New York Times - Sept. 30, 2009

Remember when I wrote a blog about the suspected terrorist Najibullah Zazi, who was arrested for possessing incriminating documents about bombs on his laptop? Well, he made the news again! This time it's a little more serious than suspicion though. Federal prosecutors say they currently possess evidence that Zazi was planning on carrying out an attack somewhere in the United States, as it was found out that he has training in explosives, bomb-making materials, and was planning a trip to New York. Zazi gained training in explosives when he was in Pakistan, and reportedly bought bomb-making materials in Colorado. But get this: the materials found in Zazi's possession were not found in a lengthy investigation! That means he could have a slew of terrorist materials and all we have to do to confirm this is thoroughly search his residence. Basically, the extent has not yet reached its end in this Zazi terrorism case, and there is no set time table for the Federal Court to settle the dispute. But one thing is for certain: we have reason to suspect Mr. Zazi, as the evidence against him strongly points towards another attampt at causing terror in the heart of American culture.

New York Times - Sept. 29, 2009

It appears that Iran is at it again. Pictures and a convincing article show that Iran may be constructing nuclear weapons from within the grounds of a remote desert. Allies Britain and France said they agreed with the notion, and that other countries in the world should feel uneasy about what may be going on in the heart of Iran. Could they be building warheads in preparation for a major world conflict? Or just designing products for their own personal gain as a country that may produce some hazardous nuclear waste? Although neither one of those scenario's is in any way ideal, we should hope for the latter.

In other front page news, Europe's socialistic economy is slowly starting for fall down due to "greed and the weakness of regulatory systems." If Europe's economy can't handle a socialist government, how can the United States' (slowly incorporating some socialistic views and ideas) survive, especially since our economy is down the tubes? Experts argue that there's a difference, as Europe's socialist economy leans more to the right, while President Obama's stimulus and health care plans favor the left side of the political spectrum.

New York Times - Sept. 28, 2009

Well, we all know that swine flu (or the thought of it anyway) has most of the American public in a chokehold, causing us to fear for our lives over something strikingly similar to the normal case of the flu. The story on the front page of the Times talks about the swine flu vaccination, and compares it to the first time the regular flu shot was introduced. I thought that the first paragraph of the story was a little too radical, and will probably cause many people to stop reading the story at that point; maybe even hold out on getting the vaccination. It just seemed to me that the writer tried a little too hard to get people to dig into the story than to actually gain information from it.
One story that I was impressed with was the Liz Cheney story. It really drew me in and held me until the end. I thought it was an excellent example of a delayed lead, feature-type article, and really laid out the powerfulness of her presence. Well done, Mark Leibovich.

New York Times - Sept. 24, 2009

On the front page of the New York Times today, I learned something I did not know about sports: specifically basketball. One of the lead stories below the fold was the annoucement about Mikhail D. Prokhorov possibly purchasing the New Jersey Nets, a franchise in the National Basketball Association. I learned that the league needs a three-fourths vote (23 out of 30 owners) to pass the purchase and allow Prokhorov to own a large portionof the team. The deal he is proposing would cost him $200 million to purchase the franchise, but in his plan he also wants to move the team to Brooklyn and build a $4.6 billion arena, called the Atlantic Yards. Personally, I think it's catchy and a very interesting story. I saw the plans for the arena in the paper and online, and it looks like a very nice establishment. The deal, if it were to go through, would make Prokhorov the first man from overseas to completely own a professional franchise. Other foreigners own stakes in the Seattle Mariners and the Cleveland Cavaliers, but no one has sole ownership of a team as Prokhorov would. This is a story that I find very intriguing, and I am thoroughly excited to see where it goes from here.

New York Times - Sept. 22, 2009

What really jumped out at me in today's issue was that at least three of the top stories had to do with the White House and governmental affairs. Usually that doesn't interest me too much, as I'm not that big on politics. So taht's why it was a relief when I read the story on the far left above the fold. It was a story about coal mining plants and power plants in West Virginia that are trying out a sequestration plan in order to get rid of excess carbon dioxide. Sequestration is a process that injects the carbon dioxide, in which we usually release into the air, into the earth through designated wells. Experts believe that the ground can hold the carbon dioxide for millemiums, but skeptics say that it could damage our water supply that comes from the earth, and quite possibly cause earthquakes. I thought it was interesting because my dad used to work at coal mines all around New England, so I know a little about the chemical makeup that these plants need to consider. It seems like an interesting process to me, so I'll be interested to read about how the experimental phases go. I hope the Times does a follow-up story in the near future.

New York Times - Sept. 21, 2009

Two stories on the front page of the Times really caught my attention today. The first one I read thoroughly was the story investigating a terrorist plot, in which a United States citizen (of Pakistani descent) had plans for building and handling a bomb. Police arrested the suspect and his father after searching their apartment and finding files on his computer that contained information on constructing bombs and different fusing systems. The other story I read was about the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada. The Canadians are restricting foreign athletes from using their facilities because: 1) They have felt left out of training facilities in other countries come the time of other Olympic Games. And 2) They want to win gold medals. The story states that Canada is the only country in the world to host two past Olympic Games and not receive a gold medal in either of them. "This is not a statistic we're proud of," said Priestner Allinger, the executive vice president for sports of the Vancouver Organizing Committee. Frankly, I don't blame them for wanting to win a gold so badly, but at least try and do it fair and square, not by restricting everyone else from getting acclimated to the future site of the Olympic Games.

News Lead:
Early today, a young man saved the life of an elderly tourist by informing police that his car was stalled on the railroad tracks with the driver unconscious at the wheel of the vehicle.
Old Orchard Beach Police Chief Brian Paul and policewoman Janet Paradiso pushed the 1987 Cadillac off the tracks with their cruiser while the driver, 80-year-old tourist Francois Truffaut, from Quebec City, Canada, remained incapacitated.
The Amtrak Downeaster rolled through the scene just 30 seconds after the car was removed from the train tracks. Police reported that Truffaut, a diabetic, may have gone into insulin shock just as he reached the railroad crossing.
“It was that close,” Paul said. Both Paul and Paradiso reported to scene at 6:05 this morning.
A hospital official from the Southern Maine Medical Center later said that Truffaut was listed in stable condition.
“I don’t remember a thing,” Truffaut said from his hospital room.
Police responded to the scene after 17-year-old James Laboke, a waiter at the Eezy Breezy Restaurant and Old Orchard Beach citizen, ran into the station and told officials that he saw a man passed out at the wheel and stalled on the train tracks.
Laboke tried to rescue the driver, only to discover that all doors and windows were locked. He pounded on the windows in an attempt to wake Truffaut, again to no avail. He then sprinted to the police station in search of help.
“I never thought about it,” Laboke said. “I just knew I couldn’t let that man get crushed by a train.”
Laboke’s boss at the Eezy Breezy restaurant, Charles Champaigne, said that his behavior doesn’t surprise him at all.
“That young man is one of my most responsible employees. He’s just a great kid," he said.


Delayed Lead:
For 80-year-old Francois Truffaut, a yearly tourist from Quebec City, Canada, his latest trip to Old Orchard Beach, Maine, could have been his last. However, with the help of 17-year-old James Laboke, a citizen of Old Orchard Beach, Truffaut may still travel here once again.
Police reported to the Amtrak crossing when Laboke informed Police Chief Brian Paul that a car was stalled on the tracks.
Laboke was on his way to work, where he waits tables at the Eezy Breezy Restaurant, when he noticed that a car was stalled on the tracks at 6 in the morning. He went up to the car and noticed a man, Truffaut, unconscious at the wheel, while all doors were locked and windows were rolled up. The train scheduled to make its way through Old Orchard Beach at 6:10.
Policewoman Janet Paradiso rammed her cruiser into the rear of the 1987 Cadillac, driven by Truffaut, and pushed the car from the tracks less than a minute before the Downeaster came thundering through Old Orchard Beach.
“I don’t remember a thing,” Truffaut later said from his hospital bed. He is a diabetic, but is now listed in stable condition.