Wednesday September 27, 2006

The Final Word: “War of Words of War 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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Backing Policy, President Issues Terror Estimate:

To be successful in combating the spread of a radical ideology, the assessment states, the United States government "must go well beyond operations to capture or kill terrorist leaders."

New Premier Seeks a Japan With Muscle and a Voice:

But Mr. Abe seemed to speak most forcefully on security issues, and on the need for Japan to have a larger voice in global affairs. One of his goals, he said, will be getting Japan a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

How a Reviled Court System Has Outlasted Many Critics:

"If it came up," he said, "we would take the same position that we did before."

New Campaign Ads Have a Theme: Don't Be Nice:

Mr. Reynolds burst out laughing when asked why he was not using more positive advertisements. "If they moved things to the extent that negative ads move things, there would be more of them," he said.

New York City Plans Sharp Limits on Restaurants' Use of Trans Fats:

"Like lead paint, artificial trans fat in food is invisible and dangerous, and it can be replaced," said Thomas R. Frieden, the city's health commissioner, after the Board of Health vote yesterday. "No one will miss it when it is gone."

Some Owners Uneasy About Proposal:

Still, at least one Balthazar customer thought the plan was flawed. Julia Kent, 40, a pharmacy manager, said, "I think they should let the chef be the food artist and let the consumer decide."

Forensic Skills Seek to Uncover Hidden Patterns of Elder Abuse:

Dr. Mosqueda continued, " 'I'm doing the best I can' isn't an excuse, but sometimes it's really true, and it's our job to know the difference and help families solve it so it doesn't ever get to the team at the forensic center."

Opera Canceled Over a Depiction of Muhammad:

"I've never heard of something like this, or even similar to it," said Nikolaus Lehnhoff, a prominent German opera director. "I have seen many politically incorrect performances in Berlin. I think the reaction to the pope's speech has sensitized the cultural scene."

He's Got the Salad Covered. Can He Serve You Dinner?:

"When I'm having a rough time," he said, "I can just sit in there for five minutes, and I'm good for a half a day."

Deal Is Likely on Detainees but Not on Eavesdropping:

The bill has major differences from a Senate plan that would submit the entire wiretapping program to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to rule on its constitutionality.

International

Church Excommunicates Zambian Archbishop Who Married:

However, he said that he intended eventually to return to Zambia with his wife and resume his preaching, healing and exorcisms.

Estelí Journal: A Career Seasoned With Cigar Smoke and Revolution:

As for returning to Cuba one day, Mr. Padrón said he would leave that decision for the next generation. "I'll be in a box by then," he said, sending out a billow of smoke.

Israel Sets Goal of Pulling Troops Out of Lebanon by Sunday:

The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, is expected to travel to Cairo for talks with the Egyptians.

Chinese Officials Vow to Press Political Shake-Up, Saying Corruption Is Focus:

Shanghai stock market investors reacted sharply. Shares in local real estate development companies plunged on speculation that Mr. Chen's arrest might hurt the cozy party-business ties that channeled billions of dollars into local property and infrastructure development in recent years.

Thai Military to Keep Hand in Government for Time Being:

Investigations of Mr. Thaksin's and his associates' assets and of possible government corruption have begun. They could affect his decision whether to return.

In Valedictory Speech, Blair Declines to Name Departure Date:

He also defended actions by Britain as an ally of the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq. "If we retreat now, hand Iraq over to Al Qaeda and sectarian death squads and Afghanistan back to Al Qaeda and the Taliban, we won't be safer. We will be committing a craven act of surrender that will put our future security in the deepest peril."

Attacks in Afghanistan Grow More Frequent and Lethal:

A witness of the Sept. 18 suicide bombing in nearby Pashmul, Khair Muhammad, whose two daughters were wounded in the blast, said the bomber appeared to be an Arab.

Judge Postpones Hussein Trial as Lawyers Continue Boycott:

But a number of Sunni legislators made it clear on Tuesday that they would fight the proposal no matter what. One top Sunni legislator, Dhafir al-Ani, quit in protest as chairman of the committee scheduled to hear the proposal.

News Analysis: Waging the War on Terror: Report Belies Optimistic View:

But that argument steps around the implicit question raised by the intelligence finding: whether postponing the confrontation with Saddam Hussein and focusing instead on securing Afghanistan, or dealing with issues like Iran's nascent nuclear capability or the Middle East peace process, might have created a different playing field, one in which jihadists were deprived of daily images of carnage in Iraq to rally their sympathizers.

National Report

U.S. Pushes Anti-Castro TV, but Is Anyone Watching?:

Shortwave radios — which are not sold in Cuba but are smuggled in — can pick up Radio Canada, Radio Netherlands and the BBC, several said. Satellite dishes, while illegal and rare, can pick up television broadcasts from South Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Steubenville Journal: As a Test Lab on Dirty Air, an Ohio Town Has Changed:

The town of 19,000 has half the population it did 60 years ago, and the outlook of many residents has changed. "Certainly 30 years ago, that was a prevailing sense here in the valley that if there's dirt on the air there's food on the table,'' said Adam Scurti, 61, a lawyer. "Now, that would not be tolerated."

Secretary Vows to Improve Results of Higher Education:

"I'm concerned with a certain vagueness to it all at this point," Dr. Vedder said. "There's been a lot of platitudes — 'increase affordability, control costs' — but we've not come up with much that's specific about how to do that."

Texas Case Involving Marital Counseling Is Latest to Test Line Between Church and State:

Courts have had no trouble convicting religious figures of sexual misconduct, since the charges involve clearly secular actions that by their nature fall outside accepted religious practices.

Justices to Hear Case on Use of Union Fees:

The question in the appeal, Schriro v. Landrigan, No. 05-1575, is whether the Ninth Circuit exceeded its authority under a 1996 federal law, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, in reopening the case rather than deferring to the Arizona courts' conclusion that Mr. Landrigan's complaint about his lawyer's performance was "frivolous."

2 Boston Tunnels Require Repairs:

Officials said such deterioration was common in older tunnels in cold climates because concrete laid decades ago was more porous than the material used today. Any decay is usually caught during routine inspection.

Bill Would Reimburse States for Printing Alternate Ballots:

On Thursday the Committee on House Administration, which has a role in overseeing election procedures, will hold a hearing to consider whether all voting equipment should produce a paper record that lets voters verify how they voted.

Clinton Defends Husband's Tack, Adding That All Democrats Should Take a Hint:

"Their policies are failing, our military is breaking and the American people are demanding a change," she said. "The administration has lost focus on winning the war on Iraq, and all Washington Republicans can focus on is winning elections here at home."

New Report That Senator Uttered Slurs:

Mr. Allen's campaign issued former teammates' statements saying they did not remember his using the term. The campaign also issued a statement from his former wife, Anne Waddell, who confirmed meeting Mr. Taylor but disputed his recollection. She said Mr. Allen "would never utter such a word."

Race Is Top Issue in Bid to Represent Memphis:

"I think it will be an overcoming, a coming together," he said. "And I think it will say we've overcome a lot of the problems since Dr. King was killed."

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