February 9, 2000

Sen John McCain can speak in great detail about military issues, but he seems less fluent on domestic matters; his pledge that he will never be guided by opinion polls but will always act 'on principle' applies only to national security matters; McCain says that on domestic affairs, it will be helpful to use polls to find out what Americans want; McCain's ideas on domestic matters seem far from fixed or fully developed despite his conservative voting record in 17 years in Congress and his image as reformer; he has yet to explain fully how his vision of conservative reform will translate into comprehensive domestic agenda; photo (M)

Derrick Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs' Pro Bowl linebacker, dies unexpectedly in a Miami hospital, 16 days after car crash had left him paralyzed from his chest down; photo (M)

Labor Dept reports that productivity rose at annual rate of 5 percent in third and fourth quarters of 1999; analysts predict that US economy will keep growing strongly with low inflation; note that 1990's produced greatest improvement in productivity since 1960's, and that almost all of improvement came in last four years; graph (M)

More and more Manhattan restaurants offer early-bird specials, even if they call it something else in effort to avoid association with all-you-can-eat buffets favored by Florida retirees; even fashionable restaurants are getting with the trend and are eager to make arriving early seem less unfashionable; photos (M)

Maine shrimp, shellfish with its own short season, is turning up in fish markets and restaurants across New York City; shrimp are tender and sweetly flavorful and can be eaten raw; photo; recipes (M)