A new movement promotes healthy sexuality for people with mental retardation and related disabilities.

Learning to Savor a Full Life, Love Life Included

If the United States persuades China to push up the value of its currency, there could be some unintended consequences.

Rising Yuan Pushes China Upmarket

Italy's highest court upheld Silvio Berlusconi's defeat in last week's elections, but he is not yet conceding defeat.

For Berlusconi, Defeat Isn't End of the Campaign

To the long list of adjectives used to describe Texans since last summer's hurricanes -- munificent, intrepid, scrappy -- add one more: fed up.      Seven months after two powerful hurricanes blew through the Gulf Coast, elected officials, law enforcement agencies and many residents say Texas is nearing the end of its ability to play good neighbor without compensation.  

Storm Evacuees Strain Texas Hosts

Kips Bay Decorator Show House, set up in 1886 mansion on East 75th Street, has rooms by two dozen decorators; photos (M)

Kips Bay: Buatta, Goatskin and an $85,000 Stove

The official voice of the tram operator was reassuring: We are experiencing a delay, but we will be moving shortly. As the hours passed, however, the thoughts of the stranded passengers on the Roosevelt Island Tramway darkened.     ''You always think the worst, like sabotage, like terrorism,'' said Carlos Gutierrez, 54, who works for the United Nations and was stuck above the East River in the gondola that had left Manhattan.  

Confined and Coping as the Hours Passed

Parents are continuing to provide support for their educated, employed, urban-dwelling young adults, often into their 30's; some experts say willingness of parents to subsidize adult children is deferring their coming of age; others say young adults with support from their families make smoother transition into adulthood; photos (M)

The Bank of Mom and Dad

George Vecsey Sports of The Times column discusses Atlanta Braves, which have won 14 consecutive division titles, and New York Mets, which look like this could be the year that they win National League East (M)

Braves Still Do What They Do Best

The worldwide thirst for stuff from the ground -- materials as diverse as copper and coal, gold and oil -- has set off a stunning boom in just about every commodity market. But there is one item that lately has dealers in the global mining industry really scrambling: the supersize tire.     Mining companies are complaining about a shortfall in the supply of the giant tires that go on large dump trucks and other heavy equipment. These outsize tires stand as tall as 12 feet tall and can spread 4 feet wide.  

Big Tires in Short Supply

Italy's highest court on Wednesday upheld the narrow victory of Romano Prodi in last week's elections, apparently ending Silvio Berlusconi's tenure as prime minister after five years -- except that the mercurial Mr. Berlusconi still would not concede defeat.      Instead, there were strong signs that he was possibly opening a new campaign: to be named the nation's president, or at least have a strong say in the choice.  

At last count, roughly a dozen celebrity magazines filled newsstands in a bid to feed the maw of a gossip-hungry public.      The New York Post is hoping there is room for at least one more.  

Page Six, the Magazine, Is Returning (With an Edge, of Sorts)

New York Yankees defeat Toronto Blue Jays, 3-1; photo (M)6

Yankees and Mussina Tweak the Template

Kate Moss's modeling career is back on track after slight derailment caused by photographs allegedly showing her using cocaine in Sept 2005; she was dropped from two major advertising campaigns at time, but did stint in rehab and is back in campaigns for Longchamp bags and Nikon; photos (M)

Being Bad: The Career Move

For 30 years, the red cage sat on a concrete slab below the Roosevelt Island Tramway station. On Tuesday afternoon, with 68 people trapped in a pair of trams hundreds of feet above their heads, rescue workers from the Police Department were faced with a nerve-racking challenge: how to turn the cage, which resembles a jungle gym, into a moving platform that would travel along the cables, pull up alongside the swaying trams and bring the passengers safely back to earth.     ''There's never been a rescue like this before,'' Paul J. Browne, the department's chief spokesman, said yesterday. ''They had to do a fair amount of improvising.''  

Tram Rescuers Rigged 2 Untested Ways Out

Elizabeth Sheridan, resident of Forest Hills Gardens, Queens, one of America's oldest planned communities, is sued by neighbor Peter E Vairo for decorating her front yard with artificial Christmas trees; Vairo claims Forest Hills Bardens Corp, which is also named in suit, has failed to enforce its strict aesthetic regulations; Sheridan vows to countersue for harassment; map; photo (M)

From Plastic Blossoms, a Mighty Resentment Grows

 INTERNATIONAL   A3-14    Prodi Victory Upheld; Berlusconi Still Isn't Done  Italy's highest court upheld the narrow victory of Romano Prodi in last week's elections, apparently ending Silvio Berlusconi's tenure as prime minister -- except that Mr. Berlusconi still would not concede defeat.    A1    More Deaths in Nepal Protests  The Royal Nepalese Army fired at pro-democracy protesters in an eastern town, killing at least two and bringing the death toll to at least eight in two weeks of demonstrations.    A3    Chinese Leader Optimistic  President Hu Jintao of China, on the second day of his visit to the United States, said the two nations ''enjoy extensive common interests'' and can avoid major problems in their relationship if they ''avoid politicizing'' the issues that divide them.    A6    Nuclear Fuel Returns to Russia  The United States National Nuclear Security Administration said it had completed the removal of about 139 pounds of weapons-grade nuclear fuel from a reactor in Uzbekistan and transferred the material to a secure storage site in Russia.    A8    Hamas Denies It Hid Arms  Hamas denied accusations by Jordan that it had hidden a cache of weapons inside Jordan's borders. Jordan said that the discovery of the weapons prompted it to postpone a visit by the Palestinian foreign minister, who is also a senior Hamas leader.    A14    Iraqis Call to End Impasse  Iraqi political leaders called for the Parliament to reconvene in hopes of breaking the paralyzing conflict over forming a government even as sectarian fighting has continued.    A12    Vote Set on Afghan Cabinet  Afghanistan's newly established Parliament is preparing to vote on a 25-member cabinet proposed by President Hamid Karzai, but there is uncertainty about whether many of his choices will be approved.    A12    Broad Blame in Ferry Deaths  Government incompetence and ''wicked collusion'' between a ferry owner and a government agency resulted in the drowning of more than 1,000 people in the Red Sea in February, when an Egyptian passenger ship sank, according to the findings of a preliminary parliamentary investigation.    A12    SCIENCE/HEALTH    Cholera Spreading in Angola  Angola is suffering its worst outbreak of cholera in more than a decade, recording 554 deaths and 12,052 cases in over two months, according to Doctors Without Borders.    A6    Expert Ties to Drug Companies  More than half the psychiatrists who took part in developing a widely used diagnostic manual for mental disorders had financial ties to drug companies before or after the manual was published, public health researchers reported.    A20    NATIONAL   A16-25    Bush Shakeup Continues, With an Exit and a Shift  The overhaul of the White House staff intensified as Karl Rove, one of the president's most powerful and feared advisers, gave up day-to-day control over the administration's domestic policy to concentrate on the midterm elections and Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, said he would step down.    A1    Boston Church Opens Finances  Seeking to allay the distrust of parishioners shaken by the sexual abuse scandal, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston opened its books, releasing what experts and church officials say is the most detailed financial accounting by any diocese.    A16    Mumps Outbreak Spreads  In the largest mumps outbreak in the United States in more than 20 years, almost 1,000 people have contracted the disease in the Midwest, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The epidemic began in Iowa, and has spread to at least seven other states.    A16    Immigrants Seek Political Role  The leaders of immigrant advocacy groups remain sharply divided over whether immigrants should demonstrate their economic strength by staying away from their jobs, schools and local shops on May 1.    A23    Court Considers Arizona Law  The Supreme Court considers whether a combination of statutes and judicial decisions that make Arizona one of the most unreceptive states to a criminal defendant's evidence of mental illness meet the basic test of fairness, or due process of law.    A25    Census Shows New Patterns  The 1990's exodus to other states from California and from the Northeast appears to have eased since 2000, but not in metropolitan New York, a Census Bureau analysis says. The Midwest is still losing residents, and the West is gaining.    A25    New Witnesses for Moussaoui  The jury deciding whether to order the execution of Zacarias Moussaoui heard a new round of testimony from family members of people killed on Sept. 11, 2001. The new witnesses were presented by the defense.    A20    NEW YORK/REGION   B1-6    Tram Ordeal Forces Rescuers to Improvise  Armed with little precedent, rescuers had to improvise to save the 68 people who were stuck hovering above the city after a power surge shut down the Roosevelt Island Tramway.   A1    Firefighters Endorse Clinton  After months of speculation about her political future, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who boasts a huge campaign war chest and minimal Republican opposition, celebrated her endorsement by two firefighters' unions at a ceremony that was an implicit kickoff to her Senate race.    B3    Finance Plan for Downtown  Officials from the Pataki, Corzine and Bloomberg administrations said they were finally in agreement on a workable financial plan to rebuild at ground zero and have the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey take control of the Freedom Tower.    B1    Chernobyl's Wide Reach  Doctors who work with émigrés from the former Soviet Union say that population accounts for a significant part of the sharp rise in New York State's thyroid cancer cases because of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor two decades ago.   B1    OBITUARIES   B7    Henderson Forsythe  An accomplished character actor who demonstrated his versatility in plays by dramatists like O'Neill, Beckett and Pinter and in rollicking musicals, movies and television - including 31 years on the soap opera ''As the World Turns,'' he was 88.    B7    ARTS   E1-12    Hollywood Extortion Claim  In 2002, the billionaire Ronald W. Burkle, who was recently caught up in an alleged extortion plot by a longtime contributor to The New York Post's gossip column, told federal investigators that the Hollywood private detective Anthony Pellicano demanded that Mr. Burkle pay him $100,000 to $250,000 in exchange for Mr. Pellicano's agreeing not to investigate him.   E1    BUSINESS DAY   C1-16    Intel's Quarterly Profit Falls  Intel reported a decline in quarterly profits in the face of competition from Advanced Micro Devices and a general slowdown in the personal computer market.    C1    The ascent of Apple Computer continued in the most recent quarter with the company reporting a sharp increase in sales and profit.   C3    Consequence of Rising Yuan  If the United States helps to push up the value of China's currency, increased competition from Chinese companies selling more advanced, expensive products could be the result.   C1    Shortage of Giant Tires  Mining companies are complaining about a shortage of giant tires that go on large dump trucks and other heavy equipment. Prices have quadrupled for some of them in the last year to more than $40,000 a tire.   C1    Inflation Up in March  Rising prices of energy, shelter and clothing pushed inflation higher in March, reviving fears on Wall Street that the Federal Reserve might keep ratcheting up interest rates after its May meeting.   C3    Business Digest   C2    EDITORIAL   A26-27    Editorials: Things change, and stay the same; how dare they use our oil!; the teacher subsidy; Francis X. Clines on city life.    Column: Bob Herbert.    Bridge   E9  Crossword   E2  TV Listings   E11  Weather   D7  

News Summary

Prosecutor Sean M Berkowitz suggests that former Enron chief executive Jeffrey K Skilling lied about why he resigned and that he was considering job as chief of Lucent Technologies despite claims of wanting to spend more time with family; Skilling is charged with engaging in insider trading and conspiring to defraud Enron's investors; questions about motives are latest attempt to challenge Skilling's credibility in order to show he knew of company's accounting problems and losses; photo (M)

Prosecutor Suggests Skilling Lied About Why He Quit

The coalition that organized the demonstrations demanded that the king restore Nepal's Parliament and relinquish control of the government.

Army Fires at Protesters as Nepal's Political Crisis Deepens

The Royal Nepalese Army fired at pro-democracy protesters in an eastern town on Wednesday, as the death toll climbed to at least eight in two weeks of defiant demonstrations and the country appeared headed toward a dangerous brink.     The brink of what remained unclear.  

Apple Computer reports sharp increase in sales and profit in most recent quarter; profit in second quarter that ended April 1 increased 41 percent, to $410 million, compared with $290 million year earlier; sales rose 34 percent, to $4.36 billion, compared with $3.24 billion year ago; photo (M)

Apple Reports Sharp Climb in Both Sales and Earnings

Livery-cab driver Kwame Appeigyei is fatally shot by passenger on Staten Island in apparent robbery; police say second passenger in cab when driver was shot was also robbed; say camera mounted inside cab may have photographed shooting; photo (M)

Cabby Is Fatally Shot by Passenger on Staten Island

Habu Textiles in New York City offers hand-woven fabrics and wide variety of yarns for weaving or knitting; photo (S)

Weaving and Knitting: Yarns of Cashmere, Silk and Steel

Signs of life are emerging in Balakot, Pakistan, from the rubble of last October's earthquake, but the mood is far from celebratory.

Quake-Stricken Town Is to Move, Saddening Survivors

New York Knicks defeat New Jersey Nets, 90-83 (M)n

Nets Seek Validation and New Fan Base

Like the tender green shoots emerging with spring's warmth, signs of life are emerging here from the rubble of last October's devastating earthquake. Produce markets are busy, and the sounds of construction reverberate through the neighborhoods, but the mood here is anything but celebratory.      That is because the government has decided that Balakot, a town of about 30,000 that was closest to the epicenter of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake and by far the most damaged, will have to be relocated. Balakot, it turns out, sits on top of two major fault lines.  

April 20, 2006

Headlines from April 20, 2006

Learning to Savor a Full Life, Love Life Included

Rising Yuan Pushes China Upmarket

For Berlusconi, Defeat Isn't End of the Campaign

Storm Evacuees Strain Texas Hosts

Kips Bay: Buatta, Goatskin and an $85,000 Stove

Billboard 200

Me And My Gang

NOW 21

King

High School Musical

Greatest Hits Vol 2: Reflected

Historical Context for April 20, 2006