Three things for September 8
1. Photojournalist recounts experiences during 9/11 attack, war in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay
Photojournalist Alan Chin recently shared about his time photographing historical phenomena around the world. As the 20 year anniversary of 9/11 approaches, Chin has spent time reflecting on his career. Chin has covered monumental historical moments such as the 9/11 attack, the war in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay prison.
“Twenty years is a long time, long enough to forget what the texture of daily life was like. I think back to that September day in New York, and the six months that came after – when I traveled to Afghanistan, to witness the early months of the war, and then to Cuba, to see the Guantánamo Bay prison,” Chin said to Insider. “I had a cellphone, but not a digital camera. My internet was dial-up and I was driving a 1987 Mazda. My parents were alive and well.”
Chin typically spent time traveling the world as a photojournalist, capturing varying stories. On Sept. 11, 2001, however, he happened to be home in New York.
“I hopped onto my bike and rushed as fast as I could toward the burning towers. I left my bike at City Hall and started walking down Vesey Street until I reached the corner of Church Street – directly across from the World Trade Center,” Chin said. “Out of the corner of my eye, I saw what I thought was debris falling from the North Tower. But behind me, I heard a horrified voice say, "Oh my God. Another one." I realized that the debris was a person, a person who had just plummeted hundreds of feet to certain death.”
A month later, Chin was assigned to document the beginnings of the Afghanistan war. In 2002, he was assigned a story following the Guantanamo Bay prison.
“My own photographs sometimes feel unfamiliar. The film and contact sheets bear grease pencil marks from old edits; the notes both handwritten and typed sometimes refer to people and places I must look up to remind myself of forgotten details. And then, suddenly, it is shockingly immediate once again,” said Chin.
To read more about Chin’s photographs and time documenting events, click here.
2. Andrea Constand writes of Cosby trial and Me Too movement in new memoir
During the initial police investigation of actor Bill Cosby in 2005, Andrea Constand remained largely anonymous. As the sexual assault allegations played out in Pennsylvania courts, a local prosecutor declined to arrest Cosby. According to AP News, Constand signed a nondisclosure agreement a year later when she settled her lawsuit against the wealthy entertainer for $3.4 million.
Constand recently decided to share more of her story in a memoir called “The Moment.” The memoir was released on Tuesday, Sept. 7.
“Now that I have weathered yet another strange turn in this long saga, I realize that I cannot let reversals like the (Pennsylvania) Supreme Court decision defeat me. Life is unpredictable. Much is beyond our control. In the end, happiness is all that matters and I am determined to live a happy, purposeful life,” Constand writes in a late addition to the book, describing her new work as an advocate for sexual assault victims.
The book lands amid a stunning turn of events in the case.
Cosby, after spending nearly three years in prison, walked free in June when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his 2018 conviction.
For more information on the trial proceedings through the years, read the full AP News article here.
3. Twin panda cubs born at the Madrid Zoo
On Monday, Madrid’s panda family grew with the birth of twin cubs, a boost to the popular species that is considered China’s national treasure.
The births took place with a four-hour difference on Monday morning.
“Veterinarians were waiting to determine the pair’s sex, weight and vital signs. But the zoo statement said the birth had been ‘calmer’ due to the mother’s experience,” reports AP News.
Conservation efforts in the past five years, including panda breeding in captivity, have brought the giant pandas back from the brink of extinction. The species was officially removed from the “endangered'“ list in 2016, and is now listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as “vulnerable.”
