Thursday October 5, 2006

The Final Word: “Psycho-Dramatic Self-Portrait in the Key of Fear 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.)

Page 1

Ex-Leader Among 5 Charged in Hewlett Case:

California made pretexting a crime, but the law, signed on Saturday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, does not go into effect until Jan. 1. It would not apply to any of the pretexting in the Hewlett-Packard case. Under that law, the penalty for a violation would be $2,500 and up to a year in county jail. Repeated violations would result in a $10,000 fine and a year in jail.

Early Warning on Foley Cited by Former Aide:

"This matter has been referred to the Standards Committee, and we fully expect that the bipartisan panel will do what it needs to do to investigate this matter and protect the integrity of the House," Mr. Bonjean said in a statement.

Military Hones a New Strategy on Insurgency:

"The units that have sufficient forces are applying the doctrine with good effect," said the officer, who is not authorized to speak on military policy. "Those units without sufficient forces can only conduct raids to disrupt the enemy while protecting themselves. They can't do enough to protect the population effectively and partner with Iraqi forces."

Iraq Suspends Police Brigade in Baghdad: On Wednesday, at least 14 Iraqis were killed and more than 80 wounded in and around Baghdad, most in a triple bomb attack on an Interior Ministry convoy. The minister was not injured, but three of his guards were killed, officials said. A suicide bomber detonated near an Iraqi Army base in Ramadi, in western Iraq, killing only himself, Reuters reported.

Old but Not Frail: A Matter of Heart and Head:

"If I was old," she says, then catches herself and laughs. In her view, she adds, old age, "is not going to happen for a long time."

Dead Bachelors in Remote China Still Find Wives:

And that is why families too poor to afford a minghun bride also follow a similar custom in some villages: They make a figure of straw and bury it beside a dead son as the spouse he never had.

City Considers Plan to Let Outsiders Run Schools:

Mr. Stopol added: "There is a lot of appeal in clearing up what our authority is and what our accountability is. We want to be accountable for these schools."

Other News

A Complex and Hidden Life Behind Foley's Public Persona:

They drafted a three-sentence statement and a letter of resignation, packed some bags, and got in his BMW. By the time the cameras that Mr. Foley had so long sought out had arrived to stake out his town house, he was driving South through Virginia, on a slow trip home to Florida.

Amish School Survivors Struggle After Killings:

"It's going to be a scar on them for some time," the man said.

Shares Surge Amid Hopes for Lower Rates:

In the bond market, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 4.56 percent, from 4.61 percent. The price, which moves in the opposite direction of the yield, rose 14/32, to 10215/32.

U.S. Sternly Warns North Korea on Nuclear Test:

After China, Mr. Abe will travel to South Korea to meet with President Roh Moo-hyun.

47 Years After Father, Son Wins a Nobel, Too:

"On the salary of a professor, I have mostly debts that will be settled after paying lots of taxes," he said. "Then I'll probably replace my 20-year-old automobile. I don't see much after that."

An Old Letter Casts Doubts on Iran's Goal for Uranium:

Mohsen Armin, a reformist politician, said hard-line politicians who welcomed confrontation with the West should learn a lesson from the letter so they would not have to "drink a chalice of poison" themselves, ILNA reported.

R. W. Apple Jr., Globe-Trotter for The Times and a Journalist in Full, Dies at 71:

Mr. Trillin, who later wrote about the evening for Gourmet Magazine, quoted one guest who summed up Mr. Apple's attitude toward the party, and toward the rich, long life and career that produced it: "It's my understanding that Apple has simplified what could be a terribly difficult choice by telling them to bring everything."

Discord at Brooklyn Museum Over Curatorial Changes:

"I was worried about it," Mr. Feinberg said. "I'm not going to tell you that I wasn't worried about it. But I think you're going to see some amazing people coming to us very soon."

The Energy Diet:

So, like, I don't know, maybe some weekend soon we all just get brushes and roof paint, fan out across the city, and just do it and get it over with? And afterward everyone comes by my place to watch the World Series on my big old flat-screen?

Fiorina Pursued Leaks at H.P, Too:

Robert Anderson, a deputy in the California attorney general's office, would not comment yesterday when asked if Ms. Fiorina was under investigation.

Mets 6, Dodgers 5: Maine Starts Game 1 for Mets, Then It's All Hands on Deck:

"Step 1 is down, no one can take this away from us," Floyd said. "Step 2 is at 8 o'clock tomorrow, and I'm going to get a good sleep tonight."

Rain Postpones Game 2; Tigers Scramble:

In the end, the Tigers found enough rooms at the Hilton New York on Sixth Avenue. There would be a quick turnaround before today's matinee; no time to shop for new clothes.

International

Commission Says I.R.A. Has Halted Terror Activity:

"If they don't participate, they are condemning people here, but particularly their own constituents, to second-class public services, run by second-class fly-in, fly-out British ministers."

Managua Journal: Hold the Mojito and Margarita, Nicaragua Has el Macuá:

"It was a democratic competition, where the best drink wins," he said.

Tory Chief Retunes Party Image, With Eye to 2009 British Election:

He added, "It's good tactics."

Turkish Hijacker Acted Alone, Officials Say, Rejecting a Larger Plot:

The statement included no details as to how he reached Albania, where the flight of the hijacked plane originated. Mr. Ekinci is seeking asylum in Italy.

U.S. Discusses Giving Seoul Command of Combined Forces:

But Mr. Lawless said there were new pressures in the military alliance, adding: "The younger generation of Koreans seeks a different relationship with the United States, a relationship that would be perceived to be more equal. Alliance issues have become more of a political concern than in previous years."

Abbas Says Talks With Hamas on Unity Government Falter:

No Palestinian faction claimed responsibility for the killing of the local Hamas leader, Muhammad Oudeh. The Israeli military said it was not involved. On Tuesday, Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades, an armed group linked to Fatah, threatened to kill a trio of more senior Hamas leaders.

U.S. Plan Would Expand Palestinian Leader's Security Force:

General Dayton has created a team at the United States Consulate in Jerusalem to deal with donors, elicit financing and manage projects to maintain accountability of funds for the donors, as well as create a mechanism for accepting the funds. Given previous examples of corruption in the use of aid, the new project-management team is intended to enable donors and their boards or parliaments to be more confident that their aid will be used as intended.

Equipment on Plane in Brazil Collision May Have Been Faulty:

The prosecutor said in a written statement, "Investigations point to a probability that the TCAS of the Legacy was turned off or not working at the time of the collision." The statement was issued in Portuguese with the words "Traffic advisory and collision avoidance system" in English.

Paris Police Raid Draws Charges of Brutal Tactics and Press Leak:

A few days later, the police carried out another high-profile dawn raid, to which journalists were alerted in advance.

National Report

U.S. Opens Criminal Inquiry on Health Measures Taken by Spinach Growers:

Some grocery chains began re-stocking fresh spinach last week, taking pains to show that the spinach was grown in places like Colorado and Canada. In the last 11 years, 20 E. coli outbreaks have been linked to "leafy products" grown in the region, including two related to spinach, Dr. Reilly said.

New Planets Astound Astronomers in Speed and Distance:

Mario Livio, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute and a member of Dr. Sahu's team, said, "There are literally billions of planets in our galaxy."

Group Honors Noted Crusader Against Quotas:

He has kept busy since retiring, most recently lobbying in Michigan for a ballot measure similar to Proposition 209. And while Mr. Connerly said he thought the Berkeley suit would be victorious this time around, he sounded as though he might still have liked a cake. "There's other ways I probably would have celebrated the birthday," he said.