Friday August 11, 2006

The Final Word: “Risk-Free Heroism Edition”

(The media experiment in which we conjoin the headline and last paragraph of each bylined article in the A-section of today's New York Times.)

Page 1

Plan Was to Sneak Liquid Explosives on Planes :

In Walthamstow, East London, John Weir, 50, said he lived opposite one of the houses raided in London. “It was sold overnight,” he said. “One day it was up for sale, and the next it was gone.” He said two men moved in the next weekend, but the house often seemed empty.

Liquid Threat Is Hard to Detect:

The Transportation Security Administration evaluated the technology early this year. But it has not been tested for looking for liquids that are individual ingredients of explosives.

Officials Cite Scale and Sophistication of Plane Plot:

In part because of the Iraq war, he said, “We’re seeing a radicalization of the ummah, the larger Muslim community around the world.”

Israel Asks U.S. to Ship Rockets With Wide Blast:

This week, State Department officials were studying records of what happened in 1982 as part of their internal deliberations into whether to grant approval for the sale to go forward.

For Californians, Deadly Heat Cut a Broad Swath:

“But no one,” he said, “remembers anything like this.”

Other News

The Political Effects: Arrests Bolster G.O.P. Bid to Claim Security as Issue:

“The issue is going to be discussed in the fall,” this official said. “Are you saying if the Democrats talk about the war, we shouldn’t? We will talk about the war, and we will talk about the consequences of the policies advocated by the Democrats.”

Lethal and Wet: It’s Not Hard to Use Fluids to Cause an Explosion on a Plane, Chemists Say:

But, once new equipment gets into airports to lessen the threat of liquid explosives, Dr. Oxley said, terrorists will “look for the next vulnerability.”

Across the Nation: Crackdown Costs Travelers Water, Lipstick and Time:

“I did have a little thing of Neosporin that they didn’t catch,” said Debbie Cox, 60, of Fresno, Calif., who had just arrived in Denver to visit her daughters and was waiting at the luggage carousel.

Mood: Ordinary-Looking Liquid, to Be Used as a Weapon? For Many, the Thought Is Scary:

“I really do not understand why anybody would want to go anywhere,” Bill Threlkeld wrote. “Stay home. Read a book. Tend your garden. Make love. Drink wine. But most of all — stay home.”

Panel's Report Urges Higher Education Shake- Up:

Several groups said the report spent much ink discussing increases in students’ work skills, while slighting the mission of colleges and universities to educate students as citizens.

Blast Kills 35 at Shiite Shrine in Najaf:

The other reported violence on Thursday unfolded mostly in Baghdad. Four civilians were killed when the Sadr militia clashed with other armed men, Iraqi officials said. A bomb exploded in a restaurant, killing at least six people and wounding three. Three people were killed and three wounded when Iraqi commandos fought gunmen near a bazaar.

Auburn Ousts 2, but Doesn't Fault Athletics:

“I think we’re going to see a noticeable change in the academic climate at Auburn,” Gundlach said. “I think we’ll see a lot more students on study dates then drinking dates.”

International

Indonesia to Execute 3 for Roles in Riots That Killed Hundreds:

“There is a very strong sense that whatever Tibo’s role might have been — and it’s fairly unclear — he certainly was not the mastermind,” said Sidney Jones, director of the International Crisis Group office in Jakarta. “So it seems giving the death penalty in this case is just extraordinarily over the top.”

Pakistani Militant Under House Arrest:

Yaha Mujahid, a Jamaat-ud-Dawa spokesman, said by telephone from Lahore that Mr. Saeed was accused of violating an ordinance that prohibits speech that causes or is likely to cause fear or alarm or that may compromise public order or safety.

Andermatt Journal: No Pyramids, but a Resort-to-Be Has an Egyptian Backer:

Mr. Kumli, the mayor, who expects to retain his job in an army workshop even after the troop reductions, remains optimistic. “It’s good for the whole region,” he said, as the thud of cannons resounded across firing ranges that will soon be decommissioned. “We see a future for the whole valley.”

The President: Bush, on a Quick Trip From His Texas Ranch, Says Americans Are Safer Than Before Sept. 11:

The remarks lasted two minutes, and the president took no questions.

Manila Plotters: Echoes of Early Design to Use Chemicals to Blow Up Airliners:

Mr. Mohammed has told his interrogators that after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which involved explosives loaded onto a truck that failed to bring down the building, he “needed to graduate to a more novel form of attack,” as the 9/11 report puts it. That led to Bojinka, and the first thoughts about using planes to bomb the World Trade Center.

Restrictions: U.S. Transportation Security Agency Prohibits Carrying Liquids and Gels on Flights:

The prohibited items list has been modified from time to time,” said Ms. Davis of the Transportation Security Administration, “and the restrictions issued this morning represent the latest modification.”

The Fighting: Israel Holds Off on Drive to the North :

“Yes,” he said. “It makes little difference.”

National Report

Lobbyists Lose Bid to Dismiss Secrets Case:

Mr. Franklin pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12½ years in prison. Mr. Rosen and Mr. Weissman have since been dismissed from the lobbying group, known as Aipac.

San Franciscans Try Again to Suicide-Proof the Golden Gate Bridge:

“But my goal is to make a dent,” he said. “And I know a barrier would help.”

Union of Government Workers Seeks to Build Political Muscle:

The union took the lead among labor unions in beating back Mr. Bush’s plan for a partial privatization of Social Security. Mr. McEntee said his union would push for Canadian-style universal health coverage but acknowledged that the nation might not be ripe for such an idea.