New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez says he feels responsible for Yankees' American League Championship Series loss to Boston Red Sox; photos (M)

Rodriguez Is Haunted by Yanks' Collapse

Public pressure leads Luis Medina to invent Soul of the People Award to present to Gloria Trevi at Latin Music Fan Awards in Los Angeles; Trevi has not made record in five years, since being charged in Mexico with rape, kidnapping and corruption of minor in case involving her mentor, Sergio Andrade; Trevi, who gave birth to Andrade's child while in Brazilian prison, was unexpectedly acquitted of charges on Sept 1; discusses case in detail; looks at Trevi's plans to return to singing career; interviews; photos (L)

The Martyred 'Mexican Madonna'

Article on new styles of mannequins and pant forms, which are much curvier and more voluptuous than classic ones; photos (M)

Store Mannequins Can Now Breathe Out

Pres Bush, by promising to appoint strict constructionists to Supreme Court, has embraced mantra of every Republican president since Richard Nixon; four Republican presidents in last 36 years have appointed all but two of current nine judges, but court has sided with liberals on most contested social issues, while only modestly advancing deregulatory agenda of Republicans; photo (M)

Can Bush Deliver a Conservative Court?

Aston Martin sports car business has undergone revolution, with new models and showplace factory; boutique operation has laid plans to triple its sales and build bigger dealer network around world; Land Rover and Jaguar-two of three renowned subsidiaries of Ford Motor Co--are in trouble; Aston Martin's salvation comes from unlikely source--Ulrich Bez, who, before joining Ford, was responsible for developing cheap and cheerful cars for Daewoo Motor of South Korea; but as onetime top engineer at Porsche and BMW, Bez's heart was in high-performance sports cars; photos (M)

The Mouse That Plans to Roar

Students are consuming cereal with great enthusiasm, not only for breakfast, but also for lunch, dinner and in-between; anecdotal evidence suggests that students are eating cereal like never before, and industry analysts say that such pervasive consumption by teenagers and young adults makes that age group one of strongest markets for manufacturers; young people are devouring almost as much cereal as elementary school children; photo (L)

These Days, the College Bowl Is Filled With Milk and Cereal

Article on debate team at Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics High School in Spanish Harlem as members gear up for discussions in this year's national tournament, whose topic is US assistance to United Nations; photos (L)

The Smart Sport

College football results summarized; photo (S)

Auburn Speeds Ahead; Wisconsin Stumbles

Frank Rich says biggest winner in election is Rupert Murdoch, whose profits from Fox News are 'red state' dollars that can be plowed back into Fox's 'blue entertainment portfolio'; asserts record $1.2 million government indecency fine is 'mere bagatelle' to Murdoch stockholders; says it's in GOP's interest to appear to care about far-right constituency, but party will take no action against 'blue culture' deplored by this group of voters, because GOP is closely tied to much of corporate America; photo (L)

On 'Moral Values,' It's Blue in a Landslide

 Arrival of Chief Causes Discontent at the C.I.A.  Tensions between new leaders and senior career officers at the Central Intelligence Agency are threatening to set off a rebellion within the agency's clandestine service, current and former intelligence officials say. They also say that discontent has reached a point not seen at the C.I.A. in more than 25 years, and they expressed concern that the ill will might distract the agency.   PAGE 24    Cheney Undergoes Tests  Vice President Dick Cheney, who has been plagued by heart problems for more than 25 years, underwent tests Saturday at a hospital in Washington after complaining of shortness of breath. He went home after three hours, and his doctor said there was no evidence that he had suffered a heart attack.   PAGE 30    U.S. and U.N. Snipe Again  The United States and the United Nations are again sniping at each other, with White House aides repeating the warning that the world body is in danger of becoming irrelevant. The new charges distress Secretary General Kofi Annan.   PAGE 15    Rap Artist O.D.B. Dies  Russell T. Jones, 35, the rapper known as O.D.B. and a founder of the Wu-Tang Clan, collapsed and died at a Manhattan recording studio, the police said.   PAGE 38    New Democratic Spokesman  Harry Reid, an unassuming Democrat, Mormon and opponent of abortion who will become the Senate minority leader, is little like the man he will succeed, Tom Daschle.   PAGE 26

INSIDE

Army tanks and fighting vehicles blast their way into last main rebel stronghold in Falluja at sundown after American warplanes and artillery prepare way with savage barrage on district; as battle intensifies in Falluja, insurgents roam streets of important northern city of Mosul and nearby town of Ramadi; photos (M)

U.S. Armored Forces Blast Their Way Into Rebel Nest in Falluja

Comment on Microsoft's moves to challenge Apple Computer in area of music playing; Apple chairman Steven P Jobs contends that Apple's iPod has become 'Walkman of the 21st century'; Microsoft chairman Bill Gates notes Microsoft is working hard to challenge Apple in portable music business; photos (L)

Gates vs. Jobs: The Rematch

New York Jets prepare to face Baltimore Ravens; photos (M)

Through Strife, Ravens Are Bonding and Winning Through Intimidation

Review of new Aston Martin DB9; Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin chief executive, comments; photos (L)

2005 Aston Martin DB9: Under the Beauty, an Up-to-Date Beast

Detailed reconstruction of Merck's handling of Vioxx, based on interviews and internal company documents, suggests that actions company took--and did not take--soon after drug's safety was questioned may have affected health of potentially thousands of patients, as well as company's financial health and reputation; review also raises broader questions about entire class of relatively new painkillers, called COX-2 inhibitors, about how drugs are tested, and about how aggressively FDA monitors safety of medications once they are in marketplace; decisions about how to test Vioxx were made in hothouse environment in which researchers fiercely debated how question should be pursued, and some even now question whether drug needed to be withdrawn; it also took place amid fierce battle between Vioxx and Celebrex in which federal regulators said marketing claims ran ahead of science; today Merck faces not only Congressional and Justice Dept investigations, but also potentially thousands of personal-injury lawsuits that could tie company up in litigation for years and possibly cost billions to resolve; chart, time-line shows key developments in short, troubled life of Vioxx; troubling signs of heart risks began to emerge soon after drug won FDA approval in May 1999; photos (L)

Despite Warnings, Drug Giant Took Long Path to Vioxx Recall

 Jonathan Franzen is the author of ''The Corrections.''    Michael Pye's most recent book is a novel, ''The Pieces From Berlin.'' A film version of his novel ''Taking Lives'' was released this year.

Contributors

US military commanders say their goals in Falluja are to install viable Iraqi government and security force, rebuild city and persuade Sunni Arabs to lay down their arms and take part in legitimate political process; say that if it can be done, Falluja could serve as model for rest of Iraq and Middle East; military analysts say immediate goals in Falluja are naive given surging resistance across Sunni-dominated regions of Iraq; photo (M)

Breaking a City in Order to Fix It

Anemona Hartocollis Coping column on new ward at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, whose staff, including vice president for cultural competence and medical anthropologist, is trained to respond to needs and cultural inclinations of its Chinese patients; drawing (M)

A Little Congee May Make The Medicine Go Down

Description of fierce battle for last district of Falluja controlled by rebels, mechanized assault included tank blasts and howitzer shots; Col Michael D Formica comments; photo (M)

Will Meets Resistance in Deadly Logic of War

Some New York City thrift shops are thriving, even as many have been forced to close down; Arthritis Thrift Shop on Upper East Side is posting best sales in its history, a rare success in shrinking segment of New York retailing; thrift shops used to be low-rent enterprises run by volunteers; now they are operated as serious businesses, and their employees must be paid accordingly; soaring real-estate prices and diminishing supply of high-end donations are forcing many to shut down; photo (M)

Even for Thrift Stores, Harder Times

Operation Lifesaver, nation's most influential rail-safety group, preaches its gospel of driver responsibility to judges, police officers, elected officials and news media; its message is that drivers should pay attention at rail crossings; its work is widely praised by police and community groups; but documents show that organization is tightly bound to railroad industry, and critics, including many accident victims, say group's message serves another purpose: to inoculate railroads against liability in grade-crossing collisions; not only did railroad, Union Pacific Railroad, help found Operation Lifesaver, but rail industry officials make up half organization's national board and provide much of financing for state chapters; photos (L)

Safety Group Closely Echoes Rail Industry

Israel, under American encouragement, quietly takes steps aimed at strenghthening standing of Palestinian moderates and agrees to consider others now that Yasir Arafat has died; even before he died, Israel released $40 million in frozen tax funds to Palestinian Authority after long resisting such an action; in addition, Prime Min Ariel Sharon agrees to consider removing Israeli security forces from Palestinian population areas, at behest of Bush administration, to facilitate Palestinian elections in next two months (M)

Israel Takes Quiet Steps to Bolster Palestinians

US cyclist Tyler Hamilton, who was hoping to have chance at winning 2005 Tour de France with Lance Armstrong expected to skip it, faces two year suspension after testing positive for blood doping twice; is awaiting formal charge by US Anti-Doping Agency, at which point he will go to arbitration; photos (M)

In Trying to Save Medal and Tour de France Hopes, Hamilton Faces Uphill Course

Jonathan Franzen reviews book Runaway by Alice Munro; photo; drawings (M)

'Runaway': Alice's Wonderland

Profile of and interview with writer J T LeRoy, 24, who comments on his troubled childhood and young adulthood and his efforts to overcome his sense of inadequacy and gain self-esteem by reaching out to other artists; photos (M)

A Literary Life Born of Brutality

Michel Colombier was a French composer, arranger, and conductor.

November 14, 2004

Headlines from November 14, 2004

Rodriguez Is Haunted by Yanks' Collapse

The Martyred 'Mexican Madonna'

Store Mannequins Can Now Breathe Out

Can Bush Deliver a Conservative Court?

The Mouse That Plans to Roar

Billboard 200

Unfinished Business

Thug Matrimony: Married To The Streets

Still Not Getting Any...

Stardust... The Great American Songbook Vol. III

Suit

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for November 14, 2004