October 28, 2003

Cosmologists hold debate at Case Western Reserve University Future of Cosmology conference on controversial conceit called anthropic principle; supporters of theory hold each individual universe has its own randomly assigned perimeters that are completely unpredictable and therefore do not align with set concepts; big bang theory and string theory actually support anthropic principle, which is grounded in philosophy as much as in scientific principle; Dr Steven Weinberg, University of Texas Nobel laureate, defines cosmic constant as unpredictable environmental effect of anthropic universe; photos (L)

Firefighters on northwesten edge of Los Angeles stage desperate effort to defend city and coastal community of Malibu as fires race uncontrollably across much of southern California; battle unpredictable winds as flames advance within mile of city's northernmost communities of Porter Ranch and West Hills; thick clouds of black smoke hang overhead as Battalion Chief Anthony C Marrone Jr marks three-mile line north of Ronald Reagan Freeway, skirting northern stretches of San Fernando Valley; calls that line Los Angeles's last defense; fire crews set controlled fire of their own along line after winds shift and begin blowing from south instad of north; photos (M)

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Manhattan Theater Club artistic director Lynne Meadow and executive producer Barry Grove, comment on withdrawal of cast members Jasmine Guy and Laura Benanti from Richard Greenberg play The Violet Hour; play will open on November 6 as scheduled; Guy has withdrawn for medical reasons and is being replaced by understudy, Robin Miles; Benanti was replaced last month by Dagmara Dominczyk; photo (M)

Michiko Kakutani reviews book Yellow Dog by Martin Amis; photo (M)

Most salacious scenes in video L Dennis Kozlowski's multimillion-dollar birthday party for his second wife Karen on island of Sardinia are ordered cut from version to be shown to jurors in trial of Kozlowski, who is accused of helping loot Tyco International of $800 million; Judge Michael J Obus leaves on cutting room floor scenes of ice sculpture of Michelangelo's 'David' urinating Stolichnaya vodka into crystal glasses and Mrs Kozlowski's birthday cake in shape of woman's body with sparklers protruding from her breasts; Roman Empire-themed birthday party--part of six-day event that cost $2.1 million--may be most vivid example of list of high-price items that prosecutors contend Kozlowski bought with money from Tyco, which picked up half cost; photo (M)

Selection of Miami as headquarters of Free Trade Area of Americas, long-awaited agreement on lowering tariffs throughout hemisphere, has become fraught with uncertainty; selection process was supposed to make Miami shoo-in, prize worth anticipated $500 million per year in economic activity and estimated 15,000 jobs for diplomats, trade negotiators, lawyers, bankers and other white-collar professionals; trade agreement may not materialize, or be diminished in scope because of quarreling between negotiators from US and Brazil; Atlanta has started well-financed campaign to present itself as alternate gateway to region; Jorge L Arrizurieta heads Miami's effort to become home of Free Trade Area of Americas; Jose Ignacio Gonzalez heads group that is competing with Miami to make Atlanta headquarters; photo (M)

Norways Statoil says third-qua

Experts say American workers ages 20 to 34, who make up roughly third of working population, form dramatically different labor market that is changing way people are hired and fired and how they view their jobs; young workers, having faced difficult job market, are reluctant to make longterm commitments; many view selves as independent contractors, selling their services on project basis to many employers; drawing; photos (special section, Working) (M)

Uneven cast of job market, with slump having little effect on those who have jobs and causing difficult time for those who lose jobs, is unlikely to vanish as economy recovers; many of longtime unemployed are unlikely to find new work that pays as well anytime soon while people who held on to jobs could face rising wages and extended workweek; fewer companies rely on temporary layoffs, but disappearance of manufacturing jobs and export of jobs means those who lose jobs face tougher prospects (special section, Working) (M)

Torrent of spam flowing into people's electronic mailboxes comes not only from outlaws and hucksters but also from some of biggest and most well-known corporations; cottage industry has emerged to lure Internet users, through variety of schemes, into signing up for e-mail marketing; under practice called opt-in marketing, subscribers to on-line newsletters or people buying products on Web may also unknowingly agree to 'receive valuable offers'; many e-mail executives admit that list companies add to their databases by buying, trading--sometimes even stealing--names; some companies allow e-mail addresses of their own customers, either deliberately or inadvertently, to fall into hands of list peddlers who in turn sell them to e-mail marketers of all stripes; antispam bill passed unanimously by Senate last week imposes tough penalties on people involved in lowest forms of spam but it does not establish rules defining appropriate list of names that purveyer of legitimate product can use to send offer by e-mail; nor does it regulate transfer of names between companies; photos (M)

China's juggernaut export growth continues to defy numerous complaints from American manufacturers and politicians, but perhaps changes coming in China's tax rules will take some momentum away; changes, which take effect on Jan 1, cut rebates on tax payments that businesses can claim for goods sold abroad and may raise price of many Chinese-made consumer goods; many economists foresee slowing of trade growth, especially among low-end manufactured goods; export businesses in fiercely competitive industries say cuts might erase already thin profit margins and imperil smaller manufacturers that are short of cash; Zhang Shuguang, director of Beijing-based economics center Unirule Shuguang, says export rebate cuts in effect amount to revaluation of yuan (M)