June 3, 2004

Article discusses accessing password protected computer files once the owner dies; some corporations now archive employee passwords, and experts suggest the same be done for home computers; many people just erase hard drive rather than discover embarrassing personal information; photo (L)

Lower Manhattan arts groups call for greater openness in competition for cultural presence at World Trade Center site; contend proposed Freedom Museum may divert money and resources from struggling downtown institutions; president Kevin Rampe defends Lower Manhattan Development Corp's processes and denies that Freedom Center, as proposed museum is now called, has inside track (M)

Alfonso Cuarón, taking the franchise over from Christopher Columbus, injects this third Potter picture with a shadowy, sensual mood. The look is grainier and grimier, and the themes are a bit darker and more unsettling than in "Sorcerer's Stone" or "Chamber of Secrets." There is less Quidditch and more Snape, which is all to the good, as are the efforts of new cast members like Michael Gambon (taking over for Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore), Emma Thompson (as a batty divination teacher), David Thewlis (as the latest defense-against-the-dark-arts master) and Gary Oldman, who brings his adaptable villainy to the title role. The film's major weakness, sad to say, is Harry himself. Approaching adolescence, Daniel Radcliffe may also be reaching the limit of his range as an actor; he seems unable to summon the complex, volatile emotions that the story, with its notes of grief and rage amid the usual boarding-school intrigue, demands. Still, Mr. Cuarón breathes some new life — and a new sense of mystery — into a series whose charms are in danger of declining due to over-familiarity. — A. O. Scott

New York City is leading minirevolution in foster care, encouraging foster parents and birth parents to meet and talk; in this model, birth parents know where foster parents live and share in decision making on everything from discipline to breakfast cereal; in best cases, foster parent remains source of support and counsel after child returns to birth parent, as most do; William C Bell, city's departing commissioner of children's services, points to growth of program as among achievements he is most proud of; family-to-family strategy, as it is called, is considered so promising that it has already been adopted by 35 cities and counties in 16 states; photo (M)

Comment on pitfalls facing buyers of antiques at auction, even at reputable houses such as Christie's; experts say let the buyer beware, as auctions continue to grow in popularity, and number of sales increase, while number of house experts remains level; Dr Victor Bortolot of Branford, Conn, who authenticates ancient objects, notes he has been hired to work on collections where 'every single thing is a fake'; interviews with auction houses and dealers only elaborate doubts in validating an antique and establishing its worth; scholars and scientists who are called in to qualify merchandise concur that the truth of a piece is only an interpretation of the evidence; examples cited; photos (L)