Bernard Holland reviews performance of Wagner's Parsifal at annual Bayreuth Wagner Festival; photo (M)

The Citadel Wagner Built, Under Siege Inside and Out

Roland Legiardi-Laura, poet and filmmaker with only basic carpentry skills, renovates his loft and much of near-ruin of Boys Lodging House on Avenue B in Manhattan, which was designed by architect Calvert Vaux and built in 1883; building was recently designated city landmark; photos (M)

Poetry in Motion in the East Village

Article on team of researchers searching for remnants of community that was razed to make way for Central Park in 19th century; researchers, led by Prof Diana Wall, say that while it is too early to say definitely what their work adds up to, there is mounting evidence that there are indeed some building foundations underground; photo; map (M)

A Technological Dig; Scientists Seek Signs of Central Park Past

Jeanine F Pirro, month after her husband was convicted of federal tax evasion and conspiracy, is facing questions about whether she intends to keep her job as Westchester County district attorney; spokeswoman for Pirro denies reports that she is considering resigning post for more lucrative private job (M)

Pirro Faces Questions About Future as Prosecutor

Arizona Diamondbacks acquire pitcher Curt Shilling from Philadelphia Phillies for Travis Lee, Omar Daal, Nelson Figueroa and Vicente Padilla; photo (M)

Schilling To Arizona, As the Mets Just Shrug

Roundabout Theater Company will open its first show, The Man Who Came to Dinner, in elegant new 750-seat theater on West 42d Street; showplace is former Selwyn Theater, which was refurbished at cost of $25 million and renamed American Airlines Theater in exchange for $8.5 million donation from company; photos (M)

A Roundabout Journey to Glamour; Nonprofit Rise From a Chelsea Basement to New Times Square

Gov George W Bush's failed 1978 race for Congress in Texas has left deep imprint on him that is evident as he campaigns for president; Bush ran energetic, but flawed, campaign in race that may have been unwinnable, allowing opponent to portray him as overeducated phony in way that some Bush supporters now portray Vice Pres Al Gore; has been engaged in politics since his teens and has considered various runs for office since his 20's; photos (L)

Learning How to Run: A West Texas Stumble

Organs that produce their sounds by sending columns of air through pipes are giving way to those that produce their sounds by means of electronic circuits and loundspeakers, such as the newly overhauled organ in Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in Manhattan; proponents say increasingly sophisticated sampling techniques of digital technology have virtually erased difference in sound between a true organ pipe and its digital impersonator and that any shortcomings are outweighed by savings in money and space; opponents argue that sounds of ersatz organ pipes is sharply inferior and object to what they see as yet another musical sacrifice on the altar of frugality; traditionalists are not hostile to use of microprocessors to make the job of pulling stops simpler during a pipe organ performance; photos (M)

Behind the Music: Organs Go Electronic

Federal Judge Marilyn Patel, in major victory for music industry, issues preliminary injunction ordering Napster online music service to stop allowing exchange of copyrighted music owned by major record labels; finds Napster started service to ease trading of copyrighted material; Napster lawyer holds ruling could effectively shut down service; plans immediate appeal; Recording Industry Association of America hails ruling; will post $5 million bond against losses Napster could suffer from being shut down pending trial (M)

In Victory for Recording Industry, Judge Bars Online Music Sharing

Ira Berkow Sports of The Times column discusses Lance Armstrong, winner of Tour de France, and his work in cancer research; photo (M)

Sports of The Times; Armstrong Sees Beyond A Handlebar

J D Biersdorfer column evaluates portable DVD players from Panasonic, Aiwa and Sony; photos (M)

DVD's Move to the Really Small Screen

Article discusses how growing concern over West Nile Virus has resulted in increased sales of high-tech weapons offered to fight mosquitoes; photo (M)

Killing Mosquitoes, Filling Cash Registers

Exhibition organized by Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Drink and Be Merry: Wine and Beer in Ancient Times, opens on July 30 at Jewish Museum in Manhattan; photo; New York State Museum in Albany is staging exhibit, The Shaker Legacy, beginning July 29; Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center begins on July 31 at Damrosch Park with Gerard Schwarz conducting festival orchestra in music of Beethoven, Mozart and Bizet; photo; four-day festival of performing artists will celebrate cultural mission of Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village before demolition of its parish house (M)

Footlights

Representative Rick A Lazio, relative newcomer to statewide politics, gave total of $72,500 on same day this month to all 62 Republican county committees in state as well as additional $4,000 to four Conservative Party county committees; donations came from obscure state political action committee that effectively allows him to get around strict federal fund raising limits; Lazio apparently hopes donations will get him political credit around New York State (M)

Donations From Lazio Blanket State

Dick Cheney, Gov George W Bush's running mate, used high-level contacts in Middle East he made as defense secretary to help transform Halliburton Co, which he has served as chief executive since 1995, into world's largest oil field services company; his corporate experience makes clear Republican ticket's roots in oil business; graphs and tables of financial data (M)

Gulf War Led Cheney to the Oil Boardroom

Enkido Inc, based in Hackensack, NJ, creates voice and data communications networks for financial service firms, entertainment industry, other carriers and the government, and it gives a glimpse of what communications networks will look like in five years: cheaper, simpler, more powerful; no company has been as aggressive as Enkido in deploying fiber optics and other next-generation technology and embracing futuristic network designs; companies like Deutsche Telekom and NBC have turned to Enkido for parts of their business because Enkido has delivered big communications pipelines quickly and cheaply; Nayel Shafei, chairman, retains more than 90 percent of Enkido's equity; graph; photos (M)

Simplicity And Power Are Driving Data Delivery; A Little-Known Company May Mirror the Future

National Academy of Sciences reports that Library of Congress is lagging in collecting and archiving Web sites, electronic journals and magazines, CD-ROM's and other digital expressions of nation's creativity; says library needs sophisticated system for receiving and managing digital documents deposited with the library and registered for copyright and needs to recruit and retain computer experts from a field already at work on many suffering a labor shortage; recommends appointment of a new deputy librarian for strategic planning; says library also needs to work more collaboratively with other national libraries and institutions; James H Billington, librarian of Congress, welcomes report, which he commissioned, and says library's Digital Futures group is already at work on many of the problems it pinpoints; photo (M)

Saving The Nation's Digital Legacy

Israeli Prime Min Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat each pledge to continue peace efforts despite collapse of Camp David summit; Barak returns to somber ceremony at airport, travels road lines with protesters angered by concessions he offered and is then heartened by throng of supporters at his residence; Arafat gets hero's welcome in Gaza Strip for refusing to compromise on Jerusalem; both Israelis and Palestinians feel leaders, by addressing previously taboo issue, moved peace effort to new level of seriousness; photo (M)

Israeli and Palestinian Leaders Vow to Keep Working for Peace

Officials probing crash of Air France Concorde into Gonesse, France, hotel say flight was delayed by last-minute repairs to engine that burst into flames as jet began takeoff; have not yet linked repairs to crash; Air France says ground crews unsuccessfully searched for spare parts for engine and eventually repaired it with parts taken from another Concorde; Elisabeth Senot, who heads probe, says control tower warned captain that engine was on fire; says pilot tried to divert to smaller nearby airport for emergency landing, but was unable to gain altitude; rules out sabotage; workers comb crash site, trying to identify passengers and find debris that can provide clues to cause of crash; map; diagram of engine; photos (M)

Last-Minute Repair to Engine That Caught Fire on Concorde

Amazon.com reports loss of $317 million in second quarter, slightly less than analysts expected; posts sales of $578 million, up 84 percent from year earlier; Amazon's chief executive Jeffrey P Bezos plays down shortfall (M)

Amazon Reports Losses of $317 Million in the 2nd Quarter

Ford Motor Co plans to increase average fuel economy of its sport utility vehicles by 25 percent, or roughly five miles a gallon, over next five years; increase would be first major change in fuel economy of any passenger vehicle class in almost 20 years; Ford, at least at first, does not plan to pass extra cost of producing more fuel-efficient vehicles directly to customers, expecting increased sales to offset lower profits (M)

FORD SAID TO PLAN IMPROVED MILEAGE IN SPORT UTILITIES

Schools Chancellor Harold O Levy seeks proposals to help Education Board convert some of New York City's worst-performing public schools to charter schools to be run by private companies or nonprofit agencies in fall of 2001; privatization effort is first ever in city and one of largest in nation; board says plan is likely to focus on 5 to 7 schools and could include up to 20 in first year; roughly 50 schools are eligible for program; program is victory for Mayor Rudolph W Giuliani, who has pushed for privatization; United Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten questions plan (M)

New York to Seek Private Managers For Worst Schools

New York Yankees defeat Baltimore Orioles, 4-1; photo (M)

Gooden Changing His Luck With Off-Speed Pitches

Joyce Purnick Metro Matters column discusses case of Bently Louis Grant, mentally disturbed homeless man who was arrested on attempted murder charges for attacking Tiffany Goldberg with brick on street in midtown Manhattan; Grant has been ordered released after evidence shows that he did not commit crime (M)

Metro Matters; The Truth, As Always, Is Stranger. ...

 Multinationals Sign Pact  Pressed by Secretary General Kofi Annan, about 50 multinational companies signed a ''global compact'' at the United Nations that commits them to support human rights, eliminate child labor and refrain from polluting the environment.   PAGE A3

INSIDE

Gordon Solie was an American professional wrestling play-by-play announcer. He is best known for working for Georgia Championship Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, USA Championship Wrestling, Continental Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest and most influential wrestling announcers.

July 27, 2000

Headlines from July 27, 2000

The Citadel Wagner Built, Under Siege Inside and Out

Poetry in Motion in the East Village

A Technological Dig; Scientists Seek Signs of Central Park Past

Pirro Faces Questions About Future as Prosecutor

Schilling To Arizona, As the Mets Just Shrug

Billboard 200

The Marshall Mathers LP

Oops!...I Did It Again

Country Grammar

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps

Ryde Or Die Vol. II

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for July 27, 2000