Thursday November 2, 2006

The Final Word: “Lie Down in Darkness 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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With Iraq Driving Election, Voters Want New Approach:

But 93 percent of Republicans said they were definitely or probably going to vote next Tuesday, compared with 89 percent of Democrats.

Medic Tends a Fallen Marine, With Skill, Prayer and Anger:

Doc stood in the corner, his arm looped over a marine. "Amen," he said. There were some hugs, and then the marines and their Doc went back to their bunks and their guns.

As Investors Covet Ethanol Plant, Farmers Resist:

"I wish the industry weren't moving so fast," said David Swearingin, a board member who favors combining Mid-Missouri with another cooperative. "Farmers are cautious, conservative people. But if we stick our head in the sand and do nothing, that opportunity for harvest may be over."

Yes, Red Wine Holds Answer. Check Dosage.:

"We think that if we can harness the benefits of caloric restriction, we wouldn't simply have ways of making people live longer, but an entirely new therapeutic strategy to address the diseases of aging," Dr. Guarente said.

Selling Literature to Go With Your Lifestyle:

"You walk into Restoration Hardware and you want the couch and the vase and the nightstand, and then you want the two books that are on the nightstand," Ms. Rosen said. "The books complete the story."

Other News

Bush Works to Solidify Base With a Defense of Rumsfeld:

"I can take a political shot," Mr. Rangel said. "But my family and friends and constituents deserve better from the vice president of the United States."

Democratic Leader Put to Work as G.O.P. Campaign Star:

"Nancy Pelosi does not represent the values of middle Georgia," said Ted Prill, the campaign manger for Mr. Collins, who is seeking a seat in the Third District. "There is a case to be made that a vote for a Democrat in Georgia is a vote for Nancy Pelosi."

Republican Seems to Rally in Run for Seat Foley Quit:

But his spokeswoman, Jessica Santillo, said later that he had never planned to attend. He will participate by teleconference from Florida, she said.

Iraqi Shiites Continue to Exert Independence and Seek Changes to U.N. Deal on U.S. Troops:

Iraqi leaders said they expected to submit the new text of the changes by Dec. 1. It must pass through Parliament before taking effect.

Latin Fight for U.N. Security Council Seat Ends :

Sometimes relations tilt toward the surreal. The National Assembly, which is controlled by Mr. Chávez's supporters, recently called on the Bush administration to explain why it had carried out the attack on the World Trade Center.

Running the Digital Marathon:

Instead she intends to wear a low-tech alternative on her wrist: a laminated strip of paper worn as a band that lists the times she must make at each mile to finish the New York City Marathon in 3:22. "When you're running a marathon, you don't have the energy to do the math," she said.

William Styron, Novelist, Dies at 81:

Depression continued to stalk him, and he was hospitalized several more times. In "Darkness Visible," he concluded, referring to Dante: "For those who have dwelt in depression's dark wood, and known its inexplicable agony, their return from the abyss is not unlike the ascent of the poet, trudging upward and upward out of hell's black depths and at last emerging into what he saw as 'the shining world.' There, whoever has been restored to health has almost always been restored to the capacity for serenity and joy, and this may be indemnity enough for having endured the despair beyond despair."

International

Rife as Onion Domes, Moscow's Casinos Face Closing:

Mikhail Chilkhodyants, who works in pharmaceuticals, prefers the slot machines. He meets friends at Jazz Town on occasion for an evening of entertainment. "It's already become part of our lives," he said. "Moscow without gambling will lose something."

Beirut Journal: Where the Boys Are, at Least for Now, the Girls Pounce:

"We're too good for them," she said. "The ones who remain in Lebanon are the ones with closed mentalities, the ones who just want a virgin girl. You start to feel that the men who stay in Lebanon are the ones with no ambition in their work, and so you wonder, why are they still here?"

News Analysis: U.S. Debates Value of North Korea Talks:

American negotiators continue to maintain the financial restrictions will remain unless North Korea stops counterfeiting United States currency. "They have to get out of the illicit-activities business and get out of the counterfeiting business," Mr. Hill said in an interview Tuesday.

Party Urging More Autonomy From Spain Seems to Win in Catalonia:

The plan grants Catalonia new powers in areas like immigration and judicial affairs, and lets it keep more of its tax revenue.

Iran Is Offering Bounty to Agents Who Can Entice Western Tourists:

Mr. Malekzadeh said Monday that tourists could also apply for visas on the Internet to ease the process.

Big Israeli Strike With Tanks Kills 8 Palestinians in Gaza:

The sharp drop in government revenues was partly offset by increased international aid to nongovernmental groups. The aid for the April-September period was $420 million, up from $230 million a year earlier. Still, the overall economy has been contracting rapidly in recent months.

U.S. Reports Plot to Topple Beirut Leaders:

"I don't buy it," said Jamil Mroueh, publisher of The Daily Star newspaper in Lebanon of Washington's statement. "This is a domestic issue, in terms of the wrestle for power."

Suicide Bomber Wounds 3 in NATO Military Convoy:

An investigation into the killing is continuing, he said.

Turkish Scholar Who Mocked Head Scarves Is Acquitted:

Ms. Cig has also criticized Emine Erdogan, the wife of Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for wearing a head scarf that excludes her from state functions, and asked her to give up her covered looks to prevent a misrepresentation of modern Turkish women.

Kosovo May Soon Be Free of Serbia, but Not of Supervision:

Mr. Rucker, the head of the United Nations mission, said, "I think it is very clear: if you expect stability, this has a price tag."

British Authorities Charge Suspect With Violations of Terrorism Laws:

Nabeel Hussain, 22, remains in custody, charged with conspiracy to murder and with planning to bring liquid bomb-making materials on board airplanes and then to assemble and detonate them in midair.

Observers Deem Congo Runoff Fair, but Vote Tally Isn't Final:

On Tuesday, people in Bumba, in northern Congo, were allowed to cast their votes again because rioters had vandalized polling stations and burned ballots. And on Thursday, voting is scheduled to be redone near Goma, where enraged mobs burned more than three dozen polling places after a drunken army sergeant killed two election workers.

National Report

Despite Flawed Defense, a Death Sentence Stands:

Mr. Radolovich said he had mixed sentiments about yesterday's decision. "I'm heartsick that James went to death row," Mr. Radolovich said. "But after he told me he did it and after he lied to me, I'm a little less sympathetic."

San Francisco on Halloween Turns Violent; 10 Are Injured:

"The Castro is a place of civility, but you get these people coming in who don't understand the civility and the tolerance of the whole place and they act like fools," said Vince Quackenbush, 55, a teacher and longtime neighborhood resident. "You know, if someone's wearing a dress, he's fun and funny. It's not something you deride."

Late Design Change Is Cited in Collapse of Tunnel Ceiling in Boston:

The board is an advisory agency that makes recommendations to government agencies and private parties after its investigations. The Massachusetts attorney general's office, the Justice Department and the Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General, whose investigations could lead to indictments, are also looking into the accident.

Man Held in 2 Brush Fires Is Investigated in Fatal Blaze:

Private funerals are planned. A public memorial service is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Devore.

Lawmaker in Slur Case Quits in Florida:

"In public life you have to accept responsibility for the mistakes," Mr. Bush said.

6 Die in Reno Hotel Fire; Suspect in Custody:

Mr. Reginato said the hotel had been in his family for more than 80 years. "I was a little numb," he said of the fire, "and still am."

Political Action: Picking Up the Pace:

Not included on his itinerary are many top Senate or House races that Democrats are concentrating on.

Political Action: Good Bet for an Early Night:

Although Mr. Lugar, 74, hardly expected a difficult race for his sixth term, he did not expect such a cakewalk. No Democrat stepped forward to oppose him. In an acidic political year, he is the lone senator to have no major-party opponent. The line on the ballot for a rival's name is blank, save for a Libertarian candidate. Last week, Mr. Lugar he completed a 1,000-mile swing across Indiana. He intends to watch the returns in Indianapolis. A spokesman, Andy Fisher, predicted, "It will be a fairly early night."

Local Issues Mirror National Ones, but the Special Effects Occasionally Stand Alone:

I come from Indiana, where we're losing track of time.

Outside Money Fuels Battle on Abortion:

The South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families said that of the $1.8 million, less than $160,000 — about 9 percent — came from South Dakota; the campaign got 738 contributions from state residents, it said. The rest — more than 10,000 donations totaling more than $1.6 million — came from elsewhere. Vote Yes For Life, meanwhile, said that 65 percent of its money came from inside the state.

Concentration of Competitive Races Puts Ohio at Center of Midterm Battle:

The Democrats received an additional boost this week when the actor Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson's disease, campaigned with Mr. Brown to highlight Mr. DeWine's opposition to embryonic stem cell research. Mr. Fox became famous playing the conservative son of liberal parents in a television show set in Columbus, and his appearance dominated television news coverage around the state that day.

Political Memo: Flubbed Joke Makes Kerry a Political Punching Bag, Again:

"If the issue is whether or not John Kerry can tell a joke and tell it well," Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa, who campaigned for Mr. Kerry in 2004, said in an interview with Radio Iowa, "I could have told you the answer to that question was no a week ago."

Luring Lapsed Democrats in Kentucky:

She is still undecided. But after asking Mr. Weaver questions about taxes and religion, she said this might be the year that she votes for a Democrat again.

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