$1.2 million restoration of landmark Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Transfiguration of Our Lord, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, includes work on five copper onion domes; work is being financed in part with state historic preservation funds and money from New York Landmarks Conservancy; photo (M)

POSTINGS: At Russian Orthodox Church in Williamsburg; Restoring the Cupolas Of a Landmark Cathedral

Herbert Muschamp lauds new Seattle Central Library designed by Rem Koolhaas/OMA of Netherlands in collaboration with Seattle firm LMN Architects; praises city librarian Deborah L Jacobs, saying that cities need strong clients who, like her, show strength and persistence of vision, and demand that architects respond to client's needs; charts; photos (M)

The Library That Puts on Fishnets and Hits the Disco

Article on new generation of youth from age 9 into early 20's who look up to their parents as role models; William Strauss, author with Neil Howe of book Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, says baby boomers have done pretty good job raising their children; others comment on camaraderie between generations; photos (M)

High School Heroes: Mom and Dad

Article on Eugenio Lopez, Bill and Maria Bell, David Geffen, Rosette Delug, Cliff and Mandy Einstein and other members of select group of billionaires who are reconfiguring Los Angeles society; through support of museums and collecting contemporary art, they are stealing some of art-world thunder from London and New York; photos (M)

The Art Buyers' Club Of Los Angeles

American Girl Cafe on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan has become favorite destination of thousands of 4- to 12-year-old girls from all over US; eating at pink-themed restaurant is culmination of visit to American Girl Place, giddy combination of retail store and theme park devoted to enormously popular American Girl dolls; photos; dolls, and cafe's patrons, are ethnically diverse, with each of eight dolls representing different charecter from past; Pleasant T Rowland created line in 1986 as anti-Barbies, and later sold company to Mattel for about $700 million (M)

It's the Hottest Place in Town, and Dolls Eat Free

Anemona Hartocollis Coping column on reactions of passengers and cabbies to 26 percent hike in taxicab fares in New York City, first in eight years; drawing (M)

With Fare Rise, Small Luxury Becomes A Big Question

Los Angeles Lakers defeat San Antonio Spurs, 88-76, to win second-round playoff series, 4-2; photo (M)

Behind Bryant and O'Neal, Lakers Dethrone the Spurs

Gretchen Morgenson column holds three Xerox directors brushed by company's accounting scandals during late 1990's should withdraw their re-election bids; cites Hilmar Kopper, N J Nicholas Jr and John E Pepper, audit committee members responsible for overseeing company's accounting during years misstatements were made; stock price graph (M)

Don't They Know It's Time to Go?

EVERY few seconds a baby boomer turns 50, demographic experts say. That's a lot of potential midlife crises, and few things soothe middle-age angst better than a fast, low-slung, open-air sports car.    A car, in other words, like the Lotus Elise, which goes on sale next month. American boomers have already noted the Elise's impending arrival by making deposits for most of the 2,000-plus cars to be imported in the 2005 model year, according to Lotus Cars USA.   

Lotus Finally Lines Up a New Car for America; Elise Is a Lightweight On Scales, Not Track

Devotees of Lotus, British sports car maker, are pleased that $41,000 Lotus Elise, sold in Europe since 1996, is now ready for US customers with Toyota engine that meets US emissions standards; photos of tiny, agile car in its bright colors (M)

Lotus Finally Lines Up a New Car for America; That English Patient Is Starting to Stir Again

Seattle Mariners defeat New York Yankees, 13-7, in extra innings; photos (M)

Season-Best Homer Total Not Enough For Yankees

Two decades after baby boomers invented suburban megachurch, which removed intimidating crosses and stained-glass images of Jesus in favor of neutral environments, their children are creating alternative churches in coffee bars and warehouses and publishing new magazines and Bibles that come on as anything but church; they say worship of their parents feels impersonal and their search is for unfiltered religious experience; changes are often more stylistic than doctrinal; many alt-evangelicals espouse conservative theology, but reject censure of some churches; photos (M)

Ideas & Trends: Alt-Worship; Christian Cool And the New Generation Gap

Susan Dominus's profile of and interview with actress Laura Linney, who stars in Manhattan Theater Club's revival of Donald Margulies' play Sight Unseen; photos (M)

Laura Linney, Homecoming Queen

Smarty Jones wins Preakness Stakes to continue undefeated streak and move closer to capturing Triple Crown; photos (M)

A Runaway Breaking Toward History

Intelligence experts in US and Europe discuss major threat from Moroccan terrorists, which was not fully recognized until bombings in Casablanca last year and then in Madrid this March; France has worried about Algerians and Tunisians, but Belgium, whose Muslim population is largely Moroccan, has had few counterterror specialists looking at country which has been among West's closest allies; French and Belgian police dismantled cells after Madrid attack, although mastermind may still be at large, but they are convinced other cells may have burrowed underground, well integrated into population, dispersed around Europe and autonomous; Moroccan authorities complain of lack of cooperation until Madrid and say European laws are not tough enough, with courts releasing major suspects; Europeans says Moroccans blame Al Qaeda to shift responsibility for contributing problems of poverty; Gen Hamidou Laanigri discusses Britain's refusal to hand over Muhammad al-Gerbouzi, who Morocco says is planner of Casablanca attacks; Laanigri photo (M)

Morocco Connection Is Emerging As Sleeper Threat in Terror War

Six of soldiers accused in Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse case, who once bunked together in tent in Baghdad, are each struggling to explain away seemingly irrefutable photos of mistreatment of Iraqi detainees, pointing fingers at each other, minimizing own roles and blaming government; Specialist Megan M Ambuhl says she was bystander who treated detainees kindly; Specialist Jeremy C Sivits describes brutal conduct by Staff Sgt Ivan L Frederick II and Specialist Charles A Graner Jr, who, in turn, calls him liar; Sgt Javal S Davis's lawyer accuses government of abusing him in interrogation; each will present own version of events to military court, but all say they were following orders; Sivits is expected to plead guilty and testify against others; Sgt Lynndie R England says she was told by higher ranks to hold leash around naked prisoner and that military intelligence praised her unit's treatment of detainees; cases against defendants detailed; photos (M)

ACCUSED G.I.'S TRY TO SHIFT BLAME IN PRISON ABUSE

Frank Rich looks at irony in comparison of two women 'at bottom' of military, Private Jessica Lynch, falsely touted by military as war hero, and Pfc Lynndie England, accused of war crimes; sees both as revealing what has gone wrong for US in Iraq; decries efforts by military and White House to down-lay atrocities committed by US soldiers on Iraq prisoners; photos (L)

Saving Private England

Home Front column on Nu-Life Dental Laboratories, Brooklyn business that employs 29 people to produce dentures and crowns; photos of owners Edward Riccobono and Robert Y Wallace (S)

Producing Gold Teeth, Dentures and Jobs

American-led occupation forces battled with insurgents and militias loyal to a rebel Shiite cleric in at least four Iraqi cities, killing at least 38 Iraqis. Page 16.

Battles With Shiite Rebels

Gas prices are likely to remain high because no relief is in sight for tight oil supplies; most countries and major companies are producing all they can, smaller companies and wildcatters do not have enough wells to re-open and Saudi Arabia's extra oil is too heavy in sulfur for main consuming countries; experts warn sustained high prices will strain world economy, which is already happening in some sectors; record prices are not adjusted for inflation, but proportionately higher spikes in 1970's and 1980's were linked to Arab oil embargo and Iran-Iraq war; demand is also growing fast, spurred by China's great economic growth; photos (M)

TIGHT OIL SUPPLY WON'T EASE SOON

Conservative Christian groups supporting constitutional amendment banning gay marriage say they are surprised at what they described as tepid response from pews, especially since polls show large majority of voters oppose gay marriage; activists hope scenes of gay weddings in Mass will set off public outcry; some warn that Christian leaders rallying behind amendment may lose credibility as potent force for Pres Bush's re-election (M)

Backers of Gay Marriage Ban Find Tepid Response in Pews

US women's wrestler Patricia Miranda prepares for 2004 Olympics and chance to continue her inspiring story of beating odds; photos (L)

A Tiny Female Pioneer For Olympic Wrestling

Wall Street insiders, despite intense public scrutiny of recent celebrity insider-trading cases, continue to violate securities laws by misusing nonpublic information; federal prosecutors aggressively go after wrongdoers; are unsure why some of smartest people on Wall Street continue to run afoul of insider-trading laws; suspect they believe their information is so privileged that no one will know they use it; case of broker Robert Bewkes, who sold Interstate Bakeries shares on advice of his father, E Garrett Bewkes Jr, Interstate director, cited; photos (M)

Psst. Why Insider Trading Keeps Going.

Wooing of WorldCom founder Bernard J Ebbers by Citigroup and its predecessor companies recalled in light of bank's $2.65 billion settlement of class-action suit by investors who lost money in WorldCom, largest such settlement ever paid by a bank; deeply symbiotic relationship between bank and telecom giant illustrates risks to investors that resulted from broad deregulation of 1990's; chronology of WorldCom's dealings with various Citigroup units; cartoon; photos (M)

When Citigroup Met WorldCom

Article in series John Kerry's Journey looks back at senator's five years at St Paul's School in New Hampshire, small judgmental universe where Kerry was champion debater, good student and strong athlete, yet gained achievement more than acceptance; onetime classmates Danny Barbiero and Max King recall he was, as he has always been, pace apart in every world he inhabited, from school to Vietnam to Senate, moving forcefully, seriously and successfully through diverse milieus without ever being fully of them; family and school photos; diplomat's son grew up in various temporary quarters in US and Europe, so that St Paul's was formative home; Kerry himself recalls adjusting to 'alien' culture; Philip Heckscher remembers focus that may have seemed 'ruthless,' John Rousmaniere a classmate obvious about wanting to be liked; Rosemary Forbes Kerry's patrician background would seem to make her son natural for St Paul's, but he was not rich, Republican or Protestant, and tuition was paid by great-aunt; his father, Richard, was difficult man with legacy of own father's suicide and hidden background: Frederick Kerry was born Fritz Kohn to Jewish parents in what is now Czech Republic; Kerry says these revelations, unearthed by Boston Globe, provide picture of 'empty' places in father's life (L)

May 16, 2004

Headlines from May 16, 2004

POSTINGS: At Russian Orthodox Church in Williamsburg; Restoring the Cupolas Of a Landmark Cathedral

The Library That Puts on Fishnets and Hits the Disco

High School Heroes: Mom and Dad

The Art Buyers' Club Of Los Angeles

It's the Hottest Place in Town, and Dolls Eat Free

Billboard 200

D12 World

Confessions

Musicology

The Girl In The Other Room

Hurt No More

Historical Context for May 16, 2004