October 21, 1999

Buyers and brokers alike say discrimination by co-op boards against women in New York City has ebbed in recent years but that one prejudice remains, namely, that board might still look askance at single women with children if they are dependent on ex-husbands for financial support; photo (M)

Anne Raver's Human Nature column on the Fells, 935-acre estate in Newbury, NH, currently known as John Hay National Wildlife Refuge that was restored in collaboration between Garden Conservancy, US Fish and Wildlife Service and Forest Society of New Hampshire; Conservancy's founder Frank Cabot and Bill Noble, director of preservation projects, comments; photos (L)

Peter H Lewis (State of the Art) column evaluates three new iMac models from Apple Computer; says among new models' one drawback is lack of removable storage device, while on plus side, iMacs offer number of advanced features not found on any other home computer; prices range from $999 to $1,499 (M)

Elizabeth Dole, first woman to be taken seriously as candidate for her party's Presidential nomination, drops out of Republican race, saying she was unable to raise enough money to compete with fortune raised by Gov George W Bush or inherited by Steve Forbes, news conference; says she erred by not entering race sooner; declines to endorse any rival and brushes aside speculation about possible Vice-Presidential interest; withdrawal, coming before first primary, shows overriding importance of money in race; news conference excerpt; photos (M)

Some New York Yankees players are disappointed that there will not be Subway Series, but others seem relieved; photo (M)

George Vecsey Sports of The Times column contends that Atlanta Braves and New York Mets 'played the most exciting series imaginable' and Subway Series between Mets and New York Yankees probably would have been letdown; photo (M)

Article on efforts of housing retailers to woo singloe women, among fastest growing buying forces in America; Census Bureau statistics show number of women living alone has increased by more than one-third in last 15 years, to 30 million, and that nearly 57 percent of single women are homeowners; most houses are still purchased by couples, but women living alone or who are single heads of households increased as total share of home buyers, from 10 percent in 1985 to 15 percent in 1997; photos (L)

Indonesia's electoral assembly, in nation's first democratic transfer of power, choses respected Muslim leader Abdurrahman Wahid as President; Wahid defeats Megawati Sukarnoputri, who won plurality of seats in June election, 373-313; surprise result follows fast-moving coalition building after Pres B J Habibie withdrew his candidacy; Wahid's message of tolerance, inclusion and self-respect makes him acceptable to most minorities; vote spurs violence on streets of Jakarta by street thugs and some of Megawati's disappointed supporters; photo (M)

Prospects for Bank Law Are Fading in Political Fight Prospects of overhauling the nation's financial system have begun to fade as Clinton Administration officials and Senator Phil Gramm of Texas remain locked in a bitter and largely symbolic fight over a 1977 law aimed at eradicating discrimination in lending.

Interview with Hayao Miyazaki, master of film animation; Princess Mononoke, his latest work which draws on folk tales of Japan's Muromachi period (1392-1573), will open with new American script in New York and three other cities on October 29; photos (M)

Anna Kisselgoff reviews Lyons Opera Ballet presentation of Carmen, part of Next Wave Festival at Brooklyn Academy of Music; production was choreographed by experimental Swedish choreographer Mats Ek; photo (M)

United States Appeals Court, 2-1, throws out all but $2 of damages jury ordered ABC News to pay Food Lion after its Primetime Live program reported in 1992 that supermarket chain sold unsanitary beef and other food; rejects fraud verdict, resulting from lies two ABC employees told to get jobs with chain, as 'end-run' around First Amendment protections for journalists; original $5.5 million award had already been cut to $315,000; legal experts say ruling could blunt news organizations' fears that plaintiffs could win crippling damage awards without having to prove news reports were false or malicious (M)