Wednesday October 25, 2006

The Final Word: “Insults To Our Intelligence 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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General Weighs 2nd Troop Shift to Calm Baghdad:

American officials vowed to continue the search until the missing serviceman was rescued. "We will leverage all available coalition resources to find this soldier," General Thurman said.

Idle Contractors Add Millions to Iraq Rebuilding:

After the authority went out of existence in June 2004, handing sovereignty to the Iraqi government, top American officials then kept the companies idle for months as the officials rewrote the rebuilding plan, and ran up costs as little work was done.

To Lower Costs, Hospitals Try Free Basic Care for Uninsured:

"The money we save," Dr. Smith, of Seton, said, "money that is not hemorrhaging through the I.C.U., is money we can do so much more with to help her upfront."

Federal Rules Back Single-Sex Public Education:

He said his schools' research showed boys were stronger in math and girls were stronger in literacy. But in recently released test scores, he said, his schools did better than any other public schools in Albany. "Paradoxically, by educating them separately," he said, "we were able to do much to reverse the gender gaps that typically leave girls behind in math and boys behind in literacy."

Vietnam's Roaring Economy Is Set for World Stage:

"But I will be able to give my son a good education," she said, describing a modest Prudential life insurance policy she bought for her 2-year-old son that includes a savings fund for educational expenses. "He will have more opportunities."

Other News

Military Analysis: Iraqi Realities Undermine the Pentagon's Predictions:

In the final analysis, the problem is more one of institution building than numbers. Until Iraq has a genuine unity government that its own forces respect and are willing to fight for, it seems likely that the American military will continue to shoulder most of the burden.

Venezuelan's Diatribe at U.N. May Have Backfired:

Arturo Valenzuela, the director of Georgetown's Center for Latin American Studies, said he thought the divisions were serious, but not as deep as the ideological schism that befell the region during the cold war when many countries were ruled by military dictatorships.

Second Suspect Is Convicted in Murder of Times Reporter:

Mayor Anthony A. Williams and Howard University Hospital officials promised to tighten training and discipline at the agencies involved.

Dia Art Foundation Calls Off Museum Project:

"We're hoping to have a new director within the next two months," Ms. Raicovich said. "But as of now, no offer has been extended to anyone."

Tuition Again Rises Faster Than Inflation:

Asked to predict future changes in tuition, Ms. Baum told reporters, "We predict that it will go up, not down."

Just How Good Can Italy Get?:

Italians in Emilia-Romagna have certainly come to admire it. Whenever I asked them which other region's cuisine they most admired, Piedmont was the first or second place mentioned. In Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna drew the most praise. The mutual flattery was definitive proof. Both of these regions have great taste.

Small-Car Nation:

"The Hornet needs to come out yesterday," Mr. Brauer said. "But they'll sit back on what they know and miss out on another market niche."

World Series Game 3 - Cardinals 5, Tigers 0: Carpenter Is in Control, and Now So Are the Cardinals:

The Cardinals were in control of the game by then, and now they control the World Series.

International

In South Korea, Softer Feelings Toward the North:

"If the U.S. isolates North Korea, it's just silencing someone who has something to say," said Kim Ta-yon, the university junior. "I don't think North Korea did the test to provoke war, but because it wants a voice in international society."

Sarajevo Journal: This Film Is Pure Fiction, but the Chase Is All Too Real:

Mr. Shepard said he, too, hoped the movie would raise awareness of the war. "I am sure that if you did a poll in America, less than 1 percent of Americans would know who Karadzic was," he said.

Britain to Restrict Workers From Bulgaria and Romania:

"These restrictions will be unworkable, undesirable and unnecessary, and of lasting damage to the reputation of the U.K. as a champion of the enlargement," he told the Press Association, the domestic news agency.

New Voice on Right in Israeli Cabinet Is Likely to Be Loud:

"The actual appointment of Lieberman as minister for strategic affairs could constitute a strategic threat to Israel," said Ophir Pines-Paz, the culture minister and a senior leader in the Labor Party.

National Report

Pair of Satellites Will Document Sun in 3- D:

The mission had originally been scheduled to fly last April, but was repeatedly delayed by instrument problems.

Barre Journal: Headstones Too Go Global, and One City Pays the Price:

"You can almost smell the roses on this headstone," Richard Tousignant, a salesman at Adams Granite, said of one local product. "This is the best craftsmanship in the world. It's worth it. Would you want your grandparents' monument to be something made in China?"

Louisiana and U.S. in Accord to Review Gulf Drilling Plans:

"It was like the calf accusing the cow," Professor Houck said. "The state has never taken that position. Suddenly, everything the environmentalists have been saying, the state was saying."

Congressman From Arizona Is the Focus of an Inquiry:

Groups like Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington have raised additional questions about Mr. Renzi, like his employment of a top staff member in December 2005 who continued to operate a fund-raising consulting business while she worked for Mr. Renzi. House ethics rules limit outside earned income to less than $25,000 a year.

Though Weakened, New Orleans Lawmaker Is Ebullient and Defiant:

Ms. Carter responded, "There is only one candidate in this race who is under federal investigation, and it's not Karen Carter."

Bush Finding Welcome Mats as G.O.P. Looks for an Edge:

The unstated message, analysts say, is, Vote Republican — no matter who the candidate.

The TV Watch: Making Stem Cell Issue Personal, and Political:

These are times in which most actors seem prepared to do anything, and pay any price, to disguise flaws that could harm their careers. So when a famous one exposes the full, frightening extent of his infirmity in the name of saving lives, it tends to get noticed.

Speaker Testifies in Foley Ethics Inquiry:

His destination? The campaign trail out West.

Judge Voids Measure to Bar News Exit Polls:

Courts have also overturned bans on exit polling in Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming, said Susan Buckley, a lawyer for the news organizations.

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