The upbeat mood present at the start of the year appears to have been clouded by rising gasoline prices, a cooling housing market and higher interest rates.

Gas Prices and Rate Worries Rattle Consumer Confidence

As drivers struggle to cope with fuel prices, working-class people with long commutes are suffering the most.

Full Tanks Put Squeeze on Working Class

The microchip, light bulb and television are all world-changing inventions that deserve celebration. And so does the shipping container.

A Revolution That Came in a Box

Justin Gatlin set the world record in the 100 meters at a Grand Prix meet in Doha, Qatar, winning the race in 9.76 seconds.

Gatlin Is Really the Fastest Man

No other cabinet member in recent memory has endured so lasting a deathwatch as John W. Snow.

Rumors May Fly, but Treasury Chief Hangs On

Lawmakers vowed to examine the phone database operation and possibly issue subpoenas to AT&T, BellSouth and Verizon.

Questions Raised for Phone Giants in Spy Data Furor

There are clear signs that the dust that responders breathed in have led to an increase in lung diseases.

Tracing Lung Ailments That Rose With 9/11 Dust

All teams have injured players, but few have virtually unlimited fallback options.

As Yanks Troll for a Star, the Have-Nots Sit Tight

Pat Riley is a veteran coach in search of another title and he has cleaned up his own mess.

Riley's Ego Trip Was the Right Move

Dell is sharply reducing prices again, but some think the strategy may not faze rivals this time.

Dell's World Isn't What It Used to Be

President Bush will deliver a televised address  on Monday to discuss immigration with a renewed emphasis on border security. 

Bush to Unveil Plan to Tighten Border Controls

The public dispute between China and the Vatican over the consecration of two bishops threatens recent gains in relations between the two.

A Bitter Game: Beijing Battles With Vatican

Making a choice between expensive health care for a pet or ending the life of that animal companion is a complicated dilemma most pet owners eventually face.

Vet Bills and the Priceless Pet: What's a Practical Owner to Do?

Unfortunately for Vince Carter and the Nets, the Heat got solid performances not only from its two stars, but also from its supporting cast.

Heat Uses Teamwork to Survive Carter's 43

Good pitching can bring everything into focus and make fielders look sharp, and that was the case as Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees dueled Barry Zito of Oakland.

Wang Helps Ease the Yankees' Pain

Harvey Araton Sports of The Times column discusses Miami Heat coach Pat Riley, who led team to 52-30 regular-season record; Heat leads Eastern Conference semifinal series against New Jersey Nets, 2-1; photos (M)

New York City police arrest WWPR-FM radio disc jockey Troi Torain for making on-air threats to rival disc jockey Raashaun Casey; Torain threatened to track down and sexually abuse Casey's 4-year-old daughter; observers say incident results from competition for listeners and influence of hip-hop culture; Torain was fired week after making threats; photo (M)

D.J. Is Arrested Over His Threat to Rival's Child

Dan Barry About New York column on closing of McDonald's restaurant in Belmont section of Bronx; says protests nine years ago tried to stop opening of McDonald's on Arthur Avenue, which is dedicated almost entirely to Italian food, over fears it would destroy flavor of area; says neighborhood feels vindicated over McDonald's closing; photo (M)

In This Part of the Bronx, Mac Wasn't Big Enough

Study showing that east Asian immigrants in New York City run far greater risk than other Americans for hepatitis B virus prompts health care providers to introduce reluctant popoulation to medical advances in treatment of virus, including early detection and medication that can suppress it; virus is especially rampant in Chinese community; photo (M)

A Queens Doctor Finds Fighting Hepatitis B Is a Frustrating Task

Federal appeals court questions New York State over its determination of prisoner residency; federal census allows states to count prisoners as residents of rural districts where they are imprisoned, rather than urban areas where they last lived; New York determination results in State Senate being dominated by Republican lawmakers from rural areas; court says process might be illegally dilluting voting rights of downstaters (M)

Court Asks if Residency Follows Inmates Up the River

Rising gas prices slow American consumer behavior for beginning of year; impact on spending is not clear, although experts agree that it has had impact; University of Michigan's consumer confidence index fell to its lowest level since gas prices started to rise; Commerce Department reports nation's trade deficit narrowed in March as country spent less on petroleum imports and exported more raw material and industrial equipment; International Energy Agency says rising energy prices have slowed global demand for oil; Labor Department reports price for petroleum imports to US jumped 11.5 percent in April; US imported $62 billion more than it exported in March, representing 5.5 percent decline from February's $65.6 deficit; imports of petroleum-based products fell 8.3 percent, to $22.5 billion, in March, while exports rose 46 percent, to $964 million; dollar fell to its lowest level this year against euro and British pound and lost less ground against Japanese yen; trade gap with China rose 13 percent, to $15.6 billion; photo (M)

Lawyer for Joseph P Nacchio, former chief executive of Qwest, says Nacchio rebuffed government requests for company's calling records after 9/11 because of disinclination on part of authorities to use any legal process; AT&T, BellSouth and Verizon, which did comply with National Security Agency's effort to build vast database of calling records, without warrants, say they were vigilant about their customers' privacy, but do not directly address their cooperation with government effort; legal experts say these companies face prospect of lawsuits seeking billions of dollars in damages over cooperation in program; Verizon is sued for as much as $50 billion on behalf of its subscribers; reaction around country appears to be divided (M)

William C Rhoden Sports of The Times column discusses New York Yankees, which could look to replace injured outfielder Hideki Matsui with star outfielder from another team (M)

Miami Heat defeats New Jersey Nets, 103-92, to lead Eastern Conference semifinals, 2-1; photos (M)

Joe Nocera column on 50th Anniversary of shipping container; cites several books on subject, including Marc Levinson's book The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger, which hails innovation as 'disruptive technology' that changed shipping industry completely; draws parallels to other industries; photo (M)

Jaroslav Jan Pelikan Jr. was an American scholar of the history of Christianity, Christian theology, and medieval intellectual history at Yale University.

Jaroslav Pelikan, American historian and scholar (born 1923)

Jaroslav_Pelikan

Johnnie James Wilder Jr. was the co-founder and co-lead vocalist of the R&B/funk group Heatwave, who were popular during the late 1970s with hits such as "Boogie Nights", "Mind Blowing Decisions", "Always and Forever", and "The Groove Line".

Johnnie Wilder, Jr., American singer (born 1949)

Johnnie_Wilder_Jr.

The 2006 São Paulo violence outbreak began on the night of May 12, 2006 in São Paulo, Brazil, the largest city in South America. It was among the worst outbreaks of violence in recorded Brazilian history and was directed against security forces and a few civilian targets. By May 14 the attacks had spread to other Brazilian states including Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais and Bahia.

São Paulo violence: Rebellions occur in several prisons in Brazil.

May 13, 2006

Headlines from May 13, 2006

Gas Prices and Rate Worries Rattle Consumer Confidence

Full Tanks Put Squeeze on Working Class

A Revolution That Came in a Box

Gatlin Is Really the Fastest Man

Rumors May Fly, but Treasury Chief Hangs On

Billboard 200

IV

Louder Now

We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

Director

A Girl Like Me

Notable Deaths

Historical Events

Historical Context for May 13, 2006