Article on visit to horse country in Santa Ynez Valley, Calif, where equestrian events and attractions abound; photos; maps (M)

The Horses of Wine Country

Federal Judge Barbara S Jones sentences Scott D Sullivan, former chief financial officer who acknowledged his leading role in WorldCom's $11 billion accounting fraud, to five years in prison; Jones says Sullivan would have faced substantial sentence had he not cooperated with government; Federal prosecutors describe Sullivan as crucial to conviction of his boss, Bernard J Ebbers, who, as WorldCom's founder and chief executive, was bigger target in government's prosecution; photo (M)

Ex-WorldCom Officer Sentenced to 5 Years in Accounting Fraud

Introduction to reviews by New York Times music critics of favorite CD's by classical composers Olivier Messiaen, Luciano Berio, Alfred Schnittke, John Corigliano and Stephen Hartke; drawing (M)

Adventures Outside The Classical Canon

A rich vein of city records from Sept. 11, including more than 12,000 pages of oral histories rendered in the voices of 503 firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians, will be made public today.     The histories -- a mosaic of vision and memory recalling the human struggle against surging fire, confusion, and horror -- were compiled by the New York City Fire Department beginning in October 2001, but to this date, no one from the department has read them all or used them for any official purpose.  

City to Release Thousands ofOral Histories of 9/11 Today

Tiger Woods was already sweating on his way to his opening hole of the 87th P.G.A. Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club, his stone-colored shirt bleeding darker than designed.     His shots on the driving range before his round Thursday had not flown exactly as intended, and they did not improve once they started to count on the Lower Course.  

Woods Feels the Wrath of Baltusrol

The rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Msgr. Eugene V. Clark, resigned yesterday amid accusations that he was having an affair with his longtime personal secretary, a married woman who is 33 years his junior.      ''It appears to me,'' he said in a statement released by his lawyer, ''that events and circumstances have been portrayed in such a false and sensational manner that I will no longer be able to effectively serve the archdiocese.''  

Accusation of an Affair Leads Priest to Resign

With the advertising war among the city's Democratic mayoral contenders beginning in earnest today, the candidates are pursuing starkly different strategies, either focusing resources on niche constituencies like ethnic groups or sports fans, or, like Gifford Miller, going after the broadest possible sweep.     Mr. Miller, the City Council speaker, unleashed a barrage of ads today set to run on the major broadcast and cable networks over the next 10 days at a cost of roughly $800,000. The ads, in which Mr. Miller speaks directly to the camera, seek to introduce him as a weighty, experienced contender despite his youth, boyish appearance and lack of well-known accomplishments.  

Candidates for Mayor Choose Diverse Targets in the Ad War

Article in series Summer Weekends on weekends at Jersey Shore, where Kelly DeMarco and her two young daughters reunite with working husband and father Michael; photos (M)

Every Friday a Reunion

Dozens of undevelopled plots of land across New York City that have been dedicated as public parks, often with great fanfare, have never actually developed, and stand as trash-filled vacant lots; many are in densely populated, poor communities with limited green spaces; they have become de facto garbage dumps and occasional crime scenes; every year city buys plots of land from developers, or takes over unused municipal plots, intending to create parks; history of city is littered with broken municipal promises and deferred plans; Parks Dept officials say lack of money and insufficient community support are among factors preventing development; photos (M)

Heralded as Parks, but Looking More Like Dumps

Floyd Norris column on decision by special committee of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts board, composed of two directors who were brought on after highflier crashed, that directors should not face any legal responsibility for nonperformance of duties; committee concluded that company's early success was based in part on accounting errors; graph (M)

Inept Boards Need Have No Fear

Operators of garbage dumps are stuffing more waste than anyone expected into giant plastic-lined holes, keeping disposal prices down and making construction of new landfills largely unnecessary; clearest winner in this development is City of New York, which exports 25,000 tons of trash each day to other cities and states, making it waste industry's biggest customer; benefits stretch coast to coast and will continue for years to come; dump capacity for nation's largest waste companies--Allied Waste Industries, Republic Services and Waste Management--has expanded by 1.28 billion tons over last four years; graph; photo (M)

Rumors of a Shortage of Dump Space Were Greatly Exaggerated

Israel's planned evacuation of Jewish settlers and soldiers from Gaza Strip generates cautious optimism among Gazans; many believe Israel will continue to wield control over Gaza from outside; Palestinian Authority sends workers door to door, advising families to stock up on food, water and medicine in case pullout turns turbulent and Israel's security forces impose curfews and closings; Palestinians must wait two months or more to visit grounds of 21 Jewish settlements being evacuated; Israel sets aside month to evacuate settlers, after which military will need weeks to tear down more than 1,500 homes, move that Palestinians have approved; Palestinian and Israeli leaders and their security forces are trying to coordinate to ensure there will be no Palestinian mortar or rocket fire during Israeli withdrawal, and no storming and looting of settlements by Palestinians after Israelis leave for good; photos (M)

After Decades of Disappointment, Gazans Are Preparing to Rejoice

Dr Jan T Vilcek, scientist whose pioneering medical research led to development of blockbuster drug Remicade, will give $105 million to New York University School of Medicine, his professional home for four decades; Vilcek, 72, hid from Nazis as child and later escaped Communist regime in Czechoslovakia; his gift is one of largest ever given to any school or health care institution in New York City, and among biggest in nation (M)

Research Scientist Gives$105 Million to N.Y.U.

Virginia Heffernan Critic's Notebook column reviews MTV reality series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County; photo (M)

Surf's Up! Teenage Hormones Are High

In John Singleton's atmospheric and propulsive ''Four Brothers,'' the Mercer siblings try to track down their adoptive mother's killer. The brothers are played, from left, by Garrett Hedlund, André Benjamin, Mark Wahlberg and Tyrese Gibson.    Stephen Holden's film review, Page 11.

Urban Avengers

The United States Mint announced yesterday that it had recovered 10 more of its fabled 1933 double eagle $20 gold pieces and stored them in Fort Knox. But the family that sought to authenticate them at the Mint claims that the government had no right to take them.      Beth Deisher, the editor of Coin World, said that ''it has been rumored for years that more of these coins were being held by private citizens.'' The Mint's announcement on its Web site caused a sensation in coin circles yesterday.  

They're Gold, but Don't Call Them Coins

U.N. Agency Urges Iran to Halt Nuclear Program  The International Atomic Energy Agency voiced ''serious concern'' about Iran's nuclear program and urged a halt in its activities. Iran called the resolution ''absurd'' and said it ''will not bend'' in seeking nuclear energy.  PAGE A8    Britain to Oust 10 Foreigners  Britain has seized and will deport 10 foreigners deemed a ''threat to national security,'' in the first such move since the subway and bus attacks in London last month that killed 56 people, Charles Clarke, the home secretary, said. He declined to name the foreigners.  PAGE A3    Anti-Roberts Ad Withdrawn  An abortion rights group said that it would replace an advertisement that describes Judge John G. Roberts Jr., President Bush's Supreme Court nominee, as ''one whose ideology leads him to excuse violence against other Americans.''  PAGE A14    Collision in the Outfield Leaves Mets Shaken  Outfielders Carlos Beltran, left, and Mike Cameron collided in the Mets' 2-1 loss in San Diego. Both went to the hospital, Cameron with facial fractures and a concussion and Beltran with a sore shoulder.  SPORTSFRIDAY, PAGE D1    Rector of St. Patrick's Resigns  The rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral resigned amid accusations that he was having an affair with his secretary, a married woman and mother who is 33 years his junior.  PAGE B1    HBO Extends 'The Sopranos'  The most successful series in the history of cable television, ''The Sopranos,'' will return in 2007, HBO announced.  BUSINESS DAY, PAGE C5    Release of 9/11 Oral Histories  A rich vein of New York records from Sept. 11, including more than 12,000 pages of oral histories, will be made public today.  PAGE B1

INSIDE

TO Phil Mickelson, it was ''a pretty easy'' shot. Easy for him, but certainly not for anybody in his gallery near Baltusrol's sixth green. His ball was in the adjacent 17th fairway, and he had to loft it over some towering trees, land it on the green and stop it quickly to have a chance to save a par 4.     When he pulled that shot off, his ball spinning to within 5 feet of the cup, his gallery roared and rumbled as only a New York gallery can. As he hurried through the gallery to the green, he was swarmed and surrounded and slapped with high-fives.  

Mickelson Fancies His Vibrant New York Gallery

David Dellucci, the former spare part for the Yankees, was the last hitter they wanted to see with the bases loaded and two out in the eighth inning last night. Dellucci had four hits for the Texas Rangers, including two home runs, and after using five relievers already -- including one who made a cameo start -- the Yankees turned to their fail-safe: Mariano Rivera.     ''In that situation, it's everything minus the World Series that a kid dreams of,'' Dellucci said. ''It's bases loaded, facing Mariano Rivera, game on the line.''  

It's a Clutch Home Run for Jeter and a Big Dose of Relief for Yanks

Jack Abramoff, once-powerful Republican lobbyist involved in ethics allegations facing Rep Tom DeLay, is indicted in Florida on unrelated fraud charges involving his purchase of fleet of gambling boats from businessman whose gangland-style killing in 2001 remains unsolved; Abramoff and his partner Adam R Kidan, who is also indicted, are not accused of involvement in that murder; they are charged with conspiracy and wire fraud in their purchase in 2000 of SunCruz Casinos, accused of presenting lenders with counterfeit documents; Abramoff's lawyer Neal R Sonnett refuses to say if indictment would provide Justice Dept with leverage in pressing Abramoff to cooperate in separate grand jury investigation in Washington focusing on his multimillion-dollar lobbying contracts with gambling operations of Indian tribes; Democratic Congressional leaders have called on House ethics committee to investigate relationship between Abramoff and DeLay, and propriety of lavish overseas trips Abramoff arranged for DeLay; photo (M)

U.S. Fraud Charge for Top Lobbyist

They call it the Pink Houses, short for the Louis H. Pink project in East New York, Brooklyn, squat brick towers turned inward around concrete pathways. To a young man, it can seem as if the only jobs around belong to the officers on patrol and the cooks at the fried chicken restaurant on Linden Boulevard.     Two kinds of exits from tough projects like the Pink Houses make people take notice: In the first kind, a ballplayer or rap star gets rich; in the second kind, a hustler dies trying. Plenty of people stay, working, making quiet lives or focusing their energies close to home. And some seek other ways out, ways that do not put your name on a T-shirt or a mural. Keshawn Seeley took one of these.  

The Wrong Way Out of a Housing Project

Jason Zinoman Critic's Notebook column offers his picks in ninth New York International Fringe Festival, which runs from August 12 through 28; list; photos (M)

Out on the Fringe, Sometimes Beyond It

As the Mets left for Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, Mike Cameron was at one hospital, Carlos Beltran was at another, and the rest of the team was in a fragile and shaken state.     They had witnessed the most violent collision many players had ever seen. Cameron was placed on the disabled list after he broke his nose, sustained multiple fractures of his cheekbones and was found to have a concussion. Beltran had a sore left shoulder and a cut on his left cheek. He told trainers he was dizzy. Cameron had two CT scans and Beltran had one.  

Violent Collision HurtsTwo Mets Outfielders

Pres Bush says United States is making progress in Iraq but it is too soon to say when number of American troops could be scaled back; says he has considered and rejected calls by antiwar protesters for immediate withdrawal; says he is not certain Iraqis could handle their own security well enough for US to begin leaving anytime soon, despite planning by senior Pentagon officials for possible troop reductions as early as next spring; questions about exit strategy in Iraq have become delicate for Bush as crowd of antiwar protesters expands at edge of his ranch, rallying around woman whose soldier son was killed in Iraq last year; woman, Cindy Sheehan, is demanding to talk with Bush; photo (M)

President Tries to Resolve Mixed Signals After Pentagon Remarks

Logjam of nominees has occurred at Pentagon; nearly quarter of people nominated to top civilian Pentagon jobs that require Senate approval are trapped in confirmation pipeline; not only is there still no permanent secretary of Navy, there is also no permanent secretary of Air Force or under secretary of Army; other important Pentagon positions remain vacant as well;; variety of factors--both political and financial--are contributing to logjam; senators are putting holds on top Pentagon appointments because of policy disputes with Pres Bush administration; Gordon R England, nominated to replace Paul D Wolfowitz as deputy defense secretary, is working in that post, but only in acting capacity; he remains secretary of Navy as search continues for his permanent successor; Navy under secretary is filling in as Navy secretary, but lacks even acting title; photo (M)

Life on Hold: A Logjam of Nominees at Pentagon

John F. Loder was an English sound engineer, record producer and founder of Southern Studios, as well as a former member of EXIT and co-founder of the Southern Records distribution company with his wife Sue. He was also the studio engineer of choice for Crass and Crass Records, and was often considered to be the band's "ninth member".

August 12, 2005

Headlines from August 12, 2005

The Horses of Wine Country

Ex-WorldCom Officer Sentenced to 5 Years in Accounting Fraud

Adventures Outside The Classical Canon

City to Release Thousands ofOral Histories of 9/11 Today

Woods Feels the Wrath of Baltusrol

Billboard 200

Now 19

Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101

The Emancipation Of Mimi

Retaliation

Mr. A-Z

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for August 12, 2005