Sunday August 27, 2006

The Final Word: “The Queen of Hearts Has Lost Her Tarts 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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Whispers of Mergers Set Off Suspicious Trading:

Others also lose. The company that makes the acquisition, for example, may wind up paying more. Investment advisers typically include a company's target share price and total market capitalization in the analysis of what an acquirer should be willing to pay. If a stock rises in the days or weeks during negotiations, the purchase price could be driven higher. A rising price could even scuttle a merger if the deal becomes too costly to the prospective buyer.

Outlines Emerge for a Shaken New Orleans:

Whether this movement will be enough to stave off the pessimists' grim perspective is uncertain. Repeatedly, observers in and out of the city said the present juncture was critical to the city's future. If the ferment stops, if the hopes of citizens dry up, the outlook for New Orleans could be dire indeed.

Tracing the Path of a Corpse, From the Street to Dignity:

Finally, in this isolated warehouse, in one of the silvery-steel caskets, lies a man who was effectively washed clean of his name and role in life. About all that is known of him is that he was found on Union Street in New Orleans, facing up.

Dancers Land in Iraq. Marines Offer No Resistance.:

The troops' verdict on the tour seemed to be summed up by an e-mail message that an Army captain later sent the dancers from the base at Taji. He thanked them for helping to "make us forget about our jobs for a little while."

In Schools Across U.S., the Melting Pot Overflows:

"But," Dr. Reese said, "we can say that today's students are the most ethnically and racially diverse that the nation's schools have educated in nearly a century."

Missing Chechen Was Secret Bride of Terror Leader:

But given the lawlessness here and her association with his newspaper, he said, the authorities, or the kidnappers, might move next against him or his newspaper. "I am in a light panic," he said. "I do not know what will happen."

Other News

Here Illegally, Guatemalans Are Prime Targets of Crime:

"We come here to work and we work very hard for little money," he said. "That's why I felt so sad when I lost my chain. Who knows how long it will take me to save for another one?"

Fiery Campaign Imperils Bosnia's Progress:

A final decision on whether the office is to be closed will be made by Western governments in February.

Man Arrested After Spree of Shootings Across Queens:

Behind him in the distance, four of the victims' vehicles, with bullet scars and missing windows, were parked in a line, guarded by a police officer in a squad car.

Who Signed Off on Those Options?:

"Obviously, they should have had a lot more information about the grants and how that ties into financial reporting," said Lynn E. Turner, the former chief accountant of the S.E.C. "If you knew those grants were being awarded on a backdated basis and you didn't say anything about it when you are sitting on the audit committee, it would be most appropriate for the S.E.C. to take you out and hang you high from the oak tree."

Hand Out: To Fill Notebooks, and Then a Few Bellies:

He was no longer emaciated. Far from lying down, he was walking briskly along the road, with a broad smile on his face.

Music: Wynton Marsalis: The Once and Future King of Jazz at Lincoln Center:

"Institutions keep going," said Mr. Marsalis, on his living room couch, when asked what Jazz at Lincoln Center would do without him. "I've been a part of this one since the beginning. It's been guided more or less on my vision. So naturally they say: 'What are we going to do?' " He flashed a mischievous smile. "We'll do something. We always do."

Red River Reunion:

"I love you, son," Nelson whispered. And with that, one of college football's best running backs and his father headed down different paths, again.

Being Catherine Keener:

Well, the day I got nominated, I had jury duty — a D.U.I. case. The morning the nominations were announced, I reported to jury duty as scheduled. That was good — it gave me perspective. If you start feeling too important, it's always good to go sit in a jury for a D.U.I. charge.

International

U.S. and Venezuela at Odds, and Seized Cargo Is Just the Half of It:

"It's time for maturity in Venezuelan diplomacy in its affirmation of its rights," Julio César Piñeda, a retired Venezuelan diplomat, said in commentary published Saturday in the newspaper El Universal, "or for the elimination of its flaws and the absence of professionalism."

Palestinian Premier Is Upbeat on Release of Journalists:

The Lebanese government has not sought United Nations assistance in patrolling its border with Syria, and Syria strongly opposes an international force along the frontier.

Italy's Gesture on Lebanon Yields Pride and Worry:

"We showed we have some weight in Europe," he added. "And we want to use that for communal things. We have offered something substantial."

Detention Extended for Airliner Bomb Suspect:

Government forces have been fighting Mr. Bugti and his followers, who are demanding greater rights for the Baluch people, since last year and forced Mr. Bugti to flee his ancestral homeland and hide in the mountains six months ago.

Afghanistan: Disputes Spur His Critics, Karzai Says:

"It is no use fighting against those forces who are jeopardizing the prospects of the population in Uruzgan," he said, "while at the same moment constantly new people are coming in."

Baghdad: Sunni Arab Lawmaker, Freed by Captors in Iraq, Describes Her Ordeal:

"This camp was built by Iraqi resources which were allocated for reconstruction, and unfortunately there is no official in this government who can take the blame for this," he said. "If the official is the thief at the same time, so how can you expect discipline from ordinary people?"

Iran Opens a Heavy-Water Reactor:

"Having nuclear technology and using it is a blessing and is the right of all nations, including Iran," Mr. Ahmadinejad said. "As the people's representative, I pursue whatever people want. Today they want to have nuclear technology and I pursue this demand and will not back down."

National Report

Hoffa Chooses to Skip Teamsters Election Debate:

Mr. Leedham said, "He doesn't want an election; he wants a coronation."

Wildfires, Though Scattered, Leave a Big Mark:

"This was the big ugly," he said.

Candidate in Alabama Is Returned to Ballot:

But the disqualification was met with disapproval. The party's chairman, Joseph Turnham, said he was disappointed, and an editorial in The Birmingham News asked if the party had a "death wish."

Launching of the Space Shuttle Is Delayed After Lightning Strike:

The weather forecast for Monday and Tuesday calls for an 80 percent chance of good weather, significantly better than what had been predicted for Sunday, said First Lt. Kaleb Nordgren of the 45th Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Afterward, a pattern of afternoon storms moves back in, he said.

California Builders Fight Air Pollution Fee:

Air regulators have received 54 applications for consideration under the new rule, Ms. Morphy said, and 24 of those have been approved. The district estimates that the 24 projects will generate $3.1 million in fees over the next 10 years.

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