Man makes kites to honor victims of terror attacks

The kites are a form of remembrance, he says.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- A Pittsburgh man says he is going to honor those who were killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks by placing a diamond kite at the former World Trade Center towers and by giving away one of his red, white and blue kites for each victim.
"Kites are my form of reflection and remembrance," said Michael Sciarretti, who first thought of making kites nine years ago after the death of his partner, Paul Zimmerman, an AIDS activist.
"I heard Stevie Wonder sing 'A Ribbon in the Sky' on the radio and thought, 'I'll make my own ribbon in the sky to connect me to him," ' Sciarretti said.
Permission
Sciarretti said he was granted permission last week by the New York City Port Authority and 9/11 anniversary committee to leave one of his nylon kites at ground zero on Thursday.
The white kites have a looped ribbon symbol with red stripes and a field of stars, similar to the ribbon logos used for AIDS and breast cancer. They also come with a ball of twine attached to a hand hold.
Before making the memorial kites with the help of a business center at his alma mater, Duquesne University, and money from a Pittsburgh bank, Sciarretti said he doesn't remember ever flying a kite.
"I have found that kites are for anyone, anywhere, no experience necessary. You can launch it from a wheelchair," he said.