Monday, March 3, 2003

Pondering Value of Copyright vs. Innovation. Could a mismatch between two different technologies and the legal policies that govern them inhibit free expression and innovation? By Amy Harmon. 11:28:42 AM

Take That, Monica! Kapow, Chandler!. Carnage and comedy unite in "Quake/Friends," where gladiators from "Quake," the ultraviolent computer game, meet the cast of the television show. By Matthew Mirapaul. 11:28:42 AM

Cisco Seeks Bigger Role in Phone Networks. Cisco Systems sees an opportunity to increase its relatively small share of the telephone network equipment market. By Matt Richtel. 11:28:41 AM

E-Music Sites Settle on Prices. It's a Start.. After years of confusion, most of the big record labels have coalesced around a set of prices at which they will sell their music online. By Saul Hansell. 11:28:41 AM

A New Frontier in Water Wars. Water tensions have long been common in the arid West, but fights over water can now be heard up and down the East Coast. By Douglas Jehl. 11:28:39 AM

Waikiki Beach's Unloved Backwater Spawns a Record-Setting Crustacean. The biggest crustaceans ever recorded in Hawaii have turned up not on Waikiki Beach, but in the Ala Wai Canal, a smelly, silty drainage basin behind Waikiki. By Lawrence Downes. 11:28:38 AM

Two Presidential Pals, Until 9/11 Intervened. It was only two years ago that Mexican President Vicente Fox was taking George W. Bush home to meet his mam[omega]. Oh, how things have changed. By Elisabeth Bumiller. 11:28:37 AM

Ridge Discovers Size of Home Security Task. The nation's secretary of homeland security, Tom Ridge, faces the challenge of merging 22 agencies into one superdepartment. By Philip Shenon. 11:28:37 AM

Qaeda Suspect, Sound Asleep at Trail's End, Offers No Resistance. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who was said to be a major cause of raising the terror alert last month, is in U.S. custody. By Erik Eckholm with David Johnston. 11:28:36 AM

North Korea Says a U.S. Attack Could Lead to a Nuclear War. North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il, has warned that nuclear war could break out if the United States attacks his country's nuclear program. By Keith Bradsher. 11:28:35 AM

Iraqi Says Arms Destruction Will Cease if U.S. Attacks. An official warned that Iraq would halt the destruction if the U.S. tried to circumvent the Security Council to attack his country. By Neil Macfarquhar. 11:28:34 AM

Bush Is Undeterred by Opposition to Using Force Against Iraq. In a deliberate and risky strategy, President Bush appears to be dropping out of the public debate on Iraq. By David E. Sanger. 11:28:34 AM

Corporate Gain, Treasury's Loss in Bush Plan. The Bush administration's tax proposal on dividends has become more friendly to investors and to some companies that pay no taxes. By Floyd Norris. 11:28:33 AM

Democrats Pulling Together United Front Against G.O.P.. Democrats in Congress have begun to put aside their differences, and have reached a general agreement on how to address economic and social issues. By David Firestone. 11:28:33 AM

Al Qaeda Hobbled by Latest Arrest, U.S. Officials Say. The arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed has severely damaged Al Qaeda's ability to organize and execute spectacular attacks. By Don Van Natta Jr.. 11:28:32 AM

Turkey Will Seek a Second Decision on a G.I. Presence. Turkey's foreign minister indicated that his government would ask Parliament a second time to allow U.S. troops into the country. By Dexter Filkins. 11:28:32 AM

New Zealand Sees America's Cup Taken Away by One of Its Own. Three years after successfully defending the America's Cup for the Kiwis, Russell Coutts again was victorious, this time for the Swiss. By Warren St. John. 11:28:31 AM

Swiss Reaction to Cup Is More or Less Neutral. So how did the Swiss celebrate winning the America's Cup? Most were asleep. Others went skiing, of course. By Alison Langley. 11:28:30 AM

Venezuela's Inflation Reached 7.1% Last Month, a 7-Year High. The Venezuelan monthly inflation rate rose to a seven-year high in February on increased demand as price controls and restrictions on dollar sales caused shortages. By Bloomberg News. 11:28:30 AM

Chinese Power Grid Postpones Share Sale. The Guangdong Guangdian Power Grid Group, which supplies power in China's richest province, has scrapped a $1 billion share sale because Beijing wants it to merge with some of its poorer counterparts first, bankers involved said today. By Bloomberg News. 11:28:29 AM

Chinese Patent for Text Messaging. Last month the Zi Corporation received a Chinese patent that protects a way to tap Chinese-language characters into a cellphone with greater ease and efficiency. By Teresa Riordan. 11:28:29 AM

Struggling EMI Pins U.S. Hopes on Over-the-Top British Singer. The British rocker Robbie Williams has been known to roil stadiums of 80,000 people in England. But can he stir up fans this side of the Atlantic? By Lynette Holloway. 11:28:28 AM

Briefly Noted. SCENARIOS FOR WAR Overthrowing President Saddam Hussein might give the United States more muscle in the Middle East and beyond, but it will not necessarily guarantee a safer, more stable Iraq over the longer term, the London-based Royal Institute of International Affairs said in a report, "Iraq: The Regional Fallout." The institute, also known as Chatham House, is one of Britain's most respected foreign policy research organizations. Six of its Middle East experts contributed to the report, which explores three scenarios for Iraq if war breaks out: a quick American military victory and occupation, a coup d'/tat against Mr. Hussein, and a Vietnam-style protracted military conflict. It rated the chances of a coup against Mr. Hussein as "not great," while a quick victory would tempt Washington to take a "minimalist approach" to deal with Iraq's internal problems ÷ not least because American voters would want President Bush to focus more on a flagging economy. Protracted conflict, meanwhile, would produce "the worst possible outcome" for Iraqis, the world community and Mr. Bush himself, depending on the success of Mr. Hussein's plans for stalling an American invasion. ÊÊ (Agence France-Presse). 11:28:28 AM

North Korea Says a U.S. Attack Could Lead to a Nuclear War. North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il, has warned that nuclear war could break out if the United States attacks his country's nuclear program. By Keith Bradsher. 11:28:27 AM

Infiltrators of North Korea: Tiny Radios. The weapon most feared by the North Korean government may be a disposable radio. By James Brooke. 11:28:27 AM

A Boyhood on the Mean Streets of a Wealthy Emirate. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed grew up on the dingy immigrant streets of Kuwait, in towns like Fuhayhil, Jahrah, Hawalli and Kaifan. By Marc Santora. 11:28:26 AM

Tens of Thousands Stage Pakistan's Biggest Protest. The demonstration on Sunday, organized by a coalition of conservative Islamic parties, was by far the largest yet in the country by opponents of an Iraq war. By Erik Eckholm. 11:28:26 AM

Ending Conference, Iraqi Dissidents Insist on Self-Government. Iraqi opposition leaders ended their first conference on Iraqi soil in 10 years on Sunday, insisting on the right of Iraqis to govern themselves. By Judith Miller. 11:28:25 AM

An Iranian-Backed Brigade, With Ties to the Kurds, Sets Up Camp in Northern Iraq. Advance elements of the Badr Brigade are preparing to move several thousand fighters into the area. By C. J. Chivers. 11:28:24 AM

Bush Is Undeterred by Opposition to Using Force Against Iraq. In a deliberate and risky strategy, President Bush appears to be dropping out of the public debate on Iraq. By David E. Sanger. 11:28:23 AM

Iraqi Says Arms Destruction Will Cease if U.S. Attacks. An official warned that Iraq would halt the destruction if the U.S. tried to circumvent the Security Council to attack his country. By Neil Macfarquhar. 11:28:23 AM

Hard-Liners Victorious in Tehran, Dealing Reformers a Blow. Reformist supporters of President Mohammad Khatami suffered a setback in local council elections on Friday. By Nazila Fathi. 11:28:22 AM

Algerians Give Chirac a Warm Welcome. President Jacques Chirac of France swept in on Sunday for the first state visit by a French president since Algeria won its independence. By Elaine Sciolino. 11:28:22 AM

Milosevic Trial Settles Into Slow but Judicious Routine. Relieved court officials say that Slobodan Milosevic has helped to legitimize the war crimes tribunal process by fully engaging with it. By Marlise Simons. 11:28:21 AM

Italian Policeman Is Killed in Gunfight With Terror Suspects. A gunfight broke out on Sunday on a train traveling from Rome to Florence when two suspected Red Brigades terrorists shot and killed a police officer. By The New York Times. 11:28:21 AM

Estonia Vote Is a Draw. A political newcomer gained the same number of seats as the ruling Center Party in Estonian elections on Sunday. By Agence France-presse. 11:28:20 AM

Polish Premier, Struggling After Loss, Drops Coalition Partner. Prime Minister Leszek Miller struggled on Sunday to keep his leftist government stable and his country on the road to European Union membership. By Peter S. Green. 11:28:20 AM

So It Wheezes. It Was Still Tchaikovsky's Piano.. Tchaikovsky's boyhood piano, the instrument of the Russian composer's first serious work, has seen better days. By Michael Wines. 11:28:19 AM

Al Qaeda Hobbled by Latest Arrest, U.S. Officials Say. The arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed has severely damaged Al Qaeda's ability to organize and execute spectacular attacks. By Don Van Natta Jr.. 11:28:17 AM

Turkey Will Seek a Second Decision on a G.I. Presence. Turkey's foreign minister indicated that his government would ask Parliament a second time to allow U.S. troops into the country. By Dexter Filkins. 11:28:15 AM

Debt-Ridden South Korea Signals Economic Conservatism. South Korea signaled a conservative policy today in hopes of staving off the dangers posed by an increase in household debts. By Don Kirk. 11:28:14 AM

Official Hired to Improve U.S. Image Resigns. Charlotte Beers, the former advertising executive, is quitting her State Department job after 17 months of mixed reviews. By David Stout. 11:28:13 AM

Israelis Arrest a Hamas Leader in Raid That Kills 8 Palestinians. Israeli forces stormed Gaza today, demolishing houses, killing eight Palestinians and arresting a founder of Hamas. By Reuters. 11:28:12 AM

Greece to Begin Trial Involving Long-Elusive Terror Group. The trial of 19 defendants who are accused of taking part in the deadly "November 17" terror group will begin on Monday. By Frank Bruni and Anthee Carassava. 11:28:11 AM

Qaeda Suspect, Sound Asleep at Trail's End, Offers No Resistance. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who was said to be a major cause of raising the terror alert last month, is in U.S. custody. By Erik Eckholm with David Johnston. 11:28:08 AM

Iraq Destroys More Missiles and Pledges New Report on Nerve Gas. The U.N. said today that Iraq would submit a new report on VX nerve gas and anthrax stocks in a week's time as Baghdad scrapped more banned missiles. By Reuters. 11:28:07 AM

Memorial for Great White Guitarist. A crowd gathered for Great White guitarist Ty Longley, who was one of 98 people fatally injured in a Rhode Island club. His four band mates were not there. By The New York Times. 11:28:04 AM

Waikiki Beach's Unloved Backwater Spawns a Record-Setting Crustacean. The biggest crustaceans ever recorded in Hawaii have turned up not on Waikiki Beach, but in the Ala Wai Canal, a smelly, silty drainage basin behind Waikiki. By Lawrence Downes. 11:28:04 AM

Carrying Torch and Dancing for Dimes at Carnival. Flambeau carriers are a tradition almost as old as Carnival itself. They hoist burning iron apparatuses over their heads and dance with them as if they were pretty girls. By Rick Bragg. 11:28:03 AM

E. J. Carroll, 79, Antinuclear Admiral, Dies. Eugene J. Carroll Jr., a retired rear admiral of the Navy, became an outspoken expert witness for opponents of nuclear weapons. By Douglas Martin. 11:28:02 AM

Two Presidential Pals, Until 9/11 Intervened. It was only two years ago that Mexican President Vicente Fox was taking George W. Bush home to meet his mam[omega]. Oh, how things have changed. By Elisabeth Bumiller. 11:28:02 AM

Mixing Tragedy With Art in Dallas. The top floor of the former Texas School Book Depository, where an assassin fired shots at President John F. Kennedy, has been converted into an art gallery. By Stephen Kinzer. 11:28:01 AM

Study Doubts Competence of Younger Juveniles Charged as Adults. A significant proportion of children 15 or younger charged with a crime are not competent to stand trial, according to a study released Monday. By Adam Liptak. 11:28:00 AM

Mets Honor NASA Personnel. Astronauts Mike Massimino and Mark Polansky took time off from the space shuttle Columbia recovery efforts to watch a Mets-Orioles spring training game. By The New York Times. 11:28:00 AM

Poets Slam Housing Plight in Berkeley Competition. About a dozen poets recited their work and addressed the trauma of Bay Area housing prices at the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board poetry slam. By Patricia Leigh Brown. 11:27:59 AM

McDonald's Strives to Regain Ground. While it is still the nation's most-visited fast-food chain, McDonald's is facing an undeniable decline. By Sherri Day. 11:27:58 AM

Making Sniper Suspect Talk Puts Detective in Spotlight. Detective June Boyle has emerged with one of the most crucial pieces of evidence in the Washington sniper attack case: suspect Lee Malvo's videotaped confession. By Jayson Blair. 11:27:55 AM

Post-9/11 Drills Aid Club Fire Rescue. Experts say the Station nightclub fire toll, which rose to 98 on Saturday, could have been much worse if emergency workers had not been trained under a new plan. By Irene Wielawski. 11:27:54 AM

A New Frontier in Water Wars. Water tensions have long been common in the arid West, but fights over water can now be heard up and down the East Coast. By Douglas Jehl. 11:27:54 AM

New Economy Recedes in Pacific Northwest. The very attributes that made the Pacific Northwest look like the vanguard of the new-century economy have come back to haunt the region. By Timothy Egan. 11:27:53 AM

Ridge Discovers Size of Home Security Task. The nation's secretary of homeland security, Tom Ridge, faces the challenge of merging 22 agencies into one superdepartment. By Philip Shenon. 11:27:53 AM

The Week's Economic Events. MONDAYPersonal IncomeJan. 11:27:43 AM

Stock Offering This Week. The following equity offering is expected this week:. 11:27:43 AM

Credit Offerings Planned During the Week. The Treasury's schedule of financings this week comprises the regular weekly auction today of three- and six-month bills and the sale of a four-week bill on Tuesday. 11:27:42 AM

Infiltrators of North Korea: Tiny Radios. The weapon most feared by the North Korean government may be a disposable radio. By James Brooke. 11:27:41 AM

Venezuela's Inflation Reached 7.1% Last Month, a 7-Year High. The Venezuelan monthly inflation rate rose to a seven-year high in February on increased demand as price controls and restrictions on dollar sales caused shortages. By Bloomberg News. 11:27:40 AM

Chinese Power Grid Postpones Share Sale. The Guangdong Guangdian Power Grid Group, which supplies power in China's richest province, has scrapped a $1 billion share sale because Beijing wants it to merge with some of its poorer counterparts first, bankers involved said today. By Bloomberg News. 11:27:39 AM

Korea Considers Energy Tax Cuts. The South Korean government is expected to approve a measure to reduce tariffs and other taxes on oil imports. By Don Kirk. 11:27:38 AM

Paying Close Attention to the Spectrum of Sound. A monthlong festival focusing on contemporary French works began with a tribute to G/rard Grisey and his focus on sequential sound. By Allan Kozinn. 11:27:38 AM

Title Says 'Chief,' Mandate Says 'Team'. Daniel Menaker, the editor hired to help sustain Random House's reputation, has sometimes had a hard time adjusting to working for others. By David D. Kirkpatrick. 11:27:37 AM

Singer's Sales Unhurt by Pornography Charges. R. Kelly has defied music industry experts who said that his recent arrest on child pornography charges would hurt his album sales. By Lynette Holloway. 11:27:36 AM

Readers Are Looking for Mixed Fare. New magazine sales figures suggest that America is of two, seemingly opposite, minds: blatantly escapist, and loaded with gravitas. By David Carr. 11:27:34 AM

Carlyle Group Joins Backers of Bid to Buy Vivendi Units. The Carlyle Group has joined a consortium of investors to back a $15 billion offer from the oil tycoon Marvin Davis to buy the entertainment assets of Vivendi Universal. By Andrew Ross Sorkin. 11:27:34 AM

A Research Firm Reviews Its Options. A Research Firm Reviews Its Options Information Resources Inc. in Chicago is considering the sale of part or all of the company, a decision that comes two months after the loss of the largest client of the market research firm, Procter & Gamble. By The New York Times. 11:27:33 AM

Doubts Over Interpublic Revamping. Interpublic is trying to put the best face on the extraordinary executive shake-up orchestrated by its board, but doubts are multiplying. By Stuart Elliott. 11:27:32 AM

New Economy Recedes in Pacific Northwest. The very attributes that made the Pacific Northwest look like the vanguard of the new-century economy have come back to haunt the region. By Timothy Egan. 11:27:31 AM

Take That, Monica! Kapow, Chandler!. Carnage and comedy unite in "Quake/Friends," where gladiators from "Quake," the ultraviolent computer game, meet the cast of the television show. By Matthew Mirapaul. 11:27:29 AM

Fantasy Sports Games Find Buyers. Players of sports fantasy games have been among the Internet's freest spenders, consuming tens of millions of dollars' worth of scores, statistics and other services annually. By Bob Tedeschi. 11:27:28 AM

Registration Lapse Explains Hack of Site. Web surfers stumbled upon what appeared to be a defacement of the Iraqi News Agency site last week. By Matt Richtel. 11:27:26 AM

Pondering Value of Copyright vs. Innovation. Could a mismatch between two different technologies and the legal policies that govern them inhibit free expression and innovation? By Amy Harmon. 11:27:25 AM

Chinese Patent for Text Messaging. Last month the Zi Corporation received a Chinese patent that protects a way to tap Chinese-language characters into a cellphone with greater ease and efficiency. By Teresa Riordan. 11:27:25 AM

Formal Bid for British Hotel Chain Is Expected. Hugh E. Osmond, a British businessman, is pushing ahead with plans to bid for Six Continents, the big hotel chain. By Suzanne Kapner. 11:27:24 AM

Corporate Gain, Treasury's Loss in Bush Plan. The Bush administration's tax proposal on dividends has become more friendly to investors and to some companies that pay no taxes. By Floyd Norris. 11:27:23 AM

Cisco Seeks Bigger Role in Phone Networks. Cisco Systems sees an opportunity to increase its relatively small share of the telephone network equipment market. By Matt Richtel. 11:27:22 AM

A New Frontier in Water Wars Emerges in East. Water tensions have long been common in the arid West, but fights over water can now be heard up and down the East Coast. By Douglas Jehl. 11:27:22 AM

Judge Rules US Airways Can End Pilots' Pension. A federal judge ruled that US Airways could dissolve its pilots' union pension fund as it seeks to reorganize under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. By Micheline Maynard and Mary Williams Walsh. 11:27:21 AM

Camcorders and PC's Shape Aesthetics of 'Reality' TV. The technology of shooting and editing video has become so affordable that the aesthetic quality is suffering, say some critics. By Lisa Napoli. 11:27:20 AM

Struggling EMI Pins U.S. Hopes on Over-the-Top British Singer. The British rocker Robbie Williams has been known to roil stadiums of 80,000 people in England. But can he stir up fans this side of the Atlantic? By Lynette Holloway. 11:27:19 AM

Construction Spending Up, at Record Level. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. spending on new construction surged unexpectedly by 1.7 percent in January to a record level, the government said on Monday, as home builders rushed to keep up with demand for new homes and improvements. By Reuters. 11:27:17 AM

Consumer Spending Declines 0.1%. Consumers worried about a possible war with Iraq and their own financial prospects trimmed spending in January, the first such rollback in four months. By The Associated Press. 11:27:15 AM

Fox Erodes NBC's Hold on Younger Viewership. NBC, the longtime network leader in reaching younger audiences, is looking over its shoulder. By Bill Carter. 11:27:14 AM

E-Music Sites Settle on Prices. It's a Start.. After years of confusion, most of the big record labels have coalesced around a set of prices at which they will sell their music online. By Saul Hansell. 11:27:12 AM

Capital One Executive Quits Ahead of SEC Suit. Capital One Financial Corp. said today its chief financial officer resigned after the S.E.C. said it was pursuing an insider-trading lawsuit against him. By The Associated Press. 11:27:10 AM

Stocks Mixed in Midday Trading. Blue chips rose slightly and tech shares dipped today after a surprisingly lackluster manufacturing sector report was released. By Reuters. 11:27:08 AM

Manufacturing Sector Expands, but Rate of Growth Slows. U.S. manufacturing activity grew for a fourth straight month in February, but the pace of expansion slowed notably. By The Associated Press. 11:27:04 AM

McDonald's Strives to Regain Ground. While it is still the nation's most-visited fast-food chain, McDonald's is facing an undeniable decline. By Sherri Day. 11:27:03 AM