November 3, 2003

A O Scott Critic's Notebook column discusses controversy surrounding plans to limit distribution of 'film screeners,' copies of films being considered for Academy Award nominations traditionally sent to academy members, critics and other journalists; goal is to limit piracy (M)

Martin Lel of Kenya wins New York City Marathon in 2 hours, 10 minutes and 30 seconds; Rodgers Rop, also from Kenya, is second and countryman Christopher Cheboiboch is third; in all, 11 of top 20 finishers are from Kenya; photos (L)

Bernard Holland reviews piano recital by Leon Fleisher at Carnegie Hall;photo (M)

Rev V Gene Robinson is consecrated bishop of New Hampshire and first openly gay prelate in Episcopal Church USA, laying groundwork for split in American church and break with fellow Anglican churches abroad; nearly 4,000 people attend ceremony in arena at Univ of New Hampshire, applauding and cheering; consecration goes ahead despite warnings from primates who lead Anglican churches in parts of Africa, Asia and Latin American that gay bishop would not be recognized in their churches and would prompt them to break ties with Episcopal Church USA; Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury, releases statement acknowledging Americans' right to choose their own bishops but lamenting Americans' disregard for objections of their more conservative church cousins in other parts of world; photos (M)

Dallas Cowboys defeat Washington Redskins, 21-14; photos (M)

Afghans living in Flushing, Queens, with American-led forces having driven Taliban from power in Afghanistan, begin rediscovering country many thought they would never see again; some are renting out or selling their reclaimed houses in Afghanistan, some have started businesses there and many are making money as they shuttle back and forth; examples cited; photo (M)

Virginia Heffernan Critic's Notebook column on controversy surrounding ABC News special Jesus, Mary and da Vinci, which explores the unusual religious claims made in Dan Brown novel The Da Vinci Code: that Mary Magdelene was wife of Jesus, that they had a child and heirs and that heirs, whose existence threatened church dogma, were protected by clandestine priory that counted Leonardo among its members; photo (M)

CBS, three months before Feb 1 Super Bowl, has already sold 80 percent of available commercial time; robust demand comes despite average prices of $2.3 million to $2.4 million for 30-second spot, about 8 percent higher than in 2003 Super Bowl; reflects fact that big events still draw large numbers of viewers as rest of television audience continues to fragment; complements healthy marketplace for commercial time in regular-season National Football League games; photo (M)

Robert A Durst murder case is set to go to jury in Galveston, Texas, this week; authorities are still trying to come to grips with Durst, whom prosecutors say cooly and deliberately killed his neighbor Morris Black and then dismembered his body and dumped parts in Galveston Bay; photo (M)

Mayor Michael R Bloomberg's push to bring his own version of nonpartisan elections to New York City shapes up as most partisan battle yet in his short political career; Bloomberg, Democrat-turned-Republican and businessman-turned-mayor, is personally financing elaborate advertising campaign urging voters to support measure that would end party primaries; his politics has been bundle of contradictions ever since he decided to run for office; he has governed in what many describe as nonideological, nonpartisan way, but he has been model of party loyalty towards fellow Republicans in Albany and Washington; his call to ban partisan primaries in elections for city office has Democratic Party accusing him of engineering Republican plot to weaken Democratic power in city where registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans five to one; photos; chart (M)

Investors and policy makers are finding that it could take years to learn potential environmental and health impacts of nanotechnology, which involves materials so small their dimensions can be measured in molecules; such materials are already embedded in hundreds of products; early research, by DuPont and others, raises troubling issues; photos (M)

Ben Brantley reviews revival of Tennessee Williams's play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Anthony Page; Ashley Judd, Jason Patric and Ned Beatty star; photo (M)