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   December 21, 2001   QUOTE OF THE DAY "Whatever we do is of small comfort, and I realize that. We do, however, aim to provide some appropriate compensation, some limited measure of comfort."  KENNETH R. FEINBERG, special master of the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund.   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 Killings Increase in Many Big Cities  Homicides have increased sharply this year in many large cities, a development that may signal a return to rising crime rates.   Few States Track Prescriptions as a Method to Bar Overdoses  Public health and law enforcement officials say too few states are monitoring the over-prescribing of the painkiller OxyContin.   Funeral Company Accused of Desecration  Relatives of three people buried in Jewish cemeteries in Florida accuse the nation's largest funeral company of desecrating their remains.     MORE NATIONAL NEWS    INTERNATIONAL Argentine Leader Quits as Economy Begins a Free Fall  President Fernando de la R?a resigned on Thursday, swamped by violent protests and looting that erupted when his government failed to reverse an economic crisis.   Citing India Attack, U.S. Aims at Assets of Group in Pakistan  President Bush moved on Thursday to freeze the assets of a Pakistani-based terrorist group that he blamed for the attack on the Indian Parliament last week.   British Marines Arrive Near Kabul to Protect Officials  Fifty-five British Royal Marines landed near the Afghan capital on Thursday night as the vanguard of an international security force.     MORE INTERNATIONAL NEWS    BUSINESS Argentine Leader Quits as Economy Begins a Free Fall  President Fernando de la R?a resigned on Thursday, swamped by violent protests and looting that erupted when his government failed to reverse an economic crisis.   Insurer Shield in Terror Costs Dies in Senate  Congress abandoned efforts to protect the insurance industry from losses in any future terrorist attacks when the Senate failed to bring a measure to the floor in the final hours of the session.   Wireless Deal Falls Apart in Congress  The $16 billion deal to transfer more than 200 airwave licenses to the nation's largest wireless carriers collapsed after Congress failed to adopt the necessary legislation.     MORE BUSINESS NEWS    TECHNOLOGY Wireless Deal Falls Apart in Congress  The $16 billion deal to transfer more than 200 airwave licenses to the nation's largest wireless carriers collapsed after Congress failed to adopt the necessary legislation.   How the Comcast Deal Came Together  Comcast's acquisition of AT&T Broadband marks the culmination of four decades of growth and, some say, the fulfillment of its destiny.   Juniper Networks Has Reduced Fourth-Quarter Profit Forecast  Juniper Networks halved its fourth-quarter profit forecast and cut its sales estimate as customers pared spending. The shares fell 18 percent.     MORE TECHNOLOGY NEWS    POLITICS Clinton and Aides Lay Plans to Repair a Battered Image  Frustrated that his image has been battered since he left office, Bill Clinton has been devising ways to defend his legacy and his accomplishments.   Both Parties Deflect Blame for Stalemate on Economy  Leaders of the two parties in Congress said that they would take up the issue of an economic package again next month.   Senators Press for an Inquiry on U.S. Intelligence Lapses  Senators put the Bush administration on notice  that the time was nearing for a broad investigation of the Sept. 11 attacks.     MORE POLITICS NEWS    SPORTS Red Sox to Be Sold to Owner of Marlins  A group led by John Henry, owner of the Florida Marlins, won the Boston Red Sox in a unanimous vote of the team's majority owner and limited partners.   Knicks Fail to Answer Late Wake-Up Call  Five attempts for a basket in the final 6 seconds, including three by Marcus Camby, did not fall for the Knicks, who lost to the Memphis Grizzlies.   Big 3 of Skating Smile Through Pressure  Irina Slutskaya, Michelle Kwan and Sarah   Hughes, the three favorites for medals at   the Winter Olympics, will plunge into the bizarre phenomenon of women's figure skating in February.     MORE SPORTS NEWS    ARTS From Math to Madness, and Back  Ron Howard's film about the mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. (Russell Crowe) elicits genuine emotions from a story that is almost entirely counterfeit.   The Gift of Art Ready to Be Opened  Every gift to a museum benefits all of us, not least the generations of art-hungry New York  tourists to come. Here's a survey of some recent donations on display.   The Season When Gray Turns Green  Along upper Broadway, scores of  tree sellers have arrived like fur trappers from the days of old to peddle their wares for the holiday season.     MORE ARTS NEWS    NY REGION Victims' Fund Likely to Pay Average of $1.6 Million Each  Families of victims of the World Trade Center collapse would, on average, be awarded $1.65 million each from a federal fund.   City's Unemployment Rate Jumps to 6.9%, the Highest in Nearly 3 Years  The rise in the unemployment rate includes adjustments for seasonal factors over the past few months.   Police and Firefighters Win Court Victory in Seeking Raises  The State Court of Appeals ruled that the city's police and firefighter unions may ask a state panel to help resolve contract disputes.     MORE NY REGION NEWS    OP-ED  A No-Win Outcome   By PAUL KRUGMAN  A compromise on the economic stimulus bill wouldn't have counted as a personal win for President Bush, so he took his bat and ball and went home.   Our Friends the Terrorists   By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF  However hypocritical it may be to battle terrorism by bolstering backers of terrorism in Pakistan, there is no good alternative.   Now Playing: Florida II, With Janet and Jeb   By BOB SHACOCHIS  Florida's gubernatorial race will be another smash-hit election, sprinkled with delicious subplots.     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.   Donate now    About This E-Mail You received these headlines because you requested The New York Times Direct e-mail service. To sign up for other newsletters, cancel delivery, change delivery options or your e-mail address, see http://www.nytimes.com/email .   Check or un-check the headlines you would like to receive or cancel and remember to go to the bottom of the page and click on "Save Selections."  Suggestions and feedback are welcome at feedback@nytimes.com .   Please include the following ID number when writing to feedback@nytimes.com   so that we can track any reports of problems: 6415816   How to Advertise For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact Alyson Racer at alyson@nytimes.com  or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo    Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company    	

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