Flit

HIS NAME WAS HOMER MOBUTU,

HIS NAME WAS HOMER MOBUTU, WE BELIEVE

One reactor in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa, for instance, is protected by only a rusted, padlocked metal gate. It has been missing a fuel rod since the 1980s, when the director evidently lent out his key ring without realizing the reactor key was on it. (When recently questioned on the matter by a Western reporter, the director feigned deafness.)

Scary but accurate assessment of the likelihood of nuclear terrorism, and what isn't being done about it, by TNR's Michael Crowley.

THIS MAN, I UNDERSTAND When

THIS MAN, I UNDERSTAND

When he was out on the pile a year ago, trying to pull Officer Jimeno free, [police officer Scott] Strauss shouted orders to his volunteer helpers—"Medic, I need air," or "Marine, get me some water." At one point, in the middle of this exhausting work, Strauss, asked if he could call them by their names to facilitate the process. The medic said he was "Chuck." [Ex-marine Dave] Karnes said: "You can call me 'staff sergeant.' "

"That's three syllables!" said Strauss, who needed every bit of energy and every second of time. "Isn't there something shorter?"

Karnes replied: "You can call me 'staff sergeant.' "

The culminating anecdote in a great little Sept. 11 story about a true soldier whose actions needed no explaining, at least to me anyway.

BETTER AND BETTER BY THE

BETTER AND BETTER BY THE DAY

Robert Wright's plan for fighting terrorism, which he has released in series format for a week and a half, culminating in today's masterpiece, is, I feel, almost beyond logical challenge. It's how I'd imagine Hari Seldon would have analysed the problem. Truly brilliant: sign me up.

BY CONTRAST, A REASONABLY PEACEFUL

BY CONTRAST, A REASONABLY PEACEFUL EVENING

Went down last night to stand with the pro-free speech protesters outside the Netanyahu gig in Toronto last night. Everything was entirely civil and well controlled... excellent job by the police, I thought... after I heard he was inside and speaking, I went home. Lot of flags and chanting... a few random observations... the pro-Israeli protesters were more singers than chanters, which was nice... until their megaphone broke down, a factor which also may have contributed to my exit... they were also better disciplined, taking down a poster that said "Palestinianism = Naziism," because they considered it inappropriate, or inflammatory I suppose... by contrast, at least a couple pro-Palestinian posters made Jew-Nazi comparisons that certainly would have been offensive to, say, a Holocaust survivor, but were left standing... the pro-Palestinian protest, which also included some Jewish members, was definitely the younger of the two crowds... the pro-Palestinian side, not to put too fine a point on it, definitely had the majority of the stunningly attractive women present. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

All and all, however, an excellent example of righteous, legal, and effective political protest by both sides, and a credit to that good old Canadian ideal of tolerance.