NHL and players union will need to come to resolution on new collective bargaining agreement during latest set of talks or season will likely be canceled (M)

New Talks Represent Last Stand for N.H.L.

Los Angeles Lakers defeat New Jersey Nets, 104-103, in overtime; photo (M)

Nets Have It Together, but Fall Apart

Janet Maslin reviews book Disney War by James B Stewart; photos (M)

A Tale of Treachery in the Magic Kingdom

Sudden emotional stress -- from grief, fear, anger or shock -- can cause heart failure, in a little known and poorly understood syndrome that seems to affect primarily women, researchers are reporting today. The victims are generally healthy, with no history of heart disease.     A death in the family, an armed robbery, a car accident, a biopsy procedure and a surprise party were among the events that sent 18 women and one man to coronary care units in Baltimore with chest pains and weakening of the heart, according to an article in The New England Journal of Medicine.   

Sudden Stress Breaks Hearts, a Report Says

 C.E.O. AS CELEBRITY -- Carleton S. Fiorina was a rock star of the computer world. But her personality and flashy management style attracted a number of critics.   PAGE C1    BIG PAYDAYS -- The merger of Hewlett-Packard and Compaq Computer may not have fared so well, but the two executives who put it together have reaped rewards.   PAGE C1

SHAKE-UP AT HEWLETT

John Neace forces himself to pass by the run-down apartment buildings every day. Inside, the police say, Mr. Neace's 10-year-old daughter stumbled on someone with methamphetamine last month. Her drowned body was found five days later at a nearby creek, small hands tied tightly behind her back.    As dime and dollar donations poured in from around the corner and around the country for the little girl's burial, Mr. Neace, whose $14.75-an-hour factory job barely covers the $400 monthly rent on his trailer, had a thought: What if he could buy the hated buildings, bulldoze them and build a playground in their place?  

Too Late for Katie, Town Tackles a Drug's Scourge

US men's national team defeats Trinidad and Tobago, 2-1, in final round of qualifying for 2006 World Cup; photos (M)

Johnson's Header Gets U.S. Off on Right Foot

Joyce Purnick column welcomes arrival of New York State's first publicly accessible judicial directory; notes that judges have shied away from having their judicial biographies made public (M)

Judges' Data? The Objections Are Overruled

The American International Group, one of the world's biggest insurance companies, said yesterday that most of the $126 million it paid to settle with federal regulators late last year came out of a bonus pool for executives at the unit that was at the center of the investigations.     The disclosure came as A.I.G. reported a 11.5 percent rise in fourth-quarter earnings, despite heavy losses from hurricanes in Florida and the tsunami in Asia, as well as costs from the investigations.  

A.I.G. Hit Bonus Pool to Pay Bulk of Penalty

It came as an icy moment in an already tense news conference last month during the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.     Asked to describe her relationship with her board, Carleton S. Fiorina, the Hewlett-Packard chief executive, replied with a single word: ''Excellent.''  

Fiorina's Confrontational Tenure at Hewlett Comes to a Close

Carleton S. Fiorina, one of the nation's best-known business executives and perhaps the most powerful woman in corporate America, was ousted Wednesday as the chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, the giant computer and printer maker.     The move came after she was unable to build Hewlett into a reliable profit machine with the broad heft to challenge I.B.M. at the top of the industry.  

Hewlett's Board Forces Chief Out After Rocky Stay

Installion of The Gates, $20-million public art project in New York's Central Park, described; photos; 7,500 gates adorned with saffron-colored fabric, vision of artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, are being put into place by army of volunteers, many from art world; former Texas Gov Ann W Richards comments on work with one team (M)

Central Park Makeover: Reality Show, in a Way

February sweeps week for television networks brings out sensationalist impulses in producers, one of favorites being the lesbian kiss; chronology of such scenes since 1991; photos (M)

It's February. Pucker Up, TV Actresses.

Miami Heat defeats New York Knicks, 116-110, in overtime; photos (M)

Knicks Provide the Kindling as the Heat Builds

ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications of Brooklyn is completing publication of 73-volume Schottenstein edition of Talmud, first full English version in more than century; editor Rabbi Nosson Scherman explains that edition is not for traditional scholars who wrestle with original mixture of Aramaic and Hebrew, but for laymen like commuters who take daily class together on Long Island Rail Road; photos; Talmud consists of labrinthine rabbinical debates, analyses and parables accumulated over centuries (M)

An English Talmud for Daily Readers and Debaters

Wal-Mart's plan to open its first New York City store, in Rego Park, Queens, is expected to spark biggest battle against single store in city's history; it is opposed by small businesses, union leaders, City Council members and even some mayoral candidates; Vornado Realty Trust, developer whose proposed shopping complex would include 132,000-square-foot Wal-Mart, has filed land-use application with city; Wal-Mart's opponents plan to pressure every government body that will consider application-- community board, City Planning Commission and City Council--to reject it; labor movement sees Wal-Mart as its greatest enemy because of its anti-union stance; labor has launched nationwide campaign to pressure Wal-Mart to improve way it pays and treats its workers; many small businesses fear loss of millions of dollars in business if consumers flock to Wal-Mart; Wal-Mart has faced opposition elsewhere, but company officials seem surprised by hostility they are encountering in New York City, especially because city has more than dozen big-box discount stores; many New York consumers say they love Wal-Mart's low prices; photos; map (M)

Foes Dig In as Wal-Mart Aims for City

 U.S. Chamber Wants China To Put an End to Piracy  The United States Chamber of Commerce is asking the Bush administration to take legal action at the World Trade Organization against China to put an end to the piracy and counterfeiting that the group says have cost American industry $200 billion every year.    The move grew out of China's refusal to crack down on piracy last year. [Page C3.]    S.E.C. Expected to Make Changes  William H. Donaldson, left, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, said the commission would consider making modest changes to some major regulations adopted after a wave of corporate scandals. He was referring specifically to a section of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the landmark corporate law adopted two years ago, which requires company executives and their auditors to tighten controls. [C9.]    Toyota Appoints a President  Katsuaki Watanabe was appointed president of Toyota, succeeding Fujio Cho, who is 68, effective in June. [C4.]    10-Year Note Yield Falls Below 4%  The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell below 4 percent, to 3.98 percent, for the first time since October. [C9.]    Stocks dropped. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index lost 10.31 points, to 1,191.99; the Dow Jones industrial average slipped 60.52 points, to 10,664.11; and the Nasdaq composite index fell 34.13 points, to 2,052.55. [C9.]    Medicare Drug Benefit Costs Up  New cost estimates for Medicare's prescription drug benefit of $724 billion from 2006 to 2015 prompted members of Congress to demand changes in the law before the benefit becomes available next year. [A20.]    Big Trouble on the Railroads  A federal audit of the four biggest railroads contends they suffer from substantial and systemic safety problems. [A19.]    Molson Profit Fell Before Merger  W.Leo Kiely, left, the chief executive of Coors, will hold the same position in the newly formed Molson Coors Brewing, which began trading in New York and Toronto. Molson, which ended nearly 219 years as an independent company, reported that its third-quarter earnings had dropped to 17.7 million Canadian dollars ($14.2 million) compared with 43.6 million Canadian dollars a year earlier. [C2.]    U.S. Plays Ebbers Tapes in Court  The government played a video and several audio tapes in an effort to hammer home the contention that Bernard J. Ebbers, the former chief executive of WorldCom, signed off on fraudulent accounting changes that helped WorldCom mask its faltering business. [C15.]    Move to Ban Wal-Mart From Queens  Small businesses, union leaders and City Council members want to prevent Wal-Mart from opening its first New York City store, planned for Rego Park, Queens, in 2008. [A1.]    Wal-Mart Canada is closing a store in Quebec where workers are trying to negotiate the first collective agreement in North America. [C3.]    Knowing When to Fold  An entrepreneur has closed his home-office furniture company and taken a job in corporate America. Small Business. [C5.]    No Easy Fix for Social Security  Private accounts that simply redirect Social Security contributions do not offer enough benefits to investors or taxpayers to warrant the costs they will impose on the economy at large. Hal R. Varian: Economic Scene. [C2.]  

BUSINESS DIGEST

It is not exactly a democratic revolution  the election is for only half the members of municipal councils and women may not vote. Still, Saudi Arabia embarks on its first nationwide elections on Thursday and the exercise may end up being more than symbolic.    Until now, the country's authoritarian founding dynasty, the al-Sauds, have rejected even the notion of sharing power, imprisoning and lashing those who dare carry out virtually any public protest.   

Asterisk Aside, First National Vote for Saudis

David Talbot, pioneer of online journalism who founded Salon magazine in 1995, will step down as editor-in-chief and chief executive; photo; longtime deputy Joan Walsh becomes editor, Elizabeth Hambrecht chief executive; Salon also announces first quarterly profit, $400,000, on revenues of $2.2 million; Talbot continues as chairman while writing book about Robert F Kennedy (M)

The Founder of Salon Is Passing the Mouse

Growing number of computer scientists and psychologists are studying problem of diminished attention of computer users caused by distractions; these include jumpy screen while scrolling, distracting user's eye; experts cite e-mail as major distraction and suggest making it intelligent so that it knows when to interrupt user, but that would require sophisticated natural language comprehension in software; scientists are studying flow, state of deep cognitive engagement people achieve when performing activity that demands certain level of focus; photos (M)

You There, at the Computer: Pay Attention

Cuttings article on creative Valentine's Day bouquets created by five flower lovers who are not professional florists; photos of arrangements by Kit Barker, Ann Warren, Tom Dolle, David Beahm and Moonching Wu (M)

Save on the Bouquet, Splurge on the Kisses

Study released by bipartisan US Commission on International Religious Freedom illuminates secretive screenings of asylum seekers at nation's international airports and finds extreme variations in handling of potential asylum cases from airport to airport; Kennedy Airport stands apart as toughest for asylum seeker by any measure; is only place in nation where shackles are routinely used and where intensely personal interviews are typically conducted at public counters; federal border agents at Kennedy send most people back to their own home country immediately--nearly 11,000 in three-year period, or five times number sent for in-depth interviews with asylum officer; in contrast, at Miami International Airport, which handled most cases overall, nearly 13,000 people were sent for asylum interview between 2000 and 2003, more than twice number sent back overseas; study singles out Miami officers for praise; chart shows rejection rate at six major airports (L)

Airports Treat Asylum Cases Differently

The merger of Hewlett-Packard and Compaq Computer may not have fared so well, but the two executives who put it together have been handsomely rewarded anyway.     Carleton S. Fiorina is walking away with a severance package of at least $21.1 million from Hewlett-Packard. The man who persuaded her to buy Compaq -- its former chief executive, Michael D. Capellas -- left with more than $15 million in cash and stock after a short stint as president of the merged company. And he could pocket another big paycheck if he succeeds in efforts to sell the company he is running now, the struggling telecommunications carrier MCI.  

Whether They're Coming or Going, Deal Makers Are Well Paid

World of Warcraft by Blizzard Entertainment, colorful three-dimensional online fantasy, has become one of fastest-selling computer games since its release in Nov 2004; Blizzard pays what is described as fanatical attention to detail to design of its games, inspiring high level of enthusiasm among players; magazine Computer Gaming World gives World of Warcraft high marks; game is played by wide level of players, from those who spend many hours playing to more casual users; Blizzard's servers were initially overwhelmed in opening weeks, and some critics have slammed company over customer care and technical support issues; Blizzard is responding as it grapples with its huge success; photos (M)

World of Warcraft Keeps Growing, Even as Players Test Its Limits

Gov M Jodi Rell proposes raising Connecticut's gas tax by 6 cents over next eight years to improve Interstate highways and to eventually add $1 surcharge on every ticket purchased on Metro-North New Haven line to buy 342 new rail cars, repair existing ones and improve rail facilities; $1.3 billion transportation proposals are part of wide-ranging two-year budget plan that calls for $624 million in spending cuts and as much as $585 million in tax increases, deferrals, transfers and other special financing measures for first fiscal year; budget plan, which totals $31.1 billion over two years, would raise taxes for smokers, drinkers and drivers and cut funding for some health care programs and other social services, but also increase spending on preschool programs, special education, nursing homes and veterans' benefits; Rell says combination of cuts and taxes is necessary to counter expected budget gaps of $1.3 billion for 2006 and $1.5 billion for 2007; table details proposed budget; Rell photo (L)

Connecticut Governor's Budget Focuses on Easing Transportation Woes

Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are All My Sons (1947), Death of a Salesman (1949), The Crucible (1953), and A View from the Bridge (1955). He wrote several screenplays, including The Misfits (1961). The drama Death of a Salesman is considered one of the best American plays of the 20th century.

February 10, 2005

Headlines from February 10, 2005

New Talks Represent Last Stand for N.H.L.

Nets Have It Together, but Fall Apart

A Tale of Treachery in the Magic Kingdom

Sudden Stress Breaks Hearts, a Report Says

SHAKE-UP AT HEWLETT

Billboard 200

Be As You Are: Songs From An Old Blue Chair

The Documentary

This Woman

American Idiot

Encore

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for February 10, 2005