December 4, 1999

Campaign on sexually transmitted diseases by New York City's Dept of Health includes hip-hop cartoon characters speaking graphically about dangers of unprotected sex; cartoons appear in city subways; New York City and other large cities hold fewer taboos about such discussions; in smaller cities and towns around country, such advertisements would be unthinkable; photos; cartoons (M)

John Tierney column on arrest of Paris Drake for allegedly flinging brick at woman on 42d Street; discusses obvious question of why crack addict with long history of violence was prowling New York City's streets; most direct explanation is that hustlers like hang around Times Square and Port Authority because they get money from out-of-towners and gullible locals; outreach workers warn that 90 percent of that money goes for drugs and alcohol (M)

Investors snap up stocks to send two of market's benchmark measures to new highs on report from Labor Dept that unemployment rate was unchanged in November and that hourly earnings rose just 0.1 percent; Nasdaq composite index jumps 1.97 percent, 67.85 points, to new high of 3,520.63, and Standard & Poor's 500-stock index is up 24.26 points, 1.72 percent, to new high of 1,433.30; Dow Jones industrial average is up 247.12 points, 2.24 percent, to 11,286.18; graph (M)

In its sixth and final Millennium issue, The Times Magazine shifts from looking back over 1,000 years and focuses instead on the future, with the aim of preserving for people in the year 3000 a sense of what it was like to be alive today. The issue describes everyday practices bound to bewilder this era's descendants, a guide to species soon to be extinct and ''A New York Minute,'' a project in which nearly 100 people documented the same moment in the life of the city.

Many onlookers view New Jersey Nets' 96-94 loss to San Antonio Spurs as a fluke, but Nets would rather take it as evidence of their potential; they are intent on proving as much in their first matchup this season with New York Knicks; Kerry Kittles is back full time this week from knee surgery and is playing major role in revitalizing his teammates; photo (M)