Saturday September 30, 2006

The Final Word: “Carnival Grotesque 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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Iraqi Police Cited in Abuses May Lose Aid:

In a statement on Friday, the commander of United States forces in Iraq, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., distanced himself from such comments, which he said "do not reflect the close partnership" between the American military and Iraqi leaders. General Casey described Prime Minister Maliki as a "determined, courageous leader" who is "doing a good job in a tough environment."

F.D.A. Says Bayer Failed to Reveal Drug Risk Study:

"The remedy is mandatory reporting of all clinical trials and real teeth for the F.D.A. to do its job in holding drug companies accountable," Mr. Grassley said.

Detainee Bill Shifts Power to President:

Long before that judgment arrives, legal challenges are likely to bring the new law before the Supreme Court. Assuming the justices rule that they retain the power to hear the case at all, they will then decide whether Congress has resolved the flaws it found in June or must make another effort to balance the rights of accused terrorists and the desire for security.

In Many Public Schools, the Paddle Is No Relic:

"The rule is, never hit in anger," Mr. Price said. "We always talk to the child before the punishment, make sure they understand why it's happening, and then talk to them again afterward. None of it is cold or harsh. We try to treat the kids like they're our own."

Lawmaker Quits Over Messages Sent to Teenage Pages:

State Republican Party leaders said they would meet with officials from each of the counties in Mr. Foley's district to nominate someone to replace him. But an election official in Florida said Friday night that Mr. Foley's name would have to remain on the ballot. Any votes for him will be counted for his replacement, the official said.

Wisconsin’s Crown of Cheese Lies Within California’s Reach:

A new generation is buying the items, said an employee, Denise Kaminski. "When you drive through Wisconsin, what do you see but cheese?" she said. "It's who we are, and that's not going away."

Other News

Senate Passes Bill on Building Border Fence:

And while Congress wants 700 miles of fencing, it was appropriating only enough money to complete about 370 miles of it, Congressional aides acknowledged, leaving it unclear as to whether the entire structure will be built. Dana Perino, deputy White House press secretary, said Friday that Mr. Bush intended to keep pressing Congress for a broader fix. She said the White House was hopeful that Congress would return to the issue after the elections.

Hedge Fund With Big Loss Says It Will Close:

The letter said Amaranth planned to remain in business but was not certain what it would do. A spokesman for the fund, which is based in Greenwich, Conn., declined to comment beyond the letter.

India Digs Deeper, but Wells Are Drying Up, and a Farming Crisis Looms:

"We are close to the finishing point," he said. His daughter, a sixth grader, listened intently to the conversation. "The water is almost gone."

White House Disputes Book's Account of Rifts on Iraq:

"The recollections as portrayed in the Woodward book in no way reflect the public and private testimony under oath of those individuals to the 9/11 commission," said Sean McCormack, the State Department spokesman.

A Portrait of the President as the Victim of His Own Certitude:

"Has he thought this through?" Mr. Armitage asks. "What the president says in effect is, We've got to press on in honor of the memory of those who have fallen. Another way to say that is we've got to have more men fall to honor the memories of those who have already fallen."

Finance Office of Disease Control Agency Is Slipshod, Federal Report Says:

"Frankly, I believe it is a chronic (or perhaps autoimmune) disease that pre-dates our leadership, but there is strong evidence of an acute exacerbation," she wrote in the message, a copy of which was obtained by The Times. In autoimmune diseases, the body attacks itself.

Bathroom Dispute Halts Chess Championship:

In the history of world chess championships, there has only been one previous forfeit. That happened in 1972, when the American grandmaster Bobby Fischer forfeited the second game of his match to the Russian Boris Spassky. He came back to play Game 3, which he won, then went on to win the match.

Ex-Firebrand Ortega on the Comeback Trail:

"The Daniel Ortega of today is not the Daniel Ortega of years ago," he said. "I can understand all the anxiety, but we have to stop living in the past."

When Soldiers Go to War, Flat Daddies Hold Their Place at Home:

"At first, it can take you aback, but it never did for me," Ms. Campbell said. "I just felt like her presence is here. The Flat Soldier does provide comfort, and we'll take it any way we can."

International

Teacher in Hiding After Attack on Islam Stirs Threats:

Mr. Redeker said that he had no second thoughts about what he wrote. "No regrets," he said in the radio interview. "I have given a lot of thought in writing this text."

The Saturday Profile: Dodging Death in the Andes, and Greeting Life With Gusto:

"I think that life is simpler than we tend to think," he said. "We look for answers and more answers. But there are no answers. Things happen in life, good things and bad. People say why did it happen to me? Well, why not? Some people win the lottery, and others die in a car crash. It happens, and there is nothing we can do about it. The universe doesn't care what happens to you."

Bush and Kazakh Leader Play Up Partnership:

Mr. Bush invited Mr. Nazarbayev to a small lunch rather than holding a state dinner — a sign that Kazakhstan's leader is working his way into the president's inner foreign policy circle, but is not all the way there.

In Video, Qaeda Deputy Condemns Bush and Pope:

Mr. Zawahri connected the pope's comments about Islam to other supposed offenses against the religion: Salman Rushdie's novel "The Satanic Verses," the reported desecration of a Koran at Guantánamo Bay (later determined to be unfounded) and the uproar over cartoon depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, describing all as part of a campaign by crusaders.

Growing Unarmed Battalion in Qaeda Army Is Using Internet to Get the Message Out:

He now changes his e-mail address frequently, he said, and he typically carries software that can delete details of his actions from a computer. "In the beginning, I thought maybe I would go for jihad in Iraq, but it was very difficult to get there," he said. "Now I realize it's better to work on the Net and get the message out."

Iraqi Linked to Sunni Bloc Is Held in Plot, Military Says:

Also on Friday, Iraqi authorities announced the killing of the brother-in-law of the judge who is presiding over the trial of Saddam Hussein. It was not clear whether the shooting was sectarian in nature or tied to the family's relation to the judge.

Thai Military Leaders Say They Retain Power to Remove a Civilian Government:

But the Foreign Ministry official, Mr. Krit, said this was a minimal response in accordance with United States law and added, "I think they are measuring their response, keeping their eye on what's developing on the ground."

National Report

Pagans Sue on Emblem for Graves:

"I'm angry," Ms. Egbert said, "because if pagans can fight and die for our country, we should be recognized by our country the same way anyone else would be."

Sentencing in Deadly Nightclub Fire Only Adds to Anguish of Victims and Kin:

Michael Derderian, more stoic, apologized for not asking more questions about the foam, and, shortly before being led away in handcuffs, told the families, "I will also live with the fact that the passage of time will do nothing to make you feel better."

Museum Field Trip Deemed Too Revealing:

"I thought she was the greatest," Ms. Kozcara said. But "knowing Texas, the way things work here" she said of the teacher's suspension, "I wasn't really amazed. I was like, 'Yeah, right.' "

Principal Killed by Shot in Struggle With Angry Student:

Mr. Klang's father, Don, told The Capital Times in Madison that his son had recently returned to teaching after running a 200-acre dairy farm for 16 years. In that time, he worked on and off as a substitute teacher.

Rhode Island Couple Wins Same-Sex Marriage Case:

“At last the fence of discrimination has been removed at the border of Massachusetts and Rhode Island,” Michele Granda, the lawyer who argued the case, said in a statement. “Loving, committed Rhode Island couples can now affirm their relationships in the most public and respected way our society knows.”

Suspect in Shooting of Deputy Is Gunned Down in Florida:

Asked if he regretted not taking the man into custody alive, the sheriff smiled and said, "Not at all."

Earmarks Find Way Into Spending Bill:

Senator Talent heralded the earmark on Friday with a statement declaring, "Senate approves Talent's request to keep the C-17 line open" for "our highly skilled workers in Missouri."

Officials Plan to Move Quickly for Terrorism Trials in Spring:

After Mr. Bush signs the bill, government lawyers said, they expect to file briefs in the pending case in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The government is expected to argue that the suits filed by dozens of lawyers on behalf of all the Guantánamo detainees who were there before the 14 arrived this month are no longer valid.

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