Saturday August 12, 2006

The Final Word: “Mother of All Surprisingly Uneventful Major Events 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

U.N. Council Backs Measure to Halt War in Lebanon:

"I am profoundly disappointed that the Council did not reach this point much, much earlier," he said. "I am convinced that my disappointment and sense of frustration are shared by hundreds of millions of people around the world."

Suspect Held in Pakistan Is Said to Have Ties to Qaeda:

He said those arrested "came across as diligent, hard-working pious people who would pick the litter off the street and put it in the bin."

Focused on 9/11, U.S. Is Seen to Lag on New Threats:

As a result, he said, he is preparing to announce a restructuring of the department's Science and Technology division that will sharpen its focus on the most urgent threats, like liquid explosives, that war games might identify.

Help for the Hardest Part of Prison: Staying Out:

"It's crazy out there," she said.

Across South, Push Is On to Make Dry Areas Wet :

In Lufkin, where in recent years the economy has been surging without the help of alcohol sales, some citizens just want their town to be a bit more like the rest of the country and a little less Bible Belt. "This is the 21st century," said Ernest Rowe, a 70-year-old retired forest worker. "I just want to be able to buy my case of Coors Light, come home and pop open a cold one."

Other News

The Accused: Shock Reverberates Among Acquaintances of the Young Suspects:

If the Rauf brothers are guilty, "that's an embarrassment to the community," he said. "Everyone would be against those people."

Across the Nation: Passengers Adjust to New Minimalism in Carry- On Items:

"I'm going to jump on a conference call in about 14 minutes," Ms. Beach said.

A New Approach: Prescreening Draws Interest as Lines Grow at Terminals:

Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, agreed, saying background checks were not fail-safe. "It presumes that we have a complete and accurate database that consists of every terrorist," Mr. Simon said. "When you're dealing with the lives of several hundred people on a flight, that's a presumption that makes me rather insecure."

No Liquids, Few Sales at Stores in Airports:

"Our role is to provide them with the coffee and a good experience,'' said Valerie O'Neil, a spokeswoman for the company, "not to enforce those other limitations."

U.S. Ambassador Says Iran Is Inciting Attacks:

Leaders in the Sadr Organization say parts of the Mahdi Army are not under their control. Those rogue elements, they say, carry out attacks without guidance from Mr. Sadr or his top commanders.

Mike Douglas, TV Host and Pop Singer, Dies at 81:

"Mike is the glue," his producer, Mr. Ailes, said in 1967, the year the show won its first of five Emmy Awards. "Without him the show would fall apart." Another of his producers, Larry Rosen, called Mr. Douglas "a piece of clay — you can do anything with him." It was meant as a tribute to a man who displayed an adaptable affability five times a week for 21 years.

International

Protest Erupts as World Bank Official Gets a Ticket in Kenya:

Mr. Bruce did not return phone calls for comment.

Pushing the Boundaries of Political Satire in Japan:

"I want to say what I want to say," Mr. Ota said. "But I have to think about the possibility of inflicting damage on people who are involved in the production of this program, or making their work difficult, or of having our office staff attacked. So I try to avoid causing these things. I have to finesse it somehow."

No Longer Embarrassed, Finland Embraces Its Monster Band:

"Lordi is a marketer's dream because they have a positive shock effect on consumers and have a fan base that ranges from teenagers to hard-rocking grannies," Mr. Fry said. "It may change the way Finnish, and Scandinavian, companies market themselves because Lordi has shown that being different can be a strength."

4 Die in Attacks by Insurgents in Afghanistan:

Some 400 foreign soldiers have died in Afghanistan since the American-led invasion in 2001 to topple the Taliban government. The dead include 270 Americans.

Alert Abroad: U.S. Embassy in New Delhi Warns Americans of Bomb Threat on Eve of Independence Holiday:

Authorities tightened security at the Taj Mahal on Friday, after a separate review found that security there was insufficient to thwart a terrorist attack, the Press Trust of India reported.

Coverage: All Terrorism All the Time: Fear Becomes Reality Show:

These kinds of precautions are not new, and they certainly are not normal. It's the coverage that has normalized.

The Political Effects: Bush Aides Foresee Gains on Eavesdropping and Guantánamo:

"Yesterday, Bush said we are safer today than we were before 9/11," Mr. Reid said. "But if one looks around the world today, he could not be further from the truth.''