March 26, 2000

Article on shopping habits of younger New Yorkers who, though flush in the pocket, still enjoy prowling downtown stores and flea markets for low-cost fashion trophies; photos (M)

Holland Cotter assesses work of artist Robert Gober, on display at Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC, and as part of 2000 Biennial at Whitney Museum of American Art; photos (M)

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Satellite photographs show destruction of residential area in Grozny, Chechnya, after Russian troops had subjected it to heavy artillery and aerial bombardment

Profile of Czech Philharmonic, which tours abroad extensively and will perform as part of Lincoln Center's Prague Festival; orchestra, which has suffered sharp cuts in state subsidies, is burdened by curbs on how it can raise money and spend what it raises; conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy comments, interview; photos (M)

Market Watch column examines stirrings among Old Economy stocks left for dead on Wall Street, even though New Economy continues to rule hearts, minds and wallets of most investors; chart (S)

Michigan State beats Iowa State, 75-64, in Midwest Regional final of NCAA basketball tournament; photo (M)

Shrinking labor pool in booming economy prompts American corporations to recruit from among 36 million working-age people in United States who are not seeking a job; this includes urban poor, retirees, homemakers, men and women mustering out of military service, handicapped, women coming off welfare and illegal immigrants not counted in labor force; people with jobs are being recruited to moonlight in second jobs, and college students are being recruited for part-time work; companies are offering flexible hours and many other worker benefits, but not significantly higher pay; photos; charts (M)

Wisconsin beats Purdue, 64-60, in West Regional final of NCAA basketball tournament; photo (M)

Article on BMW X5 sport utility vehicle; photos (M)

Computers, required to matriculate at more than 100 colleges and universities across country, are revolutionizing campus communication and transforming teaching itself; professor at Wake Forest University turns his lectures into streaming video CD-ROM and requires his students to watch lectures on their own; this frees class time for group exercises; others have students do Web research in class to supplement discussion or use software for homework and quizzes that help tailor syllabuses to individuals; online discussion groups have effect of extending hours of learning beyond classroom; experts estimate that 80 percent of college students now bring computer with them to campus, and number of colleges approving computer requirements is growing (M)

An artist decks out trees in skirts in Prospect Park South, hoping the festive air will get neighbors talking. With other reports from Little Italy, Chinatown, the Lower East Side, Midtown, the Flatiron District, Murray Hill, the Upper East Side, East Harlem, Douglaston and Sunnyside. PAGES 5-9