Tuesday August 15, 2006

The Final Word: “Behind the Numbers 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.)

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Fragile Cease-Fire Allows Thousands to Return Home:

"If we will find our family home, we will stay in it," Mr. Alaway said. "If it is destroyed, we will pitch a tent and stay there until we rebuild."

First the Truce, Then the Test of How Long It Can Last:

Preserving the idea of a two-state solution is one reason Mr. Olmert went to war, Mr. Feldman said. And it is one reason the Security Council acted as strongly as it did to defend the integrity of the international border and mandate an expanded United Nations force to protect it. But whether Israelis will trust those guarantees is yet another open question.

Dell Will Recall Batteries in PC's:

"We are absolutely confident that when we replace the batteries that we are getting the at-risk batteries out of consumers' hands and that there will be no more incidents," Mr. Gruzen said.

Changing Batteries: Owners of other brands of notebooks curious about who made their battery may be able to check the maker of the battery by opening the computer's power management program.

New Data Shows Immigrants' Growth and Reach:

"It's looking like what happens is that a person from a given community, say in Nicaragua, is getting established," said Bob Coats, the governor's census liaison in North Carolina. "And then they send word home that they have a good job and other people — neighbors, family members — come to join them and you have these enclaves of people from one country, one region, becoming established in the same area."

Immigrants Surge Into N.Y. Area: This summer and fall, the Census Bureau will release results on income, poverty and housing from the 2005 survey.

Advertisers Trace Paths Users Leave on Internet:

"People aren't in the market for loans all the time," said Darren Beck, LendingTree's vice president for online advertising. "These behavioral targeting models seem like the holy grail. We can find people exactly when they want a loan."

When Elevators Fail, City's Enforcement Falters:

"It seems futile," she said. "If you keep hitting your head against the wall, eventually you stop."

Tighter Security Is Jeopardizing Orchestra Tours:

In the end, none of the efforts mattered. British Airways canceled the flight that day at 5 p.m.

More Passenger Data Sought: But European officials, citing privacy laws, have objected to sharing the data with American authorities, placing restrictions on how it can be used, such as prohibiting reviews of who else has used the same credit card to buy a ticket. After the European Union's highest court ruled in May that sharing that data was illegal, it ordered such sharing entirely cut off by October unless European and American authorities reach a new accord on its use.

Other News

Speaker of Iraqi Parliament May Step Down:

In Kirkuk, gunmen assassinated Sheik Badr Hashim al-Uboudi, a member of a leading Shiite political party. The sheik had spoken out against Kurdish attempts to annex Kirkuk to the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Warnings: Threat Alert Level Lowered for U.S. and British Airports:

Despite the tight security on Sunday, a British Airways flight to New York turned back to London after a cellphone was found on board, alarming passengers.

Elusive Proof, Elusive Prover: A New Mathematical Mystery:

Dr. Anderson said that to some extent the new round of papers already represented a kind of peer review of Dr. Perelman's work. "All these together make the case pretty clear," he said. "The community accepts the validity of his work. It's commendable that the community has gotten together."

In Wake of Plot, Justice Dept. Will Study Britain’s Terror Laws:

All the Egyptian students have now been arrested on immigration charges, but law enforcement officials said Monday that they were confident that neither the Egyptian students nor the Michigan cellphone suspects had any ties to terrorism.

Democrats See Security as Key Issue for Fall:

"Katrina equals competency," he said.

Governors Resist Shifting Authority Over Guard:

"With the terrorist threat, we need the help of the Guard again, and we are providing assistance to the federal government as a result of their inability to secure the border. This governor is not going to be supportive of anything that weakens his role."

Where Bel Canto Meets Paintbrush:

"The combination of art, music and drama goes back to the earliest days of Western civilization," Ms. Kazanjian said. "We're trying to push this ancient tradition in new, imaginative directions."

International

Polio Cases Rise in Afghan South:

There have been 30 attacks on health workers in 2005 and 2006, Dr. Fahim said.

In Afghanistan, Lamenting Refuge for Militants Across Border:

"But ask me, 'Is the government of Afghanistan winning?' I'd say 'Yeah, there is steady progress.' "

Koizumi Further Deepens Debate Over Shrine:

But Mr. Koizumi has to an extent succeeded in framing the debate simply as one pitting Japan against China, earning him the nationalist credentials that inoculated him against charges that he was drawing Japan militarily too close to the United States.

The White House: Bush Defends U.S. Handling of Lebanese Conflict, Asserting That Hezbollah Is the Loser:

Without directly addressing the Democrats, Mr. Bush echoed his party's line of attack against them, saying, "The fundamental question for this country is, do we understand the stakes and the challenge?"

The Peacekeepers: The U.N. Puts a Rush Order for a Force of 15,000:

"The force is there to assist the government of Lebanon, not to substitute for it," he said.

On the Ground: Hezbollah Fighters Limp Out Into the Light, Yet Manage a Bit of a Swagger:

"We're ready to give up a lot more houses to preserve our dignity," he said.

A Familiar Pair Urge Greater Attention for AIDS:

Mr. Clinton said he found it difficult to imagine how the world would come together unless something serious was done about AIDS.

Beirut: Returning Home to Ruins: Shock Is Mixed With Outrage:

"I held the boy and told him to pray to Imam Ali to save us," said Mr. Bazi, his face red and sweaty. "When the bombing stopped I couldn't believe it — he wasn't even scratched."

Civilians: Skeptical of Deal, Israelis Step Tentatively From Bunkers:

"I'm very disappointed that our army didn't continue fighting in Lebanon," said Shlomo Hayoun, 51, a municipal worker who said he ate most days at one of the town's few open cafes. "I hope the cease-fire doesn't hold because we have unfinished business with Hezbollah."

London: Plot Suspects Are Remembered as Both Harmless and Sinister:

"He had no tolerance for these extremist groups," the man said of Mr. Zaman. "He would tell them to go away and he would stand there until they did so."

National Report

Vote for Control of Heinz Keeps Pittsburgh on Edge:

Institutional investors hold more than 70 percent of the company's outstanding stock, and most of them are out of state. The only shareholder larger than Trian is an investment company in Los Angeles. That company has not said how it will vote.

Bush Signs Law to Save War Memorial Cross:

He also noted that voters last November approved a ballot measure compelling the city to transfer the cross to the federal government, but a state judge ruled the measure unconstitutional. A state appellate court is reviewing that ruling.

Sheriff Offers Profile of Sniper Active in Northwest Indiana:

A 17-year old from Gaston, Zachariah Blanton, was arrested and charged with murder in the July shooting near Seymour, which killed a truck passenger and occurred two days before the attacks in northwest Indiana began.

2 Michigan Swans Seem Infected With Nonlethal Avian Flu Strain:

Almost all the humans who have died of avian flu are believed to have caught it from domestic chickens or their droppings. The exception was an outbreak in Azerbaijan in February, in which village girls who plucked a flock of dead wild swans for their down fell ill.

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