 North Korea Fires Missile  North Korea test-fired a short-range antiship missile, raising concerns among American officials that a test of longer-range weapons may come soon.   PAGE A14    Theater Strike Sows Dissent  Within the alliances in the Broadway musicians' strike are the seeds of dissent, which could grow if the strike continues for any length of time.   NEWS ANALYSIS, PAGE B1

INSIDE

Floyd Norris column on apprehension among investors three years after Nasdaq composite index hit peak of 5,048.62, from which it has dropped 74.1 percent; says shareholders who then focused on every positive signal now seem transfixed by what could go wrong; says restraint has replaced risk; photo (M)

Market Place; 3 Years Later, Investors Crave Safety

New analysis by NASA shows space shuttle Columbia was already spinning out of control, with left wing and left maneuvering jets damaged or destroyed, in last two seconds of transmission; paints picture of desperate trouble far earlier in re-entry than had previouslu been described; finds last two-second burst of data showed shuttle still on course and in proper orientation, even though it had lost hydraulic pressure, crucial for landing; finds maneuvering rockets tried to counter pull to left, which could have been caused by roughness on left side of orbiter; findings detailed (M)

NEW ANALYSIS SEES SHUTTLE BREAKUP BEGINNING EARLIER

New mobile telephones have more features and are smaller and sleeker than older models, but these gains come at expense of clarity of reception and battery life; their internal antennas decrease radio strength 15 percent to 20 percent from older phones with external antennas; photo (M)

As Cellphones Become Cuter, Clarity Suffers

Bill Clinton and Bob Dole engage in their first of 10 brief exchanges on CBS's 60 Minutes, Clinton arguing that cost of establishing peace in Iraq will so drain treasury that country should forgo a tax cut and Dole saying nation can afford both; there is none of bellowing or name calling common elsewhere in televised political debate, and each man is gets chance to express sustained thought without interruption; photo (M)

Senators' Husbands In Velvet Gloves

Houses in Amherst, NY, are sinking into earth, in what geologists call subsidence, causing cracks, extreme unsteadiness and resulting in falling home prices; foundation-repair contractors say only way to shore up sinking house it to jack it up and drive steel piers 35 feet into earth beneath house until firm soil or bedrock is hit; work is extremely expensive (M)

As Houses Tilt, a Market Teeters; Sinking Foundations Imperil a Town's Property Values

Bush administration asks more than 60 countries to find and expel several hundred Iraqi diplomats CIA and others have identified suspected intelligence agents, arguing they pose threat to US foreign service personnel and installations; issues extensive list of more than 300 diplomats it believes are working under cover; its recent expulsion of two low-level attaches at Iraqi Mission to UN noted; some countries begin acting on warning; Australia expels Iraqi diplomat, Helal Ibrahim Aaref, who it accuses of spying; has been among strongest supporters of Iraqi disarmament by force, if necessary; some countries dispute US assertions that expulsions have no bearing on timing of possible military action against Iraq; say they were told by US administration wanted, on advice of American intelligence agencies, to disrupt Iraqi intelligence network in days before military action; photo (M)

U.S. Asks Over 60 Nations to Expel Iraqi Envoys

Harvey Araton Sports of The Times column discusses Michael Jordan's feel-good farewell to Madison Square Garden, during which he scored 39 points for Washington Wizards against New York Knicks, at age 40; photos (M)

Sports of The Times; For Jordan at Garden, One Final Flashback

Bush administration falls far short of lining up nine votes on UN Security Council after weekend of urgent diplomacy that would threaten Iraq's Pres Saddam Hussein with war if country does not disarm; remains optimistic that at least 9 of 15 Council members will eventually back resolution introduced by Britain; administration officials say US will likely agree to define benchmarks Iraq would have to meet before March 17 deadline; Sec of State Colin L Powell and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, in television appearances, stick firmly to March 17 deadline; Chile and Guinea, crucial swing votes on Security Council, indicate they are not yet willing to support resolution; photos (M)

URGENT DIPLOMACY FAILS TO GAIN U.S. 9 VOTES IN THE U.N.

Stephen Daldry and Rob Marshall, dyed-in-the-wool stage directors, are competing for Oscar for best director for their excursions into film, Daldry in The Hours and Marshall in Chicago; Marshall says film is always lurking in his theater work, while Daldry says he sees theater and film as entirely distinct; both say transition from stage to screen was smoother than expected; photo (M)

Men of the Theater, Competing for Oscars

Joyce Purnick Metro Matters column examines creation of New York City's Campaign Finance Board and offers profile of outgoing chairman Rev Joseph A O'Hare; board is recognized as successful experiment in limiting influence of wealthy political contributors (M)

Metro Matters; Don't Tell Him The Dollar Is Almighty

Man sprays gunfire into crowd at nightclub on second floor of popular Times Square video arcade Broadway City, wounding eight people, while second man stabs two others; police are questioning two suspects; no names are released; photo (M)

Melee at Arcade In Times Square Leaves 8 Shot And 2 Stabbed

Prospect of war in Middle East prompts advertisers to postpone media-buying decisions, threatening to derail advertising industry's nascent recovery after exceedingly difficult period; 2001 advertising spending fell 6.5 percent, largest decline since 1938; 2002 spending increased modest 2.6 percent (M)

Advertising; Threat of War Already Curbs The Budgets Of Marketers

Doubts arise about ability of Community Concerts to continue bringing high musical culture to American heartland, as it has done for nearly 75 years, as artists complain of nonpayments and bounced checks; some artists say that when they complained to Brenda Trawick, who acquired company in 1999, she retaliated by telling concert associations the artists had canceled future bookings; some local organizers have cut their ties to company and are looking for booking talent elsewhere; Trawick admits to nonpayments and 'error' that led to bad checks, but insists that she is trying to recover from years of heavy losses and will make good on payments that are owed to her clients; photos (M)

Discord Over Concerts in the Heartland; A Presenter of High Culture in Small Towns Angers Fans and Artists

Many of information technologies that US forces would use if they attack Iraq have been developed in commercial sector, not by military itself, as in past; difficulty and cost of military development caused government research in communications technology to cease 20 years ago; civilian-developed systems have not yet been tested in battle; military lags behind large companies as users of Itronix's laptop, rugged computer that can withstand heavy rains and extreme temperatures; photos (M)

Military Now Often Enlists Commercial Technology

Reading program at Public School 172 in Brooklyn offers glimpse of reading curriculum Chancellor Joel I Klein plans to impose on almost all of city's 600 elementary schools starting in September 2003 as part of effort to standardize instruction across city's inconsistent patchwork of schools and neighborhoods; requires students to read books from class libraries and practice writing; stresses 'word work' or phonics; school has been touted by Klein, since while nearly all its 560 students are poor enough to receive free lunches, their test scores are well above average; 69 percent were reading at or above grade level in 2002, compared with 39.3 percent citywide; photos (M)

A Living Lab for the City's New Curriculum

US officials say UN weapons inspectors in Iraq recently discovered new variety of rocket, seemingly configured to strew bomblets filled with chemical or biological agents over large areas; say warheads appear cobbled together from stockpiles of imported or home-built weapons, some which Iraq used with both conventional and chemical warheads; say weapon was discovered in last few months, since UN weapons inspectors returned to Iraq in November, and shows Iraq cannot be trusted to cooperate with inspectors; discovery is buttressed by information provided in detailed report by UN inspection team, which catalogs history of Iraqi weapons programs and UN attempts to enforce compliance with its disarmament resolutions over past 12 years; Sec of State Colin L Powell says chief inspector Hans Blix should have presented more of evidence during most recent appearance before UN Security Council; also cites Iraq's development of drone aircraft capable of dispensing chemical weapons as another example; hints US will release more information about prohibited weapons as Security Council debates resolution for military action in coming days (M)

U.S. Says Iraq Retools Rockets For Illicit Uses

New York Yankees will likely fine pitcher David Wells $100,000 for controversial allegations made in book Perfect I'm Not! Boomer on Beer, Brawls, Backaches and Baseball; Wells says he will not appeal fine; photo (M)

Yankees And Wells Hope Fine Ends Story

One month after job action by doctors in New Jersey, e-mail messages between doctors and protest organizers reveal intense frustration and anger felt by physicians, many of whom blame trial lawyers, Democratic legislators and greedy patients for skyrocketing premiums; messages, distributed by consumer group Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, which is opposed to doctors' demands, refer in disparaging terms to lawyers and to doctors who refuse to participate; some extreme protest strategies discussed; doctors in Connecticut and New York have scheduled similar job actions (M)

Anatomy of a Strike: Doctors' E-Mail Shows Depth of Anger

Somali Bantu refugees living in Kenya, or about 12,000 people, are being prepared for resettlement in US over next two years as one of largest refugee groups to receive blanket permission for resettlement since mid-1990's; are members of Africa's lost tribe--stolen from shores of Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania and carried on Arab slave ships to Somalia two centuries ago; were enslaved and persecuted until Somali civil war scattered them to refugee camps in 1990's; were often denied access to education and jobs in Somalia; are mostly illiterate and almost completely untouched by modern life; are taking classes to prepare them for new lives in US; map; photos (M)

Africa's Lost Tribe Discovers American Way

 Firms May Form a Group To Bid on Six Continents  CVC Capital Partners is in talks with other private equity firms and hotel companies about forming a consortium to make a friendly offer for part or all of Six Continents, the large hotel operator, people involved in the discussions said.    CVC has held discussions with the Texas Pacific Group and Marriott International, but no agreement has been finalized, these people said. CVC is one of a number of companies to have approached Six Continents as it fends off a hostile offer from a British businessman, valued at almost $9 billion. [Page C8.]

BUSINESS DIGEST

Pittsburgh University men's basketball team prepares for Big East tournament after finishing season 16-0 at home; like many other former football powerhouses, Pittsburgh has used newly constructed stadium to boost basketball program; photos (M)

Football Powers Push Onto Hardcourt

St Bonaventure University Board of Trustees requests and receives resignation of president Dr Robert J Wickenheiser and places coach Jan van Breda Kolff, athletic director Gothard Lane and assistant coach Kort Wickenheiser, president's son, on leave in response to recruiting violations by men's basketball team that forced forfeit of six Atlantic 10 conference wins; photos (M)

President Steps Down as St. Bonaventure Starts Over

AOL Time Warner begins talks with other major cable television operators and media companies about its personal video recorder system, Mystro TV, which it reportedly hopes to introduce within two years; technology uses cable system itself to give viewers ability to watch shows on their own schedules and fast-forward over commercials and rewind, but also lets networks set parameters, dictating which shows users can reschedule and creating ways for networks to insert commercials; networks, studios and Hollywood talent agencies are alarmed by such capabilities, but AOL stresses advantages its system would give them over in-home systems like TiVo and ReplayTV; AOL's plan will turn on whether company can end internal discord following AOL's acquisition of Time Warner; photos (M)

AOL Is Planning a Fast-Forward Answer to TiVo

Yoko Ono, 70, performs Walking on Thin Ice at Arc, club near Holland Tunnel; song has been remixed by club's disc jockey Danny Tenaglia as part of project to introduce Ono's music to the rave crowd; Ono, in interview, discusses latest foray into public eye, which includes both remixes and art installation at PS 1 in Long Island: Freight Train, railroad car shot up with machine gun and lighted from inside; photos (M)

March 10, 2003

Headlines from March 10, 2003

INSIDE

Market Place; 3 Years Later, Investors Crave Safety

NEW ANALYSIS SEES SHUTTLE BREAKUP BEGINNING EARLIER

As Cellphones Become Cuter, Clarity Suffers

Senators' Husbands In Velvet Gloves

Billboard 200

Chocolate Factory

Get Rich Or Die Tryin'

Come Away With Me

Home

Cocky

Historical Context for March 10, 2003