November 30, 2003

Mae Ruth Little of Brooklyn, NY, has filed lawsuit against Mendy Amsel to retain ownership of house she hsa lived in since 1970; Amsel, denying wrongdoing, says Little sought his help because she was about to lose her home through foreclosure; contends he agreed to pay off arrears on her mortgage and allow her to live in house rent-free for six months and then stay as tenant; Little accuses Little of taking advantage of her advanced age, poor vision and lack of sophistication; photo (M)

Seven Spanish intelligence officers die as Iraqi guerrillas fire rocket-propelled grenades at their cars, Mahmudiya; two Japanese diplomats are killed in apparent ambush, Tikrit, Iraq; it is unclear whether attacks, clearly aimed at key American allies, were coordinated; Spain has troops in Iraq and Japan weighs sending noncombat forces; Lt Gen Ricardo Sanchez, speaking before attacks, says attacks on American and allies soldiers have dropped sharply in last two weeks; photos (M)

Pet food makers are pushing low-cal, low-carb and vitamin-spiked foods in response to high obesity rate among dogs and cats; consumers are responding, with sales of weight-control pet foods up 25 percent since 2000, to $500 millon a year; graph of speciality dog food sales; photos (M)

Article on discreet luxury of Hotel Pierre in Manhattan, which has been owned by co-op since 1959; 30 of 76 co-op owners live at Pierre permanently, their apartments scattered among 201 guest rooms; duties of several staff members, including bartender Joe Dacchille and elevator operator Khady Gueyesall, described; photos (L)

Toyota Motor plans to introduce hybrid gasoline-electric version of its Lexus RX sport utility wagon next fall (S)

Florida's Elderly Skeptical Of Medicare Drug Benefit In the condominiums and on the palm-shaded beaches of Florida, where Medicare is a frequent topic of conversation, few expect to get much help from the new drug benefit just approved by Congress. PAGE 34 'The Reagans,' a T.V. Drama The television movie, heavily criticized by conservatives, airs Sunday on Showtime. Review by Alessandra Stanley. PAGE 35

Dan Rather, 72, continues to work tirelessly to stave off inevitable push to retire as CBS Evening News anchor; he, in last 12 months, among visits to nearly dozen CBS-owned stations and affiliates, has shuttled repeatedly to Mideast on assignment and filed numerous reports for his second job, on 60 Minutes II; he comments, interview; photos (M)

Anemona Hartocollis Coping column on Max Weintraub of Lower East Side who, along with associate and fellow widower Stanley Ettinger, managing partner of Pont Street Stable on the grounds of Belmont Park, and 58 other partners hope to produce next Triple Crown winner; drawing (M)

Frank Rich article discusses significance of American public's seemingly endless fascination with Michael Jackson pedophilia case; photo, cartoon (M)

Charles Murray comment on 'hall of fame' of unintended outcomes of some famously brilliant accomplishments; nominates Aristotle's embrace of logic, which may have deflected Greeks away from science, Newton's discovery of nature's laws, which turned science into new faith, and Beethoven, whose difficult genius established model for artistic personalities to come; photo (M)

Article on former pro football player Roy Simmons, who disclosed his homosexuality on Phil Donahue television show in 1992 and now discloses, on eve of World AIDS Day, that he has had HIV for six years; photos (M)

Vehicle called Super Luxurious Omnidirectional Whatchamajigger, or SLOW, is designed for film The Cat in the Hat by Harald Belker; is part car, part plane and part boat; photo (M)