New York Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang will likely start season in minors, but could get call up or he could be traded over course of season; photo (M)

Wang's Fastball Translates Just Fine

Karen Singer says sixth grade was trying time for her autistic son; says classmates who once tolerated his peculiarities shunned him; intensive behavioral treatment prepared Singer's son academically and helped him get by in regular classes for years; social skills are more elusive for autistic children, and gap widens with each passing year; 27 percent of 141,022 autistic children in US were educated in public schools in 2004; four school districts in New York region are using curriculum designed by pediatic neuropsychologist Michelle Dunn, which combines social skills groups for autistic children with schoolwide attention to the need for tolerance and trains school staff members to continue curriculum on their own; photos (M)

As Autistic Children Grow, So Does Social Gap

Vatican says Pope John Paul II appears to be recovering from tracheotomy; denies reports that pope had been attached to ventilator, and says procedure was elective; medical experts say tracheotomy poses new dangers for pope; his health has been fragile for years, but question of his ability to lead church has been taboo; this second hospitalization is forcing Vatican officials and Roman Catholics around world to come to grips with what may be much-changed papacy; photos (M)

Pope Described As Recovering After Surgery

San Francisco Giants starting outfield is oldest in majors, with Barry Bonds, 40, in left, Marquis Grissom, 37, in center and Moises Alou, 38, in right; photos (M)

Giants Will Have an Outfield for the Ages, and for the Aged

Dan Barry column on manslaughter trial of Police Officer Bryan Conroy, who shot Ousmane Zongo to death in storage building in Chelsea section of Manhattan in May 2003 (M)

In an Hour, a Life Ended, One Upended

Federal Communications Commission, in abrupt about-face, decides to reconsider staff decision that allowed Gene Stipe, prominent Oklahoma Democratic politician who has been convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice, to sell group of radio stations; agency has long required forfeiture of radio licenses to commission by those who fail character test (M)

F.C.C. to Review Decision on Sale of 4 Stations

Kerry Konrad's bid to rename FleetCenter (Boston, Mass) for one day is rejected when he requests 'DerekJeterCenter,' after New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who is feared and disliked by Boston Red Sox players and fans; stadium owner is allowing people to bid for one-day naming rights while it looks for new sponsor to replace Bank of America (M)

In Boston, 'Derek Jeter' Is Rejected (Rated X)

Palestinian suicide bomber blows himself up amid crowd of young Israelis in front of Tel Aviv nightclub, killing at least four and wounding dozens; bombing is first major attack since Israeli Prime Min Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas called for end to violence on Feb 8; bombing endangers efforts to end over four years of violence and renew peace negotiations; Abbas condemns attack; photo (M)

Suicide Bombing Kills at Least 4 at Tel Aviv Club

Rwanda's Parliament has greater percentage of women than any other parliamentary body in world; country is reinventing itself in some surprising ways decade after a killing frenzy left Rwanda in ruins; women make up 48.8 percent of seats in Parliament's lower house; rise of women stems in part from government initiatives aimed at propelling them to upper ranks of politics; their numbers do not necessarily add up to influence in what remains deeply patriarchal land; they are more reflection of demographics spawned by killing spree that left 800,000 people dead; graph; photos (M)

Women's Voices Rise as Rwanda Reinvents Itself

Gary Brolsma became unwilling and embarrassed celebrity when he placed on internet brief clip of himself lip-syncing and dancing to obscure Romanian song; clip has attracted nearly two million hits on Web site, and he has appeared on Good Morning America; Brolsma has sought refuge from his fame in his family's house in Saddle Brook, NJ; he has stopped taking phone calls from news media and canceled appearance on NBC's Today; photo (M)

Internet Fame Is Cruel Mistress for a Dancer of the Numa Numa

Purnomo Yusgiantoro, minister of energy and mineral resources for Indonesia, says rough consensus has formed among OPEC oil ministers that oil prices are too high; says that consensus may not be widely shared; there are growing indications that OPEC's larger producers are actually getting more comfortable with higher oil prices; photo (M)

OPEC Member Burdened by High Oil Prices

Harvard University Pres Lawrence H Summers is trying to become new kind of man as he seeks to end controversy over his leadership style; Summers says he has sought advice from fellow academics and advisers like Bill Clinton and David Gergen; some faculty members are still angry after his comments about women's lack of success in math and science careers set off broader crisis in confidence about his choice of words, his treatment of colleagues and their perception that he lacks respect for faculty; Summers photo (M)

Amid Uproar, Harvard's President Ponders His Style

 9 U.N. Peacekeepers Killed by Congo Militia  Unidentified militia fighters ambushed and killed nine United Nations peacekeepers, all Bangladeshis, in the volatile Ituri region of eastern Congo. It was the worst attack in the six years of the peacekeeping mission and a sign of continued instability ahead of planned nationwide elections.   PAGE A6    F.C.C. to Reconsider a Sale  Regulators have decided to reconsider a staff decision that allowed an Oklahoma politician who was convicted on criminal charges to sell four radio stations. The agency requires those who fail a character test to forfeit radio licenses.   PAGE C1    Rice Calls Off Mideast Visit  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice abruptly called off a planned tour of Middle East countries, highlighting a growing rift with Egypt over the arrest of an opposition politician last month.   PAGE A3    Union Rejected at Wal-Mart  Workers for a Wal-Mart store in Colorado voted against unionizing, a setback for organized labor, which is trying to pressure the company to raise wages and benefits.   PAGE A8    Temple Suspends Coach  Temple Coach John Chaney, whose order to commit hard fouls led to an opponent's broken arm, was suspended for the rest of the regular season.   SPORTSSATURDAY, PAGE D1    A Castle for Shakespeare?  A proposal considered for Governors Island by the Park Service would place an adaptation of Shakespeare's Globe Theater inside a 194-year-old castle.   THE ARTS, PAGE B7

INSIDE

 Workers at Wal-Mart Shop Vote Against a Labor Union  Workers at a tiny Wal-Mart tire and lube shop in Loveland, Colo., voted against forming a union in what was a closely watched test of labor's efforts to organize employees at the world's largest retailer.    Union support at the Loveland shop dissipated after Wal-Mart exposed workers to videos about problems with unions and transferred other workers into the shop. [Page A8.]    Wal-Mart Canada was ordered by Quebec's labor relations board to stop intimidating workers at a store in the midst of an organizing drive. [C10.]    G.D.P. Figure Is Revised Higher  Economic momentum at the end of last year was stronger than previously thought, according to a government report that revised fourth-quarter gross domestic product to reflect stronger exports and investment. G.D.P. grew at a revised 3.8 percent annual rate in the final three months of last year, instead of the 3.1 percent reported a month ago. That was slightly stronger than the 3.7 percent rate that Wall Street economists had forecast. [C4.]    Bank Is Told to Halt U.S. Operations  Federal regulators ordered Arab Bank, which is based in Jordan and is facing several lawsuits in New York filed by victims of terrorist attacks, to suspend most of its operations in the United States, saying its internal controls were inadequate. [C4.]    Riggs National agreed to pay an unusual $8 million settlement to resolve a Spanish legal action related to its dealings with Chile's former dictator, Gen. Augusto Pinochet. [C4.]    Japanese Drug Maker to Buy Rival  Sankyo plans to buy its smaller rival Daiichi Pharmaceutical in a $7.7 billion deal that is the latest in a string of mergers and buyouts among Japanese drug makers. [C3.]    Skirmishes Over Europe-U.S. Trade  The United States and the European Union are disagreeing over positions on agricultural trade they adopted last year, casting doubt on their progress in trade talks. [C3.]    Stocks Head Higher for a Third Day  A positive report on economic growth sent stocks higher for the third consecutive day. The Dow average rose 92.81 points, to 10,841.60, its best close since Dec. 28. The S.&.P. 500 was up 11.17 points, to 1,211.37, and the Nasdaq composite gained 13.7 points, to 2,065.40. All three indexes ended higher after a turbulent week. [C4.]    Europe Follows Up on Microsoft  The European Commission will consult with the computer industry on whether Microsoft is complying with an antitrust ruling against it, a commission spokesman said. [C3.]    Tax Payments Lead to a Loss at MCI  An earnings report from MCI showed that its finances have largely stabilized, but it raised some questions about why the company is considered a hot property. [C10.]    Clear Channel Reports a Loss  Clear Channel, the nation's largest radio station owner, posted a fourth-quarter loss of $4.67 billion after writing down the value of radio licenses. [C2.]    Reality Show Seeks a Rock Star  Mark Burnett, the creator of ''The Apprentice'' and other reality shows, is working on ''Rock Star,'' in which contestants will compete for the chance to join the rock band INXS. [B9.]    Icahn Effort on Bylaws Rejected  Mylan Laboratories said a federal judge had rejected an attempt by the financier Carl C. Icahn to block a change in its bylaws involving nominations for the company's board. [C4.]  

BUSINESS DIGEST

WorldCom Inc's former chief executive Bernard J Ebbers indicates that he may testify in his own defense against charges of fraud, conspiracy and filing false financial reports (M)

Ebbers Leans Toward Taking the Stand in His Trial

Maggie Leung's uniform business in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, which supplies restaurants, manicure salons, groceries and other small businesses begun by immigrants, exemplifies resourcefulness of immigrants in finding unfilled niches created by influx of fellow immigrants; Sunset Park is full of such idiosyncratic enterprises because it has become first stop for variety of fresh immigrants over last two decades; photos (M)

Spotting a Niche, and Knowing How to Fill It

Sickest airlines are being kept alive with significant help from lenders, federal government, patient judges, aircraft companies and even rivals; analysts say behind latest leniency lies mix of politics and financial opportunity; say no one, least of all government, wants to be responsible for shutting down struggling airlines, which employ thousands of workers; wide variety of available help frustrates some executives at airlines that have managed to avoid Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, often through the dint of deep cuts in their operations; photos (M)

Even for Sickest of Airlines, Financial Skies Can Be Friendly

Temple University suspends men's basketball coach John Chaney for three games or rest of regular season after it learns that St Joseph's University player John Bryant fractured his arm when Chaney put player in game purely to commit hard fouls; photo (M)

Temple Increases Suspension for Chaney

A city investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct at a Bronx firehouse last August has concluded that three firefighters had sex with a Staten Island woman there and tried to cover it up in the hours that followed.    ''I think that they should be terminated,'' Rose Gill Hearn, the commissioner of the Department of Investigation, said yesterday at a news conference detailing the results of her department's six-month inquiry. ''But that's up to the Fire Department.''  

Inquiry Finds Sexual Misdeed in Firehouse

BMW chairman Helmut Panke will introduce new design for its 3 Series at Geneva Motor Show; 3 Series accounts for 44 percent of BMW's worldwide sales, making it linchpin of company that is generally regarded as Germany's most successful carmaker; graphs; photos (M)

BMW Tries to Refresh the Look of a Successful Model

Peter S Kalikow, chairman of Metropolitan Transportation Authority, shows streak of political independence as he presses for capital improvements in New York's mass transit system; has agreed to solicit other bids for West Side railyards to compete with football stadium backed by Mayor Michael R Bloomberg; earlier presented his fiercely anti-tax patron, Gov George E Pataki, with proposal for tax and fee increases to pay for mass transit, and warned that without more money, projects like Second Avenue subway were in jeopardy; photo (M)

Transit Chief Shows Signs of Political Independence

Feb 25 article in Listings section of Weekend about current plays in Manhattan with characters inspired by part played by Jonathan Bender in 1985 movie The Breakfast Club misstated one title; play is The Awesome 80's Prom

Corrections

Feb 24 article about military's cost to recruit and train replacements for troops discharged in last decade for being openly gay omitted or misstated figures; correct amounts are Army $29.7 million, Air Force $16.6 million and Navy $49 million

 INTERNATIONAL   A2-7    Suicide Bombing in Tel Aviv Threatens a Delicate Truce  A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in front of a nightclub in Tel Aviv, killing at least three, wounding dozens and threatening to shatter a truce.   A1    Rice Cancels Portion of Trip  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice canceled a trip to several Middle Eastern countries, a decision that came apparently because of the arrest of a leading Egyptian opposition politician last month.   A3    5 Soldiers Die in Iraq  Five American soldiers were killed in Iraq, and nine others were wounded. A roadside bombing, in which three of the soldiers were killed, struck a patrol that was to be one of the last combat missions for some members of the First Cavalry Division before they returned home.   A7    The Justice Department inspector general said dozens of subcontractors hired in 2003 to help Iraq rebuild its prison system did not undergo thorough background checks into allegations of abusive practices by some of them at American prisons.   A7    Three British soldiers were sentenced to prison and dismissed from the military for abusing Iraqi civilians in Basra in 2003.   A7    Pope Improving, Vatican Says  Pope John Paul II appears to be recovering well from a tracheotomy. The Vatican said he was unable to speak for now, but was breathing on his own. The procedure was described as elective, and reports that the pope had been attached to a ventilator were denied.   A1    U.N. Workers Killed in Congo  Unidentified militia fighters ambushed and killed nine United Nations peacekeepers in the volatile Ituri region of eastern Congo. It was a sign of continued instability before planned nationwide elections.   A6    NATIONAL   A8-11, 16    Harvard Leader Rebounds; Aid Sought From Outside  Lawrence H. Summers, the 27th president of Harvard since its founding in 1636, finds himself trying to become a new kind of man as he seeks an end to a controversy centering on his leadership style.   A1    Unionization at Wal-Mart Fails  Workers at a Wal-Mart tire store in Loveland, Colo., voted 17 to 1 against unionizing, dealing another setback to labor trying to pressure Wal-Mart for better wages and benefits.   A8    Debate Polarizes Church  The Episcopal Church U.S.A. began to grapple with a request from the leaders of the worldwide Anglican communion to withdraw its official representatives from a major Anglican governing body.   A8    Judge Approves Tube Removal  A judge in Florida ruled that the husband of a brain-damaged woman could remove her feeding tube next month.   A9    U.S. Policy Threatened by Suit  The government has told a federal appeals court that a suit by an F.B.I. translator who was fired after accusing the bureau of ineptitude should not be allowed to proceed because it would cause ''significant damage to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.''   A9    Beliefs   A11    SCIENCE/HEALTH    2 New Viruses in AIDS Family  American scientists said they had discovered two new human viruses in Africa that belong to the same family as the AIDS virus.   A9    Ancient Bacteria Seen in Alaska  NASA researchers say they have recovered bacteria that apparently lay dormant for 32,000 years.   A10    NEW YORK/REGION   B1-6    M.T.A.'s Chairman Shows An Independent Streak  The role of independent advocate for transit was not one Peter S. Kalikow was expected to play when George E. Pataki appointed him M.T.A's eighth chairman in March 2001. But in recent months, Mr. Kalikow has become a more forceful advocate for the system than his predecessor.   B1    Another Plan for Famed Hotel  The hotel workers' union has suggested keeping the Plaza Hotel ''substantially a hotel'' instead of converting most of it into condominiums, as its owner has in mind.   B1    Firehouse Misconduct Found  A city investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct at a Bronx firehouse last August has concluded that three firefighters had sex with a Staten Island woman there and tried to cover it up.   B1    SPORTSSATURDAY   D1-7    OBITUARIES   A13    Robert W. Kearns  The inventor of intermittent windshield wipers, he was 77.   A13    ARTS   B7-18    A Home for Shakespeare?  The British architect Norman Foster has designed an adaptation of Shakespeare's Globe Theater in London that would fit inside Castle Williams, a crumbling bulwark on Governors Island, and serve as a stage for Shakespeare productions and other performing arts. The theater is one of several proposals being considered for the site by the National Park Service, which owns and operates 22 acres of the 172-acre island.   B7    BUSINESS DAY   C1-10    Ebbers May Testify  Bernard J. Ebbers, the former chief executive of WorldCom accused of fraud, conspiracy and filing false financial reports, has indicated that he may testify in his defense.   C1    Indonesian Oil Production  The minister of energy and mineral resources for Indonesia said that a rough consensus had formed among oil ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries that oil prices are too high, reflecting how its standing within OPEC has changed as its oil production declines and domestic consumption grows.   C1    Support for Airlines  Several airlines facing bankruptcy are being kept alive with significant help from lenders, the federal government, patient judges, aircraft companies and even rivals.   C1    Business Digest   C1    EDITORIAL   A14-15    Editorials: Ideology and AIDS; a victory for press freedom; Eleanor Randolph on the cell tower blight: text-message Calder, ASAP.    Columns: David Brooks.    Bridge   B18  Crossword   B18  TV Listings   B16  Weather   D8

NEWS SUMMARY

Feb 24 article about growing form of online advertising known as the floater misstated results of study of advertising practices of clients of Internet marketing company Double-Click

Jef Raskin was an American human–computer interface expert who conceived and began leading the Macintosh project at Apple in the late 1970s.

February 26, 2005

Headlines from February 26, 2005

Wang's Fastball Translates Just Fine

As Autistic Children Grow, So Does Social Gap

Pope Described As Recovering After Surgery

Giants Will Have an Outfield for the Ages, and for the Aged

In an Hour, a Life Ended, One Upended

Billboard 200

Seventeen Days

The Documentary

American Idiot

Gemini

Totally Country Vol. 4

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for February 26, 2005