March 13, 2005

Lauren F Winner book Real Sex: The Naked Truth About Chastity examines power of sex and advantages of abstinence; photos (M)

Parent coaching for overstretched parents is catching on as cheaper than counseling and more flexible; such coaching is usually done over phone; coaches are not therapists or experts on mental health; try to be straight-talking sages rather than proponents of particular parenting philosophy; often tell parents of own experiences, which therapists rarely do; there are no prerequisites or licensing for coaches; some psychologists and child development experts are skeptical of trend; photos (L)

Iraqi Deputy Minister of Industry Sami al-Araji says after fall of Baghdad looters systematically dismantled and removed tons of machinery from most important weapons installations, including some with high-precision equipment capable of making parts for nuclear arms; facilities were left largely unguarded by allied forces; peak of organized looting was from mid-April to mid-May of 2003 as teams with flatbed trucks and heavy equipment moved systematically from site to site; United Nations has been hunting for equipment unsuccessfully across Middle East; photos; map (L)

Affordable apartments, those renting for $1,000 to $1,200, are scarce in Manhattan but can be found with effort in other New York City boroughs; are hardest to find in Manhattan's more affluent enclaves and in most of Staten Island; income needed to afford so-called affordable apartments exceeds earnings of many in city, although NYC is only 11th among nation's most rent-burdensome cities; photos (M)

At least 20 agencies have made and distributed hundreds of television news segments under Bush administration; many were broadcast on local stations without any acknowledgement of government's role in their production; law contains provisions to prevent domestic dissemination of government propaganda but line between facts and propaganda is easily blurred; administration sees 'good news' segments as powerful tools for shaping public opinion; photos (L)

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah addresses hundreds of thousands of party faithful on future of Lebanon in largest rally in Lebanon's history; risks becoming less of pan-Arab, pan-Islamic figure and just another Lebanese ward boss by plunging into politics, but scale of march is likely to forestall attempts to disarm Hezbollah; even Shiite critics argue that Hezbollah must reconcile its long-held stand as body of persecuted outsiders with its yearning for more stature before it tries to lead nation; photos (L)

Americans who found themselves drowning in debt have turned to federal bankruptcy laws, which are meant to give honest debtors chance to start over again; that may be changing; Senate has passed bill that its backers say will curb abuses and force those who can pay their debts to do so; critics contend that Congress is turning its back on principle of debtor's ability to start again, and punishing some victims of calamity; debate illustrates clash between competing American values: right to fresh start versus idea that people must be held responsible for their actions; graphs; drawing (M)

Life's Work column responds to reader requests for information about companies that are experimenting with programs that have retention programs for women and offer flexibility to women with families; drawing (M)

Excerpts from new book Conspiracy of Fools: A True Story by New York Times reporter Kurt Eichenwald, which provides behind-the-scenes look at Enron's rise and fall; drawing; photos (L)

Article discusses choreographer Matthew Bourne, whose latest work, Play Without Words, has a strong sexual content; Bourne's works emphasize theater as much as dance and are influenced by his being gay; photos (L)

Brokers comment on fine art of setting asking prices for apartments in New York City's torrid market; note buyers trained to offer at least asking price will not look at overpriced apartments; say sellers' expectations of getting 10 to 20 percent more than last comparable sale in their building may not be unrealistic (M)

China has two faces; its leaders want to be viewed as managing new kind of emerging superpower, one that will not threaten neighbors or the world; Communist Party, however, has also concluded it would lose power if it cedes Taiwan; China's leaders have announced that they will give themselves legal authority to attack Taiwan if they decide that disputed territory has ventured too far toward independence; it is latest attempt to prove that China will pay any price, including war that might involve US, to preserve its territorial integrity; photos (M)