Saturday October 14, 2006

The Final Word: “Adventures in P.R. 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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U.S. Hits Obstacle in Getting a Vote on North Korea:

As for the agreement struck to limit the arms embargo to specific weapons like missiles, tanks, attack helicopters, artillery systems, warships and combat aircraft, Mr. Bolton said, "That would place under embargo the most dangerous, most sophisticated, most lethal weapons, so that's a substantial step forward, and, as I say, we're happy to accept that as a compromise."

Preliminary Samples Hint at North Korean Nuclear Test: "We don't know yet."
South Korean Is Appointed Secretary General of U.N.: "But the modesty is about demeanor," he said, "not about vision and goals. It does not mean the lack of commitment or leadership. Rather it is quiet determination in action to get things done without so much fanfare."

Gay Marriage Losing Punch as Ballot Issue:

Conservatives like Mr. Paul of the Colorado marriage group say the low-key tenor of the same-sex marriage debate could change in a thunderclap if a court decision that appears to undermine traditional marriage boundaries is handed down before the election. The New Jersey Supreme Court has a case pending and could issue a decision before Election Day.

Wall St. Woos Film Producers, Skirting Studios:

"A little," Mr. Reitman said, smiling.

Mrs. Astor's Son to Give Up Control of Her Estate:

Part of the settlement provides for Philip Marshall and his twin, Alexander, to each receive $400,000 from the estate for their children's education. According to the document, the payments were included in the agreement at the request of Mrs. Astor's court-appointed lawyer.

Peace Prize to Pioneer of Loans to Poor No Bank Would Touch:

At that, the audience erupted in a sustained burst of applause. Mr. Yunus beamed.

Text: Excerpts From Citation: ''Yunus's long-term vision is to eliminate poverty in the world. That vision cannot be realized by means of micro-credit alone. But Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank have shown that, in the continuing efforts to achieve it, micro- credit must play a major part.''

A Cult of Backyard Rocketeers Keeps the Solid Fuel Burning:

"The Sony Playstation motto is, 'Leave your world here and play in ours,' " Mr. Reese said of a more ubiquitous teenage pastime. "But why leave this world when you can hang out with a bunch of nerds and play with rockets in the middle of the desert?"

Other News

Earnings for Insurers Are Soaring:

The insurers have been raising prices sharply since the terrorist attacks in 2001. As a result, their underwriting losses declined from $52.6 billion in 2001 to $4.9 billion in 2003. In 2004, the insurers made a $4.3 billion profit on underwriting but reported the underwriting loss in 2005. This year, Mr. Hartwig said after paying an estimated $24 billion in taxes the industry's net profit might rise to $60 billion.

London and Dublin Offer Northern Ireland a Compromise:

A critical element of the agreement relates to Sinn Fein's demand that the police in Northern Ireland be controlled by the local executive, giving Sinn Fein more influence over the force. The agreement suggests that the local government could assume control of the police by May 2008.

Discord? Not Here, British Say After General's Iraq Comment:

In an interview with Sky News on Friday, Sir Richard said: "We are not on the run; we are not hauling our colors down. We are going to see this thing through, but we have got to get on with it; we can't be there for years and years in the sorts of numbers we are."

Congressman Pleads Guilty but Won't Resign for Now:

In two weeks, David H. Safavian, a former Bush administration official, is to go before a federal judge here to receive a prison sentence for his conviction on charges of lying about his relationship to Mr. Abramoff, including the circumstances of a 2002 golfing trip to Scotland that was arranged by Mr. Abramoff for Mr. Ney, Mr. Safavian and others.

Snowstorm Blankets Buffalo, Killing at Least 3:

"I'm not even going to think about the cost at this point," he said. "The important thing is to make sure people are safe and get their lives back to normal."

Small-Plane Pilots Must Ask Before Flying Up East River:

"In our society, any time anything goes wrong, we add a level of checks," he said on his weekly radio program on WABC-AM. "The trouble is that every time you add another level of security it doesn't necessarily improve security. It may very well make it so complex that it's less secure."

N.L.C.S. Game 2 - Cardinals 9, Mets 6: Wagner Throws, and Momentum Swings:

On the next pitch, Edmonds blasted a 410-foot home run, beyond the center-field fence, tying the score at 4-4. After Maine walked Spiezio, the bullpen started stirring for the first of several times.

A.L.C.S. Game 3 - Tigers 3, A's 0: With a Roar in Detroit, Rogers Pushes the A’s to the Brink:

"It's fun to watch. I hope that when I'm 78 or 79, I'm playing with the same intensity."

International

The Saturday Profile: An Accidental Canadian Finds Her Environmental Footing:

"Canada's a wonderful country," she said. "If you beat up on the government for 30 years, you can still get the Order of Canada."

Turkish Laureate Criticizes French Legislation:

Ibrahim Unseli, 55, who runs an electronics shop, said he was as appalled by the French Parliament's attitude as he was by Mr. Pamuk's position on the Armenians and added that he hoped that Turks would boycott French goods.

Iraqi Interior Minister to Purge Agency to Stem Killings:

The police recovered 18 more bodies in the capital, Interior Ministry officials said.

5 Die as Palestinians Clash With Israelis and Each Other:

On Thursday night, a local Hamas leader was gunned down in Beit Lahiya. Shortly afterward, Hamas and Fatah gunmen there began exchanging fire. The shooting lasted through the night and during much of the day on Friday. A teenage bystander was killed.

Vendetta Rapes Continue as Pakistan Resists Change:

"No one is happy with police," he said. "What else does she expect us to do? We recovered her. We have arrested the man accused. Does she expect us to kill him? We can't do that."

Swiss Official Says Banks Broke Law by Supplying Data to U.S.:

Earlier, the privacy commission for Belgium, where Swift is based, accused the consortium of flouting European rules. "It has to be seen as a gross miscalculation by Swift that it has, for years, secretly and systematically transferred massive amounts of personal data for surveillance without effective and clear legal basis and independent controls in line with Belgian and European law," the report said.

National Report

Medical Marijuana Advocate Faces New U.S. Indictment:

The new charges against Mr. Rosenthal are similar to those in a 2002 federal indictment. At the time, Mr. Rosenthal worked for the City of Oakland and was sanctioned under city and state laws to grow marijuana plants and sell them to dispensaries. He was convicted by a jury, but a federal appeals court overturned the decision, citing juror misconduct. He was granted a new trial, and prosecutors were moving forward, but the new federal indictment supersedes the earlier one.

Two Adults and Two Children Are Found Shot to Death Alongside a Florida Highway:

"I'm devastated to know that's what it was," she said. "I just hope the little bit of information I have helps authorities. I hope they can find the monster who did this."

Leader of a Georgia Mosque Pleads Guilty to Aiding Hamas:

"It certainly is going to have that effect if there's any aroma that donors are being targeted," Mr. Boyd said. "If they're now going to make it so that Islamic charities can't function at all, that's pretty dire."

Students Arrested in Third Day of Protest at College for the Deaf:

But students were also determined, even welcoming the prospect of arrest Friday, which one protester, Leala Holcomb, 19, from Freemont, Calif., said would demonstrate their commitment to the world beyond the campus. "We want to get arrested to show we are firm in our conviction," Ms. Holcomb said, adding, "It is a pretty loud statement."

No Early Foley Complaints, Head of Pages Says:

It was sexually explicit messages from years earlier, however, that led Mr. Foley to resign after ABC News acquired them. Those exchanges were a maddening disclosure, Mr. Shimkus said, and they have piqued his curiosity about whether anyone was familiar with previous reports of Mr. Foley's behavior.

Despite Woes, Bush Offers Fund-Raising as Promised:

As to Mr. Sherwood, Mr. Snow said the president "believes that we are all sinners and we all seek forgiveness."

New Account of Party at Duke:

Ms. Roberts has given different accounts in the past, including calling the rape accusation a "crock" and saying she was with the accuser for all but less than five minutes.

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