Sunday November 5, 2006

The Final Word: “Mea Culpa 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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G.O.P. Glum as It Struggles to Hold Congress:

"The scandal seats have clearly hurt us and put us at a disadvantage," said Carl Forti, a senior strategist with the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Star Power to Blood Sport, Tennessee Senate Race Has It:

"I just wanted to get in the picture," she says.

Anger Joins Grief for Family Feeling Misled by Military:

"I am truly sorry," he said, reading from a piece of paper, "for all the hardship my absence has caused."

Guatemala System Is Scrutinized as Americans Rush in to Adopt:

Both prospects, those involved in the process say, are unlikely.

Sites Invite Online Mourning, but Don't Speak Ill of the Dead:

"I think it's true," Mr. Adamson said, "that death brings out the best and the worst in people."

Other News

Unconventional Wisdom: Asterisks for the Political Rulebook:

Ah, politics. How better to start the next election cycle than with two more pieces of conventional wisdom?

The Nation: Democrats Fight for the Right to Say, 'You're Welcome':

The heroes of the party will surely have been determined by then.

Many Former Pataki Donors Gave to Spitzer This Time:

"For me, it's not so much a question of political philosophy," Mr. Wilmers said. "It's a practical question: Who will be in the best position to get the most accomplished and do the most good?"

Contrast in Styles: Lieberman's Polished Formality vs. Lamont's Enthusiasm:

Mr. Lieberman responded with a chuckle. "Well we agree on that," he said. "So if you've got a choice between a jerk ..." He trailed off, not quite finishing his sentence.

New Jersey Race Is Wearying Voters and Candidates:

"I can't wait to vote and get this election over with," said Mary Fudali, 75, who cheered for Mr. Menendez on Thursday at a rally in the North Arlington Senior Center, in Bergen County. "To make people stop saying those terrible things about him. And stop saying all those terrible things about all of us."

Church Board Dismisses Pastor for 'Sexually Immoral Conduct':

"He's coming clean with his family and friends," Mr. Dodd said. Of the decision, he added, "I think it's a good idea because this is the way for Ted and his family to get healing and restoration. He won't have to worry about pastoring his church and can focus on being pastored himself."

Crackdown in Iraq Anticipates a Verdict in the Hussein Trial:

Five members of President Jalal Talabani's security team were killed when a bomb hit their convoy near Kirkuk, said Lt. Col. Haiwa Abdullah of the Tuz police department. The president was not with them.

Nevada's Family Ranches Go the Way of the Old West:

"I made a plastic poster out of it," he said.

'Just a Normal Girl':

In Mr. Cameron's estimation, that is one of the main purposes of a college education anyway.

L.A. Over Easy:

Suzanne Goin, chef, Lucques The Griddle on Sunset is full of 20-somethings that just moved here and are looking for an agent/good time/celeb sighting, etc. The funny thing about it is that everything is huge, like pancakes the size of your tires! And the whole place is working the grunge thing, big-time — as in, I would definitely not eat off the floor (or the counter, or the table). But it is kind of fun in a wacked-out Hollywood way. I can't remember eating anything particularly good. I was so overwhelmed by the size of everything that I forgot what it tasted like!

International

With Jewish Roots Now Prized, Spain Starts Digging:

"Spain is now opening the way for the study of that lost footprint," he said.

Israel Presses Attacks in Gaza, Killing a Rocket Maker:

In Tel Aviv, the former prime minister, Ariel Sharon, remained in intensive care as doctors battled an infection affecting his heart. Mr. Sharon, 78, has been in a coma for 10 months after a stroke.

Talks to Start on Climate Amid Split on Warming:

"There are many types of zero-cost or low-cost ways of reducing emissions," she said.

U.S. Backs Hot Line in Iraq to Solicit Tips About Trouble:

As her captors' voices receded to another part of the house, the woman pulled out a cellphone concealed in her clothing. She called the hot line and told an operator where she believed she was being held, based on glimpses she caught of the neighborhood as she was being hustled from the car into the house. When the police flooded the neighborhood half an hour later, the kidnappers fled and the woman was rescued.

Decades After the Hostages, a Conciliatory Voice in Iran:

"If relations between the two countries are hostage to an apology," he said, "I am willing to pay the price."

Leader of Taiwan to Appear on TV to Garner Support:

President Chen cannot be charged while still in power because he has immunity.

Yemen Court Acquits 19 Charged With Terrorism Plot:

Militants in Yemen may only be charged with crimes committed in there. Membership in Al Qaeda is technically not illegal, while involvement in Iraq's insurgency is seen as outside the jurisdiction of the courts.

Scientists Urge New Trial in Libya AIDS Case:

American and European politicians have frequently raised concerns about the medics' fate, but at the same time have gone on to develop closer relations with Libya.

National Report

After 132 Years, Philadelphia Will Send Off Its Elephants:

"I think we are always in a planning process, which now has us look at each animal," said Dr. Baker, who added that there was still land available for a larger elephant exhibit, even with the zoo's tight urban quarters. "Exactly what animals will be here over time may well change. Sometimes, like we said, it is a financial, not an aesthetic, decision."

A 2nd Triple Slaying in South Carolina:

Two men have been arrested in that case.

Investigation at the C.I.A. Looks for Favors Among Friends:

Mr. Cunningham has been sentenced to an eight-year federal prison term, after pleading guilty to accepting more than $2 million from military contractors, and Mr. Wilkes's once-flourishing business, built around a service that converted paper documents to computer files, has collapsed.

A Woman Is Installed as Top Episcopal Bishop:

Dissident Episcopalians have found enthusiastic support among primates of Anglican provinces in Asia, Latin America and Africa, whose churches are booming and where attitudes toward homosexuals are generally far more conservative. In the fall, the rector of a church in Virginia, the Rev. Martyn Minns, became bishop of a missionary Nigerian Anglican church in the United States, a move many think is meant to establish him as an alternative for disaffected Episcopal congregations to turn to for oversight.

Race: A New Hampshire Reversal?:

Mr. Hodes's efforts appear to be paying off. A new poll from the University of New Hampshire shows him ahead of Mr. Bass by 8 percent, though the poll's sample size was only 330 likely voters. A university a month ago had Mr. Bass ahead by 10 points.

Political Action: Free-Range Politicians:

Iowa, the launching pad for presidential contests, drew Mr. Romney there on Saturday, and Mr. Obama is scheduled to drop by for a visit on Sunday. It is one of the few stops where Republicans and Democrats can give, even as they receive.

Bush Lends a Hand to G.O.P. Congresswoman in a Tight Race:

Ms. Musgrave's Democratic opponent, Angie Paccione, supports a ballot measure that would give same-sex couples the same legal rights as married couples.

Overheard:

Organizers said the nuns were acting as individuals, not on behalf of a religious order. But in Michigan, where the nuns are calling Catholics in suburban Detroit, many omit the title sister to steer clear of rules barring political activity by tax-exempt groups. In both states, they were organized by Common Good Strategies, a consulting firm.

Aberdeen Journal: Biofuel Plant Raises Hope Where a Rocker Brooded:

"I think this area is big enough to have two heroes," she said.

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