Tuesday September 12, 2006

The Final Word: “'We're Losing Iraq -- Dial 911!' 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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Nation Marks Lives Lost and Hopeful Signs of Healing:

At 7:12 p.m., sunset in New York, a switch was thrown and two powerful shafts of illumination — the "Tribute in Light" — shot up from Lower Manhattan, restoring, for one more anniversary night, the outlines of the twin towers.

Near Site of Disaster, Workers Strive for the Routine:

"This is what I do every day," he said. "This is what I've done for 29 years. And this is what I'm going to keep doing."

Classical Music Helps Some 9/11 Mourners Cope: Carnegie has long been a New York gathering place for momentous events. President Woodrow Wilson reported on the Treaty of Versailles there in 1919, the hall said. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made one of his last public appearances there, in February 1968. On Sept. 30, 2001, James Levine, Leontyne Price and Yo-Yo Ma, among others, performed in a concert of remembrance for those who died 19 days earlier.
On Greenwich St., Always a New Reason to Dig: Down at O'Hara's on Greenwich Street, however, the battle-weary Mr. Keane is less sure. "Guaranteed," he said, "they're going to take those streets up again."

In Prime-Time Address, Bush Says Safety of U.S. Hinges on Iraq:

Even as he called for unity Mr. Bush alluded to Democratic calls for a timetable to withdraw from Iraq, saying, "Whatever mistakes have been made in Iraq, the worst mistake would be to think that if we pulled out, the terrorists would leave us alone. They will not leave us alone."

News Analysis: Bush Speaks to a Changed Nation, Where Unity and Clarity Have Evaporated:

"It can be a little spooky," said David M. Kennedy, the Stanford historian whom Mr. Bush has consulted during his periodic Oval Office meetings with outsiders. "It's a war without end, in which our enemies grow like cancerous cells, regrowing as soon as we kill them off."

Grim Outlook Seen in West Iraq Without More Troops and Aid:

"Despite coalition efforts and the efforts of the newly formed Iraqi government, insurgents continue to demonstrate the ability to recruit new fighters, supply themselves, and attack coalition and Iraqi security forces," the G.A.O report added. "The deteriorating conditions threaten the progress of U.S. and international efforts to assist Iraq in the political and economic areas."

Harvard Ends Early Admission, Citing Barrier to Disadvantaged:

"All of us who sit in these seats have always worried about that,'' she said. "Yet we have worked very hard to broaden and deepen our applicant pool at every step in the process.''

2 Ex-Teammates of Cycling Star Admit Drug Use:

"There's always going to be the guy who denies and denies that he's ever used something," he said. "Nobody really knows what that guy is really doing when he goes home and closes the door."

PAndreu Says Fears for Sport Made Him Come Clean:

"Everybody's afraid to talk because they don't want to implicate themselves," he said. "But there are guys out there who love the sport and who hate doping. They are the guys who have to speak up if the sport is going to survive."

Palestinian Reports Unity Deal With Hamas:

"We call for a return to work and the end of the strike because all the sons of the Palestinian people should unite in the national interest," he said.

Other News

Bomber Attacks Afghan Governor's Funeral:

A medic at Khost's city hospital, Muhammad Wali Nuri, said it had taken in seven dead from the attack, five policemen and two boys 10 to 11 years old. The hospital had also received 40 wounded, both police officers and civilians, and sent six of the most seriously wounded to the American military base in town.

Dismissal Recommended for Bristol Chief:

While some analysts, citing the company's intriguing pipeline of new products, had recently said they believed that Mr. Dolan was turning the company around, the Plavix debacle led many of them to conclude that Bristol-Myers had been outmaneuvered by Apotex.

Chevron Could Avoid Huge Royalties on New Field:

"We are deeply concerned that the department may have intentionally withheld critical information from the subcommittee," the two lawmakers wrote in a letter on Aug. 3 to Dirk Kempthorne, the new Interior secretary. "If this is the case, then it has intentionally impeded this duly authorized Congressional investigation."

To Fight Stuttering, Doctors Look at the Brain:

Dr. Maguire is more enthusiastic. On a conference call for securities analysts held by Indevus, he said some patients taking the drug had finally gotten jobs they wanted or were able to approach others and go out on a date. "It's almost an awakening, people coming out of their shells, so to speak."

International

Uruguay at Center of Lively U.S.-Venezuela Chess Game:

But "the Chávez option is only interesting if he can compensate what we lose in trade opportunities each year by being inside Mercosur," an official, speaking on condition of anonymity because Mr. Vázquez has said only he is authorized to speak on the subject. "But his internal situation won't let him spend that kind of money year after year. He can afford millions, but not billions."

Phnom Penh Journal: Step Right Up: Futures Told, Demons Slain, Moles Turned:

"You must follow your gifts," she said. "Everyone can't be a fortuneteller. If they were, there would be nobody left to do all the other things that have to be done."

Pope Benedict Visits His Hometown, Charming Its Residents:

"The rules we gave were followed so precisely that we had to tow only two cars — and those were because they weren't between the lines," he said.

Rice Indicates Slight Shift in Stance on Iran Sanctions:

A nonproliferation analyst, speaking anonymously because he has not yet had time to review all the implications, said that part of the apparent new willingness by the United States to consider a temporary suspension might reflect the need to seize on any possible daylight with a country that has been an adversary since its Islamic revolution in 1979.

Iran Shuts Top Reformist Paper, Citing Cartoon Seen as an Insult:

Human Rights Watch warned last week that the health and safety of Iranian political prisoners was in grave danger and called on the government to appoint an independent commission of Iranian lawyers and doctors to investigate the recent deaths.

Hussein Trial Resumes; Sectarian Attacks Continue in Streets:

Near the northern city of Kirkuk, four oil refinery workers were killed in an attack as they drove toward south toward Tikrit, the Iraqi police said.

National Report

Court Panel Denies Blogger's Appeal:

"My cellmates were totally chill and had my back," he said of his recent incarceration. "The fact I only got an hour of fresh air a day was frustrating, but you deal."

Chicago Mayor Vetoes Big-Store Minimum Wage:

In the coming weeks, Wal-Mart expects to open its first store in Chicago, on the city's West Side. Some 11,000 people applied for the 400 jobs there, said David Tovar, a Wal-Mart spokesman. The range of expected wages there was unavailable, Mr. Tovar said, but he said the average wage for full-time hourly associates in Illinois was $10.41 an hour.

In Unpredictable District, Some Say Bush Is Politicizing Terrorism:

"Republicans believe their party is in trouble and they want to help their campaigns," Ms. Dodich said. "It is almost like Bush is frantic."

California Opens Inquiry on Breaches of Computers:

Governor Schwarzenegger is in a tough re-election battle. He has been known to get into hot water with his remarks, including once calling a group of legislators "girlie men."

The Coverage: Looking Back on a Tragedy With Energy and Respect:

All the news programs covered the anniversary with energy, respect and exhaustive detail. CNN found a way to relive the day hour by hour without losing track of the world around it.

Across the Nation: 5 Years Later, Ceremonies Show That Pain and Emotion of Sept. 11 Are Still Fresh:

Atlanta's ceremony of poetry and music presented by the North Atlanta High School Jazz Band ended with two firefighters mounting ladders that crisscrossed high above the stage like swords. At the top, they unfurled an American flag, fringed in gold.

Al Qaeda: Bin Laden's Deputy Warns of Attacks in the Middle East:

He held forth on historical events like the Sykes-Picot agreement between the French and British to redraw the borders within the Middle East after World War I.

Congress: A Solemn, Sad Moment to Reflect, but Politics Also Surfaces:

The House will vote on the resolution on Wednesday. Republicans had hoped to hold the vote on Tuesday but put it off after assessing some real-life political concerns: there are a series of party primaries that day, so some members will not be around.

After Steps to Desegregate, Plaintiffs Drop Tennessee Suit:

Study Links Tropical Ocean Warming to Greenhouse Gases:

"Even under modest scenarios for emissions, we're talking about sea surface temperature changes in these regions of a couple of degrees," Dr. Santer said. "That's much larger than anything we've already experienced, and that is worrying."

Shuttle Docking Complete, Astronauts Prepare for Walk:

This particular operation was such a test of the shuttle arm operator's skill that NASA used the simulation as a generic training run. NASA has virtually removed the truss hundreds of times, Mr. Dye said. Visibly moved, he added, "It's wonderful to see it actually happening for real."

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