Friday November 17, 2006

The Final Word: “'Bygones' 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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Pelosi Rebuffed Over Her Choice for House Post:

At the same time, some more conservative Democrats who supported Mr. Hoyer have been stepping up their campaign for Representative Jane Harman of California, who is the senior Democrat on the panel but has clashed with Ms. Pelosi.

Spitzer Is Likely to Seek Hevesi's Ouster:

But he did say that the matter would be "my responsibility" come Jan. 1. "And at that point," he said, "I will answer all of these questions."

Spitzer Names Policy Advisers for Transition to Governor: "We don't want people to try to generate a homogenized, simplistic document at the end of the day," Mr. Spitzer said. "We are asking them to participate in a dialogue, a very hard-hitting discussion, that we will be there to hear at different points along the way."

Socialists Back Woman in Race to Lead France:

Mr. Chirac himself has said he will not make his intentions known before next March.

Myanmar Is Left in Dark, an Energy-Rich Orphan:

"The Vietnamese said one word: 'The Americans.' The Burmese could not believe that after fighting a war Vietnam was friendly with the United States."

U.S. Airstrikes Climb Sharply in Afghanistan:

On the plane's radio, the soldier voiced a simple response: "Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful."

Showing a New Style, Department Stores Surge:

"The strong," he said, "are only getting stronger."

Milton Friedman, Free-Market Theorist, Dies at 94:

Mr. Friedman had long since ceased to be called a flat-earther by anyone. "What was really so important about him," said W. Allen Wallis, a former classmate and later faculty colleague at the University of Chicago, "was his tremendous basic intelligence, his ingenuity, perseverance — his way of getting to the bottom of things, of looking at them in a new way."

Other News

The Conservative Reach: Preaching the Gospel of Small Government :

Mr. Reed said, "This is a missionary movement."

Iraq Issues Arrest Warrant for a Prominent Sunni Cleric:

The American military command announced that four American soldiers had been killed. One was killed on Tuesday by small-arms fire in Baghdad, the military said. The other three were killed on Wednesday in Diyala, two when a bomb exploded near their vehicle and one by small-arms fire. At least 44 American soldiers have been killed this month.

Nuclear Deal With India Wins Senate Backing:

After India and Pakistan conducted surprise nuclear tests about eight years ago, the Clinton administration imposed economic sanctions on both countries. But the Bush administration's effort to enlist allies for its global antiterrorism campaign brought an end to those sanctions.

Red Wine Ingredient Increases Endurance, Study Shows:

Increased energy production by mitochondria generates dangerous reactive chemicals that are known to damage cells. So it has long been puzzling that exercise, in which extra energy is expended, is good for health, not bad. The answer, Dr. Auwerx suggested, may have been provided by Dr. Spiegelman, who reported in the journal Cell last month that PGC1-alpha not only increases mitochondria but at the same time also generates extra chemicals that detoxify the energy byproducts.

Storms in Southeast Kill 12 and Injure Dozens:

"I don't think these folks had very much warning," Mr. Godwin said.

Exhibition Review 'New York Divided': The Complex Legacy of an Enslaved Past:

But it is also clear just how immense and remarkable this long conflict against slavery and its heritage has been: a singular enterprise, quashing an ancient evil in its singularly modern form. To feel the weight of such forces and begin to sense the complications that gave them shape in a city like New York, is to begin to feel the pulse of history itself, which is precisely what a historical society might well set as its goal and which is, here, handsomely achieved.

Man in the News: Steny H. Hoyer, a Cultivator of Loyalties:

He and Ms. Pelosi smiled and grasped hands, then lifted their arms over their heads triumphantly.

International

Sudan Says It Will Accept U.N.-African Peace Force in Darfur:

The conflict in Darfur pits non-Arab tribes against the Arab-dominated government of Sudan, which has armed deadly militias that have massacred civilians. The government says the violence has been exaggerated for political reasons.

Challenger in Congo Vote Says He'll Contest Results:

Since the provisional results were announced, though, no blood has been spilled. All day Thursday, United Nations peacekeepers were prowling the streets of Kinshasa, the scene of earlier fighting between supporters of Mr. Kabila and of Mr. Bemba, both of whom have well-armed but loosely disciplined militias.

Moscow Journal: Light Flashing, Siren Wailing: A Rich Muscovite in a Rush:

"You run into traffic jams, what can you do," the driver, Vitaly A. Medvedov, said with a shrug. "It's rare that they die in the car."

Jihadist Double Agent Writes of Derring-Do:

"If I sell a million copies I will enjoy it — before they start shooting at me," Mr. Nasiri said with a strained laugh.

Vatican Reaffirms Support of Celibacy for Clergy:

"He's seen as dangerous," said Sandro Magister, who writes about the Vatican for the newsweekly L'Espresso. Vatican officials are especially concerned, he said, that with his legion of married former priests Archbishop Milingo could create a ready-made "church within a church" that could find especially fertile ground for African expansion.

Israeli Response to Gaza Rockets: Official Restraint, Civilian Flight:

The military said three Qassams fell near Sderot on Thursday, injuring no one but damaging a kibbutz.

Diplomatic Memo: On to Vietnam, Bush Hears Echoes of 1968 in Iraq 2006:

But, he added: "The easy summation is that Vietnam began as a guerrilla war and escalated into an orthodox war — by the end we were fighting in big units. Iraq starts as a conventional war, and has degenerated into a guerrilla war. It has gone in an opposite direction. And it's much more difficult to deal with."

Turkey Offers Iraqi Leader Help in Training Security Forces:

Both prime ministers called for wider cooperation and indicated that two more crossings could be opened along the Turkish-Iraqi border in the future.

Contractor's Boss in Iraq Shot at Civilians, Workers' Suit Says:

Both men seek lost earnings and damages, said their lawyer, Patricia A. Smith.

National Report

Trash Collector Guilty in Cape Cod Slaying:

She added: "The first day of school, I stood there with such pride along with a sadness that Christa wasn't there. Christa was robbed of the privilege and delight of raising her daughter."

Jailed Freelance Journalist Loses Request for Rehearing:

Mr. Garbus said his client, held in a federal prison in Dublin, Calif., would serve as long as he had to. "He's not going to give up," he said.

5 Are Shot, 2 Fatally, on Detroit Streets:

They happened along a blighted stretch of Linwood Street, a busy thoroughfare, about five miles from downtown. Most of the buildings are grated or boarded up, and numerous vacant lots blight the area.

Hundreds, All Nonunion, Walk Out at Pork Plant in N.C.:

Hundreds of workers milled in front of the plant for much of the day. In an effort to ease the dispute and restore full operations there, the workers' leaders and Smithfield officials exchanged tense, on-again, off-again feelers.

Airlines Brace for Annual Crush:

Carry-on food, including leftovers, is welcome on planes, Mr. Hawley said. But the food must meet the liquids rule. And what is a liquid?

"If you dump it out on the table and it retains its form, " he said, "it's not a liquid, aerosol or gel."

Since treating leftovers that way is not recommended, however, screeners will use their judgment, officials said.

Justice Recalls Treats Laced With Poison:

The letters carried various return addresses of people who had earlier connections with Ms. March, including seven who attended college with her. The F.B.I. determined that Ms. March wrote and sent the letters, typing a number of them on a typewriter at a public library near her home.

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