In a subtle and goofily educational way, the hosts of “Mythbusters” commit mayhem for science’s sake.

The Best Science Show on Television?

“Rocky Balboa” — written and directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone — is not so much about a comeback as about eking the last ounce of potential from a once-great talent.

Yo, Rocky, or Rambo, Gonna Fly Now at 60

Investigators speculated that the attacker knew his target or that the man with the gun was Carlos Perez-Olivo himself, according to one official.

	As Victim Dies, a Mystery Grows in Westchester

They have cellphones now that can do just about anything, including dice carrots and impersonate Peter Lorre. There has to be one with a design well suited for hurling.

A Celebrity With a Phone? Take Cover!

Jacksonville Jaguars defeat New york Giants, 26-10; photos (M)

Giants Lose Again, and It Feels Like Panic Time

The Louvre has invited Toni Morrison, the most recent American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, to lead a “conversation” among the arts around a theme of her choice. 

Rap and Film at the Louvre? What’s Up With That?

Selena Roberts Sports of The Times column discusses New York Giants' loss to Jacksonville Jaguars; photo (M)

Under Pressure, Manning Stumbles and Team Follows

After Hurricane Katrina, as many as 500 defendants have been freed because of problems with evidence.

In New Orleans, Rust in the Wheels of Justice

 U.S. Considers Raising Troop Levels in Iraq  Pentagon officials reviewing Iraq strategy are considering a substantial but temporary increase in American troop levels and the addition of several thousand more trainers to work with Iraqi forces, a Defense Department official said.   PAGE A10    Giants Lose Second Straight  The Giants could not overcome Eli Manning's struggles and fell into a tie for first place after losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 26-10.   PAGE D1    F.B.I. Recovers Stolen Goya  A phone call led F.B.I. officials to a Goya painting that was stolen this month while being transported from Ohio to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan. Officials said the painting was recovered in central New Jersey.   PAGE B1    Nasdaq Raises Bid in London  Its $5.1 billion offer for the London Stock Exchange was rebuffed, but the Nasdaq Stock Market says it is undeterred.   BUSINESS DAY, PAGE C1    Religion, Reason and Science  The debate over science and religion has escalated from polite dialogue to the point of an intellectual free-for-all.   SCIENCE TIMES, PAGE F1

INSIDE

London Stock Exchange rejects Nasdaq Stock Market's $5.1 billion cash offer and says it will not meet with Nasdaq executives; Nasdaq officials plan to go ahead with offer; combination of London market and Nasdaq would create company with 6,400 listings and total market capitalization of $11.3 trillion, making it world's biggest; world's share markets are moving energetically to consolidate, under pressure from customers to reduce fees and offer global services; exchanges can pool their liquidity by merging and offer better prices to buyers and sellers; reaching deal with London could help Nasdaq overtake New York Stock Exchange's parent NYSE Group in Europe; photo of Nasdaq's chief Robert Greifeld and his finance chief David P Warren (M)

British Shun a New Offer by Nasdaq

Clyde Haberman column on telephone-throwing as way for celebrities to vent their frustrations, citing Russell Crowe and Naomi Campbell as examples; says tendency of criminal-justice system to work differently for celebrities is just one of its vagaries; suggests Campbell be ordered to ride New York City buses and seize and throw away phones of passengers whose calls are driving others crazy (M)

Market Place column; normally cautious bond investors are living like Las Vegas high rollers and stock speculators are behaving like worrywarts as growing number of companies are acquiring huge debt in wave of acquisitions; for some companies, more they borrow, the safer they are deemed; Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold announces it will spend $25.9 billion to acquire copper giant Phelps Dodge; much of purchase will be financed with debt, which at one time would have been expected to roil Freeport's bonds; combined companies will go from having no net debt to having staggering $15 billion in net debt; Moody's Investors Service says it will probably upgrade Freeport's credit rating; bond ratings for Phelps Dodge are expected to fall; Freeport borrowed $15 billion, and market said company was more stable because of what it would buy with all that debt; bondholders financed merger deals involving Clear Channel Communications and Reader's Digest Assn; wave of recent purchases by private equity groups has pushed issuance of high-risk debt to record levels; debt has never been easier to get for many acquirers; global issuance of risky high-yield, or junk bonds, has reached record levels (L)

Fast Credit, Easy Terms, Buy Now

A growing chorus of large industrial power users, municipal utilities and consumer groups argue that the price of electricity has not fallen because the new markets for utilities do not work right.

Flaws Seen in Markets for Utilities

Sen Hillary spent more than $30 million on re-election campaign, more than any other Senate candidate this year, even though she had only token opposition; spending helped her win by more than 30 points and built new list of contributors as she begins assembling nuts and bolts for potential presidential run; Clinton spent more than $13,000 on flowers, mostly for fund-raisers and donors, $27,000 on valet parking, tens of thousands of dollars a month on consultants and aides and $17 million in ads and mailings, depleting formidable war chest and leaving her with little advantage over Democratic rivals; fund-raisers and disgruntled donors are critical; Clinton has spent at least $36 million on re-election since taking office in 2001, nearly twice as much as Sen Charles Schumer, who won in 2004 with 71 percent of vote; at least $1.1 million went to pollster Mark Penn, $930,000 to strategist Mandy Grunwald, $200,000 to Hudson Media Partners and $37,500 to Clinton friend Maggie Williams; Clinton aides now say Williams should have gotten less than $5,000 and will return rest; photos; list (M)

Clinton Won Easily, but Bankroll Shows the Toll

Artist Nina Katchadourian has installed heavy-duty telescope on street in Lower Manhattan with lens focused on 17th floor office window; coporate lawyer who occupies office will arrange three objects on sill at least once a day for next few months for anyone who wants to look through telescope to see; pictorial key mounted above telescope will allow viewers to translate his arrangement of objects into message; photos (M)

Watch That Space: The Oracle of the 17th Floor

Debate between science and religion is topic of Beyond Belief: Science, Religion, Reason and Survival, conference held in La Jolla, Calif; some scientific experts express concern that scientists are allowing theory of intelligent design to grow more popular rather than debunk notion by providing scientific fact that contradicts religious teaching; others hold that less aggressive approach to convincing individuals of faith that evolution and other scientific theories are correct, would produce more converts; attendees described; photo; drawings (M)

A Free-for-All on Science and Religion

Major Internet sites are showing a growing interest in the advertising business, and traditional ad firms are starting to worry.

Google Mapping an Offline Course

Sylvester Stallone is returning to role of Rocky after 16-year retirement in film Rocky Balboa; film, about washed-up boxer who is given one last shot, to some extent parallels Stallone's career, which has been far from stellar since his younger, action-hero days; photos (M)

The current of intellectual energy snapping through the ferociously engaging screen adaptation of Alan Bennett’s Tony Award-winning play feels like electrical brain stimulation.

From the Stage to the Screen, History Worth Repeating

Though 5-foot-9 Nate Robinson managed to block a Yao Ming layup, the Knicks lost their second in a row at home, dropping them to 1-5 at the Garden.

Stunning Benchings Overshadow Action in the Knicks’ Loss

Not so long ago, companies that borrowed lots of money were considered risky. That view has now been turned on its head.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton spent more on her re-election than any other candidate for Senate this year.

News Corp bows to intense internal and public outrage and cancels plans to publish book and broadcast interview in which O J Simpson gives account of how he 'might' have murdered former wife Nicole and Ronald Goldman, crimes for which he was acquitted eleven years ago; critics called for boycotts of advertisers, many Fox affiliates refused to carry broadcast, television hosts like Bill O'Reilly loudly opposed project and bookstores said they might not stock book, If I Did It; chairman Rupert Murdoch issues statement regretting pain to victims' families from 'ill-considered project'; photos; relieved executives say company badly miscalculated public's tolerance for anything having to do with Simpson; publisher Judith Regan says her ReganBooks, HarperCollins imprint, signed contract with manager for third party who owns rights to Simpson's account; money will likely have to be paid; books are to be destroyed but taped interview may well be shown on other outlets or on Internet (M)

Under Pressure, News Corp. Pulls Simpson Project

Major Internet sites are showing strong and growing interest in advertising business, and traditional ad firms are starting to get concerned; Google has been leading way, building on its online ad strength by striking deals to sell advertising in traditional media like newspapers and radio; eBay is developing ad-buying system for TV spots for group of large advertisers like Wal-Mart; Yahoo announces deal with 176 newspapers that does not include offline ad sales, although newspaper executives do not rule that out; ad executives say it is hard to know where Google and other Internet giants will stop; traditional media companies are linking up with online giants that have been stealing their customers and advertisers; traditional companies--like newspapers, magazines, and television and radio networks--are hoping they can reverse their fortunes and share in some of Internet success; stock analysts say offline ad market provides kind of growth opportunity that Internet companies like Google are looking for; Google plans to sell ad spots on radio beginning next month through online auction system that it uses to sell Internet ads; ad sales in traditional media totaled nearly $150 billion last year; Internet ad sales will be about $16 billion this year; WPP Group chief executive Martin Sorrell sees Google as both friend and enemy; Google vice president Tim Armstrong says Google hopes to one day provide place where advertisers can buy ads in all types of media; adds Google's vision does not involve cutting agencies' media buyers out of system; photos (L)

Article in series Power Play: The Bidding Game focuses on some reasons price of electricity has not fallen since federal government opened heavily regulated utility industry to competition decade ago; says large industrial power users, municipal utilities and consumer groups argue the new markets do not work right; they say when electricity producers offer to supply power for next day, utilities pay everyone highest price accepted; they also contend that producers can withhold power or limit production, with little risk of penalty, even when demand is at its highest, meaning prices soar; coalition of large industrial companies filed complaint in September, arguing that Federal Energy Regulatory Commission failed to ensure proper competition and that it stymied efforts by others to investigate allegations of improper conduct by withholding some of data it collects; commission dismisses critics, saying that where it has determined that market for electricity exists, prices in that market are assumed to be 'just and reasonable,' standard set in federal law; graphs (L)

Hassan Gouled Aptidon was the first President of Djibouti from 1977 to 1999.

Hassan Gouled Aptidon, Somalian-Djiboutian politician, 1st President of Djibouti (born 1916)

Hassan_Gouled_Aptidon

Pierre Amine Gemayel was a Lebanese politician in the Kataeb Party, also known as the Phalange Party in English.

Pierre Amine Gemayel, Lebanese lawyer and politician (born 1972)

Pierre_Amine_Gemayel

Anti-Syrian Lebanese politician and government minister Pierre Gemayel is assassinated in suburban Beirut.

November 21, 2006

Headlines from November 21, 2006

The Best Science Show on Television?

Yo, Rocky, or Rambo, Gonna Fly Now at 60

As Victim Dies, a Mystery Grows in Westchester

A Celebrity With a Phone? Take Cover!

Giants Lose Again, and It Feels Like Panic Time

Billboard 200

Hannah Montana

The Greatest Songs Of The Sixties

Like Father; Like Son

Once Again

FutureSex/LoveSounds

Notable Deaths

Historical Events

Historical Context for November 21, 2006