October 15, 2003

Article on Burton and Rita Goldberg, both 79, of Scarsdale, NY, who have donated more than $1 million to New York University to support student playwrights since mid-1990's; university's dramatic writing department is to be named after couple; photo (M)

Supreme Court agrees to consider whether public schools violate Constitution by requiring teachers to lead classes in pledging allegiance to flag of 'one nation under God' ; Justice Antonin Scalia recuses himself, raising possibility of 4-4 tie; California school district is appealing Appeals Court ruling that phrase 'under God,' added in 1954, makes pledge itself unconstitutional; suit was brought by Michael A Newdow, who also requested Scalia recuse himself for remarks supporting wording; Newdow photo (M)

Photos of play during playoff games as Florida Marlins defeat Chicago Cubs, 8-3, and New York Yankees defeat Boston Red Sox, 4-2

Frank P Quattrone tells jurors during his last day of testimony that if Credit Suisse First Boston's lawyers 'had told us that the document retention policy was suspended' he never would have sent e-mail message to his staff endorsing colleague's instructions to 'clean up those files'; reasserts that he did not think that he, nor investment bankers who received his e-mail message, had anything to do with government's obstruction of justice inquiry; prosecution, in closing agruments after defense rests, contends otherwise (M)

Freedom Communications, which has been owned by Hoiles family for seven decades, strikes deal with Blackstone Communications Partners and Providence Equity Partners that will permit dissident family members to sell their shares while ensuring that company remains in Hoileses' control; spurns offers from several suitors, including combined bid from newspaper chains Gannett and MediaNews Group; company will remain under control of descendants of R C Hoiles, who founded company; sale price is thought to be valued at nearly $1.8 billion; Freedom president-chief executive Alan Bell declines to characterize whether offer represents highest bid; Timothy Hoiles, grandson of R C Hoiles, owns 8.6 percent of company and has been seeking for some time to persuade his cousins to allow him to sell his shares 'for a fair price'; map; photos (M)

Dutch technology giant Royal Philips Electronics reports its best quarterly profit in nearly three years, with its joint venture in liquid crystal display monitors, LG Philips LCD Co, helping bottom line significantly; reports third-quarter net profit of 124 million euros ($145 million) compared to loss of 330 million euros year earlier; third-quarter sales fell 4 percent, to 6.99 billion euros ($8.2 billion) (M)

Pres Bush's primary goal during upcoming visit to Japan will be to clarify Japan's commitment to sending troops and money to Iraq; Bush may also put pressure on Japan to stop propping up dollar by deliberately weakening yen in light of growing trade deficit; Bush is unlikely to win any tug of war over exchange rates with Japan; stronger yen makes Japanese goods more expensive overseas and cuts profits exporters earn in dollars (M)

Coupling, NBC's great hope to become hit comeday for its soon-to-be Friends-less Thursday-night lineup, receives vote of no-confidence when network announces it is pre-empting Oct 16 episode; network wants to give some extra attention to another comedy Whoopi, which has been just holding its own against difficult competition on Tuesday nights; Coupling has one of most coveted timeslots on television; two NBC executives insist Coupling has not been canceled, but they do not say when program will return to Thursday nights, if it returns at all; photo (M)

About 800 friends of George Plimpton turn up for party at Cipriani 42nd Street, which was planned before his death on Sept 26 to celebrate 50th anniversary of Paris Review, which he founded with Peter Mathiessen and Harold L Humes and which he edited until end of his life; organizers decided to go on without him but in his honor; photo (M)

Police try to piece together final hours of Mark F Fisher, Fairfield University student who was found shot to death on Brooklyn street early on Oct 12; say some of young people who were with Fisher through night of partying have been hesitant to talk to detectives and that family of two young women whom detectives were interviewing have retained lawyers; Fisher's family is stunned by killing (M)

Merrill Profits Jump 50% As Wall Street Rebounds Merrill Lynch reported that its third-quarter earnings climbed 50 percent as improving trends in financial markets and the effect of deep cost-cutting over the last two years bolstered results. The firm's earnings were the second best in its history, and the gains were consistent with numbers reported recently by other big brokerage firms, including Lehman and Morgan Stanley. [Page C10.]

Electronic gadgets are often purchased in well-intentioned bout of self-improvement, are opened, used once or twice, then abandoned; sometimes they never make it out of box; recent search on eBay for 'like new' consumer electronics products yielded 30,000 items; company has detected significant increase in such offerings; some consumers comment; photo (M)