Homeless man is lifted up and crushed to death by bucket of Sanitation Department lifting machine as he huddles from cold under Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Williamsburg; the homeless are known to seek shelter under overpass; photo (M)

Homeless Man Is Crushed By Trash-Lifter

 Lawmakers Reach Pact On Bill to Slow Junk E-Mail  House and Senate leaders reached agreement on legislation to stanch the torrent of junk e-mail, making it probable that both chambers will pass a final law by early next week.     Under the bill, spammers could face civil fines of up to $250 a message if they disguise their identities or make themselves impossible to trace. It would also authorize the Federal Trade Commission to come up with a national do-not-e-mail registry. [Page A1.]

BUSINESS DIGEST

New Jersey Nets will not acknowledge or respond to inquiries about fight between players Alonzo Mourning and Kenyon Martin, who argued during practice; photo (M)

For the Nets, No Apologies Or Fireworks

 Hepatitis Linked to Scallions  Contaminated scallions were almost certainly the cause of a large outbreak of hepatitis A in Western Pennsylvania, federal health officials said.   PAGE A13    New Tape in Sniper Trial  In an audiotaped confession, Lee Malvo, the 18-year-old suspect in the Washington sniper killings, let go with giggles and belly laughs as he described the attacks.   PAGE A10

INSIDE

Detroit Pistons defeat New York Knicks, 94-85; photo (M)

Knicks Offer No Relief To Ailing Houston

Booming US sales of large homes and sport utility vehicles have offset many of energy savings made over last 30 years; imports accounted for 55 percent of US oil consumption in first seven months of 2003, compared to only 35 in 1973 at height of Arab oil embargo; Energy Information Administration projects that oil imports will rise to 68 percent of total consumption by 2025, with majority coming from Persian Gulf region; loss of momentum toward energy conservation is attributed to drop in oil prices beginning in mid-1980's, which preempted concerns about national security and personal spending; graph (M)

Pushing Energy Conservation Into the Back Seat of the S.U.V.

Energy bill in Senate would extend extend tax credits to new automobiles with advanced diesel engines; credits would be equal to those provided for gas-electric and alternative fuel vehicles; critics oppose measure on grounds that new diesels are still too dirty, with Dan Becker of Sierra Club noting that many vehicles to receive diesel credits would not meet minimum air standards in California; current diesel engines emit more pollutants than gasoline-fueled counterparts, but offer 30 to 40 percent improvement in fuel efficiency and 15 percent reduction in oil consumption; chart; photos (M)

Energy Bill Would Welcome Back Diesels

Senate opponents block final vote on energy bill, at least temporarily derailing one of Pres Bush's primary policy initiatives; Sen Bill Frist, who lacks 60 votes needed to cut off debate, votes with opponents to preserve his right to bring bill up for another vote; pledges Senate will try again to end filibuster before adjourning; backers begin effort to win over two or more senators needed to advance bill; Pres Bush, returning from Britain, presses for passage of bill and bill to add prescription drug coverage to Medicare; photo (M)

Senate Blocks Energy Bill; Backers Vow to Try Again

Senior Army officer says Army currently assumes some 100,000 United States troops will be kept in Iraq through early 2006; says keeping force of that size in Iraq beyond then would begin to overtax Army; plan reflects view of some Army officials that stabilizing Iraq could be harder than originally planned (M)

ARMY IS PLANNING FOR 100,000 G.I.'S IN IRAQ TILL 2006

Dan Barry column on late Sister Kathy Toner, Roman Catholic nun who founded Samaritan House, small nonsectarian shelter in Brooklyn for homeless women and children; notes that Sister Kathy lived in shelter for nearly 15 years, until failing health forced her to move to a convent in Scranton, Pa; says it is typical for many of nuns who have led unheralded lives of good works in New York to spend quiet retirement in home far from city (M)

About New York; Muted Finale To a Life Played Like a Sonata

Mexican immigrants in New York are drawn to clubs where they dance to Colombian-style cumbia music while DJ's, or sonideros, call out messages for them to loved ones near and far; sonideros make cassette recordings and CD's of sets, including messages, which eventually find their way to families in Mexico; photos (M)

Under the Musical Spell of the Sonidero; Mexican D.J.'s Relay Messages, on Dance Floor and to the Homeland

House and Senate leaders reach accord on bill to curb junk messages flooding e-mail in-boxes; lawmakers say they expect bill, which has strong bipartisan support and is backed by marketing industry, to quickly win approval; bill sets fines of up to $250 a message for junk e-mailers who disguise their identities or make themselves impossible to trace; authorizes Federal Trade Commision to devise national 'do not e-mail' registry that would let people bar marketers from sending them spam; experts warn bill has many concessions to marketing industry and may have limited impact (M)

Congress Set to Pass Bill That Restrains Unsolicited E-Mail

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will return to Larry Silverstein and his partners $98 million of $125 million in equity they invested for World Trade Center lease in 2001; two sides agree to use insurance proceeds to pay off Silverstein's lender, GMAC Commerical Mortgage Corp, at cost of $563 million; agree to pay $140 million to buy out Westfield America, which controls retail mall at trade center; Port Authority executives say deal will streamline rebuilding process by removing two entities, GMAC and Westfield, that have at times been obstacles to progress; photo (M)

Silverstein Will Get Most of His Cash Back In Trade Center Deal

Many in Congress suggest tactic of their leaders of introducing gigantic energy and Medicare bills just before winter adjournment and thus limiting debate may be backfiring; too many senators discovered objectionable details in energy bill that had not come to light earlier and just enough of them were angry enough to halt bill's progress; Sen John McCain senators were not given enough time to weigh 1,200 page energy bill because it will not bear scrutiny; strategy on Medicare bill has angered even more lawmakers from both chambers; those members of House-Senate negotiating committee who were not invited to real meetings where bill was written were given copy of 1,100-page bill less than hour before planned vote (M)

Congressional Memo; 11th-Hour Bills Irk Lawmakers Left in the Dark

Mississippi University quarterback Eli Manning, son of Archie Manning and younger brother of Peyton Manning, has lead team to 8-2 record; photos (M)

Manning Rewrites The Family Legacy

New drug pipeline of Merck is among thinnest in pharmaceutical industry, with company's recent decision to halt testing of MK-767 diabetes drug sparking 6.5 percent decline in share price; Merck has stopped development and testing of treatments for depression, anxiety and asthma this year; company's chairman Richard Gilmart has resisted introducing products that are similar to already-existing drugs, choosing to focus on breakthrough research; strategy, along with company's refusal to consider merger, is seen as highly risky in industry that introduced just 17 new drugs in 2002; graph (M)

Merck Learns Anew the Risks of Focusing on Breakthrough Drugs

Clothing retailers are offering holiday shoppers fewest discounts in seven years; analyst note that inventories are down 7 to 8 percent this year as retailers focus on hottest products and technology aimed at improving reorder times; many experts doubt industry can hold line on pricing, however, noting that customers have been conditioned over many years to expect steep discounts (M)

Clothing Retailers Hope Shoppers Take Holiday Prices at Face Value

Macy's Band Playing It Safe, Skipping Jackson's 'Thriller'

Members of New York's Congressional delegation are urging Congress to extend Dec 22 claim filing deadline for relatives of Sept 11 terrorism victims; 1,800 families, or only 60 percent of those eligibile, have so far filed claims on behalf of relatives killed at World Trade Center, Pentagon and aboard hijacked airliner that crashed in Pennsylvania; government has dispensed average of $1.7 million per family for total of $1.1 billion for death claims, far less than expected $5 billion; 1,600 injured people have filed claims, small fraction of thousands of rescue workers and bystanders who are believed to have been hurt (M)

As Deadline for 9/11 Aid Nears, Many Relatives Haven't Filed

Freddie Mac says it understated pretax net income by nearly $7.6 billion from 2000 to 2002; nearly $5 billion is result of improper accounting for investments in derivatives, while $1.7 billion is result of improper classification of company-held securities; size of restatement, which is at high end of range suggested by company in June, prompts calls for increased regulation and oversight; restatement also shows increased volatility in quarter-to-quarter earnings, which company executives attribute to new rules on reporting impact of fluctuating interest rates; graph (M)

Freddie Mac Understated Its Earnings By $5 Billion

Michigan University prepares to face Ohio State University in game that will decide Big Ten Championship; photo (M)

Roars in Ann Arbor Likely to Reverberate

Three members of one Bronx family die from carbon monoxide fumes that police suspect fumes came from unventilated generator that was used to heat home after Consolidated Edison turned off electrical power for nonpayment of bill; are identified as Patrick Williams, Erna Dennis and 2-month-old Patricia Williams; fourth victim is in serious condition; Con Ed says it did not know child under two-years old was in home; photo, map (M)

Generator Fumes Suspected In Deaths of 3 in the Bronx

Purging Iraq of the Baath Party has proved difficult, as some members have kept government jobs because local officials were afraid to make changes. In other cases, American commanders have intervened to keep Baathists on the payroll.    Article, Page A8.

Baathists on Payrolls

Yonkers schools superintendent, Angelo Petrone, puts layoff of 502 teachers on hold thanks to last-minute help from state; Mayor John Spencer says various scenarios are being discussed, but warns that state will not plug entire budget gap; parents and teachers express frustration with chaos that has marked school budget process in city for last four years (M)

Yonkers Parents Growing Tired Of School-Financing Cliffhangers

Harvey Araton Sports of The Times column discusses development of Harlem Hellfighters, first Harlem-based high school football team in 62 years; team is made up of athletes from number of area high schools and plays under banner of Frederick Douglass Academy (NYC); photos (M)

Sports of The Times; Small Steps for Football, Giant Steps for Harlem

On 22 November 2003, shortly after takeoff from Baghdad, Iraq, an Airbus A300B2-200F cargo plane, registered OO-DLL and owned by the Belgian division of European Air Transport, was struck on the left wing by a surface-to-air missile while on a scheduled flight to Muharraq, Bahrain. Severe wing damage resulted in a fire and complete loss of hydraulic flight control systems. Because outboard left wing fuel tank 1A was full at takeoff, no fuel-air vapour explosion occurred. Liquid jet fuel dropped away as 1A disintegrated. Inboard fuel tank 1 was pierced and leaking.

Baghdad DHL attempted shootdown incident: Shortly after takeoff, a DHL Express cargo plane is struck on the left wing by a surface-to-air missile and forced to land.

November 22, 2003

Headlines from November 22, 2003

Homeless Man Is Crushed By Trash-Lifter

BUSINESS DIGEST

For the Nets, No Apologies Or Fireworks

INSIDE

Knicks Offer No Relief To Ailing Houston

Billboard 200

Shock'n Y'All

Afterglow

Now 14

The Very Best Of Sheryl Crow

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Historical Events

Historical Context for November 22, 2003