Gemstar-TV Guide International, which produces interactive TV guide and channel navigator, has amassed so much power that Justice Dept has asked to review its business documents because of accusations by competitors that it has built monopoly; Gemstar, headed by Henry C Yuen and part-owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, says company simply gives viewers ability to make informed choices in rapidly changing media environment, especially for digital- or satellite-television subscribers trying to make sense of dizzying array of channels; says it operates within antitrust laws; in fact, its programming guide may influence what viewers watch because some of what is seen on screen are advertisements; photos (M)

A Guide to Navigate the TV Maze Gives Pause

In a red brick Georgian mansion, about 100 people gathered here today to celebrate the life of Marty Geltman, an elementary school teacher for 34 years and a father of two sons.    Mr. Geltman made a second career as a community volunteer and was known among his wide circle of friends for his wit and the bear hugs he readily bestowed.  

A Gathering to Honor The Dearly Beloved, Not Yet Departed; Ceremony Honors a Life Before Death

Ann Powers reviews concert by Eric Clapton at Madison Square Garden; photo (M)

A Life Story Coolly Told With Voice And Guitar

Critic's Notebook by Michael Kimmelman on exhibit in Museo Correr in Venice of Canaletto's early years; photos (M)

Young Artists Impressing Venice in the 1700's

 Two Banks in Germany Reach a Merger Agreement  Two of Germany's rival cooperative banks, DG Bank and GZ Bank, agreed to merge, creating Germany's sixth-largest bank, with about $257 billion in assets.    The deal is the latest turn in the fitful consolidation among Germany's financial institutions. The companies, which are not publicly traded, valued the deal at $10.4 billion based on audits of their operations. [Page C2.]

BUSINESS DIGEST

San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds is on home run pace unmatched in major league history, hitting 39 through 75 games, six more than St Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire in his record-breaking season in 1998; photo (M)

Bonds Respects McGwire Even While Challenging Record

Article discusses failure of statewide ban on smoking in restaurants to be brought to vote in New York Senate; while bill had bipartisan support, Gov George Pataki had reservations about expense to restaurants (M)

Though Smoking Bill Fails in Albany, Hopes for Ban Persist

Michael Kinsley, editor of online magazine Slate, says he will run statement saying that key aspects of June 7 article called 'The Shame of Fishing for Monkeys' were fabricated; article, by Jay Forman, described monkey-infested island in Florida Keys and cruel sport once practiced there by local fishermen who baited hooks with fruit to catch monkeys; bizarre account raises questions about how thorough fact checking can be; photo (M)

Tortured Tale Of Journalism And Monkeys

Bush administration's efforts to eliminate government loan guarantee program that finances numerous business-related projects runs into resistance from Senate minority leader Trent Lott, who opposes plans to cut financing for construction of two cruise ships costing more than $1 billion in shipyards in home state of Mississippi; administration wants no new money spent on Title XI Maritime Guarantee Guarantee Loan Subsidy Program, which provides loan guarantees so shipbuilders can borrow from investors at low cost and with little risk, calling it form of corporate welfare; program has helped finance $6 billion in commercial shipbuilding projects since 1993; total of 38 senators from both parties have signed letter circulated by Lott urging tripling of funds for program in next budget, to $100 million or its highest-ever level; charts (M)

Bush's Vow to Cut Ship Program Gets Strong Resistance From Lott

Two new suffixes for Internet addresses will be added over next several months: .biz for business or commercial Web sites and .info, open to anyone who wishes to register name; goal of new extensions is to relieve overcrowding in popular .com, .org and .net addresses, known in vernacular of industry as generic top-level domains; managing rollout is complicated, with many constituencies to appease plus challenge of carrying out technology project on global scale; one of main challenges of expansion has been developing registration procedures that give intellectual property owners chance to protect trademarked names; idea is to avoid cybersquatting that has plagued .com domain, where speculators buy addresses in hope of selling them at profit to owners of similar trademarks; organization that oversees Internet's address system is Internet Corp for Assigned Names and Numbers; photo; graphs (M)

Trying to Win A New Name Game; Trademarks Must Vie for Net Addresses

Atlanta Braves defeat New York Mets, 8-4; photo (M)

For the Mets, Another Day, Another Debacle

 Sale of Dime Bank Expected  Dime Bancorp, the parent of Dime Savings Bank, is expected to announce that it has agreed to be acquired by Washington Mutual for about $5.3 billion.   PAGE B6    Ukraine Cool to Pope  John Paul II drew small crowds in Kiev and the largest Orthodox church ignored his interfaith gathering, a reminder that reconciliation may be a distant goal.   PAGE A6

INSIDE

38,000 New York City families face federal welfare cutoff in December 2001, but question remains over whether government would enforce it regardless of suffering; New York State, required by its Constitution to aid needy, has already spread safety net of sorts, though how it will operate remains far from certain; under system, those reaching time could reapply for aid under state-financed Safety Net Assistance program; system of vouchers and debit cards would, however, significantly reduce cash benefits and will not be in place until at least spring 2000, and welfare advocates and officials say some cases may be found ineligible during interim; cases of three Brooklyn welfare families facing cutoff discussed; as they weigh limited options they are fearful, confused and even panicked over possible consequences for their children; photos (M)

As Welfare Deadline Looms, Answers Don't Seem So Easy

Santa Fe Opera's 45th season will open with performance of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor featuring Alexandra von der Weth in title role; Metropolitan Museum of Art will display 80 paintings and folding screens in exhibit titled Beyond the Easel: Decorative Painting by Bonnard, Vuillard, Denis and Roussel, 1890-1930; photo; 75th Anniversary Africana Heritage Festival, weeklong series of concerts, film screenings, forums and literary and visual presentations, begins June 25 at Riverside Church; 13th season of Midsummer Night Swing begins at Lincoln Center on June 27; photo (M)

This Week

Campaign-finance reform bill wending way through House turns into unlikely tug of war for support of pivotal bloc of blacks, Hispanics and liberals; ferment in House Democratic ranks comes almost three months after Senate passagge of wide-ranging bill raised prospects that Congress could end years of stalemate and enact most sweeping change in system since aftermath of Watergate scandal; Republicans are seeking to exploit Democrats' second thoughts to defeat broader campaign finance legislation; are trying to fashion bill to drive wedge through bipartisan coalition led by Republican Repr Christopher Shays and Democratic rival Repr Martin T Meehan; are hoping to defeat Shays-Meehan bill by forming strange-bedfellows coalition of disaffected Democrats (M)

HOUSE G.O.P. SEEKS NEW WAY TO BLOCK CAMPAIGN MEASURE

New York City Board of Education staff members propose delaying construction of six new schools in Queens and postponing most major school renovations in five boroughs for two or more years because of soaring construction costs; delays, which could begin as soon as next school year, are part of plan being considered by school officials to deal with growing shortfall in school construction budget; five year capital plan outlined by board in 1999 and approved by City Council and mayor earmarked $7 billion on construction and renovation through June 2004; projects already under way have come in way above original estimates; board officials predict they will likely cost up to $1.9 billion more than estimated (M)

Rising Costs Result in a Proposal To Delay 6 New Queens Schools

Vladimiro Montesinos, former Peruvian spy chief and longtime CIA agent wanted on charges of gun running, money laundering and collaborating with drug traffickers, is captured in Venezuela, with crucial help from Federal Bureau of Investigation after eight-month international manhunt; principal aide to ousted president, Alberto K Fujimori, is captured by Venezuelan military intelligence officers in hideout in Caracas; capture is announced by Venezuelan Pres Hugo Chavez, who orders speed-up in legal proceedings to send Montesinos back to Peru to stand trial; US role in capture described; rise of Montesinos from junior army officer and CIA agent in 1970's to Fujimori's trusted aide and spymaster discussed; photos (M)

FORMER SPY CHIEF OF PERU CAPTURED IN VENEZUELA LAIR

Article discusses tensions surfacing in final two days of bitterly fought Republican gubernatorial primary campaign between Bret Schundler and Bob Franks; Schundler, who is leading Franks in polls, is beginning to campaign directly against Mayor James McGreevey, who will likely be Democratic candidate; photos (M)

New Jersey Republicans' Fight for Governor Turns Into a Real One

Ben Ratliff reviews JVC Jazz Festival concert at Carnegie Hall, A Love Supreme: Remembering John Coltrane, with Roy Hargrove's quintet; photo (M)

Brassy Brass Serves Up A Coltrane Devotional

Joyce Purnick Metro Matters column discusses practice of bundling contributions to New York City candidates; bundlers solicit amounts of up to $4,500 from like-minded contributors, giving them more lobbying power; contends practice violates spirit of campaign finance law (M)

Metro Matters; Cash Limited? Tie Together Some Bundles

Michael C McGuckin, late father of five children who barricaded themselves in squalid Idaho home for days after mother was arrested for child abuse and neglect, was scion of Boston Brahim family; died in May at age 61 from malnutrition and dehydration caused by complications of untreated multiple sclerosis, leaving family penniless; started life with money, charm, status and elite education, but lost all after he traveled to Idaho during back-to-the-land movement of 1970's; his story is opposite of one of enduring American myths of pioneer who heads West and strikes it rich; photos; map (M)

Birth in Boston Riches, Death in Idaho Ruins

Karrie Webb wins LPGA Championship golf tournament and becomes fifth, and youngest, player in tour history to complete career Grand Slam; photo (M)

Webb Wins L.P.G.A. Title For Career Slam

Article on offstage drama that led to Doug Hughes' resignation as artistic director of Long Wharf Theater, event that shook regional theater industry; traces his decision to his strained relationship with Barbara L Pearce, theater's chairwoman; says two were unable to reconcile their differences; photos (M)

Offstage Drama at Long Wharf; The Feud That Led a Proud Theater's Director to Resign

Market Place column says several investors who focus on troubled companies are making killing following federal appeals court ruling that Federal Communications Commission illegally confiscated NextWave's share of wireless spectrum; says NextWave's shares have almost tripled since ruling, and could double from there if, as expected, company reaches settlement with FCC; notes that since company was formed in 1995, its fortunes have risen and fallen based as much on actions of regulators and judges as on state of telecommunications market (M)

Market Place; Ruling Is Lift To Investors In NextWave

Two of Germany's rival cooperative banks, DG Bank and GZ Bank, agree to merge, creating Germany's sixth-largest bank by assets; DG and GZ would each own 50 percent of new company, to be called DZ Bank; companies value deal at $10.4 billion; analysts expect cooperative banks to continue to consolidate in face of growing competition (M)

A Bank Merger Would Create The 6th-Largest in Germany

Philip Broberg is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted eighth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

June 25, 2001

Headlines from June 25, 2001

A Guide to Navigate the TV Maze Gives Pause

A Gathering to Honor The Dearly Beloved, Not Yet Departed; Ceremony Honors a Life Before Death

A Life Story Coolly Told With Voice And Guitar

Young Artists Impressing Venice in the 1700's

BUSINESS DIGEST

Billboard 200

Break The Cycle

Amnesiac

Free City

Moulin Rouge

Survivor

Notable Births

Historical Context for June 25, 2001