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   December 15, 2001   QUOTE OF THE DAY "Where is the big guy?"  HAZARAT ALI, an Afghan commander, in a radio conversation with an Al Qaeda fighter.   TolkienArchives Examine the World of J. R. R. Tolkien - This sponsored feature includes articles from the New York Times archives, slide shows of Tolkien's artwork, multimedia presentations from New Line Cinema, weekly trivia quizzes and more.    Explore Tolkien Today .     NATIONAL Babies Used in Drug Ring, Officials Say  Officials charged 35 people with running a smuggling ring that transported drugs in cans of baby formula.   Some Muslims Say Tape Removes Previous Doubt  Some influential American Muslims say they finally have seen enough evidence to accept the United States government's version of events.   Disney Pays Back Wages For Contractor  The company paid $903,000 to cover back wages for a contractor who violated child labor, minimum wage and overtime laws.     MORE NATIONAL NEWS   Advertisement  Learn a Language in Your Car...or Anywhere - Special Offer!  Bravo! Formidable! Fantastico!  Introducing a multi-level language instruction series at Audible called Learn in Your Car. This language series is designed to help you learn another language...in a car or anywhere. Choose from Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, or Japanese. Listen for free now.   [IMAGE]   INTERNATIONAL Al Qaeda Resistance Falters Under Heavy Attack  The last pocket of Al Qaeda resistance appeared to be crumbling today as groups of fighters loyal to Osama bin Laden were captured or fled and others debated over two-way radios whether to surrender.   G.I.'s Had Crucial Role in Battle for Kandahar  Details are emerging of the central role played by the American military in the fighting that took place in southern Afghanistan over the past weeks.   Israel Enters Two Gaza Towns  Two Palestinians were killed, dozens were injured and several were arrested after Israeli troops and tanks searching for militants moved into Palestinian areas at the northern and southern ends of the Gaza Strip today.     MORE INTERNATIONAL NEWS    BUSINESS Vivendi Moves to Gain Access to TV Markets  Vivendi Universal has lined up a set of deals intended to challenge the American entertainment giants in their struggle to dominate the industry.   The Familiar and the Cozy Are Much in Favor This Year  A yearning for old-fashioned things is providing one of the few comforts for retailers during this recession-bound holiday season.   Finance Minister of Argentina Resigns Post  The uncertainty of Argentina's precarious financial situation deepened Friday when Daniel Marx, the finance secretary, resigned.     MORE BUSINESS NEWS    TECHNOLOGY Verizon Seeks Advantage Over Smaller Competitors  New York's local phone carrier wants to charge more to lease phone lines.   Microsoft and Bank One Team Up  Microsoft and Bank One are forming a three-year strategic relationship worth $30 million to develop and promote services and products aimed at consumers and small and mid-sized companies.   Program Makes Linux System a Friendlier Place to Work  Linux is still struggling to make itself palatable to the everyday computer user.   Help may come in the form of Ximian Evolution.     MORE TECHNOLOGY NEWS    POLITICS E.P.A. Reconsiders Human Tests of Pesticides  The Bush administration is backing off its inclination to consider the results of the tests in regulatory decisions on toxic pesticides.   Lawmakers Slip Farther Apart on Economic Recovery Deal  Representative Bill Thomas asked for more sweeping income tax cuts than the Bush administration is seeking.   Tapes Suggest U.S. Spying Missed Signals  The Osama bin Laden videotape is raising new questions about why authorities failed to uncover the plot before the attacks occurred.     MORE POLITICS NEWS    SPORTS Notre Dame Coach Resigns  Five days after naming George O'Leary its new head football coach, Notre Dame announced that he had resigned suddenly after admitting to falsifying his academic and athletic background.   Starters Exit Early in Knicks' Loss  With the Knicks trailing by 15 points after three quarters, Don Chaney sat four of his starters for the entire fourth as New York fell to the Wizards.   Mets Say Gonzalez Still Too Costly  Even though they made a move that reduced their payroll, trading David Justice to Oakland for reliever Mark Guthrie, the Mets are not  yet in full pursuit of free agent Juan Gonzalez.     MORE SPORTS NEWS    ARTS W. G. Sebald, Elegiac German Novelist, Is Dead at 57  W. G. Sebald, the author of "Austerlitz" and one of the most acclaimed of contemporary writers, was killed on Friday in an automobile accident in Norfolk, England.   Domingo's Voice Fails, but He Is Hailed at La Scala  Pl?cido Domingo made his final La Scala  appearance in the title role of "Otello" on Tuesday in Milan.   In Chechnya, Truth Is a Dangerous Goal  The Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya has received death threats for reporting on the war in Chechnya.     MORE ARTS NEWS    NY REGION Overtime Pay for Police and Fire Chiefs Stirs Fears  New York City has agreed to pay overtime to high-ranking supervisors, even though commanders at their level are normally not entitled to such pay.   Building Plan for Schools Passes, Barely  The consensus of the Board of Education evaporated as Mayor Giuliani and the schools chancellor lashed out.   Top Official But No Others, to Get Raise at Port Agency  The governors of New York and New Jersey have approved a 22 percent salary increase for the executive director's post.     MORE NY REGION NEWS    OP-ED  Hail and Farewell   By ANTHONY LEWIS  Everything comes to an end, my friend Sydney Gruson told me long ago. Now the time has come for this column to end.   Trials and Tribulations   By BILL KELLER  John Ashcroft may talk like an ayatollah, but this week he acted like an attorney general.   Iran Could Be a Valuable Friend   By CAMERON KHOSROWSHAHI  In the long-term war on terrorism, forging friendships will be critical, and one of the countries most important as a potential American ally is Iran.     MORE OP-ED  NEWS    Contribute to The Neediest Cases Fund Make an online donation this Holiday Season to The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund to help thousands of people.   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