redevelopment disputes are a disheartening sideshow to the rising loss of human lives.

When the 110-storey Twin Towers came down, thousands of tons of steel, concrete, window glass and asbestos came down with it. While thousands of gallons (litres) of flaming jet fuel and burning plastics released deadly carcinogens.

Last week, the New York City Fire Department added nine names to the 55 already etched on a wall honoring members who have died of illnesses related to Ground Zero rescue and recovery work.

Some estimates put the overall death toll from 9/11-related illness at more than 1,000. Nationwide, at least 20,000 Ground Zero workers are being treated and 40,000 are being monitored by the World Trade Center Health Program.

"We're burying guys left and right," said Nancy Carbone, executive director of Friends of Firefighters, a Brooklyn-based non-profit that helps treat first responders. "This is an ongoing epidemic."

In the past seven weeks, three New York City cops, two firefighters and a construction union worker who toiled at Ground Zero have died of cancer or respiratory illnesses, according John Feal, who runs a non profit that monitors Ground Zero health care issues.

The staggered nature of the respiratory diagnoses have complicated efforts to distribute $2.7 billion in federal victim compensation funds. A range of cancers is expected to be added to the list of ailments covered by the fund this month.

Leslie Haskins, who lost her husband on 9/11, said she has grown disillusioned by the politics of the reconstruction, and wants to see more attention paid to the ailing workers.

"They are sick and dying and their marriages are breaking up," she said. "Why are we pouring all this money into buildings when men don't have enough insurance to buy breathing apparatus?"


PROGRESS AND SETBACKS

Retired Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) battalion chief Jim Riches, who spent nine months digging through the rubble at Ground Zero before his firefighter son's body was recovered, called the reconstruction disputes "a disgrace."

Seven years ago, Riches was hospitalized with acute respiratory disease and fell into a 16-hour coma. He came out of the coma with stroke-like symptoms.

"We can send men to the moon but we can't rebuild some buildings in more than 10 years?" he asked.

Some progress has been made by Larry Silverstein, the developer who owned the lease on the Twin Towers and is now building three office tower at the Ground Zero site, and the Port Authority. The September 11 foundation has also raised hundreds of millions in private and public funding for the overall project.

One step forward was last fall's opening of the September 11 Memorial at Ground Zero, twin reflecting pools in the footprints of the towers. More than four million people have visited.

Also, One World Trade Center, one of the tallest towers in the country, is near completion and expected to open in 2014.

Yet disagreements over costs have undermined the rebuilding and hurt public relations. Among the disputes, the September 11 foundation insists the Port Authority owes it $140 million, according to a source familiar with the financial issues.

The Port Authority believes it is owed $300 million, the source said.

Feal, a demolitions expert who lost part of his leg doing post 9/11 recovery work, is among those who said they are tired of reading about the contentious World Trade Center project when health concerns persist.

"2,751 lives were lost that day," he said "That's sad, but they didn't suffer long. These first responders have been slowly dying for 11 years."

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Dawn Sweeney: Replacing Hunger With Health

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Dawn Sweeney and Tom Nelson GET UPDATES FROM Dawn Sweeney   Like GET UPDATES FROM Tom Nelson   Like Replacing Hunger With HealthPosted: 09/05/2012 8:52 pm React Inspiring
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For the millions of school-aged children heading back to school, having proper nutrition can mean the difference between returning to school in the fall ready to learn, or falling behind. Nearly 49 million Americans, including 16.2 million children, lack the means to get enough nutritious food on a regular basis. That equates to one in five children living in hunger, worrying whether they'll have enough food to have the energy needed to learn, grow and thrive.

The recession hit American households hard. Families grappling with job loss, foreclosures and medical bills have also struggled to stock their pantries and put food on the table. Even as our nation heads toward economic recovery, many people today continue to rely on the assistance of school lunch programs, food pantries and other community anti-hunger initiatives to provide meals for their families.

It's not enough, however, to make sure America's children have enough to eat; we must also make sure they are getting the nutrition they need to live healthy, active lives. Having access to ample nutritious food is critical to a child's healthy development, especially as it relates to their physical health, cognition, academic performance, and emotional and social well-being. Research indicates that hungry children do not perform as well academically because they are not well-prepared and have trouble concentrating, setting them up to be less productive, less successful adults than their food-secure peers.

Understanding this urgent need to address the sharp imbalance of food allocation, the restaurant industry, through the National Restaurant Association, and the national nonprofit Share Our Strength are working together to help end childhood hunger in America through Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign. No Kid Hungry builds public-private partnerships to fight childhood hunger and relies on the strength of restaurant industry volunteers to help build public awareness about the problem and solutions to end it. The campaign creates partnerships aimed at increasing access to food for families and educates children and families about nutritious, affordable eating. Through this partnership, restaurants and chefs have helped raise nearly $100 million since Share Our Strength's inception in 1984 to help make sure that no child goes hungry.

An example of the combined power of No Kid Hungry and the National Restaurant Association is Share Our Strength's Dine Out For No Kid Hungry, an annual effort that leverages the generous nature of restaurant-goers and industry members to raise funds that support the No Kid Hungry campaign. Each September, participating restaurants develop their own creative ways to raise funds that the campaign uses to combat childhood hunger across the country.

While our goal comes with a number -- we are committed to working together to triple the funds raised for the No Kid Hungry campaign through 2013 -- it also comes with a vision to ensure that America's kids have the tools and resources they need to lead quality, productive lives. We truly believe that each child in America should have the opportunity, right and privilege to a healthy childhood -- one that paves the way for them to do well in school, stay active and dream big without interruption from hunger. It's a vision aligned with the National Restaurant Association's fundamental goal to enhance the quality of life for all we serve.

The fight to end hunger is not just limited to the summer months when children may go without school lunch and breakfast programs, or to September during Dine Out For No Kid Hungry, or to any other singular month's observance; it's a very real and urgent issue that must be nationally addressed year-round to give us our best chance at improving the outlook and lives of the millions of children considered food-insecure. Everyone can play a part -- through time, donations and outreach -- in achieving this goal. To learn more about how to join this cause and about Dine Out For No Kid Hungry, go to dineout.strength.org.

Dawn Sweeney is the president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association. Tom Nelson is the president of Share Our Strength.

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