Matthew Purdy Our Towns column describes fans waiting to meet Steven Schirripa, actor on television program The Sopranos, at personal appearance in Whippany, NJ; examines fascination with gangster life as depicted in the program, as distinguished from gangsta life of rap music; notes there is divide, with parents leaning toward Sopranos and younger generation trying to emulate rappers (M)

Our Towns; Gangstas Vs. Gangsters, All Knockoffs

Rubin Museum of Art, $60 million, 70,000-square-foot space devoted primarily to Himalayan and Tibetan art, is being developed in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood; New Museum of Contemporary Art plans new $35 million, 60,000-square foot building on Prince Street in Bowery; Jewish Children's Museum is planned for Crown Heights and Brooklyn Children's Museum has begun $39 million expansion; projects come at time when city is cutting budget and other museums and cultural institutions are retrenching or paring operations; photo; map (M)

More Museums for New York, Despite Poor Economy

Man in the News article on William H Donaldson, who will succeed Harvey L Pitt as chairman of Securities and Exchange Commission; photo (M)

Man in the News; A Wall Street Insider for the S.E.C. -- William Henry Donaldson

World Business Briefing | Asia: Philippines: Water Dispute

 Diocese Settles Charges  The Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, N.H., became the first to settle a criminal case by admitting that it had failed to protect children from abusive priests.   PAGE A31    Iraq's Chemical Victims  Kurds who were attacked with chemical weapons by Saddam Hussein's forces in 1988 still suffer the effects and do not believe his claims that such weapons are gone.   PAGE A22

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Article explores whether Sudanese writer Kola Boof has become object of fatwa or is using Web site to cloak herself in mystery and to promote her books; number of well-known African-Americans have taken up her causes, including opposition to slavery in Sudan and her condemnation of stoning and female castration, but Sudanese officials denounce her; photos (M)

Fatwa Victim or a Fraud?; Mystery Enshrouds Kola Boof, Writer and Internet Persona

Federal Reserve keeps interest rates unchanged, leaving federal funds rate at 1.25 percent, lowest level in 41 years as policy makers wait for more signs of economic strength; repeats view that economy is working through 'soft spot' and that existing monetary policy is loose enough (M)

Fed Decides Not to Change Interest Rates

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announces $3 billion plan to create tens of thousands of housing units in New York City in next five years, reversing longstanding policy at City Hall to retreat from investment in public housing; proposal calls for repairing and preserving 38,000 units of existing housing and building 27,000 units around city; involves complex financial arrangement in which Housing Development Corp would borrow against that agency's mortgage equity; money would then be lent to private investors to develop housing for middle- and low-income New Yorkers; city would also encourage private housing development through rezoning, developing city-owned property and streamlining process; photo (M)

Mayor Calls For Thousands Of New Homes

Oyster lovers in New York have greater variety of oysters to savor than ever before; Grand Central Oyster Bar now has over 25 types of oysters on list, compared with about 10 decade ago; suppliers jockey to meet demand for 'new' and exotic oysters; description of four major oyster species widely available on half shell in United States, and some names under which they are sold; photo (L)

What's Best Served Icy and Opens With a Bang?; With Oysters, Lots of Names, Four Flavors

Joint Congressional committee investigating Sept 11 terrorist attacks approves final report calling for creation of director of national intelligence, cabinet-level position that would narrow authority of director of central intelligence; Sen Richard C Shelby publicly dissents, however, frm report's findings, which he says are too soft on CIA and FBI and fail to hold senior officials personally accountable for failure to predict Sept 11 attacks; has been leading Congressional critic of George J Tenet, director of central intelligence, and singles him out again for criticism; final report will include some three dozen findings of fact and 18 to 20 recommendations for overhauling intelligence community (M)

Dissent on Assigning Blame As 9/11 Panel Adopts Report

Commuters scramble to make alternative plans in event of transit strike; some companies are reserving blocks of hotel rooms nearby, and making lists of employees who rely on public transportation; some, shuddering at prospect of cold weather, take bikes out of storage; photo (M)

As Commuters Line Up Rides, Some Hope to Ride Out Scare

 Ex-Chairman of Big Board Selected to Lead S.E.C.  President Bush selected William H. Donaldson, a former head of the New York Stock Exchange, founder of a brokerage firm and a friend of the Bush family, to be the next chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Bush also made a policy U-turn about the budget of the S.E.C. and announced that he would support an increase for 2004.    The selection of Mr. Donaldson and the announcement of the proposed budget increase appeared to be aimed at assuring that the S.E.C. regains its footing by the 2004 elections. The moves followed criticism that the agency's turmoil have been caused by a leadership crisis, White House neglect and a lack of adequate resources and staff. [Page A1.]

BUSINESS DIGEST

Japanese third baseman Norihiro Nakamura visits New York Mets, which could be only Major League Baseball team to offer him spot for 2003 season; photos (M)

Mets Greet Japan Star, But Offer Isn't Made

Gov George E Pataki will ask New York Legislature to authorize selling bonds backed by money from tobacco-suit settlement to close projected $2 billion shortfall in this year's budget; budget analysts question wisdom of floating tobacco bonds to pay for salaries and other recurring costs instead of reducing spending, as other state's have done, and say Pataki administraton ignored clear signs that state's finances were on shaky ground for more than a year, while he ran for re-election; opponents of smoking cry foul, saying settlement funds are intended in part to help people addicted to cigarettes; proposal also is at odds with plan to use funds for several health-care programs near and dear to Service Employees International Union New York State Council, whose president, Dennis Rivera, supported Pataki's last re-election; Pataki defends borrowing as short-term solution to what he describes as temporary downturn in state economy set in motion by terrorist attacks of 2001; photo (M)

Pataki Seeks to Balance Budget With Tobacco Settlement Funds

Nokia, world's largest maker of cellphones, reduces its sales targets, its sixth warning this year, citing slower demand for new phones with updated technology; consumers are buying less expensive basic phones and shunning higher prices for phones with special features; Nokia stands by prediction that 400 million phones will be sold by all manufacturers worldwide this year (M)

Nokia Cuts Its Sales Forecast As Buyers Shun Higher Prices

Article on white South African poet, painter, musician and anti-apartheid activist Breyten Breytenbach; Breytenbach, visiting professor of creative writing at New York University, comments about his time in South African prison and his paintings on view at Maison Francaise; photo (M)

Exile, a Prisoner No Longer, Exults in the Mind's Freedom

New York Knicks defeat Seattle SuperSonics, 97-80; photo (M)

Uncertain Backcourt Rises to the Challenge

World Business Briefing | Europe: Britain: Publisher Names Executive

North Korean cargo vessel apparently heading for Yemen is halted in Gulf of Aden by two Spanish warships and is found to have Scud missiles hidden beneath sacks of cement; American military explosives experts are summoned, and ordnance crews are still working to identify and tally contraband cargo and to stabilize any explosive warheads or volatile missile fuel; American intelligence officials say there is no clear link between Al Qaeda or other terrorist groups and North Korean ship; Pentagon officials say Spanish warships had full legal rights to stop ship because it was not flying flag and its official markings were covered by paint; photo (M)

Scud Missiles Found on Ship Of North Korea

Analysis of Pres Bush's plan to kickstart lagging economy with more tax cuts and incentives; says some experts see room for more spending and tax cuts to ensure that economy returns quickly to strong growth, but others worry that cost of stimulus now will only add to economic problems later; Bush's promise to extend his 10-year schedule of tax cuts well into future, as centerpiece of stimulus package, has been one of most disputed proposals; Massachusetts Institute of Technology Prof Peter A Diamond says making Bush's tax cut permanent is moving in wrong direction (M)

Keen on Stimulus, but Limited in Leeway

Co-Chief Resigns at Fiat as the Shake-Up Continues

One of United Airlines' biggest challenges as it restructures under bankruptcy protection is to stanch flow of passengers to profitable low-cost carriers, which have steadily eroded its market share; industry experts say that United and other carriers with hub-and-spoke networks--including Delta Air Lines, which expects to start running new lost-cost carrier next spring--will continue to have much harder time competing against low-cost airlines than they are willing to admit; photo (M)

Fares Are a Key For Both United And Its Rivals

Donald Schoenholt, president of Gillies Coffee Co, which calls itself New York's oldest coffee roaster, prepares to fight summons for 'offensive coffee odors' around his Sunset Park, Brooklyn, plant; photo (M)

Cup of Kafka? Coffee Roaster Cited for Coffee Smell

France Telecom will sell at least 1.5 billion euros ($1.5 billion) of bonds to refinance its debt, which is about 70 billion euros; also plans to sell 250 million pounds of ($392.6 million) of bonds (S)

World Business Briefing | Europe: France: Télécom Debt Refinancing

Canada's Ballard Power Systems Inc, which is developing fuel cell technology for motor vehicles, will cut 400 jobs, or 28 percent of its work force, as part of revamping (S)

December 11, 2002

Headlines from December 11, 2002

Our Towns; Gangstas Vs. Gangsters, All Knockoffs

More Museums for New York, Despite Poor Economy

Man in the News; A Wall Street Insider for the S.E.C. -- William Henry Donaldson

World Business Briefing | Asia: Philippines: Water Dispute

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Billboard 200

Up!

Tim McGraw And The Dancehall Doctors

8 Mile

Now 11

Better Dayz

Historical Context for December 11, 2002