The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA) articles from November 2001

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA) archives from November 2001

U.S. again has deep-seated appreciation for nobility, sacrifice of military service.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Mark Bowden It is telling that the first American combat death in the war on terrorism was a CIA agent, Johnny "Mike" Spann, who was killed last week as he supervised questioning of captured Taliban soldiers. The long-term, heavy...

Bush, Republicans now embrace `nation-building'.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Dick Polman War tends to wreak havoc on political certitudes. And that helps to explain why President Bush and the Republicans are now embracing a foreign-policy principle that they had systematically trashed during the last...

After Sept. 11, a widow and mother struggles.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Jennifer Lin LOWER MAKEFIELD, Pa. _ The credit-card bill was a ghostly reminder of the worst day of her life. There was an unfamiliar charge for $99.95. At first, Debbi Senko was puzzled. Then enraged. The phone...

Struggling Sixers should have a gimme against Bulls.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Stephen A. Smith PHILADELPHIA _ He is 7-foot-2, with arms as long as some tree branches. Perhaps his most impressive attribute is durability. Dikembe Mutombo has played in almost every game since he has been a 76er. So it's...

`Samuel Johnson Is Indignant,' by Lydia Davis; McSweeney's Books (201 pages, $16.95).
November 30, 2001... Byline: Michael Harrington "SAMUEL JOHNSON IS INDIGNANT: that Scotland has so few trees." That's it. In a recent issue of Andy Warhol's Interview magazine, Lydia Davis told her publisher, megawatt literary star Dave Eggers, that...

Tough New Jersey safety-seat law poses dilemmas for some parents.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Kaitlin Gurney CHERRY HILL, N.J. _ Elise Dinetz faces a disagreeable decision: She can lose her car pool or break the law. The Mount Laurel, N.J., mother of three says she will opt to become a scofflaw. Dinetz, like parents...

Service-school showdown always special.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Frank Fitzpatrick This morning at 11:45 EST, when kicker's foot meets pigskin at Veterans Stadium and the ball's parabola is accompanied by the droning roar of thousands of Midshipmen and Cadets, try to think of the 102nd...

Army-Navy is more than just a game.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Bill Lyon PHILADELPHIA _ Between them, they have had one winning season in the last five. "Doesn't matter. Between them, they have lost 78 times the last five years. "Doesn't matter. Between them, over the last...

New look Nittany Lions hope to keep bowl hopes alive.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Ray Parrillo CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. _ Penn State's players say they are approaching Saturday's regular-season finale against Virginia (4-7) at Scott Stadium as if it were a playoff game. What other approach could they take?...

Chiefs just can't match up.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Ron Reid KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Given the players he has on his roster, Kansas City coach Dick Vermeil knew his Chiefs would have to play an error-free game, with a lot of help from Lady Luck, to have any chance of beating the Eagles...

Eagles too much for Chiefs.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Phil Sheridan KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Call off the search. Donovan McNabb _ the gunning and running, grinning and winning guy with the big 5 on his chest _ was found Thursday night. In Missouri, of all places. Just four days...

Eagles win another one on the road.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Phil Sheridan KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Call off the search. Donovan McNabb _ the gunning, running, winning guy with the big 5 on his chest _ was found Thursday night. In Missouri, of all places. Just four days after an...

Eagles use run to set up pass.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Bob Ford KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ It is the football equivalent of golfing's maxim that you drive for show, but putt for dough. The forward passes will always get more attention than the running plays that make them possible, but...

Eagles spice up their game plan.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Frank Fitzpatrick KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ It would be unkind to flavors everywhere if the game plan that Andy Reid and Rod Dowhower rolled out Sunday against Washington were characterized as plain vanilla. That three-and-out...

Eagles discover open-minded policy works on offense.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Mike Jensen PHILADELPHIA _ Yes, coach Andy Reid said, he knew that the Eagles had to get the ball downfield. That was the obvious goal Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, whose defense proved willing to take part in...

For Hasidic New Wave, an improbable collaboration.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Tom Moon These days, you might expect a collaboration between exponents of arty contemporary Jewish music and Muslim drummers from Senegal to be heralded by a world-affairs-minded marketing blitz: Look! Over here! Jews and...

Flyers fall to Bruins in overtime.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Tim Panaccio PHILADELPHIA _ After three days of punishment on the ice, soul-searching and tough love from coach Bill Barber, the Flyers looked uncertain for 40 minutes Thursday night at the First Union Center. But they...

Flyers facing potential crisis in confidence.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Tim Panaccio PHILADELPHIA _ Confidence is a fragile thing for an athlete and a team. Right now, the Flyers' confidence is as fragile as your grandmother's china. You can point to many of players who are struggling _ Jeremy...

Chocolate Snowflake Cookies; Swiss Florentines; Gingerbread People; Christmas Morning Thumbprint Cookies.
November 30, 2001... CHOCOLATE SNOWFLAKE COOKIES Makes about 12 dozen 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted { cup corn oil or peanut oil 2 cups granulated sugar 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 cups...

When it's time to make holiday cookies, the whole gang gets into the act.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Marilynn Marter "Go on, get your hands in there!" For 3-year-old Harrison, his father's urging needed no repeating. Sister Madeleine, 7, and brother Ross, 9, plunged in, too. But Georgina, who is 4, took her time....

Books appeal to broad range of everyday gardeners.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Denise Cowie Not so long ago, when everyday gardeners thought of annuals, impatiens, petunias, geraniums, marigolds and zinnias came to mind, and maybe the occasional cosmos or cleome. That has changed as gardeners have grown...

Garden Q&A.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Michael Martin Mills Q. I have two beautiful mandevilla plants in large pots. If I cut them back and take the pots inside for the winter, will they come back next year? A. Yes, you can carry mandevilla through winter indoors....

Heloise, reader offer tips for the home.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Alan J. Heavens The syndicated columnist Heloise called me a week or so ago, asking me whether I'd ever heard of pouring mineral oil in the gaskets of a dishwasher that is idled for long periods, to keep the parts from drying...

Names in the news.
November 30, 2001... Media mogul Ted Turner said one of his biggest regrets was not buying Time Warner so "I could have fired Gerry Levin before he fired me." Reflecting on his career, Turner took several swipes at Levin, the chief executive for AOL Time...

In Japan, there is widespread loss of memory about Pearl Harbor.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Tom Infield PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii _ The young couple from Tokyo had come to Hawaii before. The man had been here twice; the woman, three times. But until their trip together two weeks ago, they had never visited the USS...

SEC must close loophole that helped, then hurt Enron.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Jeff Brown In investing, you pay your money and you take your chance. It's a tough world, and we shouldn't weep for those who bet big and lose. Unless, of course, the casino lies about the odds. That's what's at the heart of...

'Would you like an extended warranty with that?'.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Jeff Gelles PHIADELPHIA _ It's as predictable as paying sales tax: Shop for a big-ticket item nowadays _ a camcorder, say, or a lawn mower or household appliance _ and sooner or later you're bound to face The Question. ...

Forward thinkers discussing democracy in the Arab world.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Trudy Rubin The war against al-Qaeda and the Taliban is beginning to stir up some fascinating debate in parts of the Arab world. You've heard of Arab newspapers filled with anti-American columns, and rumors that Israeli...

Drowning in coins, Philadelphia Mint cuts back production, jobs.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Bob Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ If you thought the good times would never end, you're not alone. So, apparently, did the people who coin the money: the U.S. Mint. It was only a year ago that the government was so frantic to make...

Billboards, Print Ads Will Plug Philadelphia-Area Firms' Can-Do Attitude.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Jane M. Von Bergen Nov. 30--A little piece of news broke last week that could set the Philadelphia advertising community to salivating. Ikea, which has its North American headquarters in Plymouth Meeting, needs a new...

Unanswered Questions Remain with Federal Takeover of Airport Security.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Marcia Gelbart Nov. 30--The federal government will take control of more than 400 contracts that govern security at the nation's airports on Feb. 17. No longer will the airlines, which now contract directly with private...

Executive Pair Wants to Keep Army-Navy Football Game in Philadelphia.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Marcia Gelbart Nov. 30--If the Army-Navy football game isn't played in Philadelphia after 2003, it won't be for lack of effort by Ron Naples and Tom Lynch. The pair of business executives, both with ties to the military...

Citizens Bank to Pay for Bus, Trolley Rides in Philadelphia for One Day.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Jere Downs Nov. 30--Ride free on SEPTA Monday morning. The new bank in town is paying the fare. From 5 to 10 a.m., an estimated 350,000 SEPTA riders are expected to breeze past turnstiles and fare boxes without digging for a...

Cleveland Revives Blighted Neighborhoods by Easing Bureaucracy on Vacant Land.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Jennifer Lin Nov. 30--CLEVELAND -- For homeowners in the new Beacon Place development on this city's east side, the question is inescapable: You moved where? Beacon Place is four blocks of high-end homes, smack on the edge of...

Health System Given Boost; Outlook Revised Upward for Pennsylvania Bonds.
November 30, 2001... Nov. 30--In a boost to the University of Pennsylvania and its medical system, Moody's Investors Service revised its outlook on university and Penn health system bonds yesterday from "negative" to "stable." The New York bond-rating agency...

The Philadelphia Inquirer Andrew Cassel Column.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Andrew Cassel Nov. 30--Four years ago, I was invited to the Four Seasons for a drink with a well-connected Texan. His name won't mean anything to you and our talk was supposed to be off the record, so I'll just tell you he was in...

Audit Blasts Contract to King of Prussia, Pa., Firm with Political Ties.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Thomas Fitzgerald Nov. 30--HARRISBURG, Pa.-- Top officials at the state Department of Labor and Industry improperly steered a $4 million no-bid contract to a King of Prussia firm with political ties to then-Gov. Ridge, according...

Experts Say Fall of Enron Won't Impact Philadelphia-Area Consumers.
November 30, 2001... Nov. 30--Mid-Atlantic energy companies said yesterday that Enron Corp.'s likely collapse would go unnoticed by Philadelphia-area consumers and would benefit area companies in the long run even though the Houston energy trader owes them...

Pennsylvania Probes Executives' Removal of Money from Philadelphia Insurer.
November 30, 2001... Byline: Joseph N. DiStefano Nov. 30--The Pennsylvania Insurance Department is investigating the removal of hundreds of millions of dollars from Reliance Insurance Co. by former chairman Saul P. Steinberg and other top executives before...

No Agreement Yet on School-Reform Takeover of Philadelphia Schools.
November 30, 2001... Nov. 30--With only hours to go before a state takeover deadline, negotiators still were unable to reach agreement yesterday on a Philadelphia school-reform plan. But one official said the state hoped a hostile takeover could be avoided...

Comcast High-Speed Internet Customers May Lose Their Service.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Benjamin Y. Lowe Nov. 29--Comcast high-speed Internet customers could have their service shut off tomorrow if a judge lets the Philadelphia cable company's bankrupt Internet service provider shut down its network. The...

Comcast to Offer Video Game Cable Network, Web Site.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Akweli Parker Nov. 29--With the popularity of video games growing like a grade-schooler's Pokemon collection, it was only a matter of time before they got their own cable channel. Comcast Corp. announced yesterday that it...

Dealerships Denial Gives Temporary Win to Chester County, Pa., Neighborhood.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Diane Mastrull Nov. 29--To John Budzinski's relief, his retirement view won't be rows of new and used cars. Supervisors in Thornbury Township, Chester County, Tuesday night rejected a developer's request for a zoning change...

Research Group Predicts Six Million New Households to Holiday Shop Online.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Reid Kanaley Nov. 29--Grab some sleigh bells and sing: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, Toys in every... Web site... Not much ring to that. But shopping online has already become a holiday tradition for...

South New Jersey Group Promotes Ethanol as MTBE Successor.
November 29, 2001... Nov. 29--ALLENTOWN, Pa.-- A South Jersey group is trying to rally support among corn farmers and investors to build a factory to produce a grain-based gasoline additive. Ethanol makes fuel burn more efficiently, as dictated by the 1990...

The Philadelphia Inquirer Personal Finance Column.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Jeff Brown Nov. 29--QUESTION: I have heard that index funds are a good way to invest in stocks. But there are dozens that follow the Standard & Poor's 500, as well as many that track other indexes. Does it matter which one you...

Hundreds Protest Takeover of Philadelphia Schools.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Dale Mezzacappa Nov. 29--By tomorrow, Philadelphia could become the nation's largest experiment in the privatization of public education. For the moment, though, the title -- and the lessons that go with it -- remains with the...

Hundreds Protest State Takeover of Philadelphia Schools.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Susan Snyder Nov. 29--As negotiations between the city and state on a school-reform plan ground on, hundreds of protesters took to the streets near City Hall yesterday afternoon, blocking traffic and waving signs in opposition to...

Norwegian Entrepreneur Gains Control of Philadelphia Shipyard, Parent Firm.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Henry J. Holcomb Nov. 29--Kjell Inge Roekke, a Norwegian entrepreneur who quit school to work on an Alaskan fishing boat, won control yesterday of the Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard and its London-based parent company. The...

British/U.S. Pharmaceutical Venture Wins Smallpox-Vaccine Contract.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Linda Loyd Nov. 29--The government yesterday awarded a contract to buy 155 million doses of smallpox vaccine to a British/ U.S. pharmaceutical venture because its bid came in lowest and it could deliver the vaccine within 12...

The Philadelphia Inquirer Technology Queries Column.
November 29, 2001... Byline: John J. Fried Nov. 29--QUESTION: I have Windows Media Player 7.1 and have downloaded a number of video files in the avi format. When I try to play them, my computer tells me it can't change their format so that they can be used...

The Philadelphia Inquirer Technology TestDrive Column.
November 29, 2001... Byline: John J. Fried Nov. 29--Quicken 2002 Deluxe Intuit. Windows and Macintosh. $59.95. Money 2002 Microsoft. Windows. $64.50. It wouldn't surprise me if programmers at Intuit and Microsoft were being...

Transit Authority Seeks Camden County, N.J., Land for Aerial-Tramway Project.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Joseph A. Gambardello Nov. 29--CAMDEN, N.J.--The Delaware River Port Authority is preparing to start work on the New Jersey tower of its aerial tramway between Camden and Philadelphia, indicating that it expects to soon acquire a...

Reviews of new country/roots, jazz, classical and pop releases.
November 29, 2001... Country/roots: MERLE HAGGARD "Roots, Vol. 1" (Anti, 4 stars) Though he long ago became a country legend himself, Merle Haggard has never lost his passion for the music's history and the artists who influenced him. Foremost among them...

Islam expert suddenly in the spotlight.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Murray Dubin PHILADELPHIA _ Those who work in think tanks generally don't make a habit of surfacing in public, swimming more often among scholars and policy-makers. But Philadelphia think-tanker Daniel Pipes is surfacing as a...

Government will be able to fire, hire air security screening firms by Feb. 16.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Marcia Gelbart PHILADELPHIA _ The federal government will take control of more than 400 contracts that govern security at the nation's airports on Feb. 17. No longer will the airlines, which now contract directly with...

Temple survives Charlotte.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Mike Jensen PHILADELPHIA _ Without ever changing expression, Temple guard Lynn Greer changed the game Thursday night, taking over after it looked as if the Owls might let their home opener slip out of their grasp. On a night...

Penn defeats Drexel.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Kevin Tatum PHILADELPHIA _ Appearing for the first time this season in Philadelphia, the Drexel and Penn men's basketball teams played a game Wednesday night at the Palestra that was worthy of the storied setting. Penn broke...

Temple says thank you to the late Litwack.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Claire Smith PHILADELPHIA _ To make everything that is basketball run smartly, Temple last night outlined its countdown to the evening's doubleheader. The main event supposedly was the Charlotte-Temple men's game, with the...

Villanova gets Jason Fraser.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Joe Juliano PHILADELPHIA _ Jason Fraser likes the theater. So when it came time for the highly recruited high school center to announce his much-anticipated choice of the college where he would continue his basketball career, he...

Sixers still reeling after Washington wizardry.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Stephen A. Smith PHILADELPHIA _ Michael Jordan has come, inflicted his damage on the 76ers and skipped town, leaving the Eastern Conference champions to choke for a few days on the memory of their ineptitude. The Sixers...

Sixers, Iverson can't handle Wizards, Jordan.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Stephen A. Smith PHILADELPHIA _ Perhaps some day in the very near future, the 76ers will be able to explain the inexplicable. They will find a way to figure out how the Washington Wizards took control of a professional...

Capsule reviews of feature films.
November 29, 2001... ADANGGAMAN 3-{ stars. With the clarity of a parable and the force of Shakespeare Ivory Coast-born filmmaker Roger Gnoan M'Bala tells the backstory of Africans who enslave Africans. No MPAA rating (violence) _ Carrie Rickey. THE...

The Silicon Valley mood has gone from giddy to deflated.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Wendy Tanaka SAN FRANCISCO _ Interstate 101, the main corridor from here to San Jose, is still bumper to bumper during rush hours. Legions of tech workers commute to their jobs past the pantheon of Silicon Valley legends, the...

Alternatives to infanticide: `Safe-haven' laws are attractive but skirt the real issues.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Jane Eisner So Melissa Drexler, a.k.a. the Prom Mom, walked out of a New Jersey prison on Monday, fours years after she turned a bathroom stall into a birth-and-killing chamber at her senior prom. How anyone could deliver a...

Eagles' Thomas fined $7,500; Redskins' Arrington fined $15,000.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Phil Sheridan KANSAS CITY _ Tra Thomas got the better of Washington's LaVar Arrington again. The NFL fined Thomas $7,500 on Thursday for his late hit Sunday on Arrington, the former Penn State linebacker. Arrington, who...

Asthma often goes undiagnosed in young athletes.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Susan FitzGerald WYNCOTE, Pa. _ David Collins would be one mile into a three-mile run when his chest got tight and breathing became difficult. By the time he crossed the finish line, he felt horrible. "I couldn't breathe,"...

Defense is key for struggling Flyers.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Tim Panaccio PHILADELPHIA _ While the Flyers have struggled to play consistently good hockey, one statistic shows that their defense has been sound. Heading into play last night, the Flyers had given up just 50 goals _ the...

Tourists return to Las Vegas, its patriotism flashing bright.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Howard Shapiro LAS VEGAS _ The two lithe women are picking up lunch _ sandwiches and mega-flasks of booze _ at the poolside snack counter of the Aladdin, six stories above the Las Vegas Strip, America's most bizarre street....

Smokers pshaw findings that low-tar cigarettes are just as deadly.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Stacey Burling PHILADELPHIA_A much ballyhooed federal report this week that "light" cigarettes are just as bad for smokers as regular brands was having little effect on the cloudy streets of Center City Philadelphia Thursday. ...

The new `Brian's Song' all about marketing.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Frank Fitzpatrick PHILADELPHIA _" Brian's Song, that sweet and sappy 1971 telemovie about football and friendship, has been remade, and its many fans are screaming blasphemy. Given the angry outcry among forty-ish males, you...

Names in the news.
November 29, 2001... Arnold Schwarzenegger, star of the 1987 film "The Running Man," is getting an Idaho ski run named after him. Sun Valley Resort is changing the name of the run that was known as the Flying Maid to Arnold's Run. Schwarzenegger, 54, has led...

Penn expects big show for wrestling.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Mike Jensen PHILADELPHIA _ Matt Feast, freshman heavyweight wrestler at Penn, heard about the Web site from a teammate earlier this week. That night, he checked it out. He saw his photograph. And his name. And the name and head...

Next phase of terrorism war should keep key goals in focus.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Trudy Rubin As anti-Taliban forces close in on Mullah Omar and al-Qaeda leaders, the speculation about where the war is headed next is reaching a frenzy. The Wall Street Journal runs a chart with black dots covering...

An inventor braces himself for a brush with greatness.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Michael Vitez PHILADELPHIA _ "Hewlett-Packard started in a garage. Steve Jobs started in a garage, too. "So I'm in the right place." Jim Cade stood in his garage, a ramshackle, dusty, 100-year-old building in West...

Television highlights for the week of Dec. 9-15.
November 29, 2001... Sunday, Dec. 9 7 p.m. on NBC National Geographic: SuperCroc Scientists have figured out that 40-foot crocodiles roamed the Earth long ago, probably counting dinosaurs among their prey. This program shows the discovery of...

Holiday tunes: from mild to mutant.
November 29, 2001... Byline: Dan DeLuca Even a glutton for holiday sentimentality has his limits. How much jingle-jingle-old-Kris Kringle can one man stand? The CD shelf by the mistletoe will be stocked with perennials. Nat "King" Cole's "The Christmas...

Chile letters contained different anthrax strain.
November 28, 2001... Byline: Steve Goldstein WASHINGTON _ A letter sent to a doctor in Chile contained anthrax that is of a different strain than the deadly microbes mailed to political and media figures in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control...

St. Joseph's defeats Delaware.
November 28, 2001... Byline: Ray Parrillo NEWARK, Del. _ Nearly six years ago, Phil Martelli walked into the University of Delaware's spacious Bob Carpenter Center with a knot in his stomach and the job he had waited 10 long years to get _ head coach of the...

Iverson signs lifetime deal with Reebok.
November 28, 2001... Byline: Stephen A. Smith PHILADELPHIA _ Allen Iverson, the 76ers' star guard and reigning MVP of the National Basketball Association, has converted his 10-year apparel contract with Reebok International Ltd. into a lifetime deal. ...

Jordan shows Sixers he still can play.
November 28, 2001... Byline: Bill Lyon PHILADELPHIA _ Fifteen seconds in, he curled around a screen and rubbed off the defender, accepted the ball, turned, and levitated. His elevator doesn't get up to the penthouse level as it once did, but it still goes up...

Sixers granted injury exception for Geiger.
November 28, 2001... Byline: Stephen A. Smith PHILADELPHIA _ After years of waiting to get something out of Matt Geiger, the 76ers finally accomplished that feat Wednesday afternoon. Exactly one week after the 7-foot-1 center announced his retirement...

Excite's woes could turn off Comcast Internet service by Friday.
November 28, 2001... Byline: Benjamin Y. Lowe PHILADELPHIA _ Comcast high-speed Internet customers could have their service shut off Friday if a judge lets the Philadelphia cable company's bankrupt Internet service provider shut down its network. The...

Comcast launching channel just for video games.
November 28, 2001... Byline: Akweli Parker With the popularity of video games growing like a grade-schooler's Pokemon collection, it was only a matter of time before they got their own cable channel. Comcast Corp. announced Wednesday that it would launch...