Monday August 28, 2006

The Final Word: “Road to Damascus 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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Real Wages Fail to Match a Rise in Productivity:

At the same time, he said that the Bush administration was not responsible for the situation, pointing out that inequality had been increasing for many years. "It is neither fair nor useful," Mr. Paulson said, "to blame any political party."

49 Die in Crash as Jet Takes Off From Wrong Runway:

Sitting in the Delta terminal in Lexington, Hayley O'Connor, 22, was struggling to decide whether to board her flight to Atlanta. "I'm really scared," Ms. O'Connor said, crying. "Earlier I had to stop myself just thinking what it must have been like on the plane."

Another Obstacle for Delta: Partly in response to those difficult domestic conditions, Delta has shifted many of its bigger planes to international routes, where there is less competition from low-cost carriers. Delta continues to rely on Comair and other regional airlines, however, to feed passengers from smaller markets to those overseas flights.

Year After Katrina, Bush Still Fights for 9/11 Image:

"I think there's an opportunity for him to make this a real legacy of his presidency," she said. "There's still time to have people say he did a good job and he rose to the occasion. He's writing the story himself."

Firefighter Dies and 4 Are Hurt in Bronx Blaze:

Firefighter Reilly is survived by his parents, a brother and a sister. "All he wanted to do in his life was to be a firefighter," Mayor Bloomberg said.

California Seeks to Clear Hemp of a Bad Name:

"We want to educate people and take away the stigma," Ms. Mills said. "We want hemp without harassment."

Other News

Global Trends May Hinder Effort to Curb U.S. Inflation:

Even though capital is flowing uphill to rich countries like the United States right now, Mr. Rajan said, "it doesn't mean these flows are optimal, safe or permanent."

Fox News Journalists Free After Declaring Conversion:

The Foreign Press Association of Israel rejected the army's "excuses" and called for a full investigation.

Rumsfeld Sees Some Progress in Missile Plan but Seeks Test:

Mr. Ivanov did not directly criticize the American system, but he called for "transparency" by the Bush administration, a term meant to convey Russia's concern about any modifications to the system that could take its capabilities beyond stopping a small number of missiles.

At Forbes.com, Lots of Glitter but Maybe Not So Many Visitors:

Despite the furor, the career women posting and reaction seemed unlikely to dent Forbes.com's standing in the Web rankings anytime soon. Yesterday, the revamped piece — renamed "Careers and Marriage" — stood at the top of the site's list of its most popular postings.

'24' Is Among the Big Winners as Television Presents Its Emmy Awards:

The Fox thriller "24" led all series with 12 nominations. "Grey's Anatomy," an ABC medical drama, followed with 11. The nominations also were heavily populated with actors and shows from series that will not be back in the fall, including "The West Wing," "Six Feet Under," "Will & Grace" and "Commander in Chief."

Stage Left, Sage Right: Agassi Says Goodbye:

"I feel like I've been practicing 20 years for this," he said.

International

Journalist Faces Charges Over Entering Darfur Region:

His trial was to begin on Saturday, but the judge granted his lawyers' request for a delay of two weeks to prepare his defense. Two Chadian men traveling with him, Suleiman Abakar Moussa, an interpreter, and Idriss Abdulraham Anu, a driver, face the same charges.

Sidon Journal: Wake of War Idles Lebanon's Fleet, and Its Fishermen:

He paused, then smiled. "Enough to buy some cigarettes," he said.

Director of Baghdad Museum Resigns, Citing Political Threat:

The halls of the Baghdad Museum are sealed with concrete, and its treasures are not open to the public. The hauling off of many of its relics in 2003, during the mass looting that swept Baghdad after the American invasion, became for many a potent symbol of the war's cost.

Bomber Attacks Baghdad Paper on Day When 52 Are Killed:

An American soldier was killed in Baghdad by small-arms fire, the military said. Another American soldier was killed Saturday by a roadside bomb that detonated near his vehicle in the southeast section of Baghdad, the military said.

Red Cross Ferry Evacuates 161 in Sri Lanka as Supplies Fade:

The shortages of milk powder, water and medicine were most acute on the outskirts of Jaffna and on islands cut off from the mainland. "The displaced are living in schools, public buildings and even under trees on the streets," said the Rev. J. J.Bernard, a Catholic priest with the Center for Peace and Reconciliation in Jaffna. "We are dangerously running short of essential goods like food, medicine and fuel," he said. "Shops are becoming empty."

Tribal Leader's Killing Incites Riots in Pakistan:

"It is the duty of the government to hold a dialogue instead of taking military action," Qazi Hussain Ahmed, leader of an alliance of six religious parties, told the Pakistani news agency Online.

U.S. Officials Say Venezuela Knew Military Equipment Was in Seized Cargo:

Reports over the weekend in local news media aligned with Mr. Chávez's government called for close attention to the incident, asserting that the United States secretly brought military equipment into Chile in diplomatic baggage before the coup that toppled Salvador Allende in 1973.

Annan Will Travel Mideast to Bolster Lebanon Peace Plan:

He has also scheduled a meeting with Serge Brammertz, the Belgian prosecutor leading the United Nations investigation of the killing, which has produced strong preliminary evidence of Syrian involvement.

An Ex-Official Offers Glimpse of Iranian Views of U.S.:

"Although our economic system may not be strong," he said, "our minds and our memories are."

National Report

American Album: For 56 Years, Battling Evils of Hollywood With Prayer:

"That's the meaning of faith," Sister Mary Pia said.

NASA Makes Two Sets of Plans for Shuttle:

On its 11-day mission to the space station, Atlantis is to deliver a truss segment and a new solar power array, a complex assembly task requiring three spacewalks to complete.

Anniversary Brings Out the Politics of Commemoration:

Lynn Dean, the chairman of the St. Bernard Parish Council, a veteran local Republican, listened skeptically. "Typical partisan talk," Mr. Dean said. "The federal government has put billions of dollars down here already. A lot of the money has been wasted."

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