May 22, 2005

Despite autopsy findings of homicide and statements by soldiers that two prisoners died after being struck by guards at an American military detention center in Bagram, Afghanistan, Army investigators initially recommended closing the case without bringing any criminal charges, documents and interviews show. Within days after the two deaths in December 2002, military coroners determined that both had been caused by ''blunt force trauma'' to the legs. Soon after, soldiers and others at Bagram told the investigators that military guards had repeatedly struck both men in the thighs while they were shackled and that one had also been mistreated by military interrogators.

TELEVISION tells us what housewives do when they are desperate, or at least what happens when the spouses of Wisteria Lane feel neglected. Car companies that find themselves in a similar fix -- hungry for attention and unable to arouse interest on the home front -- are obliged to take a different approach. Increasingly, automakers are tarting up standard models with upgrades to their style or performance -- or both. Spurred by the success of special high-performance models from German companies -- cars like the BMW M3 and various AMG-label cars from Mercedes-Benz -- automakers from Detroit, Japan and Britain are setting up their own in-house ''tuner'' operations to turn out limited-edition, premium-price cars with performance enhancements.

THERE was the sense in the capital last week, as the Senate began debate over the future of the filibuster in judicial nominations, that the country was on the brink of a revolutionary break with its traditions, barring a last-minute compromise. Depending on your political persuasion, that meant liberating the Senate, and the people's will, from an obstructionist minority or, on the other side, damaging the Senate and threatening one of the nation's fundamental protections against the tyranny of the majority. Both Republicans and Democrats claimed that the other side had embraced intransigent radicalism. But historians and political scientists seem to agree that if the Senate does indeed eliminate the judicial filibuster, that body and ultimately the courts could change in fundamental ways.

Living In column on NoHo, artists' enclave between Houston Street and Astor Place, where sleek new condos, co-ops and commercial buildings are sprouting up among jumble of old factories, prewar walk-ups and carriage houses; photos; map (M)

THIS is the time of year when new college graduates prepare to start the next chapter. It's a time for résumés and interviews and deciding what to be for the rest of your life. Or, if you follow the advice and example of Colleen Kinder, it's a time for deciding how to escape. Ms. Kinder is the author of what is becoming a must-read on college campuses -- ''Delaying the Real World: A Twentysomething's Guide to Seeking Adventure'' (Running Press, 2005). Unlike the ever-growing number of books on how to find a job, hers (and her Web site, delayingtherealworld.com) is about how not to find one. You have plenty of time for all that, she said. First, take time to do what you want, not what's expected.