Roundup of ideas for cars and car accessories in 2003 that never quite came to fruition; photos (M)

From the Recyling Bin

New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner faints and falls to floor at memorial service for Otto Graham; is admitted to hospital and tests come back normal; photo (M)

Steinbrenner Hospitalized After Fainting And Falling

2003 sports triumphs and tragedies, trials and tribulations are discussed; photo (M)

Year of Triumphs and Surprises, But Stalked by Scandal and Shame

Agriculture Department officials say they believe dairy cow infected with mad cow disease came to United States in 2001 as part of herd of 74 cattle from Alberta, Canada; says infected animal entered country through Eastport, Idaho, in August 2001 before being transported in October of that year to what authorities call index herd, herd in which it was discovered to have been infected, in Mabton, Wash; researchers and beef industry experts express relief; Canadian officials, however, say it is too early to definitely pinpoint cow's origins; photos (L)

U.S. OFFICIALS SAY ILL COW IS LINKED TO ALBERTA HERD

A O Scott article on movies in 2003 concludes that Hollywood only managed to achieve mediocrity this year; photos (M)

At the Movies, It Was the Year Of 'Yes, But . . .'

Week in Review series of articles, The Years Ahead, notes that lesson of the past is that it is not always obvious things that change course of world; articles cite developments today that could have profound effects tomorrow in areas of health, sports, style, population, world politics, American politics, economics and military; drawing (M)

A History of Strange Bounces, a Future of the Unexpected

Article on New York's partygoing season, when many feel it's acceptable to drink to excess, that starts on Thanksgiving and lasts past New Year's; photo (M)

It's a Long New Year's Eve That Starts at Thanksgiving

World of homeland insecurity, in which every push for protection seems to generate even more jitters, discussed; photo (M)

The Nation: Out of the Blue; The Fog of War Blankets the Home Front

Home Front; Tenant Advocacy Group Faces Eviction

Rescue workers race to ancient city of Bam, Iran, where officials raise death toll from its 12-second earthquake to 25,000; Interior Ministry declares that city is ruined, with more than 70 percent of it destroyed; tens of thousands of injured crowd field hospitals or lay helplessly in streets; survivors and rescuers dig frantically to uncover those still trapped; aftershocks jolt area, shaking down already crumbled low-rise dwellings of clay tile, brick and concrete block; dozens of international relief flights and supply shipments speed on their way, transporting everything from skilled rescue workers to water purification tablets; United States says it is sending tons of medical supplies in military airlift, as well as rescue squads and medical teams; photos; map (L)

Iran Quake Toll Rises to 25,000; Injured Fill Hospitals, and Streets

Louisiana State University legendary football player Billy Cannon is remembered as LSU prepares to face Oklahoma University in Sugar Bowl; Cannon's legacy is both one of glory, as school's only Heisman Trophy winner, and one of disappointment, as convicted felon in connection with counterfeiting scheme; photos (L)

Never Forgotten, Billy Cannon Is Now Forgiven

New York Knicks defeat Miami Heat, 100-80; photos (M)

Knicks See a Starting Point to a Potential Revival

Article describes nearly deserted scene along Brooklyn Heights Promenade, riverside terrace which faces Manhattan skyline, on snowy winter day; photo (M)

In Winter, The City Almost Sleeps; Waiting for Ice Floes to Glide By

Article assesses 2003 automobiles, citing trends and deals for buyers; recommends 12 models to suit every need; photos (M)

Faster and More Furious, With Cash Back

Salem Abraham runs his hedge fund and stock-index arbitrage operation from 1,000-square-foot office above steakhouse in Canadian, Tex, and hopes that its homespun image will be plus for his wealthy investors at time when irregular hedge fund trading in mutual funds is being scrutinized; firm's unit that specializes in electronic trading of stock index futures sometimes accounts for astounding 1 percent or more of trading volume on Chicago Mercantile Exchange; hedge fund is up more than 86 percent in 12 months through November; no one at Abraham Trading Co has Ivy League degree, and most have backgrounds working at area's feedlots or natural-gas drilling or pipeline companies in Texas Panhandle; photos; graphs; map (L)

A Homespun Hedge Fund, Tucked Away in Texas

Article on growing trend in snow sports known as freeskiing, which borrows creative moves of snowboarding; uses skis known as twin-tips, designed so that skiers can move backward and forward down mountains; photos (M)

The Slopes' New Renegades? Skiers

New York State Association of Realtors reports sales of existing single-family homes across state fell by 23.1 percent in Nov from Oct; sales prices rose to median of $210,000 from $205,000 in Oct and $165,000 in Nov 2002 (S)

POSTING: New York State November Report; Home Sales: Volume Off, Price Up

Article on current trend in American pop culture in which ethnic ambiguity is favored, particularly among under-25 members of Generation Y; notes that nearly seven million Americans identified themselves as members of more than one race in 2000 census and that more than 14 million Latinos checked 'some other race,'indication of their mixed-race heritage; photos (L)

Generation E.A.: Ethnically Ambiguous

Seventh article of series Challenging Bush examines candidacy of Howard Dean; Dean and George Walker Bush are from opposite sides of nation's political fault line, but both are sons of established blueblood families dominated by powerful fathers; they attended top prep schools and Yale, and they settled far from traditional powerful enclaves, reinventing themselves as archetypes of their chosen new homes, Pres Bush in swaggering Texas and Dean in outdoorsy Vermont; Dean's evolution from patrician roots to path of prickly independence described; photos (L)

From Patrician Roots, Dean Set Path of Prickly Independence

Interview with Hughes N'Cho-Allepot, furniture designer, on Bushwick, Brooklyn, loft in former knitting factory he rents with his wife Meghan; building's 80 lofts, delivered raw, are finished by each tenant; map; photos (Habitats column) (M)

Habitats; Designer's Bushwick Loft Showcases His Furniture

Economic impact of New York City's nine-month-old ban on smoking in restaurants and bars is not as clear-cut as either opponents or supporters contended it would be; many bar owners and managers say ban has hurt business, eroded profits and, in some cases, forced them to cut back hours or lay off workers; others say they have seen virtually no effect from ban, and some places where food is main draw say they may have benefited from it; polls support city's contention that New Yorkers have welcomed ban; photos (L)

The Smoking Ban: Clear Air, Murky Economics

Despite warnings about the risk of mad cow disease, the cattle industry and its allies repeatedly resisted calls for a more substantial program to test for the disease. Page 25.

Testing Plan Met Resistance

Gretchen Morgenson column announces winners of Augustus Melmotte Memorial Prizes for real or dubious achievement in world of finance in 2003; drawings (M)

A Year's Debacles, From Comic to Epic

Members of House of Representatives are sending out hundreds of thousands of unsolicited e-mails to constituents, even though they vote unanimously for law aimed at reducing flow of junk e-mail; e-mails are intended to attract voluntary subscribers to lawmakers' e-mail lists, which would not be subject to House rules that normally impose 90-day blackout before an election for taxpayer-supported Congressional mass communications; many members of Congress praise new policy for allowing cheaper and more effective communication with constituents; but consumer advocacy groups say policy may unfairly give advantage to incumbents over challengers because it allows elected officials to use government resources to communicate with voters right up to Election Day (L)

We Hate Spam, Congress Says (Except When It's Sent by Us)

Anemona Hartocollis Coping column on Staten Island knitting circle whose members meet at Snug Harbor Cultural Center to hand-knit clothing which is donated to merchant seamen; drawing (M)

Down to the Sea in Knitting Needles

Rear Admiral Benjamin Thurman Hacker (1935–2003) was a U.S. Naval officer, who became the first Naval Flight Officer (NFO) to achieve Flag rank.

December 28, 2003

Headlines from December 28, 2003

From the Recyling Bin

Steinbrenner Hospitalized After Fainting And Falling

Year of Triumphs and Surprises, But Stalked by Scandal and Shame

U.S. OFFICIALS SAY ILL COW IS LINKED TO ALBERTA HERD

At the Movies, It Was the Year Of 'Yes, But . . .'

Billboard 200

Soulful

The Diary Of Alicia Keys

Now 14

Shock'n Y'All

Closer

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for December 28, 2003