Wednesday September 13, 2006

The Final Word: “Art of Deflection 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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Spitzer and Clinton Win in N.Y. Primary:

But the Spitzer camp also does not want to become bogged down and perhaps tainted by losses at the hands of the Republican Senate leaders, who are the one faction in the state party that still has significant stature. Mr. Pataki is leaving office after three terms with relatively poor approval ratings, and he has been increasingly preoccupied with exploring whether to run for president in 2008.

Gunmen in Syria Hit U.S. Embassy:

"This attack would be small beer by Al Qaeda standards," said one intelligence official.

Modern Ways Open India's Doors to Diabetes:

The profession was thick with diabetes. It was doctors themselves.

Spying Uproar Causes Shuffle in Boardroom:

"There are laws that might be applied, but prosecutors will tell you they have to cobble things together," Mr. Schumer said. In January, he was a sponsor of legislation that would make it a crime, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, to obtain telephone records fraudulently or to sell or purchase them.

French Presidential Hopeful Tours the U.S.:

He acknowledged that it is often the French elite who oppose him, adding, "Some of the French elite hate me more than they hate America."

Flush With Jobs, Wyoming Woos Rust Belt Labor:

"Michigan will always be home," he said firmly, sitting outside the family house. "No matter how long we stay here, Michigan is always going to be home to me."

Other News

Attorney General: Cuomo Wins Primary Race for Attorney General by Big Margin:

In this campaign, Mr. Cuomo was able to achieve something that eluded him four years ago: support from an array of black leaders. He earned endorsements from nearly every leading black politician in the state.

In Setback for Democrats, Incumbent Wins Republican Senate Primary:

In Minnesota, Keith Ellison, a state legislator, won the Democratic Congressional nomination in the heavily Democratic Fifth District, defeating three rivals to put him on a path to become the first Muslim member of Congress.

Pope Assails Secularism, Adding Footnote on Jihad:

At the end of that summer, he devoted an annual weekend of study with former graduate students to Islam. In that meeting, and since, he has reportedly expressed skepticism about Islam's openness to change, given its view of the Koran as the unchangeable word of God.

In Russian City, a Rampage of Ethnic Violence:

"I do not know whom we are afraid of," she said, "the non-Russians or the Russians."

Dance of Diplomacy Is Grist for the Gossip Mill:

Family is important, she said, with a sly smile, because "they remind you of the things you did when you were 5 years old." Beside her, Mr. MacKay grinned and blushed.

Political Memo: In the Debate on Security, Perhaps a Misstep or Two:

"I don't think the inside-the-beltway discussion about political tit-for-tat makes any difference in the majority of races around the country," said Senator John E. Sununu, Republican of New Hampshire.

Israeli Court Orders 18 Palestinian Officials Freed:

While Mr. Abbas, of the Fatah faction, has accepted these positions, Hamas has not. Fatah and Hamas have been trying to work around this by saying that Mr. Abbas could negotiate on behalf of the Palestinians, but Hamas would not be involved.

Well, It Turns Out That Lonelygirl Really Wasn't:

On learning that Ms. Rose was an actress whose interests, unlike the scientific and religious issues that fascinated Bree, ran to parties and posing, one fan wrote, "Very cute, but she's really not into Feynmann and Jared Diamond! (I'm heart-broken ...But a wonderful actress, had me fooled into thinking she was a geek like me.)"

Drug Maker Fires Chief of 5 Years:

Mr. Sherman, in an e-mail message yesterday, called the accusation "nonsensical."

A New Bird Species Is Confirmed in India:

Mr. Athreya said he first spotted the bird in 1995, "but it was only this year I had a sufficiently good look that we could move into the matter."

Magazine Preview: The Battle for Guantánamo:

One hint of Guantánamo's future may lie in the retrofitting of Camp 6, the brand-new medium-security facility that was to have opened this summer. Until this spring, the new camp was to embody the sort of conditions Colonel Bumgarner and other officials had hoped to institutionalize, with spaces for communal meals and larger recreation areas where compliant detainees could play soccer and other sports. After the riot and the suicides, the camp was substantially remade. When it eventually opens, military officials said, it will look somewhat more like Camp 5, the maximum-security unit down the road.

International

Letter From London: Even Safety Czar Thinks British Are Too Risk-Averse:

Mr. Callaghan was just as exasperated as you would be, if it were your child's school, and please don't blame the Health and Safety Commission. "It's not something we would get involved in," he said.

More Financing Is Urged to Fight TB in Africa:

"Giving African countries bank funding for each major disease would just increase the fragmentation of health care, financing and overall management of the health system," she said in an e-mail message.

4 Men Held in British Raids Are to Remain in Custody:

Lawyers for all the men except Mr. Akmet said their clients would plead not guilty to the charges.

Grim Report Out of Anbar Is Disputed by General:

Recent media reports fail to accurately capture the entirety and complexity of the current situation in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq," the statement said. "The classified assessment, which has been referred to in these reports, was intended to focus on the causes of the insurgency. It was not intended to address the positive effects coalition and Iraqi forces have achieved on the security environment over the past years."

In Iran, Iraqi Is Offered Aid in Trying to Quell Violence:

Two civilians were killed in separate shootings in Diyala Province. A police captain in Mosul was killed, and one Iraqi Army soldier was killed and three were wounded by a bomb south of Kirkuk.

Yemen Election Rally Stampede Kills 51:

Yemenis will go to the polls on Sept. 20 to elect a new president in a contest between Mr. Saleh, who has governed Yemen for 28 years, and Faisal bin Shamlan, a former oil industry executive backed by a coalition of opposition parties. Last year, Mr. Saleh announced that he would not run for re-election, but in June he changed tack and accepted the nomination of the governing General People's Congress for another seven-year term.

Death Penalty Not Sought for Marine in Killing of Iraqi:

Pfc. John J. Jodka and Cpl. Marshall L. Magincalda have already appeared in court, with prosecutors saying they would not seek the death penalty in those cases, either. Hearings will be held later for the other men charged.

National Report

Governor's Comments Were Leaked by Foe's Camp:

"This is California politics," Mr. Kousser added, "so it always seems ridiculous."

New Orleans Mayor Pleads for Patience in Meeting Goals:

Meanwhile, Mr. Nagin pleaded for patience. "Everybody wants it to happen yesterday,'' he said, "and it's just not going to happen yesterday."

Studies Find Higher Rates of Heart Risk With Vioxx:

The paper written by the two researchers at the University of New South Wales in Australia examined the results of observational studies that covered the cox-2 drugs and older painkillers. The researchers found that Vioxx had more heart risks than Celebrex and that naproxen, an older painkiller, appeared to be even safer.

Harvard's End to Early Admissions Intrigues Others:

"I don't know where we will end up," Dr. Martin said. "It's been fairly widely recognized, certainly at Cornell, that it does put students in a disadvantaged position."

2 Foundations Join in Africa Agriculture Push:

The Gates Foundation puts great emphasis on rigorous assessment of its money's impact, and Dr. Shah said one of the attractions of teaming with Rockefeller was its assessment program, which will be formally ensconced in a new organization and backed by $26 million.

Report Urges Changes in the Teaching of Math in U.S. Schools:

"We tried to identify the really key things, the things a student has to focus on to progress," said Sybilla Beckmann, a University of Georgia professor who helped write the report. "People like to paint this in terms of black and white, back-to -basics and constructivism, but I think there's a lot of agreement about what students need to know."

Government Sets Higher Medicare Rates and New Surcharge:

In announcing the new premiums, the administration appeared to send a mixed message. On the one hand, Dr. McClellan said, "Medicare beneficiaries are experiencing cost increases that are modest in comparison with recent health care cost trends." On the other hand, he said, spending in the traditional fee-for-service Medicare program is "out of control."

Deal Reported Near on Rights of Suspects in Terror Cases:

The changes, he added, said, would define the cases in which "grave breaches" of Common Article 3 constitute a war crime and would bar "serious criminal physical misconduct and inhumane treatment of a serious nature."

Astronauts Venture Out to Increase Station Power:

Mr. Tanner, ever laconic, replied: "We just did what we were told, Pam. That's all we wanted to do."

Lawsuit Challenges Use of Federal Aid for Bible-Based Counseling:

"The government studiously avoids clearing up these questions because it doesn't want to discourage people from applying and look hostile to faith groups," Professor Tuttle said. "I honestly don't think it would discourage people. Instead, it would give them a good sense of how to avoid being sued."

Dean Agrees to Finance Some Programs for Turnout:

Mr. Emanuel's counterpart in the Senate, Charles E. Schumer of New York, did not share his assessment. "We're still in the process of negotiating," Mr. Schumer said. "We're hoping that we'll have an amicable agreement that will make everyone happy."

U.S. Can't Protect All Targets, Chertoff Says:

"There's something wrong with this," said Mr. Falkenrath, a former White House deputy homeland security adviser. "Terrorists are attacking the subway system worldwide."

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