Everyone has their own way of dealing with tragedy but does the commodification of 9/11 really add up? Sample a selection of the souvenirs or ‘comfort gifts’ on offer.
I ‘Leadership’ by Giuliani Before 2001 V; . I RUdOlph (ilULlAls'l Giuliani l.liz\l)lRSlill Was 8
~ right Wing mayor famed for his draconian swoops on New Yorkers' civil liberties. Eighteen months months later he had dispensed with his forename and was on the best seller list. Paperback edition only $36.29. I ‘Alice in Wonderland and the “- World u. Trade :r" Center u-I-u- Disaster:
"-fi “275‘ Why the In Official m Story of
9/11 is a Lie’ by David Icke Never backward in coming froward with his theories. David lcke was quick off the mark to debunk what he viewed as the myths behind the events of 9/11. Of the 1557 books on Amazon.co.uk that refer to 9/1 1, his is one of the major sellers. $316 plus postage.
I Cheques Displayed on a website between
cheques flashed with the Hulk and the Care Bears come these which utilise the iconic image attached to the Bravest Fund - set up to benefit directly those who suffered in the events of 9/11. 812.99. I Tea tray Nothing says thank you to the fire fighters that -___ - .. lost their lives in the aftermath like an aluminium tray for bringing in the breakfast in bed. Yours for St 7. I Snowboard As tributes go. this commemorative
20 THE LIST 9—23 Sep 200.:
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Brian Donaldson looks at the many conspiracy theories, from the daft to the downright spooky, surrounding 9/11.
hat's the greatest conspiracy theory everl’ is it that Diana was humped
off in Paris by the Duke of
lidinburgh'.’ (‘otrld it he the one which insists that Pattl McCartney was murdered by lilvis in the late (i()s and replaced all these years by a miserable clone‘.’ ()r' is it that shape-shifting lizards are really the ones making the decisions at the top of the economic. strategic and political trees'.’ None of that lot. No. it’s the one that states that genuine concerns about society's violation at the hands of the powers— that-be are being swamped by the lunatic fringe whose conspiracy theories are fitting only for a channel Five top 20 rundown. In which case. the truth about what exactly happened in New York. Washington and the skies above Pennsylvania will never rear its head above the parapet of piffle which has spread like wildfire across this iconic story. There are scores of stories which have been easily refuted: the image of Satan/Jesus on the side of the \Vor‘ld Trade (‘entrc as it slttokes: that ()sama bin Laden owns (‘itibank and/or Snapple: that if you fold a $20 bill in certain ways you can see the Twin Towers abla/e and the Pentagon on tire (and of course. if you add i) and l 1. what do you get’.’l: type in Q33.\'Y in Microsoft Word (point size 72 for full effect) and then into the wingdings font to discover that it's all a Jewish/Gates plot (if a plausible L)/| l-related explanation is discovered about '+ 5213'. then we may get genuinely freaked out): what of the final picture of 'Tourist Guy" atop the twin towers
unaware that a plane is heading straight for
him'.’. Then there's the X—l‘T/(Ky episode in which the (‘IA comes close to remote- controlling a passenger flight into. yep. you
guessed it. the World 'l'r'ade Centre. All spooky stuff but ultimately daft and inconclusive.
But there are others. which nag away and confuse tIs becatrse we can‘t quite put our linger on a delinitivc answer. When George W Bush was told by his chief of staff that America was under attack why did he sit in an elementary school for nearly half an hour listening to a story about a pet goat'.’ :\ recent amateur video entitled ")/l l in Plane Site' has
investigated a report broadcast on the day of
the slaughter but never repeated that some eye witnesses. including firefighters. insisted that the second plane had no windows and appeared to lire a missile just before smashing into the tower. Neither of these claims suggest that a passenger flight was involved.
Plus. why did the l'SA’s top Bin Laden investigator resign in .luly 2i)()l '.’ Why was the l‘Bl impeded in its enquiries into suspicious flying students'.’ Was the discovery of the largely intact passport of hijacker Mohammad .»\tta found in the debris at Ground Zero a modern miracle or planted evidence'.’
We love conspiracy theories. They help tIs seek out some explanation behind tragedies which leave as shocked to the core. At times.
the more fantastical the explanation the easier
it can be for some of Us to cope with the horror. With ‘)/l I there are no aliens. no living lilviscs and Hitler is nowhere near this one. It‘s a straight light between believing that a bunch of fanatics hijacked some planes one day in September and caused unspeakable carnage or disbelieving anything the Bush administration has ever told Us about ‘)/I l.
The 9/1 1 Conspiracies, Channel 4, Thu 9 Sep, 9pm.
Snowboard Is perhaps among the most surreal given New Yer'k's Synonymy With the sport. Price on applicatron.
I Bracelet charm
The wn N (I I
’5': towers cast here '* detailed &, sterling “‘ silver to
add to a charm bracelet like those ones that were all the rage In the 70s and 80s. Bids on eBay start at a bar'garnous 55c.
NETXTCOS‘TCOM
NEXTCOSTCOM I Tickets for the World Trade Centre Issued for (it) August 2001 , these are tickets for the observation deck of the towers. Unused. Prices start at 89.99 each. I Statue A membrable scene from the disaster area rendered pottery to rest on one's desk. Is It possible that buying from a website called wwwgroundzerocollect- Ibles.com is in Itself an act of bad taste? The claim is that money from every item sold goes to the Bravest Fund. $149.99 in painted resm and $249.99 in pewter.
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I Sofa throw This Iconic image while at home on the family sofa can also be printed on T-shirts. tote bags. mugs. nightshirts and of course. fridge magnets. The throw costs $44.95.