June 6, 2004

Anemona Hartocollis Coping column on Dr Dara Kessler, holistic dentist who has decided, at age 30, to participate in group bat mitzvah at Angel Orensanz Foundation for Arts, home of Shul of New York; drawing (M)

Probe by New York Federal Reserve Bank, Treasury Department and Customs Service into how Iraqi central bank acquired during period of trade sanctions some $650 million in new United States currency found by American troops in Apr 2003 detailed; federal authorities say continuing probe offers road map of illicit dealings, including lucrative oil smuggling, in Iraq and neighoring nations during Saddam Hussein's reign; probe led quickly to Bank of America, HSBC Group, Royal Bank of Scotland and UBS, banks among select group handling task of distributing freshly printed dollars overseas; none of them sent money directly to Iraq, although UBS was found to have transfered dollars to other nations under sanctions, undetected by Federal Reserve auditors, and was fined $100 million; photos (M)

Michael Kimmelman suggests that World Trade Center site feature facility with temporary exhibition space for art shows that would not otherwise be seen, as well as inexpensive studios for students of various arts; says proposed Museum of Freedom is sham that should be rejected; photos (S)

Fighters loyal to Moktada al-Sadr, Shiite radical who fashioned army from discontented of Iraq's slums, begin to withdraw from centers of Najaf and Kufa where they have been battling American forces since April; there are reports that Sadr has met with with Grand Ayatolla Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most revered Shiite cleric; withdrawal, coupled with reported meeting of rival clerics, gives rise to hope that Sadr's rebellion might be ending; hundreds of Iraqis, including scores of civilians, have been killed since rebellion began and shrines have been damaged; Prime Min Iyad Allawi declares fighting is over, interview, and says Iraq will take control of thousands of Iraqi detainees held in American-controlled prisons; photo (M)

Article on type 2 diabetes as it affects women in families with strong genetic disposition, particularly when they are obese; disorder strikes both sexes equally but raises risk of heart disease and early death far more in women; Patricia High-Edo and her teenage daughter and Leslie Coleman, whose mother also has diabetes, discuss efforts to control weight; photos; blacks and American Indians are among groups in which disease is especially prevalent (special section, Women's Health) (M)