Friday August 25, 2006

The Final Word: “This Much Is Certain 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

F.D.A. Approves Broader Access to Next-Day Pill:

Plan B may in rare circumstances prevent a fertilized egg from becoming implanted, something abortion opponents decry. But regular oral contraceptives do that, too.

Files From Duke Rape Case Give Details but No Answers:

Her partner was a 27-year-old single mother of two, a student with a B average at North Carolina Central University, the historically black college across town. She worked flexible hours at Platinum Pleasures, a strip club, and for Angel's Escorts. She was a stripper, not a prostitute, she later told the police. She told them that "she had been to one event in the past where she thought a male at the party was nice, so after the party they went out and had consensual sexual relations," but just that once.

Inquiry Opened Into Israeli Use of U.S. Bombs:

But the decision to impose what amounted to a indefinite moratorium was made under pressure from Congress, which conducted a long investigation of the issue. Israel and the United States reaffirmed restrictions on the use of cluster munitions in 1988, and the Reagan administration lifted the moratorium.

South Lebanon: At Funeral, a Sunni Village Condemns Hezbollah's Presence:

"Farewell, father," she cried as his coffin moved past, fighting off her cousins who tried to hold her back. "Farewell, brother, I will miss you."

The Destruction: Lebanese and Aid Groups Find Dangers in the Rubble:

On a hill above the town, in a house where Israeli soldiers lived during the siege, the graffiti-covered walls carried a message that has chilled residents, "We will come back."

New Orleans Shops Struggle to Survive:

"He's afraid," she said. "We're already spread thin. But I said, if we don't take advantage of the good things that have come out of all this, we might as well pack up and leave."

It's Never Too Early to Gear Up for '08 Race:

Mr. Larson, 38, the former Iowa Republican Party chairman and an Army Reserve major who served for 12 months in Iraq, drew particular attention because of his knowledge of Iowa politics, and because he worked as a co-chairman in the state for Mr. Bush. Mr. Larson said Mr. McCain's support for the war was one of the key issues that sold him on a McCain candidacy.

Iran Exhibits Anti-Jewish Art:

He added, "I felt if I went, I would get insulted and get hurt."

Diplomatic Memo: In Muted Response to Iran, West Seeks Edge: A senior Bush administration official said the group wanted to avoid the criticism leveled at Iran last year for being too quick to turn down a European offer on its nuclear program. "The game is about appearing to be reasonable," the Bush official said.
Foes Say Tehran Builds Fast Uranium Centrifuges: The Iranian government has not responded to the group's announcement.

Other News

9/11 Shrine, With the Tragic, Toxic Dust:

Alice M. Greenwald, director of the World Trade Center Memorial Museum, said it was "way too early to say if it will be used in our exhibition." She added: "I'll be seeing it for the first time at the historical society, and I think we have a lot to learn from them. They have, after all, been dealing with dust."

Vote Makes It Official: Pluto Isn't What It Used to Be:

"I don't know any other science that says about its frontier, 'I wonder what the public thinks,' " he said. "The frontier should move in whatever way it needs to move."

Maynard Ferguson, 78, Trumpeter and Bandleader, Dies:

Mr. Schankman, his manager, said that Mr. Ferguson had a cross-country tour set to begin in a few weeks, and pleaded from his deathbed for the shows to go on.

Apple Joins in a Recall of Batteries:

To cut down on customer complaints and settle a lawsuit, the company agreed to extend the warranty on some players, replace others and give customers vouchers that could be used to buy Apple products.

Art Review: Walker Evans. Or Is It?:

They will come and go. Technology isn't timeless. Evans is.

Home for Sale, by Anxious Owner:

Eventually, buyers will realize "there is no free lunch," he said. "There is a reason it's being given away."

Chinese Peasants' Advocate Sentenced to 51 Months in Jail:

"I believe the court officials there have lost their minds," said Xu Zhiyong, one of Mr. Chen's chosen lawyers, who was prevented from attending his trial by the local police. "The entire process was illegal."

Theater Review | 'Seven Guitars': Weaving Blues of Trying Times and Lost Dreams:

By the way, you can experience all this for only $15, the price for all seats in the Signature Theater Company's August Wilson season. Even the characters in "Seven Guitars," who could talk for hours about the cost and value of groceries and guns, would have to admit that's one mighty good bargain.

International

Times Researcher Receives 3-Year Prison Term:

Mr. Zhao's trial was held in June. He was not allowed to call any defense witnesses and his family was forbidden from attending.

Montevideo Journal: A Swastika, 60 Years Submerged, Still Inflames Debate:

"We're interested in this as pure history, and not in taking one side or another," Mr. Etchegaray said. "History is full of horrible crimes, which have to be handled maturely, seriously and respectfully."

Shiite Leader Urges Iraqi Politicians to Stay Home and Work Harder:

Half the 1,200 soldiers at the base will be redeployed "to focus more on the rural areas east of Amara," he said. "We're moving throughout the region into long-range desert patrols" to prevent weapons-smuggling across the border with Iran. The other 600 soldiers will move to encampments in Basra.

8 Killed in Raid by U.S. Forces in Afghanistan:

He also said the provincial authorities had not been told of the operation, something President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly requested in an effort to avoid civilian casualties.

2nd Suspect Surrenders in Plot to Bomb Two German Trains:

Mr. Hajdib's brother, a Lebanese soldier, was killed in mid-July during an Israeli bombing raid of the Tripoli port, officials here said. But the plot to bomb the trains, they say they believe, took root long before he was killed.

Dutch, Seeing No Terror Link, Free 12 Held After India Flight:

On Tuesday, a flight to New York from Atlanta was diverted to Charlotte, N.C., after an attendant found a bottle of water and then smelled something suspicious on the plane. Officials found nothing hazardous.

British Study Charitable Organization for Links to Plot:

Mr. Hind said there were no regularly scheduled conversations with United States or European officials on the subject. Establishing regular communication with the United States would be unwelcome, Mr. Hind said. "I hope it doesn't happen, because that would be indicative of larger problems," he said.

U.S. Official to Go to Sudan to Promote Use of U.N. Troops:

"No country has ever had a veto over the Security Council expressing its will," Ms. Frazer said. "And so that can't be an excuse for not passing the resolution."

Peacekeepers: France Offers Many More Troops for Lebanon:

One official said the United Nations hoped that the peacekeeping force would eventually include Muslim troops from Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal and perhaps Morocco.

Military Performance: Israeli General Tells Troops of Weaknesses in War Effort:

In Jenin, in the West Bank, Hossam Jaradat, a leader of Islamic Jihad's armed wing, wanted by Israel, was shot in the head and critically wounded late Wednesday night, but it was unclear who had shot him, the Israeli Army said. Fearful that Israel would arrest him in the Jenin hospital, Islamic Jihad took him away.

National Report

Salt Lake City Moving Toward Less Thirsty Lawns:

"I had some folks digging up weeds for me and they dug up some of my drought-tolerant plants," he said, laughing. "I guess the garden needed to be thinned out if they could not tell the difference."

Kentucky Governor Signs Plea Deal :

"You can't forget that Mr. Fletcher campaigned on a pledge to deal with the 'waste, fraud and abuse' in Frankfort," Mr. Jackson said. "And I think the general perception in the state today is that he failed at that."

In Poll, G.O.P. Slips as a Friend of Religion:

In the poll, a large majority (79 percent) said there was "solid evidence" of global warming, and 61 percent said it was a problem that required "immediate government action." But white evangelicals and mainline Protestants were more skeptical about global warming than Catholics and secular Americans were, and more likely to say that it is the result of natural causes, not human activity.