Wednesday October 11, 2006

The Final Word: “Flawed Methodology 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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Rice Asserts U.S. Plans No Attack on North Korea:

The aim, according to Stuart Levey, under secretary of the treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, is to put the international community "on notice about a particular threat" and get them to voluntarily end their dealings with North Korean entities.

Test Byproduct: Quick Scramble to Point Fingers:

"It's becoming increasingly clear that we live in a dangerous world that includes rogue nations, Mr. Bouchard said in a telephone interview afterward. "I would much prefer that we were in a completely peaceful moment, but without question, a dangerous world is certainly a more apparent pointer to my credentials."

Religion-Based Tax Breaks: Housing to Paychecks to Books:

"Providing special treatment is not always constitutionally required," he said, "but it is constitutionally permissible."

In the Congressional Hopper: A Long Wish List of Special Benefits and Exemptions:

"That suggests to me that they don't want government involved in monitoring religious institutions, but they want the benefits that government is dispensing anyway," he said. "To me, that's unfair. If you're going to take government money, you should abide by the rules, like everyone else."

Far From Big City, Hidden Toll of Homelessness:

Here, she added, "they are going on open faith."

New York City Acts to Add Low-Cost Homes:

In addition to those changes, the task force wanted the extended, 25-year tax break — currently given to any development in neighborhoods once thought in need of improvement — to be given only to projects providing some low-cost housing.

Across Europe, Worries on Islam Spread to Center:

When asked if she was optimistic or pessimistic about the future of Muslim immigration in Europe , she found it hard to answer. She finally gave a defeated smile. "I am trying to be optimistic," she said. "But if you see the global problems before the people, then you really can't be."

Other News

Yahoo Feels Breath on Neck:

"Google is so much ahead," said Peter Hershberg, a managing partner of Reprise Media, a search advertising agency. "Google is going into new channels like video and Yahoo is still trying to fix their core channel."

Iraqi Dead May Total 600,000, Study Says:

Donald Berry, chairman of biostatistics at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, was even more troubled by the study, which he said had "a tone of accuracy that's just inappropriate."

A Cross-Cultural Saga Wins the Booker Prize:

Also on the shortlist were Edward St. Aubyn for "Mother's Milk," a tragicomic novel about addiction and the struggles of raising children in an aristocratic British family fallen on hard times; M. J. Hyland for "Carry Me Down," whose protagonist is a boy in 1970's Ireland who believes he has an uncanny gift of intuiting truthfulness; and Sarah Waters for "The Night Watch," which follows the entwined lives of four Londoners during and after the Blitz.

Torre Keeps Job, but Stays on the Hot Seat:

Cashman said that starter Randy Johnson would probably need back surgery, as expected, adding that Johnson would be at least a bit behind the other pitchers in spring training. Cashman also said infielder Andy Phillips would need surgery to repair torn cartilage in his knee.

Cooking Defines Sephardic Jews at Sukkot:

"You want to make it perfect, just like your grandmother did," Raquel Habert said. "There's nothing in the world I'd rather be doing than this."

Data Suggests Vast Costs Loom in Disability Claims:

Congress told the V.A. last year to advertise the availability of compensation to veterans in states where payments had been disproportionately low, a program that the agency has predicted will attract nearly 100,000 new applicants.

Jury Convicts 2 Albany Men in Missile Plot:

Before the verdict, Mr. Hossain's wife, Mossammat Fatima Hossain, sat quietly in a booth at the pizzeria, which was empty but for a friend and her eldest son, who is 13. Business had fallen since the indictment, she said. After she learned of the verdict, she sat in the restaurant, unable to speak.

International

A New Fence Is Added to a Border Town Already Split:

"Like Shabaa Farms, this proves there is an ongoing Israeli occupation and it must leave," said the representative, Hussein Haj Hassan. "We will be patient with the negotiations, but will not wait very long."

Memo From Russia: In a Risky Place to Gather News, a Very Familiar Story:

The hall where Ms. Politkovskaya's coffin lay Tuesday had a capacity of 1,000; hundreds more lined up outside. After a few short eulogies, they filed past, laying flowers in piles that grew high and higher, and then dispersed in the rain.

Striking Teachers Agree to Tentative Pact to End Unrest in Oaxaca:

The conflict has brought Oaxaca to its knees. Many businesses have shut, and the tourists who had propped up the local economy now largely stay away. Once drawn by the city's colonial architecture and unique cultural traditions, visitors now find burned out vehicles and graffiti-scarred buildings. The city's main square, deemed by many to be the most beautiful in Mexico, is now an urban campsite.

Word of Test Confirms Stances in 2 Nations:

Mr. Okonogi said Japan and South Korea's perceptions of the North would keep heading in opposite directions, adding, "And the gap will just keep growing after this nuclear test."

U.S. Group Reaches Deal to Provide Laptops to All Libyan Schoolchildren:

The computers come with a wireless connection, a built-in video camera, an eight-hour battery and a hand crank for recharging batteries. They will initially be priced below $150, and the price is expected to decline when they are manufactured in large numbers.

Israel Bars New Palestinian Students From Its Universities, Citing Concern Over Security:

She compared her quest to chemistry. "You have to look for a long time to get answers," she said. "It is not a direct process. You have to be patient, and therefore I will be patient. I won't give up."

Baghdad Blasts Kill 17; Dozens of Bodies Found:

The military announced the death of an American soldier in Tikrit on Sunday from a roadside bomb.

National Report

U.S. Says Blacks in Mississippi Suppress White Vote:

But Mr. Walker, the county prosecutor, insisted the past had nothing to do with the case against Mr. Brown. "I wouldn't sit here and pretend black people haven't been mistreated," he said. "I hate what happened in the past. But I can't do anything about it."

Copper Plant Illegally Burned Hazardous Waste, E.P.A. Says:

At the same time, Mr. Shapleigh said a tabulation showed that legal claims filed against Asarco amounted to more than $21 billion.

Low-Sulfur Diesel Fuel Is Reaching Market:

"The best they can do in environmental policy," Ms. Browner asked, "is take credit for someone else's work?"

911 Transcripts Are Released in Amish School Shooting; Killer Was Calm:

"We've never released them before, but this is a different set of circumstances," Trooper Quinn said.

Bush Emphasizes Local, Private Role in Ending School Violence:

He added that it was not up to the federal government to legislate character education. "It requires a higher power than the federal government to cause somebody to love somebody," he said.

As Election Nears, Groups Plan Negative Ads:

Among the most active Republican 527 groups is the Economic Freedom Fund, which was formed this year and received a $5 million contribution from Bob J. Perry, a major Bush donor and an underwriter of the Swift boat veterans group in 2004. The fund is running advertisements on behalf of Republican candidates in Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Oregon and West Virginia.

In Minnesota, Voters Tune Out Scandals and Infighting to Focus on Issues:

"I still am looking at the issues one by one," she said. "Honestly, I am looking for the box marked 'none of the above.' "

Hastert Vows to Fire Aides if a Cover-Up Is Discovered:

A spokeswoman for Mr. Kolbe confirmed Tuesday that during the Fourth of July Congressional recess in 1996, Mr. Kolbe took two former pages on a three-day rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. The spokeswoman, Korenna Cline, said several of Mr. Kolbe's staff members and his sister had gone on the excursion, and that the former pages had paid their own way.

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