November 22, 2002

Miami University defeats Pittsburgh University, 28-21, to maintain undefeated 10-0 record; photos (M)

Pierce Brosnan may have arrived too late in the game to be the definitive James Bond, but he is by far the most sympathetic. His 007, in addition to the expected suavity and wit, also expresses fear, pain, indecision and longing. The credit sequence, in which Bond is beaten and tortured in a North Korean prison, is groundbreaking — one of the very few times the series has acknowledged its hero's vulnerability. And this makes his ultimate triumph, over a convoluted and sinister scheme involving diamonds, DNA and weather-altering satellites, all the more satisfying. Lee Tamahori is not a natural action director, especially in the large-scale chase and shootout sequences, and the climax, aboard a flaming jetliner, is more numbing than thrilling. Still, his intelligent approach to the characters makes this the best Bond picture in quite some time. — A. O. Scott

Interview with Japanese economy minister, Heizo Takenaka, on problems with Japan's banks; he softens statements he made months ago about need for major reforms, saying that banks are basically healthy, but need help to regain their vigor; he notes that stock market may be trading near 19-year low, but argues that financial catastrophe is nowhere in sight; government and investors continue to wrestle with quandary of how to overhaul banking system that is thickly enmeshed in fortunes of ruling party; photo (M)

National Hockey League games have been shortened due to implementation of rules limiting time in between plays; photo (M)

Article on how Madison Avenue, whose television ads have helped turn some prescription drugs into billion-dollar products, is expanding role in drug development; lastest example is pain drug Bextra, sales of which soared sixty percent in three months after American Dental Assn journal published study showing it offered relief after dental surgery; federal regulators had rejected that conclusion six months earlier, leaving Pharmacia and Pfizer hard-pressed to market drug until more positive report came out; problem is that report came from Scirex, little-known research firm owned partly by Omnicom, one of world's largest ad companies; Omnicom, Interpublic and WPP have invested tens of millions of dollars in companies that perform clinical drug trials; critics like Dr Arnold S Relman and Dr Thomas Bodenheimer say it becomes impossible to separate marketing from science, while ad executives say intention is to direct research toward potential big sellers; federal law bars promotion of drugs before FDA aproval, but published research and medical education are exempt, and doctors may prescribe drugs for any purpose; Linda Logdberg, Lenard I Lesser and other industry critics also comment; photos; graph on sharp rise in drug-promotion spending (L)

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has ruled out cutting service to maintain the current transit fare, guaranteeing that fares and tolls will rise next year to close a gap of almost $1.1 billion in the agency's budget, officials announced yesterday. The only questions now, they said, are whether the basic fare will rise to $1.75 or $2 and whether there will be service cuts or deeper discounts for MetroCard users.

Article on backpacking trip along west rim of Pine Creek Gorge, Pennsylvania, between fall and winter, when weather is cooler and fellow hikers are scarce; photos; maps (L)

Article on long-simmering conflict between full-time residents, many of them retirees, and part-timers who illegally rent out their condominiums in Truman Annex development in Key West, Fla; controversy has resulted in police investigations, several lawsuits and more than hundred claims against city by second-home owners who say their freedoms are being trampled; photos (M)

Nineteen NATO leaders, meeting in Prague, unite behind Pres Bush and strongly condemn Iraq for failing to meet UN demands to surrender weapons of mass destruction; Germany's continuing opposition to war will likely prevent alliance from formally entering campaign, although many members appear willing to do so on ad hoc basis; leaders agree to establish rapid reaction force that could move swiftly around globe and keep NATO relevant in fight against terrorism; final session hears Latvian Pres Vaira Vike-Freiberga thank leaders for admitting raft of militarily weak nations craving stability that Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic have enjoyed since their admission in 1999; Latvian leader points to her country's long loss of independence and recalls growing up as refugee until she settled in Canada, where she was noted psychologist; photos; map; political split on Iraq is evident as seven nations formally invited into NATO join with aspiring members Albania, Croatia and Macedonia to issue muscular declarations on Iraq; German-American rift preoccupies meeting; Pres Bush and Chancellor Gerhard Schroder twice shake hands and exchange pleasantries but Min Joschka Fischer reiterates opposition to military action (M)

Daniel C Walsh, adjunct professor at Earth Institute at Columbia University and New York State pollution regulator, finds documents that detail 100 years of New York City's garbage-disposal history; findings include fact that generation of 1920's and 1930's threw out far more garbage than New Yorkers living today, in era of shrink-wrap and single-serve; pounds of trash per person peaked not in prosperous 1990's but in 1940; photos; timeline; graph (L)

Prime Min Ariel Sharon orders Israeli forces back into Bethlehem to hunt down terrorists responsible for Jerusalem bus bombing that killed 11 people, including four children, and wounded dozens more; resists, for now, pressure from right to take more drastic action even as Israelis reel from images of grieving parents and shredded teddy bear carried from wreckage of bus that was carrying many children to school; 23-year-old suicide bomber came from Bethlehem; Sharon aims to forestall escalation as US prepares for possible military action against Iraq; Israeli officials hope US victory there would force its enemies in region to sever ties with terrorists; criticism from Benjamin Netanyahu has also not done Sharon much damage within Likud party so far, and restrained response places Sharon closer to political center, while underscoring cooperative ties with Pres Bush (M)

Nintendo Co's fiscal first-half profit is almost halved because of declining sales of its Game Boy Advance hand-held game player and foreign currency losses (S)