The decision to move to New York City remains both irrational and quasireligious.  A special issue of The Times Magazine reports on more than a dozen people who made that decision a year ago, like a star athlete and Israeli dot-commers and a gay teenage runaway. In every case, New York was the place that people hoped would transform their lives.    Plus: Men's Fashions of The Times.  

NEW YORK: THE FIRST YEAR

Montreal Expos defeat New York Mets, 4-3 (M)

Piazza Stuck in September Slump As the Mets Fall to the Expos

Political Memo column discusses Repr Rick Lazio's Senate campaign showing new vigor as he travels through state on campaign bus; photo (M)

Political Memo; Energized Lazio Shows New Vigor in Campaign

Clyde Haberman NYC column discusses reaction of residents at New York City drug treatment center Odyssey Home to latest addiction problems of former baseball player Darryl Strawberry (M)

A Plight Understood By Elders

27th Olympic Summer Games open, Sydney, Australia; Aboriginal springer Cathy Freeman lights Olympic caldron; opening rite addresses Australia's discriminatory treatment of its indigenous people, celebrates unprecedented number of female Olympians and includes march of unity between North and South Korea athletes; photos (M)

Games Open With Ceremony and Tribute

Gov George W Bush, in tactical switch, is confronting Vice Pres Al Gore head-on over issues, area long considered to be Gore's greatest strength; his campaign opens advertising campaign in swing states comparing candidates' programs; his advisers say he can no longer rely on attacks on Gore's character and credibility (M)

SHIFTING TACTICS, BUSH USES ISSUES TO CONFRONT GORE

Foreign car manufacturers are gaining a foothold in South Korean market from which they have been kept for decades by government barriers blatant and subtle; there is growing recognition--even among ordinary Koreans, who are fairly nationalistic when it comes to cars--that they must change their insular ways to succeed in new global economy; foreign car makers are less interested in marketing their own brand than in investing in Korean companies; photos; graph (M)

Barbarians at the Toll Booth; Foreign Carmakers Are Breaking Down Seoul Trade Barriers

New York City Mayor Rudolph W Giuliani has radioactive seeds implanted in his prostate gland to fight cancer; he comments on treatment, news conference at hospital with doctors, aides and Judith Nathan, his close friend; spends night at Gracie Mansion; photo (M)0

MAYOR UNDERGOES CANCER TREATMENT

 Manila Strikes at Rebels  Military planes pounded Muslim rebel camps on an island in the southern Philippines, in an attack aimed at rescuing 19 foreign and Filipino hostages.   PAGE A8

INSIDE

George Vecsey Sports of The Times column discusses opening ceremonies for 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney; notes that Cathy Freeman, athlete of Aboriginal birth, lit Olympic flame and that 6 other legendary Australian women athletes moved torch around stadium; photo (M)

SYDNEY 2000: Sports of The Times; A Symbol More Than a Gesture

International Monetary Fund approves plan to overhaul its loan programs; more money will be available for emergency situations; IMF will raise interest rates to all but poorest borrower nations; Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers had pushed for these changes (M)

The I.M.F. Will Revamp Its Lending

New York City Police Comr Bernard B Kerik is conducting intensive review of Police Department's antidrug efforts, focusing on how tens of millions of dollars in overtime are being spent on high percentage of minor arrests being made by narcotics detectives; photo (M)

Commissioner to Review Flood of Minor Narcotics Arrests

Doctors Without Borders, humanitarian aid agency, sets up mock refugee camp display at Central Park in New York City; purpose of display is to highlight plight of 39 million people worldwide that have been uproted by war; photo (M)

Ghosts of War in a Placid Park; Mock Refugee Camp Dredges Up Horrors of the Past

Brigitte McMahon of Switzerland outsprinted Michellie Jones of Australia to win the gold medal at the Sydney Games in the inaugural women's triathlon. Page D7.  

Triathlon Winner

with minutes left, gulotta submits nassau budget**Nassau County, NY, Executive Thomas S Gulotta, with 2 minutes left before end of day deadline set by state fiscal monitors, submits four-year budget plan; terms of budget are not disclosed; photo (M)

With Minutes Left, Gulotta Submits Nassau Budget

Some philanthropies, universities and other nonprofit groups have been taking advantage of booming real estate market to sell undeveloped land, stirring controversy in communities trying to fight sprawl and preserve open space; trustees cite duty to earn maximum return; critics charge sales harm environment and contradict institutions' missions; maps of Florida land sold by John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation; photos (M)

Nonprofits Facing Ethical Challenges Over Sales of Land

Sohu.com will acquire ChinaRen.com in the first major merger within China's Internet industry; other mergers are under discussion among Chinese Internet companies, which are under-financed and losing money; venture capitalists say consolidation is healthy; photo (M)

Web Sites' Merger Signals Consolidation of China's Internet Industry

Pres Clinton says he does not think Wen Ho Lee was singled out for prosecution because he is Chinese-American; says he will talk with Atty Gen Janet Reno about concerns that Los Alamos nuclear scientist was not treated properly by prosecutors; holds it would have been wrong to raise concerns with Reno while charges were pending; stresses seriousness of charges against Lee; his aides blame news media, especially New York Times, and members of Congress for pressures that spurred prosecutors (M)

Clinton Doubts Scientist's Race Influenced Case

Cleveland Indians defeat New York Yankees, 11-1; photo (M)

Indians Deliver Cone a Setback And Silence Yankee Bats in Rout

 Disappointing Oracle Sales Pummel Technology Sector  Stocks closed sharply lower as disappointing sales from the software maker Oracle led to a technology sell-off while surging oil prices pummeled blue chips. Blue-chip stocks declined on lingering worries that corporate profits will lag because of high energy costs and a weaker euro, the faltering single European currency. But energy stocks, led by Exxon Mobil, rose as oil prices bolted to their highest level since the 1990-91 Persian Gulf crisis.  

BUSINESS DIGEST

Endless War Again Laps at Sri Lankan City

Focus of attention passes from tires to vehicle as regulators and investigators search for causes of death of nearly 100 Americans riding in Ford Explorers with Bridgestone/Firestone tires; article explores safety aspects of Explorer's engineering and its use by customers; photo (M)

Questions Raised About Ford Explorer's Margin of Safety

Gavin Casey, chief executive of London Stock Exchange, resigns in wake of exchange's failure to merge with Frankfurt Stock Exchange; photo (S)

LONDON EXCHANGE LEADER QUITS

Article discusses various treatments for prostate cancer notes that NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani had to weigh both medical and personal factors in choosing to have radioactive pellets implanted in his prostate; treatment is seen as effective with far fewer side effects than surgery (M)

Side Effects Are Fewer In Therapy With Pellets

Correction of listing of destinations in Sept 15 article on visiting Hudson Valley, which misstated hours at one attractiona

Corrections

Samuel Duke Howell is an American professional football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, setting school records for most touchdown passes in a single season (38) as well as career passing yards (10,283) and touchdown passes (92).

Sam Howell, American football player

Sam_Howell

Oliver William Skipp is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for EFL Championship club Leicester City.

September 16, 2000

Headlines from September 16, 2000

NEW YORK: THE FIRST YEAR

Piazza Stuck in September Slump As the Mets Fall to the Expos

Political Memo; Energized Lazio Shows New Vigor in Campaign

A Plight Understood By Elders

Games Open With Ceremony and Tribute

Billboard 200

Country Grammar

Oops!...I Did It Again

The Marshall Mathers LP

Human Clay

Now 4

Notable Births

Historical Context for September 16, 2000