January 8, 2000

Profile of Brini Maxwell, svelte and stylish creation of Ben Sander, drag queen that offers household tips on The Brini Maxwell Show, which airs in Manhattan on Time Warner Cable television's leased access Channel 35; Sander comments; photo (M)

Atlantü

Labor Department reports 315,000 new nonfarm jobs were created in Dec, 75,000 more than expected; reports unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent; says unemployment averaged 4.2 percent in 1999, down from 4.5 percent in 1998 and lowest rate since 3.5 percent in 1969; average hourly earnings for Dec rose 0.4 percent; graphs; tables (M)

Two political committees subject to lesser fund-raising curbs than official Senate campaign committee have raised and spent nearly $1 million for Mayor Rudolph W Giuliani's political operation since Mar 1998, as he prepares for Senate bid; much of money came from loyal corps of donors, many of whom have also given legal limit to Giuliani's separate Senate campaign committee, often contributing to all three funds on same day; his aides deny effort to get around limits (M)

Mike Freeman Sports of The Times column on theory that Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick conspired in Belichick's defection as New York Jets head coach; recalls Parcells's qustionable track record that feeds suspicions that he wants to be talked into coaching for another year at big raise, while freeing Belichick to join New England Patriots; photo (M)

Dow Jones industrial average gains 269.30 points, or 2.4 percent, to close at record 11,522.56; Standard & Poor's 500-stock index rises 38.02 points, or 2.7 percent, to 1,441.47; Nasdaq composite index gains 155.49 points, or 4.2 percent, to close at 3,882.62; Treasury bond and note prices fall; benchmark 30-year bond gains 6/32, to 94 18/32; yield drops to 6.54 percent, from 6.56 percent; graph on Dow Jones industrial average; charts on stocks with large price percentage gains and loses and US key interest rates (M)

National Purple Heart Museum in Enfield, Conn, has remained idea whose time came, went and kept on going, for 17 years; despite advisory panel that includes Gen H Norman Schwarzkopf and actor James Garner, more than $1.2 million in state grants, and support of Gov John G Rowland, military museum is little more than aging set of computerized-enhanced blueprints and unfulfilled flight of fancy for unknown town seeking tourist lodestone; report by Connecticut attorney general's office offers detailed explanation of reasons; map (M)

New York Knickerbockers defeat Orlando Magic, 94-86; photo (M)2

Russia, faced with fierce rebel resistance, rising casualties and bad weather, suspends its assault on Grozny, Chechnya; Lt Gen Gennadi N Troshev says pause is intended to let thousands of civilians flee city; ousts Maj Gen Vladimir A Shamanov as leader of group fighting in Chechnya's southern foothills; names Maj Gen Aleksei I Verbitsky to replace him; says his own deputy, Maj Gen Sergei A Makarov, will replace him as commander of forces in Chechen highlands, freeing him to concentrate on other duties; photo (M)

Coca-Cola Again Shuffles Its Manage

A sugar pill for the mildly depressed. Fake surgery for a bad knee. A hand to hold for the flu-stricken. Placebos aren't real medicine, but they can often help patients heal. A report by Margaret Talbot, in The Times Magazine. And in Section 1: Charts trace New York's weather for the year and the century.

Analysis of Securities and Exchange Commission reports that most partners of PricewaterhouseCoopers, world's largest accounting firm, violated rules requiring that they not have investments in companies audited by their firm; says SEC and Public Oversight Board gear up to inspect other accounting firms the accounting profession is on the defensive (M)