May 24, 2005

Michiko Kakutani reviews book 1776 by David McCullough; photos (M)

Alessandra Stanley reviews reality TV show Britney and Kevin: Chaotic and made-for-TV movies Trump Unauthorized and Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution; photos (M)

Like a giant awakened from sleep, Shaquille O'Neal lumbered a bit, adrenaline carrying him off the bench and onto the court at American Airlines Arena after a 13-day layoff. But by the end of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Detroit Pistons' defense had worn down O'Neal, and the Miami Heat had encountered a roadblock of championship proportions.

Labor Department issues advisory opinion that banks, brokerage firms and investment firms cannot accept payments from mutual fund companies in exchange for steering retirement account customers into those funds; opinion may help eliminate some of troubling conflicts of interest that exist in many individuals' retirement accounts; views come in letter to Country Trust Bank, Illinois savings institution; says fiduciary like Country Trust may not cause plan to engage in transaction that will generate 'consideration from a third party in connection with such transaction'; adds if it does, fiduciary must reduce other fees charged to plan participants by amount it received from third party (M)

New York State officials seized control of the Brooklyn Manor adult home yesterday, saying that the mentally ill residents who live there were in imminent danger because of abuses on the part of the management. The move came less than a month after a fire in the home left one resident dead and raised renewed concern about the overall management of Brooklyn Manor, which is meant to offer a refuge for mentally ill people who have no other place to go.