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)