Friday August 18, 2006

The Final Word: “'Authenticate This!' 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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Inquiry Suggests Marines Excised Files on Killings:

The officials said the video showed the bodies of the five Iraqis on the ground close to the car that they had been riding in, the officials said. In one case, the video appears to show one body stacked on top of another, which the officials said was inconsistent with the account that the men had been shot while fleeing.

U.S. Judge Finds Wiretapping Plan Violates the Law:

Mr. Gonzales said he expected that the ruling would play a role in the debate in Congress over how and whether to change federal eavesdropping laws. But he said the exact impact was "hard to predict."

Opinion: A.C.L.U. v. N.S.A.:

As Justice Warren wrote in U.S. v. Robel, 389 U.S. 258 (1967):

"Implicit in the term 'national defense' is the notion of defending those values and ideas which set this Nation apart. . . . It would indeed be ironic if, in the name of national defense, we would sanction the subversion of . . . those liberties . . . which makes the defense of the Nation worthwhile." Id. at 264.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Heart Procedure Is Off the Charts in an Ohio City:

"You can't be paying people large sums of money to do things without checks and balances," he said.

New Limits Set Over Marketing for Cigarettes:

The department said it was forced to reduce the amount because of an appeals court decision last year that blocked the department from trying to seize ill-gotten profits from the tobacco industry's past practices. At the time, Judge Kessler said the appeals court decision was a "body blow to the government's case."

Arrest in Ramsey Case Presents More Questions:

In Charlevoix, near the tip of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Mr. Ramsey was believed to have left the area in a private plane.

Minority Students Decline in Top New York Schools:

The Queens school opened with a student body that was 30.1 percent black and 13.6 percent Hispanic. In the most recent school year, those numbers were down to 19.7 percent and 10.1 percent, respectively.

New York's Tally of Heat Deaths Draws Scrutiny

"Every day she was at the window, all the time," said Amaro Azerdo, another deli worker. "I came one day, and she wasn't in the window anymore."

Lebanese Army Sets Up in Hezbollah's Territory:

"We welcome them, but we want them to support the resistance, not hamper it," said Mahmoud Salman, a store owner in Tyre. "I respect the resistance, and I am really concerned that the army will ultimately clash with the resistance."

Other News

Woods and Mickelson Keep Their Distance:

"There were a few 'Geoff, Geoff' calls out there, more than I could have expected," said Ogilvy, who will join Woods and Mickelson again Friday. "I think I might have a couple of legit fans."

Merck Suffers a Pair of Setbacks Over Vioxx:

The suit will be retried as part of a group of cases scheduled to begin in January.

Less Post-Traumatic Stress Seen in Vietnam Vets:

Dr. Matthew J. Friedman, executive director of the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for the Department of Veterans Affairs, said the new study should establish beyond question that post-traumatic stress disorder is both a common and legitimate diagnosis in returning soldiers. "We can quibble about the numbers," he said, "but the point is that it's a lot of people," and the potential demand on services is substantial. Some veterans who were told of the findings yesterday said they doubted that the methodology used in the study took into account the experience of many former soldiers. The analysis defined combat exposure by objective measures that may have missed the harrowing experiences people had while serving and the private, subjective feelings of helplessness that followed.The most important figure in the study, most agreed, was the rate of chronic mental suffering. "War is not healthy for children, and what this shows is how unhealthy it is, and who has to pay for the lifelong consequences of that," said Michael Gaffney, a lawyer in Washington who served in an artillery unit in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. "And the meat grinder is still operating, in Iraq."

Brighter '06 Deficit Outlook, but Grim Long Term :

The looming costs were already apparent in the new report. The oldest of the nation's 76 million baby boomers become eligible to claim Social Security benefits in 2008. Annual spending on Social Security and Medicare is expected to double by 2016, reaching $1.8 trillion.

C.I.A. Contractor Guilty in Beating of Afghan:

By contrast, more than 80 members of the military have been ordered to face court-martial on charges of abusing prisoners, and more than 50 have been convicted, according to Human Rights Watch. At least 40 have been sentenced to jail, though fewer than 10 are serving more than a year, Mr. Sifton said.

Where Do Rivals Draw the Line?:

Increasingly, there were no exact answers. Only debatable ones. As it should be.

Wal-Mart Image-Builder Resigns:

"The only thing I can do," Mr. Young said last night before he resigned, "is to ask that people judge me about a life of working together with people who are different and bringing people together without violence and without rancor. I would hope that would count for something."

Hollywood, the I.R.S. Is Watching:

He added that if the situation were neglected, it might become a significant loophole in the tax system, with celebrities choosing to sidestep taxes by taking payment in commodities, rather than cash. "If you let things like this grow, they will just give actors houses and apartment buildings as compensation for films," he said. "It could lead to a barter economy for the truly wealthy."

International

British Search Turns Up Parts for a Bomb:

New antiterrorism laws in Britain give the police extra time to question suspects before charging them. On Wednesday, a court gave permission for the police to question 21 suspects until next Wednesday before filing charges, and until Monday for 2 others.

2 Avian Flu Cases Confirmed in Indonesia:

The case confirmed yesterday, No. 58, involved a 9-year-old girl who became ill on Aug. 1 and died Tuesday.

Letter From Africa: Chinese Take a Turn at Turning a Sub -Saharan Profit:

"For Africans it is quite a welcome change from the approach they get from Western governments that manages to be both patronizing and demeaning at the same time," Mr. Green said. "I think we underestimate the importance of having an alternative to a single path."

Doctors Warn of Powerful and Resistant Tuberculosis Strain:

Asked whether he feared for his own health since he was treating patients with a virtually incurable, highly transmissible disease, Dr. Friedland said, "Yeah, I am worried. But you do what you have to do."

China Adds Restrictions in Effort to Shake the Faith of Independent Congregations:

"What a situation," she said, imploringly, her face flush with emotion. "Our church was half built, and the government demolished it, just like that."

U.S. Predicts Fast Action at U.N. if Sanctions on Iran Are Needed:

But Mr. Burns dismissed the Tuesday deadline as a "mythical date."

7 Killed as Full-Scale Sectarian Fighting Rages in Baghdad:

Pentagon statistics show that the number of roadside bombs in Iraq rose to 2,625 exploded or found in July, the highest total of the war. And Iraqi government figures released this week said that nearly 3,500 civilians were killed in July — a death toll nearly double the count in January.

Aid Workers Face Obstacles and Threats in Sri Lanka:

In the resumption of combat, Tamils who do not side with the rebels have been singled out. Last Saturday, the deputy chief of the government peace secretariat, Ketheshwaran Loganathan, was killed by an unidentified gunman near his home in suburban Colombo. His killing came exactly a year after the slaying of the foreign minister at that time, Lakshman Kadirgamar. The two were among the most prominent Sri Lankan Tamils in the government.

The Aftermath: With Guns Silent, Wartime Unity Unravels in Israel Amid Fierce Criticism of War Effort:

The colonel replied: "Don't come. Don't bother."

Diplomacy: U.N. Aide Says Peace Force Can Be in Lebanon in 10 Days:

Mr. Malloch Brown said he thought he had the 3,500 troops "in quantitative terms, but the issue is which battalions can we get there in the timeline required."

National Report

Report Calls for Tighter Rules in Nursing Home Evacuations:

In a written response to the report, Dr. Mark B. McClellan, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said he concurred with the findings, and was already exploring how the regulations could be strengthened.

College Raises Money to Rebuild Rural Churches in Arson Case:

"He has traded his dorm room for a jail cell," Mr. Bloomston said. "His world has been turned completely upside down. As a college student, his life was full of choices. Now, in jail, he has no choices to make. It has been a complete reversal, and the only thing Russ has to do there is to sit and think."

Travel Industry Seeks Delay on New Passport Rules at U.S. Borders:

"The concern is that people will not have the proper documentation to cruise," he said. "We're doing everything we can to make people aware."

Airport in West Virginia Is Shut After Liquids in Bags Fail Test:

"The story here, though, that is really important," Mr. Chertoff said, "is the system worked even at a regional airport in West Virginia."

Postmark Could Help Prove Rare Stamps Are Authentic:

Scott Trepel, a stamp expert and president of Siegel Auction Galleries, a New York company that deals in rare stamps, considers the Grinnells to be forgeries and says the new find only indicates which stamps served as the model for the forgers. He said the postmark found on the real Missionary stamp could be fake, and argued that a genuine postmark on a Grinnell stamp would be far more convincing.

Mel Gibson Gets Probation for D.U.I. Charge:

Ms. Berk did not respond to telephone messages after the court proceeding seeking comment.

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