“Secret Diary” indulges the common male fantasy that whores truly enjoy prostitution.

Old Love, New Love, Ev’ry Love but True Love

Yosef Abrahamson, who moved to Crown Heights from Nebraska a year ago, is a 16-year-old Hasidic Jew, of Egyptian and African ethnic descent.

A Young Man From Omaha, Who May Perfectly Represent Brooklyn

The new Progressive Book Club is inviting readers to join and buy three books at $1 apiece in exchange for the obligation to buy four books over the next two years.

A Book Club Courts Liberals

Since last July, seven of the nation’s largest financial companies lost almost half of the combined profits they had made between early 2004 and mid-2007.

Nearly Half of Wall St. Bank Profits Are Gone

Tiger Woods, facing defeat in the United States Open, summoned one more dramatic shot to force an 18-hole playoff for the title Monday at noon Eastern.

Woods Forces a Playoff With a Dramatic Birdie on 18

A mutual distrust between two soldiers deployed in Iraq devolved into murder, according to prosecutors.

After a Feud and 2 Deaths, Soldiers’ Families Torn

Chien-Ming Wang’s season is in jeopardy after seriously injuring his right foot on the base paths Sunday, and C. C. Sabathia instantly became a very important name in the Yankees’ universe.

Yanks Lose Their Ace and Eye Another

Four years after Abdul Qadeer Khan’s atomic black market operation was declared over, inspectors are wondering who may have received the blueprints for a nuclear weapon found on his computer network.

Officials Fear Bomb Design Went to Others

Reflecting an eclectic Broadway season, the 62nd Annual Tony Awards decided to spread around the goodies.

The Tonys Spread the Glory Around

Many New Yorkers remain uncertain about Gov. David A. Paterson’s ability to address those problems.

In Poll, Taxes and the Economy Are New Yorkers’ Top Worries

Senator Barack Obama is more inclined to focus on the big picture over the day-to-day whirl while managing his campaign.

A Delegator, Obama Picks When to Take Reins

The Lakers pulled out a victory that extended the finals for another two days, sending the series back to Boston.

Lakers Say It Isn’t Over; Last Word to Be in Boston

The newest branch of Ikea, the Swedish furniture store, will open on Wednesday — another signpost, for better or worse, in Red Hook’s transformation.

Awaiting a Big Blue Box and an Altered World

The takeover of the music company EMI, a cherished icon in Britain, by the private equity financier Guy Hands has been a chaotic culture clash.

EMI’s New Boss Sees Cracks in Music World

Movers discreetly schlepped hundreds of millions of dollars worth of rare coins through Lower Manhattan to the American Numismatic Society’s new home.

A Treasure Travels, Inconspicuously

While open speculation about who might replace Tim Russert in his various roles at NBC News has been muted, a list of insiders for his role on “Meet the Press” is already circulating.

With Tim Russert’s Death, NBC News Must Replace a Man of Many Roles

The Mets lost the opener, nearly overcoming a six-run deficit, and defeated the Rangers in the nightcap, when Billy Wagner redeemed himself for blowing his previous three save opportunities.

A Split and Mixed Feelings for the Mets

State officials say they may have to create a $200 million emergency fund to finance workers’ compensation benefits because 12 trusts have failed financially.

State Seeks Way to Save Benefits for Workers

Bonnaroo started in 2002 as a jam-band marathon drawing latter-day Deadheads and Phish fans, but it has expanded every which way.

Jampacked Bonnaroo, Beyond Jams

The deal authorizes the state to take over the city’s Off-Track Betting Corporation while still granting the city a share of gambling revenues.

Late Deal Pulls OTB From Brink of Shutdown

For farmers who have seen their fields turn to floodplains, the rain and flooding could not have come at a worse time.

In Midwest Floods, a Broad Threat to Crops

Amid all the laurels and praise for the life of Tim Russert, journalists and politicians seem to be fearing that he may have taken a way of life with him.

In Mourning for a Man, and His Era

“The Incredible Hulk” was the top box-office draw over the weekend.

At the Box Office, Hulk’s More Incredible

Primary Stages has announced the cast of “Buffalo Gal,” the new comedy by A. R. Gurney that will be the first production in the company’s 2008-9 season.

Footnotes

Worries about James Joyce’s words and Federal Communications Commission rules have divided WBAI and Symphony Space over an annual reading of “Ulysses.”

Separate Bloomsdays for Theater and Radio

Mario Rigoni Stern was an Italian author and World War II veteran.

June 16, 2008

Headlines from June 16, 2008

Old Love, New Love, Ev’ry Love but True Love

A Young Man From Omaha, Who May Perfectly Represent Brooklyn

A Book Club Courts Liberals

Nearly Half of Wall St. Bank Profits Are Gone

Woods Forces a Playoff With a Dramatic Birdie on 18

Billboard 200

Here I Stand

Sex And The City

3 Doors Down

II Trill

Spirit

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for June 16, 2008