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INSERT INTO `corpora` VALUES (1,1,'Alternaria-Fäule Im Lager wächst der Pilz vor allem auf abgestorbenem, organischem Material (saprophytär) und tritt daher häufig in Verbindung mit weicher Schalenbräune und Sonnenbrand auf. Die Symptome äußern sich im Lager als größere, verkorkte, schwarze Faulstellen. Die leicht eingesunkenen Stellen ragen vorerst nicht tief in das Fruchtfleisch hinein, breiten sich mit zunehmender Lagerdauer jedoch aus. Zudem wird im Laufe der Lagerung häufig ein oliv- bis dunkelbraunes Pilzmycel an der Oberfläche der befallenen Fruchtstellen sichtbar. Als Wundparasiten können Alternariapilze außerdem offene Lentizellen (punktförmige Poren in der Fruchtschale) und Verletzungsstellen der Frucht besiedeln und teils auch durch die offene Kelchröhre bis in das Kerngehäuse der Früchte vordringen und dort Kernhausschimmel verursachen. In Südtirol kann es bei feucht-warmen Witterungsverhältnissen während der Vegetationsperiode zudem zu einer Pilzinfektion im Feld kommen: Die Symptome einer Alternaria- Infektion im Feld unterscheiden sich jedoch deutlich von jenen, die im Lager zu beobachten sind. Grundsätzlich kann im Feld zwischen einem Schadbild im Frühjahr und einem Schadbild im Sommer unterschieden werden. Frühzeitiger Fruchtbefall (in Südtirol Mitte Mai bis Mitte Juni) tritt meist im Kelchbereich der Früchte auf. Typisch sind kleine, dunkelbraune oder schwarze, bis 0.5 mm große Lentizellenflecken, die häufig von einem braunen Ring umgeben sind. Im Unterschied dazu zeigt sich der Sommerbefall häufig seitlich an der Frucht. Die Flecken sind etwas größer und oftmals ist darunter eine kleine Verkorkung, ähnlich der Stippe, festzustellen. Zudem kann man an der sonnenexponierten Fruchtseite häufig einen roten Ring um die Befallsstellen beobachten.\r\n'),(2,1,'Bitterfäule Charakteristisch bei der Bitterfäule ist die \"Ruhepause\" zwischen der Infektion und dem Auftreten der Fäulesymptome. Bei der Ernte sind die Früchte optisch gesund und die Symptome zeigen sich erst mit zunehmender Reife im Lager. Im Kühllager sind die Symptome bereits ab ca. Januar zu finden. Durch die Lagerung bei CA- oder ULO-Bedingungen, bzw. einer MCP-1-Behandlung werden die Reifung und damit auch das Auftreten der Symptome deutlich länger verzögert. Beim Ausbruch der Bitterfäule zeigen sich um die Lentizellen (punktförmige Poren in der Fruchtschale) der Früchte mehrere rundliche, leicht eingesunkene, glatte und oft straffe, braune, Faulstellen. Die Faulstellen können sehr zahlreich sein, ein \"Durchfaulen\" der Frucht bleibt jedoch aus. Beim Aufschneiden der Frucht ist die typische kegelförmige Fäule im Fruchtfleisch zu erkennen. Je nach Art entwickeln sich auf den Faulstellen unterschiedlich gefärbte Sporenlager. Nicht selten ist die ganze Partie einer Ernte betroffen.\r\n'),(3,1,'Botrytis Infektionen im Kelchbereich sind unregelmäßig geformt und variieren in der Farbe von hell- bis dunkelbraun. Anfangs ist es oft nur durch eine leichte Rötung der Schale in der Kelchgrubenregion sichtbar, die sich später zu einer braunen Läsion entwickelt und in der ganzen Frucht zu sehen sein kann. Die im Lager auftretende Graufäule äußert sich durch hellbraun verfaulte Früchte mit wässrig weichem Fruchtfleisch. Die Lentizellen (punktförmige Poren in der Fruchtschale) sind oft braun verfärbt und typischerweise werden Myzele mit grauem Sporenrasen sichtbar.\r\n'),(4,1,'Fruchtschorf Auf den Äpfeln zeigen sich rundliche Flecken. Je nach Infektionszeitpunkt haben diese unterschiedliche Ausprägungen und es kann zwischen Früh-, Spät- und Lagerschorf unterschieden werden. Beim Frühschorf (Infektion in einer frühen Entwicklungsphase der Frucht) sind die Flecken groß und fließen häufig zusammen. Sie sind grau-braun verfärbt, ausgetrocknet und verkorkt. Oft sind die Befallsstellen rissig und es kommt zusätzlich zu Fruchtfäulen. Früchte mit Frühschorf sind im Lager nicht zu finden, da diese aufgrund des fortschreitenden Befalls während der Fruchtentwicklung vorzeitig vom Baum fallen bzw. nicht eingelagert werden. Beim Spätschorf (Infektion in einer späteren Entwicklungsphase der Frucht) sind mehrere und kleinere Befallsstellen zu finden. Die Flecken sind olivfarben und matt. Der Rand der Flecken ist silbrig weiß verfärbt. Beim Lagerschorf handelt es sich um sehr späte Fruchtinfektionen kurz vor der Ernte, die bei der Einlagerung noch nicht sichtbar sind. Erst im Lager werden die typischen tiefschwarzen und stecknadelkopfgroßen Punkte sichtbar. Oft entstehen diese in großer Anzahl.\r\n'),(5,1,'Fusarium-Fäule Äußerliche Infektionen von Fusarium äußern sich im Lager als braune, weiche, teils wässrige und meist zirkuläre Faulstellen verschiedener Dimension. Zusätzlich wird häufig ein flaumartiges Pilzgeflecht sichtbar, welches die befallenen Früchte nach und nach umspinnt. Bedeutsamer ist die Rolle von Fusarium Pilzen jedoch als Verursacher von Kernhausfäule: Hierbei sind die Symptome der Infektion anfänglich äußerlich meist nicht erkennbar. Nur im Bereich der Kelch- bzw. der Stielgrube sind gelegentlich braune, leicht eingesunkene Faulstellen sichtbar, die mit dem erkrankten Kerngehäuse in Verbindung stehen. Beim Aufschneiden der befallenen Früchte wird im Inneren ein vorerst weißes, sich später grüngelb bis scharlachrot umfärbendes, watteartiges Pilzgeflecht sichtbar, welches das Kernhaus überzieht. Bei für den Pilz günstigen Lagerbedingungen (hohe Luftfeuchtigkeit und hohe Temperatur) kann sich die Infektion zudem auf das Fruchtfleisch ausdehnen, welches von innen heraus faul wird. Hierbei entstehen rötlich-braune, kompakte, vom gesunden Fruchtfleisch scharf abgegrenzte Faulstellen. Bei hochgradigem Befall ist die gesamte Frucht befallen und mumifiziert.\r\n'),(6,1,'Grünfäule Ausgangspunkt der Infektion ist häufig eine Verletzung der Fruchthaut, die durch unsachgemäße Handhabung der Früchte bei der Ernte und Aufbereitung verursacht wird. Zu Beginn zeigen die Äpfel einen hellen, wässrigen Fleck an der Infektionsstelle. Der Pilz breitet sich schnell aus und zerrsetzt das Fruchtgewebe. Die wachsende Faulstelle fällt ein, Saft tritt aus dem Fruchtfleisch und die gesamte Frucht wird wässrig und matschig. Vom Ausgangspunkt der Fäulnis beginnend, bilden sich weiße, dann grün-blaue Sporenpolster und bedecken schließlich die gesamte Frucht. Es werden massenhaft Sporen gebildet die sich leicht im Lager verbreiten. Als Sekundärerreger befällt der Pilz die Infektionsstellen von Früchten, welche bereits mit anderen Lagerkrankheiten infiziert sind, es kommt zu Mischinfektionen. Benachbarte gesunde Früchte (Befallsnester) sowie Holzkisten können ebenfalls von der Grünfäule befallen werden.\r\n'),(7,1,'Kelchfäule Nectria galligena ist die Hauptfruchtform des Erregers für Obstbaumkrebs und befällt hauptsächlich Apfel- und Birnenbäume, besonders in den nördlichen Breiten, wohingegen er im Süden, z.B. in Südtirol kaum eine Rolle spielt und fast nie an Äpfeln zu finden ist. Über Eintrittspforten, wie Schnittstellen oder Frostrisse, gelangt der Erreger in das Holz. Meist tritt in der Nähe eines Auges ein braun-rot gefärbter eingesunkener Fleck auf, der sich rasch vergrößert und die Rinde aufplatzen lässt. Die Folge sind verdorrte Zweige oberhalb der Wunde, da diese unzureichend mit Nährstoffen und Wasser versorgt werden. Der Baum reagiert darauf indem er versucht die Wunden durch Überwallungswülste zu schließen, was den Pilz aber nicht an der Ausbreitung hindert. Gut sichtbar sind die weißlichen Konidienlager. Später sieht man die kugeligen, rötlichen Fruchtkörper an der abgestorbenen Rinde. Auch Früchte können befallen werden. Bei einem frühen Befall zeigen sich schwarzgefärbte, trockene, faulige Stellen an den Früchten bereits in der Anlage. Bei einem späten Befall erscheinen sie erst im Lager, wobei die Symptome hier der Botrytis-Kelchfäule ähneln. Im Unterschied zur Lentizellenfäule werden die hellbraunen Sporenlager von einem weißen Flaum umgeben. Kelchfäule kann auch durch andere Erreger verursacht werden (siehe Schadbeschreibungen Grünfäule und Graufäule) und äußert sich als scharf abgegrenzte Infektion in der Kelchgegend. Das befallene Gewebe ist eingetrocknet und dunkelbraun gefärbt.\r\n'),(8,1,'Kernhausfäule Kernhausfäule kann durch eine Reihe von Schadpilzen verursacht werden und tritt vor allem bei Sorten auf, deren Kelchröhre sortentypisch nach außen offen ist und so dem Pilz als Eingangspforte dient. Die Symptome der Pilzinfektion sind anfänglich äußerlich meist nicht erkennbar. Nur im Bereich der Kelch- bzw. der Stielgrube sind gelegentlich braune, leicht eingesunkene Faulstellen sichtbar, die mit dem erkrankten Kerngehäuse in Verbindung stehen. Das Samengehäuse im Inneren des Apfels ist am Anfang des Krankheitsbefalles, je nach vorhandenem Schadpilz, mit einem weißen, gräulichen, grünlichgelben oder roten Mycel bedeckt. Im fortschreitenden Stadium durchbricht der Erreger die Kernhauswand und die Erkrankung zieht sich bis ins Fruchtfleischgewebe. Untersuchungen zu Kernhausfäule bei der Sorte Red Delicious, durchgeführt am Versuchszentrum Laimburg in Südtirol, haben ergeben, dass hauptsächlich, aber nicht ausschließlich, Spezies der Pilzgattung Botrytis für das Auftreten und die Entwicklung des Schadens verantwortlich sind. Zudem konnten bei befallenen Früchten der genannten Sorte auch Spezies der Gattungen Fusarium, Penicillium und Alternaria nachgewiesen werden. Die Infektion erfolgt ab der Nachblüte. Während der Wachstumsperiode über den Sommer verbleibt der Erreger als Dauerstadium im Kernhaus und infiziert das Gewebe von Kernhaus und Fruchtfleisch erst bei Eintritt der Fruchtreife. Das Auftreten von Kernhausfäule ist witterungsabhängig, in niederschlagsreichen Jahren ist die Infektionsrate höher. Frühe Sorten sind durch ihre Blüte bei meist noch nass-kalter Witterung gefährdet. Bei für den Pilz günstigen Lagerbedingungen (hohe Luftfeuchtigkeit und hohe Temperatur) und langer Lagerdauer kann sich die Infektion auch auf das Fruchtfleisch ausdehnen, welches dann von innen heraus faul wird. Die Beschaffenheit der Fäule ist, je nach vorhandenem Schadpilz, entweder von weicher, wässriger Konsistenz oder eher korkartig. In feuchter Atmosphäre kann zudem aus den Lentizellen (punktförmige Poren in der Fruchtschale) der Schale ein flaumartiger „Schimmel“ (Myzel) sprießen, welcher nach und nach die ganze Frucht umspinnt und Sporen bildet. Bei hochgradigem Befall ist die gesamte Frucht befallen und eventuell mumifiziert. Befallene Früchte im Feld sind meist früh reif und fallen vorzeitig ab.\r\n'),(9,1,'Monilia-Fruchtfäule Die Symptome der Monilia-Fruchtfäule treten kurz nach der Einlagerung der Früchte auf. Im Lager entwickelt sich die typische Schwarzfäule. Die Früchte sind glänzend braun bis kohlschwarz und das Fruchtfleisch ist braun. Die Früchte bleiben fest, sind lederartig, zäh und trocken. Auf den schwarzen Äpfeln bilden sich teilweise grau-weiße Sporenpusteln. Durch den direkten Kontakt der Früchte in den Kisten wird Monilia von den kranken Früchten auf gesunde Früchte übertragen. Es entstehen die typischen \"Monilia-Nester\", bei denen die Früchte aneinander kleben.\r\n'),(10,1,'Mucor-Fruchtfäule Die Frucht wird an den infizierten Stellen braun bis glasige. Häufig beginnt die Infektion in der Stielgrube oder im Bereich von Verletzungen. Durch den einsetzenden Gärprozess blähte sich die Frucht mit gespannter Fruchthaut auf, diese platzt bei geringstem Druck. Es kommt dabei zu einem starkem wässrig und matschigen Saftaustritt infolge der Zellwandzersetzung. Im fortgeschrittenen Stadium bildet sich ein charakteristischer weißer Pilzrasen mit kleinen schwarzen Sporenbehältern.\r\n'),(11,1,'Regenfleckenkrankheit Erste Symptome zeigen sich in Abhängigkeit der lokalen Niederschlagsverhältnisse zwischen Anfang und Ende Juli (Süddeutschland) bis August (Norddeutschland) als schwarz-grünlich-grauer, leicht durchscheinender Belag auf der Fruchtoberfläche. Die Symptome zeigen sich zuerst dort, wo sich die Nässe lange hält, wie in der Stielgrube oder der Berührungsfläche zwischen zwei Äpfeln. Bis zur Ernte breitet sich der Befall auf der Fruchtschale, in Abhängigkeit der Feuchtebedingungen, durch flächiges Wachstum der vorhandenen Symptome sowie über neue Infektionsstellen weiter aus. Der Pilz wächst dabei nur auf der äußersten Schicht der Fruchtschale, der Kutikula, und penetriert diese nicht. Daher sind die Symptome, je nach Ausprägungsgrad, in gewissem Maße abbürstbar. Berostete Flächen auf der Fruchtschale weisen keine Regenflecken auf. Im Gegensatz zum flächigen Befall der Regenfleckenkrankheit verursacht der Erreger der Fliegenschmutzkrankheit einzelne stecknadelgroße, auf der Fruchtschale gruppierte Punkte. Beide Krankheiten können gemeinsam oder unabhängig voneinander auftreten und werden teilweise synonym verwendet.\r\n'),(12,1,'Stängelfäule Risse oder andere Verletzungen im Stängelbereich können Eintrittspforten für pilzliche Erreger bilden. Die Fäulnis tritt also sekundär auf. Je nach Erreger kann das infizierte Gewebe unterschiedlich gefärbt sein. Die Fäulnis verbreitet sich aber immer vom Stiel ausgehend, teilweise über die ganze Frucht. Das befallene Gewebe ist nicht vom gesunden Gewebe separiert.\r\n'),(13,1,'Trockenfäule Wenn in den Lagerräumen die relative Luftfeuchtigkeit sehr niedrig ist, können sich auf den Früchten eingetrocknete Faulstellen bilden. Die Äpfel werden meist unförmig und die Schale papierähnlich ohne die durch den Pilz hervorgerufene Färbung zu verlieren. Pilze brauchen ein feuchtes Nährmedium, daher breitet sich die Fäule unter trockenen Bedingungen nicht weiter aus.\r\n'),(14,1,'weißer Hauch Weißer Hauch zeigt sich als feiner, mattgrauer Belag auf der Fruchtschale, welcher durch mehrere Myzelschichten eines Brandpilzes hervorgerufen wird. Die Myzelschicht nimmt im Lager zu, lässt sich aber, im Gegensatz zur Trübschaligkeit (Lufteinschlüsse), entfernen.\r\n'),(15,1,'Alters-Fleischbräune Die betroffenen Früchte weisen meist eine kreisförmige Fleischbräune auf, welche im Gegensatz zur CA-bedingten Fleischbräune nicht im Inneren des Fruchtfleisches, sondern unmittelbar unter der Schale beginnt und sich mit zunehmendem Schaden in das Fruchtinnere ausbreitet. Bei fortgeschrittener Alters-Fleischbräune können äußerlich dunkle, die Schale durchschimmernde Bereiche sichtbar werden, meist verbunden mit einem massiven Weichwerden der Frucht (in Südtirol: Morschigkeit). Altersfleischbräune kann während oder nach der Lagerung auftreten.\r\n'),(16,1,'Alters-Schalenbräune Das Schadbild zeigt oberflächliche, unscharf begrenzte Verbräunungen der Epidermis (Oberhaut, unter der Kutikula gelegen) der Fruchtschale und ist somit optisch von der gewöhnlichen Schalenbräune oft nicht unterscheidbar. An den betroffenen Stellen sinkt das Gewebe der Fruchtschale nach längerer Lagerung zusätzlich etwas ein und meist verbräunt auch das direkt darunterliegende Fruchtfleisch. Im Gegensatz zur gewöhnlichen Schalenbräune treten die Symptome nicht nur an der Schattenseite, sondern häufig auf der Sonnenseite von zu spät geernteten Früchten auf. Des Weiteren kann Altersschalenbräune, bei nahezu allen Sorten, durch eine Überlagerung hervorgerufen werden. Als besonders anfällige Sorten gelten Golden Delicious, Jonagold und Idared.\r\n'),(17,1,'Aufspringen Das Schadbild zeigt anfänglich kleine, oberflächliche Risse der Fruchthaut, welche mit zunehmender Reife, bzw. Lagerdauer größer werden und vorwiegend im zentralen Bereich der Früchte lokalisiert sind. Meist reißt nicht nur die Haut, sondern auch ein Teil des darunterliegenden Fruchtfleisches auf. Das Fruchtfleisch der aufgesprungenen Früchte weist eine mehlige, teils trockene Konsistenz auf und die Frucht verliert zunehmend an Saftigkeit und Geschmack. Je nach Sorte verändert sich die Farbe des Fruchtfleisches an den aufgeplatzten Stellen zu einem schmutzigen Cremeweiß bis Hellbraun. Häufig kommt es an den aufgesprungenen Stellen zu Infektionen durch Wundparasiten und die aufgeplatzten Stellen beginnen zu faulen. Vor allem übergroße und zu spät geerntete oder überlagerte Früchte sind bei zu hoher Luftfeuchtigkeit und Temperatur im Lager gefährdet für Aufplatzen.\r\n'),(18,1,'Berostungen Betroffene Früchte zeigen braun-graue aufgeraute teilweise netzartige Strukturen auf der Fruchtoberfläche. Teilweise sind die Berostungen auf bestimmte Bereiche wie den Kelch- oder Stielgrubenbereich begrenzt, es kann aber auch vorkommen, dass die komplette Frucht betroffen ist. Im Extremfall sind die Früchte unförmig und die Schale sogar aufgerissen. Berostete Stellen verlieren mehr Wasser, so dass die betroffenen Bereiche oder die komplette Frucht nach einiger Zeit schrumpelig werden. \r\n'),(19,1,'Bor-Mangel Früchte mit Bor-Mangel sind kleiner und zeigen häufig äußerlich sichtbare Fruchtdeformationen. Diese können beulig und auch ringförmig angeordnet sein. Besonders unter der betroffenen Schale aber auch teilweise im Inneren der Frucht findet man bräunliche und verkorkte Bereiche. Berostungsempfindliche Sorten neigen zusätzlich zu einem verstärkten Auftreten von Berostungen.\r\n'),(20,1,'Diffuse Schalenbräune Die sogenannte „diffuse Schalenbräune“ ist eine physiologische Störung der Frucht, welche mit der gewöhnlichen Schalenbräune verwechselt werden kann. Das Schadbild zeigt oberflächliche, diffuse Verbräunungen, die schwach durch die Fruchtschale durchscheinen. Zudem kann die Fruchtschale an den betroffenen Stellen rauh werden. Die Lentizellen (punktförmige Poren in der Fruchtschale) der Frucht weisen keine Symptome auf und es kommt zu keiner Einsenkung des Fruchtfleisches an den betroffenen Stellen, wie es bei der gewöhnlichen Schalenbräune üblich ist. Erste Symptome der genannten Störung können bereits nach 2 Wochen im Kühllager auftreten und gegen Ende der Lagersaison kann das Schadausmaß hoch sein. Nach der Entnahme der Früchte aus dem Lager kommt es unter Raumtemperatur nur zu einer geringen Weiterentwicklung der Symptome. Weltweit gesehen stellt diffuse Schalenbräune ein Problem in Produktionsgebieten dar, in denen heiße Sommer und wenig Niederschlag vorherrschen. So ist diese physiologische Krankheit vor allem in Spanien, Südfrankreich und Teilen der USA zu finden. Als besonders anfällig gelten die Sorten Golden Delicious und Granny Smith. Im Gegensatz zur gewöhnlichen Schalenbräune, kann diffuse Schalenbräune durch eine Behandlung der Früchte mit dem Reifehemmstoff 1-Methylcyclopropen (1-MCP) gefördert werden, besonders wenn die Äpfel schnell abgekühlt werden.\r\n'),(21,1,'Flächige Stippe Das Schadbild äußert sich in Form großflächiger, zusammenhängender, brauner bis gräulicher Flecken an der Fruchtoberfläche. Die Flecken bilden sich vorwiegend, aber nicht ausschließlich, in der Kelchregion des Apfels. Die Schale ist an den betroffenen Stellen leicht eingesunken. Die Symptome ähneln somit jenen von Lagerstippe. Das unter den großflächigen Flecken liegende Gewebe ist verkorkt, jedoch meist nur direkt unter der Schale. Die Symptome werden meist erst im Lager sichtbar, können jedoch in einigen Fällen bereits am Baum erkennbar sein. Bei Raumtemperatur kommt es zu keiner weiteren Ausbreitung der im Lager entwickelten Symptome, jedoch können sich an den betroffenen Fruchtpartien (sekundär) Fäulen bilden. Hinsichtlich der Anfälligkeit gibt es sortenspezifische Unterschiede.\r\n'),(22,1,'Frostschäden Am häufigsten zeigt sich der Schaden in Form von großflächigen Berostungen, narbenähnlichen Frostzungen, -flecken oder -bändern. Stark geschädigte Früchte sind häufig deformiert oder die Schale ist aufgerissen. In den betroffenen Anlagen kommt es zu Ertragsausfällen bis zum Totalausfall. Häufig gibt es nur im oberen Kronenbereich der Bäume einen befriedigenden Fruchtansatz.\r\n'),(23,1,'Gärungsschäden Die Symptome von Gärungsschäden äußern sich anfangs vor allem durch einen Gärgeruch beim Auseinanderschneiden der Früchte, später verbreiten sich der Geruch und der Alkoholgeschmack auf die gesamte Frucht. Je nach Sorte und Zeitdauer, in der die Frucht einer zu tiefen Sauerstoffkonzentration ausgesetzt war, entstehen entsprechende äußere und innere Schäden: Bei kurzzeitigem Sauerstoffmangel zeigen die Früchte meist keine äußeren und inneren Schäden. Die entwickelten Gärungsstoffe bzw. der Gärgeruch der Früchte kann durch eine nachfolgende Lagerung der Früchte unter optimalen CA-Bedingungen oder eine Lagerung im Kühllager wieder abgebaut werden. Bei langanhaltendem Sauerstoffmangel können bei einigen Sorten äußerlich erkennbare braune Verfärbungen der Schale auftreten. Diese Stellen sind meist weich und stark wässrig. Parallel dazu zeigen sich meist auch Verbräunungen im Fruchtfleisch; diese können allerdings auch auf einen zugleich herrschenden CO2-Überschuss hindeuten (Folge der Gärung). Bei manchen Sorten kann es außerdem, als Folge von Sauerstoffmangel, zu einer Kavernenbildung (Hohlräume im Fruchtfleisch) kommen. In vielen Schadensfällen sind die Symptome, welche durch einen Sauerstoffmangel verursacht werden nicht klar von den CO2-Überschussfolgen zu trennen.\r\n'),(24,1,'Gewöhnliche Schalenbräune Die gewöhnliche Schalenbräune ist eine physiologische Störung der Frucht, welche sich während der Lagerung und vor allem während der Nachlagerung (shelf life) der Früchte entwickelt. Sie äußert sich durch eine oberflächliche, meist unscharf begrenzte Verbräunung der Epidermis (Oberhaut, unter der Kutikula gelegen) der Fruchtschale, die nicht auf das Fruchtfleisch übergeht. Zudem kann an den betroffenen Stellen das darunterliegende Gewebe etwas einsinken. Nach der Entnahme der Früchte aus dem Lager kann es bei Raumtemperatur zu einer schnellen Ausbreitung der Symptome kommen. Gewöhnliche Schalenbräune tritt vornehmlich, aber nicht ausschließlich, bei früh geernteten Früchten, vorwiegend an der Schattenseite auf und wird zudem durch hohe Temperaturen vor der Ernte gefördert.\r\n'),(25,1,'Glasigkeit Das Schadbild zeigt, abhängig von der Ausprägung, glasig durchscheinende Stellen. Bei Fuji finden sich diese zunächst im Bereich der Gefäßbündel und wandern mit zunehmender Ausprägung Richtung Kernhaus. Bei einigen Sorten wandern die glasigen Stellen meist sternförmig nach außen und umfassen später flächig ganze Teile des Fruchtfleisches, oder bilden sich gar zuerst unter der Schale. Die Symptome treten bereits am Baum auf und bei schwerwiegend betroffenen Früchten kann ein Gärgeschmack auftreten. Bereits während einer kurzen Lagerungszeit (in CA) ist es möglich, dass sich die glasigen Stellen zu Fleischbräune entwickeln. Mittels geeigneter Lagermaßnahmen (höhere Lagertemperatur, Verzögerung der Anwendung von CA-Bedingungen) ist ein Abbau der Symptome allerdings möglich.\r\n'),(26,1,'Innere Fleischbräune (CA-bedingt) Als Innere Fleischbräune werden Verbräunungen des Fruchtfleisches im Bereich zwischen den Leitbündeln und der Fruchtschale, zum Teil auch bis ins Kernhaus reichend, bezeichnet. Die Symptome können je nach Ursache und Sorte unterschiedlich ausgeprägt sein (diffuse, marmorierte, symmetrisch kreisförmige Verbräunungen). CA-bedingte Verbräunungen beginnen, im Gegensatz zu kältebedingter Fleischbräune, in der Regel im Inneren Bereich des Fruchtfleisches, so dass bei anfänglichem Auftreten häufig eine gesunde Gewebeschicht zwischen der Verbräunung und der Fruchtschale zu beobachten ist. Mit zunehmender Verbräunung breiten sich die Symptomstellen Richtung Fruchtschale oder Kernhaus aus. Häufig treten sekundär Kavernen im Fruchtfleisch auf. Die Schäden der CA-bedingten Fleischbräune können bereits ein bis zwei Monate nach der Einlagerung unter CA-Bedingungen auftreten. Nur bei sehr starker Fleischbräune sind auch äußerlich dunkle, die Schale durchschimmernde Syptome zu erkennen, dann meist verbunden mit einem massiven Weichwerden der Frucht.\r\n'),(27,1,'Kälte-Fleischbräune Die Symptome der Kältefleischbräune beginnen meist von außen, einige Millimeter unter der Schale, und wandern mit zunehmender Intensität des Schadens ins Innere des Fruchtfleisches. Bei beginnender Ausprägung ist oft nur eine leichte, radiale Verbräunung unter der Schale erkennbar. Bei ausgeprägter Schädigung können die Verbräunungen jedoch auch von außen durch die Schale erkennbar sein. Generell ist bei allen Sorten bei zu niedrigen Temperaturen Kälte-Fleischbräune möglich. Häufig sind die Früchte betroffen die im kälteren Ausblasbereich des Verdampfers und in einer der Kisten oben aufliegen. Im Gegensatz zur Kälte-Fleischbräune beginnt bei einer CA-bedingten Fleischbräune die Symptomausprägung in der Regel im Inneren des Fruchtfleisches und wandert dann mit zunehmender Intensität weiter nach außen Richtung Schale sowie ins Kernhaus.\r\n'),(28,1,'Kavernen Kavernen sind Hohlräume im Fruchtfleisch, wobei vor allem das Kernhaus und die mittlere Kernhauszone betroffen sind. Die Anzahl und Größe der Hohlräume ist je nach Ausprägungsgrad variabel. Der Schaden ist von außen nicht erkennbar und wird durch Stressfaktoren wie O2-Mangel oder CO2-Überschuss im Lager begünstigt. Bereits nach 1-2 Monaten Lagerung ist eine Kavernenbildung möglich.\r\n'),(29,1,'Kernhausbräune Kernhausbräune wird erst sichtbar wenn der Apfel zerteilt wird. Dann lässt sich eine Verbräunung des Kerngehäuses erkennen. Sie geht immer vom Markgewebe zwischen den Samenfächern aus und kann sich bis zu den Leitbündeln ins Fruchtfleisch ziehen. Bei altersbedingter Kernhausbräune erscheint eine diffuse Verbräunung gegen Ende der Lagerdauer oder bei einer nicht optimalen Lagerbedingung. Das betroffene Gewebe ist mehlig trocken, es berührt nur wenig die Samenfächer. Kernhausbräune wird hingegen aufgrund von zu niedrigem O2- oder meist von zu hohem CO2-Gehalt schon nach kurzer Zeit mit einer intensiven, klar abgegrenzten Verbräunung sichtbar. Bei besonders schwerer Ausprägung von Kernhausbräune können sich im geschädigten Fruchtfleisch Kavernen bilden.\r\n'),(30,1,'Kontaktschalenbräune Das Auftreten der sogenannten „Kontaktschalenbräune“ wurde bisher an der Sorte Stayman Winesap beobachtet. Die Symptome entwickeln sich im Lager als oberflächliche, regelmäßig kreisrunde Verbräunungen und treten vor allem im Kühllager ohne CA auf. Kontaktschalenbräune kann bei der Sorte Stayman Winesap jedoch auch zu einem geringen Prozentsatz im CA-Lager auftreten.\r\n'),(31,1,'Lentizellenflecken Auf der Fruchtschale sind kleine, kreisrunde, braune oder schwarze, leicht eingesunkene Flecken um die Lentizellen (punktförmige Poren in der Fruchtschale) zu finden. In der Mitte dieser Flecken sind oft die Lentizellen als hervortretendes weißes Pünktchen sichtbar. Im Gegensatz zur Stippigkeit sind die Lentizellenflecken meist sehr oberflächlich und das darunter liegende Geweben weist keine Verkorkungen auf. Häufig kommt es auf den Lentizellenflecken zu sekundären Infektionen durch Lagerfäulen. Der Schaden kann schon bei der Ernte sichtbar sein.\r\n'),(32,1,'Lumpy Skin Das Schadbild zeigt sich als oberflächliche, teils eingesunkene, teils dunkel verfärbte Stellen der Fruchtschale, welche ein grobes, netzartiges Muster aufweisen. Es kann sowohl auf der Sonnen- als auch auf der Schattenseite der Frucht auftreten. Die Symptome werden meist erst im Lager sichtbar und treten vorwiegend bei spät geernteten und lange gelagerten Früchten auf.\r\n'),(33,1,'Schalenflecken Schalenflecken werden gewöhnlich erst nach der CA/ULO-Lagerung sichtbar. Sie äußern sich durch kleine, leicht eingesunkene, bräunlich-schwarze Flecken meist auf der grünen Schattenseite der Frucht. Bei leichtem Befall sind meist zuerst im Stielbereich und auf der Schulter der Frucht Symptome zu erkennen, häufig direkt anschließend an vorhandenen Berostungen. Mit zunehmendem Befall ist immer mehr der grünen Fruchtoberfläche betroffen. Teilweise sieht es so aus, als ob die Schalenflecken vom Stiel zum Kelch hinunterfließen. Nur bei extrem starkem Befall findet man auch Schalenflecken im roten Deckfarbenbereich. Betroffene Regionen neigen zum schrumpelig werden.\r\n'),(34,1,'Schalenverätzung Schalenverätzung durch CO2 ist durch ein partielles Einsinken der Schale gekennzeichnet und tritt meist auf der weniger ausgefärbten Seite der Frucht auf. Besonders betroffen sind unterentwickelte, schlecht gefärbte Äpfel (Schattenfrüchte, z.B. Cameo). Die betroffene Schalenfläche ist durch eine deutlich scharf abgegrenzte, jedoch unregelmäßig verlaufende Kante gekennzeichnet. Die betroffenen Flächen können anfangs partiell punktförmig auftreten und mit zunehmender Dauer der CO2-Exposition, zu großen Flächen wachsen. Die Fläche ist zu Anfang meist dunkel grün und verfärbt sich im weiteren Verlauf dunkel braun. Die betroffene Schalenfläche nimmt, nach beendeter CO2 Exposition nicht weiter zu (vgl. gewöhnliche Schalenbräune).\r\n'),(35,1,'Schrumpfen Die Schale der betroffenen Früchte ist nicht mehr straff und elastisch. Sie zeigt Falten und der gesamte Apfel ist etwas weicher. Beim Öffnen der Frucht fehlt die Knackigkeit und das Fruchtfleisch ist weniger saftig.\r\n'),(36,1,'Sonnen- Schalenbräune Während die Symptome eines Sonnenbrandes bereits zur Ernte sichtbar sind und sich als rötlich-braune Verbrennungen an der sonnenexponierten Seite der Frucht zeigen, entwickelt sich Sonnen-Schalenbräune erst während der Lagerung. Die Symptome äußern sich zu Beginn als oberflächliche, hellbraune Verfärbungen der Epidermis (Oberhaut, unter der Kutikula gelegen) der Fruchtschale und bilden sich ausschließlich auf der im Feld plötzlich sonnenexponierten Seite der Frucht aus. Mit zunehmender Lagerdauer verbräunt die Fruchtschale an den betroffenen Stellen zunehmend. Im Endstadium der Entwicklung sind die Flecken schließlich dunkelbraun. In schwerwiegenden Fällen kann auch das direkt darunterliegende Fruchtfleisch betroffen sein und leichte Verbräunungen aufweisen.\r\n'),(37,1,'Sonnenbrand Sonnenbrandschäden am Apfel äußern sich im Lager in goldgelben bis braun verfärbten Flecken an der sonnenexponierten Seite der Frucht. Weder die Fruchtschale noch das darunterliegende Gewebe sind abgetötet und teilweise sind die verfärbten Zonen von einem grauen Rand umgeben. Die Symptome des genannten Schadens sind meist bereits in der Anlage sichtbar. Bei starken Sonnenbrandschäden können die betroffenen Fruchtstellen zudem von Rissen durchzogen sein. Zu Beginn der Schädigung weist das darunterliegende Fruchtfleisch eine festere Struktur als üblich auf; während der Lagerung wird es jedoch schnell weich und verbräunt zunehmend. In schwerwiegenden Fällen können sich unter den Sonnenbrandstellen Kavernen (kleine Hohlräume im Fruchtfleisch) bilden.Von Sonnenbrand geschädigte Früchte sind in Qualität sowie Geschmack gemindert und teilweise nicht mehr als Tafelware geeignet. Desweiteren können sich an den Sonnenbrandstellen Pilze ansiedeln und Fäulnis verursachen (Sekundärinfektion).\r\n'),(38,1,'Stippe Das Schadbild zeigt dunkle Flecken mit eingesunkener Schale (nekrotische Läsionen), meist beginnend im Bereich der Kelchgrube. Das unter den Flecken liegende Gewebe ist verkorkt, jedoch meist nur oberflächlich direkt unter der Schale. Das betroffene Fruchtfleisch hat häufig einen bitteren Geschmack. Neben der beschriebenen Lagerstippe können die Symptome bereits am Baum auftreten. Hierbei bilden sich zu Anfang durchscheinende Flecken. Nach der Ernte verstärken sich mit zumehmender Reife die Symptome.\r\n'),(39,1,'Trübschaligkeit Lufteinschlüsse in der Fruchthaut werden durch Lichtbrechung sichtbar und äußern sich durch eine milchige Verfärbung der Fruchthaut. Ausgespart wird diese Trübung in unmittelbarer Nähe der Lentizellen, wodurch diese stärker pigmentiert hervortreten. Die Trübung kann nicht von der Oberfläche entfernt werden, ohne die Wachsschicht der Frucht zu verletzen, nimmt aber während der Lagerung nicht zu. Dies stellt auch das Unterscheidungsmerkmal zum weißen Hauch dar, da dieser relativ einfach zu entfernen ist.\r\n'),(40,1,'Weiche Schalenbräune Weiche Schalenbräune äußert sich durch eingesunkene, unregelmäßig und bandförmig geformte, helle bis sehr dunkle Verbräunungen der Fruchtoberfläche. Die Krankheit ist nicht auf die Epidermis (Oberhaut, unter der Kutikula gelegen) begrenzt, sondern greift auch im vorschreitenden Stadium auf das darunterliegende Gewebe über. Der betroffene Bereich weist eine glatte, oft straff gespannte Oberfläche auf, die sich samtweich anfühlt. Häufig kommt es zu Sekundärinfektionen durch Schwächepilze, die sich durch schwarze Flecken auf den verbräunten Schalenbereichen zeigen. Zusätzlich ist die Haut leicht einzudrücken und wird häufig durch Wundfäulepilze besiedelt. Der Schaden tritt sowohl im einfachen Kühlhaus als auch unter CA/ULO-Bedingungen auf.\r\n'),(41,1,'Druckstellen Druckstellen äußern sich als kreisförmige bis elliptische Vertiefungen an der Oberfläche der Frucht. An den betroffenen Stellen kommt es zu einem Zusammenbruch der Zellstruktur (einsinken) und in Folge zu Oxidationen, welche zu einem etwas bräunlichen Erscheinungsbild im Bereich der Druckstelle führen. Häufig weisen Druckstellen unmittelbar nach der Beschädigung keine Oberflächenfarbveränderung auf, sondern erst nach einigen Stunden. Vor allem zur Ernte und in den ersten Monaten der Lagerung sind Druckstellen ein weit verbreitetes Problem. Als besonders anfällige Sorten gelten Golden Delicious und Cripps Pink.\r\n'),(42,1,'Verletzungen im Stängelbereich Die Symptome äußern sich als kleine Risse, unregelmäßig geformte Löcher oder andere Verletzungen rund um den Stiel.'),(43,2,'A 16-year-old student at a private Baptist school who allegedly killed one teacher and wounded another before firing into a filled classroom apparently ``just snapped,\'\' the school\'s pastor said. ``I don\'t know how it could have happened,\'\' said George Sweet, pastor of Atlantic Shores Baptist Church. ``This is a good, Christian school. We pride ourselves on discipline. Our kids are good kids.\'\' The Atlantic Shores Christian School sophomore was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, malicious assault and related felony charges for the Friday morning shooting. Police would not release the boy\'s name because he is a juvenile, but neighbors and relatives identified him as Nicholas Elliott. Police said the student was tackled by a teacher and other students when his semiautomatic pistol jammed as he fired on the classroom as the students cowered on the floor crying ``Jesus save us! God save us!\'\' Friends and family said the boy apparently was troubled by his grandmother\'s death and the divorce of his parents and had been tormented by classmates. Nicholas\' grandfather, Clarence Elliott Sr., said Saturday that the boy\'s parents separated about four years ago and his maternal grandmother, Channey Williams, died last year after a long illness. The grandfather also said his grandson was fascinated with guns. ``The boy was always talking about guns,\'\' he said. ``He knew a lot about them. He knew all the names of them _ none of those little guns like a .32 or a .22 or nothing like that. He liked the big ones.\'\' The slain teacher was identified as Karen H. Farley, 40. The wounded teacher, 37-year-old Sam Marino, was in serious condition Saturday with gunshot wounds in the shoulder. Police said the boy also shot at a third teacher, Susan Allen, 31, as she fled from the room where Marino was shot. He then shot Marino again before running to a third classroom where a Bible class was meeting. The youngster shot the glass out of a locked door before opening fire, police spokesman Lewis Thurston said. When the youth\'s pistol jammed, he was tackled by teacher Maurice Matteson, 24, and other students, Thurston said. ``Once you see what went on in there, it\'s a miracle that we didn\'t have more people killed,\'\' Police Chief Charles R. Wall said. Police didn\'t have a motive, Detective Tom Zucaro said, but believe the boy\'s primary target was not a teacher but a classmate. Officers found what appeared to be three Molotov cocktails in the boy\'s locker and confiscated the gun and several spent shell casings. Fourteen rounds were fired before the gun jammed, Thurston said. The gun, which the boy carried to school in his knapsack, was purchased by an adult at the youngster\'s request, Thurston said, adding that authorities have interviewed the adult, whose name is being withheld pending an investigation by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The shootings occurred in a complex of four portable classrooms for junior and senior high school students outside the main building of the 4-year-old school. The school has 500 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Police said they were trying to reconstruct the sequence of events and had not resolved who was shot first. The body of Ms. Farley was found about an hour after the shootings behind a classroom door.\r\n'),(44,2,'The Bechtel Group Inc. offered in 1985 to sell oil to Israel at a discount of at least $650 million for 10 years if it promised not to bomb a proposed Iraqi pipeline, a Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday. But then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres said the offer from Bruce Rappaport, a partner in the San Francisco-based construction and engineering company, was ``unimportant,\'\' the senior official told The Associated Press. Peres, now foreign minister, never discussed the offer with other government ministers, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The comments marked the first time Israel has acknowledged any offer was made for assurances not to bomb the planned $1 billion pipeline, which was to have run near Israel\'s border with Jordan. The pipeline was never built. In San Francisco, Tom Flynn, vice president for public relations for the Bechtel Group, said the company did not make any offer to Peres but that Rappaport, a Swiss financier, made it without Bechtel\'s knowledge or consent. Another Bechtel spokesman, Al Donner, said Bechtel ``at no point\'\' in development of the pipeline project had anything to do with the handling of the oil. He said proposals submitted by the company ``did not include any specific arrangements for the handling of the oil or for the disposal of the oil once it reached the terminal.\'\' Asked about Bechtel\'s disclaimers after they were made in San Francisco, the Israeli Foreign Ministry official said Peres believed Rappaport made the offer for the company. ``Rappaport came to Peres as a representative of Bechtel and said he was speaking on behalf of Bechtel,\'\' the official said. ``If he was not, he misrepresented himself.\'\' The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday quoted sources close to Peres as saying that according to Rappaport, Bechtel had said the oil sales would have to be conducted through a third party to keep the sales secret from Iraq and Jordan. The Foreign Ministry official said Peres did not take the offer seriously. ``This is a man who sees 10 people every day,\'\' he said. ``Thirty percent of them come with crazy ideas. He just says, `Yes, yes. We\'ll think about it.\' That\'s how things work in Israel.\'\' The offer appeared to be the one mentioned in a September 1985 memo to Attorney General Edwin Meese III. The memo referred to an arrangement between Peres and Rappaport ``to the effect that Israel will receive somewhere between $65 million and $70 million a year for 10 years.\'\' The memo from Meese friend E. Robert Wallach, Rappaport\'s attorney, also states, ``What was also indicated to me, and which would be denied everywhere, is that a portion of those funds will go directly to Labor,\'\' a reference to the political party Peres leads. The Wallach memo has become the focus of an investigation into whether Meese knew of a possibly improper payment. Peres has denied any wrongdoing and has denounced the memo as ``complete nonsense.\'\' The Israeli official said Rappaport, a native of Israel and a close friend of Peres, relayed the offer to Peres earlier in September. ``Peres thought the offer was unimportant. For him, the most important thing was to have an Iraqi oil port near Israel\'s border,\'\' the official said. ``The thinking was that this would put Iraq in a position where it would not be able to wage war with Israel, out of concern for its pipeline.\'\' A person answering the telephone at Rappaport\'s Swiss residence said he was out of town and could not be reached for comment.\r\n'),(45,2,'A gunman took a 74-year-old woman hostage after he was foiled in an attempt to steal $1 million in jewelry belonging to the late Liberace, but police shot and killed the man outside the entertainer\'s museum. ``I just tried to stay cool,\'\' said hostage Margaret Bloomberg, who sat down to give police a clear shot at the man and escaped unharmed in Sunday evening\'s incident at the Liberace Museum. ``The man had a bag of tools, including a crowbar, and was going to smash into the jewelry case,\'\' said Dora Liberace, administrator of the museum and sister-in-law of the late entertainer. ``He wanted the jewelry and he came prepared to take it.\'\' Mrs. Bloomberg, who has worked at the museum 10 years, was closing the office when the man appeared, saying he wanted to deliver a plant, Mrs. Liberace said. The man produced a gun, forced his way inside and refused offers of money, Mrs. Bloomberg said. ``Margaret offered him the day\'s receipts, even offered him the money in her purse, but he wasn\'t interested,\'\' Mrs. Liberace said. ``He said `I don\'t want the cash. I want the jewelry.\' He obviously had been in there before and checked out the place. He seemed to know where everything was.\'\' Mrs. Bloomberg was able to warn a cleaning woman, who slipped out a back door and called police. The gunman tied Mrs. Bloomberg\'s hands and feet, taped her mouth, then untied her, moved her to another part of the museum and tied her again. ``He was getting ready to pop the jewelry case when he heard a noise outside,\'\' Mrs. Bloomberg said. ``He went and saw the police. I told him I\'d get him out the back door. When we tried that, police were there, too.\'\' The gunman walked out the front door with a gun pointed at the bound hostage. ``He told police he would shoot me if they didn\'t let him get to his car,\'\' she recalled. ``I just tried to stay cool.\'\' ``She just sat down on the sidewalk, pretending her legs had collapsed under her,\'\' Mrs. Liberace said. ``He tried to lift her in the car but couldn\'t. He leaned back for a minute and the police shot him.\'\' ``When I sat down I figured the police would pick him off, maybe,\'\' Mrs. Bloomberg said. Mrs. Bloomberg, somewhat shaken and her hands still bearing marks from the ropes, was back at work Monday. ``I thought I was better off working than staying at home and dwelling on it,\'\' she said. The gunman, identified as Hugh Perry, 47, of Las Vegas, had a lengthy arrest record dating back to the 1960s, said Metro Police Lt. Kyle Edwards. The museum is one of the city\'s top tourist attractions, featuring memorabilia of the entertainer who gained fame here and retained a home not far away. Mrs. Liberace said the museum has one of the most sophisticated security systems in the city but will now add guards. Liberace, who died in February 1987 of complications due to AIDS, founded the museum 10 years ago to fund the Liberace Foundation for the Performing Arts, which provides scholarships for music and art students at 27 colleges and universities across the United States.\r\n'),(46,2,'Today is Saturday, Oct. 29, the 303rd day of 1988. There are 63 days left in the year. A reminder: daylight-saving time ends tomorrow at 2 a.m. local time. Clocks ``fall back\'\' one hour. Today\'s highlight in history: In 1929, ``Black Tuesday\'\' descended upon the New York Stock Exchange. Prices collapsed amid panic selling, thousands of investors were wiped out, and America\'s Great Depression began. On this date: In 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh, the English courtier, military adventurer and poet, was executed in London. In 1682, Pennsylvania founder William Penn landed at what is now Chester, Pa. In 1901, President William McKinley\'s assassin, Leon Czolgosz, was electrocuted. In 1911, American newspaperman Joseph Pulitzer died in Charleston, S.C. In 1923, the Republic of Turkey was proclaimed. In 1940, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson drew the first number _ 158 _ in the first peacetime military draft in U.S. history. In 1947, former first lady Frances Cleveland Preston died in Baltimore at age 83. In 1956, Israel launched an invasion of Egypt\'s Sinai Peninsula. In 1956, ``The Huntley-Brinkley Report\'\' premiered as NBC\'s nightly television newscast, replacing ``The Camel News Caravan.\'\' In 1964, thieves made off with the Star of India and several other priceless gems from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The Star and most of the other gems were recovered the following year; three men were convicted of stealing them. In 1966, the National Organization for Women was founded. In 1986, Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Saudi Arabia\'s oil minister since 1962 and one of the best-known figures of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, was dismissed. Ten years ago: Responding to a rebuke from President Jimmy Carter, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin reaffirmed his country\'s right to expand existing Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Five years ago: The coffins of 16 U.S. servicemen who had been killed in the Beirut truck-bombing on Oct. 23 and the U.S.-led invasion of Grenada arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. One year ago: Following the confirmation defeat of Robert H. Bork to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, President Reagan announced his choice of Douglas H. Ginsburg, a nomination that would run into trouble over revelations of Ginsburg\'s past marijuana use. Today\'s birthdays: Singer Melba Moore is 43. Actor Richard Dreyfuss is 41. Actress Kate Jackson is 40. Thought for today: ``What one has not experienced, one will never understand in print.\'\' _ Isadora Duncan, modern dance pioneer (1878-1927).\r\n'),(47,2,'Cupid has a new message for lovers this Valentine\'s Day and volunteers are lining up to spread the word from Loveland. People around the world send their Valentines through the Loveland post office each year to get the special postmark and cachet verse. Ted Thompson, 85, has been coming up with verses since he and his wife, Mabel, started the remailing program in 1947. An estimated 300,000 people will get Thompson\'s latest Valentine\'s verse: ``It might just be a song bird, ``Or perhaps some sparkling dew, ``That brings fond recollections, ``And a timeless cupid too.\'\' Thompson said recently he\'s not sure where he got the inspiration. ``It takes the whole year for me to get something I\'m satisfied with. It\'s a hard thing for me. Some people are born to write a verse for you, but that\'s far away from me.\'\' Since it stamped 300 pieces of mail its first year, more than 7 million Valentines have passed through the program. The mail is hand-stamped by about 50 senior-citizen volunteers. There\'s no charge for the extra touch, which begins Monday and continues through Feb. 14.\r\n'),(48,2,'The Reagan administration is weighing whether to invoke a law authorizing the seizure of tax payments made by U.S. businesses operating in Panama, national security adviser Colin Powell said today. Saying that economic sanctions applied so far ``have not yet created enough pressure\'\' to force the ouster of strongman Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega, Powell said ``we are examining additional pressure that might be brought to bear.\'\' He briefed reporters not long after giving the vacationing President Reagan an update on the Panamanian problem. A senior administration official, disussing Panama on grounds he not be publicly identified, said the United States would encourage any move within the Panamanian Defense Forces to oust Noriega. ``He still is firmly in control, but not as in control as he was, perhaps, a month ago, and every effort we can take to foster that discontent in the PDF, I can assure you we are taking,\'\' he said. ``If the PDF, after examining the situation, think it would be useful to remove General Noriega, I think that would be a very sound decision for them to take,\'\' the official said. Powell acknowledged that some corporations operating in Panama have balked at having their tax payments placed in an escrow account because of a concern that it could hamper their operations. For this reason, he said, White House advisers and other administration officials are studying the implications of invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act _ which would authorize the government to seize these payments. ``We have to be cautious before you invoke ... because it is a very powerful tool, and the staff back in Washington is examining the pros and cons\'\' of invoking the act, Powell said. ``And if it is a sensible thing to do, to continue to apply pressure on General Noriega, we will provide that for the president for his consideration.\'\' Powell refused to discuss any military options being weighed, except he indicated there would be no immediate dispatch of troops beyond the 1,300 deployed to the Central American country early this week. Powell, an Army lieutenant general, said he believes there now is ``a reasonable degree of security\'\' for Americans living in Panama and the U.S. installations there. Meanwhile, the administration was taking a dim view of Jesse Jackson\'s contacts with Noriega, despite Jackson\'s diplomatic coups in the past during visits to Cuba and Syria. Following Jackson\'s disclosure that he had sent a letter to Noriega two weeks ago asking him to resign, State Department spokeswoman Phyllis Oakley said Monday that such communications could prolong Noriega\'s grip on power. ``The proliferation of channels is a tactic Noriega uses to buy time,\'\' Ms. Oakley said. ``We have available channels of communication with Noriega if and when they are needed. We think it would be best to continue to use these channels exclusively.\'\' White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater, traveling with Reagan in California, also criticized the Democratic presidential candidate\'s involvement in Panama. ``We have a bipartisan coordinated plan for dealing with Noriega,\'\' he said. ``That\'s why it\'s important to Congress and the public, and we believe it\'s been working.\'\' Jackson has dealt successfully in the past with other U.S. adversaries. In 1984, he traveled to Cuba and persuaded President Fidel Castro to release 26 political prisoners. He later went to Syria and, during talks with President Hafez Assad, won freedom for an American military pilot detained there. His efforts earned him an enthusiastic White House welcome. Jackson said he has no plans to travel to Panama to try to help resolve the 6-week-old crisis in that country. About 1,300 Army soldiers and Marines were headed to Panama today, joining the 10,000 troops stationed at the U.S. Southern Command in Panama. The Pentagon said the soldiers are being sent to increase security for Americans and U.S. facilities in Panama. In a related development, a former Panamanian official told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Monday that Noriega probably has evidence of complicity by U.S. officials in Central American drug trafficking. Jose I. Blandon produced a document Noriega sent to the country\'s U.S. diplomatic offices in February saying he has proof that American officials knowingly established policies that supported people in the drug business. Blandon, a former intelligence official and consul general who defected last year, mentioned Panama, Guatemala and Costa Rica. Jackson says he agrees with the Reagan administration that Noriega should step down, but he has accused U.S. officials of overkill in trying to achieve that goal through economic sanctions that have contributed to economic paralysis in Panama. Jackson, appearing Monday in Milwaukee, renewed his call for Noriega to leave Panama and released a letter in which Noriega rejected ``any political and economic program that will be dictated from Washington, D.C.\'\' ``My duration as commander and chief of the defense forces is governed by the Panamanian constitution and law of the defense forces,\'\' Noriega\'s letter said. While releasing the letter, Jackson renewed his call for Noriega to go into exile. ``I remain convinced that it is in the best interests of the Panamanian people for General Noriega to leave,\'\' Jackson said. ``Today I reiterate my public moral appeal for him to depart.\'\'\r\n'),(49,2,'More than 120,000 skins of a protected species of alligator were smuggled into Japan during the past seven months using stolen or falsified export documents, a wildlife protection organization said Thursday. Traffic Japan, the wildlife trade monitoring group of the World Wide Fund for Nature, said the South American caiman skins were shipped by a complex route involving at least seven South American and Asian countries before they arrived in Japan. At least 46 tons of the skins, from more than 120,000 alligators, entered Japan in the first seven months of this year through Thailand alone, the group said. It said it believed the skins were part of a larger shipment that was loaded onto Asia-bound ships off the coast of Uruguay at the end of last year. The declared customs value of the skins was about 427 million yen (about $3.2 million), ``but retail value would be four to five times more,\'\' spokeswoman Cecila Song said. The skins are used in Japan mainly for belts and watchbands. Permits are required for the export of South American caiman skins under the regulations of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), an international treaty regulating trade in protected plants and animals, Song said. Japanese officials allowed the shipments to enter the country without proper verification of the export documents, the group said in a statement. ``Traffic\'s 8-month investigation has revealed a serious lapse of CITES administration in Thailand and Japan, and has uncovered a long paper trail of illegal CITES documents and other ploys involving Thailand, Colombia, Chile, Venezuela and Singapore to mask the illegal origins of the poached skins,\'\' the statement said. It said Japan\'s Ministry of International Trade and Industry had responded to evidence of illegal caiman trade by instituting a new voluntary check system on all imports of the skins. ``But unless they come up with a system involving legal penalties, we don\'t think there will be any improvement, especially with the high profits involved,\'\' Song said. Ministry officials were not available Thursday night for comment.\r\n'),(50,2,'There will be no organized union boost behind a single candidate in Saturday\'s Democratic caucuses in Michigan, a state where union members can wield more clout than almost anywhere else. While national labor leaders are assuming Michael Dukakis will be the eventual nominee, they are prevented from endorsing him by what appears to be growing rank-and-file support for Jesse Jackson, who has gotten more union votes than any of the other candidates in primaries so far. Richard Gephardt also has considerable union support. None of the Democratic candidates appears to have won the hearts _ or votes _ of a majority of the state\'s 750,000 rank-and-file union workers, nearly half of them members of the United Auto Workers.\r\n'),(51,2,'Here is a summary of developments in forest and brush fires in Western states:\r\n'),(52,2,'Jean-Pierre Stirbois, the No. 2 man in the extreme-right National Front after party leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, died Saturday in an automobile accident, police said. He was 43. Stirbois attended a political meeting Friday in the city of Dreux, about 60 miles west of Paris, and was traveling toward the capital when his car ran off the road and smashed into a tree at about 2:40 a.m, police said. Stirbois was secretary-general of the National Front and a member of the party leadership since 1981. He was born Jan. 30, 1945 in Paris, held degrees in law and marketing and headed his own printing business. Stirbois was active in several extreme-right political movements before joining the National Front in 1977. In 1982, he won 12.6 percent of the vote in local elections in the district of Eure-et-Loir, west of Paris _ the highest vote percentage in France for a right-wing candidate. A year and a half later, he won the election for deputy mayor of Dreux. Stirbois was elected a deputy in the National Assembly in 1986. He lost his seat in legislative elections last summer. The National Front, founded by Le Pen in 1972, is strongly opposed to France\'s highly centralized and bureaucratic government and is against personal taxes. It favors the death penalty, priority to French citizens for jobs, and stopping immigration. In the first round of this year\'s presidential elections, Le Pen won a surprising 14.4 percent of the vote, worrying many who feared the National Front could awaken racist sentiments.\r\n'),(53,2,'At least 15 people died and 25,000 residents of Surat town were evacuated after torrential rains flooded the west Indian town, United News of India reported Friday. UNI said the victims lived in slum localities which were the worst affected in the deluge Thursday night. It said 25,000 slum residents lost their homes in the floods and were moved to relief camps. Surat in Gujarat state is 560 miles southwest of New Delhi. At least 50 people have drowned or died in collapsed houses across India since the monsoon broke this month, newspapers reported. Worst affected are northeastern Assam state and eastern Bihar state.\r\n'),(54,2,'Actress Betty Buckley sang ``They Can\'t Take That Away from Me\'\' at a Shubert Theater service Wednesday for George Rose, an actor killed May 4 at his vacation home in the Dominican Republic. ``George Rose was a teacher of mine. He was the epitome of elegance and high standards. I can only aspire to his standards,\'\' said Miss Buckley, who was a star with Rose in ``The Mystery of Edwin Drood.\'\' Rose, 68, was born in England but lived since 1961 in New York, nearly always working on Broadway. He won Tony Awards as the chairman in ``Drood\'\' and as Doolittle in a revival of ``My Fair Lady.\'\' Rupert Holmes, who composed ``Drood,\'\' said, ``His presence was a beam that lifts the ceiling of theater.\'\' Maureen McGovern, who played Rose\'s daughter for a year in ``The Pirates of Penzance,\'\' sang a vocalise by Faure which was a particular favorite of the actor. Actor Jack Gilford said, ``I never failed to marvel at Rose\'s honesty, depth, humor, skill and charm.\'\' Judy Kaye, who won a Tony on Sunday for ``The Phantom of the Opera,\'\' called Rose ``one of the best actors who ever walked the planet.\'\' Howard McGillan, who was in ``Drood\'\' and now is in ``Anything Goes,\'\' sang ``It\'s De-Lovely.\'\' Larry Kert, who said he and Rose walked their dogs together for 17 years, sang ``Anyone Can Whistle.\'\'\r\n'),(55,2,'For three years, Charles S. Robb was out of the spotlight that had become so familiar, first as the son-in-law of President Lyndon Johnson and then as Democratic governor of this conservative state. But on Tuesday, the 49-year-old lawyer re-entered the national arena in decisive style, fashioning a huge victory over Republican long-shot Maurice Dawkins, a retired black minister and Washington lobbyist. Robb said today he won because ``we attempted to identify with mainstream values that are crucial to success at the national level,\'\' such as strong defense and fiscal responsibility. With 99 percent of the precincts counted, Robb had 1,448,389 votes or 71 percent, to Dawkins\' 587,887 votes or 29 percent. The former Marine combat officer has built a career by making Democrats electable in conservative Virginia. Once known only as the former White House military social aide who married LBJ\'s daughter, Lynda Bird Johnson, he won the lieutenant governor\'s race in 1977 in his first bid for elective office. Four years later, he ran for governor in the first sweep by Democrats of the state\'s top three offices since 1965. Robb was a popular governor who was credited with overhauling the state bureaucracy and making major gains in education funding. He also opened positions of authority in state government to blacks and women and appointed Virginia\'s first black Supreme Court member. The former governor was also one of the architects of last spring\'s Super Tuesday presidential primary, intended in part to give the Southern vote collective strength. But Robb\'s tenure was shaken by prison troubles that drew national attention when six death row inmates escaped in May 1984. Robb, who could not succeed himself under Virginia\'s constitution, had been out of office for three years and practicing law until his bid for the Senate. ``I\'ve been unemployed for a long time, and it looks like I just got a job,\'\' he said.\r\n'),(56,2,'An article in the August issue of the glossy Washington society magazine Dossier profiling the capital\'s ambassadors wound up its column on Iraq\'s Mohamed Sadiq Al-Mashat with the note that Congress had been considering sanctions against Iraq. It concluded: ``Amid all this, Iraq\'s man in Washington says his priority is reversing a tide of unflattering press reports about his country.\'\'\r\n'),(57,2,'The operating rate at U.S. factories, mines and utilities in November rose to the highest level in nine years, the government said today in a report likely to heighten concern about inflation. The Federal Reserve Board said the use of industrial capacity rose 0.2 percentage points to 84.2 percent last month, the highest since 84.3 percent in November 1979. It was the seventh increase in eight months. As capacity use edges toward 85 percent, economists fear factories will have trouble producing enough goods to meet demand, leading to shortages and price increases. In an accompanying report, the Federal Reserve said industrial production climbed a brisk 0.5 percent in November following an identical 0.5 percent rise in October. The Fed\'s industrial production index now stands at 139.9 percent of its 1977 base, reflecting gains in light truck manufacturing and production of equipment for businesses. The jumps in capacity use and the production index were in line with economists\' expectations. Most government statistics have portrayed a robust economy in October and November, particularly in the manufacturing sector, which has been bolstered by strong export sales caused by the lower value of the dollar, which makes U.S. goods more affordable on overseas markets. At manufacturing plants, the operating rate climbed to 84.5 percent last month, up from 84.3 percent in October. Producers of both durable goods _ ``big ticket\'\' items ranging from bicycles to battleships _ and non-durable goods reported higher rates. The rate at durable goods plants was 83.1 percent in November, up from 82.9 percent. Non-durable goods producers recorded a 0.1 percentage point gain to 86.5 percent. The Fed said the operating rate for primary metals industries jumped to 92.4 percent, the highest since December 1978. Most of the increase was attributed to increases at steel mills. Use of motor vehicle and parts manufacturing capacity rose for the fourth consecutive month to 85.4 percent, reflecting gains in light truck production. Automobile plants, a subcategory, slipped to 76.7 percent, down from 77.0 percent. The operating rate at utilities was 81.0 percent in November, up from 80.8 percent. It had hit a peak for the year in August of 83.9 percent because of a surge in electricity use for air conditioning. In the mining sector, which includes oil and gas drilling, the operating rate increased to 82.2 percent last month. It was 81.6 percent in October. The Federal Reserve\'s production index has not declined since September 1987, a reflection of the export-driven manufacturing boom. A related surge in spending for capital equipment to expand and modernize factories has accompanied the boom. Production in the manufacturing sector rose 0.5 percent in November, following an even stronger 0.6 percent gain in October. The Fed said automobiles were assembled at an annual rate of 7.6 million units, down slightly from October. But production of business equipment rose 0.4 percent following a flat month in October and stood 8.8 percent higher than a year ago. Output at mines, which includes oil and gas drilling, rose 0.6 percent in November after three consecutive declines. Production at utilities increased 0.4 percent, on top of a 0.6 percent jump in October. Total output at factories, mines and utilities was 5.1 percent higher than a year ago.\r\n'),(58,2,'Ferrets are increasingly popular as pets, but the weasel-like animals can be dangerous to young children, two doctors say. In three unprovoked attacks, two babies had their ears bitten off by ferrets and required constructive surgery and a third infant suffered scratches and bites requiring 39 stitches, John W. Paisley and Brian A. Lauer write in today\'s Journal of the American Medical Association. ``Two of the children were asleep in their cribs when they were bitten,\'\' the two University of Colorado School of Medicine doctors said. ``Although ferrets are increasingly popular pets, we believe that they are not suitable pets for families with small children,\'\' said the doctors, who claim Americans own more than a million ferrets and are buying them at the rate of 50,000 a year. All the babies recovered, the doctors said, adding that reports of severe injuries caused by ferrets are few. But ``a ferret may bite so tenaciously that it has to be pried off or killed to loosen its hold,\'\' the doctors said. One of the animals in the attacks described had to be killed before it would release the child, they said. The incidence of ferret bites is unknown because most states do not require bites to be reported to health officials, the doctors said. During an 11-month period in Arizona, the ratio of reported bites to the estimated pet population was 0.3 percent for ferrets, compared with 0.4 percent for cats and 2.2 percent for dogs, they said. Sale or ownership of pet ferrets is prohibited in California, Georgia, New Hampshire, New York City and Washington, D.C., the doctors said. A ban also has been proposed in North Carolina.\r\n'),(59,2,'George Strait\'s path is clear. From Entertainer of the Year, to North Dakota, to Kansas and then back to the ranch. That\'s where music business success is leading the soft-speaking, hard-singing Texan. Backstage Monday night at the Country Music Association\'s awards ceremony, Strait smiled from under his black hat and talked about how it\'s been. ``It\'s hard not to be affected by this stuff. It\'s great,\'\' said Strait, who won the CMA\'s top award the second consecutive year. Strait, like most country acts, will tour small towns and cities across the naton this winter. But Strait will stop after 80 or so appearances and return to his ranch in early November. ``I made up my mind I wasn\'t going to tour as much,\'\' said Strait, known outside the country industry for his TV beer commercials. Members of the fast-rising group Kentucky HeadHunters figure two awards means they won\'t have to cut their hair. Their locks were longer than anyone\'s at the awards ceremony - except for Crystal Gayle\'s. ``Does this mean we get to keep our hair?\'\' asked Greg Martin, one of five HeadHunters taking home crystal trophies for Album of the Year, ``Pickin\' on Nashville,\'\' and for Vocal Group of the Year. The only other double winner was Garth Brooks, with the Horizon Award (for career development) and Music Video of the Year for ``The Dance.\'\' Tennessee Ernie Ford was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, an honor that made the 71-year-old singer consider the youth of some other winners. ``These people who performed tonight, I\'ve got neckties older than they are,\'\' Ford said on the nationally televised awards presentation. Clint Black won Male Vocalist of the Year and Kathy Mattea won top female vocalist honors. The Judds, Wynonna and mother Naomi, picked up Vocal Duo of the Year award. Single of the Year went to Vince Gill for ``When I Call Your Name.\'\' Vocal Event of the Year, for performers who do not normally sing together, went to Lorrie Morgan and her late husband, Keith Whitley. Song of the Year, a songwriter\'s award, was given to Jon Vezner and Don Henry for ``Where\'ve You Been.\'\' Johnny Gimble received Musician of the Year award.\r\n'),(60,2,'Republican nominee George Bush said he felt nervous as he voted today in his adopted home state of Texas, where he ended his presidential campaign telling voters the election is a referendum on a ``philosophy, a way of life.\'\' The vice president and his wife, Barbara, voted in a hotel conference room which had been set up as a polling place. The couple then visited a local Republican headquarters to talk to people working to get out the vote. Emerging from the voting booth, Bush was asked how he felt. ``Nervous ... everytime I vote here, I feel nervous,\'\' he said. Asked about the outcome, he replied, ``No predictions.\'\' At the GOP headquarters, Bush personally made a half-dozen telephone calls. ``No, I\'m not kidding,\'\' he told one person who apparently expressed skepticism that Bush was on the line. ``Having done all the hard work, now the key is to get the vote out,\'\' he said. The vice president also showed off his French to a reporter from France. ``Je peux parler un peu de francais,\'\' he said, explaining he could speak the language a little. He added he felt ``tres heureux, aujourd\'hui,\'\' or ``very happy, today.\'\' Bush told reporters he was ``very glad\'\' the campaign was over. He planned a ``relaxed family day\'\' with ``a lot of exercise.\'\' He planned to watch election returns on television with family members and friends at his home in a Houston condominium-hotel complex. Bush wrapped up his campaign Monday with a final swing through Michigan, Ohio and Missouri. He attended a raucus rally Monday evening at the Galleria shopping mall where country stars Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle and Mo Bandy entertained several thousand fans. Today\'s election is ``more than just a referendum on peace and prosperity,\'\' Bush told the crowd. ``It\'s a referendum on a philosophy, a way of life that\'s well and alive right here deep in the heart of Texas,\'\' he said. In a half-hour paid TV advertisment Monday night, the Republican presidential nominee summed up the themes of his campaign and said rival Michael Dukakis ``has no experience in national security affairs.\'\' ``I don\'t believe we can take a risk on an issue as important as our national security,\'\' he said on the ad broadcast on the three major networks right after Dukakis aired a half-hour spot of his own. Later, a soft-speaking Bush talked to viewers for a few minutes at the end of the half-hour commercial that featured biographical and campaign scenes set to music and narration, as well as an endorsement by President Reagan and various Bush family members. ``I respect my opponent, I admire his devotion to family, and I appreciate his decision to enter public service,\'\' Bush said. ``But I do believe we are guided by fundamentally different philosophies, a great divide, an honest difference of opinion on which approach will lead America in the \'90s stronger and more secure than ever.\'\' Bush also echoed President Reagan\'s 1980 campaign line by saying, ``If you elect me president you will be better off four years from now than you are today.\'\' The ad made no mention of Bush\'s running mate, Sen. Dan Quayle of Indiana, whose qualifications have been an issue in the campaign. Bush appeared in a jovial mood Monday as nationwide polls showed him holding his lead over Dukakis. Accompanied by his top campaign advisers, Bush spent the final campaign day addressing rallies in a suburb of Detroit, in rural Ashland, Ohio, and in St. Louis. While calling on voters to reject the ``failed liberal policies of the past,\'\' Bush also seemed in a reflective mood as he talked about what the campaign meant to him and what he sees ahead. ``Sometimes there\'s ups,\'\' he said. ``Sometimes there\'s downs. Sometimes you get written off by all the great experts and sometimes you bounce back. ``But I\'ll tell you where you get your strength, you get your strength from travelling around the United States of America and meeting and visiting with and listening to the heartbeat that comes from the American people themselves.\'\' Bush said he was confident that the negativism of the campaign would soon be behind him. ``What I will do is trust the good judgment of the American people who immediately shift gears and start looking to the future,\'\' he said in an interview with radio reporters.\r\n'),(61,2,'Enron Corp., the nation\'s largest natural gas transmission company, said Thursday it was considering the sale of its oil and gas subsidiary, one of the biggest U.S. independent oil and gas concerns. ``Based upon prices paid in recent transactions for oil and gas reserves, the sale of all or part of EOG (Enron Oil & Gas Co.) would strengthen substantially Enron\'s financial position and provide the flexibility to pursue very attractive opportunities we see in the energy business,\'\' said Kenneth L. Lay, Enron chairman. Enron Oil & Gas had reserves of 1.42 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 42.3 million barrels of oil as of the end of 1987. For the entire year, it sold an average of 343 million cubic feet of natural gas and 12,000 barrels of oil per day. For the first three months of 1988, that rate has risen to 399 million cubic feet of gas and 13,000 barrels of oil, the company said. ``Assuming completion of a sale, we will be realizing for our shareholders the tremendous value inherent in these assets under current favorable market conditions,\'\' Lay said. He said proceeds from a sale would be used to reduce Enron\'s indebtedness and interest expense and enhance near-term earnings and future cash flow. Lay, speaking at Enron\'s annual meeting Thursday, said debt reduction was a major goal for 1988. Debt as a percentage of capitalization stood at 75.6 at the end of 1987 and was reduced to 67 percent by the end of the first quarter. Enron earlier Thursday reported first-quarter earnings of $69.4 million, or $1.20 per share, compared with $62.7 million, or $1.06 per share, for the year-earlier period. ``Among the primary causes was a return to more normal winter temperature patterns than the relatively warm heating seasons of the last three years,\'\' Lay said. ``The colder weather, resulting in increased natural gas use, was coupled with higher average prices for gas, which also proved beneficial to earnings.\'\' In releasing the financial figures, the company restated earnings for 1987 to reflect adoption of changed accounting rules, reducing 1987\'s reported first quarter earnings by $3.9 million, reflecting a lower federal income tax benefit due to a tax rate change relative to depreciation and amortization expenses.\r\n'),(62,2,'NASA scientists rejoiced at ``pretty damn good\'\' test photos from the Magellan probe today but also grappled with communications difficulties as the spacecraft circled Venus. Fifteen hours after the spacecraft lost contact with Earth on Thursday evening, the signal was re-established. But the signal failed again at midday and was expected to continue to be a problem until scientists could send Magellan new instructions on how to properly aim at Earth, officials said. Meanwhile, project manager Tony Spear said the test pictures collected from the spacecraft\'s radar mapper before the problems developed had produced ``some raw images that looked pretty damn good.\'\' He said NASA will release the first pictures on Monday instead of waiting until September. Thursday\'s test returned far more pictures than expected, including several so-called ``noodles,\'\' or areas of the planet about 1,000 miles long by 15 miles wide, project scientist Steve Saunders said. The pictures show ``lava flows and faults and fractures and cinder cones with craters in the top,\'\' Saunders said. Scientists at NASA\'s Jet Propulsion Laboratory were concerned when they did not hear from Magellan as expected at 8:32 p.m. Thursday. But they stressed that the spacecraft is loaded with computer programs that automatically help it find Earth if contact is lost. Originally, scientists had expected that the outage would continue until this evening. But late this morning, as scientists were were conducting a news conference about the problem, Magellan manager Steve Wall rushed in with word that NASA\'s Deep Space Network station at Goldstone, Calif., had re-established contact with the spacecraft and locked onto its signal. ``It is Magellan,\'\' Wall said. ``The spacecraft looks healthy.\'\' The second loss of contact a short time afterward was not entirely unexpected, Spear said. Scientists now expect the spacecraft to be in and out of touch until controllers can send it new instructions on how to properly aim at Earth, he said. However, the second signal loss blunted some of the sense of relief at hearing from Magellan after the overnight silence. Wall said engineers had been out of contact with the spacecraft Thursday night as it fixed on two stars, a procedure Magellan routinely performs to make sure it is pointed properly. NASA should have heard from Magellan at 8:32 p.m. PDT Thursday when this ``star calibration\'\' was completed, but ``we did not re-establish contact,\'\' JPL spokesman Jim Doyle said. The last previous radio contact with the craft had been at Deep Space Network stations at Goldstone and in Australia. ``The assumption is that after it made a star calibration, it looked at the wrong star and then couldn\'t point back to Earth accurately,\'\' Doyle said. ``Then, the contact was lost.\'\' Project officials believe the spacecraft detected an unknown onboard problem and entered a protective ``safing mode\'\' in which it orients itself toward the sun so its solar array will continue to receive power and find a guide star, said Doyle. From that position, it was programmed to automatically start a routine of locating the sun, then searching for Earth, Wall said. The problem with Magellan comes in the wake of NASA\'s troubles with the flawed Hubble Space Telescope and with hydrogen fuel leaks that temporarily grounded the space shuttle fleet. Magellan\'s formal mission to map the surface of Venus is supposed to start Aug. 29. Contact was lost after Magellan started a two-day test meant to make sure the spaceship\'s radar can make pictures of Venus and to adjust the radar waves so the pictures are focused, said lab official Ed Sherry. Venus, the second planet from the sun, is covered by thick clouds that prevent optical cameras from seeing its rugged landscape. Magellan\'s $744 million mission will use radar to penetrate the clouds, then collect the reflected waves to make the best maps and pictures yet of Earth\'s nearest planetary neighbor. The spacecraft was launched from the shuttle Atlantis 15 months ago and went into orbit around Venus a week ago after a roundabout 948-million-mile journey. At least 20 U.S. and Soviet spacecraft have visited Venus, including some that landed and photographed a small area of landscape. Magellan will yield a global map. Its radar was designed to distinguish surface features as small as two football fields, a level of detail 10 times better than in pictures made by radar on two Soviet spacecraft that were launched in 1983.\r\n'),(63,2,'A suspect bit the ear of a 4-year-old police dog and injured the animal\'s neck during a chase and arrest, police said today. The dog, Rex, was on patrol with Constable Philip Rajah in the Natal provincial capital during the weekend when they came across two ``suspicious individuals,\'\' police said. While Rajah searched one man, Rex chased the other _ and got the worst of it when his quarry turned on the animal and bit him. Rajah had to yank the man off the dog, police said. They said the dog was being treated for a serious neck injury at a veterinary clinic. The man who bit the dog may face a charge of malicious injury to state property.\r\n'),(64,2,'The Nikkei Stock Average closed at 28,099.84 points, up 113.85 points, on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Tuesday.\r\n'),(65,2,'Here is a brief summary of forest and grassland fires active Thursday in the West:\r\n'),(66,2,'A biography of the elusive Greta Garbo will finally be published after being locked in a vault for 14 years. ``Garbo\'\' was written by the late novelist and poet Antoni Gronowicz. Publisher Simon & Schuster said the company acquired the book in 1976 on the understanding that it would not be published while the actress was alive. Garbo died April 15 at the age of 84. Much of the book is told in Garbo\'s own words as she talked to Gronowicz, with whom she became friends in 1938. The book ``tells of her relationship with her discoverer, mentor and lover Mauritz Stiller; and deals with her long and not always happy years as the greatest and most reluctant of movie queens,\'\' the publisher said in a statement. It also deals with the men in her life, John Gilbert, Robert Montgomery, Robert Taylor, Charles Boyer, Melvyn Douglas and others. ``In the book, Gronowicz also recalls Miss Garbo talking about the often rumored fact that `women pursued (her) more often and more persistently\' than did men,\'\' the statement said.\r\n'),(67,2,'Bank of New England Corp. is cutting 5,600 workers and slashing $300 million in costs, but the troubled company admits that even with the cuts its future is in doubt. The bank, operating under government orders for more than a month, announced the cost-cutting plan Wednesday. But the institution also filed federal documents this week saying it expects to see an increase in troubled loans. Furthermore, the bank acknowledged its future may hinge on whether the slumping New England economy continues to decline. ``Continued deterioration in the New England economy and the real estate market could adversely impact the corporation\'s recovery efforts,\'\' the bank said. The job reductions, which will lower the workforce by about one-third, will come through a combination of layoffs, attrition and asset sales. The bank also has frozen hiring, eliminated financial bonuses and suspended raises for bank officers. Analysts said that although the moves should strengthen the bank, its footing remains extremely shaky. The bank gave a similar assessment in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week. ``If the corporation is unsuccessful in addressing the corporation\'s current difficulties, it is likely that external assistance from third parties and@or regulatory authorities will be required,\'\' the bank said. Bank of New England lost more than $1 billion last year, due largely to bad real estate loans. The bank said that in addition to $2.2 billion in non-performing assets reported at the end of 1989, it had $1 billion in loans that were still performing but where borrowers were experiencing some financial difficulty. The bank said it expects non-performing assets will increase in the first quarter. That could be a sign that problems could be spreading outside the bank\'s real estate portfolio into other business loans, said Gerard Cassidy, an analyst with Tucker Anthony Inc. ``The key is the economy,\'\' he said. ``The New England economy is not cooperating.\'\' The bank said it would lay off about 1,700 employees and would notify them over the next several days. ``These decisions were difficult and they are painful for all of us,\'\' bank Chairman Lawrence K. Fish said in a letter to employees. ``But difficult as these steps are, it is essential that we take them now to assure our future viability and our ability to rebuild as a stronger, though smaller, Bank of New England,\'\' he said. ``At the same time, our primary concern as we rebuild is customer service and maintenance of the highest possible credit quality,\'\' Fish said. An earlier staff reduction plan was canceled by Fish after he was named chairman on March 9. At the time, he ordered a thorough review of the organization\'s direction, structure, and personnel needs. Personnel cuts, asset sales and other measures are expected to reduce annual operating expenses by approximately $300 million, the bank said. Bank officials said the action was being taken as part of a strategic plan outlining new directions for the corporation. Details of the plan are expected next week. The bank last month announced it had signed federal orders that set tight guidelines for lending practices and other operations. James Moynihan, senior vice president of Advest Inc. in Boston, predicted the bank eventually will sell off all its subsidiaries in Connecticut, Maine and Rhode Island. ``In order to survive, they will have to become a Massachusetts-only bank,\'\' he said. The results, if successful, would be a ``very competitive bank\'\' with assets below $20 billion, compared with a $32 billion level last year. The bank said its new strategic plan will try to concentrate on primary banking and lending businesses. Other operations will be eliminated, including processing services, large corporate banking outside of New England, leasing and discount brokerage services. The bank also disclosed that it was being sued in federal court in Pennsylvania by the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co., which has a $10 million, 14 percent Bank of New England bank note due in 1996. Penn Mutual maintains the bank\'s asset sales breached covenants in the note. The insurance company asked the court to order the bank to speed up its principal payments. The bank also faces a lawsuit from shareholders who claim company executives misrepresented the bank\'s financial status by not disclosing the mounting troubles sooner last year.\r\n'),(68,2,'The U.S. Army\'s heaviest ground firepower reached Saudi soil today for deployment behind Arab forces manning the front line in the monthlong standoff with Iraq. Dozens of M1-1P tanks and M2 Bradley armored infantry fighting vehicles, and scores more heavy support vehicles, rolled off two huge transport ships at a port in northeastern Saudi Arabia and were readied for the trip north into the desert. The M1s are by the far the biggest ground weapon in the burgeoning U.S. arsenal in Saudi Arabia, weighing an imposing 60 tons and carrying a 105 mm cannon said to be accurate at 6,600 feet or more. The huge but speedy tanks _ which can travel about 45 mph _ left the 24th Infantry (Mechanized) Division\'s home in Georgia two weeks ago. The 24th\'s heavy firepower will be deployed in front of most other U.S ground forces in Saudi Arabia but still a good distance behind the Saudi-led Arab forces, which are just miles from the border with occupied Kuwait. The U.S. buildup _ which could reach 200,000-250,000 ground forces _ is not expected to be completed until October. Transport planes are arriving around the clock, but the M1s and the 24th\'s other heavy weaponry have been long awaited by U.S. military commanders. Until now, the U.S.-led multinational Saudi defense force has been short on heavy ground firepower. ``This is boss,\'\' Sgt. Ronald Ruff said as he showed off his M1 to a group of reporters. ``This is the Cadillac model. This is the top of the line.\'\' Up to now, the only U.S. tanks in Saudi Arabia have been Vietnam era M60s, brought by the 7th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and even smaller M551 Sheridans. Iraq has a formidable force of Soviet-made tanks, primarily the export versions of its T64 and T72 models. The T64 is comparable in armament and armor to the M1s that arrived today; the T72 is equivalent to the more modern M1, the M1-A1. The U.S. tanks are considered to have superior weapons sighting and guidance systems, and the strategy for any tank war with Iraq is to use the air superiority of the American, Saudi and British forces to inflict heavy early damage on Iraqi tanks. ``There\'s no doubt in my mind that we\'ll succeed here if we have to,\'\' said Lt. Col. Barry Willey. ``Bring them (the Iraqis) on,\'\' Ruff said. ``We\'ve the training and technology; they\'ve got the numbers. We\'ll take them out.\'\' Several M1 crews said they will have to clean and change the M1\'s filters more often because of the talcum-like sand of the Saudi desert.\r\n'),(69,2,'The Sandinista government proposed on Thursday that the two-month cease-fire be extended by 30 days to allow negotiators to work out an enduring peace with rebels, but the rebels immediately said no. Azucena Ferrey, spokeswoman for the rebels, known as the Contras, said the Sandinista proposal ``shows they lack good will.\'\' She noted in a telephone interview that the current cease-fire expires at the end of May, and said that ``if they want to extend it (the cease-fire) they can propose it then.\'\' Gen. Humberto Ortega, the defense minister and the leader of the leftist government\'s delegation to the peace talks, told reporters such an extension ``will help improve the conditions under which the negotiations are taking place so that an overall agreement can be discussed to reach a final accord.\'\' The 60-day provisional truce, which started April 1, is part of an agreement reached by the U.S.-backed rebels and the Sandinistas at the southern border post of Sapoa on March 23. During the truce the two sides are to attempt to negotiate an end to the 6{-year-old conflict that has cost more than 26,000 lives, by government estimates. Ortega, the brother of President Daniel Ortega, announced the offer shortly before the delegations resumed high-level political talks. The government also offered Thursday to let the International Red Cross administer humanitarian aid immediately to the Contras even before rebel combatants gather inside safe zones established during previous talks. The Sandinista proposal was read by Deputy Foreign Minister Victor Hugo Tinoco, who said the offer was ``an attempt to facilitate the pacification process.\'\' Sandinista and Contra negotiators previously agreed upon seven safe zones in which the Contra fighters are to collect. The two sides differed over operational conditions inside the zones, however, and the rebels have yet to gather inside them. The three-day negotiating session marks only the second time the two sides have met in Managua since the war began in 1981. Recent reports have said that the Contra leadership is divided, with the rebel military commanders opposing any immediate agreement with the Sandinistas. President Ortega on Wednesday predicted an agreement can be reached if both sides bargain in good faith. However, the Sandinistas and the Contras remain far apart on essential issues. Humberto Ortega accused the rebel commanders of taking part in the talks ``not with the purpose of reaching agreement\'\' but to buy time. American and other sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said rebel leader Adolfo Calero tried unsuccessfully to oust the top rebel military commander, Enrique Bermudez, a week ago. A U.S. official said the Contra directors split 2-2 with one abstention on whether to remove Bermudez. He ostensibly takes orders from the five-member civilian directorate but believes he should have more influence over rebel decisions, the sources said. Calero argues that civilian control over the movement is essential and sees Bermudez as a threat to that objective. In an effort to dispel rumors of disunity, Bermudez and other Contra leaders issued a statement in Miami on Wednesday declaring support for the talks. Calero, in a telephone interview Thursday, denied there was any split in rebel ranks. ``There are obviously sectors who would be interested in there being such a split,\'\' he said.\r\n'),(70,2,'Cuban authorities have broken up a black market ring that operated out of a major Havana food store, a government news report said Sunday. Police officers arrested ``numerous hoarders and resellers of basic necessities,\'\' Prensa Latina, the official Cuban news agency, said in a report monitored in Mexico City. Employees of Mercado Amistad, Havana\'s largest grocery, were believed to have been involved in a scheme that allowed the illegal resale of large quantities of basic goods at inflated prices, Prensa Latina said. Also, some of those arrested allegedly ``sold places in (the grocery store) line to the highest bidder and in this way earned more than a worker,\'\' the report said. ``The scarcity of various products caused by distribution, organization, inefficiency and bureaucratic problems, plus the lack of foreign exchange, encourages the proliferation of speculators,\'\' Prensa Latina said. The market, where consumers often wait in long lines for scarce goods, is in the old Sears, Roebuck and Co. building that was nationalized after the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Private enterprise has been all but eliminated on the communist island. Two years ago, the government ended experimental farmers\' markets that had allowed growers to sell surpluses.\r\n'),(71,2,'The Soviet Union apologized Friday for one of the grisliest crimes of the Stalin era: the murder of thousands of imprisoned Polish officers shot during World War II and buried in mass graves in the Katyn Forest. The confession ended nearly 50 years of official Soviet denial and had been almost a prerequisite for improved Polish-Soviet relations. The Soviet Union previously insisted that Nazi Germany was responsible for the massacre. Polish and Western historians long have blamed the NKVD, Josef Stalin\'s secret police, for killing more than 4,000 officers in the Katyn Forest near Smolensk. They were captured by the Soviets at the beginning of World War II. More than 10,000 other Polish officers were killed in camps elsewhere. Their bodies have never been found, but in its statement Friday the Soviet Union clearly tied together the fates of all 15,000 officers, some of the cream of prewar Polish society. The admission came 47 years to the day when the Nazis announced the discovery of the Katyn graves. And it came one day after East Germany\'s new Parliament apologized for the Holocaust and for the deaths of millions of Soviets in World War II. The statement carried by the official news agency Tass was issued as President Mikhail S. Gorbachev met with Polish President Wojciech Jaruzelski. Poland had urged the Soviet Union to admit responsibility for the mass slayings, saying such ``blank spots\'\' in history were a barrier to better Polish-Soviet relations. Gorbachev gave Jaruzelski copies of the material from Soviet archives pertaining to the Poles imprisoned in the NKVD camps, Tass reported. In a speech at a dinner Friday night honoring Jaruzelski, Gorbachev referred to the massacre, Tass reported. He said the two leaders talked about ``those historical `knots\' that even many years later cast shadows on our relations. Many of them are undone already.\'\' ``Recently, documents have been discovered which indirectly but convincingly testify that thousands of Polish officers who died in the Smolensk woods half a century ago became victims of (Stalin\'s secret police chief Lavrenti) Beria and his henchmen,\'\' Tass quoted Gorbachev as saying. ``The graves of the Polish officers are near Soviet people\'s graves, who fell from the same evil hand,\'\' he said. ``It is not easy to speak about this tragedy but we must speak about it for only through the truth there lies the way to genuine renewal and to genuine mutual understanding.\'\' The earlier statement said the ``Soviet side, expressing its deep regret in connection with the Katyn tragedy, states that it is one of the most horrifying Stalinist crimes,\'\' Tass said. ``It\'s good that criminals admit their crimes,\'\' Polish Solidarity leader Lech Walesa said in Gdansk. But other problems remain, including war reparations, he said. The massacre has caused bitterness among Poles for years despite the previous Communist government\'s loyal statements supporting the Soviet Union. Jaruzelski is scheduled to visit a memorial at Katyn on Saturday, following pilgrimages of Poles whose relatives and friends died in the massacre. The officers were captured by the Soviet Union when it invaded eastern Poland at the beginning of World War II, shortly after Hitler sent his soldiers across Poland\'s western border to start the war. They were shot in the back of the head and stacked in layers in mass graves. The bodies were found in April 1943 by German soldiers who captured the area during World War II. They were immediately used for propaganda purposes. Stalin blamed the Nazis for the deaths. Soviet historians recently began questioning that version, but it stood until the Soviet Union admitted responsibility Friday. A U.S. congressional committee in the early 1950s blamed the Soviets. Under Gorbachev\'s policy of glasnost, the Soviet Union has brought to light many of the deeds of Stalin and his henchmen, but Katyn was one of the final affairs to be touched by the greater openness. Records indicate that only 394 of the 15,000 captured Polish prisoners were transferred to the Gryazovetsky prison camp. The rest were turned over to the NKVD, the predecessor of the KGB, in Smolensk; Voroshilovgrad in the Ukraine; and Kalinin northwest of Moscow. All the officers disappeared from NKVD records, Tass said. Beria and others were executed after Stalin died in 1953. Historian Natalia Lebedeva, writing in the weekly Moscow News on March 25, said the officers apparently were killed in a single operation as the NKVD evacuated three camps. The Soviets might have considered the Polish officers a threat as potential future leaders of Poland. Ms. Lebedeva, who used Soviet central archives and Soviet army records, called it a ``well-thought-through and carefully planned operation.\'\' In Warsaw, Polish relatives of the victims were pleased the truth finally had come out, but expressed regret it took so long. ``I awfully regret that my mother could not live until this day,\'\' said Wanda Zadrozna, crying as she recalled her father\'s murder. ``There is a great regret that it took 50 years and the wives of those people didn\'t live until this day.\'\' ``But whatever happens now, it is good that the truth will be finally written in history,\'\' she said.\r\n'),(72,2,'The ARCO Chemical Co.\'s inquiry into the plant explosion that killed 17 people has been stymied by a court order issued Saturday for the wife of a deceased worker. In response to her negligence lawsuit against the company, a judge granted a temporary restraining order preventing Atlantic Richfield Co. and ARCO Chemical from making any changes to the accident scene. Atlantic Richfield, based in Los Angeles, owns 83 percent of ARCO Chemical. ``We can\'t remove anything until OSHA releases the area to us,\'\' said Jack Johnson, president of ARCO Chemical Americas. He refused to comment further on the lawsuit, filed Friday by Sandra Lucas Davis. Her husband, Gregory Scott Davis, 27, was one of the names on a partial list of victims released by the company Saturday. State District Judge Shearn Smith issued the temporary restraining order, but it did not prohibit OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, from conducting its investigation. OSHA officials, who were sifting through the damaged area, expect to complete their investigation in about a week, Johnson said. Assistant Secretary of Labor Gerard F. Scannell said Friday his agency was focusing on maintenance reports and complaints that employees had to work especially long hours at the plant. Plant manager Earl McCaleb said workers normally work 12-hour shifts for four days, then are off four days. Harold Sorgenti, president of ARCO Chemical, said the company was concentrating on helping families and employees deal with the deaths, while making sure the plant is stabilized. The explosion at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday ripped through the plant\'s utility area on the extreme southern end of the complex where employees were doing maintenance work, officials said. What the employees actually were doing ``will be determined by the investigation,\'\' Sorgenti said. ``Initially, they were beginning to fix a compressor.\'\' Initial speculation was that the five ARCO workers and 11 Austin Industrial Inc. contract workers killed were cleaning the 900,000-gallon tank that exploded. The other worker killed was the driver of a vacuum truck that was in the area to remove rainwater from a sump, McCaleb said. Sorgenti also said the investigation will focus on why so many people were in the area when normally five people are assigned there. ``I think it\'s difficult to understand why there was that concentration of employees in that area at that time,\'\' said Sorgenti, who flew to Houston from Europe where he was on business. McCaleb said it would be several months before the plant begins operating again. The 350 ARCO employees at the plant, about 15 miles east of Houston, are working to restore the plant and will not lose any pay, he said. The ARCO plant annually produces 560 million pounds of propylene oxide, used to make flexible foam for seat cushions and bedding. It also produces 1.3 billion pounds of styrene monomer, used for insulation, foam drinking cups, packaging materials and automotive parts; and 1.7 billion pounds of methyl tertiary butyl ether, a high-octane blending component used as a replacement for lead in gasoline. The explosion was the second major loss of life at a Houston area petrochemical facility in nine months. On Oct. 23, a series of explosions ripped through a Phillips Petroleum Co. plant in Pasadena, claiming 23 lives and injuring 130 people.\r\n'),(73,2,'Americans\' spendin power sank again in September as the Persian Gulf crisis pushed prices up a sharp 0.8 percent for the second straight month, the government said Thursday. Still, inflation not tied to oil prices remained relatively mild. If the Labor Department\'s Consumer Price Index continued increasing at the September pace for a year, it would produce an annual inflation rate of 9.5 percent. Most economists believe price increases - absent the outbreak of a shooting war - will return to a more normal level by the end of the year. The oil shock nevertheless has added a new burden for an economy that was already on the brink of recession. ``You take out energy and the numbers aren\'t that bad. But on the other hand, people have to buy the energy and it gives you an annual inflation rate roughly double the rate of wage growth,\'\' said economist Donald Ratajczak of Georgia State University. ``It means that people won\'t have a lot of money to spend on Christmas,\'\' he said. The ``core\'\' inflation rate - prices excluding food and energy - was 0.3 percent in September, down from 0.5 percent in August. For the first nine months of 1990, prices increased at an annual rate of 6.6 percent, well above the 4.6 percent increase for all of last year. The rate for all of 1990, if it comes in close to 7 percent as now expected, will be the worst since 1981, when prices shot up 8.9 percent. The pickup in inflation so far this year helped bring about the biggest boost in Social Security benefits in 8{ years. Based on Thursday\'s report, the government announced a 5.4 percent rise in benefits beginning in January for the 40 million Social Security recipients. In addition to boosting consumer inflation based on oil and various energy products, the Aug. 2 Iraqi invasion and its aftermath hurt the U.S. merchandise trade deficit. It rose 2.4 percent to a seven-month high of $9.3 billion in August. Increasing oil prices pushed imports to a record high, more than offsetting a modest rise in exports. The stock market shrugged off the news, with the Dow Jones average of industrial stocks advancing. Analysts said traders were doing some cautious buying in the belief that worries about the economy had gone to unjustified extremes. In a separate report, the Labor Department said Americans\' average weekly earnings, after adjusting for inflation, increased 0.4 percent in September. Still, they were down 1.5 percent from a year ago. In the inflation report, energy prices in September jumped 5.6 percent, the worst rise on record since the department began tracking the sector in 1957. Gasoline soared 9.5 percent, the largest increase in 17 months, and fuel oil rose 15.9 percent. For August and September together, gasoline rose 17.9 percent and fuel oil was up 33.7 percent. Electricity and natural gas charges also rose, but less steeply. Analysts expect the bad news to continue through November or December, even if oil prices stabilize near where they are now - around $40 a barrel, double the July price. In the next few months, the oil shock probably will begin feeding through to chemicals, airline tickets and other energy-related products and services. But it probably will not produce a permanent increase in the inflation rate, said economist David Jones of Aubrey G. Lanston & Co., a government securities dealer in New York. ``We simply don\'t suffer this time around from the same kind of inflationary psychology as we did during earlier oil shocks in 1973 and 1979. In the `70s, consumers were buying in anticipation of price increases. Now, consumers are waiting for a bargain,\'\' he said. Jones said recent increases in consumer prices are great enough to cause the Federal Reserve to be cautious about stimulating the economy with lower interest rates but not so great as to prevent a quarter-point cut in short-term rates if Congress and President Bush agree on a plan to cut the federal budget deficit. In other details, the Labor Department said: -Food and beverage prices rose a moderate 0.3 percent last month, the same as August. -Medical care was up 0.7 percent, bringing prices 9.3 percent higher than a year earlier. -Clothing costs also were up 0.7 percent in September. Men\'s and boys\' clothing prices fell, but women\'s, girls\' and infants\' clothing costs rose, as did the price of shoes. -New car prices edged up only 0.1 percent after remaining unchanged in August. Car dealers beset with lagging sales have been unable to wean the public from rebate programs and discounted financing. -Housing costs were up 0.4 percent, held back by a decline in hotel and motel costs, which had been rising steeply earlier in the year. The various changes put the index for all consumer items at 132.7 in September. That means a hypothetical selection of goods and services costing $100 in the 1982-84 base period, cost $132.70 last month, up $7.70 from a year earlier.\r\n'),(74,2,'Michael Dukakis was getting his early morning exercise walking down a Pittsburgh street, when someone gave a cry of recognition: ``Hey, isn\'t that Caliguiri?\'\' No, it wasn\'t Pittsburgh Mayor Richard Caliguiri: It was the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. ``I guess the mayor and I look alike,\'\' Dukakis said as he described the Sunday morning greeting. ``There\'s an old saying in Italian: `One face _ one race.\' We\'re all part of the same family.\'\' Far ahead in the polls here for Tuesday\'s primary, Dukakis said the incident shows ``we need to do a lot of work to make sure people know who Dukakis is on the ballot.\'\' The Massachusetts governor himself is working hard _ taking a whistle-stop train tour across western Pennsylvania on Sunday and making a six-city flying tour of the state today. Dukakis is looking for a fourth straight big-state win here over his surviving competitor _ Jesse Jackson _ to tighten his grip on the front-runner\'s crown and widen his margin in the delegate count. ``If we can win big here Tuesday, it will give us a tremendous boost,\'\' Dukakis told a big crowd of students on the Pennsylvania State University campus, who were welcoming back his wife, Kitty, a Penn State graduate. Through the cold, cloudy day in Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Johnstown and Altoona, Dukakis hit over and over again on his message of good jobs and economic development in a region devastated by changes in the steel and coal industries. ``If we can\'t bring good jobs and economic opportunity back to the Johnstowns of this country, then there is something the matter with us,\'\' he told a crowd there. ``I believe we can. I believe we\'re going to.\'\' Dukakis drew the parallels between New England\'s economic troubles of the past and Pennsylvania\'s troubles of the present. ``As a New Englander, we went through the same kind of pain and economic distress as you have,\'\' he said in Greensburg. ``Our communities have come back and these communities are going to come back.\'\' Drawing on the two weekend debates between the Democrats, Dukakis talked of how he and Jackson agree on many issues. ``Instead of investing in a lot of exotic weapon systems of very marginal value, we\'ve got to take these resources and put them _ as both Rev. Jackson and I said Saturday _ into our infrastructure.\'\' But on Sunday, Dukakis brushed off suggestions from Jackson that he should put out a budget. ``You can\'t prepare a budget now for next year _ that\'s absurd,\'\' he told reporters on the chartered Amtrak train, nicknamed the ``Pennsylvania Presidential Unlimited.\'\' And Dukakis resisted pressure from a new Jackson tactic, urging massive new spending on education, drug control efforts and other programs. The front-runner went down his own list of education programs _ which he says involve only modest spending increases _ while Jackson said the federal government should double its spending on education. ``We\'re not going to run the nation\'s school system from Washington,\'\' Dukakis said. ``The thing a president has to do is to set some priorities and get after them.\'\' The Democratic candidate also took a couple of swipes at George Bush, saying that the Republican nominee-to-be seems more interested in building aircraft carriers than in rebuilding the nation\'s railroads and highways. ``Mr. Bush was critical of me ... because I oppose spending $36 billion on two supercarrier task forces that we don\'t need and we can\'t afford,\'\' Dukakis said. ``If he thinks that\'s where we ought to put our scarce resources, then so be it. But it\'s going to be a fundamental issue in this campaign. ``I think I know where the American people are _ they are tired of crumbling bridges, congested airports, jammed highways, homeless people on streets and in doorways ... and they want a change.\'\' If Dukakis is the Democratic nominee, perhaps he will get a wish expressed wistfully in Pittsburgh. ``All of you know me. I suppose we\'d all like to suppose that I\'m a household word,\'\' he told the small crowd. ``I\'d like one of these days to come to Pittsburgh and hear, `Hey, isn\'t that Dukakis?\'\'\'\r\n'),(75,2,'The last group of communist guerrillas in Sarawak state signed a peace accord Wednesday and laid down their arms, the national news agency Bernama reported. Some of the 51 guerrillas brought their children, including a month-old infant, to the ceremony in Kuching, 540 miles southeast of Kuala Lumpur, Bernama reported. Guerrilla leaders Ang Chu Ting and Wong Lian Kui and Sarawak State Secretary Bujang Mohamed Nor and other government officials signed the agreement, the agency said. The North Kalimantan Communist Party operated in Sarawak state, on Borneo Island, for 30 years. A first group of 569 guerrillas made peace in 1973. Last December, 1,100 more communist guerrillas laid down their arms. Government officials said the guerrillas agreed to stop fighting because the people no longer support them. The officials said the collapse of communism in Europe may have disheartened the guerrillas.\r\n'),(76,2,'Require that many federal benefits be denied for five years from those convicted of two or more drug-related offenses within a 10-year period; and denial for 10 years for those convicted of drug distribution. Included would be public housing, licenses, contracts and student loans, and veterans\' assistance in cases of distribution convictions. Excepted would be retirement, welfare, health and disability assistance. _Provide grants to states for enforcement of anti-drug programs that take away a convicted drug offender\'s right to drive. Suspension would have to last six months for a first conviction and at least one year for repeat convictions within a five-year period. _Provide grants to states to help implement drunken driving enforcement programs, provided the programs include immediate suspension of licenses of those found driving under the influence of alcohol. _Allow the Federal Aviation Administration to modify aircraft registration and pilot certificate programs to ensure positive, verifiable and timely identification of aircraft owners and pilots. _Establish an Office of Drug Enforcement Coordination under the president to establish policies, objectives and priorities for federal drug enforcement.\r\n'),(77,2,'Diminishing winds helped firefighters battle a 9,800-acre brush fire on steep, rocky terrain in southern Arizona Monday, and in Montana most fire crews returned home after controlling a 17,000-acre grass fire that killed cattle and destroyed three homes. A small fire in southern California\'s Angeles National Forest may have been started by a killer disposing of a woman\'s body. Firefighters elsewhere in the same forest Monday evening contained a 710-acre brush fire that may have been the work of an arsonist. And in southwest New Mexico, firefighters struggled with at least five lightning-caused wildfires that charred more than 500 acres of grassland and trees. Authorities said the largest fire burned at least 400 acres of grass, brush, juniper trees and pockets of ponderosa pine trees on federal lands. Twenty-four fires were reported in New Mexico from the lightning of a Friday afternoon storm, authorities said. ``Things are looking very good down along the border,\'\' said Jim Payne, a spokesman with the U.S. Forest Service in Phoenix. Payne said winds died down Monday to 15 to 20 mph, allowing firefighters to work towards consolidating fire lines that have been cut along the flanks of the blaze. Payne said the fire, which started Friday in Mexico, has consumed 2,500 acres in northwest Sonora and 7,300 acres in Arizona. He said firefighters hope to have the blaze contained by Wednesday evening. The blaze was named the Peaks fire because it was on Coronado National Forest slopes so steep that the fire-line elevation ranged from 5,200 feet to 7,200 feet. In southern California, the charred body of a woman was found early Monday in a small brush fire was an apparent homicide victim, Los Angeles County sheriff\'s officials said. Investigators believe the woman was killed elsewhere, dumped and set ablaze, said Deputy Gabe Ramirez. That fire was fanned Sunday night by northeasterly winds gusting to 35 mph, but during the day Monday the wind shifted to the southwest, bringing in moist ocean air, said Forest Service spokesman Mike Wickman. The only reported loss was an apiary, but firefighters managed to save another set of beehives, Mike Wickman said. No injuries were reported. A fire that raced across 17,000 acres of parched Montana grassland, destroying three homes and killing cows, was declared under control Monday. An Amtrak train apparently sparked the fire Friday in eastern Montana, said Roosevelt County Fire Chief Lyle Knudsen. The flames quickly spread into North Dakota\'s Williams County. No serious injuries were reported. Most firefighters were withdrawn Monday. ``We\'ve just got a few guys keeping an eye out, spot checks, but all the (fire) departments have returned in,\'\' Knudsen said. Officials were unsure how many head of cattle were lost in the fire. Cattle displaced by the fire were widely scattered, Knudsen said, adding: ``We definitely need hay or pasture, because we\'ve got hundreds of head of cattle without anything to eat.\'\'\r\n'),(78,2,'El Salvadoran President Alfredo Cristiani attracted dozens of protesters Sunday when he went to Harvard University, apparently to watch his son play in a squash match, officials said. Harvard spokesman Peter Costa said Cristiani was in town for ``a private, family visit.\'\' Costa said he was told Cristiani\'s son was a member of Princeton University\'s squash team, which was playing Harvard. Dozens of protesters opposed to El Salvadoran military policies demonstrated outside the Harvard gymnasium, banging pots and pans. Earlier in the day, protesters gathered outside the Cambridge hotel where Cristiani was staying. The demonstrators brought letters from Cambridge Mayor Alice Wolf and from the Cambridge, Belmont and Arlington sister city projects. The letters described how recent delegations that visited sister cities in El Salvador reported continuing human rights abuses by the military. In her letter, Wolf said children often have been the victims of military raids in Cambridge\'s sister city of San Jose Las Flores. ``Our president, George Bush, frequently justifies the military aid that our country sends your government on the grounds that you have at long last brought the armed forces of El Salvador under democratic civilian control,\'\' the letter said. ``Judging from their behavior towards San Jose Las Flores, this does not seem to be the case.\'\'\r\n'),(79,2,'Gov. Kay Orr said Tuesday she won\'t campaign for re-election in a county bitterly divided over a proposed radioactive waste warehouse because her life has been threatened. Boyd County, a sparsely populated ranching area on the state\'s northern edge, has been in turmoil since officials began considering it as a possible home for low-level radioactive waste from five states. A rancher who opposes the plan is on a hunger strike. The Nebraska State Patrol said a letter was received in early August ``that contained some implied threats.\'\' Patrol spokesman Jeff Hanson declined to release any further details, saying the matter was under investigation. Hanson said the letter lacked some elements needed before authorities could charge anyone with making terroristic threats. Orr spokesman Doug Parrott said he understands that the threat is related to the nuclear waste dispute. Mrs. Orr said she knows who made the threat but wouldn\'t disclose the name. She said she had hoped the situation in Boyd County wouldn\'t deteriorate to the point of threats. ``There are a lot of things that you consider when you step into a public office,\'\' Mrs. Orr said. ``I think most of it was pretty well understood by Bill (her husband) and me. ``It\'s dismaying to think that we have gotten to this point that people lose faith and confidence in their government.\'\' The proposed waste site lies about two miles outside Butte, a village of about 500 people. Supporters have welcomed the money the dump may bring. Opponents have said they fear accidents and long-term effects of the radioactive waste. US Ecology, a waste site developer chosen by the Central Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission, has applied to the state for permits to build the waste warehouse. The reinforced concrete warehouse near the South Dakota border would hold waste from the five states that make up the commission: Nebraska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Kansas. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Nelson\'s campaign manager, Sonny Foster, said it was the first he had heard of any threat against Mrs. Orr. He said it had ``absolutely nothing\'\' to do with the Nelson campaign. ``I think that I can say on the behalf of Ben Nelson that we don\'t feel that threatening people is part of the political process and there\'s no way that Ben Nelson would ever condone that kind of activity,\'\' Foster said. Nelson has visited Boyd County and has said that he is concerned about the diisions in the community, Foster said. One rancher who opposes the waste site has been on a hunger strike for more than three weeks. Lowell Fisher of Spencer, who said Tuesday he had lost 29 pounds since his fast began on Sept. 17, said he didn\'t believe the threat against Mrs. Orr was a serious one. ``I think it\'s stupid but if you have enough people who are emotionally upset, they say something,\'\' Fisher said. Fisher said he intends to continue his water-only diet until the governor tells the waste compact commission that the community objects to the waste site or holds a special election to see if there is. An aide to the governor has said Mrs. Orr lacks the power to call such an election and noted that the village board has supported the waste site plans.\r\n'),(80,2,'The Czechoslovak Embassy in Washington will stop representing Cuban diplomatic interests in the United States by March, the state CTK news agency reported Tuesday. CTK quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying the grace period should permit Havana ``to cope with the new situation, without jeopardizing its interests in the U.S.A.\'\' The Czechoslovak Embassy has represented Cuban interests in Washington since 1977. Diplomatic and consular ties between Cuba and the United States were severed in January 1961. Interests sections enable countries to maintain diplomatic contact without having to have full-fledged embassies. A senior Cuban diplomatic official in Washington, speaking on condition he not be identified, said the Cuban government has no alternate plan in mind at present to replace the current arrangement with the Czechoslovak government. He said he assumes both the Cuban and U.S. governments wish to maintain a diplomatic presence in each other\'s capital and that Cuba will seek a new arrangement. The official said he had seen news reports about Prague\'s decision but had heard nothing officially. U.S. diplomatic activities in Havana have been carried out under the auspices of the Swiss embassy. One diplomatic source suggested that Cuba may ask the Swiss to perform that function for Cuba in Washington. The source spoke on condition of anonymity. The news agency quoted an unidentified Foreign Ministry source as saying that ``the different opinions of the two countries on the exercising of human rights\'\' and other fundamental differences prompted the Czechoslovak decision. Czechoslovakia has become a democracy following the revolution that toppled the Communist leadership one year ago; Cuba remains Communist-ruled. The ministry source suggested that deteriorating relations after Czechoslovakia embraced democracy contributed to Prague\'s decision, CTK said. He singled out the storming of Czechoslovak embassy premises in Havana in July by Cubans who claimed they were dissidents but who the Czechoslovaks believe were in the pay of the Cuban government. The invasion of the embassy ``can be rightfully presumed to have been intended to discredit the new Czechoslovak regime in the eyes of the Cuban public,\'\' CTK quoted the source as saying. Efforts to contact the Czechoslovak embassy in Washington by telephone were unavailing.\r\n'),(81,2,'The United States turned to two of its long-time Middle East adversaries, Syria and Iran, seeking potential partners to counter Iraq\'s aggression in the Persian Gulf. The dramatic moves were announced by Secretary of State James A. Baker III as he flew to Turkey with assurances to that nation of financial and military support for its ``forthright closing\'\' of two Iraqi oil pipelines and for freezing Iraqi assets. U.S. government sources said Turkey was seeking $2 billion to compensate it for revenue it will lose by closing the pipelines. Before stopping at a Portugese air base in the Azores for refueling, Baker also said he had received new assurances of Soviet support in enforcing an economic boycott of Iraq ordered by the United Nations Security Council. Baker told reporters traveling with him he would send John H. Kelly, assistant secretary of state for the Near East, to Damascus from Ankara ``to see if we can coordinate with the Syrians\'\' on collective efforts against Iraq. At the same time, Baker verified reports that the United States also has been in touch with Iran through ``third party contacts.\'\' The enmity between the Syrian and Iraqi governments is intense, with the only possible greater enmity being that between Iran and Iraq. Syria helped Iran in Iran\'s long and bloody eight-year war started by another invasion of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 1980. Syrian President Hafez Assad and Saddam Hussein are longtime rivals within the Arab world. The two nations are ruled by rival Arab socialist parties, each considering the other an outcast. Apart from that conflict, Syria\'s relationship with the United States has been as bad as U.S. reations with Iraq. In fact, Syria is one of six countries listed by the State Department as sponsoring terrorists acts. Iraq was removed from that list several years ago. Terrorist groups believed to be under the influence of Iran are holding six Americans hostage in Lebanon, the longest since 1985. Baker declined to say what `` collective efforts\'\' Syria and the United States might undertake against Iraq. ``I really don\'t want to get into the specifics of that,\'\' he said. Baker talked for about a half hour by telephone with Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze, their third conversation in two days. The secretary then said, ``They continue to support enforcement of the U.N. resolution. We can look toward continued Soviet cooperation to carry out the resolution.\'\' Baker said Moscow had dispatched naval forces to the Persian Gulf for use in any international blockade to enforce the sanctions approved unanimously Monday by the U.N. Security Council. Kelly, who was flying to Turkey with Baker, will go on to Saudi Arabia, whose oil fields the U.S is protecting with thousands of troops dispatched Wednesday. Kelly will meet with ousted leaders of the Kuwaiti government who were given sanctuary in Saudi Arabia, and with Saudi officials. A senior U.S. official who demanded anonymity said was up to Saudi Arabia to decide whether Syria and Iran could participate in defense of the kingdon against Iraq. Iran has mounted terrorist operations against Saudi Arabia in the past, according to Saudi officials.\r\n'),(82,2,'Gasoline prices bucked a summer trend and dipped a quarter of a cent a gallon during the last two weeks, according to a nationwide survey of more than 12,000 stations. The Lundberg Survey said the average price of all grades of gasoline offered at all types of service stations was 99.98 cents as of Friday, down from the June 10 average price of $1.0023 per gallon. The average price was down nearly a full cent from comparable June 1987 prices, according to the survey released Sunday. ``It is untypical for retail prices to be falling at this time of year,\'\' when the demand from vacationing motorists usually pulls up the price, said survey director Trilby Lundberg. She blamed the dip on competition between dealers and price instablity on the global oil market. The survey found that average prices at self-serve pumps as of Friday were: regular unleaded, 90.84 cents a gallon; premium unleaded, $1.056 a gallon; and regular leaded, 88.09 cents a gallon. Self-service pumps account for eight of every 10 gallons of gasoline sold. At full service pumps, the average prices were: regular unleaded, $1.1964; premium unleaded $1.2978; and regular leaded $1.1592.\r\n'),(83,2,'Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev\'s economic reform program ran into problems last year and things aren\'t likely to improve in the near future, U.S. intelligence agencies said in a report released Sunday. Unless Gorbachev can do something to turn the economy around, he may find himself in trouble, said the bleak review which was conducted jointly by the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency. ``Tension within society and the leadership will increase,\'\' it said. ``Bureaucrats will become increasingly frustrated by loss of privileges and status and by demands that they show greater initiative. Military leaders are likely to become more and more uneasy if benefits from the industrial modernization fail to materialize.\'\' ``Soviet citizens will need to see some improvement in living standards if the regime is to achieve necessary gains in worker productivity and avoid widespread discontent,\'\' the study said. The report concluded that ``failure to head off these tensions would, at a minimum, make it more difficult to pursue his economic program vigorously and could, ultimately call into question his strong political position at home.\'\' Gorbachev and supporters of his reforms have acknowledged resistance at the highest levels, and there have been reports in Moscow of conflict over reform measures between Gorbachev and No. 2 Kremlin leader Yegor K. Ligachev. Criticism of the slow pace of Gorbachev\'s reforms earlier led to the firing of Boris N. Yeltsin as Moscow Communist Party boss. The U.S. intelligence study was presented April 13 to the congressional Joint Economic Committee, and a declassified version was released by the panel. The study is the annual review of the Soviet economy, three years after Gorbachev came to power. He inherited an aging, extremely inefficient economy and made its modernization one of his top priorities, the study noted. After some early success, ``Gorbachev\'s ambitious program to create a modern, more dynamic Soviet economy ran into trouble in 1987,\'\' the study said. ``Familiar problems with poor weather and transportation bottlenecks were compounded by the disruptions caused by the introduction of economic reforms,\'\' it said. The Soviet gross national product, the total value of all goods and services produced, grew only .5 percent last year, the study noted. That rate was ``reminiscent of the late Brezhnev period,\'\' it said, referring to Leonid Brezhnev, a Gorbachev predecessor who prevailed over a largely stagnant economy in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The study noted that the Soviet GNP grew by 3.9 percent in 1986, the first full year of Gorbachev\'s term, compared with .6 percent in 1985. By contrast, the U.S. gross national product grew 2.9 percent, both in 1986 and 1987. However, the American economy measures a much larger base and comparisons are difficult. The Soviet economy was hampered by bad weather last year, particularly in agriculture, where output fell three percent, the study said. But industrial quality control measures also ``proved to be particularly disruptive, especially early in the year.\'\' Thus, industry only grew 1.5 percent and the civilian machine-building sector didn\'t grow at all. ``The real loser in 1987 appeared to be the consumer, who _ now three years into Gorbachev\'s economic program _ has seen almost no increase in his standard of living,\'\' the study said. It also said that for a variety of reasons, ``the short-term outlook for Gorbachev\'s economic program is not good.\'\' Among those reasons are confusion about guidelines for self-financing reforms, deficiencies in 1987 machine-building that will slow the speed of modernization, transportation problems, and poor prospects for improved worker productivity. Gorbachev also needs to be better organized, the study concluded. ``Although Gorbachev\'s program is comprehensive, it is in some respects inconsistent, particularly with regard to timing. For example, his goals for an immediate acceleration in the growth of national income and a pronounced improvement in the quality of output are, in our view, fundamentally incompatible.\'\' In addition, ``his plan to change traditional economic planning and administrative procedures dramatically has been thrust upon a largely unprepared bureaucracy,\'\' the study said.\r\n'),(84,2,'Black-owned businesses increased more than twice as fast as overall business growth over five years, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. But the money earned by black firms went up at only the same rate as business overall, reflecting that the minority-owned companies were relatively smaller than businesses overall. The bureau reported that black-owned businesses increased from 308,000 in 1982 to 424,000 in 1987, the most recent year for which detailed information is available. That was an increase of 38 percent, compared with a rise of just 14 percent in the total number of businesses in the country. During the same period, receipts of black-owned firms rose 105 percent to $19.8 billion. Total business income increased 106 percent to more than $1.9 trillion in the same period. According to the Census report, based on the 1987 Economic Census, 94 percent of black-owned businesses were sole proprietorships. Receipts per company averaged $47,000 for black-owned companies compared to $146,000 for all businesses. And 54 percent of black-owned firms had receipts of under $10,000. About half of all black-owned businesses were service companies, while 16 percent were in retail trade. By income, automobile dealers and service stations were the top black-owned business, followed by business services, health service, contractors and miscellaneous retail firms. New York, with 28,063 businesses, has the most black-owned firms, the report said. Los Angeles was second at 23,932, followed by Washington, 23,046; Chicago, 15,374 and Houston, 12,989.\r\n'),(85,2,'People stare at the scars on his throat as he waits in grocery store check-out lines. Sometimes they ask if he has a cold. Sometimes they ask if he fought in Vietnam. He never served in Vietnam, but he tells people he did, because he knows from experience that they won\'t want the truth. The truth is, eight years ago a stranger jammed a knife into his gut, spilling the intestines out of his slight frame, then slit his throat as he lay calling for help. It\'s those details people don\'t want to hear - details that still rattle him, causing his hands to shake uncontrollably, calling attention to nails bitten down to nothing. The sandy-haired young father is just one of several million people victimized by aggravated assault in the past decade. The attack swept away his optimism and trust, his devil-may-care fearlessness. Taking its place is fear - fear so real that after telling his story, he asked that his real name and hometown be kept secret. ``We live with the realization that it doesn\'t happen to somebody else,\'\' said the boyish, 33-year-old we\'ll call Larry Roberts. ``We know that people will hurt you.\'\' Murders may steal the headlines, but the number of serious assaults dwarfs the number of killings. Assault victims survive, but often are changed forever. ``The trauma of having looked at the jaws of death is something that is very rough to deal with,\'\' said John Stein, deputy director of the National Organization for Victims Assistance. Some 559,270 people - roughly the population of Columbus, Ohio, - were injured in aggravated assaults last year alone, according to the National Crime Survey, which annually interviews members of some 49,000 households and extrapolates from that to the entire nation. The survey found that 1.1 million others were victims of an attempted aggravated assault with a weapon - a gunshot flew by them, for example. On the night of June 6, 1982, Roberts was on leave from the Navy and interested mainly in getting in a last day of scuba diving before his aircraft carrier departed in two days. He was pitching a tent in a park when two strangers struck up a conversation. They seemed friendly enough. Then without warning, one of them stabbed Roberts in the abdomen and ran off with his scuba gear, wedding ring and $4 in cash. ``When I thought he was gone, I started to holler for help,\'\' Roberts said, a catch in his now-raspy voice. ``He came back through the woods and he tilted my head back and slit my throat twice. And then he tied my feet together and my hands back to two trees.\'\' Roberts eventually worked free, dragged himself 250 feet to a dirt road, holding in his intestines and pressing his chin toward his chest to keep the blood from spurting out. Help finally arrived the next morning. He spent 10 months in the hospital, undergoing at least 10 operations. The fear took over when he emerged from the hospital April 18, 1983. ``I used to take a gun with me wherever I went,\'\' he said. ``I was scared to death.\'\' In the next two years, Roberts moved his family six times. ``Something would happen, something would trigger me and we\'d be gone,\'\' he said. They stopped running five years ago in rural Maryland so their elder daughter could start school and enjoy a semblance of a normal life. Four years ago, Roberts and his wife had a second daughter. In the meantime, his attacker pleaded guilty to attempted murder and served six years of a 10-year sentence before being freed as a model prisoner. Roberts still fears him - even though he believes his fear is irrational. He also insisted that the assailant\'s name not be used, in part because he doesn\'t want to antagonize him. Even now, Roberts\' home is guarded by a large, loud dog nicknamed Norad, after the nation\'s early warning system for nuclear attacks. At night, their home is awash in light. Two sheriff\'s deputies live across the street. Roberts and his wife never employ baby-sitters because they don\'t trust strangers. The attack destroyed Roberts\' career plans. The Navy discharged him involuntarily because he could no longer perform his job. Desperate to catch up for time lost, Roberts pushed himself too far. He has had a drinking problem. He spent two months in a psychiatric hospital last year. Today, he takes things more slowly, teaching scuba diving only part time while attending college. And after years of shying away from the world, he now tells his story to police groups, hoping to sensitize officers to victims\' needs. ``The victim is a piece of evidence,\'\' said Andrew Turner, a criminal justice instructor at Wor Wic Tech Community College and a former Maryland police officer who has arranged some of Roberts\' talks. ``If the guy survived, you had a good case. He could come and testify against the perpetrator.\'\' Turner said. ``Police don\'t see a guy healed up\'\' but still needing emotional support. Roberts finds the speeches therapeutic, despite the toll they take, and he has established a network of people who will help him when he cracks from the strain. It is important to Roberts that he controls the impact of the attack and not the other way around, but he conceded, ``It has given my life a different direction.\'\' Now there\'s yet another fear: AIDS. Roberts had numerous blood transfusions in 1982, before blood was tested for the deadly disease, and he refuses to be tested now. ``If I\'m going to die of it,\'\' he said with a grimace, ``I don\'t want to know about it.\'\'\r\n'),(86,2,'A zoo advocacy group is calling for an investigation into the cause of a half-dozen puncture wounds on the head and face of an elephant that injured a veterinarian who was trying to treat the wounds. ``What we\'re talking about here is abuse,\'\' Sandra Keller, spokeswoman for Citizens for a Better Zoo, said Sunday. ``We have been receiving complaints about the way these elephants are being mistreated for several months.\'\' Veterinarian Gail Hedberg was treating an abscess on the head of a 3{-ton Asian elephant named Tinkerbelle when the animal attacked her Saturday, fracturing her pelvis. Zookeepers said Tinkerbelle did a ``handstand\'\' on the woman. Hedberg was listed in stable condition today at San Francisco General Hospital. Some officials defended practices at the San Francisco Zoo. ``We have to use elephant hooks and other methods that may appear abusive because we\'re not talking about puppy dogs and pussy cats here,\'\' said zoo director Saul Kitchener. ``How do you get a 10,000-pound elephant\'s attention?\'\' Elephant keeper Michele Radovsky said beating an elephant is no different from ``people taking rolled newspapers and hitting their dog.\'\' But Paul Hunter, a keeper at the zoo for nine years, said the abscess on Tinkerbell\'s head was caused by someone hitting her too hard with a hooked instrument called an ankuf or elephant hook. ``The elephants get beaten up real bad, and I\'m getting tired of it,\'\' said Hunter.\r\n'),(87,2,'Two car bombs apparently set off by leftist guerrillas exploded in an affluent neighborhood of this capital. Rescue workers said six people were injured. Although there was no claim of responsibility, the bombings Tuesday night appeared to mark an escalation in the employment of the car-bomb tactic by urban commandos. The previous three car bombs this year were primarily incendiary devices. The Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front claimed responsibility for those bombings. A nine-year civil war pits the Marxist-led guerrillas against forces of the U.S.-backed centrist government. The latest bombs were powerful, blowing one vehicle to bits and throwing parts of another onto a 20-foot-high roof. The bombs exploded about two minutes apart. One went off in the parking lot of the ``Biggest\'\' fast-food hamburger chain, which is Salvadoran-owned but imitates American restaurants. It shattered windows and destroyed part of the roof. The other exploded 200 yards away in front of a complex of boutiques and stores catering primarily to the wealthy in the Escalon neighborhood on San Salvador\'s western edge. The rebels\' clandestine radio indicated in an Oct. 7 broadcast that urban commandos would increase activity in such areas. ``There is no more tranquil rear-guard for the exploiters,\'\' the broadcast said. ``Because it is not fair that bombs and explosions are heard only in the countryside, in the hamlets of the poor. .. . It is not fair that only the oppressed hear the noise of the war and suffer its consequences. ``The rich are in this war too.\'\' Rescue worker Miguel Angel Torres said five employees were injured by flying glass at the ``Biggest.\'\' Another rescue worker said one person was slightly injured by flying glass at the other bombing site. Torres said two of the injured might lose their eyesight. Nicolas Salume, owner of the ``Biggest,\'\' said about 40 people were inside the building when the bomb went off. He estimated damage at $100,000. A man outside the Biggest said, ``This is a great injustice. It is terrorism.\'\' He declined to be named, saying he was an industrialist and could become a guerrilla target if publicly identified.\r\n'),(88,2,'The FBI has no quota system to ensure Hispanics are included in a program to train agents for top positions, one of the FBI\'s highest-ranking officials testified Tuesday. ``We\'re trying to recruit the best people we can for the program,\'\' said John Otto, executive assistant FBI director. ``There are no quotas at this time. But we want our very best people to include minorities and women.\'\' Otto, one of three men who share the bureau\'s No. 2 rank under director William Sessions, testified in a discrimination lawsuit against the FBI. Attorneys for the 311 Hispanic agents joined in the class-action suit contend the FBI routinely keeps Hispanics out of a fast-track promotion path that includes the four-day Management Assessment Program. The plaintiffs contend the FBI discriminates against Hispanics in hiring, promotion, assignments and discipline. They seek unspecified damages and changes in FBI policies. About 400 of the bureau\'s 9,400 agents _ or 4.3 percent _ are Hispanic, compared with 8 percent of the general U.S. population. During the first week of testimony, about 40 agents _ Hispanic and non-Hispanic _ testified that Hispanic agents are transferred more often to undesirable locations, are given less glamorous or more dangerous assignments and receive less recognition for their successes. Otto said the FBI\'s Career Board, which supervises the fast-track promotion program, holds an annual retreat in Quantico, Va., to discuss the problems of minorities. No Hispanics sit on the Career Board, he testified. In other testimony, Melvin Jeter, head of the FBI\'s equal employment opportunity office, said all 25 discrimination complaints brought in the past by agents in the class-action suit were determined to be unfounded. Asked by defense attorney Felix Baxter whether he considered himself anti-Hispanic, Jeter said: ``I certainly do not. I personally look forward to going to conventions and recruiting Hispanic agents.\'\' Margaret Gulotta, head of the FBI\'s linguist program, said any agent who speaks a foreign language can be required to use that skill throughout the agent\'s career. Agents can serve as language specialists for three years, then ask not to be requested to use the language again. But a loophole in the rule allows supervisors to ask those agents to do undercover work, listen to wiretaps and do other assignments in the language based upon the needs of the FBI. The plaintiffs contend the FBI abuses that loophole, keeping Hispanic agents doing routine tasks, such as listening to wiretaps, that do not lead to management jobs. The non-jury trial is scheduled to end Friday, and U.S. District Judge Lucius Bunton is expected to render a decision within six months. Federal employees are not entitled to jury trials when suing the government in discrimination cases.\r\n'),(89,2,'Societe Generale de Belgique SA said Thursday it is ready to continue talks with Robert Maxwell that could result in the British publisher gaining a stake in Belgium\'s largest holding company. Maxwell and Societe Generale agreed in June to cooperate in creating a joint venture in communications, and the two sides had broached the possibility of Maxwell acquiring shares in Societe Generale. But the negotiations were interrupted when Maxwell turned his attention to Macmillan Inc., the New York-based publishing and information services company he has offered to acquire for $2.47 billion in cash. This week Macmillan agreed to a $2.5 billion cash-and-securities buyout by the investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., but Maxwell said he was mulling his options. On Wednesday, Maxwell said he remained interested in acquiring a stake in Societe Generale and that talks may resume soon. A spokesman for Societe Generale said, ``We continue to be interested in having more international shareholders.\'\' Maxwell appears primarily drawn to Societe Generale\'s media interests, which are concentrated in Tractebel SA.\r\n'),(90,2,'Many of the nation\'s leading filmmakers _ including Francis Ford Coppola, Barry Levinson and Paul Mazursky _ will ask the Motion Picture Association of America to change its movie rating system. In a petition to be delivered to the MPAA offices here Tuesday, more than a dozen top directors ask that a new rating be established for adult-oriented films that are not pornographic, according to a copy of the letter. ``The taint of an X rating clearly results in massive and arbitrary corporate censorship,\'\' the petition says. ``Failure to address this problem will help foster a new era of `McCarthyism\' in the arts as during the 50\'s, when the networks claimed it was not they who blacklisted artists, but the sponsors.\'\' The letter says the X rating ``has come to be universally recognized as pertaining simply to pornography. ... We therefore strongly suggest that a new rating of A (for adult) or M (for mature) be incorporated into the system to indicate a film contains strong adult themes or images and that minors are not to view them.\'\' A number of critically acclaimed films _ included ``Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!,\'\' ``Portrait of a Serial Killer,\'\' ``Scandal\'\' and ``The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover\'\' _ have been rated X in recent months. The petition also was signed by Spike Lee, Rob Reiner, Jonathan Demme, Jim Jarmusch, Ron Howard, John Sayles, Penny Marshall, John Waters, Edward Zwick and John Landis, among others. It follows a similar request made this week by the National Society of Film Critics to the MPAA asking they create a new rating for mature films. Mark Lipsky, the president of film distributor Silverlight Entertainment, said he organized the directors\' petition because films with X ratings are denied newspaper and television advertisements and are refused by many theaters. Films carrying the X rating, he said, often are ignored by adult viewers who might enjoy them because the rating has such negative connotations. ``And that\'s censorship,\'\' Lipsky said. ``The MPAA is being irresponsible if they don\'t face the issue.\'\' A spokeswoman for the MPAA in Washington said the organization would not be able to comment on the letter until next week. Earlier in the day, Jack Valenti, the MPAA president, said the rating system works. A New York judge ruled Thursday that the MPAA\'s X rating unfairly brands films for mature audiences as pornographic, and called for the organization to devise a new rating system. Judge Charles Ramos, while saying he did not have the authority to change an X rating given to the acclaimed Spanish film ``Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!,\'\' called the MPAA ratings system ``an effective form of censorship.\'\' In a scathing 15-page opinion, Ramos wrote that unless the MPAA reforms the rating system, it might find itself subject to legal challenge. He called on the organization ``to consider the proposals for a revised rating system that provides a professional basis for rating films or to cease the practice altogether.\'\' He said the problem ``is the need to avoid stigmatizing films of an adult nature, which ought not to be seen by children, but which are clearly not pornographic.\'\' ``Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!\'\' features one sex scene and a brief masturbation scene, and was given an X rating. Many newspapers and movie theaters prohibit advertising and exhibition of X-rated movies.\r\n'),(91,2,'The latest appointee to the city\'s Emergency Shelter Commission has plenty of experience dealing with the problems of people who have no place to go _ he\'s been homeless himself for the past two years. Michael McGuire, 71, who immigrated from Northern Ireland to the United States 37 years ago and worked as a house painter for much of his life, was appointed to the commission by Mayor Raymond Flynn. The mayor announced the appointment at a Thanksgiving dinner at the Long Island Hospital Shelter, where McGuire has lived for the past year. City officials had decided to appoint a homeless person to the panel and McGuire impressed the mayor with his ability to get along with people and his concern on the issue of homelessness, said commission director Ann Maguire. ``He is someone who had been working his whole life and, all of a sudden, he became homeless. That is a perspective that is a little different than other people we\'re dealing with,\'\' she said. McGuire said he hopes to make the most of his new position. ``I\'ll try to do what I can,\'\' he told The Boston Globe in a story published Saturday. ``I\'m not a politician. ... I\'m a nice guy and I\'m not trouble. Maybe I can help people.\'\' McGuire said he is content at the shelter: ``Everybody is friendly, the nurses are lovely and they don\'t holler at you.\'\' However, he said the menu could use a little revision. ``You get a lot of macaroni here,\'\' he said. ``Let\'s see a hamburger once in a while.\'\' He also would like to see things like a pool table, table tennis, shuffleboard and card tables at the shelter. And he would like to move into an apartment of his own. McGuire, who was divorced about 25 years ago and has four children living in Florida, said in a telephone interview Saturday that he moved from Florida to New Jersey in the 1970s, and retired in 1977. He wouldn\'t say where he lived in New Jersey. He said trouble began two years ago when he came to Boston by train with a casual acquaintance he met in Penn Station in New York City. After he got off the train, his friend disappeared and he found himself stranded in a city where he knew no one. He said he started drinking and hanging out in the street. Police referred him to Boston City Hospital where he was directed to the Long Island Hospital shelter. The other commission members are a minister and representatives of the city Department of Health and Hospitals, the city Public Facilities Department and the Pine Street Inn shelter.\r\n'),(92,2,'Legislators praised Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev\'s announcement of a unilateral troop cut but said they want to see the words backed up with action and renewed East-West talks to reduce troop levels in Europe. With Congress out of session, few legislators were in the Capitol and most reacted cautiously, saying they wanted to see more details of how the Soviets will carry out the plan made public Wednesday by Gorbachev at the United Nations. They also noted that the Soviets now have a large numerical edge in troops and various categories of weapons in Europe. Sen. George Mitchell, D-Maine, the incoming Senate majority leader, said he welcomed Gorbachev\'s statement but added, ``while these proposals are commendable, they must be considered in view of overall levels of forces in Europe and the offensive structure of Soviet forces.\'\' Mitchell said he hopes the announcement will lead to ``the reinvigoration\'\' of long-stalled efforts to negotiate cuts in military strength in Europe. House Speaker Jim Wright, D-Texas, called the speech ``certainly the most positive signal from Moscow in 70 years, much more positive because words at last are being accompanied by deeds.\'\' ``We must not abandon caution, but neither should we slam the door in the face of opportunity,\'\' Wright said in a statement. Senate Republican leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., said, ``Mr. Gorbachev has promised a lot, but can he deliver? Only his actions _ not just words _ will tell the world whether his U.N. speech becomes a one-of-a-kind Christmas gift or just another stocking stuffer. ``If we really see such cutbacks in Eastern Europe, then we might indeed be seeing a good-faith first step toward real conventional force parity; our negotiators in Vienna will be insisting on no less,\'\' said Dole. Sen. Tim Wirth, D-Colo., a member of the Armed Services Committee, said, ``we need to bear in mind that we in the West have heard about a number of interesting proposals from Gorbachev and other top Soviet officials. ``But what we haven\'t seen is any real change in Soviet military forces,\'\' said Wirth. ``What we have seen is largely improvements in Soviet forces.\'\' Sen. Alan Cranston, D-Calif., a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, was the most euphoric. ``Gorbachev\'s speech could be the end of the Cold War, the end of the arms race (and) the end of the danger of nuclear war,\'\' he said. ``Of course, we need deeds, not words. We have to see what the Soviets actually do.\'\' The top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., said, ``I would urge a note of caution.\'\' Even if the Soviets go ahead with the promised 10 percent troop reduction, Warner said, they will have ``two and one-half times as many tanks, three and one-half times as many artillery pieces.\'\' ``It\'s too early to tell exactly the impact of these dramatic announcements,\'\' he said. They may simply eliminate older, less capable weapons. ``The Soviet Union has quite a collection of antiquated military equipment.\'\' Rep. Les Aspin, D-Wis., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said Gorbachev has ``done more than anyone thought he could do politically. ``His cuts are dramatic and significant _ especially that he will make them unilaterally.\'\' But Aspin warned: ``Don\'t be distracted by all the dramatic numbers you\'re hearing. We don\'t fight wars by the numbers.\'\' Gorbachev promised to reorganize the Soviet military, Aspin noted, explaining that ``a reorganization that removes the Soviet offensive capability declaws the Russian bear and is far more important than numbers on a chart.\'\' Sen. Claiborne Pell, D-R.I., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called Gorbachev\'s statements ``profoundly welcome.\'\' ``If the Soviet government follows through on Gorbachev\'s pledge, this will challenge the United States and its allies to act imaginatively to start a similar process of arms reduction,\'\' said Pell. Pell said the administration should ``take advantage of the openings created by Gorbachev\'s speech to accelerate the momentum of arms control negotiations on conventional, as well as nuclear, weapons.\'\'\r\n'),(93,2,'The country\'s highest court today upheld the death sentence of a white man convicted of killing a black policeman and trying to make the slaying look like the work of black radicals. Henry Burt, 35, faces hanging unless President P.W. Botha commutes the sentence. No execution date was announced. Burt was convicted last year of beating Sgt. Johannes Ndimande into unconsciousness in June 1986, placing a gasoline-soaked tire around his neck, and setting it on fire. No clear motive was established in the trial. That method of killing is called ``necklacing.\'\' The government says scores of blacks were ``necklaced\'\' from 1984 through 1987 by black radicals who suspected them of collaborating with white authorities. Burt, a former soldier who worked for the state-run Nuclear Development Corp., pleaded innocent at his trial, though he said he gave the policeman a lift that night. Part of Burt\'s defense was that he attended a meeting before the killing at which white residents complained about rising black crime. But the Appeal Court rejected that defense in today\'s ruling.\r\n'),(94,2,'Share prices ended lower on London\'s Stock Exchange Thursday, as the resignation of Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze created uncertainty in the financial markets. The resignation ``does add to the general economic uncertainty which makes markets nervous,\'\' said John Reynolds, equity strategist at the London brokerage firm County Natwest Woodmac. Wall Street also was having its share of jitters over the news. Throughout most of the European afternoon, the Dow Jones industrial average was under pressure, although by the close of the session in London, Wall Street appeared to be reversing its losses. The Financial Times-Stock Exchange 100-share index was down 19.9 points, or 0.9 percent, at 2,158.8 at the close. The Financial Times 30-share index fell 19.9 points to close at 1,687.2. The Financial Times 500-share index fell 9.79 points to close a 1,143.22. Volume was 590.2 million shares compared with 509.3 million shares Wednesday.\r\n'),(95,2,'Gov. Jim Florio accused Exxon Corp. of lax handling of a 570,000-gallon oil spill in a bird and fish sanctuary, and said the state had learned from the Exxon Valdez spill not to trust the company. Exxon, responding to Florio\'s comments Tuesday, defended its response to the Jan. 2 spill _ and to the Valdez disaster _ and said it would fulfill its responsibilities for the cleanup. Florio said the state Department of Environmental Protection has determined that a pipeline operator and supervisor on duty at the time of the spill in the Arthur Kill lacked the certification required by New York authorities, which shares jurisdiction for the waterway. A portion of pipe will be pulled out of the waterway, which lies between New Jersey and the New York City borough of Staten Island, and transported to Ohio for lab tests that could help determine the cause of the spill, Florio said. Exxon confirmed it was removing the pipe today for tests at its expense. Florio, the Democrat elected governor last year after a strong pro-environment campaign, said New York and New Jersey authorities had mapped out a strategy to restore the important East Coast spawning ground for birds and fish, which scientists say absorbed serious damage from the spilled heating oil. No dollar figure has been assigned to the damage, nor have cleanup costs been established. ``I want to make it clear to everyone in New Jersey that this will not be another Valdez,\'\' Florio said, referring to the March 28 wreck that spilled more than 10 million gallons of oil into Alaska\'s Prince William Sound. ``Exxon will not be allowed to hit and run. ... ``My impression of what\'s happening in Valdez is that Exxon seems to be inclined to wipe its hands sooner rather than later,\'\' Florio said. ``We\'re not going to allow that approach to be duplicated here.\'\' Exxon spokesman Leo McLean defended Exxon\'s cleanup in Alaska and said the company was cooperating with authorities to ``assess potential impacts ... and work toward agreement\'\' on the Arthur Kill cleanup. Florio reiterated claims that pipeline operators ignored warnings of a possible leak. Exxon has attributed the slow detection of the pipeline\'s problems to equipment failure, rather than human error. Florio said James Fitzgerald, a console operator at Exxon\'s Bayway refinery, had not obtained the certification required of pipeline operators by the New York Fire Department. George Leth, the shift supervisor who trained Fitzgerald, also was not certified to operate the equipment, Florio said. The lack of certification ``was another piece of information we will factor into the on-going investigation the attorney general is conducting,\'\' Florio said. McLean said he could not confirm or deny the certification claim until the company completed its own investigation.\r\n'),(96,2,'Clusters of olive-green parachutes drifted down to a Mediterranean beach Tuesday in a group jump by 120 paratroop veterans, most of them Americans, to mark Israel\'s 40th anniversary. Three U.S.-built C-130 Hercules transports circled the dunes of Palmachim Beach, about 15 miles south of Tel Aviv, to drop the members of the International Association of Airborne Veterans. ``This is my show of support for Israel,\'\' said Jim Costa, 58, of Charlestown, N.H., who said he lost his left leg in the Korean War and has jumped five times since with an artifical one. ``I also wanted to make this my last jump and I thought there\'s no better place to do it than the place where Christ walked,\'\' said Costa, wiping sweat from his face as he moved toward a table laden with cakes and fruits. Some paratroopers came to express solidarity with Israel, but others said a sense of adventure attracted them. Cleo Crouch of Boca Raton, Fla., at age 72 the oldest jumper, said: ``I landed on my butt and my back hurts a little, but I\'m fine.\'\' Crouch, a retired trucking company owner, said Tuesday\'s jump was his third. He said he first parachuted over the Rhine River on a combat mission in March 1945, then tried a freefall on a dare in 1985. ``Everybody thinks I\'m crazy,\'\' said Crouch. ``Where I live, the guys my age are just sitting around smoking, drinking beer and eating too much. I feel I can do everything I want to.\'\' In addition to 80 Americans, the group included 30 West Germans, a few Britons and Canadians, a jumper from Denmark and one from Singapore. It was the Chicago-based association\'s second jump over Israel since its founding five years ago. The last jump it organized was in Taiwan in November. Karl Houy, 43, a physician from Neuenkirchen, West Germany, said he participated to overcome fear that began when he broke his leg jumping in 1983. ``I was scared and I wanted to prove to myself that I can still do it,\'\' he said. ``I have to tell you, though, that I didn\'t see much of the view. I just wanted to get down safely.\'\'\r\n'),(97,2,'The company that prepares most of the nation\'s bar exams filed a federal lawsuit Friday accusing a preparation service of stealing questions and undermining the integrity of the tests. The lawsuit was filed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners, or NCBE, a Chicago company that prepares the Multistate Bar Examination _ 200 multiple-choice questions administered to law graduates in 46 states. The suit accuses Multistate Legal Studies Inc. of Philadelphia and Santa Monica, Calif., of sending agents to purposely fail the bar exam, giving them the right to review the tests. While reviewing the exams, the agents memorized, photographed, hand copied or tape recorded the questions, according to the lawsuit. The suit names Multistate president Robert Feinberg as an agent. Feinberg, an attorney living in California, denied the allegations and noted that his company won a similar suit filed in 1978. The NCBE claims the ``integrity and quality of the process by which applicants are admitted to the practice of law\'\' was tainted by Multistate, which also operates under the name of Preliminary Multistate Bar Review. The suit seeks unspecified damages as well as injunctions against further copyright infringement. According to the suit, about 100,000 students in 40 states have enrolled in the courses with Preliminary Multistate Bar Review since 1977. The three- and six-day seminars cost $295 to $495 with an additional $395 for written materials, $100 for cassette tapes and about $50 for flashcards. The Multistate Bar Exam, used since 1972, is given twice a year on six subjects. About 58,000 applicants took the exam last year. Questions are prepared by committees of practitioners, judges and law professors and reviewed by others at a cost of about $250,000 per test form. The NCBE releases 50 questions to the public every other year, but does not reuse released questions. The NCBE also prepares other portions of the test, including a essay section and a section on professional responsibility. The Multistate Bar Examination is used in all states but Indiana, Iowa, Lousiana and Washington.\r\n'),(98,2,'President Bush and his advisers went over final preparations today for a U.S.-Soviet summit that a top aide said will tackle ``bare bone essentials\'\' rather than tallying up agreements to sign. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev will likely issue a statement of progress on nuclear arms reductio as sign various cultural and economic agreements when they meet this week, said a senior admin talks, as wellnistration official who briefed White House reporters. But the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, cast doubt on prospects for a U.S.-Soviet trade agreement before Gorbachev leaves. ``We\'re in a rather uncertain state about what exactly will happen on the trade agreement,\'\' the official said, citing U.S. unhappiness over Soviet actions in Lithuania and the Soviets\' failure to enact legislation allowing free emigration. Still, the official said, ``This is not a summit devoted to the celebration of agreements that we can sign. It is a summit designed to do the hard work of trying to overcome the remaining obstacles that stand in the way of transforming East-West relations.\'\' ``We are now dow: Education Program.\r\n'),(99,2,'World Jewish Congress officials said Monday economic hardship has fueled anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe and they planned a solemn ceremony at the site where Nazis plotted the extermination of the Jews. On the second day of the congress\' annual meeting, a U.S. Justice Department official said Washington has rejected Austrian President Kurt Waldheim\'s repeated requests for a lifting of the ban that keeps him out of the country. The official said the ban remains in effect because of Waldheim\'s role ``Nazi-sponsored persecution.\'\' The three-day meeting in Berlin is the Congress\' first in Germany since the organization was founded in Switzerland in 1936 amid the horrors of the Third Reich. Some delegates declined to attend, saying a visit to Berlin, the former Nazi capital, would be too traumatic. Six million Jews were killed by the Nazis between January 1933 and May 1945. On Tuesday, Congress officials will visit Berlin\'s Wannsee Villa, where on Jan. 20, 1942 leading Nazi officials plotted the Third Reich\'s so-called Final Solution to exterminate Jews worldwide. A solemn ceremony at the villa will coincide with the 45th anniversary of the Nazis\' unconditional surrender in World War II. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir used the anniversary to speak out against arms sales to the Jewish state\'s Arab enemies. He told Israel\'s Parliament that a united Germany should ``learn the lessons of the past\'\' and not sell weapons to Arab nations. At a news conference Monday in the heavily guarded West Berlin Jewish Community headquarters, World Jewish Congress leaders warned about present dangers and emphasized the need to recall past tragedies. ``The Jewish people have something to say to the new Germany that is going to be created in a short time,\'\' said Congress President Edgar M. Bronfman. He opened the meeting Sunday by saying a united Germany must ``forever teach\'\' about the Holocaust, ``the lowest point ever reached in man\'s inhumanity to man.\'\' Congress leaders said that in Eastern Europe there were indications of growing anti-Semitism, fueled in large part by economic hardship. Decades of Communist mismanagement have driven the economies of East European countries to the brink. Many jobless youths have turned to right-wing extremism, often blaming Jews and foreigners for economic ills. ``Unfortunately, as the economic situation worsens ... and the search for scapegoats goes on, the age-old scapegoat _ the Jew _ again takes his place in the forefront of those to be kicked around,\'\' Bronfman said. ``When you see tens of thousands of Jews leaving the Soviet Union and going to Israel, one of the main reasons they\'re going is because of the rise of anti-Semitism,\'\' he said. Hundreds of thousands of Jews are expected to emigrate to Israel over the next years, in part because of looser Soviet emigration policy but also in response to what they say is increasing religious persecution at home. There are up to 2 million Soviet Jews. Bronfman said that when he visited Poland a few months ago, government leaders and Solidarity chief Lech Walesa issued ``strong statements\'\' against anti-Semitism. ``The only way to fight it is to expose it,\'\' Bronfman said of anti-Jewish feeling. Lionel Kopelowitz, head of the European Jewish Congress, said there were indications of growing anti-Jewish feeling in Romania. ``The people are hungry. They look for a scapegoat,\'\' he said of Romania, home to about 25,000 Jews. Heinz Galinksi, leader of West Germany\'s 35,000-member Jewish community, said he also sees increased neo-Nazi activities and anti-Semitism in East Germany. Neo-Nazis and other rightists recently went on a rampage in East Berlin, shouting insults against Jews and foreigners. Galinski, a survivor of the Auschwitz death camp, said the Congress meeting in Berlin was ``perhaps one of the most important events\'\' since the downfall of Nazi Germany. The World Jewish Congress executive director, Elan Steinberg, said 10 percent of delegates from outside East and West Germany declined to participate. About 80 of the 600 delegates were from countries other than East and West Germany. ``There are people who will not come to Berlin, and they have a right not to come to Berlin,\'\' Bronfman said. ``We\'re dealing with huge, huge emotions here.\'\' Neal M. Sher, head of the U.S. Justice Department\'s Office of Special Investigations, said in a speech to delegates that ``Kurt Waldheim had engaged in Nazi-sponsored persecution.\'\' The U.S. government in April 1987 put Waldheim, an officer in the German army during World War II, on a ``watch list\'\' of people denied entry into the country. The ban followed allegations Waldheim was involved in Nazi atrocities during the war. Waldheim has denied wrongdoing. ``It is also well-known that Waldheim has tried hard and often to be a removed from the list,\'\' Sher said. ``But all such approaches to our government have been rebuffed. He will remain persona non grata.\'\'\r\n'),(100,2,'ABC\'s ``Roseanne\'\' edged NBC\'s ``The Cosby Show\'\' as prime-time ratings champ in the just-concluded 1989-1980 season, NBC announced Monday. ABC\'s Tuesday comedy starring Roseanne Barr averaged a 23.3 rating, two-tenths of a ratings point more than the Bill Cosby family comedy which has been first in the Nielson ratings for the last four seasons. ``The Cosby Show,\'\' wound up in second place for the season. Cosby\'s series has been on the air for six seasons, and Barr\'s series for two. Each ratings point represents 921,000 homes. Final figures for the 30-week season, which ended Sunday, won\'t be available until Tuesday. But network research analysts say that NBC will easily win its fifth consecutive season, with ABC coming in second, and once-dominant CBS in third place for the third straight season. Still awaiting final figures for the last three days of the season, Preston Beckman, NBC vice-president for research, said that NBC thus far had a 14.6 ratings average, ABC a 12.9 and CBS a 12.2 during the season. NBC\'s ratings are down by nine percent, ABC\'s are flat, and those of CBS are down by three percent, he said. He cited competition from cable, the fledgling Fox network, and independent stations as factors in the overall ratings drop. However, he attributed 25 percent of NBC\'s decline to the absence of three sports events it had in prime time during the previous season _ the Summer Olypmics, the World Series and pro football\'s Superbowl.\r\n'),(101,2,'Honduran security forces early Thursday arrested 16 Americans who demonstrated in front of the U.S. Embassy and at a U.S. air base to protest Washington\'s policy in Central America. Maj. Manuel Urbina, spokesman for the Public Security Forces, said four Americans who protested in front of the embassy were being held at the Casamata prison in the capital. Another 12 who staged a one-hour protest at the U.S. air base in Palmerola, about 40 miles northwest of the capital were being held at a police jail in Comayagua, four miles away, Urbina said. He said the arrests were made without resistance and the Americans would probably be expelled. U.S. officials in Honduras could not be reached immediately for comment. Urbina said none of the demonstrators carried passports or identification. In Guatemala City, four Americans threw blood on the steps of the U.S. Embassy Wednesday and chained themselves to the gates of the compound in a protest against U.S. policy in Central America. The protests were organized by a group called Project Independence and held one day before Central American countries celebrate the anniversary of their independence from Spain in 1821. John Mateyko, a spokesman for the group in Washington, said the protest was ``religious-based and non-violent\'\' against what he called ``the immoral and dangerous policy\'\' of the Reagan administration in Central America. Mateyko identified the four demonstrators in Tegucigalpa as John Bach, 41, of Hartford, Conn.; Teri Allen, 30, of Hartford; Patricia McCallum, 47, of Cambridge, Mass., and Mark Fryer, 31, of West Creek, Pa. The names of those being held in Camayagua were not immediately available. Mateyko identified the demonstrators in Guatemala City as Charley Litky, 57, a Congressional Medal of Honor winner for his service as a Roman Catholic priest in Vietnam, and Sara Story, 26, both of Washington, D.C.; Dale Ashera-Davis, 34, of Baltimore, Md.; and John Schuchardt, 49, of Leverett, Mass. ``At this time of remembering Central American independence from Spain we\'ve come to join with Central Americans in declaring its independence from U.S. domination,\'\' a declaration read by the group said. ``In eight years neither (President) Reagan or (Vice President George) Bush seems to have figured out that that\'s all these people want,\'\' it said. The demonstrators, who threw blood on the embassy steps before chaining themselves to the gates, were demanding an audience with the U.S. ambassador to Guatemala, James Michel. By Wednesday evening, the four were still chained to the embassy gates as Guatemalan National Police officers looked on.\r\n'),(102,2,'The Nikkei Stock Average closed at 29,623.20, up 182.92 points, or 0.62 percent on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Thursday.\r\n'),(103,2,'Kraft Inc. said Thursday it was selling its fast-growing Duracell battery division to a group led by management and the investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. in a cash deal worth $1.8 billion. Kraft said it agreed to sell Duracell Inc., the world\'s leading maker of alkaline consumer batteries, to concentrate on its core food business. Proceeds from the sale would be used to buy back up to 12 million Kraft shares, to reduce debt and for possible food-related acquisition, the company said. ``... We are excited about the many opportunities available to Kraft in the food industry, and the sale of Duracell will enable us to focus our total management and financial resources on those opportunities,\'\' said Kraft Chairman John M. Richman. Kraft informed its shareholders of the definitive agreement at its annual meeting Thursday in Chicago. Kraft, which acquired Bethel, Conn.-based Duracell in 1980, had announced in December that it planned to sell the unit. Henry R. Kravis, a partner in New York-based Kohlberg Kravis, called the agreement ``the first step in the creation of a great new independent consumer-products company.\'\' ``We are very excited about the future growth prospects of the company and our future association with the management and employees of Duracell,\'\' he said. Some analysts expressed surprise at the price Kohlberg Kravis agreed to pay for Duracell, which had been widely expected to fetch between $1 billion and $1.2 billion. ``It never ceases to amaze me what a good brand is worth in today\'s marketplace,\'\' said John W. McMillin of Prudential-Bache Securities Inc. ``This was pleasant news for Kraft shareholders.\'\' In composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Kraft rose $1.50 a share to close at $53.50. McMillin said Kohlberg Kravis probably was attracted by Duracell\'s strong growth potential. Duracell, which has about 9,000 employees, had an operating income of $140 million and sales of $1.1 billion last year. Kraft\'s 1987 sales, excluding Duracell, were $9.9 billion. Duracell\'s copper-top alkaline batteries account for about 28 percent of all U.S. consumer battery sales. The company is tied with Ralston Purina Co.\'s Eveready unit for the lead in domestic sales of alkaline batteries, the fastest-growing segment of the battery market. Together, Eveready and Duracell have more than 80 percent of the domestic alkaline-battery market, McMillin said. Duracell does not compete in the carbon-zinc battery market, which is dominated by Eveready. ``With all these Walkmans and portable tape recorders that have to use batteries, the alkaline segment has been exhibiting strong volume growth and that is what had to attract these investors,\'\' McMillin said. Analysts said they did not expect Duracell to diversify as a stand-alone company. ``It could happen in time, but certainly not immediately,\'\' said Lawrence Adelman, an analyst with Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. in New York. ``When you do a leveraged buyout you\'ve got to use the cash generated internally to reduce debt, so you\'ve got to pretty much stick to your own business.\'\' Duracell is being sold to Duracell Holdings Corp., the new company formed by Kohlberg Kravis and Duracell\'s management. Kohlberg Kravis specializes in leveraged buyouts, in which a company is acquired mainly through borrowed funds repaid from the target company\'s profits or asset sales.\r\n'),(104,2,'The United States and its partners at the economic summit sidestepped differences on global warming Wednesday, but issued an environmental declaration that emphasized forestry protection. The seven leaders pledged to negotiate an international agreement to curb deforestation as expeditiously as possible. The environmental declaration contained mostly general language on global warming and called for an international convention on the subject to be completed by 1992. The United Nations is already working on the issue. The Bush administration prevailed in blocking European wishes to specify exactly how much the industrialized nations should reduce carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming. Carbon dioxide has been estimated to account for about 55 percent of global warming, but the timing and the degree to which the earth is expected to become hotter are uncertain. West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl said Germany had wanted tougher commitments in the area of emissions, but added, ``We can live with\'\' the communique. Environmental groups immediately lambasted the summit as having failed to produce substantive progress on environmental concerns. President Bush fired back, saying he wasn\'t out to ``get some brownie points\'\' from the environmental groups. He told a news conference that the summit had produced ``a reasoned position, not a radical position that\'s going to throw a lot of American men and women out of jobs.\'\' The summit declaration emphasized forestry planks. It called for immediate negotiations to forge a worldwide forestation program; a World Bank plan to stop destruction of Brazil\'s tropical rain forests, and a toughening of the World Bank\'s current Tropical Forestry Action Plan to emphasize ``conservation and biological diversity.\'\' ``The destruction of forests has reached alarming proportions,\'\' the summit communique said. A forestry program could end up helping combat global warming eventually because trees absorb the carbon dioxide emissions that are contributing to the earth\'s warming. Scientists say 20 percent of global warming is due to deforestation. Kohl said he was pleased about the summit leaders\' commitment on Brazilian rain forests. ``The continuing destruction of tropical forests must be stopped through an immediate program,\'\' he said. The leaders said the forestry agreement should be ready for signing by 1992. The general language of the summit communique stated: ``We as industrialized countries have an obligation to be leaders in meeting these challenges\'\' on climate change, ozone depletion, deforestation, marine pollution, and the loss of biological diversity. But environmentalists said the seven leaders had abandoned their promise at their Paris summit a year ago to take decisive, urgent action on environmental problems. ``Despite their green rhetoric, the G-7 leaders leave Houston in the red on the environment,\'\' the Envirosummit coalition of prominent environmental groups said. The group welcomed the promise of a forestry protection plan, however. ``The summit is a failure on the environment because they did nothing on global warming,\'\' said Dan Becker of the Sierra Club. ``In order to cover over their inaction on global warming, they\'ve added a fig leaf on rain forests.\'\' On the contentious issue of global warming, the communique included vague compromise language calling for ``appropriate implementing protocols\'\' to stem global warming ``as expeditiously as possible\'\' but it was unclear whether such protocols would have to wait until after a 1992 convention on global warming. The Bush administration says more research is needed on climate change before dramatic steps are taken to curb carbon dioxide emissions.\r\n'),(105,2,'In another sign of sluggishness in the nation\'s economy, businesses in July slashed orders for manufactured goods and reduced inventories, the National Association of Purchasing Management said Wednesday. It was the first drop in the group\'s measurement of the manufacturing sector in three months and gave further weight to a belief the nation\'s economy may be slipping into a recession. A measurement of activity by chief purchasing executives at more than 300 industrial companies tumbled in July to its lowest rate since January, in its sharpest monthly decline since January 1984. ``It reflects a weakening manufacturing sector, so the cutting edge is getting dull,\'\' said Robert Brusca, chief economist for Nikko Securities International Inc. ``Businessmen are going to become even more cautious.\'\' The association\'s Purchasing Managers Index fell to 47.4 percent in July from 51.1 percent the previous month, ending three months of increases. A reading below 50 indicates the manufacturing economy generally is declining. The index, a composite of survey results on order levels, prices, inventory and other areas, had been below 50 for 11 straight months. It averaged 48.8 percent in the first seven months of 1990. July\'s reading was the lowest since 45.2 percent in January. The decline was the sharpest since the index fell about nine percentage points in early 1984, economists said. Orders from manufacturers tumbled to 46.2 percent from 54.9 percent in June. The rate was the lowest since January ``and will undoubtedly weaken, if not decrease the recent modest growth in production,\'\' the association said. The group\'s production index was above 50 for the sixth straight month, but fell to 52.1 percent from 53.9 percent. It was the lowest level in five months. Inventories declined for the 20th straight month, at a pace sharper than the previous month. The group\'s inventories index fell to 39.3 percent from 42.9 percent in June as purchasers cut the volume of July orders and used existing inventories. ``The sharp decline in new orders apparently caused purchasers to reduce the quantity of purchases and work off existing inventories,\'\' said Robert J. Bretz, chairman of the association\'s business survey committee. ``The weakness of new orders in July now casts a shadow over the previous expectations for continued growth in the economy in the third quarter,\'\' he said. Bond prices, which improve on news of economic softening, surged after the report was issued. The bellwether 30-year Treasury bond finished up more than $6.50 per $1,000 in face value, with its yield tumbling to 8.35 percent from 8.41 percent late Tuesday. Some economists play down the significance of the purchasing managers report because manufacturing accounts for only about 20 percent of economic activity. But others said manufacturing is a leading indicator of overall business activity, and that even the service sector has shown signs of weakness. ``I think it\'s telling us the economy is weak again and businesses are making an effort to reduce inventories,\'\' said Robert Chandross, chief economist with Lloyds Bank PLC in New York. In other segments, the report said export orders increased while imports declined for the third consecutive month. Prices for manufacturing products, which include metals, textiles, sulfur, lumber and fuels, held steady, indicating no movement in inflation. Employment decreased for the 17th straight month, at a slightly lesser rate than in June.\r\n'),(106,2,'Modern dance pioneer Alwin Nikolais is accustomed to worldwide acclaim, but he confesses he was terrified by the squirming second-graders who attended the world premiere of his new ``space fantasy\'\' for children. ``Children frighten me,\'\' said Nikolais, a 79-year-old bachelor. ``You never can know what their reaction might be, unless you\'re around them a lot. I\'m not around children very much, so it was doubly terrifying.\'\' Nikolais needn\'t have worried. Moments after the curtain rose Tuesday on ``The Crystal and the Sphere,\'\' his stage voyage through the galaxy of a child\'s imagination, Nikolais clearly had won the hearts of 500 local school children who packed the Kennedy Center\'s Terrace Theater. The kids squealed as the house lights dimmed and the rumble of thunder shook their seats. They oohed and aahed as the rising curtain revealed a 20-foot balloon rocking gently on the stage, like a strange new planet, and a 12-foot shard of crystal bathed in celestial lights. They giggled at the wondrous aliens that cavorted across the stage _ a mermaid who teasingly tied her kelp tresses to an angler\'s hook, a pair of fat, web-footed birds that splashed in musical mud puddles, herky-jerky androids ablaze in ultraviolet hues who disappeared in the twinkling of an eye. Nikolais did it all _ choreography, synthesizer musical score, scenery and costumes _ in creating the $20,000 centerpiece for this year\'s ``Imagination Celebration,\'\' the Kennedy Center\'s annual arts festival for children. His new work, performed by five hand-picked dancers from New York, is being presented nine times this week at the Kennedy Center before it travels to children\'s festivals at the El Centro Theater in Dallas, April 18-20, and the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., April 25-26. ``The first show is a terror,\'\' said Nikolais, sighing happily after the curtain fell on his latest premiere. He hadn\'t created a dance work for youngsters since he was director of the Henry Street Playhouse in New York in the late 1940s, when his company staged a dozen popular ``dance plays\'\' for children. Since then, he has been cheered by audiences and critics around the world _ and received the coveted National Medal of Arts from President Reagan in 1987 _ as a modern dance visionary. In a way, Nikolais said, his work on ``The Crystal and the Sphere\'\' meant returning to the world of children after a 40-year absence. ``They haven\'t changed,\'\' he said. ``They\'re made the same way and they behave the same way. It\'s that I\'m rediscovering them again.\'\' Nikolais tried to envision the unearthly creatures a child might encounter on an imaginary exploration of the planets. ``Like most artists, I have a childlike mind with a certain innocence that allows me to do things that others don\'t dare to do,\'\' he said. ``I do know that children love color, and they like motions that they don\'t see all the time. I thought they\'d like these curious, angular body shapes, and dancers who suddenly appeared and disappeared. ``Children also like strange sounds. You don\'t hear them humming Beethoven\'s Fifth Symphony. They like the big bang, like the world\'s coming to an end. And what really scares them is the lights going out, and being left in the dark. That always makes them yelp.\'\' Nikolais\' vision scored a hit with at least one member of the audience Tuesday. When the lights went up after the 45-minute show, a little girl turned to a schoolmate and asked, ``It\'s over already?\'\'\r\n'),(107,2,'Many of the nation\'s big retailers reported that they got what they expected but not necessarily what they wanted for Christmas: conservative sales growth. General merchandise chains, department stores and discounters on Thursday posted December results that mostly met their expectations for a moderate holiday season. Analysts said the industry was saved from a lackluster sales performance by price discounts, aggressive advertising and special promotions.\r\n'),(108,2,'China\'s Communist Party has proposed amending the national constitution to protect the rights of private businesses and permit the transfer of land-use rights, the official China Daily said Monday. The report said the amendments would ensure privately owned entities, an increasingly important sector in the Chinese economy, the right to exist and develop as a complement to China\'s socialist system. Private businesses, defined as individually owned enterprises with eight or more workers, have existed since 1981, two years after China launched economic reform programs based on encouraging personal initiative and a market-oriented economy. The newspaper said there are now about 225,000 such enterprises. China also has what it calls an individual economy, about 18 million people who run street stalls and other one-man or family operations. The newspaper said the party has submitted the proposals to the National People\'s Congress Standing Committee, which opened a meeting Saturday, and asked the committee to put them on the agenda of the annual full session of the NPC, convening later this month.\r\n'),(109,2,'A fast-moving storm brewing in the southwestern United States dumped up to a half a foot of snow on parts of Utah on Wednesday and threatened Wyoming and Colorado with heavy snow. Utah\'s higher elevations got 6 inches of snow before skies cleared Wednesday afternoon. Salt Lake City received 3 inches of snow in six hours; in Utah\'s western desert, Tooele got 5 inches. Snow advisories were issued through Thursday morning for southwest Utah and the northern and central mountains of Colorado, where up to 8 inches was expected. A winter storm watch also was posted for south-central and southeastern Wyoming, where up to 10 inches of snow was forecast. Farther south, showers and thunderstorms developed along a stationary front extending from Texas\' lower Rio Grande Valley across Louisiana into Mississippi. The eastern United States continued to enjoy unseasonably warm weather, with highs in the 70s from the central and eastern Gulf Coast to the Middle Atlantic States. Heavier rainfall totals for the six-hour period ending at 1 p.m. EST included 1.56 inches at Alexandria, La., and 1.29 inches at Baton Rouge, La. Temperatures around the nation at 2 p.m. EST ranged from 24 degrees at Yellowstone Park, Wyo., to 87 at the Southwest Regional Airport in Fort Myers, Fla. The early morning low for the nation was 3 degrees above zero at International Falls, Minn. Thursday\'s forecast called for showers and thunderstorms extending from the southern and central Appalachians through the mid-Mississippi Valley and across much of the southern and central Plains. Rain was expected from Kentucky and Tennessee into Kansas, Oklahoma and northern Texas. Snow was forecast for the central Rockies and the central high Plains, eastern Colorado and western Nebraska. Fair skies should prevail over the rest of the nation. High temperatures should be below 50 degrees from much of the Rockies to the upper Great Lakes, including highs only in the 30s and upper 20s from northern Arizona across much of Colorado and Wyoming to western South Dakota. Highs should reach in the 60s and 70s from the southern and central Pacific Coast through southern Arizona and the southern high Plains to the southern and mid-Atlantic Coast, and in the 50s in most of the rest of the nation.\r\n'),(110,2,'The number of illegal aliens apprehended on the southern U.S. border has reached a six-year low, but the numbers of non-Mexican aliens arrested increased over fiscal 1987, immigration officials said Friday. ``The decline in apprehensions confirms the downward trend that began immediately after passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act and shows that the law is working as it was intended,\'\' said Alan C. Nelson, commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Apprehensions totaled more than 940,000 in the fiscal year ending Oct. 1, while there were 1.12 million apprehensions in fiscal 1987 and a record 1.62 million in 1986. At a news conference, Nelson acknowledged that temporary reassignment of some border control agents during the fiscal year may account for some of the decline. He said other factors are the decreased number of illegal aliens in the United States because of mass legalizations under the 1986 immigration act and the fact that drought conditions contributed to less demand for farm laborers. The number of non-Mexican immigrants apprehended increased last fiscal year to 39,000 from 37,000 in 1987, other officials said, with about a fourth of those each year from El Salvador and the rest from more than 100 other countries. Nelson said the fact that the trend has not been the same for non-Mexicans is probably ``a function of distance.\'\' He said people who have to travel greater distances from other countries to the border are more likely not to be deterred by aggressive enforcement or changes in immigration laws. Nelson said the INS increased its Border Patrol forces to record numbers during the year, with plans to have 1,400 new agents on duty by next June, bringing the total along the southern border to 4,300. Investigation staff has increased 75 percent since last fiscal year, he said. This has resulted in apprehension of 50,000 criminal aliens, up from 33,500 a year earlier, Nelson said. ``These figures show we are making more effective use of our enforcement resources by concentrating them on the most serious problems of illegal immigration _ that is, we go after the aliens who are causing the most harm to society,\'\' he said. Border Patrol seizures of narcotics along the southern border increased from 2,751 cases to more than 3,000 last year, increasing in value by $100 million to $681.1 million for the fiscal year, Nelson said. He said the INS has received 2.65 million applications for temporary resident status under the immigration law, including nearly twice as many as expected under the less restrictive program for special agricultural workers _ more than 890,000. Nelson said 97.5 percent of regular applications and 92 percent of those under the agricultural program are approved. Farm-worker applicants have to show only that they worked on a U.S. farm for 90 days during the previous year to get legal status. Officials say there are some cases of obvious fraud in the program, including applicants who obviously are too well manicured to be farm workers and some who claim such things as having picked strawberries from trees. Of pending cases, 168,000 are suspected to be fraudulent applicants, including 136,000 for the agricultural program, said Nelson. He said fewer than 51,000 applications have been denied under the immigration act, with 2,844 involving fraud.\r\n'),(111,2,'Sudan and the Central African Republic announced Monday the resumption of diplomatic ties broken last May. The official Sudan News Agency said the announcement came during an unexpected visit to the Central African Republic capital Bangui by Lt. Gen. Omar el-Bashir, Sudan\'s military strongman. He met with Andre Kolingba, president of Central African Republic, and they later issued a joint communique saying the two neighbors were restoring diplomatic relations, reopening their borders and resuming air service. The two countries severed links May 30 after Sudan, then under civilian Prime Minister Sadek el-Mahdi, refused to allow a Central African plane to cross Sudanese airspace en route to Israel. Kolingba was aboard the plane, but Sudan said it had not known it at the time. It said it was merely following a general Arab ban on flights heading for Israel. A junta led by el-Bashir overthrew el-Mahdi\'s civilian administration June 30.\r\n'),(112,2,'Demolitions experts disarmed three powerful homemade bombs at a New Jersey Turnpike rest area and arrested a man for possession of explosives, police said. Lt. Barry Roberson, a state police spokesman, said the bombs and some leftover explosive materials were discovered in the car of a man attempting to flee a trooper Tuesday morning. Trooper Robert Cieplinsky told his superiors he had noticed the man acting suspiciously near a parked car at turnpike rest area less than 10 miles west of New York City, Roberson said. Cieplinsky stopped the car and noticed a black gym bag filled with gunpowder canisters and small pellets, which Roberson described as objects used to make homemade bombs. The trooper discovered the three bombs in the trunk of the car, Roberson said, and arrested the man for possession of an explosive device. Roberson declined to give the man\'s name and said an investigation was continuing. Cieplinsky closed off a portion of the rest area and called for assistance from the state police bomb and explosives investigative team, who used a water cannon to saturate the devices and render them inoperable, Roberson said. In Tokyo, a Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the ministry had received information through the Japanese Embassy in Washington that the man detained in New Jersey for possession of explosives was carrying a Japanese passport. He said the ministry would seek more details about the man and provide information to U.S. investigators, but declined to give further details. Japan\'s Kyodo News Service reported that Japanese authorities believe the man held in the United States may have a forged passport or may have obtained it illegally. Kyodo said Japanese investigators would ask the United States to send the fingerprints of the man detained for identification.\r\n'),(113,2,'The U.S. Embassy will provide $25,000 to help victims of floods and mudslides that killed at least 196 people and left more than 10,000 homeless in Rio de Janeiro state, it was announced Friday. U.S. Consul-General Louis Schwartz will give a check for that amount to Gov. Wellington Moreira Franco on Saturday, the consulate\'s press office reported. It said the money is the total amount in the embassy\'s emergency fund. Such funds are provided by the U.S. government to its embassies around the world. In addition to the embassy fund, the United States has offered to provide Brazil with emergency supplies. Most of the money is expected to go to Petropolis, a mountain resort 40 miles north of Rio de Janeiro city. Civil defense officials said Friday that 12 days of rains caused flooding and landslides that killed 163 people in Petropolis and left 3,947 people homeless. U.S. consular officials visited Petropolis to check on the families of two U.S. citizens living there and found they were not seriously affected, the press office said. Other countries that have offered Brazil aid supplies include Britain, France, Italy and Nicaragua.\r\n'),(114,2,'A county prosecutor said he would investigate the fatal shooting of a Hispanic man by an off-duty police officer, and for the first time in three nights this industrial city was relatively quiet. Some people drove by police and yelled insults at them Friday night, witnesses said, adding that police yelled insults back. However, unlike Wednesday and Thursday nights, there were no incidents of violence reported. Mayor George J. Otlowski and Hispanic leaders hammered out an agreement in a three-hour meeting with Middlesex County Prosecutor Alan Rockoff, less than 24 hours after about 1,000 rioters clashed with police following the funeral for the slain man. Rockoff said after Friday\'s meeting that his office will investigate the shooting and present the case to a county grand jury. The two sides also agreed to form a commission to investigate bias in the city of about 39,000 and to form a community council to hear grievances about police conduct, he said. ``Most of the people here really want justice,\'\' said the Rev. Richard Todd of Our Lady of Fatima Roman Catholic Church, where the funeral for the slain man was held Thursday. ``But they also want peace in our town. ``A lot of what happened last night was because when crowds get big there is not a lot of control,\'\' Todd said Friday. Terms of the agreement were printed and distributed in the city\'s Hispanic community Friday. The population of Perth Amboy, about 15 miles south of Newark, is evenly divided between whites and Hispanics. The earlier violence was touched off when off-duty narcotics officer Allen C. Fuller shot and killed Carmen Coria and critically wounded Coria\'s brother, Matteo, outside a bar early Monday. Fuller said he fired at the men because he believed his life was threatened by Carmen Coria, who he said approached him holding a bottle. Fuller was suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigation.\r\n'),(115,2,'A major Japanese trading firm and an agricultural group that imports about 40 percent of the nation\'s feed grain will jointly purchase a U.S. grain company, a spokesman said Wednesday. The National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations, or Zennoh, and C. Itoh Co., one of Japan\'s three largest trading houses, are completing an agreement to buy Consolidated Grain and Barge of St. Louis, Missouri, said a C. Itoh official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official said final details, including the purchase price and the share of investment by each party, would be worked out by the end of April. A Zennoh official said his organization planned to link its New Orleans-based export arm, the Zennoh Grain Center, with Consolidated Grain, which handles 3.3 million tons of corn and 750,000 tons of soybeans a year. Consolidated Grain, which operates primarily in Ohio, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa, controls 30 grain silos and 650 barges used to transport grain. The Zennoh official, who also insisted on anonymity, denied a report in the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun that Zennoh would use the company to apply pressure on grain-growing regions where farmers are pushing for an end to Japan\'s restrictions on beef and citrus fruit imports. Zennoh, which handles almost 40 percent of the 1.5 million tons of feed grain imported annually into Japan, has condemned U.S. demands for an end to the quotas.\r\n'),(116,2,'Sacha Pitoeff, an actor and director best known for his stage productions of Chekhov and Pirandello, has died of a heart ailment, associates said today. He was 70. Pitoeff, who died in a Paris hospital Saturday, was the last survivor of a theatrical dynasty founded by his Russian-born parents, Georges and Ludmilla Pitoeff. Born in Geneva on March 11, 1920, Pitoeff joined his father\'s company in 1938. His father died in 1939, and his mother took over the company and kept it functioning in Switzerland during World War II. Pitoeff formed his own company in France in 1949, and become renowned for productions of Chekhov classics such as ``The Sea Gull,\'\' ``The Cherry Orchard\'\' and ``Uncle Vanya.\'\' He also produced on several occasions, most recently in 1977, one the plays favored by his parents, Luigi Pirandello\'s ``Six Characters in Search of an Author.\'\' He acted in several films, including ``Last Year At Marienbad.\'\' Funeral arrangements were pending.\r\n'),(117,2,'The daughter of former Campbell Soup Co. Chairman John T. Dorrance Jr. has reaffirmed her vow to fight any attempt by rival family shareholder groups to sell the food industry giant. In a statement released Sunday by their New York law firm, Mary Alice Malone and her husband, Stuart, owners of about 10 percent of the company\'s outstanding stock, confirmed their ``commitment to the continued independence of Campbell Soup Company.\'\' ``We have always considered our investment in Campbell to be long-term,\'\' said the statement attributed to Ms. Malone. Signs of a possible rift in the Dorrance family, which has controlled the Camden, N.J.-based company for nearly a century, has fueled speculation that major stockholders are split on the issue of whether to sell the company. Ms. Malone, a company director, and her two brothers, John T. Dorrance III and Bennett Dorrance, together hold about 31 percent of the company\'s outstanding shares. In recent weeks, a group comprised of Dorrance cousins has announced its intention in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission to press for a sale of the company. Last week, Campbell filled its long-vacant top spot by hiring David W. Johnson, former head of Gerber Products Co., as its new chief executive officer. ``We are extremely excited about David W. Johnson\'s immense managerial talents and his contagious enthusiasm,\'\' Ms. Malone\'s statement continued. ``In particular, we are inspired by his proven track record of dealing successfully with the myriad of complex intangibles that arise in very large family-held companies.\'\'\r\n'),(118,2,'Moderator: Jon Margolis, question for Sen. Quayle. Q: Sen. Quayle, in recent years the Reagan administration has scaled back the activities of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, prompted in part by Vice President Bush\'s task force on regulatory relief. The budget for the agency has been cut by 20 percent, and the number of inspections at manufacturing plants have been reduced by 33 percent. This has had a special effect in this area where many people work in the meat-packing industry, which has a far higher rate of serious injuries than almost any other injury, a rate which appears to have been rising, although we\'re not really sure because some of the largest companies have allegedly been falsifying their reports. Would you acknowledge to the hundreds of injured and maimed people in Nebraska, Iowa, and elsewhere in the Midwest that, in this case, deregulation may have gone too far and the government should reassert itself in protecting workers\' rights? Quayle: The premise of your question, Jon, is that somehow this administration has been lax in enforcement of the OSHA regulations, and I disagree with that, and I\'ll tell you why. If you want to ask some business people that I\'ve talked to periodically, they complain about the tough enforcement of this administration. And furthermore, let me tell you this for the record, when we have found violations in this administration there has not only been tough enforcement, but there have been the most severe penalties _ the largest penalties in the history of the Department of Labor _ have been levied when these violations have been found. There is a commitment, and there will always be a commitment, to the safety of our working men and women. They deserve it, and we\'re committed to them. Now, the broader question goes to the whole issue of deregulation, and has deregulation worked or has deregulation not worked? In my judgment, deregulation has worked. We have a deregulated economy and we have produced through low taxes, not high taxes, through deregulation, the spirit of entrepreneurship, the individual going out and starting a business, the businessman or woman willing to go out and risk their investment and start up a business and hire people _ we have produced 17 million jobs in this country since 1982. Deregulation as a form of political philosophy is a good philosophy. It\'s one that our opponents disagree with. They want a centralized government. But we believe in the market; we believe in the people. And yes, there\'s a role of government and the role of government is to make sure that those safety and health and welfare of the people is taken care of. And we\'ll continue to do that. Moderator: Sen. Bentsen? Bentsen: I think you see once again a piece of Democratic legislation that\'s been passed to try to protect the working men and women of America. And then you\'ve seen an administration that came in and really didn\'t have its heart in that kind of an enforcement. A good example of that is the environmental protection laws that we were talking about a moment ago. This administration came in and put in a James Watt and Anne Gorsuch. Now that\'s the Bonnie and Clyde, really, of environmental protection. And that\'s why it\'s important that you have people that truly believe, and trying to represent the working men and women of America. Most employers do a good job of that, but some of them put their profits before people. And that\'s why you have to have OSHA, and that\'s why you have to have tough and good and fair enforcement of it. And that\'s what a Democratic administration would do to help make this working place a safer and a better place to be employed. Moderator: Jon Margolis, another question for Senator Bentsen. Q: Sen. Bentsen, since you have been in the Senate, the government has spent increasing amounts of money in an effort to protect the family farmer. But most of the subsidies seem to go, do go, to the largest and richest farmers, who presumably need it least, while it\'s the smaller farmers who are often forced to sell out, sometimes to their large farmer neighbor who\'s gotten more subsidies to begin with. Despite the fact that I believe you, sir, are rather a large farmer yourself, do you believe it\'s time to uncouple the subsidy formula from the amount of land a farmer has and target federal money to the small- and medium-size farmer? Bentsen: Well, I\'ve supported that. I voted for the 50,000 limitation to get away from the million dollar contributions to farmers. You know, of the four that are on this ticket, I\'m the only one that was born and reared on a farm, and still involved in farming. So I think I understand their concerns and their problems. Now, I feel very strongly that we ought to be doing more for the American farmer, and what we\'ve seen under this administration is neglect of that farmer. We\'ve seen them drive 220,000 farmers off the farm. They seem to think the answer is, ``Move \'em to town.\'\' But we ought not to be doing that. What you have seen them do is cut farm assistance for the rural areas by over 50 percent. We\'re seeing rural hospitals close all over the country because of this kind of an administration. We\'ve seen an administration that has lost much of our market abroad because they have not had a trade policy. We saw our market lost by some 40 percent. And that\'s one of the reasons that we\'ve seen the cost of the farm program, which was only about $2.5 billion when they took office, now go to about $25 billion. Now we can bring that kind of a cost down and get more to market prices if we\'ll have a good trade policy. I was, in January, visiting with Mr. Takeshita, the new prime minister of Japan. I said, ``You\'re paying five times as much for beef as we pay for in our country -- pay for it in our country -- six times as much for rice. You have a $60 billion trade surplus with us. You could improve the standard of living of your people. You\'re spending 27 percent of your disposable income on food. We spend 14 or 15 percent. When you have that kind of a barrier up against us, that\'s not free and fair trade, and we don\'t believe that should continue. We would be pushing very hard to open up those markets, and stand up for the American farmer. And see that we recapture those foreign markets, and I think we can do it with a Dukakis-Bentsen administration. Moderator: Sen. Quayle. Quayle: Sen. Bentsen talks about recapturing the foreign markets. Well, I\'ll tell you one way that we\'re not going to recapture the foreign markets, and that is if, in fact, we have another Jimmy Carter grain embargo. Jimmy --Jimmy Carter grain embargo -- Jimmy Carter grain embargo set the American farmer back. You know what the farmer is interested in? Net farm income. Every 1 percent of increase in interest rates -- a billion dollars out of the farmer\'s pocket. Net farm income -- increase inflation another billion dollars. Another thing that a farmer\'s not interested in and that\'s supply management the Democratic platform talks about. But, the governor of Massachusetts, he had the farm program. He went to the farmers in the Midwest, and told them not to grow corn, not to grow soy beans, but to grow Belgium endive. That\'s what his -- that\'s what he and his Harvard buddies think of the American farmer. Grow Belgium endive. To come in and to tell our farmers not to grow corn, not to grow soy beans, that\'s the kind of farm policy you\'ll get under a Dukakis administration, and one I think the American farmer rightfully will reject.\r\n'),(119,2,'Republican George Bush said today Americans should think about the words peace and prosperity as they vote for president Nov. 8 and ask themselves whether ``dark clouds of pessimism\'\' would be cast if Democrat Michael Dukakis wins the White House. ``Now that we have peace and prosperity, we can\'t afford to put them at risk,\'\' Bush told a group of business leaders. Comfortably ahead of Dukakis in the polls nationwide, Bush is locked in a pitched battle in California for the big prize of 47 electoral votes. He told the businessmen that the Reagan-Bush administration has dramatically cut interest rates and inflation and he recited a long list of economic statistics to show that Americans are better off now than they were eight years ago. In his remarks, Bush seemed to shelve his promise of a night earlier that ``we\'re not going to be talking on the negative side\'\' in the closing days of the race. The vice president said Dukakis ``wants to torpedo the prosperity we\'ve worked so hard to achieve.\'\' Bush said that when American go into the voting booth he hoped they remember the words peace and prosperity: ``peace means you can sleep at night knowing the world will still be there in the morning; prosperity means you can sleep at night knowing that opportunity will still be there in the morning. ``You know about our mornings,\'\' Bush said. ``But I ask you to consider: What kind of morning would electing the liberal governor of Massachusetts bring? Will it be gloomy? ``Will the dark clouds of pessimism and limited possibility obscure our vision?\'\' Bush asked. ``Will we be able to hope for a brighter day?\'\' Saying that the nation cannot afford to put peace and prosperity at risk, Bush added, ``The stakes for the cause of freedom around the world are too high.\'\' Addressing a crowd of celebrities Thursday night at the home of entertainer Bob Hope, Bush said, ``I\'m sorry Clint Eastwood isn\'t here. Remember how he\'d say, `Make my day.\' Now my opponent says, `Have a nice vacation\' as the prisoners come out of the jail.\'\' The audience laughed and applauded. Some of the best-known stars of an earlier generation were on hand, including Gene Autry, Buddy Ebsen, Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, Danny Thomas, Esther Williams and others, along with younger celebrities such as Jaclyn Smith. Bush was campaigning today in Los Angeles and Sacramento and then stopping im Omaha, Neb., for a rally before a flight to Chicago. On Saturday, Bush will take a bus tour around the outskirts of Chicago. Bush is being attacked by Dukakis, as well as by other critics, for running a negative campaign _ a charge that now is being leveled at Dukakis. ``We\'re coming down to the wire, Tuesday, 12 days from today,\'\' the vice president said Thursday night. ``Things have come along well. We are not letting up. ``We\'re not going to be talking on the negative side anymore,\'\' he added, immediately launching into his criticism of Dukakis and the furlough program for Massachusetts prison inmates. Bush concluded by saying, ``Now it\'s going to be a kinder and quieter finish to this campaign.\'\' Earlier in the day, Bush also voiced some reservations about the way the campaign had been waged. In a white, circus-sized tent at Applied Materials Co., in California\'s Silicon Valley, Bush said that ``some of the modern campaigning with TV and spinning and sound bites might have gotten out of hand.\'\' Spinning is the term applied to efforts by campaign lieutenants to shape the perception of their candidate\'s performance. Sound bites are the 15 to 30-second snatches of a speech that wind up in a television or radio broadcast. Bush, in his Santa Clara speech, accused Dukakis of ``trying to scare the American people by putting Japanese flags\'\' in his television commercials, and said the right way to gain world markets for U.S. exports is by opening them, not shrinking from competition. He said Dukakis should explain ``why his thinly veiled comments about foreign investment only mention Japan,\'\' which he said ranks only third as a source of foreign investment in the United States. Footage of the Japanese flag appears in a Dukakis ad challenging Bush\'s record as head of a commission that examined U.S.-Japanese trade relations. The ad is running in Ohio. Bush said he would promote U.S. trade, but not with protectionist measures. ``It doesn\'t make sense to stick our heads in the sand, as some in the other party have suggested, and try to build walls around America,\'\' the vice president said. ``It doesn\'t make sense to launch a trade war and plunge America and the world into a recession. ``And it is beneath the dignity of the presidency, and of the voters, to try to incite fear of foreigners as a cheap means of winning a few votes,\'\' Bush said. Later, at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, Bush toured a Holocaust museum with his wife, Barbara, and then told a courtyard audience, ``We have no room in our communities for hidden Nazi fugitives or war criminals. Every last one of them must be found and brought to justice.\'\'\r\n'),(120,2,'The Republican war for Virginia\'s gubernatorial nomination has heated up with U.S. Sen. Paul S. Trible Jr.\'s announcement of his candidacy, with opponents attacking his fund-raising, reasons and timing. U.S. Rep. Stan Parris, an announced candidate for the nomination, charged Saturday that Trible\'s fund-raising for next year\'s election is taking money away from this year\'s GOP candidates for the U.S. House, Senate and presidency. ``There is only a finite amount of money you can look for in any one year,\'\' Parris said Saturday after Trible supporters announced they already had raised $527,400 in cash and pledges for his campaign. Parris said he would not raise money for his campaign until after the November elections. Former state Attorney General Marshall Coleman is an all-but-declared candidate. Democrats are expected to nominate Lt. Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, the state\'s highest elected black official. Trible, who announced his candidacy Saturday, had announced last year that he would not seek a second term in the Senate because it took him away from his family too much, and because he was frustrated with the slow pace of the Senate. Coleman said Trible should not look upon the governor\'s job simply as better working conditions. ``My interest in the governorship is not in better working conditions. What is needed is to change the course of the state. What the Republicans in Virginia are going to want to know is what a candidate for governor is going to do to make the state better. I don\'t look at the governorship as a seat to warm,\'\' Coleman said. Parris and Coleman have charged that Trible is giving up his Senate seat to avoid a tough campaign against former Gov. Charles S. Robb, the Democratic nominee for the Senate. The GOP nominee, Maurice Dawkins, is given little chance of beating Robb. Mark Rozell, a political scientist from Mary Washington College, said Trible faces problems with the party\'s conservative wing, which is unhappy with his performance on the Senate committee investigating the Iran-Contra affair. They charge that Trible, who criticized the administration\'s handling of the matter, unfairly attacked President Reagan.\r\n'),(121,2,'A gene found to be key to schizophrenia medication will trigger ``an avalanche of research\'\' that could improve treatment for psychosis, Parkinson\'s disease and other brain ailments, a scientist says. Scientists worldwide ``have really been poised to take advantage of this development,\'\' which could provide insights into the body\'s potential role in mental illness, said Kenneth L. Davis, chairman of the psychiatry department at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. The results could include improved treatments for diseases that include psychosis, which is a loss of touch with reality seen in schizophrenia and sometimes in depression, manic-depression and other disorders, he said. It also could lead to better treatment of Parkinson\'s disease, which is often characterized by tremors and rigidity, Huntington\'s disease, which hinders movement and intellectual abilities, and Tourette syndrome, which includes jerky movements and vocal mannerisms, Davis and other researchers said. Davis was responding to a report in today\'s issue of the British journal Nature. In the article, researchers said they had isolated the gene that acts as a blueprint for a protein called the D-2 dopamine receptor, which is made by brain cells. The receptor, which sits on the surface of the cells, is where anti-psychosis drugs exert their effects on the brain. Normally, the receptor\'s role is to respond when adjacent brain cells secrete a substance called dopamine, allowing brain cells to communicate. The defining of one receptor in the past has led to discovery of a related family of them, Davis said. If a family of dopamine receptors is found, scientists may be able to design drugs that affect only the receptors linked to disease and avoid side effects of current medications, he said. Side effects of current anti-psychosis medications, for example, include tardive dyskinesia, a syndrome of involuntary movements of the mouth, tongue, limbs or trunk. In the study, researchers said they identified the receptor gene in rats, defined its chemical makeup and made functioning copies of it. Since then, they also have isolated and partially defined the human receptor gene, Olivier Civelli said in a telephone interview. The researcher reports the work in Nature with James Bunzow and others at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, and with researchers at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Portland and the Oregon Regional Primate Center in Beaverton. Other scientists called the discovery an important boost for research into the dopamine receptor. Davis predicted ``an avalanche of research\'\' by investigators. ``We\'ve all been waiting for it,\'\' he said. ``This is an important and essentially fundamental step\'\' in helping scientists understand how anti-psychotic drugs work, ``and thereby indirectly understand what may be the biological mechanism underlying psychotic disorders.\'\' Scientists also may be able to learn about the mechanisms that turn the receptor gene on and off, which may shed light on schizophrenia, he said. In addition, focusing on the receptor gene may help scientists study the inheritance of a tendency toward schizophrenia and perhaps other diseases, said Arnold Friedhoff, psychiatry professor at the New York University Medical Center. That in turn could lead to better matching of patients to proper medications, he said. He said other follow-up studies could help scientists understand the overall dopamine communication network among brain cells, which is ``undoubtedly going to provide extremely important new insights into its role ... in regulating mental processes.\'\' Since it is the target of drugs that ease psychosis caused by a wide range of conditions, it ``must have a regulatory role in keeping things on track,\'\' he said. ``The more we understand about its function, the more likely it is we\'ll be able to not only treat mental illness, but in the long run prevent it,\'\' Friedhoff said.\r\n'),(122,2,'The big summer heat wave rolled on Tuesday with temperatures boiling past 100 to record highs from the eastern Plains to the Ohio Valley, but the steamy Northeast finally got a break with a surge of cooler, drier air from Canada. Utilities posted more records for demand for electricity as air conditioners and fans were turned on full blast. Some school districts in Illinois plan to open schools early and reduce class periods by almost half when school opens next week to avoid the hottest part of the day. ``By noon during summer school, it was very uncomfortable. If it was 90 outside, it was 95 to 100 in the classrooms. That\'s not a good atmosphere for learning,\'\' said associate principal Don Tokarski of Rantoul Township (Ill.) High School. ``I think this will be the hottest weather of the summer, taking both temperature and humidity into account,\'\' said Norm Reitmeyer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Louisville, Ky. ``We\'ve had an oppressively hot and humid summer without a doubt,\'\' Reitmeyer said. ``But particular days such as this or tomorrow are rare.\'\' The temperature at Paducah, Ky., reached 102 degrees and Reitmeyer said that and the humidity would push the heat index, a measure of how hot it feels, the opposite of winter\'s wind chill factor, to 115. He said that is near life-threatening for some people. Kentucky has had a total of 48 days of above-90 degrees this summer. Milwaukee reached a record high of 100 degrees, and that made it a record five times the city has hit 100 or higher this year. The old record was four times in 1936. Some other records included 90 at Duluth, Minn.; 104 at Fargo, N.D.; 103 at Fort Dodge, Iowa; 103 at Huron, S.D.; 102 at Indianapolis; 102 at Madison, Wis.; 101 at Peoria, Ill., and Sioux Falls, S.D.; and 102 at Springfield, Ill., the National Weather Service said. The 103 degrees at Rockford, Ill., was the hottest reading since July 27, 1955. La Crosse, Wis., marked the 44th day that the temperature achieved the 90 degree mark, another record. The 102-degree heat wilted about 10,000 competitors wearing heavy uniforms and carrying musical instruments at the Drum Corps International World Championships on the artificial turf at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. ``You can feel it right through your tennis shoes,\'\' said Donald MacDougall, a member of the Edmonton Strutters of Canada. ``One of our melophone players almost passed out.\'\' The 136th Indiana State Fair opened Tuesday with livestock exhibitors taking extra precautions, like putting ice in front of large fans to keep animals cool. Four chickens that were to be entered died when their owners left them in cars with the windows rolled up, fair officials said. The official high in the 48 contiguous states at 3 p.m. EDT was 105 degrees, not in Texas, Arizona or southern California but at Chamberlin, S.D. But nature\'s own air-conditioning _ in the form of a cool front from Canada _ settled over the Northeast. Unfortunately, forecasts said the heat would soon return. After 32 days of 90-degree temperatures and swamp-like humidity, including a high of 97 Monday, New York City had a high Tuesday of merely 86 degrees. And the humidity was only around 39 to 42 percent, making it feel almost like early autumn compared to preceding weeks. ``The downturn in temperatures is certainly going to help not only Con Ed but all New York utilities,\'\' said Bill Murphy, spokesman for the utility that supplies New York City\'s power. Con Edison had a record demand Monday of 10,160 megawatts of electricity. The failure of several feeder cables on Staten Island knocked out service to more than 13,000 customers. And earlier Monday, the utility cut off power to 16 large apartment buildings on Manhattan\'s Upper East Side to prevent a wider blackout after several feeder cables failed, blacking out some 10,000 residents. The cooler air also brought relief for utilities in Pennsylvania, where Philadelphia Electric Co. was forced to impose a 5 percent voltage reduction Monday. But the clash of the hot and cool air also touched off thunderstorms, which knocked out power to thousands of customers across the state Monday. Farther south, utilities across Kentucky reported record electrical demand Monday and expected to exceed those amounts Tuesday, but no problems were reported. ``We\'ve been going wild this summer,\'\' said Dick Lovegrove, a spokesman for Ashland-based Kentucky Power, which had records for power use almost every day during the past week. Louisville Gas & Electric has set all-time peaks 13 times this summer, said spokesman Calvin Anderson. The Tennessee Valley Authority, the big federal utility, hit another record peak summer demand Tuesday of 21,304 megawatts. A record Monday of 20,618 megawatts forced the utility to buy about 2,500 megawatts from neighboring utilities, said Robert C. Steffy Jr., senior vice president of power for TVA. TVA\'s all-time power peak was in the winter of 1983 at 22,478 megawatts.\r\n'),(123,2,'Pope John Paul II, sure of his direction, strong in his faith, has thrust the church into moral and political controversy in countries as diverse as the United States and Nicaragua. He could do no different on his eight-day tour of Mexico, Roman Catholicism\'s largest Spanish-speaking nation. For starters, the visit outlined in flashing neon one of Mexico\'s most delicious contradictions _ a country 90 percent Catholic, a constitution that forbids the church to own property, educate children or peep about politics. The pope violated the constitution just by appearing in public in clerical garb, not to mention saying Mass for 500,000 people dressed in a golden chasuble on national television. The church was quick to say the vast crowds served as a virtual plebiscite on the binding element, the notorious article 130. ``Only Albania has a constitution like that,\'\' said Javier Navarro, in charge of the Vatican office for Latin America and Spain. But the dance between church and state in Mexico is more complicated than the lambada. The church bet on conservatives in the Mexican Revolution of 1910; when liberals won, they took revenge on their reactionary foe. Although its public role was circumscribed, the church retained much of its strength. The motto of the papal visit is: ``Mexico _ Always Faithful.\'\' Breaches of the constitution have been winked at for decades. Politicians send their children to Catholic-run schools, even universities, because they are better than public schools. ``The pope\'s visit proves that the problem with article 130 of the constitution is not how to change it, but how impossible it is to enforce,\'\' columnist Gaston Garcia Cantu wrote in Excelsior, an influential newspaper. President Carlos Salinas de Gortari has been winking hard. He took office on Dec. 1, 1988, with the weakest mandate an Institutional Revolutionary Party president ever had. His party was accused of fraud. There was violence in the streets on Inauguration Day. But Salinas surprised his opponents by locating a new constituency. He invited Roman Catholic prelates to his inauguration and hinted that the relationship between church and state should be brought in line with reality. He sent a personal envoy to the Vatican, establishing diplomatic relations of a kind for the first time since 1926. Salinas greeted John Paul when he arrived and had the pope to morning coffee. The president\'s office provided security and press arrangements for the visit, including an extra plane. The church, sniffing the carrot of increased recognition, has been grateful. ``I pray every day for President Salinas,\'\' said Monsignor Genaro Alamilla, spokesman for the Mexican church. Salinas\' opponents know it doesn\'t pay to attack the pope, and the government has ruled out real constitutional change. So they pick around the edges: the pope is talking politics, they say. The government of a poor nation is spending too much on showtime for the pope. ``We welcome this distinguished visitor, the spiritual guide to millions of Mexicans,\'\' said Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, runner-up to Salinas in 1988. ``But the government made it into politics.\'\' But if the pope allowed himself to be used politically, he got plenty back. Again and again he addressed controversial issues, always pleading the church\'s cause. He demanded the freedom to provide education to the faithful _ a role that would expand greatly if it were free of restrictions. He attacked contraception in a country with a rising population of 85 million that suffers all the Third World problems of poverty and malnutrition and where family planning is government policy. He attacked materialism and greed before Mexico\'s richest businessmen, but in Monterrey found himself giving a homily flanked by enormous Carta Blanca beer signs. He linked capitalist culture with contraception and abortion, saying material lust makes people want to limit their families. He visited the Indian communities of southeastern Mexico in an effort to fend off Protestant evangelicals who are learning the native languages and converting the poor, the homeless and those who lost their native culture to encroaching ``progress.\'\' ``I think his visit could help revitalize the faith here,\'\' said Benjamin Cruz, a 51-year-old psychiatrist among a throng of 200,000 at Villahermosa. ``Catholics here are disoriented. It\'s sad to see.\'\' It was almost forgotten amid the political wavelets, but to most in the crowd, the pope\'s role was to focus shared faith. Hundreds of thousands gathered to sing, to listen, to catch a glimpse. When he leaped off an isolated podium and charged through a fence to mix with murderers and drug traffickers in a prison yard, a prison chorus broke into Beethoven\'s ``Ode to Joy.\'\' Municipal officials engaged in a game of one-upmanship over who gave the best reception. Some Mexico City authorities claimed a questionable 8 million to 10 million people lined the nine-mile parade to the Basilica of Guadalupe; there were more like 250,000. In Aguascalientes, the city fathers were told the pope would stop at the airport but wouldn\'t come into town. So they built giant replicas of their finest buildings on the tarmac. They claimed a crowd of 700,000; more mathematical minds calculated 50,000, tops. But whatever the crowd, the pope gave something back. In a thousand ways, John Paul provided an experience people will recount for years. In Tuxtla Gutierrez, he sparkled with jokes about his trouble pronouncing Indian languages. In Durango, squads of bicyclists chased a waving, bemused figure in the popemobile for miles. In Mexico City, 1,500 people outside his bedroom fell suddenly silent when he told them he loved their singing but wanted to sleep. ``For us it is the ultimate to come here,\'\' said Aurora Hinojosa Casillas, who rode 225 miles by bus from Ciudad Juarez to Chihuahua. ``Since I was born, I\'ve been a Catholic and it\'s important. He is closer to God.\'\'\r\n'),(124,2,'The government kicked off the Wedtech racketeering trial today by accusing Rep. Mario Biaggi and his six co-defendants of theft from the defunct Bronx defense contractor. ``This is a case about corruption and greed,\'\' Howard Wilson, an assistant U.S. attorney, told the 12-person jury in U.S. District Court. ``It is a case about public officials who want to get paid twice.\'\' Wilson pointed to Biaggi and former Bronx Borough President Stanley Simon at the defense table and said they and the others stole from Wedtech. Some had been promised more money, he said. At the trial\'s opening, Judge Constance Baker Motley told the jury: ``An indictment is simply a series of charges. ... A defendant on trial is presumed innocent and this presumption of innocence is presumed throughout the trial.\'\' The case involving the defense contractor includes charges that the seven defendants looted millions of dollars in cash and stocks from the company. The trial is expected to last several months. In addition to Biaggi, 70, and Simon, 57, the defendants are: Bernard G. Ehrlich, 59, Biaggi\'s former law partner and a former major general in the New York National Guard; Biaggi\'s eldest son, Richard, 38; Peter Neglia, 39, the former regional administrator of the Small Business Administration; former Wedtech chairman John Mariotta, 57; and Ronald Betso, 39, a former city police officer and close friend of Neglia\'s. They are charged with racketeering and conspiracy, which each carry maximum 20-year penalties upon conviction, as well as various other alleged crimes. Biaggi is also accused of extortion, bribe-receiving, wire fraud, perjury and filing false tax returns.\r\n'),(125,2,'A coach from communist Romania\'s Olympic team met with immigration officers at a secret location Wednesday after appealing for asylum in Canada, an Immigration Department spokesman said. ``He\'s in a secluded place, a safe place with security,\'\' spokesman Gerry Maffre said in Ottawa. The coach was not identified, but Olympic sources and Canadian news media said he was Dumitru Focseneanu, the Romanian bobsled coach whose team had 27th and 30th place finishes at the Winter Olympic Games in Calgary last week. ``We\'re trying to find out what he really wants to do,\'\' Maffre said. The bobsled coach reportedly refused to board a bus taking the 22-member Romanian team to Calgary airport Monday night and sought refugee status. The federal Immigration Department was handling the case. The Soviet Union filed an angry protest over an immigration hotline set up in Calgary to handle emergencies and possible defection cases. The Romanian was the only known defector among more than 1,800 Olympic athletes and 1,000 coaches and officials from 57 countries. But three Romanian speed skaters and their coach left Calgary abruptly the day before the Games began amid speculation the athletes planned to defect. City Police Superintendent Len Esler said the defector approached two police officers at the athletes\' village at the University of Calgary about 9:30 p.m. Monday and ``requested political asylum.\'\' Esler said the man was taken to a police station where immigration officers picked him up. He refused to give the man\'s name ``for his safety and the safety of his family.\'\' Focseneanu was in Calgary last December during a bobsled World Cup competition. The Romanian Embassy in Ottawa refused to comment. Wilf Lindner, manager of the Calgary immigration center, said the man would be allowed to stay only after a medical examination, a security check into his background and an Immigration Department hearing. ``All decisions are made on a case-to-case basis,\'\' he said.\r\n'),(126,2,'BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Hundreds of mice, rats and hamsters used for research were released from their cages at the state University of New York at Buffalo Medical School, but no animal rights group claimed responsibility. The animals were found scampering around five rooms Saturday morning by a technician arriving for work, said school spokeswoman Linda Grace-Kobas. ``They opened the cages, and the mice and the rats (and hamsters) got out of the cages, but they did not escape from the rooms,\'\' she said. There were no signs of a break-in or indication why the animals were released. ``Usually animal rights people leave a message,\'\' she said. ``There were no notes. No `Save the Animals.\' This was strange. It seemed random. It seemed pointless.\'\' University officials were trying to determine what effect the animals\' release will have on research projects in which they were used, she said. ``By letting them out, it disrupts the experiments,\'\' she said, adding that some of the experiments are based on the animals being in a closed enviroment. Also, since not all the animals were tagged, researchers may not be able to determine which animals belonged to what experiments.\r\n'),(127,2,'U.S. officials remain skeptical of Soviet explanations for a mysterious anthrax outbreak in 1979 despite a recent public relations blitz by the Soviet government. The Carter administration demanded a full accounting from the Soviets in 1980, saying it had ``disturbing indications\'\' that the epidemic was caused by ``some sort of lethal biological agent.\'\' But according to a lecture and slide show presented by Soviet health officials over the last week in Washington, Baltimore and Cambridge, Mass., the outbreak stemmed from a batch of contaminated bone meal fed to livestock, whose meat, in turn, caused the deaths of 66 people in Sverdlovsk, a city of 1.2 million in the Ural Mountains. The long-awaited Soviet explanation ``leaves many questions unanswered,\'\' said Gary B. Crocker, a State Department analyst specializing in questions relating to Soviet military use of biological and chemical weapons. ``It does not fit with the evidence and facts we have collected on the issue,\'\' he said. In 1986, the Pentagon\'s Defense Intelligence Agency released a report alleging that the anthrax came from the Microbiology and Virology Institute, a top-secret military research facility in Sverdlovsk. The Pentagon report said ``a pressurized system probably exploded\'\' at the institute, spewing as much as 22 pounds of anthrax spores into the air, and that ``hundreds\'\' of Soviet citizens died. Anthrax, an infectious disease which occurs naturally, is considered a deadly candidate for use in biological weapons. A 1975 treaty signed by both superpowers bars possession of biological weapons and significant quantities of biological agents, but allows research ostensibly aimed at biowarfare defenses. James Oberg, author of the recent book ``Uncovering Soviet Disasters,\'\' said he believes the Soviet health officials ``are telling the truth\'\' in blaming the outbreak on a batch of contaminated meat rather than germ-warfare experiments. ``But they are not telling the whole truth,\'\' said Oberg. ``They should have said this eight or nine years ago,\'\' said Oberg, who urged the Soviets to open the Sverdlovsk research facility to Western observers. ``The damage has been done,\'\' he said. ``It will take a lot more of this kind of disclosure to undo the damage that Soviet paranoid secrecy has inflicted on international relations.\'\' The Soviets had long denied the U.S. allegations, but had offered little evidence to refute them. The more detailed rebuttal last week came from Dr. Pyotr N. Burgasov, former deputy Soviet health minister, Dr. Vladimir N. Nikiforov, chief infectious disease specialist at the Moscow Institute for the Advanced Training of Physicians, and Dr. Vladimir P. Sergiyev, of the Soviet health ministry. The heart of their argument, bolstered by gory autopsy slides, was that the victims suffered severe damage to their intestines, indicating they ate rather than inhaled the anthrax. The DIA report had said ``hundreds of Soviet citizens died from inhalation of anthrax,\'\' and that others suffered after eating the meat of animals who had inhaled the deadly spores. The Soviet officials declined to answer questions about the work performed at the Sverdlovsk research lab. But, in circumstantial refutation of the U.S. allegations, they said no one at the lab became ill during the outbreak.\r\n'),(128,2,'Marion Barry\'s lawyer is portraying Rasheeda Moore as a vengeful ex-lover who trapped the mayor in an FBI sting operation because he had abandoned her for another woman. Moore, a former model, denied the suggestion Friday at the mayor\'s cocaine and perjury trial, insisting, ``I was not out to get Mr. Barry.\'\' But she acknowledged that she had repeatedly steered the conversation around to drugs during the secretly videotaped encounter with Barry in a Washington hotel room last Jan. 18. She conceded that Barry was primarily interested that evening in having sex with her. In her second day of cross-examination by Barry\'s chief lawyer, R. Kenneth Mundy, Moore also acknowledged that she broke the FBI\'s instructions and tried to persuade the mayor to use drugs. Midway through the FBI videotape in which Barry ultimately smoked crack cocaine, Moore asked the mayor if he wants to use drugs. ``No, not tonight,\'\' Barry replied in the tape, which was played in court Thursday. ``You felt you were going beyond your mandate not to persuade, influence, coerce or beguile\'\' Barry into using drugs, Mundy asked Moore. ``I did,\'\' she replied. ``Why did you do that?\'\' the lawyer asked. ``Just in the gist of the evening,\'\' said Moore, who said she got ``overcarried\'\' in performing her duties for the FBI. ``In your zeal to get Mr. Barry,\'\' Mundy said accusingly. ``For all you knew, he had been off drugs since May\'\' 1989 when Moore moved to California. ``Not in my zeal,\'\' the witness insisted. ``I was not out to get Mr. Barry.\'\' ``What was your intent?\'\' Mundy asked Moore. ``Working this operation\'\' with the FBI, she replied. The defense lawyer suggested that Moore had been badly treated by the mayor and motivated by revenge. ``Were you mad at Mr. Barry because he didn\'t return your calls\'\' throughout an eight-month span in 1989, Mundy asked. ``No, I wasn\'t,\'\' Moore replied. She also denied that she was angry because the married mayor was involved with another woman, Maria McCarthy, or because he had slapped her when they broke up their romantic relationship. Had Moore been scorned? a reporter asked Mundy after the day\'s court session. ``A woman scorned,\'\' Mundy agreed immediately. ``Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.\'\' McCarthy was jailed for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury looking into the mayor\'s alleged drug use. She later relented and is now listed as a possible witness at Barry\'s trial. Barry is charged with 10 misdemeanor counts of cocaine possession charges, one misdemeanor cocaine conspiracy count and three felony counts of lying to a grand jury about drug use. One of the possession charges stems from his arrest in the sting operation. Meanwhile Friday, U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, presiding in the Barry case, barred black activist clergyman George Augustus Stallings, a Barry supporter, from attending the trial. Stallings, a former Roman Catholic priest, broke with the Vatican by starting his own African-American church. Mundy and the American Civil Liberties Union said they were asking the U.S. Court of Appeals to overturn Jackson\'s decision regarding Stallings as well as his order Thursday barring Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Jackson said Stallings\' and Farrakhan\'s presence in the courtroom would be potentially disruptive. Barry told reporters he could ``not understand why any citizen\'\' who wanted to use one of the four courtroom passes provided to the defense cannot do so. ``So I think that we are in a totalitarian situation where Bishop Stallings or Minister Farrakhan (cannot attend.),\'\' Barry said. ``It\'s like in Nazi Germany.\'\'\r\n'),(129,2,'The stock market has gotten a modest boost from new government reports pointing to an economic slowdown. The Dow Jones average of 30 industrials rose 7.29 points Monday to 2,140.47. The Commerce Department reported that goods held on shelves and backlots in August rose 0.8 percent to $733.7 billion, following a 0.7 percent gain in July. It was the 20th consecutive monthly increase. Rising inventories can be a sign of economic sluggishness as manufacturers order production cuts and layoffs while goods in reserve are sold off. In another government report, the Federal Reserve Board said the overall operating rate last month at U.S. factories, mines and utilities fell to 83.6 percent of capacity, down 0.2 percentage point from August. The strain on the nation\'s industrial capacity eased for the first time in seven months as utilities scaled back after the summer heat wave, the Fed said. The latest government reports also supported bond prices, driving interest rates lower. The yield on the Treasury\'s closely watched 30-year bond fell to 8.86 percent from 8.90 percent late Friday. In foreign-exchange trading, the dollar rose against most major currencies after reports of intervention by the Bank of Japan lifted it from its lows of the day. The U.S. currency finished in New York at around 127.07 Japanese yen, up from 126.70 yen late Friday. As part of its business inventories report, the Commerce Department said August sales totaled $487.7 billion, up a brisk 1.1 percent from July, when the gain was a slight 0.1 percent. It was the ninth increase in a row. In other economic developments Monday: _A Harvard Business Review report concluded that an entrenched budget deficit and fundamental policy flaws have destabilized the nation\'s economy, and the next president will have to take major steps to turn it around. _The oil ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council said they supported an increase in OPEC\'s output quotas as a way to try to stabilize prices. Analysts said stock traders took a generally upbeat view of the current state of the economy, believing that growth has slowed of late to a steady, sustainable pace. But inflation worries haven\'t been entirely snuffed out on Wall Street, and brokers said investors were looking ahead warily to Friday\'s scheduled report on the consumer price index for September. Furthermore, just about all market-watchers agree, investors are likely to be leery of stocks all week with the anniversary Wednesday of last fall\'s crash, and all the attendant publicity.\r\n'),(130,2,'The 10th tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season gradually strengthened as it followed a course that could threaten the Lesser Antilles in two or three days. At 6 a.m. EDT today, Tropical Storm Joan was centered near 12.2 north latitude and 50.8 west longitude, or about 575 miles east of Barbados, moving west-northwest at 15 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. The system has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph with some stronger gusts, according to the center. Little change in strength was expected today, and Joan was expected to maintain the same speed and direction for the next 24 hours, the center said. Joan, first spotted by satellite late last week in the mid-Atlantic, was upgraded from a depression to a tropical storm Tuesday. Tropical storms are named when sustained winds reach 39 mph and hurricanes when winds hit 74 mph. Four hurricanes have formed this season, including Hurricane Gilbert, which killed more than 300 people and caused billions of dollars damage as it ravaged Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Mexico. The hurricane season runs from June to November.\r\n'),(131,2,'The stock market posted a broad loss today, registering little enthusiasm over the latest news on the nation\'s international trade balance. The Commerce Department reported that the U.S. trade deficit in February shrank to its narrowest reading in more than six years. Imports exceeded exports by $6.49 billion, down from $9.32 billion in January. Analysts said that held out the prospect of stronger-than-expected growth in economic output, and improved profits at many companies with a substantial international business. At the same time, however, the figures touched off fresh worries about the outlook for interest rates. In the credit markets prices of long-term government bonds fell more than $10 for each $1,000 in face value, increasing their yields to the 8.84 percent-8.90 percent range.\r\n'),(132,2,'Testimony about a near-drowning last year involving a Navy swimming instructor will be allowed in the instructor\'s court-martial for his role in the death of a recruit in March, a judge ruled Tuesday. Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Combe, 28, of Tempe, Ariz., is charged with involuntary manslaughter, battery and conspiracy to commit battery in the March 2 drowing of Airman Recruit Lee Mirecki, 19, of Appleton, Wis. Combe is accused of holding Mirecki\'s head under water after Pensacola Naval Air Station instructors forced the panic-stricken recruit back into a swimming pool when he climbed out and shouted he wanted to quit the voluntary training. Opening arguments in the court-martial were scheduled to begin later Tuesday. In pre-trial motions, the military judge, Cmdr. Newell D. Krogmann, rejected a defense motion to bar testimony and prohibit the introduction of an accident report about the Sept. 30 near-drowning of Christopher Coccitti, a Navy reservist from Jacksonville. Coccitti testified last week in the court-martial of the former officer in charge of the swimming school that he blacked out under water while Combe had him in a head hold. Coccitti had been participating in the ``sharks and daisies\'\' drill, the same exercise being conducted when Mirecki died. An attorney for Combe, Robert Heath Jr., argued that Coccitti\'s testimony was irrelevant because the earlier emergency was unrelated to Mirecki\'s death. The lead prosecutor, Lt. Cmdr. Larry Wynne, contended the information is pertinent because it showed Combe had a ``cavalier attitude\'\' toward students who passed out in the swimming pool. It was an occurrence known as ``smurfing\'\' because the skin of victims would turn blue like that of ``Smurf\'\' cartoon characters, former students have said. Mirecki, who had a phobia about being dragged under water, drowned after suffering a fear-induced heart attack, a pathologist testified last week in the court-martial of Lt. Thomas A. Torchia, former officer in charge of the Navy Rescue Swimmer School. Torchia, 32, of Princeton, Ill., was acquitted Thursday on both of two dereliction-of-duty charges. He is not scheduled to testify in Combe\'s court-martial, but four other instructors who received non-judicial punishment are listed as defense witnesses. The prosecution granted them immunity after defense lawyers said their testimony was vital to Combe\'s case.\r\n'),(133,2,'Question: How many Board of Education bureaucrats does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: Fill this out in triplicate and check back in a month. That\'s the level of absurdity facing new schools Chancellor Joseph Fernandez as he delves into bureaucracy and red tape at the New York education headquarters. According to the Daily News, hundreds of teachers received a memo last year titled, ``Proper Handwashing.\'\' In seven easy steps, the teachers were reminded that ``running water is necessary to carry away dirt and debris,\'\' advised to use ``a circular motion and friction, for 15 to 30 seconds,\'\' and told to ``discard paper towels in receptacle.\'\' Fernandez, faced with a system of 950,000 students, 1,000 buildings and a backlog of 33,000 repair requests, asked departments what their urgent needs were. The director of the Office of Professional Development and Leadership Training said her top priority was a ``Concretizing Mission.\'\' A what? ``Capacity building of personnel resources,\'\' the director wrote, ``and personal abilities of central board of education, districts and school (sic) to facilitate generating vehicles to assist schools in nurturing student achievement ...\'\' Oh. The official, who was not identified in the News story, showed off her abilities as an empire builder when she proposed the creation of a Coalition of Professional Developers to provide help to the schools. The coalition, she said, would be assisted by District Support Teams. Eventually, the school board could create an Academy of Learning, Teaching, Supervising and Management that would consist of four institutes, including an Institute for Intellectual and Creative Development. The bottom line: a modest $2 million would pay for the entire lot _ the CPD, the DSTs, the ALTSM and the IICD, as they might eventually be known. Another priceless piece of paperwork came from Public School 140 in the Bronx, whose principal decided to ease congestion in the school office. Her solution: ``Request Form for Permission to Come Behind the Counter in the Main Office.\'\' That form was discontinued last year after being ridiculed by the teachers union.\r\n'),(134,2,'Carlos Batalla Cordero believes in ticket scalping _ believes in it so strongly that he\'s founded a union and gone on a hunger strike to promote honest, legal scalping. Batalla Cordero has been keeping a vigil at the doors of the Metropolitan Cathedral here since Tuesday without eating. He has asked for a meeting with President Miguel de la Madrid to press his case for legalization. Ticket scalping is illegal, but it is much more common here than in the United States. At almost any popular movie, scalpers called ``resellers\'\' buy tickets and sell them for a premium to latecomers or to those who don\'t want to stand in line at the box office. Batalla Cordero, looking thin and unshaven during a Friday interview, said he thought legalization might reduce some abuses. ``There are three people in Mexico City who have about 70 people working for them who resell tickets for as much as 1,000 percent more than they paid,\'\' said Batalla Cordero. He said they will sometimes try to buy up all the tickets to an event to push up the resale price. ``They mistreat and cheat their customers,\'\' said Batalla Cordero. He said he believes scalpers should be limited to a 20 percent premium on the face value of the ticket. Nowadays, a ticket to a popular play can cost $19 and be resold for as much as $86. Batalla has founded a union that claims about 80 members. The union, called the Authentic Union of Independent Ticket Resellers in the Service of the Public for Theater, Cinema and Spectacles, has an office in Mexico City. ``The authorities have told me they won\'t answer my request for an interview with the president until Monday,\'\' said Batalla Cordero. Scalping was legalized in Mexico in 1952 but was outlawed again in 1961. Telephone calls to the press offices at the National Palace on Friday afternoon were not answered. Police at the cathedral said they had not seen Batalla Cordero eat anything, although he has been taking liquids.\r\n'),(135,2,'A South Carolina legislator had a suggestion to end discussion on bills designating ``official\'\' state animals, vegetables and minerals: Designate an official everything. ``We ought ... to have everyone fill out the darn list with everything they can think of and we would never have this come before us again,\'\' said Rep. Woody Aydlette. ``We could have a state cat, a state snake, even a state disease. After that, we would be finished with it. Why do them one at a time? Just go ahead and get them on a list and let\'s go.\'\' The reaction of fellow House members to Aydlette\'s proposal was less than enthusiastic. They ignored it. The Republican lawmaker was trying to block a bill to make the loggerhead sea turtle the state reptile, but the measure raced through the House anyway Wednesday. The Senate recently approved the bill, along with a measure to make the praying mantis South Carolina\'s state insect. The state already has a state fish, deer, bird, wild game bird and dog, not the mention a state flower, tree, flag, stone, shell, fruit, beverage, stone, two state songs and a dance. Aydlette says its a waste of time and money to pass legislation adding state symbols. But, he said, ``it\'s beginning to take up too much time to even fight the thing now.\'\'\r\n'),(136,2,'Parliament\'s Finance Committee said Tuesday it approved spending $20.5 million to improve Jewish settlements in the occupied territories at the request of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir. The decision came Monday after a plea from Shamir, who asked the committee in a letter to allocate the funds to the Housing Ministry. A copy of Shamir\'s letter was obtained by The Associated Press. Shamir asked that the money be used to develop settlements and roads beyond the Green Line, which divides Israel from the territories it captured in the 1967 Middle East War. A Shamir spokesman insisted the money would be used only to improve existing settlements, not build new ones. Two new settlements established by Shamir\'s caretaker government have sparked protests from the United States, which says settlements in the occupied areas are an obstacle to peacemaking. Shulamit Aloni, a Finance Committee member and left-wing legislator, condemned the decision to allocate the money. ``This decision was passed by a completely insane system at a time of political unrest,\'\' Aloni said. He said it could hurt U.S. aid to Israel and endanger Soviet Jewish emigration. Thousands of Soviet Jews are expected to immigrate to Israel this year, and there is concern in the Soviet Union and among Arab countries that some could settle in the occupied lands. Israel denies it has a policy of steering immigrants to the occupied territories. A report by an Israeli diplomat in Washington released Tuesday in the daily Haaretz supported Aloni\'s claims. Yoram Ettinger, aide to deputy Foreign Minister Benjamin Natanyahu, said the U.S. Congress appeared to be less motivated to maintain strategic cooperation with Israel and more inclined to support Palestinians in their struggle for statehood, Haaretz reported. The Arab states see any settlement move as an attempt to push out Palestinians from the occupied territories. Government officials insisted that the money approved by the Finance Committee would not be used to form a new Jewish presence in the occupied West Bank or Gaza Strip. ``We are talking about already existing settlements, not forming new ones,\'\' Shamir\'s spokesman Avi Pazner said. The allocated money included $2.5 million to ``strengthen\'\' new settlements and $3 million for developing and expanding existing settlements. A separate sum of $2.5 million was allocated to purchase prefabricated houses and strengthen settlements in the West Bank. Ariel Weinstein, who represents Shamir\'s Likud bloc on the Finance Committee, said the government decided on a policy of settling the occupied territories and they should be treated as any other Israeli town. ``They need new roads, schools. Nobody thinks the government can decide not to fulfill these needs,\'\' Weinstein said. In Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak warned Tuesday that settlement of Soviet Jewish immigrants in Israeli-occupied lands threatens ``new bloody confrontation\'\' in the Middle East. He spoke at the opening session of Socialist International, a non-governmental grouping of 89 socialist parties from 47 countries.\r\n'),(137,2,'Officials in eight Northeastern states are working to adopt California\'s strict air pollution standards for cars and trucks in an effort to reduce smog. Fifteen cities or rural areas in the region have been named by the Environmental Protection Agency as failing to meet its ozone standard. Eleven cities violate the standard for carbon monoxide, most of which comes from motor vehicles. Metropolitan New York is the nation\'s worst offender for carbon monoxide and third worst for ozone. The eight states _ New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont _ already are implementing regulations to reduce gasoline volatility in the summertime, starting next year, in an attempt to lower smog levels. Air pollution directors of those states are slated to discuss the ``California plan\'\' again this week before formally proposing regional adoption, according to Michael Bradley, executive director of the Boston-based Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management. Environmental officials in Vermont, Massachusetts and New York have authority to proceed without legislative approval, he said. Experts agree that much of the ozone at any point on the northeastern seaboard originates with pollution upwind in the Boston-Washington megapolis, and it is practically impossible for any state to control the problem by itself. An EPA gasoline regulation, expected to be issued later this year, would not lower volatility to the new NESCAUM level until 1992. Gasoline vapors help form ozone, the major component of smog. The more volatile the fuel, the more vapor that escapes and the more smog that is formed. Few states have been willing to get out in front of the federal government on initiatives against air pollution, with California the most notable exception. California pioneered auto air pollution controls in the 1960s and the Clean Air Act of 1970 gave the state the right to impose stricter requirements than the federal standards for the rest of the country. To avoid the confusion of 50 potentially different standards, Congress said no other state could develop its own plan _ but any state, with EPA\'s permission, may adopt the entire set of California regulations. So far, none has. According to NESCAUM, the regional adoption of the California standards would cut emissions of the three principal auto pollutants _ carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and gasoline vapor _ by 50 percent within 15 years, as the car and truck fleets are replaced with models with superior pollution controls. ``One of the questions we\'re researching is, are we buying into future revisions of the California standards?\'\' Bradley said. The assessment, though, is ``extremely favorable to air quality,\'\' and ``My directors have said, `Let\'s go forward.\'\'\' The move likely means the elimination of the entire fleet of light-duty diesel vehicles, and the emission requirements could mean a slightly higher pricetag for gasoline-powered cars and trucks. California models look the same, except for required dashboard indicators tied to pollution control components. California exhausts may contain only 40 percent of the nitrogen oxides and 64 percent of the unburned gasoline permitted elsewhere. California permits twice as much carbon monoxide as the federal standard, but is planning to bring that limit down to the federal level. The auto industry has built cars to the California standards since the mid-1970s, although they don\'t like building two versions of the same car. California accounts for 11 percent of the national auto market. The eight Northeastern states account for 13 percent of the market. For some makes of cars, only the California version is built and it is marketed nationwide. All basic models are offered in California, but some engine-transmission combinations may not be available there. Bradley said NESCAUM had discussed its intention with the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association and MVMA had not raised any concerns. Ann Carlson of MVMA\'s Washington office said, ``I don\'t know that we\'ve taken a position.\'\' Bill Noack of General Motors Corp. said he was unable to locate any executives who were aware of NESCAUM\'s plans. According to the EPA, the cities or areas in the eight states which have violated the carbon monoxide standard are, in descending order of severity, New York City; Hartford, Conn.; Manchester, N.H.; Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Nashua, New Hampshire, Newark, N.J.; Springfield, Mass; Bergen-Passaic, N.J.; Jersey City, N.J.; and Boston. Those identified as failing to meet the ozone standard are New York City and suburbs, a Connecticut-Massachusetts area including the cities of Springfield, Mass., and Bristol, Hartford, Middletown, New Britain, New Haven and New London in Connecticut; Providence, R.I.; Knox County, Maine; York County, Maine; Atlantic City, N.J.; Boston; New Bedford, Mass.; Portland, Maine; Hancock County, Maine; Jefferson County, New York; Lincoln County, Maine; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Worcester, Mass.; and Kennebunk County, Maine.\r\n'),(138,2,'Greyhound and its striking drivers exchanged barbs after negotiations broke down when company officials charged that union leaders failed to negotiate and were ``stepping up the violence.\'\' Union leaders presented a new contract proposal in talks held in Tucson on Saturday, but the company said it was unacceptable. Negotiations broke off Sunday after only about an hour. A federal mediator said he is disappointed but not surprised that the first negotiations in the 18-day-old Greyhound bus drivers\' strike quickly broke off. ``The issues remaining are serious and they are many, and it\'s not unusual at this stage of negotiations for both sides to remain very firm in their position,\'\' said Paul F. Stuckenschneider. Greyhound and union officials were less diplomatic. ``There is no way to reach an agreement with people who are trying to break down the company through intimidation, violence and terrorism,\'\' the company\'s executive vice president, Anthony Lannie, said in a statement Sunday. ``They had nothing new for us today or yesterday while stepping up the violence,\'\' Lannie said. ``There were a half-dozen new acts of terrorism yesterday while we were in the meeting.\'\' In Washington, Jeffrey Nelson, a spokesman for the Amalgamated Council of Greyhound Local Unions, said Lannie\'s statement ``sounds to me like the desperate words of a desperate man. ``We clearly condemn violence and anything we can do to discourage our members we are doing so,\'\' Nelson said. Unions representing 6,300 drivers and an estimated 3,000 other Greyhound workers walked out March 2 over wages, job security and grievance procedures. Greyhound operates the only nationwide intercity bus service, and the strike has stranded many smaller communities for which buses are the only public transportation. The company said it has been operating roughly one-third of its buses with replacement and non-striking drivers, with about 400 union drivers joining 1,000 permanent replacements on the job. The union says fewer than 100 of its drivers have crossed the picket lines. Greyhound officials said there have been at least 14 shooting attacks on Greyhound buses, 46 bomb threats and numerous other incidents of vandalism or threats during the walkout. One new report of strike-related violence involved a union vice president accused of striking a driver in Fayetteville, N.C. Cumberland County, N.C., Magistrate Sam Mathis issued a warrant Saturday for the arrest of Fred Ingram of Charlotte, N.C., accusing him of assaulting Greyhound driver Stanley Harvey, 57, of Jacksonville, Fla. Ingram, who is also president of a local in Charlotte, denied striking anyone. Steve Scarpino, a Greyhound spokesman in Dallas, said other new complaints involved harassment by pickets in Mobile, Ala., an assault on a driver in Tulsa, Okla. and damaged buses in Tucson and Phoenix. In an earlier incident, driver Edwin J. Ludwigsen, 46, of Spring Lake, N.C., said he was struck on the he!e by a man. o -Bgistratwissmou$a criminalp`ummo(s for William DaniYs,fghom Greyhound said was a union member. In Florida on Sunday, the State Patbol arrested the drivers of tree vehicles that surrounded a New York-to-Miami Greyhound bus on Interstate 95 near Fort Pierce and forced it to slow down. No one on the bus was hurt, Scarpino said. Union officials said their proposal involved a $40 million three-year package that included modest pay increases of 4 percent to 5 percent and the addition of new drivers to the pension plan. A union spokesman said the company has offered a plan that included no guarantee of `ny pay hikes, but would have made raises contingent on$increased profits and ridership. Lannie said the union is ``stonewalling\'\' on contract talks. But union President Edward M. Strait said Greyhound never came to the bargaining table in good faith, and ``refused to make an} compromises, any concessions, from their previous unacceptable proposals.\'\' Stuckenschneider said he was not giving up on the negotiations. ``We hoped to have stayed longer, but we\'re not discouraged,\'\' he said. ``We hope to be back very soon.\'\'\r\n'),(139,2,'The country\'s top opposition leader said Friday he may visit North Korea to discuss reunification and ways to ease tension on the divided peninsula. If Kim Dae-jung makes the visit, he would be the first South Korean political leader to visit the Communist country since the 1950-53 Korean War. ``The visit will be by myself or a party delegation,\'\' Kim said. Kim, head of the largest opposition political group, the Party for Peace and Democracy, said the visit would be arranged with government approval. An unauthorized visit would violate National Security Laws. Kim declined to elaborate on his plans and said he would announce further details next week. The opposition leader said he raised the possibility of a trip in talks with President Roh Tae-woo on Thursday and said Roh responded favorably. There was no comment Friday from Roh\'s office. If Kim visits the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, party officials said he would expect to contact Communist officials. Officials of Kim\'s party said the visit may take place in the first half of the year. Aides to Kim said the primary purpose would be to meet North Korean President Kim Il Sung and help create a good atmosphere for an inter-Korea summit. Roh has proposed a meeting with the North Korean president several times in the past two years, but his proposal has not been addressed specifically by the North Koreans. Two days ago, Roh told a nationally televised news conference that he wanted to meet Kim Il Sung to discuss possible free travel between the two nations. In a New Year\'s speech, the North Korean leader invited Roh and South Korean opposition leaders to the North for unification talks. Government officials said the invitation was a ploy to lump Roh and opposition leaders in the same category, thus undermining Roh\'s leadership. Government officials said the opposition leader\'s indictment on charges related to the other lawmaker\'s secret trip to North Korea would not pose a problem for his own trip. The 64-year-old opposition leader was indicted last summer for allegedly failing to report to authorities the 1988 secret trip to North Korea of one of his party\'s lawmakers. Kim has denied the charge. Several dissident leaders are in jail for making unauthorized trips to North Korea. Vice Unification Minister Song Han-ho said South Korea would propose creating a hot line with Pyongyang so military leaders can communicate in an emergency. Song also said his government plans to propose peaceful uses for the demilitarized zone between the two countries, exchanges of military personnel, prior notification of major military exercises and invitations for delegates to observe such maneuvers. The two nations have opened several channels of talks on personnel, economic, parliamentary and political exchanges since the early 1970s but have made little progress. Reunification is a frequent demand of anti-government protesters.\r\n'),(140,2,'Here is the text of Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev\'s decree banning firearms sales in Lithuania and ordering residents to turn in their guns. The text, transmitted in Russian by the official news agency Tass, was translated by The Associated Press.\r\n'),(141,2,'Snow and heavy rain was on the menu Wednesday in the West, threatening to hamper Thanksgiving travel. Snow fell at 2 to 3 inches per hour Wednesday over parts of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. Yellowstone National Park received 2 to 5 inches of snow overnight, with as much as a foot in higher elevations. Rainfall was heavy over the Sierra Nevada foothills and valleys of northern California with street flooding early Wednesday in Sacramento. In Colorado, winds gusted to 80 mph west of Fort Collins. A 70 mph wind gust was reported southeast of Casper, Wyo. Heavy snow warnings remained in effect Wednesday over the Cascade Range in Washington state and Oregon, for the Siskiyou Mountains of Oregon and the Sierra Nevada in California and for high elevations of parts of Nevada, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Tropical storm warnings were discontinued along the Florida and Georgia coasts as tropical storm Keith, with 50 mph winds, moved east-northeast into the Atlantic Ocean on a track that could bring it near Bermuda in 36 hours. Much of the central and southern Plains had fair weather and temperatures in the 50s and low 60s. North Platte, Neb., reached 69 degrees Wednesday, a record high for the date. The previous high was 67 degrees set in 1902. Temperatures from the northern Plains to New England were in the 30s and 40s. Readings over much of the Intermountain region and Pacific Coast were in the 40s and 50s. Temperatures around the nation at 2 pm EST ranged from 28 degrees at Limestone, Maine, to 80 degrees at Key West, Fla. The low in the nation Wednesday morning was 3 degrees at Alamosa Colo. The forecast for Thanksgiving Day called for snow over the northern and central Intermountain region and the northern and central Rockies. Rain was expected across most of California and the Pacific Northwest. Much of the eastern half of the nation was expected to have mostly sunny skies. High temperatures were expected in the 20s and 30s over northern New England; in the 30s for the northern and central Rockies, North Dakota and eastern Montana; the 40s and 50s from the northern and central Pacific Coast across much of Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, the upper Mississippi Valley, the Great Lakes, the Ohio Valley, the central Appalachians, southern New England and the middle Atlantic Coast; in the 80s over south central and southeast Texas and southern parts of the Florida peninsula. Much of the remainder of the nation was expected to have high temperatures in the 60s or 70s.\r\n'),(142,2,'Andy Warhol\'s plastic wristwatches of Fred Flintstone, Judy Jetson and Gumby reached $2,640 in a ``wild\'\' bidding war _ $2,590 more than the timepieces cost the late artist in a department store, Sotheby\'s said. Kitschy collectibles were only some of the objects on sale Wednesday during the fifth day of the 10-day auction of Warhol\'s possessions. There was also serious jewelry on the block. American Indian art, including ``no end of turquoise jewelry\'\' was to be sold at today\'s auction, said Diana Brooks, president of Sotheby\'s North America. So far, Warhol\'s collection has fetched $9,072,000, more than twice Sotheby\'s high estimate of $3,951,000. Only 37 out of some 1,400 lots have not sold, she said. The highest bid Wednesday was $55,000 for a pair of surrealist ear clips by artist Salvador Dali, according to Ms. Brooks. The buyer, a private collector, was not identified. The ear clips, asymmetrical ruby-studded hearts with a honeycomb center set with round diamonds, had a pre-sale estimated value of $10,000 to $15,000. An 18-karat gold, garnet and diamond circular pendant, also by Dali, brought $47,300, Ms. Brooks said. The pendant, estimated at $7,500 to $10,000, depicted the profiles of Tristan and Isolde separated by a chalice. The brightly-colored cartoon watches, made by Lewco, were decorated with raised, full-length figures of Fred and Dino, his pet dinosaur; Judy Jetson standing with hands on hips; and a smiling Gumby. Warhol bought them in 1985 and 1986 at Bloomingdale\'s, Ms. Brooks said. In their original plastic packaging, the watches bore the original price tags of $20 and $10, she said. ``People were so wild to have the three plastic watches in the sale. They sort of symbolize the sale of the whole collection _ something people will remember,\'\' she said. The pre-sale estimate was $60 to $80 for all three. But in ``wild bidding\'\' that came down to a telephone contest between four people, the price climbed to $2,640, Ms. Brooks said. A private collector, who was not identified, won the bidding. Bloomingdale\'s still sells the watches in some stores, said Miraed Smith, a store spokeswoman. Another wristwatch that did well at the auction was a stainless steel piece, dated 1948, with a photo image of Gene Autry and signed ``always your pal Gene Autry.\'\' Sotheby\'s estimated it would sell for $50 to $100 but it went for $1,870, Ms. Brooks said. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, which will award grants to cultural institutions in the United States and abroad. Warhol died at age 58 last year.\r\n'),(143,2,'Alfred Checchi is trying to make Northwest Airlines bigger and friendlier, but he has been battling a sluggish industry and some isolated turbulence in his first year as chairman. On the Aug. 3 anniversary of the day Checchi\'s group finalized a $3.65 billion buyout of the nation\'s fourth-largest carrier, Northwest is eyeing growth despite an industry-wide slump. With eyes on Eastern Airline\'s Atlanta hub and possibly other Eastern jewels, Checchi has discussed the idea of buying the carrier\'s assets out of bankruptcy court proceedings. ``They barely had the Northwest deal done before they started looking at the landscape (for acquisitions),\'\' said Duane Woerth, head of the union representing Northwest\'s 5,600 pilots. ``He\'s changed the focus from top to bottom.\'\' In the past 18 months, Northwest has gone from being a conservatively managed takeover target with a fat balance sheet to a highly leveraged aggressor headed by industry novices. Racked with labor strife and performance problems under former chairman Steven Rothmeier, Northwest under Checchi is at peace with its unions and winning back customers who had come to know it as ``Northworst.\'\' But along the way there have been distractions. Three Northwest pilots were arrested March 8 and accused of flying a passenger jet while under the influence of alcohol. Northwest also has said it is one of many airlines being investigated by the Justice Department for possible industry price fixing. Checchi and other top executives at the airline have been declining interviews for weeks. But he repeatedly has said he intends to double the carrier\'s size in five years and make it America\'s most preferred airline. ``They\'ve improved the morale and the spirit of the people, but I don\'t think they\'ve made any money,\'\' said Mort Beyer, an aviation consultant in Arlington, Va. ``My impression is that their costs will be increasing faster than their revenues. I continue to watch it with concern.\'\' Since the takeover, Checchi has filled eight of the top 10 posts at Northwest and has lost a lead fleet manager to United Airlines. Former chief financial officer William Trubeck also has resigned, but will act indefinitely as a consultant. Five new executives had no airline management experience: Checchi, director Gary L. Wilson, chief executive officer Fred Rentschler, president Frederic Malek, and chief financial officer John Dasburg. Rentschler had been chief executive at Beatrice Cos. and Dasburg, Malek, Wilson and Checchi had worked together at Marriott Corp., where Wilson was Checchi\'s boss. ``They are primarily deal makers,\'\' Cliff Ehrlich, senior vice president of human resources at Marriott, said of Checchi and Wilson. ``I think they wake up in the morning thinking about deals and go to bed thinking about deals.\'\' Checchi has said the airline is healthy despite a $7.2 million operating loss in the final quarter of last year and a $90 million operating loss in the first quarter of this year. Nevertheless, the $3.35 billion takeover debt has been slashed to about $2 billion, putting the airline three years ahead of its seven-year repayment schedule, spokesman Doug Miller said. But most of the payments have been made from cash reserves, by selling and leasing back some planes and restructuring real estate, Beyer said. ``That can\'t go on forever,\'\' he said. ``They need better cash flows and the outlook for the year is down. The industry has had $2.5 billion in operating losses in the past nine months, but nobody pays attention to that.\'\' Mike Hamilton, an analyst for The Leuthhold Group of Minneapolis, said Northwest could afford an acquisition, but only at the right price. ``I don\'t think he\'ll get them (Eastern\'s assets) at bargain prices,\'\' Hamilton said, ``but there is nothing lost in trying.\'\' Eastern assets would fit Northwest by adding passenger loads, expanding maintenance space and feeding Northwest\'s Pacific Rim routes. But labor trouble could break out if Checchi hires from the non-union ranks at Eastern, said Guy Cook, president of International Association of Machinists District Lodge 143. ``We will war with them if they come up with stupid ideas,\'\' Cook said. ``But at this point I have no reason to war with them.\'\' Checchi hasn\'t been tested by contract talks, but Woerth and Cook say relations are vastly improved. For 40 years, Northwest workers considered themselves pawns of draconian managers, Cook said. Now they sense some cooperation. In the old days, for example, a collision of ground vehicles triggered automatic three-day suspensions, Cook said. A new disciplinary program instead emphasizes good performances, he said. ``What I notice is the people throughout the company are more proud of the airline,\'\' Woerth said. Meanwhile, travelers have observed a more punctual and reliable airline. Northwest recently completed six months of on-time performance, even with or ahead of comparable carriers, according to U.S. Transportation Department reports. In addition, fewer bags have been lost. The improvements dovetail with a five-year plan to invest $422 million to improve food service, seat space, cabin decor and speed of maintenance. ``When it was Northwest Orient it was a class airline,\'\' said Jim Maggio, whose New York firm is a travel agent for General Motors Acceptance Corp. ``They\'re getting back to that.\'\' Hamilton said the pilots\' arrests and other incidents could have left bigger stains on the company. But Checchi\'s management team moved swiftly, including firing the pilots. Trial of the pilots began this week in federal court. ``The one thing they have is a lot of common sense,\'\' Hamilton said. ``They\'ll make a mistake, but they don\'t make the same mistake twice.\'\'\r\n'),(144,2,'Criminologists and other experts tell them otherwise, but many Norwegians are convinced their country is overrun by thugs, hooligans and ``the mob.\'\' The experts say the public concern verges on ``national hysteria.\'\' They argue that Norway still has one of the world\'s lowest crime rates, and is nowhere near being in a league with the United States or other countries with serious crime problems. ``Our biggest crime problem is the unfounded anxiety people feel about it,\'\' said Nils Christie, a University of Oslo criminology professor. Muggings are rare and city parks generally are safe. Some cafeterias leave it up to the customers to leave what they owe in a till and even make their own change. Few of Norway\'s 4.2 million people have actually witnessed criminal violence, according to an informal poll by one newspaper. Police, who usually are unarmed, used or threatened to use weapons just 28 times last year, according to Justice Ministry figures. ``Norway is at the bottom of the list of violent crimes per capita,\'\' said Christie. The risk of being murdered in the United States is nine times greater than in Norway, according to a local study. Sociologist Cecilie Hoigaard listed Norway\'s murder rate in 1988 as 0.9 killings per 100,000 residents, compared to 1.4 in Sweden and 5.1 in France. The World Almanac said the U.S. figure was 8.3 the same year. Yet crime in Norway has increased by about 15 percent a year since 1986, according to official figures, and that\'s what has brought all the repercussions. ``We aren\'t interested in comparing ourselves to other countries,\'\' said Tor Aksel Busch, deputy director general of public prosecutions. ``We must compare ourselves to the way things were. It is the increase that is disturbing.\'\' Crimes for monetary or material gain, such as theft and fraud, represent 81 percent of the offenses. ``There is simply much more to steal because Norway\'s standard of living has increased enormously,\'\' criminologist Christie said. Norway had an economic boom when it discovered oil off its coast. From 1986 to 1988, drug arrests doubled and violent crime rose 29 percent, partly because alcohol is more accepted by ``traditionally reserved and pious Norwegians,\'\' Christie said. ``We Norwegians are very worried about crime,\'\' said Kjell Solem of the Justice Ministry. ``It is a frequent topic of debate. We started with very little and don\'t like the increase,\'\' ``Norway has an old-fashioned crime rate,\'\' he added. ``You have to go back 25 years to find such a low rate in Sweden. It is safe almost anywhere, any time in Norway.\'\' In December, robbers rammed a large truck into an armored car and escaped with about $1 million, leaving a trail of burning getaway cars. Norwegians could perhaps understand the greed but were appalled that the thieves were prepared to harm the security guards by ramming the armored car with the truck. ``People speak of moral decay, the fraying of society\'s fabric,\'\' Solem said. Crime was a major issue in last autumn\'s national election; everything from drugs and alcohol to video tapes and foreigners came in for the blame. The right-wing Party of Progress increased its standing in Parliament tenfold, partly on the basis of a law-and-order campaign. ``Crime has become a matter of national hysterics,\'\' said sociologist Thomas Mathiesen. ``There is a much greater fear of crime than there is any grounds for.\'\' Many Norwegians are responding by fortifying their homes. Lock sales soared 60 percent from 1987 to 1989 and burglar alarm sales are said to be on the rise. Mathiesen said fear was being spread unwittingly by the news media, politicians and even police who seek larger budgets. Tabloid newspapers routinely brand any group of criminals ``the Mafia.\'\' They devote sensational and lengthy coverage to murders and pursue the cases for weeks. The respected Aftenposten newspaper, in a review of the 1980s, said more crime produced more crime reporting. In the 1970s, ``trivial crimes were reported,\'\' it wrote. ``Now it\'s hard to find space for all the corruption, theft and violence.\'\'\r\n'),(145,2,'Highlights of Wednesday\'s session of the 28th Communist Party congress, in its third day:\r\n'),(146,2,'Thousands of people went on strike in the capital of Armenia, apparently unhappy over the Armenian leadership\'s presentation of an ethnic dispute at the national Communist Party conference, a newspaper said Tuesday. The Soviet government daily Izvestia said the strike began Monday, one day after ``many thousands\'\' of people met in the Theater Square of Yerevan, the capital of the southern republic. Most flights in and out of Yerevan were canceled, it said. In a Tuesday edition, Izvestia said: ``Like yesterday a series of the city\'s industrial concerns aren\'t working, or are working with less than a full work force.\'\' It said food stores and industries, as well as restaurants and medical services had been working Monday. The newspaper said farm work was going on in Stepanakert, the largest city of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, but that many other industries and institutions there also were shut down. Nagorno-Karabakh is at the center of a territorial dispute between Armenia and the neighboring republic of Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan, but the mountain enclave\'s predominantly Armenian population has been agitating since February to be annexed to Armenia. Armenia supports the demand. Azerbaijan is against it. At least 32 people were killed in riots over annexation which broke out in Sumgait, Azerbaijan, at the end of February. Izvestia said the thousands of people who gathered on the Yerevan city square Sunday listened to a television broadcast by delegates to the four-day party conference in Moscow, which closed last Friday. Armenian party leader Suren Arutyunyan said in remarks broadcast on Soviet TV during the conference that authorities could not normalize the situation in Armenia, where large demonstrations frequently have occurred in support of Nagorno-Karabakh\'s demand. He proposed that the conference take up unspecified amendments to the Soviet constitution. The disagreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan has sent the issue to national authorities, and the constitution specifies no way to solve the dispute. Delegates who spoke on television supported Arutyunyan\'s call for restraint and went directly to the square to talk to the crowd. But Izvestia said that after a ``stormy debate\'\' on the square, a committee was formed that called for a general strike after laying down a series of demands, including a quick, favorable resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. The committee demanded that the Soviet Supreme Court take over the trials of those charged in the Sumgait violence and demanded full information about the alleged poisoning of workers at a factory in the town of Masis. Izvestia provided no more information about the Masis incident, except to say an investigation was under way. The party conference called for greater attention to republics\' calls for economic autonomy, but said authorities would not tolerate efforts to whip up ethnic tensions. Besides Azerbaijan and Armenia, delegates from the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia also brought up ethnic questions at the conference. About a dozen protesters demanding freedom for three Estonian political prisoners had gathered more than 6,000 signatures by Tuesday during a five-day demonstration in Tallinn, Estonia. ``We will continue the demonstration until they are freed or until the authorities give us an exact date for their release,\'\' Eve Parnaste said as she carried a poster at the protest outside the Estonian Supreme Court building. She said the three prisoners had been demanding publication of a secret 1939 pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that placed the Baltic republics of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia under Moscow\'s control. All three were arrested this year, charged with spreading anti-Soviet propaganda or slandering the Soviet state. Miss Parnaste\'s poster said, ``KGB is an evil empire,\'\' using the initials for the Soviet secret police.\r\n'),(147,2,'Morty Nevins, the accordion-playing member of The Three Suns group of the 1940s and \'50s, has died. He was 73. Nevins, the last surviving member of the original group, died of cancer Friday at his Beverly Hills home, his daughter, Ferielle Faine said Tuesday. The Three Suns sold several million records over a 20-year span, including ``Peg o\' My Heart\'\' and the trio\'s signature tune, ``Twilight Time.\'\' Nevins\' brother, Al, played guitar while his cousin, Artie Dunn, sang and played the organ. The Three Suns performed for radio, played club and hotel dates across the nation and were regulars on singer Kate Smith\'s television show in the early 1950s. The original members disbanded when Al\'s health began to deteriorate, but Dunn recruited other musicians for several years. Nevins continued to compose music, producing such hit tunes as ``These Things I Offer You for a Lifetime,\'\' ``Lovers\' Gold,\'\' ``You Are My Destiny\'\' and ``Midnight for Two.\'\' Al Nevins died in 1965, and Dunn in 1989.\r\n'),(148,2,'High pressure Thursday over the mid-Atlantic states produced warm winds from Texas to the plains and the Mississippi Valley to the Great Lakes region. Afternoon temperatures in the Midwest and East were in the 60s and 70s. A low pressure system that could grow into a winter storm developed in the Southwest and the West\'s central mountain ranges. A cold front moved southeast across Utah. About six inches of new snow was expected in the state\'s northern and southern mountains by Friday. Alta, Utah reported two inches of snow by Thursday morning. Lighter snow fell across parts of western and southern Wyoming, with 1 to 3 inches reported at Yellowstone Park. Windy conditions were reported in the Arizona and Southern California deserts and scattered showers fell across sections of Arizona. Record high temperatures reported Thursday include 75 degrees in Aberdeen, S.D., and Alpena, Mich., 85 in Dodge City, Kan., 83 in Concordia, Kan., and 79 in Kansas City, Mo. Heavier rainfall during the six hours ending at 1 p.m. EST included nearly a quarter inch at Glasgow, Mont., and more than a tenth of an inch at Malad, Idaho. The nation\'s low Thursday was 20 degrees in Saranac Lake, N.Y. Temperatures around the nation at 3 p.m. EST ranged from 32 degrees in Ely, Nev., to 89 degrees at Gage, Okla.\r\n'),(149,2,'The Justice Department is evaluating the case against a group of CIA employees who took 86 rare misprinted stamps from their office and sold them for thousands of dollars, a department spokesman said Saturday. Justice Department spokesman Tom Stewart said the agency\'s public integrity section had received the case and that ``they deal in bringing criminal charges, if necessary.\'\' ``I would not want you to think that something is imminent,\'\' he said. The Washington Post reported in Sunday\'s editions that the Justice Department was considering bringing criminal charges against the nine CIA employees, who discovered the rare stamps in the agency\'s supplies and sold them. The Post quoted unidentified intelligence and Justice Department sources as saying the CIA completed an internal review of what stamp collectors call the discovery of ``the CIA invert\'\' and turned the case over to the Justice Department for possible prosecution. The public integrity section is debating whether to bring charges of theft or misappropriation of government supplies against the employees, who replaced a sheet of 95 $1 stamps bearing an upside-down candlestick with a sheet of stamps that did not have the rare error, the newspaper said. Each member of the group kept one of the stamps and they sold the 86 remaining stamps in 1986 to a New Jersey dealer for thousands of dollars. Their identities were never made public. A CIA spokesman did not immediately return a telephone call Saturday about the case.\r\n'),(150,2,'A Red Cross delegation arrived in this southern provincial capital today, seeking word on the possible release of two kidnapped Swiss Red Cross workers. The delegation\'s four members made no statement upon arriving at the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Sidon, 25 miles south of Beirut. However, a committee source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the four planned to maintain ``daily presence in Sidon this week, waiting for a contact concerning our two kidnapped colleagues.\'\' The team was led by the Red Cross chief delegate in Lebanon, Michel Dufour, and the committee\'s spokeswoman for the Middle East, Marjolaine Martin, who flew into Beirut from Geneva on Wednesday. ``We remain optimistic after our talks here about the release of our two officials,\'\' Dufour said, without elaborating. The delegation is seeking the release of Red Cross orthopedic technicians Emanuel Christen, 33, and Elio Erriquez, 24. They were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in Sidon on Oct. 6. No group claims responsibility for their seizure. However, Lebanese and foreign security sources blame the Fatah-Revolutionary Council group of Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal. The group has denied involvement and urged the captors to release Christen and Erriquez. The Red Cross team held talks on Thursday with Mustafa Saad, who heads the Sunni Moslem independent Nasserite organization whose 1,000-strong Popular Liberation Army militia dominates Sidon. Saad renewed his appeal for the release of the two Red Cross workers, saying failure to free them ``will be considered a hostile act against us.\'\' Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, as well as Palestinian and Lebanese groups, have appealed for the pair\'s release. In addition to the two Swiss, the Western hostages believed to be held mainly by pro-Iranian factions in Lebanon are seven Americans, four Britons, two West Germans, an Irishman and an Italian. American journalist Terry Anderson, 43, chief Middle East correspondent for The Associated Press, is the longest-held foreign captive in Lebanon. He was kidnapped March 16, 1985.\r\n'),(151,2,'Brent Mydland, keyboard player, singer and songwriter since 1979 for the psychedelic rock band the Grateful Dead, was found dead in his home. He was 37. Friends discovered Mydland\'s body Thursday in the bedroom of his home in Lafayette, a suburb 25 miles east of San Francisco, said Sgt. Richard Terry of the Contra Costa County Coroner\'s office. It was not clear when or how Mydland died, but there was no sign of foul play, Terry said. An autopsy was scheduled for today. Mydland had returned Tuesday from a three week national tour with the band, Terry said. ``We lost a brother, and we are very devastated,\'\' Grateful Dead spokesman Dennis McNally said. Surviving band members met Thursday night ``to talk, to grieve and to figure out what to do next,\'\' McNally said. Tickets already have been sold for Grateful Dead shows in August and September in California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York City and in October in Sweden, West Germany, France and England. The Grateful Dead formed in 1965 and were at the forefront of the psychedelic counterculture movement in San Francisco. Among their better known songs are ``Truckin\',\'\' ``Casey Jones\'\' and ``Touch of Grey.\'\' Known for their diverse live sets and spontaneous ``jams,\'\' the Grateful Dead today retain a strong following of fans known as ``Deadheads.\'\' Many fans follow the band from show to show and trade tapes of concerts, which the band lets them record. Mydland joined the band in April 1979, replacing keyboardist Keith Godchaux, who died a year later in an auto accident. Godchaux had replaced keyboardist Ron ``Pig Pen\'\' McKernan, who died of cirrhosis of the liver at age 27 in 1973. Mydland was born in Germany to American parents stationed there with the military and grew up in the San Francisco area. As a teen-ager, he played with small local rock \'n\' roll bands. He worked with the group Batdorf and Rodney in the early 1970s, then joined the Los Angeles-based rock band Silver. He joined the Grateful Dead after a stint with rhythm guitarist and vocalist Bob Weir\'s side band Bobby and the Midnites. At first Mydland had played in the shadow of the other more famous band members, including lead guitarist and vocalist Jerry Garcia. But he developed a greater presence in recent years, writing more songs and helping the band\'s harmonies with what McNally called his ``rough, bluesy textured voice.\'\' John Barlow, who had collaborated with Mydland on most of his songs, said, ``Brent could pick his way through anything immediately, which meant he had the special requirement it was going to take to walk into the Dead overnight. ``He was musically central to the band, but he was so good at what he did that he was able to become fundamental to everything that the band was doing musically without it being immediately apparent to the audience,\'\' Barlow said. Tunes Mydland wrote include ``Far From Me\'\' and the environmental ballad ``We Can Run (But We Can\'t Hide),\'\' used recently in an Audubon Society video. Most recently, Mydland frequently performed his ``I Will Take You Home,\'\' a lullaby written for his two young daughters. He is survived by his wife, Lisa, his daughters and his parents, who live in the Sacramento area.\r\n'),(152,2,'A woman who locked her 5-year-old daughter in a car while she worked part-time went to court Tuesday to regain custody of the girl from the county, but court officials said the judge didn\'t rule. Police and court officials said the case was continued. They spoke on condition of anonymity because Family Court rules require that cases be kept confidential. The mother, Chante Fernandez, canceled a news conference she had planned after the hearing and refused to speak to reporters as she dashed from the Union County Courthouse to a limousine. Her attorney and police officers shielded Ms. Fernandez from the nearly reporters who waited in the courthouse garage. Ms. Fernandez\' daughter, Anjuli, is under the care of the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services pending resolution of the case. The girl wasn\'t present at the hearing, a welfare official said. Ms. Fernandez, 24, of Elizabeth, was jailed after police found her pajama-clad daughter, Anjuli, in the trunk of a car on Oct. 20 at the Woodbridge Center mall, where Mrs. Fernandez worked part-time on weekends. The back seat was folded down so the girl could move about inside the car, and the mother said she checked on her daughter during work breaks. The mother said her combined income of nearly $500 a week from two jobs disqualified her from local or state child care services. During the week, she was a secretary at a lumber company; the weekend job was at a department store in the mall. The case has drawn an outpouring of support from New Jersey residents, who have offered her money, child care help and jobs. Ms. Fernandez pleaded guilty Friday to a disorderly persons offense and received a $100 suspended fine. The mother, who is divorced, said she left her daughter in the car while she worked at the mall because she was unable to find a reliable and affordable baby sitter. She also said she couldn\'t get local or state child care services. Ms. Fernandez initially was charged with criminal restraint, a felony, and spent two days in jail before posting $5,000 bail. The prosecutor reduced the charge to a disorderly persons offense after reviewing the case and concluding that the girl wasn\'t neglected or abused. Only Ms. Fernandez, her attorney, state welfare officials and court officers were allowed inside the hearing before Union County Judge John Callahan on Tuesday. Some relatives of Ms. Fernandez were allowed to stand outside the second- floor courtroom, but were stopped at the lobby.\r\n'),(153,2,'The Army said Wednesday it has alerted three National Guard and Reserve MASH units to prepare for mobilization and deployment to the Persian Gulf. Also put on alert were two Army Reserve combat support hospitals and one general hospital, plus a variety of medical specialists from Army Hospitals nationwide. The mobilizations are part of a broad Pentagon push to strengthen medical support and supplies in the gulf as the pace of U.S. troop deployments increases. The three Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, or MASH, units put on alert are: the 159th Medical Hospital of the Louisiana National Guard at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans; the 300th Medical Hospital of the Tennessee National Guard at Smyrna; and the 807th Medical Hospital of the Army Reserve at Paducah, Ky. Maj. Hooper Penuel, a spokesman for the Tennessee Guard, said the 300th Medical Hospital reported for active duty Dec. 9 and its 230 members are at Fort Campbell, Ky., awaiting further orders. The Army announcement said the unit had been placed on alert but not yet activated. At least three other MASH units from the Guard and Reserve had been called up earlier in Operation Desert Shield. The units, made famous by the television series ``MASH,\'\' provide surgical and other emergency treatment of battle casualties at the rear of the combat zone. Also put on alert were Guard and Reserve units in a variety of medical-related specialties, including general medical service, dentistry, preventive medicine, blood distribution, air evacuation and veterinary services. Veterinarians inspect meat used for troops. Last week, the Navy said it was adding two 500-bed combat-zone field hospitals in Saudi Arabia and calling up thousands more reserve medical specialists.\r\n'),(154,2,'Today is Friday, April 6, the 96th day of 1990. There are 269 days left in the year. Today\'s highlight in history: On April 6, 1909, American explorer Robert Edwin Peary became the first person to lead an expedition to the North Pole. On this date: In 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized by Joseph Smith at Fayette, N.Y. In 1862, the Civil War Battle of Shiloh began as the Confederates attacked Union forces in Tennessee. In 1892, author and newscaster Lowell Thomas was born in Woodington, Ohio. In 1896, the first modern Olympic Games were formally opened in Athens, Greece. In 1917, Congress approved a declaration of war against Germany. In 1963, the United States and Britain signed an agreement under which the Americans would sell Polaris A-3 missiles to the British. In 1965, the United States launched the Early Bird communications satellite. In 1971, the Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky died in New York City. In 1984, the space shuttle Challenger blasted off for the fifth time on a weeklong mission. In 1987, the Dow Jones industrial average closed above 2,400 for the first time. In 1988, Tirza Porat, a 15-year-old Israeli girl, was killed in a West Bank melee. (Although Arabs were initially blamed for her death, the Israeli army concluded that Tirza had been accidentally shot by a Jewish settler.) Ten years ago: Easter services were held for the American hostages in Iran, on their 155th day of captivity. Visiting clergymen reported the captives were in good condition. Five years ago: William J. Schroeder became the first artificial heart recipient to be discharged from the hospital when he moved into an apartment in Louisville, Ky. Gaafar Nimeiri, the president of Sudan, was overthrown in a coup. One year ago: Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev met with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in London, holding daylong talks that were characterized as argumentative, but friendly. Today\'s birthdays: Composer-conductor Andre Previn is 61. Actor Ivan Dixon is 59. Country singer Merle Haggard is 53. Actor Billy Dee Williams is 53. Actor Roy Thinnes is 52. Singer Michelle Phillips is 46. Actor John Ratzenberger is 43. Actress Marilu Henner is 38. Figure skater Janet Lynn is 37. Thought for today: ``Men are not against you; they are merely for themselves.\'\' _ Gene Fowler, American journalist and author (1890-1960).\r\n'),(155,2,'Backers of legislation to re-regulate cable television prices and services say they\'ll be back next year with an even tougher bill following a defeat in the Senate. On Sept. 28, Sen. Timothy Wirth, D-Colo., objected to bringing the bill to the floor for debate or a vote, where it was expected to pass easily. Faced with a possible filibuster, a sponsor of the bill, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, declared the measure ``dead and buried\'\' for the 101st Congress. Congress is expected to adjourn as early as the middle of October. Backers of the bill said that the cable industry\'s victory might be short-lived and that it would only strengthen the hand of would-be competitors. Home satellite companies are itching to compete with cable and are expected to push provisions of the Senate bill that would guarantee them access to cable programming. Broadcasters also want cable to pay for the programming it now takes virtually for free. ``There may come a time when the cable industry will devoutly wish they had taken today\'s deal,\'\' said Edward O. Fritts, president of the National Association of Broadcasters. The Office of Management and Budget had issued a veto warning on the bill, which would have restored some of the government oversight of cable that Congress lifted in 1984. OMB said that the bill imposed too many restrictions on cable and that increased competition - perhaps from the telephone industry - was the answer to any problems in the cable industry. Basic cable prices on average have risen 43 percent in the past three years.\r\n'),(156,2,'Struggling with weak sales, Volkswagen United States Inc. is offering a 30-day money back guarantee on its mid-size Passat automobiles. Anyone unsatisfied with a Passat car or station wagon in the first 30 days or 3,000 miles of ownership may return it and get their money back, Bill Young, vice president in charge of Volkswagen United States, said Wednesday. Other automakers have offered or are offering similar guarantees, although none allow a buyer to walk away with their money. Oldsmobile, for example, is offering to let buyers of its 1990 models who are not satisfied after the first 30 days or 1,500 miles of ownership return a car for credit toward the purchase of another Oldsmobile. At VW, Gelgota said, ``You get the full refund, sales tax, title and license fees and everything. It\'s your cash back.\'\' VW doesn\'t think it is risking its money, Gelgota said. ``It\'s based on our research. Ninety-seven percent of our customers are so satisfied they would recommend the Passat to a friend or relative.\'\' VW will purchase any returned cars from dealers, Gelgota said.\r\n'),(157,2,'IVRY-SUR-SEINE, France (AP) _ A stone\'s throw from the Seine River, the bit of a drill under a towering white derrick bores a hole under suburban Paris in search of oil that might one day be dubbed Paris Crude. ``Normally, I do the North Sea,\'\' drilling superviser Lars Froybu said Wednesday during a tour of the site. ``This is quite different. ``There, you are in the sea and live on a rig for 24 hours a day. Here, 10 minutes away you can find lots of good restaurants. You\'re drilling in civilization.\'\' Societe Nationale Elf Aquitaine, a state-owned oil company, started sinking the exploratory well at Ivry, on the southern edge of Paris, Tuesday. It is the first of several such wells planned under the Paris-Ile de France permit, which covers Paris and its northern, eastern and southern suburbs. The permit was awarded in December 1985 to Elf, Total Compagnie Francaises des Petroles, and British Petroleum after competition reached a pinnacle in the search for oil in the Paris Basin, 50,000 square miles stretching east from Paris to the West German border. For years there have been rumblings that the City of Light itself might be sitting on crude, a theory that provoked smiles, cute headlines and gags about industrializing the Eiffel Tower. Oil companies are less fanciful. The Elf-Total-BP association already has spent $11.6 million on its permit, most of it for seismic tests, according to the chief of Elf\'s French operations, Bruno Weymuller. The Paris Basin contains 40 million tons of known oil reserves, 48 operating wells and about 600 exploratory wells. With a discovery rate of 1 in 12 wells, compared to the 1 in 20 average, the Basin is increasingly drawing foreign oil companies, although oil executives concede it will never be Houston. But ``no one dared go into this area before,\'\' Louis Prudhomme, Elf\'s assistant director of French operations, said of the region. About 10 million people live in the 587 square miles covered by the permit, and Elf is making a special effort to be discreet, at least as discreet as one can be with a 165-foot oil derrick operating round-the-clock. Motors powering the drill are kept in sheds beside the derrick. A wall to cut noise was erected to help shield residents of an apartment block across the street. A special phone line was installed to receive complaints. ``We\'ve tried to protect the environment to a maximum,\'\' said Prudhomme. Ivry, on the left bank of the Seine, is one of several sites considered promising on the basis of seismic tests. The objective of the Ivry drilling is in fact about a half-mile from the derrick, on the right bank of the Seine. That means the bit grinding its way 2,000 yards into the earth must follow a deviated course, complicating drilling, officials said. By Wednesday morning, a hole 2,067 foot deep had been bored, the drilling superviser said. The operation is to be completed in about three weeks. A positive find would mean boring ``appreciation\'\' wells nearby to determine the size of the oil deposit, according to Elf officials. Total has said it plans to start drilling before the end of the year. Limited seismic tests of the capital, made two years ago, revealed that the center of Paris was ``not a geological priority,\'\' Elf officials said. ``Is there oil under Paris? We will only know when we\'ve drilled. That is the moment of truth.\'\' Prudhomme said. ``We\'ve already staked out forage sites if one day we have to work in Paris.\'\' A derrick could be erected at a stadium or in an unused train station or abandoned apartment buildings, according to officials who do not rule out rigging a derrick on a boat on the Seine. No one in France stands to get rich overnight by owning land on a drilling site. The property owner receives a modest ``rent\'\' from the oil company, but the state controls mineral rights. Parisians, easily moved to protest, remain placid in the face of the Ivry drilling. ``If they put a gas pump on my route and lower the price, that\'s all I care about,\'\' said Jean-Louis Ribolla, a waiter near the Champs Elysees. ``Finding oil in the Place de la Concorde would be quite refined,\'\' he added, winking.\r\n'),(158,2,'Fighting mounting political and labor turmoil, President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro is promising to replace the longtime Sandinista military chief soon and open talks to disarm Contra rebels. The leader of the new U.S.-backed government also said Monday she is disbanding the secret police, which the leftist Sandinistas had controlled. Mrs. Chamorro, speaking at her first news conference since she took office last week, also gave an idea of the economic difficulties she faces. She said the Sandinistas had left just $3 million in the treasury and an $11 billion foreign debt. ``That is why it is urgent that we apply severe measures that will allow us in the short term to stabilize the currency and prices, to guarantee investment and the productive effort now that this year\'s agricultural cycle is starting,\'\' she said. Last week, Mrs. Chamorro devalued Nicaragua\'s cordoba by about half. The devaluation sharply increased prices, causing more hardship in an already poor country. Mrs. Chamorro on Wednesday succeeded Daniel Ortega after a decade of Sandinista rule and nine years of war with U.S.-backed Contras rebels. On Monday, she said she would pursue reform as soon as possible and appealed for support from both friends and foes. Her shaky new government faced new challenges today, with two labor groups planning separate protests to mark International Labor Day. A Sandinista union has organized a protest to back demands for 100 percent pay raises for all workers and the disbanding of Contra rebels. Four anti-Sandinista unions were to rally to demand the removal of Gen. Humberto Ortega as the armed forces chief. At her news conference Monday, the president promised that Ortega, the brother of the former president, will remain only temporarily as chief of the armed forces. She also said she would hold talks Wednesday with Contra military chief Israel Galeano to ask him to disarm his forces. Mrs. Chamorro\'s decision to serve as her own defense minister and keep Ortega as commander split her own 14-party United National Opposition, which she led to a landslide victory in elections Feb. 25. The Contras promised to surrender their weapons and disband by June 10, then balked after Mrs. Chamorro announced that Gen. Ortega would remain military chief. They say they want an end to Sandinista control of the military and police. At her news conference, Mrs. Chamorro said she understood how her supporters ``would like a drastic and immediate change\'\' in the armed forces. But she added: ``We need to do things well, even if it means resuming temporary sacrifices to guarantee the tranquility and stability of the country.\'\' She repeated that she had told Gen. Ortega several times his job was temporary, and she explained she kept him on ``to ensure the unity and discipline of the army\'\' while the Contras disarm. She announced that the powerful secret police force, which was run by the Sandinista Interior Ministry, is being disbanded. But she did not go into details. She also said she was ending the use of exit visas, which the Sandinistas required that both Nicaraguans and foreigners obtain to leave the country. Mrs. Chamorro further appealed to her vice president, Virgilio Godoy, to remain loyal. He is engaged in a bitter power struggle with some of her close advisers. On Monday, he was on an unexplained trip out of the country. ``I trust that the vice president ... will accompany and support me with the total loyalty in the making of the great decisions and in the fulfillment of the complex tasks with which the people of Nicaragua have entrusted us,\'\' she said.\r\n'),(159,2,'People awaiting compensation from the Manville trust fund for asbestos victims will have to wait at least another month. U.S. District Judge Jack B. Weinstein in Brooklyn on Monday extended for 30 days a freeze on payments for asbestos-related diseases to allow completion of a plan to restructure the financially ailing trust. Weinstein said the extension would allow completion of a court-appointed reorganization plan for the trust, which has run out of money to pay new claims by thousands of workers made sick from inhaling asbestos fibers. But Leon Silverman, the bankruptcy court-appointed adviser supervising the reorganization, said ``it is almost impossible to conclude\'\' that the more than 130,000 pending claimants would receive the full value of their claims. The reorganization is designed to speed payments and alter the compensation scheme to process claims based on victims\' health and financial need rather than when they file a claim. Weinstein last month set Monday as a deadline for the overhaul plan and froze spending during the process to prevent a further cash drain. The trust was created in 1988 as part of Manville Corp.\'s bankruptcy court reorganization, a result of rising liability from lung cancer and other serious and fatal diseases caused by asbestos. The trust has paid $974 million to settle more than 22,000 cases, but still has 130,000 claims pending. A cash shortfall led the trust recently to say it would not be able to pay new claims until well into the 21st century. U.S. District Judge Thomas D. Lambros in Cleveland on Monday proposed consolidating pending Manville trust claims with a private consortium that has been negotiating settlements for other asbestos-makers. Under the proposal, the Center for Claims Resolution in Princeton, N.J., would be annexed to the legal system and directed by a board of judges with input from plaintiffs and defense lawyers and other parties involved. The center, which is funded by 20 asbestos defendants and insurance companies, has settled 36,000 claims in 18 months. Lambros said a court-affiliated center could minimize transaction costs and resolve pending claims until a long-term national settlement scheme is reached. Silverman said progress had been made toward providing ``meaningful funds in the near term to victims without sacrificing the long-term value of the Manville stock.\'\' The trust effectively owns 80 percent of Denver-based Manville, which must make annual payments to the trust beginning next year and is shielded from further legal liability for asbestos claims. Weinstein and Silverman supported continuing an injunction barring lawsuits against Manville, which would hurt the trust by depleting the value of Manville assets. But the judge criticized Manville, saying the company was unrealistic about its role in refinancing the trust. Weinstein in the past has suggested that the company should make new direct payments of more than $200 million to the trust. Manville has said its financial commitment ended with large contributions when the trust was created and its role is to strengthen Manville to bolster the trust\'s value. Manville Chief Executive Thomas Stephens said he was disappointed with Weinstein\'s comments. He said the company had offered to inject $500 million last November through a stock repurchase plan. In an interview, Stephens said the company last week recommended a plan to inject some cash into the trust, which in return would sell some Manville stock into the marketplace. ``We\'re fully aware and sympathetic of the needs of the claimants and are doing everything we can to optimize today\'s dollar and tomorrow\'s dollar,\'\' he said. The trust, based in Washington, is named in more than 100,000 lawsuits on the dockets of every federal district court and more than 500 state courts nationwide. The cash shortage at the trust had been anticipated, but made worse by more cases, larger payouts and quicker settlements than expected. Victims had received an average of $43,000 per claim, compared with estimates of $25,000. According to court documents, the trust has $93.2 million to pay $112.8 million in claims already settled. That money is frozen by the judge\'s order. Asbestos, a white mineral used for heat resistance and insulation, was widely used in shipbuilding, construction and other industries. Six federal judges are scheduled to meet later this week in Washington to discuss prospects for consolidating the asbestos litigation docket into a class action to speed resolution.\r\n'),(160,2,'Five U.S. diplomats from Kuwait today abandoned their besieged embassy and flew to Baghdad to join a last batch of Americans leaving Iraq and the occupied emirate aboard a U.S.-chartered Iraqi jet. Officials said the diplomats and 25 other Americans aboard the Boeing 707 that landed in Baghdad would be among 94 foreigners leaving in the afternoon on an Iraqi Airways flight to Frankfurt, Germany, in what was said to be the last charter plane carrying out foreign nationals. U.S. Ambassador Nathaniel Howell, Barbara Bodine, the deputy chief of mission in Kuwait, and three other American diplomats from Kuwait were whisked through the departure lounge and made no comment in Baghdad. ``They are in good spirits and good shape and ready to get back to the States,\'\' and American embassy official said on condition of anonymity. But while Iraq was allowing the completion of a blanket hostage release announced one week ago, it remained at odds with Washington over when Secretary of State James A. Baker III can visit Baghdad for talks on preventing war. On Wednesday, the Bush administration accused President Saddam Hussein of blocking any agreement. The administration says Iraq\'s insistence on a Jan. 12 date for the visit is too close to the Jan. 15 deadline a U.N. resolution has set for Iraq to relinquish Kuwait or face possible attack. There is no disagreement over Iraq\'s foreign minister, Tariq Aziz, meeting with President Bush in Washington on Monday, but the United States says it will not receive him unless a date has been set for Baker\'s visit. The Bush administration has suggested any time between Dec. 20 and Jan. 3. Also today, Algerian President Chadli Bendjedid left Baghdad for Iran after beginning a new Arab peace mission the day before during talks with Saddam. Among those waiting at the Baghdad airport for today\'s flight to Frankfurt were three families who missed a Tuesday flight because the Kuwaiti wives of Americans had to obtain Iraqi passports, officials said. The embassy had no estimate on the number of Americans or other passengers who would fly out of the country today on the Frankfurt-bound charter. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in Washington on Wednesday that 15 Americans would be aboard the flight. Officials in Baghdad said that all others who wished to leave Kuwait and Iraq would do so by regular flights or by ground transportation. In other last-stage charter flights, 78 Japanese arrived in Tokyo Wednesday and 313 mostly British passengers landed in London on a chartered Iraqi Airways jet from Baghdad. Iraq had barred thousands of foreigners from travel after its Aug. 2 invasion of Kuwait. It held hundreds of them - mostly Americans, Britons and Japanese - at strategic sites to deter a feared attack by U.S.-led forces sent to the region in response to the invasion. About 188 Americans have been evacuated from Iraq and Kuwait over the last week. They include 70 people who were in hiding, 86 men kept as ``human shields\'\' and 32 private citizens who had found refuge in U.S. compounds. U.S. officials estimate that about 500 Americans - most of them children with dual citizenship - are remaining. Howell and his colleagues at the U.S. embassy in Kuwait defied Iraqi orders to close in August. Gradually, all but the British and Americans removed their diplomats as Iraq cut off utilities and posted soldiers outside the compounds. Britain has joined the United States in deciding to remove its remaining diplomats now that the last of both countries\' citizens are leaving Kuwait. Britain says its embassy staff will leave in the next week. On Nov. 30, a day after the U.N. Security Council passed the use-of-force resolution, Bush proposed the diplomatic exchange as a last-ditch effort to avoid war. Iraq accepted the idea, but Boucher complained Wednesday that Baghdad ``continued to block agreement on dates.\'\' Said the State Department spokesman: `We have offered 15 dates and Iraq has offered none.\'\' He said Baker is ``willing to go to Baghdad for a meeting on any one of the 15 days between Dec. 20 and Jan. 3 because we think these meetings are important and because we are serious about them.\'\'\r\n'),(161,2,'Czechoslovak President Vaclav Havel on Wednesday briefed Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir on a meeting he had with the leader of the PLO and offered his help in mediating between Israel and the Palestinians. Shamir, who opposes any dealings with the PLO, did not appear to take Havel up on his offer. Havel, who on his arrival earlier Wednesday became the first Eastern European leader to visit the Jewish state, met with PLO chief Yasser Arafat in Prague this month. ``(Havel) said he has a great interest in this conflict and would like to help. But he knows it is complicated. We did not discuss any specific steps that could be taken by Czechoslovakia in this respect,\'\' Shamir told reporters. Havel ``told me briefly about his meeting with Arafat,\'\' Shamir said. He refused to elaborate. Havel, 54, a playwright and former dissident, was quoted by the Hebrew daily Haaretz as saying Arafat assured him that the Palestine Liberation Organization wants Israel to adopt U.S. proposals for starting a Palestinian-Israeli dialogue. Arafat ``stressed repeatedly that he attaches great hopes to my peace mission,\'\' Havel said, but added he could not vouch for Arafat\'s sincerity. Shamir\'s spokesman, Avi Pazner, said no dialogue was possible with Arafat, either directly or through intermediarie. ``What Arafat wants is the disappearance of Israel. Therefore, we don\'t want to have any dialogue with Mr. Arafat, not direct or indirect,\'\' Pazner told The Associated Press. Referring to Havel, he added, ``Even if our friend has the best of intentions, we will not take him up on that.\'\' Havel also met with Foreign Minister Moshe Arens and Shimon Peres, head of the center-left Labor Party. Labor, which supports the U.S. peace proposals, is trying to form a new government. Shamir indicated he asked the Czechoslovak leader to allow Prague to serve as a transit point for flights of Soviet Jewish immigrants bound for Israel. ``We discussed our interest in the help from Czechoslovakia in the efforts to resolve the questions ... of the immigration of Jewish people from the Soviet Union to Israel,\'\' Shamir said without elaboration. Yosef Govrin, a senior Israeli foreign ministry official, said talks are under way on air connections and that flights could start by summer. Czechoslovakia has said it has been unable to serve as a transit point because it was unable to provide the necessary security. Arab militants have threatened to disrupt flights through East Europe to block the influx of Soviet Jews to Israel. Czechoslovakia and other Eastern European states, with the exception of Romania, followed the Kremlin\'s lead in cutting ties with Israel after the 1967 Middle East war, in which Israel seized land from Moscow\'s Arab allies. But Israel now has full diplomatic ties with Romania, Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia as well as low-level ties with the Soviet Union. Negotiations are under way with East Germany and Bulgaria.\r\n'),(162,2,'Britain\'s unemployment rate fell to a seasonally adjusted 8.4 percent in June from 8.6 percent in the previous month, while industrial production rose 0.6 percent in May, the government said Thursday. The unemployment rate also was down from 10.4 percent in June 1987, the Department of Employment said. However, the department said half the decline in the latest month was the result of a new definition of employment. People employed by government job training programs now are being counted as employed. The new practice brings Britain more in line with other European countries\' methods of defining employment and adds about 334,000 persons to the ranks of the employed, the department said. Total seasonally adjusted British unemployment came to 2.38 million people in June, down from a revised 2.41 million people in May and 2.92 million people in June 1987, the department said. Meanwhile, industrial production was up 3.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the Central Statistical Office. The latest figures compare with April\'s revised 1 percent month-to-month rise and 4 percent year-to-year rise. The office said the index of industrial production, which uses a 1980 base of 100, rose to 116.7 in May from a revised 116 in April and was up from 112.4 in May 1987.\r\n'),(163,2,'The executive director of the National Center for Health Promotion issued a warning against smokeless cigarettes Tuesday, saying the smoking alternative is as dangerous as low-tar cigarettes. ``Anyone who suggests that smokeless cigarettes are a healthy smoking option is perpetrating a cruel fraud on the American public,\'\' Michael Samuelson said. Smokeless cigarettes recently were introduced by RJR Nabisco Inc. The Ann Arbor-based center said many smokers may try the cigarettes as a way to quit smoking, but Samuelson said people who use smokeless cigarettes continue their physical and psychological addiction to nicotine. Samuelson also warned that non-smokers who inhale carbon monoxide produced by smokeless cigarettes also endanger their health.\r\n'),(164,2,'The Dow Jones average of 30 industrials dropped 16.54 to 2,106.15, bringing its loss for the week to 25.43 points. Declining issues outnumbered advances by more than 3 to 2 on the New York Stock Exchange, with 551 up, 854 down and 530 unchanged. Big Board volume totaled 136.07 million shares, against 156.10 million in the previous session. The NYSE\'s composite index fell .81 to 152.81.\r\n'),(165,2,'A U.S. military transport helicopter crashed in eastern Panama, injuring 15 American servicemen, a U.S. Southern Command spokesman said Monday. Spokesman William Ormsbee said in a telephone interview that the Black Hawk aircraft crashed at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the eastern province of Darien. The injured were taken to Gorgas Military Hospital in Panama City. Ormsbee refused to disclose their identities or the extent of their injuries until next of kin were notified. He also gave no details about the crash and did not say if the helicopter was involved at the time in military exercises.\r\n'),(166,2,'For William Broyles Jr., Vietnam veteran, author and former magazine editor, the juxtaposition of an evacuation hospital and an R-and-R center near Da Nang seemed the perfect TV setting to capture not just the war\'s horror but also its black humor. ``China Beach,\'\' the show Broyles co-created with writer-producer John Sacret Young, premieres tonight as a two-hour movie on ABC, then will run for six Wednesdays. It tells the story of Vietnam from a different perspective, that of three women in Vietnam in late 1967, a nurse, a Red Cross volunteer and an entertainer. ``China Beach is the name of a real area,\'\' said Broyles. ``I was there during the war. It\'s south of Da Nang on the ocean. It\'s like an in-country rest-and-recreation area. Right next to it was the 95th Evacuation Hospital. Those two worlds are what the show\'s all about. It had a strange Club Med atmosphere and the very intense reality of the hospital. ``If there\'s any word I\'d use, it\'s the contrast between the R-and-R area and the hospital. This is not a war story, but the war setting does give us the opportunity for great drama and great comedy because of the intense activity.\'\' ``The deepest humor is when you laugh in the presence of death. When I was in Vietnam some of my friends were killed, but we still laughed. That\'s how you survived. We\'re going for that kind of humor.\'\' The series stars Dana Delany as nurse Colleen McMurphy, Chloe Webb as singer Laurette Barber and Nan Woods as Red Cross worker Cherry White. Few series have looked at women at war. ``Broadside\'\' in 1964-65 was more or less the distaff side of ``McHale\'s Navy.\'\' ``Operation Petticoat\'\' was a brief show in 1977-78 about Army nurses aboard a pink submarine in World War II. There was ``M-A-S-H,\'\' of course, with famous nurse Margaret Houlihan, but the viewpoint on the nurses in Korea was strictly male. ``You meet these women and you get enthusiastic about them,\'\' said Broyles. ``They went there to serve, not to kill. They went there to help their fellow man. I don\'t want to sound too pretentious, but that\'s what these women did. We\'ve got a wealth of stories about them. One of our writers, Susan Rhinehart, was in the Army in Vietnam.\'\' Broyles and Young worked with women who had served in Vietnam, who helped not only with the scripts but with the sets. The movie was filmed in Hawaii and Indian Dunes, an area north of Los Angeles, where the sets for the R-and-R area and hospital were built. Broyles, 43, was a combat Marine lieutenant in Vietnam in 1969 and returned in 1984 as a writer looking for material for his book ``Brothers in Arms: A Journey from War to Peace.\'\' He was one of the first combat veterans to return. ``I wanted to meet the people I had fought against,\'\' he said. Broyles founded Texas Monthly magazine in 1972 with Michael Levy. Later, they bought New West magazine and changed the name to California. From there Broyles went to Newsweek as editor-in-chief in 1982. He stayed with the magazine for two years. Broyles had suggested the concept of the television series to Scott Kaufer, vice president of development at Warner Bros. Television. Kaufer had worked with Broyles as an editor on California magazine. ``Then John came in as executive producer,\'\' said Broyles. ``He has an extensive knowledge of Vietnam _ and he\'s never been there. We worked together on the pilot and he wrote the script.\'\'\r\n'),(167,2,'Jason Epstein, the editorial director at Random House, was named the winner Thursday of the National Book Awards Medal, a new honor ``for distinguished contribution to American letters.\'\' Epstein has been an editor at Random House for 30 years, working with such authors as W.H Auden, Vladimir Nabokov, Norman Mailer, Gore Vidal and E.L. Doctorow. The award was conceived to honor ``someone long connected with books who has had an extraordinary and permanent impact on American letters,\'\' said Roger Stevens, chairman of the board of the National Book Awards Inc. Epstein, 60, founded Anchor Books, the first American quality paperback line, when he was a 24-year-old editor at Doubleday. During a 1963 newspaper strike, he founded the New York Review of Books, which now has a circulation of 150,000. In 1982, he started The Library of America _ a series of uniform editions of books by America\'s greatest writers. Epstein was chosen by the board of directors of the National Book Awards Inc. The award, which carries a $10,000 cash prize, will be presented at the Nov. 29 National Book Awards dinner, when winners of the fiction and non-fiction awards will be announced.\r\n'),(168,2,'Gold futures prices tumbled to 4{-month lows Friday on New York\'s Commodity Exchange amid heavy European selling as the dollar resumed its advance against most other major currencies. On other commodity markets, silver also retreated; grains and soybeans fell; energy future advanced; and livestock and meat futures were mixed. Gold futures settled $5.30 to $5.60 lower with the contract for delivery in April at $389.40 a troy ounce, the lowest settlement for a near-month gold contract since Nov. 10. Silver futures ended 4.1 cents to 4.7 cents lower in New York with March at $5.043 a troy ounce. Analysts said buying interest in gold has faded as prices have skidded from near $430 an ounce over the past six weeks. April gold fell by $11.50 in this week alone. Gold is traded in dollars on the world market, so a stronger dollar makes the metal more expensive in terms of other currencies, discouraging foreign buying. But analysts said gold\'s decline in the face of global political and economic uncertainty suggests other factors are also at play. Gold traditionally has been viewed as a safe haven for investors during times of inflation and political crises such as the current showdown between the Soviet Union and the breakaway Lithuanian republic. But instead of buying gold, international investors have shunned the metal, preferring to buy U.S. dollars. ``The dollar is becoming the safe haven,\'\' said John Jonat, a precious-metals trader with Deak International Inc. William O\'Neill, research director with Elders Futures Inc., said the gold market ignored a bevy of traditionally bullish developments during the week, including rising U.S. retail prices, predictions for high inflation in Britain, a sharp drop Thursday in the stock market and the increasingly tense Lithuanian situation. At the same time, the dollar has surged in value. ``You can see that the focus here is on the dollar more than anything else,\'\' O\'Neill said. Soybean futures prices fell substantially on the Chicago Board of Trade on profit-taking prompted in part by beliefs that Brazilian soy exports may resume soon. Grain futures prices fell modestly. Exports of Brazilian soybean meal and oil have been on hold this week while the government implements economic reforms aimed at halting runaway inflation in the South American nation. Wheat futures settled 1 cent to 4{ cents lower with May at $3.56} a bushel; corn futures were \\ cent to 1{ cents lower with May at $2.58{ a bushel; oats were 1\\ cents to 2 cents lower with May at $1.47} a bushel; and soybeans were 5 cents to 7 cents lower with May at $5.98 a bushel. Petroleum futures advanced in technically inspired trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. West Texas Intermediate crude oil settled 7 cents to 39 cents higher with May at $20.39 a barrel; heating oil was .45 cent to .70 cent higher with April at 55.46 cents a gallon; unleaded gasoline was .15 cent to 1.56 cents higher with April at 57.66 cents a gallon. Expectations for stronger cash markets next week prompted buying of livestock futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Pork bellies ended mixed ahead of the Agriculture Department\'s monthly cold-storage report, which showed a lower-than-expected amount of pork bellies in commercial freezers as of Feb. 28. Belly prices are expected to rise in reaction to the report when trading resumes Monday. Live cattle futures settled .20 cent lower to .38 cent higher with April at 77.20 cents a pound; feeder cattle were .08 cent lower to .22 cent higher with March at 82.65 cents a pound; live hogs were .05 cent to .73 cent higher with April at 53.75 cents a pound; frozen pork bellies were .58 cent lower to .50 cent higher with March at 50.87 cents a pound.\r\n'),(169,2,'Atlantis\' astronauts marveled at the joys of spaceflight after swooping safely to Earth and ending a classified but not-so-secret shuttle mission that put a $500 million spy satellite in orbit. ``As one of the rookies on board, I just say, `Wow! What a fantastic experience,\'\'\' the pilot, Air Force Col. John Casper, said after the shuttle touched down Sunday on a dry lake bed runway in the Mojave Desert. NASA crews today were to prepare Atlantis for a piggyback jet ride home to Florida\'s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday. Preliminary inspection showed 62 of the shuttle\'s heat-shield tiles sustained ``dings,\'\' NASA spokeswoman Lisa Malone said. The shuttle made a fiery descent through the atmosphere, touching down at 10:08 a.m. PST in a landing closed to the public but open to invited guests and journalists. The five astronauts made it to California just ahead of winds and bad weather that could have delayed the landing. Their launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Wednesday was delayed five times by weather, a computer glitch and a sore throat suffered by the shuttle commander, Navy Capt. John O. Creighton. ``I probably had the world\'s most famous cold,\'\' he said. Ground-to-shuttle communications were blacked out during the flight, the 34th by a shuttle and the sixth dedicated to the Pentagon. About 4{ hours after landing, Casper, Creighton, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Pierre Thuot, Air Force. Col. Richard Mullane and Marine Lt. Col. David Hilmers said goodbye to 100 NASA employees and friends at Edwards Air Force Base. Then the astronauts rode two jets home to Houston, where they were greeted by 200 cheering spectators. Sources speaking on condition of anonymity said the astronauts Thursday deployed a satellite to snoop on much of the world, including the Soviet Union, by taking highly detailed photographs and eavesdropping electronically. A network of amateur astronomers reported seeing both the shuttle and the satellite speeding overhead. The shuttle triggered characteristic twin sonic booms close to its landing strip, but police over a wide area of Southern California reported a lack of the usual calls from citizens who mistake the noise for earthquakes. That suggests the shuttle flew an unusual route as it crossed the coast at a point NASA would only say was somewhere north of Los Angeles. ``We did something that was important for the country,\'\' Creighton said. ``Everything went very well. We enjoyed doing it.\'\' He also joked about the secrecy, telling the Houston crowd: ``Here I\'d thought we\'d sneak in in the middle of the night and nobody would know we were back.\'\' Unable to discuss mission details, the astronauts gushed about traveling in space. ``All the preparations, all the discussions with the guys and girls that have gone before me just couldn\'t quite prepare me for what ascent is like,\'\' Thuot said. ``I was in awe.\'\' Mullane, who previously announced he would retire after this flight, said wistfully: ``I will be sitting there and watch space shuttles fly into space, and I\'ll envy that.\'\' The next shuttle flight is set for April 12, when Discovery is to begin a five-day mission to deploy the $1.55 billion Hubble Space Telescope.\r\n'),(170,2,'A military training plane crashed into a reservoir Tuesday during an exercise, and both the instructor and pilot were killed, the air force reported. The B-34 trainer crashed into the Tsengwen reservoir in Tainan, southern Taiwan, at about 11:30 a.m., the air force said in a brief statement. An air force official said an instructor and the pilot were the only people on board. Tainan is 185 miles south of Taipei. The cause of the accident was being investigated.\r\n'),(171,2,'It was ``an act of God\'\' that brought two love-struck bulls together with the cows next door, says a man accused of negligence for failing to keep them apart. The bulls were unexpectedly freed from their pen when a tree limb felled by a storm crushed the fence enclosing them. They headed for Maggie and Blackbird, two pure-bred cows awaiting artificial insemination by a $770,000, prize-winning Angus bull named Broadway. Since the bulls, aged 9 and 13 months, may have beaten Broadway\'s time with the cows, the cows\' owners were advised to wait 60 to 90 days before artificial insemination, to make sure Broadway was the father. Though this was done, the owners are suing Kirk Hardin, caretaker of the bulls and cows, for $39,000, accusing him of negligence in not keeping the guys and gals apart. Lonnie Pembrook, owner of Pembrook Cattle Co. near Fairview, and Tom Young, a New Jersey businessman, each owned a half-interest in Blackbird. Pembrook owns Maggie. Hardin, a specialist in artificial insemination and embryo transfer techniques, contends the fence mishap, in the fall of 1986, was an ``act of God\'\' that could not have been prevented or foreseen. The trial began Monday before a Payne County jury, and testimony ended Tuesday. Closing arguments are scheduled Friday. After the artificial insemination took place, the embryos were frozen, according to testimony. Pembrook picked up the frozen embryos in October, but there was no testimony on whether the embryos had since been placed in host cows.\r\n'),(172,2,'A woman who was hospitalized after she took an overdose of pills during a break in a foreclosure hearing on her family\'s farm also was troubled by death and illness in her family, authorities said. Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg declined to release a condition report on Ida Depta, 48, of Alverton, but the family\'s attorney said she was in stable condition. Mrs. Depta was admitted Tuesday after swallowing unidentified pills from two prescription bottles in a courthouse hallway while foreclosure negotiations broke for lunch, said paramedic Harley Gray. The proceedings were then postponed. ``She stated to us that all she wants to do is to join her mom at the cemetery,\'\' said Deputy Sheriff Eric Sinclair. ``She\'s just upset over her mom, her brother is dying of cancer and the possible loss of the farm.\'\' Witnesses said Mrs. Depta\'s 18-year-old daughter, Julie, was able to remove some of the pills from her mother\'s mouth. The foreclosure, filed in 1985 by ITT Financial Services of Greensburg, involves a $111,251 debt by Mrs. Depta and her husband, Joseph Depta Jr., on a family dairy farm in Westmoreland County. The fact that she took the pills in front of other people ``tells me she wasn\'t so much trying to kill herself as she was asking for help,\'\' Ned Nakles Jr., the family\'s attorney, said today. According to Nakles and court documents, the foreclosure hearing was the latest in a series of woes for the family. Mrs. Depta\'s mother died on Aug. 24. Depta was injured in a 1984 traffic accident and has since been unable to work, which cut into the farm\'s income. The family also lost 18 cows when a cow bought from a supplier had a contagious disease that spread through the herd. The Deptas have taken legal action against the supplier.\r\n'),(173,2,'Nine Kurdish guerrillas and a police officer were killed Saturday in a clash in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir, the semi-official Anatolia News Agency reported. The guerrillas were believed to be members of the outlawed Kurdish Labor Party, which wants to set up a Marxist state in parts of eastern and southeastern Turkey, Anatolia reported. It did not elaborate on the clash. More than 900 civilians and security personnel and about the same number of insurgents have been killed since the rebels started hit-and-run attacks in 1984, official reports say. Ethnic Kurds make up about one-fifth of Turkey\'s population of 52 million.\r\n'),(174,2,'Mikhail S. Gorbachev has succeeded in reshaping the Communist Party in his own centrist image to brace for a challenge from workers and radicals who are quitting the party to organize an opposition. The 28th congress of the Communist Party, billed in advance as a bastion of hard-liners, closed Friday after dumping most of the Old Guard. The delegates also accepted much of Gorbachev\'s plan to transfer decision-making from the party to the government _ which he also heads. But the government faces increasing discontent, especially among workers, as well as ethnic unrest that is shredding the country at the edges. The struggle intensified Wednesday, when coal miners across the country staged a one-day protest strike and urged workers to leave the party. The miners also are organizing an independent trade union to press demands that the government resign and that all Communist Party assets be nationalized and distributed to rival political groups. Disgruntled workers might flock to the banner of Boris N. Yeltsin, who sent a shock through the Kremlin Thursday by walking out of the Communist congress, quitting the party. He said his first loyalty was to his new job, president of Russia, by far the largest of the 15 Soviet republics. Other leading reformers followed Yeltsin out of the party, including the new mayors of Moscow and Leningrad, the biggest Soviet cities. Despite the split in the party, the first since 1921, Gorbachev was jovial Friday as he closed the two-week Communist congress, which many had predicted would be dominated by hard-liners. Instead, Gorbachev scored a sweeping victory, removing his leading hard-line critic, Yegor K. Ligachev, from the Politburo. He also won approval of a restructuring of top party bodies to transfer power to the government. The danger for Gorbachev is that central authorities could lose touch with the people. The people, in turn, are using Gorbachev\'s democratic reforms to win control of legislatures throughout the country and challenge central government and party bodies. The atmosphere was tense in Moscow before the national party congress because it followed harsh criticism of Gorbachev\'s performance by traditionalists at a congress of party members in the Russian republic. Ligachev led the attack, urging Gorbachev to relinquish the top party job if he retained the national presidency. Ligachev complained that the party Politburo, the body that traditionally has ruled the Soviet Union, had been excluded from discussions of economic reform. Gorbachev had instead steered the program through the newly created Presidential Council. The mood was so foreboding that Yeltsin and other reformers recommended postponing the national congress. But the workers and reformers took the offensive. Nine minutes into the first session, miner Vladimir I. Bludov demanded that Gorbachev and other leaders resign. Gorbachev brushed aside the suggestion, noting that the congress was due to elect the general secretary, the Politburo and the Central Committee. He also told delegates that senior party leaders opposed his proposal to expand the Politburo from 12 to 30 members and to create a new deputy party leader\'s post to direct day-day-affairs. The congress was the stormiest since 1921, when the party faced armed uprisings from angry workers and sailors, and the most momentous since 1956, when Nikita S. Khrushchev denounced the late dictator Josef V. Stalin. The warmest applause was for Ligachev\'s warning that anti-Communist forces were gaining strength. But his tone was milder than at the Russian Communist Party congress, and he did not repeat his call for Gorbachev to relinquish the party leadership. Other hard-liners tempered their rhetoric and, together with moderates, drew together under Gorbachev. Many said that although they objected to one man heading the party and the government simultaneously, he was the only person capable of holding the party together. Gorbachev engineered his election as chairman of the committee drafting new party rules. Working behind the scenes, he revived his plans to restructure the party leadership. The congress voted to expand the Central Committee from 249 to 412 members, most of them centrists like Gorbachev. The delegates also approved a Gorbachev plan that drastically cut the Politburo\'s power, doubling its size and including the party heads of the 15 republics _ a move designed to ease ethnic tension. Moreover, he eliminated the Old Guard. Of the 24 Politburo members, only Gorbachev and his newly elected deputy Vladimir Ivashko remain from the former group. Only Gorbachev has been a member of the body more than eight months.\r\n'),(175,2,'Nov. 30 Asbury Park (N.J.) Press on the rise in air fares: The nation\'s major airlines almost in unison decided ... to charge more for their services. Out went most discounted ... fares and in came ticket price increases of up to 30 percent. Since deregulation, competition has led to major mergers and the demise of more than 100 small airlines. Uncle Sam has done little to stand in the way of acquisitions that have placed control of two-thirds of all domestic flights in the hands of eight carriers, several of which also control airports and reservation systems. The round of fare increases and rising prices in other industries may be just the beginning _ unless the government more vigorously enforces antitrust laws.\r\n'),(176,2,'Two major newspapers are fighting a request for a gag order by Eastern Airlines\' creditors, who seek to stop press leaks in the beleaguered airline\'s 10-month-old bankruptcy proceeding. The latest tangle in the Eastern saga pits the creditors committee against The New York Times and Dow Jones & Co., publisher of the Wall Street Journal, and centers on unauthorized disclosure of creditor opinions. If U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Burton R. Lifland grants the creditor committee request, violators could be held in contempt of court. The Times and Dow Jones say a gag order would violate First Amendment guarantees and prevent reporting on a story in which much of the information has been derived from tips and leaks. Attorneys for the Times and Dow Jones have sent letters to Lifland, who is scheduled to hear the case Jan. 30. The Times has filed legal briefs. Dow Jones expects to do so by the Jan. 15 deadline, spokesman Roger May said Tuesday. Eastern workers struck last March in an emotional walkout that almost immediately sent the moneylosing airline into bankruptcy court. Pilots and flight attendants quit the strike in November but Machinists union members remain out. The pilots, Machinists and flight attendants unions, who are represented on the creditors\' committee, plan to support the panel\'s position, union attorneys said. Eastern also will support the creditors\' request to the court, Eastern spokesman Robin Matell said from the airline\'s headquarters in Miami. All creditors committee members agreed last spring to keep information discussed by the panel confidential. In their documents, the Times and Dow Jones said courts must follow specific guidelines before restraining media access in a case. Their attorneys argue that the creditors\' request doesn\'t meet those guidelines. ``The proposed order would, without any showing of need, judicially silence hundreds of potential speakers and would undoubtedly deprive the public of informed views perhaps at odds with the `party line\' of the (creditors) committee itself,\'\' the Times says in its brief. ``It crosses all of the established barriers to prior restraint.\'\' The Times also argues that the creditors\' request would be ineffective and unenforceable, and suggests the news leaks haven\'t come from the creditors committee. In addition to the Air Line Pilots Association, the Machinists and the Transport Workers Union, other members of the creditors\' committee include: Airbus Industrie, the European aircraft consortium; General Electric Co.; Boeing Co.; United Technologies Credit Corp.; Rolls-Royce Credit Corp.; Marriott Corp.; and AT&T Communications.\r\n'),(177,2,'Secretary of State James A. Baker III is switching back to Cold War-era language in an effort to defeat a House move to cut off U.S. aid to anti-communist rebels in Angola. In a private memo he sent recently to House Minority Leader Robert Michel, R-Ill., Baker said ending aid to the Angolan rebels would derail peace negotiations ``and would be a vote for more killing, more stalemate and more suffering.\'\' This is ``the absolutely worst time\'\' to halt the aid, Baker said. The United States has been providing covert aid to the UNITA rebels in the southwest African country since 1986, but congressional sentiment against continued assistance seems to be increasing. At stake is a reported $60 million for the rebels in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. The issue could go to the House floor this week. Critics of administration policy contend that more aid to the rebels will only prolong a conflict that has lasted 15 years and caused immense human suffering. They also point out that well over half the 50,000 Cuban troops in Angola have gone home. The rest will be out in less than nine months. One amendment before the House would cut off all U.S. aid to UNITA unless President Bush declares that vital national security interests are at stake. Another would require an aid cutoff unless Bush certifies that the Soviet Union or third parties are continuing to send weapons to the leftist government in Luanda. U.S. aid also could be restored if Angola refused to continue peace negotiations with UNITA in good faith. Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has said his government will halt all weapons imports if UNITA does the same. He also has said he is committed to instituting a multi-party democratic system in Angola. The Angola issue features a curious mixture of Soviet-American competition and cooperation. On one hand, Moscow and Washington have been arming opposite sides. On the other, Soviet and American representatives were present for the first time at the most recent negotiating session between Angolan officials and UNITA envoys. Four rounds of peace talks have been held in Lisbon and a fifth is scheduled there for later this month. Another anomaly is that the United States, although it does not recognize the Angolan government, is that country\'s largest trading partner because of oil purchases. UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi was in Washington last week, making his case for continued U.S. aid. He agrees with the administration that U.S. aid has forced the Angolan government to the bargaining table and that a cutoff could put his goal of a cease-fire and free elections beyond reach. Baker concurs. In his memo to Michel, a copy of which was made available to The Associated Press, Baker said an aid suspension would undercut those in the Angolan government who want to negotiate and ``strengthen the hand of hardliners who want to continue the bloodshed.\'\' Angola\'s United Nations ambassador, Manuel Pedro Pacavira, counters by saying that continued aid to UNITA can no longer be justified because of the toll of 15 years of warfare. ``Our people have suffered enough,\'\' Pacavira has said. ``More than 50,000 people are amputees, most of them women and children, and more than 800,000 civilians face starvation resulting from the combination of war and drought. This is the legacy of war, a legacy we can change now.\'\'\r\n'),(178,2,'The independent-minded Swedes are softening their opposition to joining the European Community, but the question of political union remains a stumbling block, politicians and analysts said. Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson, in an article published Sunday, said neutral Sweden must remain outside the EC\'s ranks if the trading bloc forms a political union. Carlsson said control over foreign policy was the only major question barring Sweden from EC membership. Even the dissolution of the European power blocs, NATO and the Warsaw Pact, would not persuade Sweden to relinquish its neutrality, he wrote in the Dagens Nyheter daily. Sweden has relaxed many of the restrictions of its tightly controlled economy in the last two years to adapt to European conditions. Major Swedish companies also have merged or signed cooperation deals with European companies to protect themselves when the EC dismantles its internal commercial barriers in 1992. Sweden belongs to the six-nation European Free Trade Association, which is negotiating for commercial links with the 12-nation EC. The package would unite the two into an 18-member European Economic Space accord. But Swedish businessmen and the political opposition complain that the idea would bind the EFTA countries to the EC as a junior partner with no decision-making voice. An opinion poll conducted by the respected SIFO organization showed 51 percent of those asked were in favor of seeking EC membership, compared with 48 percent a year ago. The poll had a three percent margin of error, meaning that the change was insignificant. But the number of respondents who opposed asking for EC membership fell to 21 from 25 percent, perhaps indicating a trend, said SIFO analyst Alf Sjostrom. The rest were undecided. ``We have seen from other polls which we have done that opinion in Sweden is more positive to the EC,\'\' said Sjostrom. But the polls also showed that most Swedes don\'t know how EC membership would affect them, he said. Danish Foreign Minister Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, speaking in a Stockholm news conference, said Sweden should not consider neutrality an obstacle to seeking EC membership. Denmark, once an EFTA member, is the only Scandinavian country in the EC. ``I see a common foreign policy where there is consensus,\'\' Ellemann-Jensen said. ``We can work to improve the preconditions for reaching consensus.\'\' He cautioned that Sweden could not influence EC policy unless it were a full member of the trading bloc. ``We do not want non-members to take part in the decision-making process. It is unthinkable to have far-reaching agreemens that undermine the (EC) integrity and process of decisions,\'\' he said. Swedish opposition leader Carl Bildt, of the Moderate party, also said the policy of neutrality should not be allowed to exclude Sweden from the EC. ``It is impossible to conduct our neutrality policy as if the Cold War still existed,\'\' Bildt said. ``It is obvious that we would participate in the cooperation among Europe\'s democracies.\'\'\r\n'),(179,2,'Barbara Bush, in a commencement speech clouded by controversy over women\'s roles in modern American life, exhorted Wellesley College graduates today to put friends and family first in their lives, whatever careers they pursue. She was joined at the women\'s college graduation by Raisa Gorbachev, who delivered her own words of advice to the 575 graduates and nearly 5,000 other guests gathered inside a white tent on this sylvan campus. Even as the first ladies arrived, some of the seniors who protested the choice of President Bush\'s homemaker wife as their commencement speaker fired off a new letter urging Mrs. Bush to ``take a definitive and vocal stand\'\' on abortion rights and other issues. Copies were placed on each of the chairs inside the tent. Mrs. Bush sounded the same themes she usually discusses at commencements, but acknowledged with a joke the controversy over her appearance. ``I know your first choice for today was Alice Walker, known for `The Color Purple,\'\'\' she said. ``Instead you got me, known for the color of my hair,\'\' said the woman George Bush affectionately calls the Silver Fox. Mrs. Gorbachev, dressed in a gray suit rather than the traditional gown worn by commencement speakers, told the graduates that women ``have our special mission.\'\' ``Always, even in the most cruel and troubled times, women have had the mission of peacemaking, humanism, mercy and kindness,\'\' she said. ``And if people in the world today are more confident of a peaceful future we have to give a great deal of credit for that to women.\'\' The lone note of discord came during the playing of the Soviet national anthem when a handful of protesters held up a banner that read, ``Free the Baltics.\'\' Mrs. Bush urged the women to ``cherish your human connections, your relationships with friends and family.\'\' ``You will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child or a parent,\'\' she said. Closing with a device she has used before, Mrs. Bush said, ``Somewhere out in this audence may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps and preside over the White House as the president\'s spouse. I wish him well!\'\' ``The controversy ends here, but our conversation is only beginning,\'\' she said. Prior to the speech, Peggy B. Reid and Susana R. Cardenas had their new broadside waiting on each of the chairs. Cardenas was one of the main organizer\'s of the petition drive in April protesting the choice of Mrs. Bush as commencement speaker. ``We ask you, Barbara Bush, as a concerned mother and as a symbol of service to others, to take a definitive and vocal stand on the following critical issues that shape the lives of women in the United States,\'\' they said. The issues include the ``deterioration of women\'s reproductive rights\'\'; passage of a family and medical leave act that President Bush has threatened to veto, and affordable day care. Some 150 students signed a petition in April questioning whether the president\'s homemaker wife was a suitable model of female accomplishment. Mrs. Bush, a college dropout, tendered her invitation to Raisa Gorbachev _ a philosophy Ph.D. and former university lecturer _ before the Wellesley students mounted their protest. Mrs. Bush, who turns 65 on June 12, dropped out of Smith College in 1944 in her sophomore year to marry her teenage sweetheart, George Bush, then a torpedo-bomber pilot for the Navy. Before returning to Washington in mid-afternoon, the first ladies were expected to take a driving tour of downtown Boston with a stop at the Boston Public Gardens and a meeting with about 30 students from the Mathers School, the oldest public school.\r\n'),(180,2,'A motorist who was stopped early today on suspicion of drunken driving grabbed an officer\'s gun, wounding the officer and a second policeman before shooting himself to death, authorities said. Pembina County Sheriff\'s Deputy Miles Nelson stopped the suspect on a possible charge of driving under the influence shortly after 1 a.m., according to Deputy Cal Cluchie. An ``altercation\'\' occurred in which the man took Nelson\'s service handgun and shot him, Cluchie said. Nelson managed to call for assistance as the man fled. Cavalier Police Chief James Johnson, responding to the call, was also wounded as he attempted to stop the man, Cluchie said. The suspect was later found nearby with a fatal gunshot wound, apparently self-inflicted, he said. Nelson was listed in critical condition at the United Hospital in Grand Forks, and Johnson is listed in stable condition at Pembina County Memorial Hospital. No other details were immediately available. Cavalier is located about 15 miles south of the Canadian border in northeastern North Dakota.\r\n'),(181,2,'The Judds, an award-winning mother-daughter country music duo, will call it quits at the end of their current concert tour, they announced Wednesday. Naomi, 44, will retire from performing due to hepatitis, which was diagnosed 10 months ago. Wynonna, 26, will start a solo career with an album tentatively slated for a spring 1992 release. ``I have always told Wy and our fans the only thing that could stop me from this career that I so desperately love would be my health,\'\' Naomi said. ``Unfortunately, that has happened.\'\' Their current tour is booked through Nov. 4 at Philadelphia, but RCA spokesman Greg McCarn said additional dates were certain to be set. ``I will miss touring and the daily interplay with our fans,\'\' said Naomi, who said she will continue writing songs. The mother and daughter announced their decision in a tearful news conference at an empty Music Row building that formerly housed RCA Records and where the duo auditioned seven years ago. The Judds were voted duo of the year for the third straight year Oct. 8 by the Country Music Association. In their acceptance remarks, both fought back tears as they credited each other. Their hit records over their six-year career include ``Grandpa,\'\' ``Mama He\'s Crazy,\'\' ``Why Not Me,\'\' ``Rockin\' With the Rhythm\'\' and their current ``Born to Be Blue.\'\' Four of their eight albums have sold 1 million copies: ``Why Not Me,\'\' ``Rockin\' With the Rhythm,\'\' ``Heartland\'\' and ``The Judds\' Greatest Hits.\'\' Wynonna said her first solo recording sessions would be after the current tour winds up. ``The decision to begin a solo career has all happened so fast because of Mom\'s health that I have not put a lot of thought into it,\'\' she said. ``My main concern right now is Mom\'s welfare. However, I have the complete support of my manager, my mother and others around me. I certainly will give it my best shot.\'\' Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. Symptoms include weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and jaundice. Wynonna announced in July that she is engaged to songwriter Tony King of Nashville. Naomi, a former nurse, married gospel music singer Larry Strickland in May 1989. She was divorced in 1977 from her first husband.\r\n'),(182,2,'A leadership meeting of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir\'s Likud bloc broke down in chaos and shouts of anger Monday after Shamir called for a vote of confidence in his plan for Palestinian elections. Shamir stormed out of the session of the Likud Central Committee after getting into a shouting match with his hard-line party rival, Trade Minister Ariel Sharon, who said he would resign to protest Shamir\'s policies. Shamir later claimed in a radio interview that he had received a large show of support. The chaotic results left the already stalled Middle East peace process in even worse shape and raised doubts about the future of Shamir\'s fragile coalition Cabinet. Leaders of Likud\'s coalition partner, the center-left Labor party, met Monday night and decided not to make any moves that would likely break up the government as long as there is a chance for peace. But a senior Labor official said the party would demand a new Cabinet vote on the peace initiative and could leave the government unless it got backing. Some Labor members demanded that the party quit the coalition immediately because Israel\'s peace initiative has been compromised. ``I don\'t think we can continue to live in this marriage,\'\' Yossi Beilin, a top aide to Labor leader Shimon Peres, told The Associated Press. In Washington, President Bush said Sharon\'s resignation could suit U.S. policy if it led to progress in the stalled peace process. ``Mr. Shamir was a proponent of these talks, and if this clears the way for the talks to go forward, that would (be) in keeping with U.S. policy,\'\' Bush said at a White House news conference. Monday\'s meeting of Likud\'s Central Committee contained two surprises. The first was Sharon announcing his resignation. The second was the chaotic ending, which came after polls predicted a victory for the prime minister over his hard-line rivals. The meeting broke down when Shamir called for a vote of confidence at the end of a speech in which he essentially bent to the political demands of Sharon and his supporters. ``Do you accept my proposal? Let us vote,\'\' Shamir shouted. But Sharon, who later claimed Shamir had broken an agreement to delay the vote until the end of the debate, began shouting into a microphone for a vote on his own stands. Hundreds of delegates raised their hands amid the chaos, and both sides claimed they won. ``I received a decisive, massive majority,\'\' Shamir said moments after leaving the meeting of Likud\'s 3,085-member Central Committee in a circle of security guards. ``It was very clear that our proposals were accepted,\'\' Sharon argued later in a radio interview. Sharon convened the meeting as a challenge to Shamir\'s leadership and his peace plan, which envisages a limited Palestinian autonomy in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Likud hawks say the plan gives the Palestinians too many concessions. Opening the session, Sharon surprised even his close supporters with his offer to resign from the Cabinet. ``My decision to resign from the government is in order to continue the difficult struggle for our national goals ... endangered as a result of policies of the present government,\'\' he said. As he spoke, most delegates rose to their feet, and several hundred began chanting ``Arik, Arik\'\' _ Sharon\'s nickname. Shamir tried to seize the initiative with an emotional speech that embraced most of his rivals\' stands: refusing to allow Arab residents of annexed east Jerusalem to vote in the proposed elections, and demanding an end to the 26-month Palestinian uprising before peace could be negotiated. ``We cannot imagine real political negotiations and autonomy as long as attacks and violence continue,\'\' Shamir said. Speaking later on army radio, Shamir indicated he would accept the trade minister\'s resignation, saying: ``It seems natural that Sharon resigns from a government whose policies he opposes in all its aspects.\'\' However, the prime minister and his chief supporters said the chaotic meeting would not lead to a split in the party. ``This is not the end of Likud but the end of those who wanted to break Likud down,\'\' said Environment Minister Ronnie Milo. But Moshe Zorenstein, a delegate, described the meeting as ``being at our own funeral.\'\'\r\n'),(183,2,'All week long the authorities of this town of 7,000 have struggled to contain an ocean of roaring motorcycles and tattooed bikers wrapped in enough leather to outfit the women of Chicago with purses. On Friday, when the crowd had swelled to around 300,000, Police Chief Jim Bush faced one of his most serious challenges _ a showdown on Main Street between two motorcycle gangs. Luckily, the conflict broke off before knives were drawn. And Bush said the police involvement in cooling tempers was, shall we say, discreet. ``We didn\'t break anything up. We just kind of stood back,\'\' he said. The 50th Black Hills Motor Classic, with bikers from every state and dozens of countries, rattled toward its official close Sunday, and police in this Black Hills town near the Wyoming border were breathing many sighs of relief. Thursday night, a lead biker of the Outlaws motorcycle gang smiled at a police officer, cocked his finger like a pistol and gave him a little ``pow!\'\' It was a small gesture, more playful than menacing, but it signified some of the problems that Sturgis has had to cope with in putting on the world\'s largest motorcycle gathering. Sturgis, which normally has 10 officers, in 10 days has provided a year\'s worth of mayhem. Since Aug. 1, hundreds of law enforcement agents have issued 976 traffic tickets, given out 1,918 warnings, arrested 180 people for drunken driving and 61 others on drug charges. They also have handled 116 reported accidents, 65 involving injuries. The rally has been the scene of nine traffic-related deaths. Police shot to death an Australian man, and a North Dakota woman died of carbon monoxide poisoning. There have been a few non-fatal stabbings. Law officers interviewed members of the Outlaws and Hells\' Angels Saturday night after one person was wounded in a shooting at a downtown bar and two people were stabbed after what witnesses described as a dispute between two motorcycle groups, Meade County State\'s Attorney Mike Jackley said.. The wounded were alive after the shooting at Gunner\'s Lounge and Casino and the stabbings near the Sooper Dooper grocery, but their conditions at a nearby hospital were not immediately available, he said. Bush said he was not surprised by the number of fatalities. ``I thought there would probably be more, I really did, with this many people,\'\' he said. The annual biker festival draws gangs such as the Hells\' Angels, The Bandidos, and the Sons of Silence, as well as clubs sponsored by Christian groups and Alcoholics Anonymous. The late Malcolm Forbes was at last year\'s fest. A coroner\'s jury Friday ruled that three officers acted in the ``scope of their duty\'\' when they shot Trevor John Hansen, of Liverpool, Australia. Hansen allegedly lunged at them with a knife Tuesday. Police were responding to a report he had driven his 2-foot-long knife through the door of a house, broke in and held the knife under the nose of a resident. ``Aside from (the shooting), we have not seen anything really outside of what we ordinarily have seen,\'\' said state Attorney General Roger Tellinghuisen. ``Except it\'s on a larger scale. And that\'s to be expected. There are three times as many people here,\'\' Tellinghuisen said.\r\n'),(184,2,'NEW YORK - Seveny-nine New York Post workers decided to resign and take a buyout offered as part of a labor settlement to save the tabloid, union and newspaper officials said Wednesday. The paper had sought only 43 resignations from the 350-member Newspaper Guild as part of $19 million in union concessions owner Peter S. Kalikow said he needed to make the paper profitable. The 505,000-circulation paper has been losing $27 million a year. The Guild resignations mean the Post will lose close to 200 of its 960 workers. Agreements reached last week call for 100 forced resignations from the 263-member drivers union and five from the Post\'s 17 paper handlers. Guild members resigning include employees from editorial, advertising, circulation, and accounting. Post Editor Jerry Nachman said about 40 of the 79 resignations were from the editorial department. ``It\'s not a number I like, or I\'m happy with,\'\' said Nachman. Members of the union had until 5 p.m. Wednesday to resign and collect full severance plus eight weeks shut down pay. Kalikow had improved the buyout offer before guild members voted Monday on concessions slashing their pay 20 percent as part of a four-day work week. The Guild had been the holdout among 11 unions that gave job and wage cuts sought by Kalikow. Kalikow had said he would shut down the 189-year-old paper if any one union refused the grant concessions. Kalikow said Tuesday that the concessions from unions and cuts in overhead and among the managerial staff will allow the paper to be profitable by Oct. 1. That would be the first profit since the 1970s. Among the 79 staffers to resign was sports columnist Peter Vecsey, who had previously told the newspaper he was leaving when his contract expired in November. He will write a twice-weekly sports column for USA Today. He also recently signed to be a reporter on NBC\'s NBA pre-game show, ``The Insiders.\'\' Peter Faris, Post vice president for editorial and administration, said Vecsey\'s resignation was ``divorced from the buyout scenario although as a Guild member he is availing himself of the opportunity.\'\'\r\n'),(185,2,'The Senate today voted down an effort to ban most U.S. underground nuclear testing, rejecting claims by supporters of the ban that it would help stem the atomic arms race. The chamber voted 57-39 to kill the proposed ban as it worked through a Pentagon budget bill. ``We must maintain unquestionable confidence in our nuclear deterrent and our experts tell us that this requires continued testing,\'\' said Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-N.C., a chief opponent. Sen. Mark Hatfield, R-Ore., the sponsor of the ban, said, ``no other issue addresses so clearly the runaway technology which is the lifeblood of the arms race.\'\' The House has approved an underground test ban in its version of the defense bill, meaning the issue will have to be resolved by a House-Senate conference committee that will resolve differences between the two measures. The House passed its defense bill Wednesday and the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said the U.S. military is ``stronger and more capable\'\' now than when President Reagan took office, despite Reagan\'s recurring complaints about not getting enough money for the Pentagon. ``By almost any measure, our armed services are better than they were in 1981,\'\' said Rep. Les Aspin, D-Wis. ``The most dramatic increase is the quality of people, which is much, much better.\'\' Aspin commented shortly after the House voted 252-172 for a Pentagon budget, which will be the last defense budget of Reagan\'s eight-year presidency. House approval split along party lines, with majority Democrats supporting the bill and Republicans opposing it. Reagan didn\'t like it either, joining complaints by House Republicans that the bill unfairly restricts his arms control policies and Star Wars program. The House measure bans Star Wars tests that violate the so-called ``narrow\'\' interpretation of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty, and bars the purchase of any nuclear weapons that violate the numerical limits in the unratified 1979 SALT II nuclear arms treaty. The Senate, by a 51-45 margin, rejected an attempt Wednesday to add the SALT II restriction to its defense bill. Reagan opposes both restrictions and is also unhappy with the $3.5 billion approved by the House for the Strategic Defense Initiative, as Star Wars is formally known. The Senate voted Wednesday for $4.6 billion. Reagan wanted $4.8 billion for Star Wars next year, compared with the current SDI budget of $3.9 billion. Aspin said he couldn\'t understand the presidential complaints. ``I don\'t believe the president has any reason to be upset. I think it\'s a good bill. We gave the president a lot of what he wanted.\'\' Both the House and Senate bills authorize $299.5 billion worth of defense spending in the fiscal year starting Oct. 1, a slight reduction from the current $300 billion Pentagon budget. The measures would essentially freeze defense spending for a fourth straight year, following four large annual increases in Reagan\'s first term. No increases are likely in the future, Aspin predicted. ``I would guess that you\'re looking at perhaps a freeze, or maybe a decline of 1 or 2 percent, for the foreseeable future, which is the next three or four years, no matter who is elected president.\'\' Several factors will contribute to the reluctance to increase defense budgets, said Aspin. ``First, there are the worries about the federal budget deficit. Then second, you have the fact that the Soviets appear to the American public to be less threatening under Mikhail Gorbachev, so there\'s less a push because of fear. ``You also have the fact that there are other fears, like drugs,\'\' he said, noting that the House bill orders Reagan to use the U.S. military in the fight against illegal drug smuggling. ``In addition, there is a growing perception that national security depends on other things than simply military might, that it needs to include economic strength,\'\' he said. While the House measure restricts Reagan\'s arms control policies and Star Wars, it granted his proposals for a vast variety of weapons. That total includes 180 F-16 jet fighter planes, 84 F-A-18 jets, 42 F-15 jets, a dozen F-14 jets, three new Navy destroyers, two more attack submarines, one Trident missile-firing sub, the first of the new ``Seawolf\'\' class subs and 611 M-1 tanks. The Senate decision on Star Wars came as the chamber voted 50-48 against a deep reduction in the 5-year-old program. That vote defeated a proposal by Sen. Bennett Johnston, D-La., to reduce the SDI budget to about $3.8 billion and devote the extra $750 million to the space shuttle and a space station.\r\n'),(186,2,'Concern over the health of ailing Emperor Hirohito dampened trading today on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, while the dollar firmed against the Japanese yen. The 225-share Nikkei Stock Average gyrated through the day over concern for Hirohito, whose condition appeared to stabilize today after setbacks over the weekend. The Nikkei lost 59.17 points, or 0.22 percent, to close at 27,330.95 in dull trading. Volume on the first section was a light 550 million shares. Traders said investors were reluctant to take large positions because of fears the market might close temporarily upon Hirohito\'s passing, leaving them unable to respond to financial markets overseas. In addition, many traders cited the psychological impact of uncertainty over the health of any major world figure. Hirohito has reigned for nearly 62 years. Monday was also the last day Japanese brokerages could trade on their accounts for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, when most companies close their books. On the Tokyo foreign exchange market, the dollar closed at 134.73 yen, up 0.26 yen from Thursday\'s close, the last day of trading. It opened at 134.80 yen and moved in a narrow range of 134.66-134.85 yen. Dealers attributed the dollar\'s strength to a reaffirmation over the weekend among monetary authorities from seven major countries. The Group of Seven met in West Berlin and decided to continue to coordinate economic policies targeting stable exchange rates and containing inflation. ``Following the outcome of the G-7 meeting, the market took it as an indication there will be no market intervention by the nation\'s central bank at the current exchange rate level,\'\' said a dealer at a major commercial bank in Tokyo, speaking anonymously.\r\n'),(187,2,'Consolidated Gold Fields PLC and Newmont Mining Corp. said they filed a federal suit Tuesday to block a $3.5 billion hostile buyout bid by a South African conglomerate, on grounds the offer violates federal securities and antitrust laws. The U.S. District Court suit was the latest action the companies have taken to thwart the overture by South African-controlled Minorco SA, which has offered $3.5 billion for the 70.6 percent of Consolidated Gold Fields it does not already own. London-based Gold Fields owns a 49.3 percent stake in Newmont. Gold Fields and New York-based Newmont last week asked President Reagan to block the takeover on national security grounds, contending a buyout would endanger U.S. access to strategic metals such as gold, platinum and zirconium. Gold Fields has asked the British government to review the bid because of the South African connection, and the South African government also is investigating the proposed acquisition. Named as defendants in the suit filed Tuesday were Anglo American Corp. of South Africa Ltd., De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd., and Minorco. Luxembourg-based Minorco, which owns 29.4 percent of Gold Fields, is controlled by Anglo American and De Beers Consolidated Mines, the gold and diamond mining interests of the wealthy Oppenheimer family of South Africa. Anglo American and De Beers have said they would relinquish control of Minorco if the bid succeeds. Minorco has said it plans to sell Gold Fields\' South African interests and Gold Fields\' stake in Newmont if it acquires the company. The Gold Fields-Newmont suit contended the defendants had conspired to monopolize the gold market and that a successful acquisition likely would substantially lessen competition in that market. Gold Fields controls 8 percent of the world\'s gold production. It also produces rutile and zircon, which are raw materials for metals used in military aircraft and submarines. The suit claimed a takeover of Gold Fields by Minorco would give the South African syndicate control over a third of the world\'s gold market. The suit stated the Oppenheimer syndicate has major investments in companies that control more than 20 percent of the West\'s gold production, has interests controlling more than 50 percent of the free world\'s platinum production and has what it claimed the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation consider ``an absolute monopoly\'\' over the diamond business.\r\n'),(188,2,'The Honduran Congress began hearings on the deportation of a reputed drug baron to the United States that caused violent protests and forced the government to impose a state of emergency. The emergency decree was issued for Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula on April 8 after 2,000 demonstrators, enraged over the forced extradition of Juan Ramon Matta, burned the U.S. Consulate and U.S. Information Service office in the capital. The decree was lifted Wednesday after tension subsided. Police and soldiers arrested Matta in a pre-dawn raid on his Tegucigalpa home April 5 and deported him to the United States by way of the Dominican Republic the following day without a passport. The Honduran Constitution forbids the extradition of Honduran citizens. Matta, 43, a Honduran citizen, is being held at a maximum security federal prison in Marion, Ill., on drug trafficking charges. He also was wanted for questioning by U.S. authorities in connection with the 1985 torture-slaying in Mexico of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique Camarena Salazar. Col. Leonel Riera Lunatti, commander of the public security forces, testified behind closed doors for over two hours on Wednesday before a congressional commission investigating the deportation. Riera Lunatti arrived at the legislative chambers surrounded by security guards and declined to comment to reporters. But Ramon Rufino Mejia, chairman of the hearing, said Riera Lunatti testified he had broken into Matta\'s home at the orders of superiors. Riera Lunatti stated the armed forces were responsible for the operation, Rufino Mejia said. Judge Saul Suazo, who issued the search warrant authorizing the break-in, also testified before the panel on Wednesday. Rufino Mejia said the commission planned to hear testimony from Ramualdo Bueso, interior and justice minister; Maj. Efrain Gutierrez, head of the government immigration department; Maj. Santiago Perdomo, director of aviation; and Col. Marco Antonio Chavez, chief of a local police district. The chairman refused to rule out the possibility the panel could summon President Jose Azcona Hoyo to testify. ``We have begun a serious investigation into the affair because we consider that no functionary, be he military or civilian, is above Honduran laws,\'\' Rufino Mejia said. The government lifted the emergency decree and restored full constitutional guarantees at 6 a.m. Wednesday in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, 125 miles to the north. Business, commerce and transportation operated normally. Five Hondurans died in the rioting last week. The U.S. Embassy, located in the same complex as the burned offices, was not damaged. Police detained at least 70 people believed involved in the attack, said Maj. Manuel Antonio Urbina, chief police spokesman. Honduras is a staunch U.S. ally, but some Hondurans protested the presence of U.S. soldiers in their country and joint U.S.-Honduran military exercises. Honduras was used as a base by U.S.-supported Contra rebels who fought the leftist Nicaraguan government until last month\'s signing of a cease-fire pact. Just before that agreement, the United States sent 3,200 soldiers to Honduras after Nicaraguan troops reportedly pursued Contras into Honduran territory.\r\n'),(189,2,'Vice President Dan Quayle cancelled a second round of golf at a California course today after being criticized for playing at the country club with an all-white membership. His office said he had been unaware of the controversy surrounding the Cypress Point Club. Quayle shot more than 18 holes Thursday at the course in Pebble Beach. Beach. The Professional Golfers Association in September ruled the club ineligible for the 1991 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. ``I have a great concern about the vice president of the United States playing at Cypress Point and not being aware of the sensitivity of the issue that revolves around it,\'\' Monterrey County Supervisor Sam Karas said. Quayle couldn\'t be questioned for reaction because Secret Service agents kept reporters and photographers off the club\'s private grounds. But his office in Washington released a statement from Press Secretary David Beckwith, stating Quayle was ``unaware of the controversy surrounding the Cypress Point golf course. He has been assured the club does not discriminate and has never had a policy of discrimination.\'\' However, the statement said, ``The vice president is unwilling to leave any impression that he condones any form of discrimination. He has therefore canceled his round of golf today.\'\' Quayle is a member of the Burning Tree country club outside Washington, which has an all-male membership. He was returning to his skiing vacation in Colorado before returning to Washington on Saturday. Quayle will leave Saturday night for a New Year\'s visit to the troops in the Persian Gulf. Asked how Quayle could be unaware of the highly publicized controversy involving the club\'s banning from the national tournament, his chief of staff Bill Kristol said in a telephone interview: ``It proves he\'s not spending time reading the golf pages.\'\' An official who answered the telephone at the club\'s hotel, where Quayle was staying, said the staff had been instructed not to try to contact Quayle\'s party. Golfing with Quayle on Thursday were two Cypress Point Club members who are prominent officials in the Bush administration - Donald B. Rice, the Air Force secretary, and Ebersole Gaines, U.S. Ambasador to the Bahamas.\r\n'),(190,2,'The strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year swept across central islands today with 125 mph winds, killing at least one person, sinking numerous ships and forcing thousands to flee their homes. The navy said a merchant ship with 16 crew members was missing off Mindanao island and that 16 boats had sunk off Cebu island. Three sailors were reported missing in the Cebu sinkings. At least 17 people, including six Americans, were trapped on an oil rig off Palawan island after 68 other workers were evacuated, said Maj. Antonio Babijes, chief of the Manila Rescue Coordinating Center. He said officials asked U.S. Air Force and Navy authorities to assist in evacuating the rig after a rescue boat was forced back by rough seas. The rig is operated by Alcorn Production-Philippines Inc. The confirmed death occurred in the Panay island province of Capiz when a tree fell on a 10-year-old boy, a spokeswoman for the governor said. Typhoon Mike made landfall on Leyte island eary today and was by midday centered over Iloilo City on Panay island, about 290 miles southeast of Manila, the capital\'s weather bureau said. Senior forecaster Daniel Dimagiba said the storm\'s maximum sustained winds had weakened to 103 mph and that it was moving at 19 mph west-northwest after crossing Leyte, Cebu and Negros and hitting Panay islands. Cmdr. Ruben Lista, spokesman of the Philippine navy, said a distress call was received from the cargo ship Dona Roberta early today. The call said the ship was taking in water about 500 miles south of Manila, Lista said. It was the last radio contact with the ship, which was presumed to have sank, he added. In Cebu, Lista said, 16 vessels sank off the Cebu docks and six others ran aground. He said huge waves pushed a passenger ship into a navy patrol craft and another domestic ferry, sinking the three vessels. He said there were no reports if the vessels were had passengers at the time. Three navy utility crafts also sank nearby and three sailors were reported missing in two of the vessels, he added. On Negros island, a spokeswoman from the office of the governor of Negros Occidental province said about 9,500 people were forced to flee their homes in six towns. Officials said nearly 200 houses had been destroyed or damaged. The seas were dangerous to all types of vessels. Philippine Airlines canceled 59 domestic flights, but international flights were unaffected. The typhoon is the 14th to hit the Philippines this year. About 20 typhoons hit the country yearly. It was the strongest typhoon to come ashore here this year and the strongest to enter the country\'s waters since December, Dimagiba said. Mike struck Palau island over the weekend, toppling trees, devastating crops and battering buildings.\r\n'),(191,2,'Here is a look at the accomplishments of the 28th Communist Party congress after eight days, as well as what remains to be done: ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Mikhail S. Gorbachev was re-elected as party leader Tuesday in a one-sided race against Siberian strike leader Teimuraz Avaliani after seven others who were nominated backed out.\r\n'),(192,2,'A mental patient who walked away from a state hospital and randomly stabbed a 9-year-old girl to death at a street fair was found innocent by reason of insanity Friday. David R. Peterson, 38, lacked the capacity to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law, a three-judge Superior Court panel unanimously concluded in acquitting him of murder and escape charges. However, Dr. Donald R. Grayson, a state-commissioned psychiatrist who examined Peterson, said it would be ``a dreadful mistake in judgment\'\' ever to release him from a high-security psychiatric facility. At Peterson\'s arraignment last summer, an angry crowd yelled ``Kill him, kill him!\'\' when he was brought to court. But there were no such demonstrations Friday. The girl\'s parents, Catherine and Robert Short, and a handful of their closest friends were present for the brief reading of the verdict. They showed no emotion as the decision was announced, and declined to comment when they left the courthouse. The Shorts are planning to sue the state. Peterson walked off the grounds of Connecticut Valley Hospital last July 28. He took a bus three miles downtown, bought a hunting knife at a Main Street sporting goods shop and walked only about 100 yards before pouncing on 9-year-old Jessica Short. He picked his victim at random from a crowd of hundreds attending a sidewalk sale and fair. He stabbed her 34 times before stunned and horrified bystanders and police could pull him away. Judges James Higgins, Barry Schaller and Salvatore Arena, who began deliberations Wednesday afternoon, ordered Peterson committed to the custody of the state mental health commissioner for evaluation. He will be held at the Whiting Forensic Institute, the state\'s only maximum-security institution, at least until another court hearing to determine whether he should be confined or released. His attorney, public defender Christopher James, said Peterson is happy to be at Whiting because he feels safer there. Psychiatrists hired by both the prosecution and the defense testified during the trial that Peterson represents a chronic danger to society and is as dangerous as a mentally ill person can be to others. Peterson, a chronic paranoid schizophrenic with a history of mental illness and violence, has spent 15 of his past 20 years in mental institutions. In 1971 and again in 1988, he was found innocent by reason of insanity in stabbing attacks and ordered committed to state hospitals. In 1988, he was moved from Whiting to Connecticut Valley Hospital after doctors at both places said they believed he could be adequately supervised in a minimum-security setting, said the state Psychiatric Security Review Board. Peterson\'s attorney said the case shows that the board, which by law has the primary duty of protecting society, should seek the recommendations of outside experts rather than relying solely on information coming from the hospitals. About two hours before he killed the girl, Peterson had been screaming about pain in his legs and arms that he blamed on the medication he was taking. The psychiatrist hired by the defense said the patient should have been confined to his ward after the outburst because he had a history of psychotic delusions being accompanied by violence. Instead, Peterson was allowed to follow his normal routine and go out onto the hospital grounds without supervison, according to court testimony. Peterson told police he killed Miss Short to take revenge on his doctors because they wouldn\'t change his medication. He told psychiatrists he went downtown to take revenge on his ``enemies\'\' _ whites of European descent _ and had pictured himself as a soldier marching into battle.\r\n'),(193,2,'Kilauea Volcano destroyed the 153rd home of its seven-year eruption Monday and threatened at least two others in this lava-ravaged Hawaii Island community, authorities said. A house located north of the Kalapana Store and Drive-In and Mauna Kea Congregational Church burned at 6 a.m., Hawaii County civil defense spokesman Bruce Butts said. He said the half-mile-wide flow continued to move erratically. It was filling low spots in what remains of Kalapana and was not moving toward the ocean. At last report, lava was within 25 yards of the closest home.\r\n'),(194,2,'A panic-stricken 8-year-old girl concocted a story about two intruders after she accidentally killed her sister while playing with a gun, police said. The girl initially told police two men broke into a mobile home the family used as storage and shot her 10-year-old sister when the sister tried to call police, authorities said. Police launched a search Thursday for the intruders. Four hours later, the 8-year-old confessed she had found the .22-caliber revolver, and was playing with it when it discharged, Police Chief Richard Ausenbaugh said Thursday. The girl made up the story in panic and hid the weapon in the mobile home, he said. ``It\'s just an unfortunate, very, very tragic thing,\'\' Ausenbaugh said. ``She\'s just going to have to live with it for the rest of her life.\'\' He said no charges would be filed.\r\n'),(195,2,'A college lecturer was cleared of charges he made a bomb threat on an American Airlines flight after an 11-year-old boy admitted he wrote the note and left it on the aircraft, says an apologetic FBI. Charges against Peter W. Canning, a lecturer in literature at the University of California-Berkeley, were dropped Thursday after the boy told the FBI he wrote the note. Canning, 40, found the note on an American Airlines jetliner Tuesday, gave it to a flight attendant and was arrested by the FBI. The FBI\'s top New Mexico agent, Jim Nelson, said he ``regrets any inconvenience and embarassment suffered by Mr. Canning.\'\' ``However, the investigation fully warranted the arrest of Canning, which occurred after consulting with the U.S. attorney\'s office in Albuquerque,\'\' Nelson said. Canning, a Harvard doctoral candidate, could not be reached for comment because he was driving home to Berkeley when the charges were dropped by U.S. Magistrate Sumner G. Buell in Albuquerque. He had been released on his own recognizance the previous day. Canning had insisted all along that the note fell into his lap from his seat tray while lunch was being served on the flight from San Francisco to Dallas. He handed the note to a flight attendant, who notified the pilot. The plane was diverted to Albuquerque and was searched for about four hours with bomb-sniffing dogs. The boy came forward with his parents Thursday, and admitted writing the note during a flight to San Francisco earlier Tuesday, said FBI spokesman Douglas Beldon. The note was put on the pullout tray before it was stowed away, he said. The note said: ``Read this. There are guns pointed at you. If you want to live, read the letter underneath and do what it says. This is a bomb scare. Read this. PS If you do what the letter says, and have everyone else do it, you will live. PS If you don\'t, you are history!! There are bombs planted all over this airplane and there is a gun pointed at your head. Take your wallet and throw it in the aisle now.\'\' At the time of the arrest, federal agents said there were similarities between Canning\'s handwriting and the note. Agents determined that the boy sat in the seat later occupied by Canning, Beldon said. He said the U.S. attorney\'s office in San Francisco declined to prosecute the boy. Canning\'s attorney, Ray Twohig, had said the arrest resulted from FBI confusion. ``I\'m glad they\'ve cleared up their confusion,\'\' he said Thursday. Asked if the crash of a Pan Am jumbo jet in Scotland last week might have affected the way this case was handled, Twohig said: ``Sure, everybody was jumpy. ``I just hope that people who read about this and hear about this aren\'t discouraged from reporting things,\'\' Twohig said. Canning has said he almost withheld the note.\r\n'),(196,2,'SmithKline Beecham PLC, the newly merged health, household products and pharmaceuticals company, said Wednesday its first quarter profit jumped 42 percent because of the sale of certain businesses. SmithKline said that during the three months ended March 31 it netted $371 million, or 18 cents a share, compared with earnings of $261 million, or 20 cents, a year ago. Sales rose 19 percent to $2.15 billion from $1.8 billion. The results were the first the company reported on a quarterly basis since the merger of SmithKline Beckman Corp. and Beecham PLC in July 1989. Year-earlier figures were made available as if the merger had taken place at the beginning of 1989. SmithKline Beecham attributed the higher quarterly income largely to aset sales. It sold branded businesses such as Ambrosia, Bovril and Marmite food products as well as the Yardley-Lentheric cosmetics, raising around $493 million. The company said that it reduced its debt by $455 million during the first quarter. Its total debt stands at $2.5 billion, down from $4 billion a year ago. SmithKline Beecham Chairman Henry Wendt said that ``interest expense will decline significantly during the year, and the balance sheet will improve as we generate a high level of cash from operations and aggressively pursue debt reduction.\'\' The pound figures were converted at a rate of $1.65, which was provided by the company.\r\n'),(197,2,'President Reagan said today he would issue a fast veto of the trade bill and urged Congress to pass one that ``will assist, not impede, our dynamic economy.\'\' In a weekly radio address delivered from the Oval Office, Reagan said his objections to the bill ``range from rules on plant closing notifications to restrictions on exports.\'\' ``You can be sure that this bill is going to get a veto, but fast,\'\' the president said, adding that he would then propose an alternative measure. The president said the trade bill originally proposed in Congress contained many provisions to which the administration objected. ``Working with members of Congress, we managed to remove almost all of these bad provisions,\'\' he said. ``Unfortunately, however when it comes to safeguarding property, almost can never be good enough.\'\' ``The current legislation, despite all the hard work, still has provisions that threaten economic growth,\'\' the president said. ``These provisions are comprised mainly of demands for unnecessary, burdensome and costly regulation of private industry.\'\' He said all Congress ``has to do is drop the ruffles, frills and flourishes put there for the special interests, and we can have a trade bill, and have it soon.\'\' ``I urge the congressional leadership to schedule prompt action on a bill immediately after my veto is sustained,\'\' the president said. ``It is time to set aside the special interests and advance America\'s interests by passing trade legislation that will assist, not impede, our dynamic economy.\'\' @Following grafs embargoed for 1:06 p.m. EDT\r\n'),(198,2,'Voters\' doubts about George Bush and Michael Dukakis are such that, despite Bush\'s recent strength in the presidential race, the debates between the two men will prove critical, analysts of a new poll suggested Thursday. ``We consider this contest still a very close one,\'\' said Andrew Kohut, president of the Gallup Organization, which conducted the poll for the Times Mirror Corp. The poll suggested that Bush has gained in the presidential race more by solidifying his support among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents than by siphoning off Democrats from Dukakis. ``He has performed in a way that has caused Republicans to come home,\'\' analyst Norman Ornstein said at a news conference where the poll results were released. Kohut said Bush ``has won the first round of this campaign and seized the momentum,\'\' but that support for both men was ``soft,\'\' with many people who expressed a preference saying they might switch to the opponent. Ornstein, of the American Enterprise Institute, said Bush was vulnerable on the Iran-Contra affair and on the administration\'s handling of drug charges against Panamanian leader Manuel Antonio Noriega, with the Noriega question ``more significant to people\'\' than any other issue. Bush\'s criticism of Dukakis\' prison furlough program ``resounds with more voters than any other charges\'\' against the Massachusetts governor, Ornstein said. Voters are also sensitive to Dukakis\' veto of a bill that would have required the Pledge of Allegiance in Massachusetts schools, not because it raises questions about Dukakis\' patriotism, but because the public thinks his judgment was wrong, Kohut said. The poll analysis called Bush\'s running mate, Sen. Dan Quayle of Indiana, ``the achilles heel of the Republicans\'\' because of doubts about his qualifications. While Quayle did not appear to be an issue on which votes were swinging directly, Ornstein said Quayle would be ``more of an issue than the overall numbers suggest\'\' as ``a symbol of George Bush\'s judgment combined with Noriega and Iran-Contra.\'\' ``Given the doubts ... whether either candidate has the judgment to be a good president ... these debates are either going to reinforce doubts or erase doubts about their judgment,\'\' Ornstein said. ``I think the debates are critical.\'\' Bush and Dukakis have their first debate Sunday in Winston-Salem, N.C., their second on Oct. 13 or 14 in Los Angeles. The poll suggested that Bush has advanced his cause by painting Dukakis as ideologically out of step, and he has benefited from increased voter satisfaction with the nation\'s course and confidence in the economy. But while Bush has drawn some conservative Democrats to his side, he has lost ground among other Democratic-oriented groups, said Gallup\'s analysis. It said the more significant movement was Bush\'s greater support from Republicans in general, and particularly from Republican-leaning, blue-collar conservatives identified in the survey as ``disaffected\'\' voters. ``For all the talk of the importance of the Reagan Democrats, this analysis suggests that the most significant dynamic in recent weeks has been the return of Republicans to the fold _ with disaffecteds showing the largest proportionate swing,\'\' Gallup\'s analysis said. The ``disaffecteds,\'\' set apart by their suspicion of government, made up about a tenth of the registered voters in the poll. They went from a nearly even division on Bush and Dukakis in May to backing Bush by 61 percent to 27 percent this month, Gallup said. The poll defines the electorate by grouping voters with shared values, rather than through the more traditional measures of political party identification or ideology. Bush has made inroads only in the most conservative Democratic groups, Kohut said, and he lost ground among another Democratic group, ``seculars,\'\' who are non-religious and put an emphasis on personal freedom. A pro-Dukakis group, the liberal ``\'60s Democrats,\'\' supports Dukakis more strongly now, apparently in reaction to Bush\'s ideologically based attacks. At the same time, core Republican groups support Bush almost unanimously, and in each ``there has been a dramatic increase in the proportion who say they support Bush strongly,\'\' Gallup\'s analysis said. As a result, it said, ``It is clear that the main effect of the Bush efforts has been to solidify his base among Republican-oriented groups.\'\' Overall, Bush was supported by 50 percent in the poll of 2,001 registered voters to 44 percent for Dukakis. The survey, done Sept. 9-14, had a margin of error of three percentage points, so Bush\'s lead was not statistically meaningful. But, in this as in other polls, Bush had trailed badly before the Republican convention in August.\r\n'),(199,2,'A Libyan Foreign Ministry official on Thursday denied Australian charges that Libya was responsible for a riot in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, JANA news agency reported. The Libyan agency, monitored in Rome, quoted the unidentified official as dismissing allegations of Libyan involvement as ``baseless and not true.\'\' Prime Minister Bob Hawke of Australia had charged ``there is no doubt about a Libyan connection in Vanuatu\'\' following reports in the Australian news media that Libyan-trained activists were involved in Monday\'s violence. JANA quoted the Libyan source as saying such a statement represented ``a plain attempt to justify the open Australian interference in the internal affairs of an indepedent state _ Vanuatu.\'\' Riots in Vanuatu\'s capital, Port Vila, killed one person was killed and injured nine Monday. Police said 30 people were arrested after a march by 2,000 villagers over land-leasing rights turned violent, with protesters looting shops and smashing store windows. Australia and New Zealand airlifted riot control gear there at the request of the government. Vanuatu lies about 1,200 miles east of Brisbane, Australia. Vanuatu sent shockwaves through the generally pro-Western South Pacific in 1986 when it decided to establish diplomatic ties with Libya and the Soviet Union. Formerly the Anglo-French New Hebrides, Vanuatu was administered jointly by Britain and France from 1906 until 1980, when it achieved independence. It has a population of about 130,000.\r\n'),(200,2,'A top aide to Attorney General Edwin Meese III says a recent congressional report accusing his boss of violating White House ethics rules should top a ``list of sleaze.\'\' Assistant Attorney General William Bradford Reynolds, who last year was given additional responsibilities as counselor to Meese, said the bipartisan Senate report is harmful to ongoing inquiries into the attorney general\'s actions. ``We\'ve got a process that\'s in place, people who are investigating and it seems to me that we do not contribute to an integrity of that process when we have that kind of report that comes out that so disserves and so misstates what the facts are,\'\' Reynolds said on CBS-TV\'s ``Face the Nation\'\' program. ``If that is the best case that one comes up with against this attorney general for ethical conduct, I would have to say that this man is as clean as he can possibly be in every respect.\'\' Reynolds, the top enforcer of the Reagan administration\'s civil rights policies, added: ``If I were making a list of sleaze, I\'d put that (the report) at the top.\'\' The report, issued Wednesday by the Senate Governmental Affairs subcommittee on oversight of government management, concluded that Meese\'s violation of the rules resulted in ``improper favoritism\'\' for the scandal-plagued Wedtech Corp. The report said E. Robert Wallach sent Meese, then counselor to President Reagan, 16 memos in 1981 and 1982 detailing Wedtech\'s efforts to get a contract to build small engines for the Army and government officials\' opposition to those efforts. Meese has acknowledged interceding on behalf of Wedtech, but says he only wanted to assure that its contract proposal got a fair hearing. Wallach, a longtime friend of Meese, is now under indictment in the Wedtech scandal. He was paid $1.3 million by the Bronx, N.Y.-company, which subsequently won the no-bid, $32 million contract. ``Former Counselor to the President Edwin Meese III and former Deputy Counselor Jim Jenkins failed to observe the White House policy on contracts with procurement officials, which failure resulted in improper favoritism toward a specific contractor,\'\' the report said. The White House procurement policy in effect since October 1981 says that ``obviously, no member of the White House staff should contact any procurement officer about a contract in which he has a personal financial interest or in which a relative, friend or business associate has a financial interest.\'\' Reynolds said the report ``made reference to a policy or rule in the White House that wasn\'t in existence at the time the Wedtech thing was referred over to the attorney general.\'\' Independent Counsel James McKay has been investigating Meese\'s ties to Wedtech, a $1 billion Iraqi pipeline project promoted by Wallach, and other matters. In addition, the Office of Government Ethics is conducting an inquiry into why Meese solicited 30,000 lawyers and businessman to pay more than $3,000 apiece to a profit-making organization to attend a conference. Reynolds maintained that despite the investigations, morale at the Justice Department remains good. ``Actually, it\'s very good,\'\' he said. ``We have a lot of professionals. Everybody in the department is very professional. ``Most of the people in the department take the attitude that is much the same as George Bush\'s attitude. These are investigations that are ongoing. They\'ll play themselves out, the process ought to be allowed to work,\'\' Reynolds said. ``So far,\'\' he added, ``nobody has suggested that the attorney general has done anything that comes close to unlawful activity or activity that is going to result in an indictment of any kind.\'\'\r\n'),(201,2,'Police renewed an unprecedented 1,000-officer blitz on street gangs Saturday, redeploying a special task force that made nearly 600 arrests in an anti-gang dragnet the night before. ``All day long, we have been lifting the hammer,\'\' said police spokesman Bill Frio. ``The chief called at 3 p.m. and said to drop it.\'\' The force made 592 arrests during the citywide sweep Friday night and early Saturday for a variety of felonies and misdemeanors, and also impounded at least 10 guns and 96 vehicles. Police said 224 of those arrested were believed to be gang members. Police had earlier reported 634 arrests, but later corrected the figure, which was caused by confusion during booking, Frio said. Officials were unsure how many of those arrested were held and how many released on bail, he said. The huge show of force began Friday evening with Mayor Tom Bradley\'s pledge to ``take back the streets,\'\' and continued through the night, with even Police Chief Daryl Gates and an assistant chief making arrests. Gangs were blamed for 205 killings in the city of Los Angeles in 1987. Countywide, the death toll from gang violence last year was 387, many of the victims bystanders caught in the gangs\' trademark ``drive-by\'\' shootings. Only one violent gang-related incident was reported in the city during the sweep Friday night, police said. Shots were fired at an officer serving a search warrant at a house. A special weapons and tactics team was summoned but there was no further violence, Frio said. Six people were arrested for investigation of narcotics possession. Cocaine, cash and several guns were seized. In a gang-related incident outside the city, Los Angeles County sheriff\'s deputies in nearby Lynwood arrested a young man after a two-hour standoff that began when he was spotted with a gun, which he allegedly pointed at a deputy. The sweep was the city Police Department\'s biggest attack ever on drug dealing and street violence. Over the past month, smaller task forces have arrested a total of 1,400 suspected gang members, Frio said. The police chief made a collar of his own when he stopped a man in gang dress, frisked him and discovered a bottle of prescription drugs in somebody else\'s name. The man was held for investigation of possession of a controlled substance, said Lt. Mark Leap. Assistant Police Chief Robert Vernon, who was on patrol on the southside, also made an arrest. His collar was wanted for a parole violation, Frio said. About half the special force went to augment regular patrols in the south-central area. The rest of the officers spread out in gang areas throughout the city. The task force was assembled by putting officers on overtime at a cost of $150,000 a day. Bradley has vowed to spend whatever it takes to intimidate the gangs. Drug dealing and gang violence have long been a fact of life in the poor, minority neighborhoods of south-central Los Angeles. But wider community attention _ and political will _ focused on the violence in February when a woman was shot to death during a gang confrontation in the affluent, mostly white Westwood entertainment district near the University of California, Los Angeles. More recently, after a Good Friday attack killed one man and injured a dozen others, none of them gang members, Gates announced plans for the new task force. Bradley has budgeted funds for 400 new police officers next year, and political opposition to law-and-order measures aimed at gangs is virtually non-existent. City Councilman Robert Farrell, a longtime southside representative, said as the task force formed Friday evening that there was strong support for the police effort and no opposition over potential civil rights violations. ``The expansion of the police force ... is what is necessary to maintain a sense of order, decency and civility, and the police deployment is appropriate,\'\' he said. The Police Department\'s use of a ``suspect profile,\'\' intelligence work and preliminary planning is ``why you\'ve not heard anyone raise the issue of civil rights concern,\'\' he said.\r\n'),(202,2,'A woman who dropped out of the 1988 Miss USA pageant after being charged with shoplifting pleaded guilty Wednesday. During her appearance in Hennepin County District Court, former Miss Minnesota-USA Sue Bolich, 24, of Mound admitted stealing several items from the Dayton\'s store at the Southdale shopping mall. She was arrested Jan. 22. Police said she had taken $370 worth of items, including a swimsuit, silk scarves and hairpieces. In exchange for her guilty plea, she will be placed in a program while she receives counseling. ``It\'s fair for a first-time alleged offender like Susie, and I think things will turn out fine for her,\'\' said Bolich\'s attorney, Peter Timmons. Bolich\'s successor to the Miss Minnesota-USA title also withdrew before the Miss USA pageant, after it was reported that she had pleaded guilty to shoplifting in 1986.\r\n'),(203,2,'Lewis du Pont Smith isn\'t as greedy as voters might think looking at a sample ballot. The chemical heir wants only one legislative job, not four. A sample ballot published in the Delaware County Daily Times correctly identified Smith as an independent candidate in the 5th Congressional District. It also listed him as a candidate in the state House races in the 159th, 160th and 168th districts. ``It was my fault,\'\' said R. Bruce Downing, director of the county election board. A sample ballot his office supplied to the paper was wrong, he said, adding that a corrected version was supplied the paper to publish Monday. Downing said only the ballot published in the paper was incorrect; a sample distributed around the county were correct. Smith, a follower of imprisoned political extremist Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr., had asked the District Attorney\'s Office to investigate the mix-up. But District Attorney William H. Ryan Jr. said he determined the mix-up was only an error. Smith, 33, is running against Republican Rep. Richard Schulze, an eight-term incumbent, and Democrat Sam Stretton, a West Chester attorney, in the Tuesday election.\r\n'),(204,2,'Japanese Ambassador Nobuo Matsunaga says a free trade agreement between his country and the United States is being considered more seriously because recent successes in resolving trade disputes have improved relations between the two nations. It is time to ``build our partnership on the basis of our interlocking strengths instead of constantly warring over our separate weaknesses,\'\' Matsunaga told the Washington Council on International Trade last week. The ambassador said that the much-discussed U.S. trade deficit and the corresponding Japanese trade surplus ``simply do not comprehend\'\' the scope and complexity of the economic and political relationships between the two countries. ``It is quite understandable, therefore, that thoughtful people on both sides of the Pacific are now considering the possible benefits of some form of free trade arrangement between the United States and Japan, the two largest and most dynamic economies in the world, whose two-way trade is exceeded in value only by America\'s trade with Canada...\'\' Matsunaga said in his Thursday address. A U.S.-Japan free trade agreement _ which essentially would remove trade barriers between the two nations _ was proposed first in 1981 by Mike Mansfield, U.S. ambassador to Japan. The initial reaction was widespread skepticism that two countries with such different cultures and legal systems could fashion a workable agreement. But earlier this year, Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd raised the issue with Japanese Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita. And Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and now Democratic vice presidential nominee, asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to prepare a report listing the pros and cons of such an agreement. The interest is driven not only by the increasingly complex trade relationship between the two countries, but by concerns by both about their trade relations with other nations. Japan has concerns about how the U.S.-Canada free trade agreement may affect its own trade with the United States and Canada. And both countries are concerned that the lowering of trade barriers among European Community nations, scheduled for 1992, could lead to increased difficulty in gaining access to that market. David Rohr, a member of the federal International Trade Commission who recently visited Japan to gather opinions for the study requested by Bentsen, said the Japanese are ``really scared\'\' of the sweeping U.S. trade bill _ signed into law last week and criticized by Matsunaga as ``disproportionately protectionist\'\' _ because of its sanctions for unfair trade practices.\r\n'),(205,2,'Police kept guard around Burma\'s holiest Buddhist shrine Friday after student protesters had abandoned the hilltop pagoda. Pilgrims who entered the spawling Shwedagon Pagoda after it was reopened Friday said they found no trace of the demonstrators. Traffic increased in Rangoon, and all markets were open, although fewer shoppers were seen. Police also kept tight security around other temples in the capital. Nine people were killed in the week of student-led street violence, officials said. The government imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew, closed institutions of higher learning and prohibited all public meetings. Buddhist pilgrims reported Thursday that students had moved into the shrine, a centuries-old marvel of golden spires and stupas, to set up a ``strike center\'\' that would coordinate anti-government protests. Pagoda trustees who spoke on condition of anonymity said university students arrived in groups at the shrine Wednesday afternoon and probably mingled with worshippers before the 6 p.m. government curfew. The students were also said to have left later that day, though it was not clear whether they too were observing the curfew or departed for some other reason. The trustees said security officials searched the temple grounds Wednesday night and barred public access Thursday. The week\'s protests also forced the suspension of classes at schools in Mandalay, the country\'s second-largest city. Anti-government protests also have been reported in Pegu, north of Rangoon, and in Moulmein, on the southeastern seacoast. Since October, the 26-year-old regime of strongman U Ne Win has been rocked by three violent protests in Rangoon and smaller ones in other parts of the country. Diplomatic and other sources says lack of personal freedoms and a downward spiraling economy are fueling unrest. Buddhist pagodas in Burma have traditionally been centers of political protest. In 1920, Rangoon students moved into the Shwedagon grounds to launch agitation against the British, then Burma\'s colonial rulers. The posting of guards at Sule, Botataung and other shrines was viewed as a measure to prevent activists from entering the Buddhist holy places, where violence of any kind is forbidden. Last week, students at several institutions had peacefully demonstrated for release of detained students and legalization of student unions. Violence broke out after the government responded by closing the schools. On Tuesday, about 5,000 students and other protesters fought police with stones. Last March, police and military units brutally suppressed a similar demonstration, arresting hundreds and killing what Western diplomats put at possibly up to 100 protesters.\r\n'),(206,2,'The author of the biggest U.S. restrictions to trade with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe said today that those restrictions should be waived immediately but not repealed. ``The principles of Jackson-Vanik should be solidly retained ... as a back-up insurance that we will not abandon world leadership on the issue of human rights,\'\' former Rep. Charles A. Vanik, D-Ohio, told the House Ways and Means Committee. Vanik, however, disagreed with the Bush administration\'s insistence that Moscow make law its recently adopted free emigration policies before the United States lifts the high tariffs imposed on Soviet imports. President Bush promised Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev at the Malta summit in December that if the emigration policies are made law, Bush would seek a one-year waiver of the Jackson-Vanik restrictions as part of a new U.S.-Soviet trade agreement the two leaders hope to sign in June. ``I judge the Soviet Union by the deed more than the statute,\'\' Vanik said of recent Soviet emigration policies. ``The process appears to be a well-established, non-reversible course.\'\' He said U.S. slowness in normalizing trade relations with Moscow and the newly reincarnated governments of Eastern Europe risks losing those fledgling free markets to other Western powers such as Japan, West Germany and Italy. House Democrats expressed frustration that the administration has not moved faster to lower the barriers to expanded trade with countries behind the crumbling Iron Curtain _ a region one businessman described as the biggest new market since the opening of the Americas in the 18th and 19th centuries. ``We\'re worried, we don\'t see any actual planning for this,\'\' said Rep. Sam Gibbons, D-Fla. ``We don\'t spot the administration doing a lot.\'\' Business people have favored outright repeal of Jackson-Vanik, saying they are unwilling to make the type of investments Bush has called for to rebuild the economies of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe without better assurance that policies will not be changed suddenly. ``If you think we\'re going to make investments on the basis of an 18-month waiver, we\'re not,\'\' said John Murphy, chairman of Dresser Industries in Dallas. Vanik, however, predicted that repeal of the 1974 law that he co-wrote with the late Sen. Henry Jackson, D-Wash., would have ``a tough time in Congress\'\' because of 45 years of Cold War conditioning to distrust the Soviet Union. ``It\'s a matter of political reality,\'\' he said. ``I think the rest of America is not yet prepared to consider anything more for the Soviet Union than a waiver.\'\' The law was enacted largely to stop the last proposed U.S.-Soviet trade agreement initiated by former President Nixon in 1972 and to pressure Moscow to remove restrictions that prevented Soviet Jews from emigrating to non-communist countries. Basically, it prohibits all export credits or credit guarantees to Soviet bloc countries that restrict emigration. The law also subjects Soviet bloc exports to the United States to stiffer tariffs than those applied to other countries. Soviet emigration has climbed from just under 2,000 in 1986 to approximately 195,000 in 1989. American officials acknowledge the biggest barrier now is limits the United States and other countries are putting on the number of Soviet immigrants they will accept. ``The reasons for Jackson-Vanik no longer exist, but people find a reason to keep it alive,\'\' said Rep. Thomas J. Downey, D-N.Y. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats on Tuesday proposed a new half-billion dollar aid package _ $200 million more than Bush wants _ to foster emerging democracies in Eastern Europe. The bill, introduced by Sen. Claiborne Pell, R-R.I., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, would augment $738 million in aid already approved for Poland and Hungary with $511 million targeted for Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. Pell said he would not be surprised if his proposal is increased during the legislative process ``in view of the profound interest of the United States in supporting positive developments in Eastern Europe.\'\' Bush, as part of the fiscal 1991 budget he proposed Monday, asked for $300 million as a ``special assistance initiative\'\' for Soviet bloc nations, including Poland and Hungary.\r\n'),(207,2,'The $4.2 billion Safeway buyout was partially financed by the sale of several divisions. Vons Cos. Inc. bought 172 Safeway stores in Southern California and Nevada, and Supermarket Development Corp., which operates Furrs supermarkets, acquired 59 Safeways in Texas and New Mexico.\r\n'),(208,2,'The United States plans to send cash payments to Contra rebels inside Nicaragua that will enable them to buy food locally while a dispute over resettlement keeps them from receiving food and other supplies, an administration official says. The payments will range between 50 cents and $1 a day for thousands of Contra fighters _ ``enough to keep body and soul together,\'\' according to the official, who spoke Monday on the condition that he not be identified. A final decision will be made later in the week by Alan Woods, administrator of the Agency for International Development, the official said. After the Contras and Nicaragua\'s leftist government signed a temporary truce on March 23, Congress approved a $47.9 million humanitarian aid package for the rebels, consistent with a provision in the truce agreement. The legislation permits deliveries of food, clothing, shelter and medical supplies and medical care for children who are war victims. The agreement specified that the rebels receive the aid after resettling in seven mutually agreed cease-fire zones. However, no food or other supplies have been sent inside Nicaragua because a dispute over ground rules within the zones has prevented the resettlement from taking place. This has left some Contra units with acute food shortages. Air drops have been ruled out because of fear that Sandinista fighters might shoot down the planes used to transport the food. At the time of the truce, there were an estimated 12,000 Contras inside Nicaragua but many have fled into Honduras in search of food. The monthly cost of the payments is expected to be between $60,000 to $450,000, depending on availability of Contra couriers based in Honduras to deliver the cash and the number of rebels inside Nicaragua that can be reached at any given time. Most of the payments will be in cordobas, Nicaragua\'s currency. In addition, AID has earmarked more than $300,000 per month in family assistance payments to rebels with technical skills. Part of the funds are being assigned to resistance personnel who work at Contra offices in Miami. Nicaraguan authorities maintain that any humanitarian assistance sent to the Contras without prior inspection by an officially designated verification commission would be illegal under the truce agreement. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has objected vigorously to an interim program under which U.S.-sponsored aid is being sent by truck or air drop from Tegucigalpa to Contra camps on the Honduran side of the border. The bulk of this aid _ 262 metric tons _ has been sent by truck, the official said. The administration has denied Ortega\'s claims that the shipments have contained lethal equipment, insisting that the deliveries have received prior inspection from Honduran church officials. The cease-fire began on April 1 and is schedued to last for 60 days. During this period, the Sandinistas and the Contras are to negotiate terms for a permanent cease-fire. But little progress has been made in the talks.\r\n'),(209,2,'The Canadian earthquake felt over a wide area of the northeastern United States should get people to pay more attention to making essential buildings in the region earthquake-proof, a geologist said Saturday. ``Earthquakes in New England are relatively infrequent but they do occur,\'\' said Dr. John Ebel, a seismologist at the Weston Observatory at Boston College in Newton. ``With that in mind, we need to be sure that critical facilities are made to stand up to earthquakes. Ebel said Massachusetts is one of the few states in New England that have a seismic provision required in the construction of major structures like tall buildings and hospitals. New York state recently required that some structures meet earthquake codes, Ebel said. Nuclear power plants in the region are constructed to withstand earthquakes, Ebel said. Friday\'s quake, centered 95 miles north of Quebec City, registered 6.0 on the Richter scale, according to U.S. and Canadian seismic monitors. Less than 12 hours later, two aftershocks had been recorded and more were expected, although no damage was reported, state officials said Saturday. Geophysicist Dick Holt at the Weston Geophysical Laboratory said aftershocks could register up to 5.0 on the Richter scale. The main tremor was felt in the northeastern United States from Michigan to Washington, D.C. ``One lady called us and said she had whitecaps in her fish tank and her chandelier was shaking,\'\' said Pennsylvania state police Cpl. Clifford Williams, near Erie, Pa. There was no structural damage reported, although authorities were told of broken windows in Maine, shelves and dishes falling in Rhode Island, and several intravenous bottles knocked over and broken at a Wilkes-Barre, Pa., hospital. Police in some areas were swamped with calls while other people never felt a thing. In Ohio, as an example, police in Columbus, about in the center of the state, said several people called to report feeling the tremor, but officials in Youngstown, closer to the quake epicenter, were not aware of the quake. People in Cleveland reported feeling buildings move. But a few miles away, seismic monitoring equipment at the Perry nuclear power plant did not detect the quake, said Todd Schneider, a spokesman for Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. In New York City, firefighters were sent to 40 separate locations in Manhattan where tremors were reported but no damage was found, said fire Lt. Kenneth Murphy. People in other buildings on the granite island didn\'t notice the quake. In Massachusetts, several people felt the tremor Friday night. ``We ran out of our house. Our lampshade was shaking. We were shaking,\'\' said Carol Dalessandro, 40, of Wakefield. At the Top of the Hub restaurant on the 52nd floor of the Prudential Center in Boston, about 120 people were dining when the earthquake struck. ``It was enough to make you feel queasy,\'\' said maitre d\' Stephen Brown. ``The entire dining room felt it. Everyone felt they were becoming dizzy or faint. They all sort of smiled and looked at each other. No one felt panicked or anything.\'\' The Richter scale is a measure of ground motion as recorded on seismographs. Every increase of one number means a tenfold increase in magnitude. An earthquake measuring 5 on the Richter scale can cause considerable damage, a 6 reading severe damage, and a 7 is a major earthquake. The strongest earthquake in Canada this century was recorded off the coast of British Columbia in 1949 and measured 8 on the Richter scale.\r\n'),(210,2,'Now THIS is a record collection: Jerry Lee Lewis\' original Sun Records singles. The Rolling Stones\' first album, autographed by Mick, Keith, Charlie, Bill and Brian. A Beatles licorice disc signed by Paul McCartney. But Bob George, curator of this musical menagerie, speaks with obvious pride about another LP, ``Calypso Is Like So ...\'\' by Robert Mitchum. On this record, Mitchum does something he does not do in ``War and Remembrance\'\': he performs ``Mama, Looka Boo Boo\'\' with a psuedo-Caribbean lilt. ``Can you believe this? We just got it in the mail the other day,\'\' said George, who (with a little help from his friends) is trying to locate every record made since 1950 for the burgeoning ARChive of Contemporary Music. ``We forbid ourselves to refuse records. The stuff the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) would try to get out of libraries? Bring it in!\'\' said George, who estimates the collection _ begun in late 1985 _ now numbers almost 250,000 sound recordings. That attitude explains why the Butthole Surfers (a punk group) sit beside Count Basie, and how the Beatles\' classic ``Sgt. Pepper\'s Lonely Hearts Club Band\'\' shares space with Telly ``Kojak\'\' Savalas\' creepy ``You\'ve Lost That Loving Feeling.\'\' The eclectic ARChive is the brainchild of George and David Wheeler, who initially hoped to create a collection of rock \'n\' roll but soon expanded their vision to include any and all types of popular music. George, producer of the breakthrough Laurie Anderson record ``O Superman,\'\' brought his music-business ties and a 25,000-record collection; Wheeler\'s contributions were 10,000 records and a master\'s degree in library science. The idea (and the albums) soon found a home: above the Blarney Castle bar in downtown Manhattan, up two rickety flights of stairs, in a cramped loft now filled with records from acid rock to zydeco _ 47,000 in all. The rest of the collection is somewhat far-flung, as George _ a 37-year-old Youngstown, Ohio, native _ explains in the excited voice he affects when discussing the collection. ``We have one location in Chicago, one location in my parents\' basement. There\'s about 30,000 in Boston, 100,000 in upstate New York, and depending on whether these two (a pair of ARChive employees) give us their records, two other locations,\'\' he said. They also have a lot of support: every major record company currently ships the ARChive free copies of their new releases, and the non-profit organization\'s Board of Advisers includes musicians Nile Rodgers, Paul Simon, Lou Reed and Todd Rundgren. ``They have a real vision of where they want to go,\'\' Reed said shortly after the project first started. ``They\'re in it for the long haul.\'\' The singer of ``Walk on the Wild Side\'\' proved prophetic: George now talks about a day five years down the road when the ARChive will be part-library, part-museum, open to the public and available for researchers. ``It\'s like archaeology. You\'re digging,\'\' said Thomas Cvikota, who is handling ARChive fund-raising. ``You\'re going down into the tomb, into the ruins, and finding the essence of the culture.\'\' While 250,000 sound recordings sounds like an incredible collection, the ARChive falls well short of the Library of Congress\' 1.7 million records dating back to 1888. But George feels that his system will soon make his assembly the final word in contemporary record research. ``It might be arrogant, but we think we really have usurped the function of the Library of Congress in terms of keeping track of this material,\'\' he said. ``We certainly have a better hands-on approach.\'\' That approach allowed the group to help director Martin Scorcese find the right music for ``The Last Temptation of Christ\'\'; George was able to hook him up with a Moroccan vocalist who did the wailing at Lazarus\' tomb in the film. Scorcese has since joined the Board of Advisers, a testament to the ARChive\'s digging ability and its growing fame. The search is already under way to find expanded quarters in Manhattan; once that\'s accomplished, George and company plan to close down and take eight months to a year just cataloging records and preparing for the grand re-opening. Once all that\'s finished, there remains at least one more problem. ``We read once that once a year you have to give every record a quarter-turn, because plastic precipitates down,\'\' said George, breaking into a loud laugh. ``I can imagine someone saying it now: `OK, today your job at the ARChive is ...\'\'\r\n'),(211,2,'The Sandinista government is attempting to push ahead with ambitious health care programs that suffered severe setbacks because of seven years of civil war. ``We are just beginning to move ahead a bit. But we have a long way to go,\'\' Dr. Milton Valdez, deputy health minister, said in an interview. The Sandinistas promised improved health care as part of a package of social pledges made after they ousted the rightist Somoza dynasty in July 1979. Shortly after coming to power, the Sandinistas set out to build clinics and install a socialistic medical system. ``Our policies were based on health being a right for the people and an obligation of the state,\'\' Valdez said. But the promises of the leftist government gave way to the realities of the war started by Contra rebels 1{ years after the Sandinistas took control. The battles destroyed more than 100 rural clinics by the end of last year, helped bring back such diseases as malaria and created combat-related mental problems. The situation was further complicated in 1985 when a U.S. trade embargo cut off many supplies and spare parts for medical equipment. Health officials acknowlege that not all of the problems can be blamed on the war. A lack of hygiene education and basic unsanitary conditions in the capital as well as the isolated rural farmlands are blamed for a current epidemic of dengue, an infectious disease carried by mosquitos. During six days in July, the Health Ministry reported, almost 3,000 children were treated for diarrhea, the No. 1 killer of children in Nicaragua. The government recently called on residents in Managua to clean-up the trash and cut the grass in their neighborhoods. Valdez said health programs suffered serious deterioration by 1983 with the loss of clinics and personnel and doctors who fled the country. ``We had constructed a health system for peace. It clashed with the war,\'\' Valdez added. ``We had malaria under control along the Pacific Coast. But then we began large troop mobilizations to the mountains, where malaria still existed, and they brought it back to the cities.\'\' Doctors and medical volunteers couldn\'t get into remote combat regions or those controlled by the Contras. Barricada International, a Sandinista publication, said in a recent edition that 600 students, health workers and teachers had been killed, wounded or kidnapped while working in war zones. Mental problems stemming from combat surfaced. ``It\'s difficult to confront. The ones who spend two years fighting have the most problems,\'\' Valdez said. ``We have seen an increase in violent deaths _ homicides and suicides _ and more aggressiveness in general.\'\' One woman told a reporter her son returned from almost two years in combat with serious emotional problems. ``He would scream in his sleep that the Contras were coming,\'\' she said. ``He would become nervous when he was awake.\'\' Valdez said mental problems also are found among the numerous ex-soldiers who suffered losses of limbs in the war. ``It\'s not the actual loss of limb that causes the problems but the psychological part,\'\' he said. ``The combatants are No. 2 on our priority list. No. 1 are the children.\'\' The Health Ministry this year outlined a three-year plan and designated 1988 the year ``for defense and protection of children\'s lives.\'\' Infant mortality, halved since July 1979, stands at 64.5 per 1,000 births. It is the highest in Central America. Health workers have been taking advantage of a fragile truce since March to vaccinate rural children against polio, measles, diptheria and tuberculosis. Valdez said it was too soon to rebuild the lost clinics because fighting continues and the economy still is suffering. Medical care is free but medicine is not, Valdez said. Only about 10 percent of Nicaragua\'s doctors work with the state system. The others are private practitioners. Medicines are among a long list of basics that are in need. Black marketeers make large profits selling medications at outdoor markets. The largest single cause of death to adults up to age 49 last year was related to the war, Health Ministry statistics indicated. The ministry said it has detected only 26 cases of AIDS in Nicaragua and that only five of those were Nicaraguans.\r\n'),(212,2,'Adam Gotner, badly wounded, survived that bloody day when police opened fire on people in the street. Twenty years later, Solidarity runs the government and he leads a search for secretly buried bodies. Dec. 17, 1970 is etched in Polish memory as a day of slaughter. At 6 a.m., Gotner and many others were walking to their jobs at the Paris Commune shipyard. Tanks and police were posted at the shipyard gates. Suddenly, the police began shooting. Gotner, then 25, felt something hit his shoulder and saw his jacket turning red. He thought of running at the tanks, ``but I realized it would be instant suicide,\'\' and retreated. ``All this time, for several minutes, I could hear the shooting continuing, and then it seemed I was stepping on people,\'\' he said. ``I had the impression I was stepping on bodies. The whole street had been covered with people going to work. In my mind, there were at least 500 dead.\'\' Long afterward, Gotner realized most were not dead, but either wounded or sprawling for cover. The communist authorities had declared the port and shipyard closed because of unrest over government-imposed increases in food prices, but had not told the workers. Police may have thought the men intended to occupy the shipyard. Official accounts said 45 Baltic port and shipyard workers were killed that day, 28 of them in Gdynia and Gdansk. Many Poles believe the number was much higher. A committee led by Gotner is trying to determine how many died in Gdynia, which means digging for bodies. Two excavations have yielded no conclusive results. A macabre legend grew around the ``December events\'\' and the authorities contributed to it by collecting bodies and burying them hastily at night, often with no relatives present. Tombstones erected later were allowed to say only that the person honored had died a ``tragic death.\'\' No mention of the Gdynia killings was permitted in the state-controlled press. Attempts to investigate were blocked even in 1980-81, Solidarity\'s first brief experience of legal existence. Censorship was eased enough to allow Andrzej Wajda to make the acclaimed movie ``Man of Iron,\'\' in which the 1970 Gdynia killings are portrayed as central to the rise of Solidarity a decade later. Gotner survived five bullet wounds in the chest, eventually became a Solidarity activist in Gdynia and organized a civic committee this year to build a new monument to the victims in front of City Hall. Soon after it was formed, his committee came under public pressure to investigate the killings. With the Communist Party out of power, city officials agreed. On a sunny April day at the Witominski Cemetery, gravediggers lifted the coffin of Jadwiga Sikorska from a sandy hillside and probed a little deeper. They found two sets of bones wrapped in cloth. One was too old to be from 1970; the other did not appear old enough. A representative of the prosecutor\'s office was present and the remains were taken to a forensic laboratory for analysis. Mrs. Sikorska\'s son, Jerzy, had noticed bones in the earth when he buried his mother in March and told the committee. Earlier, 70 volunteers dug up a 60-foot stretch of path in another part of the cemetery where witnesses had reported signs of newly dug graves immediately after the 1970 shootings. No bodies were found. Experts confirmed part of the path had been dug up about 20 years ago, but only to a depth of about four feet. They said there was no evidence the soil had been disturbed below that depth for hundreds of years. ``There were several hypotheses, and mine is that they were preparing to bury bodies there and then decided not to because of personnel changes in the government,\'\' Gotner said in an interview at his modest apartment overlooking the shipyard. He is a slender, articulate man with dark, curly hair salted with gray, and is cautious in expressing opinions about the outcome of his search. When pressed, Gotner said: ``I think it may turn out to be true that five or 10 more people were killed than has been reported.\'\' That conclusion would not be popular. ``Already, I have heard gossip that the fact that we have not found anything proves we are on the side of the authorities,\'\' he said. Several people claimed to have seen secret burials. Three witnesses who appeared reliable, including a militiaman, claim to have seen about 200 bodies. Gortner noted, however, that ``no one is coming to us and asking us to find somebody,\'\' despite public appeals for information. Whether the victims were more or fewer, Gotner said, ``we want to find the truth. We cannot let half-truths continue to exist if we want to build the future.\'\' He removed his shirt, revealing scars on the upper chest and a very deep exit wound in his back. ``If I had known I had five bullets in me, I would have died of fright,\'\' he said, and laughed. The laughter gone, Gotner said: ``Doing this is my responsibility to those who died at that time. I remember when I was walking and I saw someone falling down. I wanted to to help him then, but I could not.\'\'\r\n'),(213,2,'A resolution before the American Jewish Congress repeating its call for Israel to withdraw from the riot-torn West Bank and Gaza Strip sharply underlines its difference with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir. The United States has long endorsed the principle of exchanging territory captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War in return for a peace settlement with neighboring Arab states and Palestinians. But Shamir, who is visiting the United States through Monday, has strongly rejected the idea, saying it would endanger the security of the Jewish state because it would put Arabs who dream of Israel\'s destruction in a better position to carry out their threats. ``The position taken by our organization obviously is not in accord with that taken by Mr. Shamir this past week,\'\' said Andrea Binder, a spokeswoman for the American Jewish Congress, which opens a meeting here Sunday. ``We issued a statement in September which called for territorial compromise and endorsed an international peace conference. The resolution that will be voted on next week will reaffirm (the earlier) resolution,\'\' she said prior to the gathering. Another resolution will specifically endorse the complex peace plan proposed by Secretary of State George P. Shultz in the face of Arab rioting in the territories and measures by Israeli security forces to suppress the uprising. A third resolution will ``discuss Arab and specifically Palestinian intransigence in coming to the negotiating table,\'\' she said. Shamir\'s visit is expected to be discussed throughout the four-day convention, which will be attended by about 400 to 500 delegates. The American Jewish Congress, which has 50,000 members, was the first major American Jewish organization to favor a compromise in the Israeli-occupied territories, Ms. Binder said. The group\'s statement last year underscored divisions among America\'s Jews about the issue. Last Monday, Shamir preceded his meeting with President Reagan by saying he was outraged by the United States\' suggestions of a withdrawal from the occupied territories. He said a withdrawal ``inevitably\'\' would invite new Arab attempts to destroy Israel and that he was ``astounded\'\' at the short memories of withdrawal proponents. Four days later, Shamir flatly rejected a U.S. proposal for a full-scale Mideast conference, saying that such a conference would give the Soviet Union and its Arab allies too much influence, and might force Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories. His Labor Party counterpart in Israel\'s coalition government, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, is agreeable to such a conference, without which Jordan\'s King Hussein won\'t come to the table. Reflecting sharp disagreement with Shamir, Reagan said: ``Those who will say no to the U.S. plan _ and the prime minister has not used this word _ need not answer to us. They\'ll need to answer to themselves and their people as to why they turned down a realistic plan to achieve negotiations.\'\'\r\n'),(214,2,'The ``Jewish lobby\'\' and provocative commercials for perfume and lingerie are among the subjects American troops stationed in Saudi Arabia are being advised not to discuss with their hosts. In a pamphlet written by the U.S. Central Command, the Pentagon is advising U.S. troops that those and other topics ``should be avoided or handled carefully. The pamphlet was printed for distribution to some of the estimated 200,000 American service men and women in and around Saudi Arabia. Topping the list of 15 ``sensitive\'\' items is ``articles and stories showing U.S.-Israeli ties and friendship.\'\' The pamphlet also suggests restraint in discussion of ``anti-Arab demonstrations or sentiments in the United States\'\' and of ``U.S. involvement in supporting Israel and Israel\'s current presence in Lebanon.\'\' The Pentagon, which advises troops to carry the booklet at all times, also suggests that the Americans avoid discussing or showing ``sensual advertisements for perfume, blue jeans, women\'s lingerie, gambling, alcohol, etc.; ads for pork or shellfish (which are forbidden by Islam).\'\' Other out-of-bounds topics include: -``Discussing the `Jewish lobby\' and U.S. intelligence given to Israel.\'\' -``Referring to the Arab blacklisting of U.S. companies that do business with Israel or the Arab boycotting of companies that have strong Zionist representation in executive positions.\'\' Jewish groups have protested the list, first published in the November issue of Harper\'s Magazine. The World Jewish Congress said in a letter to Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney that it wanted to convey ``our sense of distress at what appears to be a capitulation to bigotry and a surrender of our democratic values ....\'\' The letter, from WJC Vice President Kalman Sultanik, urges withdrawal of the material from circulation. The American Jewish Committee, expressing to Cheney its ``deep sense of hurt and anger,\'\' said U.S. troops should not be asked to ``submerge entirely those values of tolerance, pluralism, and open-mindedness that have made the U.S. a unique democratic society.\'\' The Pentagon and State Department, mindful of the vast cultural and religious differences between Saudis and Americans, have issued a number of booklets setting out ``dos and don\'ts\'\' since the troops began arriving in the Persian Gulf in August. Most of the pamphlets include a brief history of Saudi Arabia and its monarchy, and explanations of the strict Moslem code which governs Saudis\' behavior. Alcohol is out for Moslems and for foreign troops; so is socializing with Saudi women. Other guidelines for Americans found in the pamphlets are: women should cover their legs and arms when out in public; women and men should not show affection in public; Americans should not show the soles of their feet to a Saudi (by sitting with their legs propped on a table, for example) because the gesture is considered an insult; Americans shouldn\'t ask Saudi men about their wives; Americans shouldn\'t offer their rations to Saudis because they might contain pork, which is forbidden by Islam. But the Central Command pamphlet goes beyond the social and cultural mores to include political topics. In forging the international anti-Iraq coalition of Western and Arab nations, the United States has been careful to avoid emphasis on its strategic and historic relationship with Israel, the largest recipient of American foreign aid. Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Arab world, who have fought five wars with Israel since it gained independence in 1948, have traditionally accused the United States of being biased toward the Jewish state. The Central Command pamphlet was originally written several years ago for American troops taking part in the biannual ``Bright Star\'\' maneuvers with Egypt, said Pentagon officials. That version contained several additional guidelines which have been removed from the booklets distributed for Operation ``Desert Shield,\'\' said the officials. The omitted material includes discussing ``films or newsclips featuring pro-Zionist actors and actresses (e.g. Barbara Streisand, Liz Taylor).\'\' But Pentagon spokesman Lt. Commander Ken Satterfield said that material was not included in the new booklet.\r\n'),(215,2,'A 32-year-old West German man died from severe burns suffered in the Ramstein air show disaster, raising the death toll from the Aug. 28 tragedy to 65, officials said Sunday. A statement by the Rheinland-Palatinate state government said the victim died on Saturday at a clinic in Ludwigshafen. The man, who was not identified, was from North Rhine-Westphalia state. The report said 152 people remained hospitalized with injuries from the disaster at the U.S. Air Force base in Ramstein. The accident occurred when three Italian stunt jets collided during the air show and one crashed into a large crowd of specatators and exploded.\r\n'),(216,2,'Federal investigators said today some food prices have risen faster than warranted by the drought but a Senate chairman said there\'s no proof so far of significant price gouging. ``Some price increases do appear higher than warranted by the drought alone,\'\' Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., told a hearing of his Senate Agriculture Committee. He said the higher levels were ``most notably in wheat-based food products, such as pasta and bread, and in some meats.\'\' ``But in general there do not seem to have been excessive price increases across a broad range of products that use the drought as an excuse,\'\' he said. The hearing was held to unveil a report from the General Accounting Office on food price increases between July and August. The report was requested by Leahy and Rep. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., in July amid speculation that the food industry would seize on the drought to hike prices. A General Accounting Office official, John Harman, told the committee some price increases found by the congressional investigative agency could not be explained by the drought. He pointed to a 6 percent jump in pasta prices between the July and August checks that the agency made. A rise of 3.4 percent would be warranted by the impact of the drought on durham wheat used to make pasta, he said. He added that cattle prices dropped as a result of the drought but that was not reflected by the cost of beef. Just why there were some unexplained increases was unclear, he said. It may have been because ``prices of packaging of food products went up significantly this year,\'\' GAO aide Mary Kenney told the panel. ``There could have been some labor cost increases ... we don\'t know if there were,\'\' Harman said. ``Conclusive evidence of price gouging has not been found but there are some indications out there\'\' that suggest it could materialize in the future, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, told the hearing packed with lobbyists from the nation\'s multi-billion-dollar food industry. ``My advice to consumers is to be comparative shoppers,\'\' he said. ``Food processors and retailers need to know that we are all watching and they must be held accountable for any food price increases not directly attributable to higher costs,\'\' Leahy and Dorgan said in a statement released Tueslday night. The study showed that the price of ground beef has increased 3 percent, while the price that livestock producers get for cattle actually has dropped 11 percent since April. Rising feed prices have accelerated the sale of cattle and thus created a buyers\' market. Fruit prices rose an average of 12 percent, while bread prices increased 4 percent, according to the GAO. The lawmakers stressed that the GAO figures represented national averages and that there could be differences from one region to another. Two consumer organizations issued a report on Monday saying there had been no ``price gouging\'\' in July and August but ``substantial\'\' increases in beef and some other agricultural goods in June. The report was issued jointly by the Consumer Federation of America and Washington-based advocacy group, Public Voice on Food, Health and Policy.\r\n'),(217,2,'Sen. Lowell P. Weicker wants Hall of Famer Babe Ruth to be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, nearly 40 years after the baseball slugger\'s death. Ruth was a ``true American hero\'\' who ``epitomized the very best of our national pastime,\'\' Weicker, R-Conn., said Thursday. The medal, the nation\'s highest civilian award, is given by the president for contributions to national security, world peace or ``significant private or public endeavors.\'\' Seventy-one Medals of Freedom have been awarded by President Reagan. Weicker, in a letter to Reagan nominating Ruth for the award, noted the athlete\'s off-the-field contributions. ``He had great compassion for the sick and dying,\'\' the senator said. ``Against the advice of many, Babe Ruth visited those afflicted with Hansen\'s Disease in Kalappapa, Hawaii, and offered those condemned to the `leper\' colony his love and kindness.\'\' Well known for his visits to sick children, Ruth also established the Babe Ruth Foundation for underprivileged children shortly before his death and left it a large part of his estate. Born in 1895 in Baltimore, George Herman Ruth hit 714 home runs in 22 major league seasons with the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Boston Braves. A star pitcher early in his career, Ruth\'s career home run total stood as the major league record until Hank Aaron broke it in 1974. Ruth died Aug. 16, 1948, at the age of 53. Other baseball players who have received the award include former Yankee great Joe DiMaggio and the late Jackie Robinson, who became the first black in the major leagues in the modern era when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.\r\n'),(218,2,'Minorities for the first time make up more than half the city\'s resident labor force, a milestone that raises stark challenges for New York\'s social and economic future, researchers said Tuesday. ``It\'s a historic moment in the life of the city: Minorities have become the majority of New Yorkers in the labor market,\'\' said Samuel Ehrenhalt, regional chief of the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ehrenhalt, who reported the trend, said it will increase pressure on the city to better educate black and Hispanic youths. Other researchers said it will gradually force employers to open management jobs to minorities. ``It\'s a signpost on a difficult path of necessary change,\'\' said John Mollenkopf, a political scientist at the Graduate Center of City University. ``It points to a future that we all have to recognize and embrace.\'\' The labor bureau reached its conclusion after analyzing its monthly employment surveys for 1989. It found that non-Hispanic whites made up 49.7 percent of the resident labor force, under half for the first time. Out-of-town residents who work in the city _ mainly whites _ were not included in the analysis. Demographers say the city\'s population has been less than half white since the early or mid-1980s; it now is estimated at about 47 percent. But never before has the labor force _ residents ages 16 or older who are working or looking for work _ reached that point. Ehrenhalt said the arrival of black, Hispanic and Asian immigrants is the prime reason for the trend. The white population is about stable, and the number of native-born blacks and Hispanics has grown only slowly. ``Immigrants are playing a bigger role in New York City than they have at any time in the past three-quarters of a century,\'\' Ehrenhalt said. He said the trend will continue as the white population ages and leaves the workforce. ``That underscores the need to encourage a more rapid and purposeful move of minorities into the educational and occupational mainstream,\'\' Ehrenhalt said. ``The city economy will need them as never before.\'\' Lack of a high-school education is higher among minorities than among white residents, Ehrenhalt noted. And minority unemployment remains far higher _ 9.6 percent in 1989, compared with 4.1 percent for whites. Education is not the only issue. Mollenkopf said the trend increases the demands on employers to open fuller job opportunities to minority workers. Now minorities often hold lower-paying clerical jobs while senior management is virtually all white, he said. The labor bureau\'s figures supported the point: While 36 percent of working whites held managerial, professional and technical jobs, that fell to 24 percent of blacks and 15 percent of Hispanics. And Hispanic workers were concentrated in the declining manufacturing sector, largely in semiskilled and unskilled jobs. The city\'s strength is in service jobs, said Mollenkopf, ``and the higher echelons of these service firms are still basically all white. They have to come to grips with the fact that the city\'s labor force is multiracial. They put themselves at a disadvantage if they resist that.\'\'\r\n'),(219,2,'The first black ever to make a runoff for mayor in Shreveport says he thinks racial hatred may have been the motive of whomever festooned his front yard with toilet paper. ``This makes me more determined to be mayor of this town,\'\' said C.O. Simpkins, looking at the yards of toilet paper draped through trees and bushes Saturday. ``I think that this speaks for just a small number of people in Shreveport,\'\' said Simpkins, a Democrat. ``In my talking to people, especially white people, I feel that they would be appalled by this.\'\' Simpkins said anonymous callers have threatened to kill him or his wife, Elaine, unless he dropped out of the race for mayor. Some have identified themselves as Ku Klux Klan members, he said. An anonymous woman caller woke the couple Saturday, telling them to look at their yard, then called again a few momemts later, spewing obscenities, said Mrs. Simpkins, who has fielded most of the threatening calls. Simpkins, a dentist, led the civil rights movement in Shreveport in the 1950s and early 1960s. He led the Oct. 6 primary, in which all candidates competed regardless of party, with 32 percent of the vote, and faces Republican City Council member Hazel Beard in the Nov. 6 runoff. Beard said she was worried the incident would foment racial tension in the city. Her family also has received threatening phone calls and letters during the campaign, she said, adding, ``It\'s no secret that I\'ve long ago disavowed hatred in any form.\'\'\r\n'),(220,2,'A massive worldwide outpouring of sympathy brought London firefighters, French search dogs, tons of tents and blankets and medicine to the Soviet Union on Friday to help in the Armenian earthquake. Western countries, the Soviet Union\'s East bloc allies and even groups not recognized by the Kremlin pledged millions of dollars of aid in a relief effort that crossed political boundaries and cut quickly through Soviet red tape. ``We are awaiting more planes from foreign countries. We badly need them and are grateful for what they are bringing us,\'\' said Robert Gastoryan, an assistant to the director of the Yerevan\'s Zvarnots airport. About 80,000 people were killed in Tuesday\'s earthquake, Leonid Zamyatin, the Soviet ambassador to Britain, said in London. Hundreds of thousands were left homeless.\r\n'),(221,2,'David Burke, president of the CBS News division, will be leaving this week, sources at the network said Wednesday night. Burke, 54, a former ABC News executive vice president who joined CBS in August 1988, didn\'t return phone calls Wednesday night, nor did Tom Goodman, Burke\'s chief spokesman. It was unclear if Burke was being forced out or was resigning of his own accord. One CBS source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, quoted network executives as saying the reclusive Burke had told them he was leaving, but gave no reason. ``Nobody seems to know why he\'s going,\'\' the source said. Another source, speaking of Burke\'s imminent departure, said Burke has had philosophical differences with CBS Inc. President Laurence A. Tisch. Pressure from Tisch to cut costs at CBS News led to the firing of more than 200 staffers in 1987. Tisch didn\'t return phone calls. Burke\'s departure may be announced Thursday, sources said. Speculation on his likely successor includes Eric Ober, a former CBS News executive who now heads the company\'s stations division. CBS News, after more than five years of well-publicized internal turmoil, recently had been scoring successes with its coverage of the Persian Gulf crisis, highlighted by anchorman Dan Rather\'s reports from Iraq. While the revamped ``CBS Morning News\'\' has remained third in morning news show ratings, Rather\'s ``CBS Evening News\'\' has been a respectable second to ABC\'s ``World News Tonight\'\' for several months. Burke, a former top aide to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., came into the news business late in his career when hired by ABC News President Roone Arledge. At CBS News, Burke succeeded Howard Stringer, who now is president of the CBS Broadcast Group and headed CBS news after the ouster of Van Gordon Sauter, now a TV producer in Los Angeles. There had been rumors for several weeks within CBS News that Burke was leaving. But when asked about them earlier Wednesday, Goodman, his spokesman, said that as far as he knew there was nothing to them. Burke\'s exit would mark the second high-level change in network news this summer. Earlier this month, former Los Angeles Times Publisher Tom Johnson succeeded Burt Reinhardt, 70, as president of Ted Turner\'s Atlanta-based Cable News Network.\r\n'),(222,2,'Soviet dissidents today accused police of breaking into the office of an unofficial journal and arresting editor Sergei Grigoryants without arrest or search warrants. They demanded his immediate release. Grigoryants\' wife, Tamara, told a news conference in Moscow police still were guarding the small country house outside the city where Grigoryants was arrested Monday. Andrei Babitsky, an editor of Grigoryants\' Glasnost magazine, said almost 400 copies of the journal and a new publication for young people had been taken from the house. Grigoryants, a former political prisoner, had agreed to allow a group seeking to found a political party called the Democratic Union to challenge the Communist Party to hold its final organizing session at his editorial office Monday afternoon. `He is not a member of the group,\'\' Mrs. Grigoryants said of her husband. ``He intended to be there as an observer, nothing more.\'\' The house is in the village of Kratkovo, about 25 miles southeast of Moscow, in an area closed to foreigners. Correspondents could not travel there to get first-hand information. After the arrest of Grigoryants and several others, about 70 people gathered at a nearby club to form the political party, which calls for multi-party parliamentary democracy, independent trade unions, a new constitution and withdrawal of Soviet troops from Eastern Europe and areas of the Soviet Union seized in World War II. During the weekend, 60 of the group\'s supporters were reported arrested in Moscow and one of its founders, Yuri Mityunov, said Monday that 14 remained in jail. Communist Party chief Mikhail S. Gorbachev has called for more democratic election procedures, including multiple-candidate elections. Grigoryants\' magazine is named for Gorbachev\'s policy of glasnost _ openness on some social issues. Lawyer Valentin Yelisyenko said police had no arrest warrant for Grigoryants or any of the others, and no search warrant to enter the building. He said he was allowed to talk to Grigoryants at the local police station about five hours after the arrest, and even then police had no documents that would have permitted them to make the arrest. The Independent Union of Journalists of the USSR, a group publishers of unofficial journalist which Grigoryants heads, issued a statement saying, ``the repressive measures against the chief editor of the journal Glasnost we regard as one of the main signals that governing organs of the country are undermining those hopes they sowed in the spirits of the people.\'\' It demanded that Grigoryants be freed at once, that impounded copies of Glasnost be returned, court action be started against police who arrested Grigoryants. The statement also said that if there is a legal basis for action against Grigoryants, the reason should be stated publicly. Babitsky said police first arrested Grigoryants outside the house. Twenty minutes later they returned, broke down five doors and arrested four other people, he said. He said Grigoryants did not resist. Grigoryants later was found guilty of disobeying a police officer and given a seven-day jail sentence, but Yeliseyenko told reporters that dissidents had not been able to determine the charges against the other men. Dissidents said they were told police acted on a complaint by the daughter of a 96-year-old woman who rented the country house to Grigoryants that he had no right to be there. Mrs. Grigoryants said her husband had reached a valid agreement with the woman in January to rent the house.\r\n'),(223,2,'Highlights in the history of Namibia, which became the world\'s newest nation Wednesday: 1884 _ Declared a German protectorate. 1915 _ Occupied by South Africa on behalf of the Allies during World War I. 1920 _ League of Nations gives South Africa administrative mandate. 1966 _ United Nations cancels mandate. South Africa rejects the resolution. The South-West Africa People\'s Organization begins guerrilla war against South African rule. 1975 _ SWAPO acquires bases in Angola after that country\'s independence from Portugal. 1978 _ U.N. Security Council passes Resolution 435, calling for cease-fire, elections under U.N. supervision, and independence. 1982 _ South Africa agrees to grant independence if Cuban troops leave Angola, where they are support the Marxist government in a civil war against guerrillas aided by the United States and South Africa. 1988 _ The United States, the Soviet Union, Angola, Cuba and South Africa sign an agreement on Namibian independence, withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola, and an end to South African aid to Angolan anti-government guerrillas. February 1989 _ U.N. forces begin arriving. April 1, 1989 _ Independence process begins, but fighting breaks out between South African police forces and hundreds of SWAPO guerrillas crossing the border. More than 330 men die before a cease-fire is reimposed. July, 1989 _ More than 40,000 exiles begin returning home. November 1989 _ SWAPO wins the most votes in a U.N.-supervised election, but not enough to avoid compromising with other parties on a constitution which establishes a Western-style democracy. The last South African troops leave. Wednesday _ Namibia gains independence.\r\n'),(224,2,'A judge issued an arrest warrant for ``Cheers\'\' actor Kelsey Grammer after he failed to appear in court to give a progress report on a court-ordered drug rehabilitation program he was ordered to attend. Van Nuys Municipal Judge Aviva K. Bobb on Wednesday issued the warrant for Grammer, 35, who plays the brainy psychiatrist Frasier Crane in NBC\'s television series ``Cheers.\'\' A police officer at the Van Nuys station jail said early today that Grammer was not in custody. Grammer\'s attorney, Robert L. Diamond, had said Wednesday his client was out of town and could not be reached. On Oct. 25, Bobb had ordered Grammer to enter the drug program after he was charged with one felony count of cocaine possession. Deputy District Attorney Andrew W. Diamond said Grammer, 35, of Van Nuys, never attended the rehabilitation program. ``He failed to comply, he didn\'t show up in court and now there is a bench warrant out for his arrest,\'\' Diamond said. ``Anybody can get busy, but you can\'t be that busy that you can\'t sign up for a program for seven months.\'\' Grammer was arrested on April 14, 1988, after police pulled him over for driving with expired license plates, according to court documents. He was arrested after a packet containing about a quarter of a gram of cocaine worth about $25 allegedly fell from his pocket as he sat in a patrol car on the way to the police station, the documents state. An earlier arrest warrant was issued after Grammer missed a Van Nuys Municipal Court appearance on Feb. 6. He had been scheduled to prove that he had completed an alcohol rehabilitation program and 10 days of community service. According to court documents, Grammer pleaded guilty on July 13, 1988, to a charge of driving under the influence.\r\n'),(225,2,'Plans for soul singer James Brown to perform in a benefit concert this month while he serves time in a work-release program were nixed twice Wednesday by the state Corrections Department. On Monday, a Los Angeles promoter said Brown would hold a concert May 16 the King Street Palace in Charleston with Gladys Knight, Little Richard, Jermaine Jackson and others. The Corrections Department said no go. A New York concert organizer then said Wednesday that the benefit concert had been moved from Charleston to Aikin. Nope, the Corrections Department said again. Proceeds from the ``James Brown and Friends\'\' concert were to have gone to the non-profit Aiken-Barnwell Counties Community Action Commission, where Brown works as a counselor, said Peter Paul of the Stephen Cooper Entertainment Corp. in Los Angeles. Brown, serving a six-year sentence for aggravated assault, has been working for the commission since shortly after his April 14 transfer from prison to a work-release program. Corrections Department spokesman Francis X. Archibald said Wednesday the concert ``is not going to happen.\'\' ``This is inconsistent with his employment with the Aiken-Barnwell community agency. We didn\'t allow him to perform while he was in prison and we can\'t let him perform down there just because he\'s been sent to a work center,\'\' he said. Archibald said the concert was a commercial venture and not all proceeds would go to the commission. The event was to have been filmed as part of a television special on Brown\'s life, according to Paul. ``As part of being in prison, your liberties are restricted and you\'re taken away from your commercial life,\'\' Archibald said. ``That applies to entertainers, stockbrokers, bankers and anyone else who goes to prison.\'\' Officials with the King Street Palace and community action center did not return telephone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment. Brown will only respond to written inquiries, center officials said. Later Wednesday, Larry Myers of the Universal Attractions booking agency in New York said concert organizers were now going ahead with plans for a May 16 benefit performance in Aiken instead of Charleston _ despite the department\'s stance. The concert is to be held at the University of South Carolina-Aiken, said Myers, whose agency has booked concerts for Brown for more than 25 years. The change in location notwithstanding, Archibald said the department was firm in its position. ``Any entertainment Mr. Brown does has to be related directly and solely to his job,\'\' he said. ``We cannot allow some small benefit (for the commission) ... to be used as a cover for a larger, commercial exploitation.\'\' Brown, who turns 57 Thursday, was imprisoned in December 1988 to serve concurrent six-year sentences in Georgia and South Carolina for failing to stop for police, aggravated assault and weapons violations stemming from a two-state car chase in 1988. He becomes eligible for parole in South Carolina in May 1991 and in Georgia in March 1992. Brown is known for such hits as ``Papa\'s Got A Brand New Bag,\'\' ``I Got You (I Feel Good),\'\' and more recently ``I\'m Real\'\' and ``Living in America.\'\'\r\n'),(226,2,'Boeing Co.\'s future probably holds one and possibly two larger widebody jets and a supersonic transport, company executives say. But not the 7J7. When first proposed three years ago, the 7J7 _ ``J\'\' for the consortium of Japanese manufacturers interested in the plane _ was to be one of the most innovative planes Boeing ever built. It was to make extensive use of composites and other high-tech materials, ``fly by wire\'\' electronic controls, computerized instruments and a new ``unducted fan\'\' engine that would have external propellers. Trouble was, Boeing said after postponing the program last year, ``market indicators continued to present different requirements on airplane size and configuration.\'\' Translation: Nobody wants to buy one. Asked recently whether the 7J7 would ever be built, Philip Condit, executive vice president for production and engineering at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said: ``As described at that point, probably not.\'\' He said manufacturers have to try to guess market demands 10 years into the future. ``Our best guess is there is going to be a fair amount of pressure, due to (airport) gate constraints, congestions, on the bigger sizes,\'\' Condit said. ``That\'s why the effort now on 767-X.\'\' The 767-X is a new, larger version of the 767 widebody, which comes in two sizes _ the model 200, which holds 216 passengers in two classes, and the 300, which carries 261. Condit said Boeing is considering a version that would seat 300 people and possibly a version for 350 passengers. The 767 is becoming more attractive to airlines thanks to a Federal Aviation Administration rule change earlier this year allowing the two-engine planes to fly routes 120 minutes away from usable airports. That qualifies it for use on many over-water routes. Richard Albrecht, executive vice president for sales and marketing at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said the company expects the FAA to extend the authorization to 180 minutes soon, which would allow 767s to fly trans-Atlantic routes. Boeing also has plans for a supersonic airliner, but executives doubt it will fly in the next 20 years. ``The economics of the supersonic transport have to be roughly comparable to that of the subsonic transport in order for it to make sense commercially,\'\' Albrecht said. A supersonic flight between Los Angeles and Australia might take five hours instead of 15 aboard a 747, but Albrecht says he doubts too many passengers would pay double the fare to save that time. While the Concorde supersonic airliner has been successfully marketed as a premium trans-Atlantic service, ``I don\'t believe anybody will build the next generation of the supersonic transport to serve a niche market, which is what the Concorde is serving now,\'\' he said.\r\n'),(227,2,'The signs say ``Always Open,\'\' but for the first time in 35 years, most of the 1,200 Denny\'s restaurants across the United States will close their doors for Christmas Day. Locking those doors is a different story. Some buildings have been without locks for decades because of the always-open policy. At others, the locks have never been used and the keys can\'t be found. The company is having to install locks at about 700 restaurants, said Joe Herrera, director of marketing at the company\'s southern California headquarters. The company decided to close this year so employees could have the day off. ``It will cost us about $5 million in sales,\'\' Herrera said. The chain\'s 60,000 employees were so grateful for the holiday that many sent cards and letters of appreciation to the offices, Herrera said. Employees received normal pay for Christmas Day. ``We just feel we spend 364 days a year taking care of other people\'s families; for one day a year we want to take care of our own,\'\' he said. Nobody wants to work on Christmas, he said, and it has been the top turnover day of the year, with some managers losing four or five employees. In Hollywood, the companywide closing solved manager Almaz Legesse\'s problem of choosing which employees of a Sunset Boulevard restaurant to give the day off. ``I had a big list. ... I was having a hard time,\'\' she said. The restaurant, which serves more than 1,700 Christmas customers, was awaiting a visit from a locksmith. ``We never had locks,\'\' Ms. Legesse said. ``After so many years of working Christmas every year it\'s real nice,\'\' said Lee Sevene, a manager at a Denny\'s near a turnpike in Portland, Me. ``People have always thanked us a lot for staying open,\'\' said Frances Bushman, manager of a Pismo Beach, Calif., Denny\'s. ``On the other hand they always felt sorry for our waitresses and cooks,\'\' she said. Ms. Bushman\'s Denny\'s has locks but she had to check to see if the keys fit. Christmases in the past have been about twice as busy as average days at Denny\'s, Herrera said. ``We have up to an hour wait sometimes on Christmas, and that\'s all day _ not just at midday,\'\' Herrera said. ``It actually starts on Christmas Eve, and just keeps going.\'\' The Christmas closing applied to 1,221 restaurants. The operators of 174 franchise restaurants were allowed to make their own decisions. Winifred Gibson, a manager at two Denny\'s franchise restaurants in Fresno, Calif., said they would remain open for the biggest day of the year. But she sympathized with the trouble of locking up a Denny\'s. ``Once I needed to lock the doors on my store. It was a major fiasco. It took us a day to find the keys,\'\' Ms. Gibson said. Christmas Day used to bring in mostly single people, couples with no children or elderly people with no family, she said. ``But not anymore. You have so many one-parent families.\'\' The three franchise Denny\'s in Anchorage, Alaska, and one in Fairbanks will be open, said Donna Flanagan, manager of an Anchorage restaurant. Ms. Flanagan expects to serve about 1,500 people on Christmas, which is second only to Mother\'s Day in bringing in customers.\r\n'),(228,2,'The Boeing Co. said a $1.8 billion order from Delta Air Lines helped it set a company record of $47.7 billion worth of airplane orders this year. Boeing\'s 1990 tally tops by $1.1 billion its previous high mark of $46.6 billion set last year even though the number of planes ordered fell from 1989. Boeing said Thursday that 543 planes were ordered this year, down from 883 last year. The biggest drop came in orders for the short-haul 737-series - 162 planes this year from 463 last year. But the overall dollar amount of the orders increased because of a sharp rise in orders for Boeing\'s most expensive jet, the 747-400 jumbo. This year, airlines ordered 172 of the 747-400s, which cost between $125 million and $147 million each. Boeing received orders for 68 of its 747-400s in 1989. Delta\'s order announced Thursday includes six new 767-300 twinjets, which sell for between $78 million and $86 million each. Boeing also disclosed that Delta placed orders earlier this year for three more extended-range 767-300s, an additional standard 767-300, nine 757-200s and seven 737-300s. Boeing spokesman T. Craig Martin said the previous orders included options Delta converted to firm purchases this year and several jets added to earlier orders during the final contract negotiations for those orders.\r\n'),(229,2,'Shares closed lower on London\'s Stock Exchange Wednesday as investors assessed the news that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is being challenged as leader of the governing Conservative Party. Former Defense Secretary Michael Heseltine said he will challenge Mrs. Thatcher in a ballot among Conservative legislators Tuesday. The Financial Times-Stock Exchange 100-share index fell 10 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 2,046.0. The Financial Times 300-share index was down 10.4 points at 1,583.2. The Financial Times 500-share index fell 5.88 points to close at 1,086.64. Volume was 356.5 million shares, off from 422.9 million shares Tuesday.\r\n'),(230,2,'The dollar was mixed against the major foreign currencies Friday as investors turned their sights toward trade deficit figures to be released next week. Gold prices were also mixed. Republic National Bank of New York quoted a late bid of $422.50 for a troy ounce of gold, up from $421.30 late Thursday, but the metal declined in overseas trading. Dollar trading was lackluster as investors squared their positions in advance of the weekend and Wednesday\'s scheduled release of balance of trade figures for October. Jack Barbanel, a market analyst for Gruntal & Co., predicted the dollar would remain stable until the report is released. Overseas, dealers said the dollar was pressured lower by strength in the West German mark. They said the mark rose amid speculation that the Bundesbank would raise its Lombard rate by a half percentage point to 5.5 percent. The Lombard rate is the interest the central bank charges commercial banks for supplemental borrowings in which securities are used as collateral. In Frankfurt, the dollar slipped to 1.7330 marks from 1.7420 late Thursday. In New York, it fell to 1.73525 marks from 1.73865. In Tokyo, where trading ends before Europe\'s business day begins, the dollar fell 0.59 yen to a closing 122.43 yen. Later, in London, it was quoted higher at 122.30 yen, and in New York, the dollar rose to 122.49 yen from 122.30 late Thursday. In London, the dollar gained against the British pound. It cost $1.8490 to buy one pound, cheaper than $1.8510 Thursday. In New York, the pound was worth $1.8495, compared with late Thursday\'s $1.85505. Other late dollar rates in New York, compared with late Thursday\'s prices, included: 1.4620 Swiss francs, down from 1.4633; 5.9290 French francs, down from 5.9350; 1,282.75 Italian lire, down from 1,283.00; and 1.19665 Canadian dollars, up from 1.19275. Other late dollar rates in Europe, compared with late Thursday\'s rates, included: 1.4605 Swiss francs, down from 1.4665; 5.9240 French francs, down from 5.9450; 1.9560 Dutch guilders, down from 1.9645; 1,280.25 Italian lire, down from 1,285.00; 1.1970 Canadian dollars, up from 1.1933. Gold closed at $422.90 a troy ounce on the Commodity Exchange in New York, up from 421.30 late Thursday. But gold fell earlier in London to a late bid price of $420.75 a troy ounce, compared with $423.50 late Thursday, and in Zurich, it closed at a bid $420.30, compared with $423 bid late Thursday. In Hong Kong, gold fell $1.24 to close at a bid $423.64. Silver bullion prices held steady on the London market where the metal was trading at a late bid price of $6.16 a troy ounce, unchanged from Thursday. On the Commodity Exchange in New York, silver rose to $6.175 a troy ounce from late Thursday\'s $6.128.\r\n'),(231,2,'Garri Kasparov of the Soviet Union moved into first place Sunday in the World Cup Chess Championship with a 10th round victory over Ulf Andersson of Sweden. He took over the lead from Joan Ehlvest of the Soviet Union, who lost to Anatoly Karpov, also of the Soviet Union. Ehlvest is in second place and Karpov in third. There were draws between Nigel Short of Britain and Alexandre Beliavski of Sweden, Arthur Youssoupov of the Soviet Union and Johan Hjartarson of Iceland and Jesus Nogueiras of Cuba and Boris Spassky of France. The three-week tournament, the second of six in the World Cup, will reward a total of $1.2 million in prize money to the winners. Sixteen grandmasters are competing in the tournament. Standings after Sunday\'s 10th round: 1. Garri Kasparov, USSR, 7.5 2. Joan Elvest, USSR, 7 3. Anatoly Karpov, USSR, 6 ( l adjounred) 4. Andrei Sokolov, USSR, 6 Boris Spassky, France 6 6. Robert Hubner, West Germany 5.5 ( l adjounred) 7. Zolan Ribli, Hungary, 5.5 8. Nigel Short, Britain, 5 9. Ulf Andersson, Sweden,4 Alexander Beliavski, Sweden, 4 Jonathan Speelman, Britain, 4 Arthur Yoiussoupov, USSR, 4 Johan Hjartson, Iceland, 4 14.Ljubomir Ljubojevic, Yugoslavia, 3.5 Jesus Nogueiras, Cuba, 4 Jan Timman, Netherlands, 4\r\n'),(232,2,'A royal snafu has erupted over a dry cleaner\'s insistence on using the nickname she has had since childhood: Lady Di. The British government frowns on anyone taking the royal family\'s names in vain, including Diana, wife of Prince Charles, and twice has asked Diane Storoni to rename her establishment in Vista, about 45 miles north of San Diego. ``It\'s my name and I\'m not going to change it for anybody,\'\' said Storoni, who says her family has called her Lady Di since she was a baby. ``That\'s that. I, personally, don\'t think she (the Princess of Wales) cares about this.\'\' Angus Mackay, spokesman at the British consulate in Los Angeles, said the names of members of the royal family are ``never used in commercial solicitation either in Britain or anywhere in the world.\'\' He also doesn\'t like the way Storoni advertises her company as ``Cleaners to the Royal Family.\'\' The radio commercial features an impersonation of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The advertisement ``cheapens not only the royal family themselves, but also the humanitarian values with which they are so closely associated around the world,\'\' Mackay wrote in a June 14 letter. Mackay said the consulate has received several letters from local residents offended by the ads. He said a British company can advertise that it provides goods or services to the royal family only if designated ``by appointment to the royal family.\'\' ``We simply wanted to make the company aware of all of that,\'\' he said, ``and it\'s really up to the company to decide what they want to do. We certainly don\'t intend to take it any further.\'\' But Storoni does. She wants to open a Lady Di plant in London next year. And for anyone who is offended, her business partner, Gennaro Marinelli, said, ``Perhaps you might suggest a little less starch in their laundry.\'\'\r\n'),(233,2,'A U.S. presidential panel urged closer Western cooperation Thursday to prevent airliner bombings and called for a tough response to nations sponsoring such attacks. Ann McLaughlin, former U.S. labor secretary and head of the commission, said at a news conference that a ``common purpose exists to combat terrorism\'\' and called for more sharing of information to protect travelers. President Bush created the commission on Aviation, Security and Terrorism in August as a result of the Dec. 21, 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The seven-member panel is traveling through Europe to sound out anti-terrorism policies. At the news conference, Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a New Jersey Democrat, urged Western governments to strike back at any state proved to be involved in terrorist attacks on aviation. ``We have to let these states know we mean business,\'\' he said. Investigators have suggested there might be an Iranian connection to the Lockerbie bombing, which killed all 259 people on board and 11 on the ground. The jet was bound for New York. In the Sept. 19 bombing of a French UTA jumbo jet over Niger, investigators say they are convinced a Middle Eastern state was involved. French press reports have said it could be Libya. Members of the commission said they did not go into specifics of the UTA crash with French officials. But they said the fact that both nations shared a similar tragedy made their conversations more intensive. Another commission member, Sen. Alfonse M. D\'Amato, a New York Republican, said U.S. and French officials agreed that security at African airports was a ``gaping hole\'\' that must fixed. France has announced a $20 million program to improve security at African airports. The UTA flight, in which 170 people died, originated in Brazzaville, Congo and stopped in N\'Djamena, Chad. McLaughlin said it was too early to give any indication of what recommendations the group would make to Bush. Their report is due in mid-May. ``We\'ll come up with something or we will have failed,\'\' she said. ``We can\'t leave the impression the terrorists are winning.\'\' The group visited Charles De Gaulle airport to look at French security measures, baggage handling and passenger check-in procedures. They said they also discussed new technology aimed at examining baggage to search for explosives.\r\n'),(234,2,'When 79-year-old Eishiro Saito steps down this week as chairman of Japan\'s most powerful business lobby, his successor will inherit a legendary organization, but one that\'s losing its luster. The Federation of Economic Organizations, better known as Keidanren, has gained widespread international recognition for the huge role it played in bringing Japan to its current heights of prosperity and economic development. However, its influence has waned in recent years because of aging leadership, business scandals and a decline in the importance of heavy industry that traditionally has dominated the federation. Most observers believe Friday\'s leadership change may mark the beginning of a transitional period for the federation, although they expect no immediate switch in the policies of Japan\'s economic giants. The 44-year-old Keidanren was first regarded as the voice of ``Japan Inc.\'\' in the 1950s. As one of four large industrial federations, Keidanren helped direct business development and ensured support from the government by controlling business donations to political parties. The federation became the ``overall coordinator and fund-raiser\'\' for the Liberal Democratic Party that has governed for 35 years, journalist Karel Van Wolferen wrote in his book ``The Enigma of Japanese Power.\'\' Keidanren has 938 corporate members, including nearly all the nation\'s major companies, and 121 business associations. Steel makers, ship builders, and power companies traditionally have dominated the leadership. Saito and his successor, Gaishi Hiraiwa, are both from this old guard. Saito is honorary chairman of Nippon Steel Corp., the world\'s largest steel maker, while Hiraiwa is chairman of Tokyo Electric Co., the world\'s largest private electric power producer. Keidanren still is very close to the governing party. Its opinions on everything from trade to U.S. relations to foreign aid carry enough clout to draw most foreign business and political leaders to the federation\'s somber building on a side street in the Otemachi business district. But Keidanren has lost some pull in political circles as the ``base of expertise,\'\' which policy makers depend on for information, has broadened to include parliamentary committees and independent research institutes, said Kermit L. Schoenholtz, an analyst for Salomon Brothers Asia Ltd. A symptom of this loss of influence was seen last spring, when Liberal Democratic Party officials bypassed the federation and collected political donations from companies directly. Japan also has lost the national consensus of the immediate postwar years when government, industry and most private individuals believed all Japanese should work together to rebuild. ``The business community as a single community is breaking down,\'\' said Seichiro Yonekura, an associate professor of business history at Hitotsubashi University. As the main symbol of the tight relations between big business and government, Keidanren has been tarred by recent business scandals involving its members, some observers say. Keidanren also lost esteem among the public earlier this year when Saito issued a report opposing proposed land taxes on corporations designed to reduce Japan\'s outrageously high real estate prices, a problem that many people have blamed on corporate greed. ``The image of Saito (came) down\'\' as a result, Yonekura said. But his image already was hurting. During Saito\'s first two-year term, which began in 1986, he had been considered a lucky optimist exemplified by his philosophy: ``Seek for brightness and do not look at darkness.\'\' In photographs, he resembled a balding, bespectacled leprechaun. But several articles in the local press in the last two years criticized him for weakness and lacking a philosophy. Hiraiwa, 76, has a reputation for relatively progressive thinking, although he has not yet articulated a philosophy for Keidanren. A seemingly cheerful man, he also is known as self-effacing and patient, in part due to his 13-year service as a federation vice chairman. Compared to Saito, the new chairman is seen as someone ``more in tune with popular opinion,\'\' said Gregory Clark, a professor at Sophia University who studies Japan\'s economy. Shijuro Ogata, deputy governor of the Japan Development Bank, believes Hiraiwa may be ``in the long run, the beginning of a transition\'\' to younger leadership. The next leader probably will come from among the federation\'s 12 vice chairmen, who are scheduled for a reshuffling next month after selection rules were changed to bring in men younger than 70. The new officers reportedly will represent industries such as services and distribution.\r\n'),(235,2,'Residents said Thursday they will ban further excavations around the gold-filled tomb of the father of Alexander the Great until plans for a museum are approved. ``The finds from Vergina should be displayed in a museum here, where they come from. People are protesting because they\'re tired of government promises that it will be built one day,\'\' said Mayor Andreas Vlazakis. Artifacts from the tomb _ including priceless gold-decorated armor, gold wreaths and jewelery _ are displayed in the Salonica Museum, 44 miles away. Vergina first made headlines in 1977 when Professor Manolis Andronikos of Salonica University unearthed the tomb of King Philip of Macedon beneath a mound in the village. Andronikos, who has excavated at Vergina for 50 years, said he wouldn\'t challenge the digging ban, but added: ``I feel very bitter and I hope reason will prevail.\'\' Alexander the Great became ruler of Macedon when his father was assassinated at a wedding feast in 336 B.C.\r\n'),(236,2,'The House Ways and Means Committee is demanding that the Beijing government improve its human rights policies before the United States renews special trade privileges for another year. However, the committee, which originates all trade legislation in Congress, rejected an effort to withdraw the most-favored-nation trade benefits that President Bush extended to China last month. Those benefits guarantee the lowest tariffs available on goods imported into the United States. ``Our object ought to be to improve human rights in China, not to cut off trade,\'\' Rep. Donald Pease, D-Ohio, said Wednesday in arguing successfully for his bill, which the committee approved by voice vote. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., chairman of the committee, supported Pease\'s bill. ``We are all outraged by human rights atrocities taking place in China,\'\' but revoking trade benefits would be counterproductive, he said. Rep. Richard Schulze, R-Pa., made several unsuccessful attempts to toughen the bill. Despite the massacre of protesters in Beijing\'s Tianamen Square in June 1989 and other human rights violations, ``the resolution says `you get one more year to do a little better,\'\'\' Schulze said. ``We have said we are going to turn our backs on it, that the almighty dollar ... is much more important.\'\' Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., described Pease\'s bill as ``an attempt to create enough common ground that the president and Congress can stand on it together.\'\' Anything tougher almost certainly would be vetoed, he said. In granting the trade benefit this year, Bush had to consider only China\'s emigration policy and was allowed by law to waive any concerns about it in the national interest. The bill would not affect the designation for the next 12 months. Before renewing most-favored-nation status next year, the bill would require the president to consider whether the Beijing government has made significant progress in several areas. They include: _Terminating martial law. _Accounting for citizens who were arrested as a result of nonviolent expression of political beliefs during the uprising that led to the Tianamen Square massacre. _Easing restrictions on freedom of the press. _Ceasing harassment of Chinese citizens in the United States. The president also would have to consider how denial of the trade benefit would affect Hong Kong, the British crown colony that borders China. Some members quarreled with the ``significant progress\'\' phrase in the bill. ``If you shoot 1,000 people instead of 5,000, have you made progress?\'\' asked Rep. Marty Russo, D-Ill. Bipartisan legislation in the Senate would withdraw most-favored-nation status outright on grounds the Beijing government continues to engage in torture, use of forced labor, denial of emigration and suppression of domestic dissent, as well as support of Khmer Rouge forces in Cambodia. Almost all nations, except developing countries, whose exports are allowed tariff-free treatment, have been given most-favored-nation status. Exceptions include Cuba and Vietnam.\r\n'),(237,2,'Universal Pictures may have won a temporary financial victory with ``The Last Temptation of Christ,\'\' but the film could be costly to the studio in the long-run, some fundamentalist religious leaders say. The movie played to sold-out crowds last week in seven U.S. cities and two in Canada, taking in $44,579 per screen for a three-day total of $401,211, Universal said. ``We\'re gratified at the response of the American people. Every show sold out. We\'re pleased,\'\' Universal President Tom Pollock said. John Krier of Exhibitor Relations Co., which surveys box office performance, described the film\'s debut as phenomenal. ``This is a tremendous showing,\'\' he said. A movie in general release _ for example, one shown on 1,300 to 1,400 screens, ``is really something\'\' if it takes in $7,000 to $8,000 a screen, Krier said. ``With all this free publicity, of course they were full. But the more the Christian community sees this thing, the angrier they will get,\'\' the Rev. Donald Wildmon of the Tupelo, Miss.-based American Family Association said Monday. The preacher is among several religious leaders who have labeled the film blasphemous and have urged urged a boycott of MCA Inc., Universal\'s parent company. ``There\'s no question that in Round 1, the publicity that we generated created a lot of curiosity,\'\' said Tim Penland, who served as a religious consultant to Universal but later resigned to protest the film. ``It certainly appears we helped Universal,\'\' he said. But he predicted the adverse publicity will ``ultimately burn Universal.\'\' ``There comes a point where the publicity becomes damaging,\'\' Wildmon agreed. Wildmon said the demonstrations, which climaxed Thursday with a march on Universal Studios by 25,000 Christians, are over. The next tactic will go beyond the boycott of Universal films, Universal Tours and appeals to MCA shareholders, he said, adding he may disclose the next strategy later in the week. ``Christians are angry,\'\' Wildmon said. ``They (Universal) may realize short-term profits, but in the long-term they will hurt economically from this. The anger is building and this isn\'t going to be forgotten in two weeks.\'\' Some conservative Christians have denounced the movie for what they said was a blasphemous depiction of Jesus, who is portrayed as fantasizing about abandoning death on the cross to live as a man and raise a family with Mary Magdalene. Director Martin Scorsese, a Roman Catholic, has said the movie is a work of fiction and was not made with blasphemous intent.\r\n'),