March 24, 2005

Joyce Purnick Metro Matters column on special bill passed by House of Representatives allowing Federal courts to take over case of Terri Schiavo chastises Democratic Senators for unanimously passing measure and sending it to House without any debate; accuses Democrats of shirking their duty in order to avoid attack from social conservatives (M)

Powerful members of Congress want to spend $5 billion to acquire even more C-130J cargo planes for Air Force, at cost of $66.5 million a plane; airplane has so many flaws that it cannot fly its intended combat missions; is unable to drop heavy equipment, operate well in cold weather or perform combat search-and-rescue missions; paratroopers cannot jump out of it without risk of banging up against fuselage' lawmakers love to buy plane and dole it out to National Guard and Reserve bases around country, using its deployment as justification for keeping local bases open; Defense Sec Donald H Rumsfeld has vowed to kill C-130J as part of larger plan to upgrade military; is backed up by studies by Pentagon's inspector general and from its top weapons tester that concluded plane is unfit for duty; photo (M)

Faced with complaints that Columbia University has tolerated anti-Semitism and intimidation by pro-Palestinian professors in its Middle East studies classes, president Lee C Bollinger issues statement that academic freedom has limits in classroom and that professors must not use podium as ideological platform; university awaits report of internal committee set up to investigate charges; photo (M)

Shadowy British graffiti artist who calls himself Banksy installs four of his own humorous art works on walls of Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum, Brooklyn Museum and American Museum of Natural History; similar stunts at Louvre and Tate have earned artist, who will not reveal his real name, following in Europe, where he has successful gallery shows and sold thousands of books of his artwork; photos (M)

Rev Al Sharpton joins growing list of prominent black Democrats to endorse proposed West Side stadium for New York Jets, pet project of NYC Republican Mayor Michael R Bloomberg; Sharpton and others like him say that city's construction industry has long excluded black contractors and that need for good jobs for African-Americans must trump party loyalty; photo (M)