Sunday September 3, 2006

The Final Word: “New Beginnings 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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Opium Harvest at Record Level in Afghanistan:

One significant prosecution involved an Interior Ministry official, Lt. Col. Nadir Khan, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison two months ago for stealing 110 pounds of heroin that had been impounded by drug enforcement authorities and selling it, a Western counternarcotics official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Screening Tools Slow to Arrive in U.S. Airports:

"It has been slow, ineffective and in many ways just plain incompetent," Mr. Gregg said. "Unfortunately, aircraft, especially passenger aircraft, remain a target of opportunity these terrorists clearly still pursue."

With Millions in 9/11 Payments, Bereaved Can't Buy Green Cards:

"It's all for her, so she does something better," he said as his daughter wrapped her arms around his neck. "That she becomes a doctor, a lawyer. That she's not the same as me."

Couples Cull Embryos to Halt Heritage of Cancer:

For the Kingsburys, the choice is still clear. Like any parents, they plan to tell Chloe the story of her birth. And if all goes well, they say, she will soon have a sibling who shares a similar tale.

Rove's Word Is No Longer G.O.P. Gospel:

Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, said he encountered Mr. Rove at a dinner at Vice President Dick Cheney's home here in late July. "We chatted for a minute," Mr. Romney said. "He was interested in how the governors' races were looking. But it was interest as a fellow Republican."

In Las Vegas, Now It's Get Me to the Marriage Bureau on Time:

Tell that to poor Mr. Harris.

Other News

Storm Blamed for 5 Deaths and Power Cuts:

The governors of North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia and the mayor of the District of Columbia each declared a state of emergency.

14 Arrested in London Anti-Terror Raids:

He said of the thousands of possible suspects, "That includes a whole range of people, not just terrorists, not just attackers, but the people who might be tempted to support or encourage or to assist."

A Tough East Coast Cop in Laid-Back Los Angeles:

"The beauty of a police chief's job," he said, "is that you get to go to a breakfast in a church in South Los Angeles, you can be at a Beverly Hills soiree, you can be eating with the secretary of homeland security. Every day is different."

Adding It Up: Pockets Half Empty, or Half Full:

It's possible that Americans will simply decide that their current living standards are good enough, that further progress is not essential. But that would be a first.

Media Frenzy: Time Warner's Anxious Autumn:

Yet here we are, a half-year later, and he is looking to buy more stock. A poor harvest this fall could lead to a bleak winter. And, with the spring, comes Mr. Icahn.

The Frugal Traveler: The Frugal Traveler Sees the World:

From there, I hiked up dusty Bernal Hill for what one reader called "the greatest panoramic view of the city." She was right. As I ate juicy peaches from the market and gazed out on the bridges, parks, pastel houses and glistening skyscrapers of San Francisco, I thought back to the thousands of miles I'd covered, landscapes and cities I'd explored and friends I had made and, once again, silently thanked my readers for their good advice.

'Gallatin Canyon,' by Thomas McGuane: True West:

McGuane has written nine novels and a previous story collection, three essay collections, and a couple of high-profile screenplays; he's been both a celebrity bad boy, courted by Hollywood, and that famous disappearing act known as a respected man of American letters. He's even been married to a starlet (Margot Kidder). And yet he's failed, for better and for worse, to become an Event Fiction brand name. His perceived regionalism and his attraction to masculine themes have certainly contributed to this, but "Gallatin Canyon" does everything in its power to break down a silly American dichotomy, between a supposedly feminine preoccupation with manners and a supposedly masculine preoccupation with, well, everything else: sex, nature, aboriginal selfhood, you get the drill. McGuane has driven so hard into the heart of a received wisdom concerning American manhood, otherwise known as American loneliness, that he has broken through to the other side. Like all serious fiction, "Gallatin Canyon" is hermaphroditic. Here's hoping serious readers have the nerve to follow his lead.

Changing the Carpeting, Changing the Culture:

Until the next coach shows up.

International

Caracas Mayor Lays Claim to Golf Links to House Poor:

"Golf is a beautiful game that I've seen on television, but if that's where I belong, then so be it," Roberto Carlos Valdez, 41, a street vendor, said during a protest this week. "All I want is a roof over my children."

Annan Arrives in Iran for Talks on Nuclear Issue and Lebanon:

"The tone of the music is appealing," said Terje Roed-Larsen, a special envoy to the Middle East. "But today is only the first act, and I want to listen to the full libretto."

Lebanese Politicians, Scarce in War, Renew Bickering:

It is, she added, "a very, very delicate situation."

Palestinian Teachers Begin New School Year on Strike:

"The soldier is getting the needed care, and we are working to release him," Mr. Haniya said. But he added, "we have not reached any solution yet."

Storm Weakens, but Sends Torrents of Water Across Baja Peninsula:

Electric service was being restored to La Paz throughout the day, he said.

Many Panamanians Say No to Canal Upgrade:

"What's beautiful about this is that whatever decision we make is being made by us," he said. "This is about more than just building a bigger canal. We're talking about building our country."

Army Officer Calls for Death in Slaying Case:

A court-martial could be held on a military base in Iraq or in Fort Campbell, Ky., where the soldier's battalion is based.

14 South Asian Shiite Pilgrims Shot to Death in Iraqi Desert:

The other 14 victims of violence reported by officials on Saturday were killed in several places around the country. Four bodies were also found in Baghdad; it was unclear when they had been killed.

National Report

Online Auctions Raise Value of Celebrities' Charity Gifts:

Mr. Buffett said he had never used the wallet much. "Kind of like my car," he said. "I only put about 14,000 miles on it in four years, going to the office, which is about a mile from my house, and to the airport, which is about three miles away."

House Bill Seeks to Improve Cemeteries for Indian Veterans:

"Hopefully if President Bush signs the legislation we can submit a proposal to get a veterans' cemetery on the Navajo Nation," Mr. Chischilly said. "We'll be able to provide the land, but we will have to get other sources of funding for the operational costs."

Questions of Preferential Treatment Are Raised in Florida Sex Case:

"What I'm trying to focus on," Mr. Lefcourt said, "is, What's motivating the selective and misleading release of information to the public?"

Warren J. Mitofsky, 71, Innovator in Polling Industry, Dies:

"Warren knew that in Mississippi the electors were elected individually — not as a slate — and he wanted to make sure that Carter had won the five he needed — something NES couldn't tell him. For two hours Warren and his minions worked the phones until they nailed down for sure the five votes needed to call it a night."

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