Article in series Undecided, in which 11 voters in New York since beginning of year shared their thoughts about Senate race between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Repr Rick Lazio; only three remain undecided and all three say they are leaning toward Clinton; photo (M)

Nagging Doubts Linger for the Unsure; Leaning, but Not Leaping, to Clinton

Joyce Purnick Metro Matters column discusses difficult search for idealist voter, one who is not partisan but voter who is just happy to go to polls on Election Day (M)

Metro Matters; In a Citizenry Of Cynics, An Idealist

New York Giants defeat Cleveland Browns, 24-3; photo (M)

No Mistakes by the Lake as the Giants Keep It Simple

Abdelkhader el-Mouaziz is first Moroccan to win New York City Marathon (2:10:09); Japhet Kosgei of Kenya is second and Shem Kororia, also of Kenya, takes third place; photo (M)

A Moroccan Running Like the Wind

Patrick Mkhizi, immigrant from Congo, is released from Immigration and Naturalization detention in Newark after three and a half years of fighting deportation; human rights advocates say that experience of Mkhizi and other INS detainees raises questions about harshness of Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which requires mandatory detention of those requesting asylum even if they have relatives or sponsors living in US; photo (M)

Immigrant, Detained for 3 1/2 Years, Emerges From Labyrinth

 Top Executives to Resign At Bertelsmann Music Unit  The two top executives of Bertelsmann's BMG Entertainment music division announced their intentions to resign, just days after their parent company stunned the industry by investing in Napster, the music-sharing Web site that BMG and other record companies are accusing of copyright infringement.    The timing of the departures reflects internal discord at Bertelsmann and suggests the challenges the company faces as in its efforts to persuade other music companies to reconcile with Napster. [Page C2.]

BUSINESS DIGEST

Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission antitrust review of America Online merger with Time Warner, now entering final stage, is expected to set government's competition policies for largest Internet and telecommunications players for years to come; company and agency negotiators have made significant progress, but FTC and companies remain at odds over key details; FTC, reflecting continued uncertainty, continues to prepare to seek court order to block deal; FCC is not expected to oppose merger (M)

F.T.C. Review Of AOL Deal In Final Stage

Jon S Corzine and Repr Bob Franks attend nonpartisan church service in Summit, NJ, before heading back onto Senate campaign trail; photo (M)

New Jersey Senate Rivals Pause for a Nonpartisan Blessing

Lyudmila Petrova is first Russian woman to win New York City Marathon (2:25:45); Franca Fiacconi of Italy is second and Margaret Okayo of Kenya takes third; photo (M)

In Surprise, Petrova First Russian Winner

Hillary Rodham Clinton moves to close out campaign for US Senate from New York by urging black parishioners in New York City to support her; makes appearances at seven churches in seven-hour period; implores churchgoers to vote Democratic, linking herself to husband and Vice Pres Al Gore at every turn; photos (M)

Entering Last Act, Senate Rivals Stick to the Script; Mrs. Clinton Preaches to the Party Faithful

Tate Britain, London, to open exhibition of works of painter William Blake; Morgan Library is set to open exhibition of over 100 works received and promised to library in honor of its 75th anniversary as public institution and 50th anniversary of Association of Fellows, group of scholars, collectors, philanthropists and bibliophiles who have shown great commitment to Morgan; exhibition at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, features 129 guitars from museums and private collections; exhibition of Chester Higgins Jr's photographic portraits of African-Americans is set to open at New-York Historical Society; photos (M)

THIS WEEK

Many Internet companies are abruptly dying off in increasingly inhospitable environment; experts say pace of shutdowns will accelerate in coming months as hundreds of companies run out of money; decision to shut down, often with no warning to customers or employees, is in many cases being made by venture capitalists; investors, even when they do not close companies, no longer want them to grow rapidly and focus on attracting millions of visitors; are instead stressing profitability and, if possible, switch from serving consumers to serving businesses; graphs; photos (M)

PullingThePlug.com; More and More Venture Capitalists Give Up on the Internet

Sunday newspapers, which once scooped up advertisers and readers lost to daily papers, are also losing circulation, but at far slower pace than dailies; loss of Sunday readers has disproportionate impact because papers rely on Sunday's for 40 percent or more of total revenue; greatest drop-off is in newsstand sales, leading more and more executives to focus on issue; graphs (M)

Fissures in Sunday Papers' Pot of Gold

Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe is honored on 70th birthday at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, where he teaches; conference attracts influential black writers and scholars; Toni Morrison speaks; photos (M)

A Literary Diaspora Toasts One of Its Own

 STILL WITHIN REACH -- Vice President Al Gore and Gov. George W. Bush remain ensnarled in one of the closest presidential races of the last 100 years, according to the final New York Times / CBS News Poll. The poll suggested that the candidates were still struggling to lure a tiny pool of undecided voters, with Mr. Bush taking a slight, but statistically insignificant lead. Still, the outcome hinges on state-by-state contests. And the map shows that either candidate is within reach of amassing the 270 electoral votes needed to win.   PAGE A23    WHAT POLLS? -- Gov. George W. Bush and his camp have assumed a tone of impregnable optimism, despite the race's uncertainty.   PAGE A25

MORE ON THE ELECTIONS

NBC cancels Deadline, dramatic series about New York tabloid columnist created by Dick Wolf and starring Oliver Platt; cites precipitous audience decline; photo (M)

A Journalist, So Unlovable: NBC Cancels 'Deadline'

A O Scott Critic's Notebook article on demystification of president in television and film; focuses on Jeff Bridges' performance in film The Contender; photos (M)

Critic's Notebook: Hail to the Chief, Just Another Guy In a Blue Suit; From TV to Hollywood, The Demystification Of the President

Vice Pres Al Gore spends another 19-hour campaign day seeking votes in swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa as contest winds down; resurrects name of Pres Clinton in Philadelphia, where he tells blacks and union members election is not only about material prosperity, but also 'prosperity of the spirit'; photos (M)

Focus Is on Crucial States in Campaign's Final Hours

David Leavitt article in series Writers on Writings tells how his obsession with order led him to writing; photo (M)

Writers on Writing; Comforting Lessons In Arranging Life's Details

Repr Rick A Lazio winds down campaign for US Senate from New York by pressing many of themes from beginning of candidacy; emphasizes his New York roots, fiscal restraint and character and integrity he suggests his opponent Hillary Rodham Clinton lacks; campaigns in five cities, three in upstate battlegrounds, where he plays to anti-Clinton sentiment and loyal voters whose turnout is crucial to his victory; wife holds news conference with reporters to rebut advertising by Clinton campaign questioning Lazio's support for breast and cervical cancer treatment; photos (M)

Entering Last Act, Senate Rivals Stick to the Script; Lazio Stresses Integrity and Fiscal Restraint

Majority of Seattle SuperSonics fans express happiness that team acquired Patrick Ewing from New York Knickerbockers; photo(M)

SuperSonics Fans Happy to Have Ewing

Gov George W Bush devotes next-to-last campaign day entirely to Florida in high-stakes drive to win state that could be crucial to outcome of his presidential quest; campaigns with brother Jeb, governor of Florida, in West Palm Beach, Miami, Tampa and Orlando; appeals to state's large concentration of retirees, defending plan to divert some Social Security taxes to private investment accounts and accusing Vice Pres Al Gore of trying to frighten voters with his sharp critiques of it; photos (M)

Afghanistan's Taliban militia, largely unstoppable since start of its nationwide march in 1995, adds more territory to domain during summer, winning victories in country's northeast, including capture of strategically important city of Taliqan in September after 33-day battle; currently controls estimated 90 to 95 percent of country that has been at war for 21 years, leaving smidgen to government of Pres Burhanuddin Rabbani, considered legimimate by most of world; Ahmad Shah Massoud, Rabbani's military commander, is desperately trying to hold his army together to launch counteroffensive; is optimistic winter's deep snows and punishing winds will slow Taliban's advance and lead to recapture of city, which is on major supply route; map; photo (M)

Cornered Afghan Foes Hope Winter Will Slow the Taliban

Executives of Sony Pictures, which has faced steady erosion of market share and profits since setting box office record in 1997, say they expect new films to produce turnaround; early success of film Charlie's Angels is providing boost; graph; table; photos (M)

Humbled Sony Seeks Box-Office Magic

Vinny Testaverde knew as soon as he released the ball, off balance and still under pressure, that the Jets' final offensive play in a 30-23 loss to Denver would fail.    After a week in which Coach Al Groh had publicly challenged his quarterback to reduce his interceptions and his secondary to reduce big plays against them, those twin demons had put the Jets into a hole again.  

Jets Have Lost Their Winning Touch in the Fourth Quarter

Lyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction literature. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, both novels and works of non-fiction, including biographies of other fantasy authors. He was a major figure in science fiction in the 1930s and 1940s.

November 6, 2000

Headlines from November 6, 2000

Nagging Doubts Linger for the Unsure; Leaning, but Not Leaping, to Clinton

Metro Matters; In a Citizenry Of Cynics, An Idealist

No Mistakes by the Lake as the Giants Keep It Simple

A Moroccan Running Like the Wind

Immigrant, Detained for 3 1/2 Years, Emerges From Labyrinth

Billboard 200

Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water

Rule 3:36

Country Grammar

Back For The First Time

Human Clay

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for November 6, 2000