Ira Lee Sorkin has received many threats over his defense of Bernard L. Madoff — one of the many twists in a busy career.

Madoff Lawyer Absorbs Part of the Rage

Mazoltuv Borukhova, and her cousin by marriage, Mikhail Mallayev, were found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy in the death of Daniel Malakov.

Queens Doctor and Cousin Are Guilty in Murder

Whether castration can help rehabilitate violent sex offenders is under scrutiny in the Czech Republic.

Europeans Debate Castration of Sex Offenders

Critics of the White House conditions on bailout funds say the measures border on social engineering.

Some Banks, Feeling Chained, Want to Return Bailout Money

News that Mr. Madoff was not seeking a lighter sentence provided relief, but many victims are still left with many questions.

Those Who Lost Savings Find Little Comfort

An academic paper in the early 1990s had predicted the behavior of the banks when it came to relying on the government to absorb their losses.

The Looting of America’s Coffers

Cellphones have a high potential for personalized ads, and advertisers place great value on the possibility.

Advertisers Get a Trove of Clues in Smartphones

Police arrested hundreds of activists as the opposition party leader urged supporters to defy a ban on protests.

Hundreds Jailed as Pakistan Bans Planned Protest

Since the Jets and Sharks first rumbled in “West Side Story” more than 50 years ago, New York has changed. So has their musical.

Same City, New Story

The economic meltdown has come to prime time as a growing number of network series have incorporated more real-life issues into their stories.

Times Are Tough on Wall Street and Wisteria Lane

The modern restoration of the Neues Museum in Berlin, reopening after decades of neglect, includes elements of the war-damaged original building.

For Berlin Museum, a Modern Makeover That Doesn’t Deny the Wounds of War

Google Voice has breathed new life into GrandCentral, a service that lets all your phones respond to one number.

One Number to Ring Them All

China’s export downturn means a lesser need for recycled waste from the U.S., and trash is piling up.

China’s Big Recycling Market Is Sagging

The bad news about the economy is good news for libraries as people flock to libraries and forsake Barnes & Noble, HBO and Netflix to save money.

Times Are Tough, Libraries Are Thriving

The show of large artifacts at the National Archives in Washington veers playfully from the trivial to the monumental, which keeps things from becoming dull.

There Are No Small Parts in This American History Lesson

State attorneys general are preparing for a surge of prosecutions of financial fraud, and there are hints the Obama administration’s budget will add to the effort.

Financial Fraud Is Focus of Attack by Prosecutors

The Philadelphia Orchestra, a storied American institution that has remained one of the world’s finest musical ensembles, has been struck by leadership turmoil.

Notes of Distress and Discord From the Esteemed Philadelphia Orchestra

The novelist Paule Marshall’s slim new memoir recounts her beginnings as a writer as well as her travels abroad to find her voice in the Caribbean and Africa.

Voyage of a Girl Moored in Brooklyn

Skeptics are questioning marketers for proof of the açaí berry’s benefits.

Pressing Açaí for Answers

The bank’s stakes in foreign entities add up to its market valuation, suggesting its US business is therefore worth nothing.

Bank of America’s Surprising Value

The Sundance Film Festival has found its new director.

Sundance Festival Chooses New Director

New York City Center has completed casting for its Encores! production of “Finian’s Rainbow.”

Footnote

Second Stage Theater is postponing its summer production of “Mr. & Mrs. Fitch,” a new play by Douglas Carter Beane (“The Little Dog Laughed,” “Xanadu”), because of a scheduling conflict with the project’s director, Scott Ellis, the theater announced. “Mr. & Mrs. Fitch,” a comedy about gossip columnists, was to begin previews on June 16 but has been moved until the 2009-10 season. A spokesman for Second Stage said that Mr. Ellis, who directed “The Little Dog Laughed,” could not direct the production because he had been named supervising producer and director of the Showtime series “Weeds.” Second Stage said it would announce a replacement summer production soon.

Play Postponed at Second Stage

What began as a humble farewell from Michael Jackson to 200,000 or so of his fondest fans has somehow metamorphosed into a spectacle. The promoter AEG Live said it would add 13 dates to Mr. Jackson’s “This Is It” concert series, which begins on July 8 at the O2 Arena in London. Mr. Jackson’s first 10 shows sold out on Wednesday morning, The Associated Press reported, and his new dates, also at the O2 Arena, will take him through Sept. 10, with still more concerts expected to be announced.

Michael Jackson Adds More ‘Final’ Shows

A new movie written by Adrienne Shelly will make its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival, which announced its remaining feature selections on Wednesday.

Schedule Complete for TriBeCa Festival

The Winnenden school shooting occurred on the morning of 11 March 2009 at the Albertville-Realschule, a secondary school in Winnenden, southwestern Germany, followed by a shootout at a car dealership in nearby Wendlingen. The shooting spree resulted in 16 deaths, including the suicide of the perpetrator, 17-year-old Tim Kretschmer, who had graduated from the school a year earlier. Another nine people were injured during the incident.

Winnenden school shooting: Fifteen are killed and nine are injured before recent graduate Tim Kretschmer shoots and kills himself, leading to tightened weapons restrictions in Germany.

March 11, 2009

Headlines from March 11, 2009

Madoff Lawyer Absorbs Part of the Rage

Queens Doctor and Cousin Are Guilty in Murder

Europeans Debate Castration of Sex Offenders

Some Banks, Feeling Chained, Want to Return Bailout Money

Those Who Lost Savings Find Little Comfort

Billboard 200

Fearless

Wrath

The 3D Concert Experience (Soundtrack)

Slumdog Millionaire

Dark Horse

Historical Events

Historical Context for March 11, 2009