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with voters in quebec expected to vote this year on a referendum on sovereignty , president_clinton eased away today from a policy of american neutrality and sent an unambiguous signal that the united_states would prefer that canada remain intact . that the administration would rather not contend with a separate quebec was not a surprise . but in an address to the canadian parliament , mr . clinton injected a rare american appeal into the debate over whether quebec should go its own way . " in a world darkened by ethnic conflicts that tear nations apart , canada stands as a model of how people of different cultures can live and work together in peace , prosperity and mutual respect , " he said . the remark brought all but the 53 members of the quebec separatist party to their feet . as he began a two day state_visit in this wintry capital , the president won even more shouts of applause from prime_minister_jean_chretien and others opposed to quebec separatism as he quoted from a speech that president truman delivered to the parliament 48 years ago . " canada 's notable achievement of national unity and progress through accommodation , moderation and forbearance can be studied with profit by sister nations , " mr . clinton said , adding , " those words ring every bit as true today as they did then . " in an effort to cushion the effect of his remarks , the president took pains to repeat that canada 's political future was " for canadians to decide , " which members of the bloc quebecois quickly greeted with their own loud round of applause . though mr . clinton 's words may have been oblique , mr . chretien made plain that he welcomed them as an encouragement to voters in the predominantly french speaking province to question the wisdom of sovereignty . his liberal_party government is preparing to wage a fierce campaign against the separatist referendum . but on a day on which he met privately with both mr . chretien and with lucien bouchard , the leader of the bloc quebecois , mr . clinton was clearly charting a careful course . mr . bouchard , who returned to work only this week after losing a leg to a flesh eating bacteria , glowered noticeably during parts of mr . clinton 's speech . after meeting with the president tonight , he said he had tried to explain more about the quebec separatist_movement but made clear that he had not welcomed mr . clinton 's earlier remarks . " he has the right to say what he said , " mr . bouchard told reporters . " there is nothing in the diplomatic code that obliges me to stand for something i do n't like to hear . it did not give me any enthusiasm . " mr . clinton was the first american president to agree to talks with a quebec separatist leader , but aides said his decision reflected only the bloc 's status as a full fledged opposition party in parliament . the president did not disguise the intent of his speech , which white_house officials said he had reviewed in advance with mr . chretien in a telephone conversation on tuesday night . after the address , the president told reporters , " i think they got the message . " another highlight of mr . clinton 's visit here is to be a ceremony on friday in which he and mr . chretien will sign a civil_aviation agreement intended to build upon the north_american_free_trade_agreement . the accord will eliminate most restrictions on air_traffic between the two countries , making way for more flights and lower fares . as mr . clinton and mr . chretien used toasts and tributes and a loin of elk dinner tonight to celebrate what is already the world 's largest trading relationship , their attention to quebec made clear that they still shared some uneasiness about the referendum , which is expected to be held by the end of the year . recent public opinion_polls have suggested that no more than 40 percent of the voters in the province may be ready to support sovereignty . but advocates of separatism have not yet drafted the question that will appear on the ballots , and questions over how its phrasing might affect the outcome have left mr . chretien and his supporters less than certain that they can block the latest quest for a sovereign quebec .

on its face , it is no great shakes that russia 's sixth biggest oil company , sibneft , unveiled a spiffy new green and blue logo in april . what makes it a symbolic symbol indeed is the logo 's two flavors traditional cyrillic , for russians and english , for most everyone else . for an industry that has exemplified this nation 's hand on the throat style of business , there may be no better metaphor . russia 's oil tycoons largely founded their empires through dark of night political deals and squeezing out competitors , and until lately they have run their companies pretty much the same way . but now , if the barons themselves are to be believed , the era of wildcatter capitalism is over . the new mantra of russian oil companies is the same one invoked in the worsted wool realm of western business corporate strategies , transparent finances , independent directors , professional managers . ''russia is following the world trend , '' sibneft 's fordham educated president , yevgeny schvidler , said in a recent interview . ''sometimes , it is in front of the trend . '' there remains but one hitch just as with spiffy new logos , not everyone is ready to believe that the transformations are much more than symbolic . sibneft is in some ways a test_case of whether the industry can reinvent itself or whether it really wants to . from their european style offices on the very toniest stretch of downtown 's moscow river bank , executives say they are remaking the company in the image of global business and , to an extent , experts agree . in recent months , the company has issued russia 's first corporate_governance charter , a document that sets out rules for treating all shareholders fairly , and agreed to give outsiders two seats on its board . and in the spring it began selling its shares on secondary international markets in the form of american drawing rights . the company is gunning for full listing on foreign exchanges in the years ahead . sibneft is one of a handful of russian companies whose books are audited according to ''generally accepted accounting practices , '' meaning that results are reported using the same rules that apply to foreign companies . and unlike other big russian oil companies , it pledges to make public the identities of major shareholders , probably next year . ''russia 's most progressive oil company , '' sibneft boasts in an advertisement that ran recently in one local newspaper . and analysts say that could be true . the problem , they caution , is that the competition is not especially stiff . russian oil companies , sibneft included , are saddled with such murky and occasionally devious pasts that international business rules are still a novelty for many . and even well run companies are enmeshed in russia 's treacherous politics , where a single misstep can have serious consequences . russia has its share of well run companies lukoil , the biggest , is also making strides toward more open operations , and surgutneftegaz , no . 3 , is seen as downright conservative . but western investors know from bitter experience not to take them at face value . the country 's second biggest oil company , yukos , used stock issues to move much of itself offshore earlier this year in an attempt to skirt creditors and minority_shareholders , including the american financier kenneth dart . bp amoco sank 571 million into russia 's no . 5 oil company , sidanko , in 1997 , only to discover that its books concealed huge debts . the company went bankrupt , and a politically attuned russian oil company , tyumen , has since picked off some of sidanko 's most valuable assets in what skeptics say is a rigged bankruptcy court . last week , though , it agreed to return a prized siberian oil_field to bp amoco 's control . the industry is legendary for its schemes to launder oil money , mislabeling products and manipulating sales prices to move profits into offshore banks and away from shareholders and government authorities . such behavior may not be excusable , analysts say , but it is explained easily enough . ''you have to remember that this is an industry where the primary interest , at least until a couple of years ago , was to get the cash and run , '' vittorio juncker , a petroleum analyst for the world_bank in london , said in a recent interview . ''oil was one of the best ways in which you could accumulate financial reserves outside russia . a lot of private fortunes have been built on that . '' it is precisely that sort of reputation that sibneft officials say they are leaving behind . and for good reason increasingly , being a traditional russian oil company can be dangerous to one 's corporate health . sibneft is only about four years old , but already its past is not pretty . like a number of leading oil companies , sibneft sprang from a now notorious program called ''loans for shares , '' in which the kremlin handed out stakes in major industries almost always to insider friends as collateral for loans it never repaid . in sibneft 's case , a company tied to boris_berezovsky , the tycoon and political lightning_rod who was boris_yeltsin 's re election campaign financier , won the rights to 51 percent of the stock in 1995 . in return for a 100 million loan , he got control of a company then valued at roughly 600 million , including russia 's best oil_refinery and proven petroleum reserves larger than those of texaco . several insider deals , a lawsuit and a hotly disputed auction later , a single group unidentified , so far controls some 90 percent of the company . both sibneft and mr . berezovsky now insist that he has no financial interest in the company , which seems to be dominated by an equally wealthy berezovsky associate and friend of mr . yeltsin , roman_abramovich . shareholder or not , mr . berezovsky seems lashed to the company in the eyes of his enemies . as prime_minister last february , the most prominent of those enemies , yevgeny m . primakov , engineered a nine hour police raid on sibneft 's headquarters , seizing surveillance equipment to bolster charges that mr . berezovsky spied on political figures . mr . berezovsky denies the allegations . mr . yeltsin fired mr . primakov last summer , and he is now seen as a major contender in next june 's presidential elections . that could bode ill mr . primakov 's allies in the otechestvo party have talked of revoking the supposedly rigged loans for shares deals , with sibneft dead in their sights . ''their basic problem of the controlling shareholders is that they 're very sensitive to the political environment , '' said ivan mazalov , an oil industry analyst at troika_dialog , a moscow brokerage_firm . ''they have lots of powerful friends . and they have quite a few enemies who , should they come to power , would certainly make efforts to settle scores . '' sibneft 's president , mr . schvindler , says he is well aware of the hazards of hitching a company 's fortunes to politicians , and has erected a corporate barrier between politics and business that is ''higher than a chinese wall . '' sibneft nevertheless continues to benefit from government favors like its inclusion in a food for oil exchange with iraq . news reports suggest that it could receive more favored treatment in a looming selloff of government oil assets , an apparent pre election move by the kremlin to shore up corporate political backing . sibneft also supplies petroleum from its omsk refinery to an oil trading company run in part by mr . yeltsin 's son in law , leonid dyachenko . mr . schvindler says the relationship began well before sibneft took over the omsk refinery and , in any case , that the dealings are at arm 's length . still , sibneft has moved with growing speed to convince foreigners of its legitimacy since mr . schvindler took over the top job in 1998 . and ''at some point you have to allow a company a chance to become a good corporate citizen , '' said eric wigertz , an analyst in the moscow office of brunswick_warburg . ''sibneft is taking some good steps , at least on paper . '' significantly , the company settled a venomous dispute this spring with mr . dart , perhaps the industry 's most vociferous critic , by giving him representation on sibneft 's board in exchange for agreement to roll an oil extraction subsidiary and mr . dart 's shares in it into the larger company . mr . schvindler also has plans to halt a financial slide that some credit to a lack of oil knowledgeable management during the early and mid 90 's . oil_production in sibneft 's fields has fallen almost every year this decade , and will remain low in 1999 . investment has sunk to half its 1996 level in the wake of last year 's economic crash . but the company will also pay down nearly three fourths of its debt by the end of this year , analysts say , and it has teamed up with the international oil services company schlumberger to tease more oil from aging wells . sibneft has also announced plans for a network of more than 1 , 000 retail gas stations still a novelty in russia , where most stations are literally mom and pop operations . most will be in siberia , where the company has a natural monopoly . experts say that owning the stations will allow sibneft to maintain cash_flow and profits even when oil prices fall . but sibneft , they add , still has to settle two important matters . one is that its major partner in petroleum exports is a gibraltar company , runicom , which is not only owned by sibneft management , but which itself owns 10 percent of sibneft . that leaves sibneft open to the charge that it has funneled profits to managers by selling its oil to runicom at a discount such internal transactions are not public . mr . schvindler says the company does not manipulate oil prices now , if it ever did , and adds that the general figures in its latest audit back that . the second is sibneft 's still secret ownership , which some critics say could be disclosed in short order if the company were genuinely committed to openness . mr . schvindler says it is not that easy . in russia , the wealthy are marked people , by criminals and government alike , and pulling back the veil on ownership is a long and complex process . some suspect that process began early this month , when more than 40 percent of sibneft shares were shifted from a company believed to be controlled by mr . berezovsky to a russian bank . others say the shift was a defensive move to prevent mr . primakov from linking mr . berezovsky to sibneft in the presidential campaign . this is how business is conducted in russia , at least for the moment . ''they 're moving in the right direction , '' james henderson , director of research at renaissance capital , a moscow investment_bank , said of sibneft 's managers . ''but an investment community which has become very , very cynical about russia and with good reason will be very skeptical about whether they 're really playing by the rules or just putting up a facade . ''

lead two of the yankees' 19 minority owners have hired an investment_bank to sell their interest in the team and japanese buyers are among those being courted , the president of the bank said yesterday . worth has soared mccluskey said some analysts had estimated that the yankees are now worth between 300 and 400 million . although mccluskey would not discuss the asking price , it seemed apparent that he was seeking between 30 million and 40 million for the shares . by contrast , when doubleday and company inc . sold the mets to nelson doubleday and fred_wilpon in november 1986 , the price was about 100 million . ''they know they can realize a fairly attractive return on their investment , '' mccluskey said . ''now is a good time to sell . '' during a recent trip to japan , mccluskey said , he had discussed the available portion of the yankees with foreign investors . ''there are options with overseas buyers and that includes japanese buyers , '' mccluskey said . ''the japanese are very fond of the sport of baseball . it 's one of the largest pastimes in japan . it 's worth exploring and we will explore it . '' although a sale of a minority share need not be approved by the other major_league owners , a sale to foreign investors would likely draw their attention as some among them have expressed reservations about foreign ownerships of a major_league team . japanese interests do own minor_league teams . satter , who is from boston , and leighton , from cleveland , would not confirm that they had put their percentage of the team up for sale . ''i have no comment on that , '' satter said in a telephone interview . ''i have no comment on what we 're doing . '' ''i ca n't comment on that , '' leighton said in a telephone interview . ansbacher inc . specializes in media mergers and acquisitions and its clients are usually newspapers , magazines and book publishers . mccluskey said that the investment_bank had recently increased its work in the entertainment industry and that the yankees qualified as entertainers . mccluskey said his clients' portion of the yankees had been on sale for a week and that there had been a handful of conversations . ''we 've opened up a few discussions and they 've been very encouraging , '' he said . ''there will be many more discussions . '' mccluskey predicted that the sale would probably happen in the next four months . angels 12 , yankees 6 the yankees lost a lot last night in the first inning . they lost two runs , a player , a coach and their manager after a questionable call on an apparent home_run . it took a few hours and a gallant but futile comeback effort before they actually lost the game , 12 6 , to the angels in 11 innings at yankee_stadium . dante bichette smacked a double off lee guetterman to drive in luis polonia , a pinch runner , with the winning run . the angels added five more runs as 11 players batted in the inning . polonia even came around to bat and had a run scoring single . the yankees had charged back from a 5 0 deficit to take a 6 5 lead into the ninth , but bichette hit a homer with one out off eric plunk to tie the score . with the yankees trailing by 4 0 in the first , steve sax singled and scored when jim leyritz lined a ball into the right field seats . both players were in the dugout and the runs were on the scoreboard when the umpires called the ball foul . a slow_motion television replay clearly showed that the ball was fair . the yankees bickered with the three man umpiring crew and ejections soon followed . coach mike ferraro was thrown out by the first base umpire , jim evans . drew coble , the home plate_umpire , ejected leyritz and manager stump merrill was tossed by the third base umpire , tim welke . dale ford was the only umpire who did not eject a yankee and he was at home for personal reasons . the angels took the early lead by raking chuck cary for five runs in one and two thirds innings , with dave_winfield slamming a three run triple .

financial watchdogs from wall_street to the city comptroller are worried about the shaky revenue assumptions in mayor rudolph_giuliani 's proposed budget . to understand why , consider the plan for parking_meters . there are 67 , 000 parking_meters in new york city , bringing in about 50 million a year in revenue . mr . giuliani wants to turn the meters over to a private company that would increase the payout by reducing breakdowns and theft . the budget anticipates this improved management will increase revenue by at least 15 million a year . therefore , the mayor intends to borrow 150 million to help balance the upcoming budget , and pay off the loan with the next 10 years' increased profits . of course , if the private company does not dramatically increase parking meter income , the city will have to deduct an extra 15 million out of its other revenues every year for the next decade . the mayor is gambling , and history suggests he is betting against the odds . the city first tried privatizing its parking_meters in 1968 , after half the employees assigned to empty the meters were arrested for stealing the coins . but private companies turned out not to be corruption proof , either . in 1981 , the city canceled its contract with brinks after its guards were caught stealing the meter contents . mayor edward koch hired a new company and predicted a big improvement in the city 's income from the meters . ( in what was to become a secondary theme in the parking meter saga , mr . koch also lashed out at justice hortense gabel for being too lenient in sentencing one of the brinks thieves . ) in 1987 , virtually the entire parking meter collection team from the city 's then contractor , cosmopolitan courier , was arrested for stealing quarters . mayor koch decided the city had better go back to handling the meters itself , and predicted that collections would rise dramatically . he also lashed out at justice ruth moskowitz for giving the collectors conditional discharges instead of jail terms . " i will continue to speak out , " mayor koch vowed . it was the only prediction related to parking_meters that came true . six years later , 21 city collectors were arrested for stealing quarters from the parking_meters . six got jail sentences , despite a lack of mayoral involvement in the court proceedings . now , the giuliani administration is literally reinventing government by looking for a private contractor . the city is right to keep struggling to make the meters more lucrative . but the record suggests it should be very cautious about predicting that change will lead to a long term improvement , let alone 15 million a year in extra revenue .

what frustrated sharon mullon most about working at nassau_county 's social_services building was n't the leaking ceilings or flaking paint . those were temporary problems that could be fixed . what really bothered ms . mullon , the commissioner of the county 's department of senior citizen affairs , was that her office was not wheelchair accessible even though it served the elderly . that problem was finally resolved last month when the department relocated from the main social_services building in garden city to a facility now being renovated in uniondale . the move is the first phase of the county 's ambitious plan to consolidate its operations on five campuses around the county that are more efficiently run and consumer friendly . but the plan hit a roadblock this month , when a judge issued a temporary restraining_order preventing the sale of a parking_lot adjacent to the social_services building at 101 county_seat drive . the county needs to sell that property to offset the cost of the consolidation and building renovations . and while county officials said the prospective buyer wanted to build upscale town houses on the site , community activists want the county to require the developer to build at least some lower cost housing . ''we certainly have a dire need on long_island for affordable_housing , '' said joan noguera , executive director of the nassau suffolk coalition for the homeless . the county_executive , thomas r . suozzi , said the problems would be worked out . ''any project of this scope is going to have bumps in the road , '' he said . ''in the case of the parking , we know we have to fix it . '' mr . suozzi has been working on a plan to centralize operations and shed unneeded county property since he took office in 2002 . ''we did n't know how many buildings we leased , '' he said . ''we did n't know how many buildings we owned . '' the county conducted an inventory , discovering that not only did it own or occupy more than 700 buildings , many of those structures had not been maintained for decades and needed extensive repairs . sheldon cohen , director of real_estate for the county , estimated that it would cost 150 million to remove asbestos and to bring the structures up to code . mr . suozzi 's plan is to renovate some of the existing buildings , build some new ones and rent some others , paying part of the bill with the 150 million he expects to raise from the sale of real_estate the county no longer uses . county officials said the additional 50 million to 150 million it needs for the rents and new construction is expected to come from savings from consolidation of programs and the reduction of maintenance , security and operation costs . ''we 're going to help a lot of people by doing this and save money at the same time , '' mr . suozzi said . nassau already has agreed to sell about 10 million in real_estate . county officials said they are in the final stages of negotiation with a developer , whom they declined to identify , who is expected to buy the 25 acre property , including the social_services building , the adjacent parking_lot and some maintenance buildings on the other side of county_seat drive , for more than 30 million . bob schoelle , the garden city village administrator , said it had rezoned the site so that single family homes and town houses can be built . he said the village had no problem with the development that is now being discussed . but the village of mineola and the court officers benevolent association of nassau_county have filed lawsuits to prevent the sale because the county has not determined how it would replace the 1 , 500 parking_spaces it would lose when the land is sold . ''they did n't give us a plan or options , '' said anthony longo , president of the benevolent association . he said that court employees are entitled to safe , convenient parking . on feb . 16 , justice charles j . thomas of state supreme_court in queens issued a temporary restraining_order preventing the sale of the parking_lot . county officials said they would continue to work to resolve the conflict . ''the county is not constrained by the judge 's order pursuant to our appeal under section 5519 of the cplr , '' mr . cohen said . ''we will continue , as we have been , to find a solution to the court officers' concerns that not only preserves parking_spaces but enhances them . '' jack m . martins , the mayor of mineola , said the village was working hard to renovate its downtown and fears spillover traffic_congestion from a reduction in the number of parking_spaces in the county complex , which is not in mineola but has a mineola postal address . the county last year approved a_12 million bond for initial costs connected to the relocation . the money is being used to pay for new office furniture , parking , construction and the relocation of 1 , 600 county workers to the new health_and_human_services center at 60 charles lindbergh boulevard in east garden city . eight departments , including social_services , drug and alcohol , health , office of the physically challenged , mental_health , senior citizens , veterans' services and the youth board , are expected to relocate to the new site by summer from five different sites . ''it 's an integrated service model , '' said mary r . curtis , deputy county_executive for health_and_human_services . ''you can come in and there 's no wrong door . ''

on a good new jersey map , the border lines between the two princetons are clear tiny princeton borough looks like the hole in a lumpy princeton township doughnut . otherwise , the borders were unmarked until recently , when green and white ''welcome to princeton'' signs appeared just inside the borough 's limits . the borough 's mayor , marvin reed , said the signs were meant as warnings to truckers in much smaller letters , they say ''truck weight limits are strictly_enforced . '' but to some supporters of a proposal on tuesday 's ballot to merge the township and the borough , the signs seem like a not so subtle ''no'' vote . joan crespi , a borough resident who views the two communities as one , said the signs are ''like a 'welcome to new york' on broadway and 42d . '' organizational differences between townships and boroughs are slight . the two princetons already share a school_district , a fire department and 15 other services . and the borough 's bustling downtown historic_district of coffeehouses , shops and restaurants , and the township 's parks and suburban homes give the impression that they are one town . still , each princeton has its own police chief , municipal hall and public works yard full of snowplows . a study this year estimated that if the two became one , total administration costs would be reduced by 700 , 000 . with both communities planning to build or remodel municipal buildings , taxpayers would save even more by building together . and proponents say the merger would end problems for residents living near the border , who tell stories of police officers debating which side of the line an incident took place . but opponents mostly residents of the borough are waging an emotional battle of speeches , letters and fliers against the proposal . led by a community group called preserve our historic borough , they contend that merging the 1 . 76 square_mile borough and the 16 . 39 square_mile township that surrounds it will not save money , but will simply give township residents a say in borough affairs . stuart carothers , the treasurer of preserve our historic borough and a princeton_university alumnus , said a consolidated princeton could suffer the fate of new haven , the site of princeton_university 's ivy_league sister , yale_university . ''it 's gotten to be that the inner city means the slum , '' he said . the students of princeton_university are seen as a powerful voting_bloc . members of preserve our historic borough say the merger supporters put the issue on the ballot during a presidential_election expecting a high turnout among princeton students , who they believe will vote for the merger . merger opponents fear that township residents , whom they characterize as ' 'suburban commuters , '' will not care enough about the borough 's colonial architecture to protect it . the proponents dismiss those arguments . ''they claim it 's a different culture in the borough , '' said robert levine , a township resident for 30 years . ''it 's just idiotic . some people are just silly snobs . '' long ago , new jersey was divided into townships , and when populations began condensing around train stations , many incorporated into separate boroughs . the borough of princeton had a slightly different genesis , according to research done by a consolidation committee in the early 1800 's , peace officers did not want to have to take rowdy hooligans in the town center all the way to the county jail . this is the sixth time since 1952 that the two princetons have seriously studied a merger . each time , residents of the township have supported the merger , while borough residents have not . now , the majority of local elected officials including both princetons' mayors support the merger . gov . jim_florio prodded the state 's 567 municipalities to share services , and his successor , gov . christine_todd_whitman , has been pushing harder , especially in the wake of her cuts in the state_income_tax that have reduced state aid to municipalities . but to little avail no towns have merged since the 1950 's . in sussex_county on tuesday , residents in hardyston township , franklin borough and hamburg borough will vote on whether to study a consolidation . so the current princeton proposal is something of a test_case . ''if it is defeated , '' said don linky , president of the public affairs research institute of new jersey , ''it 's unlikely you 'll find other communities looking at merger as a serious option . '' politics local government.

new york 's lieutenant governor wandered around the capitol today , befuddled but determined , as she searched for the special meeting the speaker of the assembly had convened to discuss the future of new york city 's public schools . the meeting has been moved , a deputy sergeant at arms told betsy mccaughey as she approached the mysteriously shuttered assembly chamber . so ms . mccaughey traipsed back through the capitol , across state street and up into the legislative office building , spouting statistics , as is her wont , about the crisis facing the nation 's largest school system only to be barred from entering once she finally discovered where the meeting was being held . " it was our hope we could work in a spirit of nonpartisanship , " ms . mccaughey , a republican , said , sounding hurt while also clearly enjoying the political theater that only albany can offer . " but the door seems to be shut . " ten days ago , assembly_speaker_sheldon_silver , a democrat , announced that he would hold an " education summit , " evoking images of cold_war conferences where mortal enemies met to work toward peace . but today 's " summit " showed that , in albany at least , the cold_war is still on . the speaker 's meeting , which had appeared last week to offer new momentum to long stalled efforts to reshape the city 's schools , sputtered to an end today with nothing more than a broad agreement that the current system did not work and needed change . page b2 . having barred ms . mccaughey and other republicans from attending , the participants , limited to democrats , the board of education 's president , union leaders and parents , ended up offering no specific proposals . and about the only thing they made clear was that they did not favor mayoral control of the school system , as proposed by mayor rudolph w . giuliani and supported by the republican leadership in albany . for most of the day , however , all this substantive talk was eclipsed by the maneuvering , secrecy and bickering surrounding the speaker 's meeting . this being a " summit , " however , first of all there were matters of protocol . and the problems began there . gov . george e . pataki , a republican , did not attend , citing scheduling conflicts , although he held a news conference only minutes before the meeting began . " you 're welcome to head up there " to the democrats' meeting , he said , when asked about the timing . " go ahead . it 's fine by me . " the senate_majority_leader , joseph l . bruno , a republican who first said he would attend , today offered to send instead two republican senators john j . marchi of staten_island and guy j . velella of the bronx . but mr . silver said no . only " the principals " could attend , he said . that meant no underlings no lieutenant governors , no deputy_mayors , no mere senators , at least republicans . not even the republicans in the assembly could attend , leaving assemblyman john a . ravitz of manhattan standing awkwardly outside . " you 're locked out , too ? " he asked as ms . mccaughey whizzed by . mr . giuliani also did not attend , having already dismissed the meeting as an unproductive forum that would not advance his proposal to abolish the board of education and the chancellor 's job and replace it with a commissioner of education under city hall 's control something the assembly democrats have opposed for years . the mayor did send first deputy_mayor peter j . powers and deputy_mayor ninfa_segarra , who is also a member of the board of education . but neither was allowed to attend , whiling away the time in mr . bruno 's office . mr . powers later denounced " the meeting of exclusion , not inclusion . " perhaps the most notable absence belonged to the next chancellor , rudolph f . crew . after first saying he would not attend , then saying he would , dr . crew did not . his attendance , officials said , had became a tug of war between the mayor and the board 's president , carol a . gresser . the site of the meeting became another act in today 's theater . although the meeting was officially scheduled for 3 p.m . in the speaker 's office in the capitol , the speaker 's staff relocated it to his less formal office across the street , calling participants by beeper or cellular_phone only moments beforehand . even some of " the principals , " including mrs . gresser , did not learn of the change until they arrived in the wrong place . the speaker 's aides , speaking on condition of anonymity , said the secrecy grew from a fear that ms . mccaughey would try to crash the party , as she did in april when she sidled up to mr . silver at a news conference and asked to join his " cheap political stunt . " that prompted one of the more memorable moments in the recent legislative history the speaker raised his voice mockingly and wiggled his hips . ms . mccaughey remained undaunted , despite her endeavors to ascertain for certain that she would not be permitted to attend the meeting . the democrats , meanwhile , grumbled that her every move was staged .

a 21 year old woman died of injuries sustained after being shot in the eye by a police projectile intended to subdue an unruly crowd outside fenway_park on wednesday night , the authorities said . the woman , victoria snelgrove , of east bridgewater , mass . , was pronounced dead thursday afternoon at brigham and women 's medical center in boston , said david procopio , a spokesman for the suffolk_county district_attorney 's office . the projectile that struck ms . snelgrove , a student at emerson college in boston , was meant to be a nonlethal crowd_control device . two other people were hit , but it is unclear if they required medical attention , mr . procopio said . the boston police commissioner , kathleen o'toole , said at a news conference that the department ''accepts full responsibility'' for ms . snelgrove 's death . more than 60 , 000 people flooded the area around fenway_park after the red_sox' victory over the host yankees in game 7 of the american_league_championship_series , and were flanked by officers in riot gear . dozens of people climbed onto billboards , fences and the park 's green monster wall , near where ms . snelgrove was struck . others tried to rip down street signs , and small fires were set . eight people were arrested and 16 were injured , the police said .

secretary of state colin l . powell has offered public support for the department expert who told congress that he felt pressured to make his intelligence reports on iraq and other matters conform to administration policy . mr . powell told reporters on thursday night that he had sent word to the expert , christian westermann , a specialist on chemical and biological_weapons , that he was ''pleased'' that mr . westermann had ''honestly answered'' when asked in closed door hearings whether he had perceived such influence . ''he should not feel that he is either under any pressure or any threat for having done what he was morally required to do as a member of the department , '' mr . powell said of mr . westermann 's decision to express his concern to members of the house and senate intelligence committees . according to intelligence officials , mr . westermann told members of the committee staff that his concerns had to do with john bolton , an under secretary of state , on matters most directly related to cuba but that also extended to issues related to iraq . ''there are always debates about intelligence subjects , '' mr . powell said . ''you get information in , and there are debates . and mr . westermann was in a debate with other members of the department on some of the intelligence information . and when he was asked about it , he said that he felt that he was under pressure at that time . ''i think what 's important to note , though , is that he did n't find that there was any need to yield to that pressure , and he did n't change any of his opinions or any of his assessments , '' mr . powell said . the secretary was not asked about mr . bolton , but his spokesman , richard a . boucher , has said mr . powell has ''full confidence'' in that official , who is in charge of arms control and nonproliferation issues . democrats on the u.s . senate armed services committee said late today thet they would begin their own inquiry into the credibility of prewar_intelligence on iraq 's weapons_of_mass_destruction and its links to the terror network al_qaeda . mr . powell also offered praise for the state_department 's intelligence bureau , which sent him a classified memorandum on june 2 that expressed doubt about a c.i.a . conclusion in late may that mysterious trailers found in iraq were for biological_weapons . that view had immediately been embraced by president_bush and mr . powell as evidence of iraq having a biological_weapons program . ''i appreciated the fact that the experts in my department were expressing their opinion to me , '' mr . powell said . after the war weapons.

japanese financial regulators have found an additional 1.4 trillion_yen ( 10 . 6 billion ) in nonperforming_loans that must be written off by the country 's 13 largest lenders , according to a special audit of the banks that regulators released today . the government ordered the audit late last year after stock prices in japan plunged to 18 year lows . many investors believed that the full extent of the banks' bad debt problems had not yet come to light and that a true reckoning of their books might spell bankruptcy for many borrowers as well as some banks . sensing that a lack of faith in the banks' candor was leading investors to assume the worst , the financial_services agency sent inspectors to review the loans the banks had made to their 149 largest borrowers . more than three quarters of these loans were to companies in fields like real_estate , construction and retailing that have been hit especially hard by the collapse of japan 's asset price bubble in 1990 . the government inspectors found that loans to 71 borrowers , nearly half the total , should be reclassified as riskier than the banks had rated them and that 34 of the borrowers were now ''in danger of bankruptcy . '' the report did not give figures for loans from specific banks , only aggregates for the banks as a group . financial regulators said the banks must set aside a total of 12 . 9 trillion_yen ( 98 billion ) against possible defaults on impaired loans . nearly 60 percent of these loans were to companies that had their credit status lowered . it was not clear how many of the weakest borrowers would be forced into insolvency by the reclassifications called for in the report . the regulators said the banks' losses on bad_loans would probably total 7.8 trillion_yen ( 59 billion ) for the fiscal year that ended march 31 , about 22 percent more than the banks initially forecast . the regulators said the japanese financial system would remain sickly for some time . ''we are viewing this as an intensive care period , '' said yoshio okubo , deputy commissioner for international affairs at the financial_services agency . ''we do not expect the levels of nonperforming_loans to decrease in amount quickly . '' mounting bad loan problems have pushed all the major banks into the red . mizuho_holdings , the world 's biggest bank by assets , said today that it expected to post a loss of 1 trillion_yen ( 7 . 6 billion ) for the year just ended , 39 percent more than it forecast last november . the audit is likely to increase pressure on the banks to write off nonperforming_loans swiftly . but analysts said that losses at the banks had made them that much more hesitant to call in loans from major companies near the breaking point , for fear of worse losses if the borrowers failed . ''the government 's tough stand is closer to reality , '' said naoko_nemoto , the director of financial_services ratings at standard_poor 's in tokyo . ''but the banks still have large exposure to big , troubled companies , and it is tough for them to change their stance towards these lenders . they are very closely related . '' more telling , ms . nemoto said , is the condition of the country 's small and medium size companies , which make up about 70 percent of the banks' loan books but were not included in the audit . assessing these companies is more difficult , she said , because most are not publicly held . their troubles do emerge in one statistical measure , the number of business bankruptcies filed . that figure was 5 percent higher last month than it was in march 2001 , according to teikoku_databank , a private research company . the fiscal year that ended march 31 was the worst for bankruptcies in 18 years and the second worst on record . ''financial_institutions have the ability to keep things under control , '' teikoku_databank 's report said . ''but not only will bankruptcies among small and medium companies increase , it will not be out of the question for companies to face 'sudden death' and have a domino_effect on other companies . '' a strengthening of the economy might revive borrowers' fortunes enough to avoid that crisis , as has happened before , and the bank of japan said in its latest monthly report that it saw glimmers of hope on that front . ''japan 's economy still continues to deteriorate as a whole , but the pace has moderated somewhat , '' the bank said . investors , however , remain skeptical . they pushed the nikkei 225 stock_index down 1.7 percent today , to 10 , 962 . 98 , its first close below 11 , 000 in five weeks . international business.

let us now praise the unsung heroes of the effervescent manhattan real_estate market , where prices are pushing upward as they teeter or fall in much of the rest of the country the buyers . in the last week or two , city property records recorded the names of people or in some cases of the trusts and limited liability corporations mainly from the worlds of technology , law and finance , who have been willing to step up and buy increasingly expensive real_estate , despite these uncertain times . there was g rard guillemot , a co founder of ubisoft , the french interactive game company , who spent 7 . 75 million for an eighth floor apartment at 151 east_79th_street , at lexington_avenue . there are just 16 units in the 15 story building . in 2003 , mr . guillemot founded longtail studios , which designs games and entertainment for mobile_phones . then there was the trader at millennium partners , a hedge_fund . he paid 6 . 55 million for an apartment , the last unsold unit at 50 bond street , a turn of the last century loft building with greek_revival details in noho that was converted to condominiums a few years ago . the trader asked that his name not be used because the building has only six apartments and no doorman . the apartment is a duplex that includes 2 , 600 square_feet on the seventh floor , a 770 square_foot eighth floor penthouse and 2 , 000 square_feet of terraces , according to property records . meanwhile , maria bartiromo , a cnbc business correspondent , and her husband , jonathan steinberg , a hedge_fund executive and a son of the financier saul p . steinberg , bought an 18 . 5 foot_wide town house on east 62nd street . ms . bartiromo has been buffeted by questions in the business media lately over her relationship with sources . so what could be more comforting than the ritual of closing and getting the keys to a new house ? the price was 6 . 5 million , according to property records , and the seller was michael slocum , a banker with wachovia bank , who was transferred out of the city . but unfortunately , not all new yorkers can contribute to this high end of the real_estate market . a study released last week by new york_university 's furman center for real_estate and urban policy found that at recent sale prices , almost all apartments in manhattan and most apartments across the city are beyond the means of typical new york households . the study estimated that fewer than 5 percent of new york city homes sold in 2005 were affordable to new yorkers earning the city 's median_household_income ( 43 , 000 in 2005 ) , down from 11 percent in 2000 . in manhattan , only 2.1 percent of all apartments sold were affordable to such households and 4.6 percent affordable to households earning 160 percent of the median_income , or 64 , 500 in 2005 . this number was down from 10 . 1 percent in 2000 . a hollywood agent 's oscar worthy deal bryan lourd , the co director of the creative artists agency and one of the most powerful agents in hollywood , knows how to do a deal . in 2004 , mr . lourd , who holds one of the more celebrated pre oscar parties at his house in los_angeles , bought an apartment in greenwich_village , one of the two duplex penthouses atop 59 west 12th street , a prewar apartment building developed by bing bing , whose apartments are known for their spaciousness . mr . lourd 's condo has south facing views , a fireplace , two landscaped terraces and a living room with arched windows and 14 foot_ceilings , according to the listing at the time by john venekamp , a broker with brown_harris_stevens . it has 2 , 760 square_feet , not including the 840 square_feet of terrace space , the condo documents show . mr . lourd paid 4 . 9 million for it . but it seems it was not quite big enough . outside hollywood , mr . lourd may be best known for his relationship with the actress and authorfor his relationship with carrie fisher . mr . lourd and ms . fisher have a daughter . in the village , mr . lourd began negotiations over the last several months to buy the condo of his next door neighbor , hall cannon , who owned a much smaller one bedroom , at 1 , 082 square_feet , facing north and without a terrace . mr . cannon paid 1 . 3 million for the apartment in november 2001 , according to city_records . mr . cannon , who worked for several years in real_estate_development in manhattan , decided on an abrupt change in direction , and with his partner , miles refo , who worked in publishing , moved to new zealand , where they bought and began renovating the historic otahuna lodge , which had fallen into receivership . the lodge , which has a spa and seven guest suites , caters to british and american guests . but it is also a working farm with chickens , sheep and pigs , a huge change from west 12th street . they no longer needed the new york apartment and decided to sell , mr . cannon said . mr . lourd 's final offer was so high that it was accepted before a broker was hired and the apartment was listed . city_records show a price of 4 . 25 million for the one bedroom , which works out to 3 , 900 a square_foot , more than double the average price per square_foot in greenwich_village . but several brokers said that mr . lourd may have nonetheless made a wise deal since , in this strong luxury market , the combined apartments will probably command a much higher price per square_foot as a single unit than they would if resold separately . big deal e mail bigdeal nytimes . com.

president_clinton today called jiang_zemin , the president of china , a visionary leader who could be the figure who leads china to democracy . mr . clinton , in a news conference that closed his nine day trip to china , gave a vigorous personal endorsement of the chinese president , saying mr . jiang has the imagination needed to transform china from a single_party communist_state to a pluralistic democracy . the president also praised premier zhu_rongji , the architect of china 's current economic policies , saying , ''there 's a very good chance that china has the right leadership at the right time . '' mr . clinton has sounded increasingly hopeful about china 's future as his trip progressed , offering his most optimistic assessment of the nation 's political prospects just before departing to return to washington to celebrate independence day . but his words could come back to haunt him should repression in china harden , leaving mr . clinton open to the charges that he was taken in by a seemingly open mr . jiang . asked whether there will ever be democracy in china , mr . clinton said , ''oh , yes , i believe there can be , and i believe there will be . ''and what i would like to see is the present government headed by this president and this premier , who are clearly committed to reform ride the wave of change and take china fully into the 21st_century and basically dismantle the resistance to it , '' he added . ''i believe they are . '' the president answered questions for 43 minutes , most of them on his trip to china but others touching on the troubled japanese economy , the prospect of violence in ireland this weekend and the continuing ethnic bloodshed in kosovo . mr . clinton offered an overwhelmingly positive summation of his five city journey through china . he said that profound differences remain between china and the united_states on questions of individual liberty , and he warned that powerful forces still oppose change here . but he defended his engagement with the chinese leadership as the course most likely to yield progress on a range of issues from human_rights to the proliferation of weapons_of_mass_destruction . the coming months and years will tell whether these few days in early summer were the beginning of a positive new epoch in relations between the united_states and china , or merely a sideways step in an ambiguous relationship . there are groups in both countries with a political investment in confrontation rather than cooperation . whatever mr . clinton and mr . jiang say or do as their nations' leaders , they are but one part of a complex interplay between two diverse and dynamic societies , one that will be shaped as much by transnational corporations , the media , religious groups and even the internet . mr . clinton tried to reflect that diversity in his appearances here , meeting with villagers , middle_class homeowners , young entrepreneurs , scholars and students . absent from the president 's schedule was any session with outspoken opponents of the government . mr . clinton defended that decision today , saying he sought to deal with human_rights concerns in china ''in a way most likely to yield progress . '' ''i did my best to meet with people who represented all elements of chinese society , '' mr . clinton said . ''the decisions i made on this trip and , i remind you , the first trip by an american president in a decade about with whom to meet and how to handle it were basically designed , were based on my best judgment about what would be most effective in expanding human_rights . '' white_house officials have said that mr . clinton did not want to risk retaliation against those who met with him and that he believed that pressing mr . jiang to release groups of political_prisoners would be more effective than a theatrical encounter with dissidents . mr . clinton , looking weary from a grueling schedule , said in his opening remarks that his trip to china the longest of his presidency to a single country had shown him ''the glory of china 's past in xian , the vibrancy of its present in beijing and the promise of its future in shanghai and hong_kong . '' ''i do n't think anyone who was on this trip could fail to appreciate the remarkable transformation that is under way in china , as well as the distance still to be traveled , '' the president said in the news conference , held in the ballroom of the grand hyatt_hotel here . he clearly was struck by hong_kong 's wealth and vitality , and said the region which reverted to chinese control just a year ago could be the model for china 's development . he gave his most extensive assessment of mr . jiang and mr . zhu , praising them in elaborate language . the president said of mr . jiang ''after i met with him for the first time , i felt very strongly that his chances of becoming the leader of china for a sustained period were quite good because he 's a man of extraordinary intellect , very high energy , a lot of vigor for his age , or indeed for any age . and i think he has a quality that is profoundly important at this moment in history when there 's so much change going on . he has a good imagination . he has vision . he can visualize . he can imagine a future that is different from the present . '' at the same time , mr . clinton acknowledged that mr . jiang has constituencies who oppose him and who distrust american motives in engaging china . to them , mr . clinton said ''i hope more of them understand that america wishes china well , that we are not bent on containing china , and that our human_rights policy is not an excuse for some larger strategic motive . it 's what we really believe . we believe it 's morally right , and we believe it 's best for them as a practical matter over the long run . '' in response to another question , he noted that ' 'democracy is a universal aspiration , '' an answer to mr . jiang 's assertion that china 's history and culture have led it to different definitions of human_rights from those accepted in the west . the president welcomed the recent release of several well known dissidents , but said that he now looked to beijing to release whole classes of prisoners . he particularly cited the 150 people still held on charges related to the tiananmen_square democracy demonstrations that were brutally put down by the government in june 1989 . he also called on beijing to release an unknown number of prisoners held for political activities that the government has declared to be no longer criminal . he said that in his talks with mr . jiang he had raised charges that china imposes abortion on women to enforce china 's one_child_policy . ''they all say the same thing , '' mr . clinton said . ''they say that that is not chinese policy and it violates chinese policy . '' mr . clinton added that his view was that ''there may be insufficient monitoring of what is being done beyond the capital . '' mr . clinton offended many in taiwan this week when he repeated beijing 's preferred formulation of american policy toward taiwan , which beijing considers a breakaway province . but he defended his decision , saying that he had not changed the substance of american policy , which is to oppose taiwanese independence and support peaceful reunification with china . ''i believe i did the right thing , '' mr . clinton said . in response to a question from a reporter from the irish times , mr . clinton deplored the recent burnings of churches in ireland and called for high level talks among roman_catholic , protestant and british authorities in advance of annual sectarian marches set for this weekend that in the past have led to violence . mr . clinton offered tempered praise for a package of banking and financial reforms announced by tokyo in recent days . he said that japan 's economy had substantial underlying strength and expressed hope that the recession there would bottom out soon and growth would resume ''in a reasonable amount of time . '' on kosovo , the president offered nothing beyond a hope that belgrade would show restraint . ''there is some uncertainty about who is willing and who is not willing to even negotiate about it , '' mr . clinton said . ''and we 're working on it as best we can . '' clinton in china the overview.

ching lee wu , the wife of harry_wu , says she has hardly slept during the last three weeks as she has tried to mobilize support and publicity for her husband in the press and at various levels of government . today at their home here , 40 miles south of san_francisco , the telephone rang continually with calls from supporters , and on monday she is heading to washington to lobby on her husband 's behalf . mrs . wu urged a tough american response to his arrest , arguing that the chinese authorities see washington as too soft to take a strong stand . the fate of her husband could depend on it . " i think why the chinese government is doing this to harry is because they think the americans are weak the american government does not act very strong , so the chinese act strong , " she said . " they think maybe the american people are just concerned about money , " she said . " so we have to let the chinese government know that we care about individual people , that the whole country is just like a big family . " mr . wu has always had a streak of naughtiness , she said in an interview today . as a child , he sometimes poked fun at his teachers , she said . at home , he could be playful with his wife and her parents , who also live here . but during the interview , with the tinkle of wind chimes underscoring the quiet of their living room , mrs . wu was grim . " this is totally different , " she said . " when you are naughty , that is just for fun . this is much more serious . harry knew what he faced if he failed . " like other dedicated dissidents over the years in china , the soviet_union and elsewhere , mr . wu has taken on the mantle of " political_prisoner " as a lifelong identity . imprisoned at the age of 23 in 1960 for dissident activities , he spent what his wife calls " his best years " in the camps . he has spent most of his life since then fighting back . working with his wife , whom he met in taiwan and married in 1991 , he has become one of the most prominent expatriate chinese dissidents , running the laogai research foundation , which publicizes abuses in the chinese camps . laogai is chinese for " reform through labor , " and the term , which is used to denote the labor_camp system , has become analogous to the soviet " gulag , " a nationwide archipelago of camps . " we wo n't stop the laogai work , " she said , leaning forward on a white leather couch . " it 's very important work , do n't you think ? " mr . wu , who is 58 , and his wife , who left china for taiwan as a child when the communists took control in 1949 , have no children , though she said her husband sometimes seems happiest in the company of small children . they have dedicated their energies to the laogai foundation , routinely working past midnight in the small office where they sit face to face at computers , surrounded by faxes , telephones and copying machines . " harry is a man , but he is passionate , " mrs . wu said . " he left the camps already 15 or 16 years ago , but he still sometimes cries over his friends who died there . " her husband 's dream is to create a museum similar to those that commemorate the holocaust , and his work sometimes involves inviting fellow survivors to visit and tape record their recollections . " when they get together , they are different , " mrs . wu said . " their talking is different from our talking . they are laughing , they are crying , they have their own world . " it is a world mrs . wu has closely observed , and more than most waiting wives , she can picture her husband 's situation now . she has heard about the chess games played without pieces but only with the mind , about the fantasy menus concocted by half starving men , and about the prisoners who die or disappear without a trace . and she knows first hand how difficult her husband can be to mold . each time he decides to revisit china , she said , she knows better than to try to dissuade him . " harry is really different , " she said . " if he insists on doing something , then he will do it . nobody can change his mind . "

a member of the irish_republican_army wanted by the british and irish police has been found dead , apparently after shooting himself , the police said today . the i.r.a . member , patrick sheehy , who evaded capture for more than two years in a police manhunt from ireland to germany , was believed to have been the mastermind behind a series of i.r.a . attacks in britain . mr . sheehy , 30 years old , became the british police 's most wanted suspect after an i.r.a . bomb factory was discovered in london in 1988 , together with a list of 100 top british establishment figures selected for assassination . the irish police , who confirmed that he had been found shot dead on wednesday outside the post_office in nenagh in the county of tipperary , also wanted to question him over a botched kidnapping attempt in ireland in 1989 . the i.r.a. , which is fighting british rule in northern_ireland , said in a statement , " the i.r.a . confirms with deep regret that the man found in nenagh was one of our members , volunteer patrick sheehy . "

rather than a budget surplus of 1 . 6 trillion over the next 10 years , as government forecasters predicted as recently as march , a new analysis by the senate budget committee forecasts huge deficits , especially if president_bush 's ideas for further tax cuts become law . the committee , which is controlled by democrats , estimated today that the federal budget_deficit would reach 157 billion this year and climb to 180 billion in 2003 . the 10 year surplus that both congressional and bush_administration analysts had predicted this year would be nearly wiped out . democratic lawmakers plan to use the forecast to fight republican proposals for deeper tax cuts . last month , the white_house estimated that the deficit , 165 billion this year , would begin shrinking next year and that a surplus , of 53 billion , would return in 2005 . senate democrats on the budget committee said their estimates were close to forecasts that would be released next week by the bipartisan congressional_budget_office . they are also similar to predictions by some private economists . the real battle is less about budget trends based on current law than on the impact of additional tax cuts that president_bush has advocated in recent weeks . these include turning temporary tax cuts passed last year into permanent changes . mr . bush and his senior advisers have also expressed interest in new tax measures , like increasing the amount of tax deductible contributions people can make in retirement accounts and lowering or eliminating taxes on corporate dividends . according to the senate budget committee , the government would run deficits all the way to 2009 and end up with an accumulated deficit of 475 billion by the end of 2011 . ''there is simply no escaping the fact that the largest single factor causing the drop in the surplus over the 10 years is the tax_cut , '' senator kent conrad , democrat of north_dakota and chairman of the budget committee , said today . white_house advisers insist that the economic_growth stimulated by the tax cuts far outweighs the negative effect of somewhat higher deficits . they also contend that additional tax cuts may be a good idea if they rekindle investment . ''risk premiums are up right now , '' glenn hubbard , chairman of the white_house council of economic advisors , said on wednesday in an interview . ''we are asking , what changes would be good for investing and risk taking ? '' mr . hubbard said . ''the key is to focus on economic_growth . ''

the bizarre ministry of david koresh ended today in a hellish vision of fire and smoke every bit as nightmarish as anything he might have prophesied to his followers . for those inside the branch davidian compound , the beginning of the end came with a telephone call . at 5 55 a.m . local time , david koresh 's chief lieutenant , steve schneider , spoke with federal officials and was told that if all those inside the compound did not surrender immediately , tear_gas would be pumped inside . mr . schneider reportedly slammed down the receiver , pulled the telephone to a doorway and hurled it out into the front yard . the end is near within minutes , armored_vehicles began to smash gaping_holes in the pink and white compound structures so that agents could pump in 15 second doses of the chemical agent cs . the end was only hours away . for days , the federal authorities had given more and more hints that they were tiring of the standoff . at midweek , bob ricks , a spokesman for the federal_bureau_of_investigation , began emphasizing at press briefings a litany of mr . koresh 's " broken promises . " on sunday_night , agents began clearing cars , debris and scrub oak trees from areas around the compound . though no one said so at the time , it seems clear that they were opening the way for the assault vehicles and opening up lines of sight for snipers . negotiations had achieved nothing since march 19 , when three sect members walked out of the compound , mr . ricks told reporters on saturday . he added that mr . koresh wanted " a showdown with the government where massive casualties and deaths will take place . " area residents warned people who live near the compound had been awakened at 5 a.m . today by helicopters . within an hour , several were visited by department of public safety officers warning that an action was planned for the compound and that they should stay indoors if possible . just after 6 a.m. , the first armored_vehicle approached the southern corner of the main structure and loudspeakers began blaring a message " this is not an assault ! do not fire ! exit the compound and follow instructions ! " the vehicle was met with a volley of gunfire from within the compound . over the next three hours , armored_vehicles slammed into the wooden frame building a dozen times , pumping in tear_gas and badly damaging the exterior . 'we want our phones' at 9 10 , a white sheet was unfurled from an upstairs window . in hastily scrawled orange lettering it read , " we want our phones fixed . " wispy clouds could be seen rising from the ground near the main building , possibly from some underground chamber or tunnel that had been flooded with tear_gas . cult members continued to shoot at the advancing combat vehicles , firing several hundred rounds from various positions . from their vantage_point at a police barricade a mile and a half away , reporters could see across pastures of peacefully grazing cattle a scene of growing violence in the compound beyond . armored_vehicles crisscrossed the courtyard beneath the branch davidians' fluttering flag . just after 10 a.m. , a man could be seen waving a rag from a doorway on the southeastern side of the compound . the f.b.i. , believing it might be a white_flag , called out to him over the loudspeaker system , " if that is a white_flag , come out and surrender . " destruction goes on there was no response from within , and the destruction of the buildings continued . gunfire from the branch davidians continued sporadically but agents did not return the fire , the f.b.i . said . three large chinook helicopters , ready to ferry the injured to hospitals , waited on the ground to the east of the compound , their rotors still . a small plane made slow circles in the hazy blue sky . a flock of buzzards circled just as lazily on the opposite horizon , undisturbed by the mounting chaos a few thousand yards away . by noon , whole sections of the exterior walls had been demolished . portions of the roof were collapsing . cult members inside had been forced into an ever narrowing circle of rooms . a vehicle rammed the upper story on the northeast side of the building to insert more tear_gas . a few minutes later , from the same section of the building , a flicker of orange could be seen . " is that smoke ? " a radio reporter asked the horde of journalists around him . by 12 10 p.m. , fire and smoke were pouring from one end of the building . nearly 100 reporters and photographers , their lenses and binoculars all trained on the distant hilltop , watched in near silence as 40 mile an hour winds whipped the first flames into a billowing pyre . a huge funnel of smoke swirled tornado like above the compound , and once the fascination with the awful spectacle subsided , the journalists leaped to their cameras and telephones . those at the checkpoint grew increasingly uneasy as flames engulfed the compound buildings and there were no signs of an evacuation . many people simply stood open mouthed , staring at the seething inferno . " my god , " murmured a reporter from fort_worth . " it 's horrific . horrific . a holocaust . could anyone live through that ? " no one could answer her , yet .

lead while the powerful japanese economy appears to be in a position to ride out the storm of higher oil prices and disrupted supplies relatively well , the country 's weak link in an otherwise solid economic chain may be in the financial markets , economists and analysts say . while the powerful japanese economy appears to be in a position to ride out the storm of higher oil prices and disrupted supplies relatively well , the country 's weak link in an otherwise solid economic chain may be in the financial markets , economists and analysts say . their basic concern is not the strength of the japanese economy , but the weakness of america 's . any large increases in japanese inflation and interest rates caused by rising oil prices could force united_states rates to jump to maintain the appeal of dollar investments to the japanese . some fear that such a jolt could help push the already staggering american economy toward recession . the concern over america 's straitened condition has thus given japan far less room for maneuvering , a fact that in these troubled times has added a decidedly more nervous edge to the markets here , which still like to think of the bank of japan , the nation 's central_bank , and the ministry of finance as steady and in control , with lots of policy options . ''japan , '' said kenneth_courtis , chief economist here with deutsche_bank , ''is caught in a policy conundrum . given this nervous environment , the markets cannot tolerate any policy slips . '' in the first two trading days of this week , japan 's stock and bond markets have sagged since iraq 's invasion of kuwait , but they have not broken . as in new york , share prices have been hit hard , falling 6.3 percent in the first two sessions . but there has not been panicked selling or serious disruptions in trading , and stocks rose 3 . 10 percent today as bargain_hunters moved in . meanwhile , interest rates on the government 's benchmark 10 year bond have jumped to 8.1 percent , from 7.7 percent on friday , a very substantial increase considered the most worrisome sign . the finance minister , ryutaro_hashimoto , sought to soothe rattled nerves yesterday by saying japan had ample stocks of oil to withstand a temporary cutback of supplies . since the oil shocks of the 1970 's , the japanese economy has diversified its energy sources , grown less dependent on imported oil and sharply increased industrial efficiency the japanese economy gets nearly three times as much output from a barrel of oil as it did in 1973 . economists agree that although japan imports virtually all of its needed energy , in many ways it is in a far better condition to ride out a short term sharp cut in oil supplies than other industrial countries . mr . hashimoto 's most important remarks concerned inflation . he sought to head off concerns that higher oil prices would accelerate inflation and prompt an increase in interest rates . ''we 're not in a position where we need to change monetary_policy , '' mr . hashimoto said . nonetheless , the inflationary worries are at the heart of a dilemma for japan . inflationary pressures were growing even before oil prices shot up . the economy is in its 44th month of expansion , japan 's second longest period of growth in postwar history , with 5 percent growth expected this year . factories are at capacity , there is a labor shortage , the money_supply is growing at a rate of more than 10 percent a year and inventories are at rock bottom classic signs of overheating . the fear is that the pressure on prices is growing just as policy_makers are finding their means for dealing with them shrinking because of the global economic turmoil . if the government raises interest rates to nip inflation in the bud , investors would be drawn to yen denominated securities . such a move could cause the dollar to drop , perhaps sharply . america would then be under pressure to raise rates to attract a continued flow of japanese capital to cover the budget_deficits . that could push the american economy toward recession . on the other hand , should the japanese government hesitate too long and permit inflation to build , the yen could drop it has tumbled sharply already this week and prompt an outflow of capital , wrecking the shaky markets . a delicate balance must be struck . on the positive side , the nearly 30 percent slide in the stock_market in march and april , which was caused largely by higher interest rates , traders said , has already taken some of the froth out of share prices and left investors a little more sober . and institutions have been less eager to sell quickly , analysts said , because they are still sitting on mounds of cash . given these factors , mr . taylor said , ''this is not a scenario for a prolonged crash . '' that is scant comfort . ''it 's not a big danger signal , it 's just uncertainty , '' said a senior trader at a japanese securities house . ''in this country , we worry less about specifically what the government is doing sometimes than whether they are moving confidently . ''

lead l . william_seidman , the chairman of the federal_deposit_insurance_corporation , said today that regulators were searching for ways to permit very large banks to fail without the government bailing out all depositors and creditors who might face losses . l . william_seidman , the chairman of the federal_deposit_insurance_corporation , said today that regulators were searching for ways to permit very large banks to fail without the government bailing out all depositors and creditors who might face losses . mr . seidman said the regulatory policy under which the government provides full protection for institutions it considers ''too big to fail'' had become too expensive . that policy reflects the view of many regulators that many of the largest banks and savings and loans cannot be dissolved because they are so large that such action would create huge losses to uninsured depositors and send shocks through stock and credit markets . full coverage policy so the government now routinely steps in to assure depositors that they will be covered for their full deposits . in effect , this policy has created unlimited depositors' insurance at the large institutions , in contrast to most federally_insured banks and savings and loan institutions , where depositors are guaranted against losses of up to 100 , 000 . testifying before the house banking committee , mr . seidman suggested that the policy should change . ''you are going to have to have a system in which depositors at all institutions can lose something , '' mr . seidman said , adding that drains on the f.d.i.c . 's resources in recent years had led him to conclude that ''we have to find some way to reduce the risk and losses from deposit_insurance . '' congressional consideration to bring about the change mr . seidman is contemplating , regulators could simply adopt policies that abandon the ''too big to fail'' approach . acknowledging that such a change would have broad and unknown effects on the financial markets and on investors , mr . seidman suggested today that such a step would be more appropriate for congress . but he cautioned that any change in how collapses are handled should retain protections against disruption of the financial markets . mr . seidman said the f.d.i.c . had not agreed on any one approach to changing current policy , which was adopted in 1984 when regulators decided to cover all deposits and creditors at the continental bank and trust company in chicago , rather than risk a financial panic . richard g . darman , the president 's budget director , warned earlier this month that shakiness in vast areas of government guarantees and insurance were almost certain to cost taxpayers ''tens of billions of dollars , '' and that measures had to be taken to reduce the taxpayers' exposure to such losses . since deposit_insurance covers more than 3 trillion of funds at commercial_banks , savings and loan associations and credit_unions , it is at the core of concern about the potential liability to taxpayers . shift in stance mr . seidman has repeatedly told congress in his four and a half years as f.d.i.c . chief that he saw no way around the ''too big to fail'' policy . but today , he noted that covering all depositors and most creditors in large bank failures has created by far the largest losses at the f.d.i.c . the savings and loan bailout signed by the president last summer calls for spending 159 billion over the next 10 years to shut and sell hundreds of sick institutions . but lawmakers then did not address the deposit_insurance crisis and how it has contributed to the increased risk taking by some banks that landed them into deep trouble . instead , the treasury was directed to conduct an 18 month study on deposit_insurance . comments are to be submitted by the end of next month . financial experts have noted that in the early and mid 1980 's , savings associations made extremely risky investments in raw land and building projects . to attract money to make such loans , the institutions offered high interest rates on deposits , gaining billions of dollars almost overnight . but in the end they had large losses . risks often ignored depositors who know they are backed by federal insurance have little incentive to discriminate between conservative , well run banks and high flying , poorly run ones . this means that deposits flow to the highest payer , regardless of risk , and losses are borne by the govenrment , and ultimately the taxpayer . ''without any market penalties for assuming more risk , '' mr . seidman added , banks are actually encouraged to do keep doing so . the ''too big'' policy has irked thousands of small bankers around the country for years . they argue that there is a double_standard , since , when some of their members have become insolvent , the f.d.i.c . has observed its limits on covering deposits . mr . seidman , who has been sympathetic to this argument , has said that the f.d.i.c . has tried to prevent depositors at small banks from losing by pushing hard to find buyers for the entire bank . but that policy has not always worked , and the f.d.i.c . has had to liquidate some small banks , forcing some depositors to take losses . several proposals studied mr . seidman said the f.d.i.c . was studying several proposals . one would impose an immmediate 10 percent loss on all uninsured deposits when a bank failed , essentially returning 90 cents on every uninsured dollar . another plan calls for the banking industry to establish its own form of private deposit_insurance to cover amounts above 100 , 000 . mr . seidman said deposit_insurance reform was vital if the bank insurance fund , which insures_deposits at commercial_banks , was to remain solvent over the long term . he said its reserves were close to an all time low relative to total deposits insured , and that if the banking industry saw a repeat of the crisis in texas , oklahoma and louisiana , the money could be exhausted and taxpayers might have to bail out the system once again . but he added , ''at this time , we do n't see any area that is going to result in that level of bank failures . ''

new york city 's public hospitals do not provide women with fast , thorough health_care , city officials conceded today , and said that changes in the hospital system are already under way to address the problems . an internal review by the health and hospitals corporation , which runs the city 's 11 municipal hospitals and 6 diagnostic and treatment centers , found waits of as long as two months for prenatal_care and six months for routine exams . in addition , women are not being tested often enough for cervical_cancer . the results were first reported in the daily news yesterday . the portrait painted by the study is " discouraging , to say the least , " said dr . billy e . jones , president of the health and hospitals corporation , who ordered the review . help is on the way norman katz , a spokesman for the corporation , said the study was based on statistics compiled last october and that programs since then have already begun to address the problems . he said that the communicare system , under which poor new yorkers are assigned family doctors , was begun late last year and is expected to increase the number of primary_care visits by 68 , 000 a year . he also said that the length of time women must wait , while too long , had decreased . in 1991 , he said , the average wait for a prenatal visit was nine days longer than in 1992 . at a news conference yesterday , mayor david n . dinkins said that communicare was intended to address the problems in the report . " that 's why we now have embarked on this effort with communicare , " he said , " to provide primary_care for people who heretofore used emergency_rooms as the family doctor . " increasing spending dr . jones said that the corporation was planning to increase spending on primary_care by 25 million this year , and to purchase mammography vans for breast_cancer screening . among the findings of the report are the average wait for an initial prenatal appointment is three weeks . the average wait for a routine gynecological exam was seven weeks , and four hospitals had waits between three and six months . the average wait for a birth_control appointment is 35 days . there is only sporadic compliance with state requirements that all hospitalized patients receive pap smears , which screen for cervical_cancer . when pap smears were positive , patients had to wait 31 working days for follow up tests . waits for mammography appointments averaged 28 working days . carolyn yordan , a spokeswoman for the greater new york hospital association , said her organization has not compiled similar figures at the city 's private hospitals .

the plaza around the building nicknamed the gherkin , a prize winning skyscraper in the financial district in london , has been cordoned off after one of its giant glass panels plummeted from the 28th floor to the street . officially opened last may , the 34 story , 600 foot missile shaped building , formally known by its address , 30 st . mary axe , is a creation of the architect lord norman foster . the structure is made of 5 , 000 glass panels , 744 of which open . a spokeswoman for the building said that the incident , on april 18 , happened early in the morning , and no one was hurt . ''it was one of the opening panels that fell out , '' she said . ''at the moment a full investigation is under way to check all the other windows . '' lord foster 's millennium bridge , a footbridge across the thames from st . paul 's cathedral to the tate modern , became known as the wobbly bridge and was closed immediately after opening in june 2000 . suspension system problems caused it to sway under the first crowds . after a_10 million repair , it bridge reopened in february 2002 . pam kent.

judging from the calendar , this year 's election season ends nov . 5 . but if the outcomes are close for control of the house and senate , it could be that the balance of power will not be resolved until dec . 7 . there 's a chance it could all be decided not in florida this time but louisiana . there is a wrinkle in louisiana election law that mandates a run off if no candidate wins more than 50 percent in the general_election . that is looking likely in the 5th congressional_district of northeast louisiana , where nearly a dozen republicans and democrats are running in an open primary . the top two would have to fight it out in a runoff . in most years , this would be a footnote to the congressional election . but this year with house republicans hanging on to a six seat lead it is not outlandish to think that control of the house could come down to one seat , leading to one of the most closely fought , closely_watched congressional_district races . the same thing could happen in the senate .

when most people think of a village , they imagine a small community with quaint streets and an unhurried pace . ossining , in northern westchester_county on the banks of the hudson_river , is none of the above . with a population of 22 , 000 in just three square miles , it seems more like a small metropolis . incorporated as westchester 's first village in 1814 , it has had plenty of time to expand beyond the usual definition of a village . the first thing to come into view on driving in on route 9 from the south is a dense strip of shopping centers and victorian homes converted to business use . closer to the river is old ossining , a restored area of brick victorian buildings that is part of the downtown ossining historic_district , which also includes several churches and ossining high_school on route 9 . ossining has the largest percentage of tax exempt land in westchester , said gennaro j . faiella , the village manager , for it is the home of the sing sing correctional_facility , and church steeples abound . it has more than 90 acres of parkland beaches on the hudson , nature trails and a park with a baseball field , a basketball court and seven lighted tennis courts . a building boom in the 1980 's has left little land available . " we 're becoming a stable community now , " said barbara c . fratianni , supervisor of the town of ossining , which includes the villages of ossining and briarcliff_manor and an unicorporated area . " we do n't project a lot of growth . " ossining was built on five hills , " with some of the highest elevations in westchester_county , " ms . fratianni said . old river mansions still dot those hills , but are now mixed with contemporary and ranch homes as well as condominiums and cooperative developments . though it has long been highly developed , ossining 's history is still a strong selling point . the state designated the old sections of the village as one of 14 urban cultural parks in new york state , the only one in westchester . part of the old croton aqueduct , built in 1846 , is in the village . a visitors' center , offering tours of the aqueduct , is expected to open this summer . when ossining was incorporated it was known as sing sing , after the sint sinck indians , who in 1685 sold their land to frederick philipse . the family manor was confiscated from frederick philipse 3d in 1779 and sold to tenant farmers because he was loyal to britain in the revolution . industry moved in around 1837 when dr . benjamin brandreth began manufacturing brandreth 's pills and porous plasters . his great granddaughter , eleanor brandreth wunderlich , still lives in the family home atop a hill with an unobstructed view of the hudson . " i get sad when i think of all the great old buildings that we lost over the years , " ms . wunderlich said , " but i still think we have some of the finest homes and buildings in westchester . people come here for the magnificent views . i 've also heard that it 's a community of hiders , people who just want to live and work quietly . " . the river is what attracted john and rebecca upshall to ossining . " we really wanted to live near water , " said mr . upshall , a field producer for visnews international , a broadcast news organization . they had looked on long_island but been unable to find anything near the sound at or under their 250 , 000 limit . in july , they moved from manhattan into a large 1880 's victorian_house that had been converted to a two family and then restored to its original design by the previous owner . " it 's a lot of house , " said mr . upshall , whose wife is an associate director for abc tv news . " and we feel we got more for our money than we could have in most places . " the village has a wide variety of housing . a three bedroom colonial is listed for 149 , 900 . on noel and browning drives , four bedroom houses with maids' quarters are in the 700 , 000 range . there also are condominium and co op units available . " a two bedroom co op is around 160 , 000 , " liz schatz , of albert p . schatz realtors , said . " and a two bedroom condo goes for around 230 , 000 , but you can buy a house for less . " william steadman , a dean at new york medical college in valhalla , and his wife , karol , a musician who works in manhattan , moved from queens into a 1920 's stucco house in december . " we heard ossining was relatively undervalued for westchester , " said mr . steadman , who commutes by motorcycle . some realtors say property values are lower in ossining than in nearby briarcliff_manor because of sing sing , which was built in 1825 on 55 acres on the hudson . " it 's not the ideal location for a prison now , " said mr . faiella , the village managerd . " that 's 55 acres of waterfront property that could provide a tax benefit for the village . " native granite was used to build the first cellblock . stone cut from the prison quarries provided the foundations for many new york city buildings . over the years , the village has tried to maintain its separate identity from the prison . in 1901 , it changed its name to ossinsing , a different form of sing sing . the next year , the name was changed to the more pronounceable ossining . in the mid 70 's , a group called the jericho committee was formed to try to close sing sing . " nothing ever came of it , " mr . faiella said . " so now we try to maintain a cooperative relationship with the prison . " although sing sing is one of the village 's largest employers , prison guards often cannot afford to live there , mr . faiella said . the village hopes to build 70 affordable units west of route 9 , near the river , on land owned by the department of transportation . about 8 percent of housing is now subsidized or low income , mr . faiella said . . to meet an ever increasing demand for water , the village recently completed a filtration project on its indian brook reservoir that increased capacity from four million gallons to seven million . it is working on a_10 year plan to replace the lining on rusted water mains . shopping is plentiful in shopping centers , mini malls and the historic downtown area . many residents go north to the jefferson valley mall in yorktown or south to white_plains for more extensive shopping . among the village 's restaurants are the brasserie swiss , dudley 's for nouvelle cuisine and bayfields , with a continental menu , at the hudson_river inn and conference center . the arcadia shopping_center has a triplex movie_theater and a club called the golden spur that has live country_music on weekends . the ossining high_school is considered the cultural center of the community . the cleveland string_quartet recently performed there and it is the performing home of ossining 's choral arts society . the school also has its own radio_station . in 1985 , the state_department of education chose ossining high_school as one of the 10 best high_schools in new york state . last year , the anne m . dorner middle_school was recognized by the united states department of education as one of the best schools in the nation . the 3 , 000 student ossining school_district includes the village of ossining , the unincorporated parts of the town and parts of yorktown , new castle and briarcliff . besides the high_school and middle_school , there are three elementary schools and a special_education school . supplementing the district schools are two roman_catholic k 8 schools st . ann 's and st . augustine 's . under what is called the " ossining plan , " each public_school student spends two years at each of the three elementary schools in the district . for example , all the second and third graders in the district go to brookside school . this was meant to solve three problems declining enrollment , rising costs and racial balance . " we have very poor and very affluent students in our district , " said robert j . huntz , assistant school superintendent . " that 's not true of most westchester communities . we think it 's a strength to have our kids learning with people from all walks of life . " that diversity was one of the reasons mr . steadman moved to ossining . " it 's the kind of environment i want for my kids , " he said . correction february 10 , 1991 , sunday an article about ossining , n.y. , on jan . 27 referred incorrectly to the village 's triplex cinema . it has closed .

lead prosecutors today indicted one of japan 's best known and most politically influential stock speculators , matsuhiro kotani , today on charges that he manipulated a stock . but the prosecutors left many disappointed when they indicated that the inquiry was now likely to end . prosecutors today indicted one of japan 's best known and most politically influential stock speculators , matsuhiro kotani , today on charges that he manipulated a stock . but the prosecutors left many disappointed when they indicated that the inquiry was now likely to end . mr . kotani , who is 53 years old and is reported to have ties with more than a dozen top japanese politicians , and a partner earned millions of dollars by manipulating the shares of the fujita_tourist enterprises company earlier this year , the government said . the shares of fujita_tourist , a leading operator of hotels and restaurants , rose from 3 , 300 yen , or about 22 , a share on april 2 to a peak of 5 , 200 yen , or about 35 , a share on april 24 because of heavy buying done secretly . political implications the case is being watched closely for its political implications and as a sign of how sincere japanese authorities are in their professed aim of clamping down on stock_market fraud . perceptions have long existed that the tokyo stock_market favors powerful companies and politicians , with individual investors paying for the abuses . mr . kotani and another speculator , shuichi yamamoto , the former head of a construction company , were reported to have sold about six million shares at the peak of the purported scheme , and used the profits to repay a personal debt to the kokusai_kogyo company , an aerial surveying and property company that mr . kotani had taken over in a hostile raid several years ago . mr . kotani and mr . yamamoto were arrested last month , and many questions have arisen as to whether the government would indict them and then investigate what news reports had said were their connections to the ruling liberal democratic_party . two months ago , four former senior executives of kokusai_kogyo were arrested on charges that they had used inside information during mr . kotani 's hostile_takeover to reap about 10 million in illicit profits . aides' roles detailed newspaper reports then carried detailed accounts of how aides to several leading politicans , including former prime_minister yasuhiro_nakasone , profited during the kokusai_kogyo takeover with mr . kotani 's help . no charges have been filed against any politicians or aides . television reports said then that the government had evidence implicating six other individuals in the scheme , including one at the daiwa_securities company and another at the tobishima lease corporation . another recent case added to this view . reports circulated last month that a dozen or more japanese securities companies had been caught unfairly compensating some of their large corporate customers for market losses . according to leaks in the japanese press , tax authorities had uncovered bogus securities transactions used to repay the customers for more than 100 million in losses in recent years , largely from the stock_market_crash in october 1987 . reports are denied two of the firms implicated , daiwa_securities and the yamaichi_securities company , initially denied the reports . yamaichi later agreed to pay a penalty of 3.2 billion_yen , or about 21 . 5 million , and the brokerage reiterated that it had not intentionally covered customer losses . in addition , a leading bank , the mitsui taiyo_kobe_bank , admitted that it had arranged along with yamaichi to compensate some customers for stock trading losses , an illegal practice . the reports added to long held suspicions that japanese brokerages routinely guaranteed their big institutional customers a minimum return on stock trades something not available to individual investors . the brokers were reported to have sold securities to the big customers at below market prices , and then repurchased them later at much higher prices . such riskless stock deals are also illegal in the united_states and have brought prison sentences to some of those caught up in the american insider_trading scandal , including ivan f . boesky , the former wall_street arbitrager . a number of securities industry officials were struck by the fact that the case was uncovered by the tax authorities , not the finance ministry 's securities bureau , which has the primary responsibility for policing the markets . tighter trading laws japan tightened its insider_trading laws just a year ago , but it has made only one other arrest for such illegal trading or stock manipulation . the recruit scandal , which burst into the headlines early last year and brought down a prime_minister , involved a wealthy entrepreneur who passed out unlisted shares in a real_estate company he controlled just before it went public .

in one of the largest private_equity deals ever done in china , the carlyle group , the global private_equity_firm , has agreed to invest 410 million for a minority stake in the china pacific life_insurance company . the carlyle group said monday it would buy a 25 percent stake in china pacific life , the country 's third largest life insurance_company after the china life_insurance company and ping an insurance , both of which are publicly listed in hong_kong and the united_states . the deal gives carlyle a foothold in the world 's fastest growing life_insurance market , where income from life_insurance premiums has already reached 40 billion a year . this is the second major deal in china in recent months for the carlyle group , which acquired an 85 percent stake in the xugong group construction machinery company in october for 375 million . that deal marked one of the first times a foreign company had ever engaged in a direct buyout of a chinese state owned company . the carlyle group had been pressing to complete the two deals for some time , but had faced repeated delays and red_tape as it sought to invest over 1 billion in china by 2006 . the investment in china pacific , which is based here in shanghai , is part of a flood of private_equity and venture_capital investments rushing into china . the companies making them are hoping for big returns in this country 's humming but still highly inefficient economy . some of the world 's biggest private_equity and venture_capital firms , like carlyle , warburg pincus , accel partners , intel capital , doll capital management and hambrecht_quist asia_pacific have been seeking large investments in technology , health_care and other booming sectors . indeed , investment in china has been hot all year . foreign banks and financial_institutions have spent billions of dollars to acquire minority stakes in some of china 's biggest state owned banks , many of which are readying public stock offerings . foreign and chinese venture_capital firms have also helped finance a new wave of chinese internet and technology companies , like shanda interactive entertainment , baidu . com , ctrip . com and tencent , all of which have gone public . and even the world 's largest beer companies have been pushing into china , competing for stakes in the nation 's biggest breweries , even though many of those companies are struggling with low profit_margins . now carlyle is eyeing china 's fast growing insurance market in the wake of huge initial public stock offerings from china life_insurance and ping an insurance , which went public in 2003 and 2004 , respectively , together raising more than 5 billion . china pacific life was founded only three years ago , but the company already has more than 20 , 000 employees , 3 billion in revenue and 11 percent of the life_insurance market . together , the three big life insurers command about 80 percent of the marketplace . as part of the announcement monday , the china pacific insurance group , the parent company of china pacific life_insurance , said it would inject about 400 million in cash into its china pacific life subsidiary to help strengthen the company . and pramerica financial , a unit of prudential financial , one of the largest life_insurance companies in the united_states , also said that it would form a strategic alliance with carlyle to improve the business and bolster the fortunes of china pacific . prudential could also be positioning itself for a stake in a future initial_public_offering , or could very well buy carlyle 's 25 percent stake after a three year lockup period is over . international business.

when japan was chosen as the site of this year 's conference on climate_change , it relished the chance to play host to a landmark meeting to help save the planet from global_warming . the meeting , to be held in the ancient capital of kyoto dec . 1 to 10 , was supposed to demonstrate japanese leadership and to show that japan is ready to achieve its dream of a permanent seat on the united_nations_security_council . but these days , some officials worry that the meeting will turn out to be not a triumph but a fiasco . ''i 'm very worried about it , '' said kazuo aichi , a former cabinet minister who is now a pro environment member of parliament . ''this will be a test not only of the environment but also of japanese diplomacy . '' the problem is that the kyoto conference was intended to be a historic convention that would commit countries to cuts in emissions of heat trapping greenhouse_gases like carbon_dioxide , which mainstream scientists believe are linked to global_warming . but now that the time for sacrifice is approaching , some countries are losing their enthusiasm . there is even some possibility that japan will preside over a conference that simply falls apart . ''there is that possibility , but we would like to make utmost efforts to avoid the chance that we have no agreement at all , '' said a senior japanese government official involved in preparations for the meeting . prime_minister ryutaro_hashimoto is caught in a double crossfire on this issue . one is the international battle over whether to require sharp cuts in emissions and if so , to whom to apply them . any agreement that mandates sharp restrictions or places them only on industrialized_countries may be torpedoed by washington , while one that places a significant burden on poor countries may not get their backing . the other crossfire is taking place among japanese bureaucrats , who , as usual , are telling the country 's leaders what positions to adopt . the environmental agency is insisting on steep cuts in emissions , while the ministry of international_trade and industry says that is preposterous . mr . hashimoto seems to be leaning toward a compromise that would require industrialized_countries to cut their carbon_dioxide_emissions by the year 2010 to 5 percent below their 1990 level . that is much weaker than the european proposal for a 15 percent cut below the 1990 level but it may still be tougher than the united_states is willing to accept . president_clinton is convening a major conference on the issue monday and is expected to decide on the american position later this month . some japanese are demanding that their government do more to influence the united_states now . ''the kyoto conference will not succeed if japan simply watches america 's reaction and follows it , '' the asahi_shimbun , probably japan 's most influential newspaper , declared in an editorial . ''the government should change its thinking so that it can set a higher target and lead america . '' still , mr . hashimoto knows that the final treaty needs america 's backing to be effective . the united_states produces 22 percent of the world 's carbon_dioxide_emissions , far more than any other country . ''without the united_states , we cannot make it , '' the senior official warned . ''the u.s . is vital to this negotiation , and we have to find a solution that is acceptable to it as well . '' the japanese plan that is emerging would adhere to some american suggestions that would effectively ease the burden of the cuts . for example , the treaty would allow trade in emission rights and permit developed countries to get credit for reductions that they help bring about in developing nations . the prime_minister has yet to decide who will be the chairman of the conference , largely because of skirmishing within the bureaucracy . in the meantime , the dispute has left a vacuum in japanese preparations . japan saw this forum as ideal for displaying its leadership . japan 's ''peace constitution'' rules out military leadership but tokyo has had a long time interest in the environment . now , though , as the kyoto meeting looms as a far greater challenge than was expected , it raises the risk that it will harm japan 's chance to win a seat on the security_council . the asahi_shimbun quoted an unnamed cabinet minister as reflecting , ''it was from the beginning a mistake for us to take on the host nation 's role . ''

many republicans have been tut tutting about the author of ''the audacity of hope'' having the audacity to hope . ''i think people might want a little more experience than that , given the nature of the times we live in , '' dick_cheney told sean hannity . charles krauthammer wrote that , despite senator barack_obama 's charms , he could not win in '08 ''the reason is sept . 11 , 2001 . the country will simply not elect a novice in wartime . '' but if there 's one thing w . 's reign proves beyond a shadow of a doubt , it is this experience , like affectations , can be dangerous . they will fill up history books with all the myopic misjudgments made by a war council with a couple of centuries of experience , blunders that undermined america 's security and integrity , wrecked iraq , loosed osama , and made the world more dangerous . those on the president 's ' 'dream team'' of foreign_policy advisers were haunted , not strengthened , by their years of past service in top jobs . when they got the chance to run the country again under w. , all they wanted to do was finish unfinished business , misapplying old ideas to new crises , like those who sabotage new romances with baggage from old relationships . on his initial tour as defense secretary , for gerald_ford , rummy felt that vietnam , watergate and then jimmy_carter robbed him of his opportunity to rein in the military brass , who were always impudent enough to have opinions about the military . determined to banish america 's post vietnam fears about using force , he ended up creating another vietnam that spurred more fears about using force . as bush 41 's defense secretary , mr . cheney prepared the '92 defense planning guidance draft with his aides paul wolfowitz and scooter libby . it called for swaggering world domination in the wake of the cold_war , asserting that america should intervene to stop any countries allies or foes from challenging its supremacy . a decade later , with a more jejune bush as president and a more jittery post_9_11 america , cheney co . brought back the loony plan and renamed it the bush doctrine . vice and rummy corroded the constitution by using the terrorist attacks as a pretext to correct the past as ford administration big shots , they felt emasculated by the post watergate reforms three decades later , they saw a chance to shoot some steroids into executive branch powers . condi rice had been a russia expert in poppy bush 's white_house , so she and the older cold warriors like rummy and cheney readily saw the red menace under every rock . like the ''experts'' who failed back in the 1960s to see that red china and the soviet_union were enemies of each other , not friends , they na vely assumed that saddam and osama were in bed together and that because they were both bad guys , going after one was going after the other . george_tenet 's experience tracking bin_laden did him no good , because he was so nervous about being the only clinton holdover that he was overly sycophantish to w. , assuring a skeptical president that proving saddam had w.m.d.s was a ' 'slam_dunk . '' w . let the past cloud his judgment as well . he went along with vice and rummy on invading iraq because he thought he could avenge and one up his father simultaneously . when sonny , as colin_powell called him , announced his candidacy in 1999 , i asked him if it was scary to run for president knowing so little about foreign_affairs . ''there will be moments when situations , incidents will flare up , '' he replied , blissfully unaware of the conflagration to come . he said he could lean into his dad 's advisers , and trust his gut about which ones to trust and which to ''kiss off . '' yesterday , senator obama , asked about his short r sum , made the same claim that judgment is more important than experience . but he acknowledged that president_bush has given learning on the job a bad name . ''i mean , dick_cheney and donald_rumsfeld have an awful lot of experience , and yet have engineered what i think is one of the biggest foreign_policy failures in our recent history , '' he told the times 's anne kornblut . ''so i would say the two most important things are judgment and vision . well , judgment , vision and passion for the american people , and what their hopes and dreams are . '' those who declaim on the need for senator obama to have more experience must forget who 's running the country . it often seems that the most inexperienced person alive is george w . bush even after six years in office . op_ed columnist.

lead saying they are getting little help from gov . jim_florio , who started it all , democratic legislators are fighting a rear guard grass roots battle against a growing tax rebellion , and there are signs that some lawmakers are ready to concede ground in the face of a protest that will not go away . saying they are getting little help from gov . jim_florio , who started it all , democratic legislators are fighting a rear guard grass roots battle against a growing tax rebellion , and there are signs that some lawmakers are ready to concede ground in the face of a protest that will not go away . the governor and most democrats predict it will do just that fade away once voters understand exactly who is hurt and who is not by the biggest state tax increase in new jersey 's and some say the nation 's history . they say that the 2 . 8 billion tax package passed this year is not really an increase at all that most of the money will be funneled back to municipalities in the form of property_tax rebates and other relief . the governor and his fellow democrats control both houses of the legislature , and time is on their side . the 80 members of the state_assembly and the 40 members of the senate do not have to face the voters for another year and three months , in november 1991 . the governor , the focus of the tax protest which is rapidly turning into a general protest against unresponsive government does not face the voters for another three years and three months , in november 1993 . 'against the tax package' in a state that does not allow for recall of state officials or binding referendum on legislation both of which protesters are trying to change voters can do nothing except complain . they are doing plenty of that . ''i 'm getting hundreds , literally hundreds , of phone_calls and letters , '' said state senator gabriel m . ambrosio , democrat of lyndhurst , whose desk is stacked with pink phone message slips and letters from constituents . ''ninety nine percent of them , '' he concedes , ''are adamantly against the tax package . '' mr . ambrosio is calling them all , hoping to defuse the tax protest . some democratic officeholders are beginning to fear that the protest is fast becoming a general cry to ''throw the rascals out , '' one that could carry into the next legislative election . there is also a feeling among many democrats , including mr . ambrosio , who supports the governor unreservedly , that they are carrying the battle with too little help from the top . ''governor florio could do more , he certainly could , and he 's going to have to if people are going to understand this tax package , '' mr . ambrosio said . move to cut back with most of the heat being taken by individual members of the legislature , there are signs that the united front is beginning to crack , if only slightly . assemblyman anthony j . cimino , democrat of hamilton township , announced thursday that he would intoduce a bill to repeal the sales_tax on disposable paper products . assembly speaker joseph v . doria jr . said he would support the bill , as well as a repeal of the tax on heavy trucks if next quarter 's tax revenues indicated that the state could afford such a repeal . although there is general outrage about taxes , the sales_tax increase to 7 cents from 6 , and the addition of a number of items not previously taxed , like household detergent and paper products , has become the focus of anger . demonstrators draped toilet tissue around the state house grounds early this month , and speaker doria acknowledged that he is getting envelopes stuffed with it in the mail . though encouraged by mr . cimino 's push to repeal the disposable paper tax , protesters call the move a smoke_screen to stifle the outcry . social as well as fiscal republicans hope to take advantage of the unrest . they say they will not only make a tax fight the cornerstone of the 1991 campaign but also take up the battle for recalling officeholders and allowing binding referendums . mr . florio 's 2 . 8 billion tax package is intended as a social as well as a fiscal program . the governor 's staff says the income_tax increases affect fewer than 20 percent of taxpayers , with taxes doubling at the highest end of the income scale , from 3.5 percent 7 percent for couples with a joint taxable_income of more than 70 , 000 . but the sales_tax affects everyone . and while the court ordered reorganization of school financing is said to hurt only the wealthiest districts and benefit the poorest , the effects have yet to be felt . property taxpayers at the moment are seeing nothing but increases whether the money goes for schools or for police and fire protection , sanitation or fixing potholes . million signatures in '75 there have been tax revolts in new jersey in the past , and they have gone nowhere , sputtering out before election day . in 1975 , for example , an organization called united taxpayers of new jersey gathered a million signatures to protest the imposition of an income_tax by gov . brendan t . byrne and the legislature . ''we were shocked to realize those signatures meant nothing , '' said samuel perelli , chairman of united taxpayers . ''the public be damned with their one million signatures . '' the tax remained , and mr . byrne was re elected . united taxpayers has joined the current protest with a group called hands across new jersey and is backing the effort to establish the rights of recall and referendums . they can be established only by a constitutional_amendment . and a constitutional_amendment must be approved by the legislature . that is fast becoming a major political issue in the state . republicans in their platform have included a call for ballot initiatives to create or repeal laws for a decade . that practice is followed in 23 other states , including california , where voters recently approved a tax increase . a provision to allow legislation through ballot initative and referendum was approved in 1986 by the assembly , when it was controlled by the republicans , but was defeated in the senate , controlled by democrats . both houses are currently controlled by the democrats . ''it will be the cornerstone of our efforts'' in 1991 , said the state republican chairman , assemblyman robert d . franks of new providence .

in a videoconference linking him by satellite to a group of soldiers in iraq , president_bush sought and won their assurances on thursday that iraqi forces are up to the job of helping american_troops provide security for the voting there this weekend . the event , stage managed for television , came across as carefully_scripted and a bit awkward , despite attempts to prepare the soldiers for what they would be asked and to give them time to think through their answers . ''how are they doing ? '' mr . bush asked one of the officers about the iraqi_security_forces . ''i mean , give us an assessment . one of the things , captain , that people in america want to know is , one , do the iraqis want to fight , and are they capable of fighting ? '' capt . steven pratt answered that ''the iraqi_army and police services , along with coalition support , have conducted many and multiple exercises and rehearsals . '' he called their cooperation and communication ''impressive . '' reporters were allowed to observe the washington side of the exchange in an office building on the white_house grounds . there , allison barber , an aide to the secretary of defense , discussed the questions in advance with the group of 10 americans and 1 iraqi soldier assembled in tikrit , as they decided who would answer which question . ''the president is looking forward to having just a conversation with you , '' she told them , according to the associated press . she described the subjects he would raise and gave instructions , including a request that water bottles be removed from the picture . later , at the white_house briefing , scott_mcclellan , the press_secretary , deflected questions about the choreography , saying reporters who asked about that were getting caught up in ' 'side issues . '' ''i think what the american people heard was some very important information from our men and women in uniform , '' he said . the struggle for iraq the white_house.

the japanese government said tuesday that consumer prices rose for the first time in two years in november , offering what economists called the most convincing sign yet that the country 's long bout of crippling price declines was ending . the consumer_price_index , which measures changes in the prices shoppers pay for things like gasoline and computers , gained 0.1 percent from a year earlier , the government said . economists said the increase , small as it was , signified the first broad based rebound in prices since the economy first slid into deflation in 1998 . about two years ago , in october 2003 , the index also rose , but economists dismissed that gain , saying it was because of one time factors like a spike in the price of rice , because of a poor harvest . a broad based gain in consumer prices has long been awaited here as an indication that japan 's 4 . 6 trillion economy , the world 's second largest , has finally entered a sustainable recovery after more than a decade of stagnation . one symptom of japan 's deep economic ills was the stubborn persistence of deflation , declines in prices that discouraged spending and eroded the value of profits , making companies less likely to invest in new businesses . economists say prices gained for the right reasons last month . the biggest factor was an increase in spending by japanese consumers , who appear to be loosening their purse_strings because they have been earning more . unemployment has declined and wages have risen every month since last january . ''this is what we 've been waiting for seven years , '' said naoki iizuka , chief economist at the research arm of dai_ichi_mutual_life_insurance . but the good news also set off a rare public debate among tokyo policy_makers over the government 's handling of the recovering economy . some challenged the independence of the bank of japan , the nation 's central_bank . the bank 's governor , toshihiko_fukui , has set increases in the consumer_price_index as one condition to be met before ending the bank 's super easy monetary_policy , adopted in 2001 . the bank has held interest rates near zero and pumped money into the economy to encourage banks to keep lending and write off bad_loans . mr . fukui has repeatedly said that he wants to end this policy , adopted during a financial_crisis , once the economy is strong enough . politicians have said they fear that a premature tightening may snuff out growth and plunge the economy back into recession . on tuesday , some of the nation 's top financial officials called on the central_bank not to move too quickly and to follow the government 's lead . other officials responded that politicians should not try to interfere with the independence of the central_bank , which until about a decade ago was under control of the finance ministry . ''it is up to the b.o.j . to decide monetary_policy , '' kaoru yosano , the economics and financial_services minister , was quoted by reuters as saying . ''we can give them our opinions , but the government should respect the b.o.j . 's decision . '' international business.

lead bloke here claims he can throw the knuckleball . bloke here claims he can throw the knuckleball . not even a pitcher 's mound to work from on the borrowed rugby field , and this strapping 23 year old english lad , julian dotwell , says he can flutter the ball up to the batter with the trickiness of mary poppins . he tried one last saturday with the bases loaded , looking quite american and knowledgeable in his pristine baseball costume from the all new scottish amicable national baseball league , a special league of the six best teams organized to exploit britain 's new interest in the game . the batter , a native_american playing the game with wrists thick as nostalgia for home , turned julian 's pitch around with a crack of the bat , the ball wandering lonely as wordsworth 's cloud over the left field_fence . the grandest of slams this allowed the americans in the grandstand crowd to turn to the english neophytes many of them drawn to the sport by the first televising here of the full world_series last fall and patronizingly explain still another term of art , ''grand_slam . '' but wait . some of the americans , recognizable by their addict 's wanness for the only game on grass that looks as silly as cricket but has the advantage of making sense , had to stare out at the strange home_run trot of the batter , lee pierce . they discovered the hard truth of the english spring , that you ca n't go home again , that there is no total conversion possible of the english to baseball , eager as some are . for the opposing fielders , the other side , instead of spitting indifferently at the ground as the home_run hitter trotted past or sneering graceless as times_square panhandlers , were actually congratulating him with handshakes and ''well dones . '' and then julian dotwell did not even throw vindictively close to the head of the next batter so the americans could explain what a ''brush back'' is . where 's all that hallowed spirit of soccer violence when it 's needed ? after nearly a century of trying , will the english ever learn to play this game ? with spikes up ? and why wear spikes anyway if they cannot cut genuine dirt basepaths into the borrowed rugby and soccer fields that some communities tolerate ? and , oh yes , americans working at understanding cricket want to know what that angry fan meant at the cricket match when he shouted , ''gatting , you 're a pillock ! '' real grass and a real crouch in a way , the answers to those questions and all the other idiosyncratic inner musings of this island 's countless americans homesick for baseball may not matter , because the english grow wonderful , non plastic grass even if the game comes up short , and the ball still goes ''pop ! '' into the glove , sweet as chaucer 's april . and that kid on the southern tigers what 's his name ? alan bloomfield crouched the right way for playing a hungry , scuttling shortstop , as if he were not english at all . and finally , julian dotwell , managing the tigers , took himself out as pitcher after his knuckleball had turned into a lend lease grapefruit , switching to right field and later beginning a comeback rally at bat with an artful opposite field hit that led to a tie that made the contest a pretty good introduction for the new english fans , after all . the hunger for the game among expatriates is to be expected , the hunting at 2 a.m . for the faint armed_forces radio signal from west_germany to find out how dwight_gooden did in returning to the mets . or the staring at the radio like it is some orson_welles trick when the guy not an english sports ''presenter'' describing a one nil shutout , but a baseball guy talking side of the mouth american on the radio says tom seaver will be pitching again for the mets . tom seaver ? sure , and churchill will be taking the mound at downing_street . more exciting than cricket more remarkable is the hunger for the game among some of the english . ''baseball is much more exciting , '' said don ferguson , a 29 year old english addict who follows the box scores of the major_leagues , listens to the midnight game broadcasts and visits the united_states for the playoffs . ''you can fall asleep at a cricket match , wake up an hour later and not a lot has happened . '' arthur bloomfield , the father of the tigers' shortstop , loves baseball so much that he quietly took his boy 's soccer team aside when they were 11 year old champs and began teaching them american hardball as if it were a druid ritual . and channel 4 , britain 's truly alternative television_station , expected no grand ratings in showing the mets red_sox world_series last fall , but it drew so many viewers that this spring dozens of new baseball clubs are taking to the field , which is to say the rugby and soccer pitches . this is what prompted the scottish amicable life assurance society to put up 500 , 000 for the next three years to stock a small league of the best players to showcase the sport and build a marketing outlet , the way budweiser has in britain with american_football . brad thompson , an american businessman who played high_school ball in stockton , calif . , helped organize the league , mainly so he could catch for the london warriors and never lose touch with baseball . he estimates there are about 150 active teams in england , but the best players are in the new league , including some americans who can master the curve ball and so outpitch the typical fastball converts from cricket bowling . and up came schmidt one such bowler , ian pont of the enfield spartans , is the talk of british baseball because he has a blazing cricket arm and had tryouts with six major_league_baseball teams this spring in the united_states , a breakthrough for the english . this gifted athlete who first gripped a baseball only last fall , showed he could get a fastball over the plate at 86 miles an hour . trouble was mike schmidt , the slugger of the philadelphia_phillies , was waiting at the plate with a bat in his hands . ''it all brought life sharply into focus , '' said the right hander , back in england , mowing down the roundball squires of spring . ''the yanks play ball we just play at it . '' but the latter is precisely the virtue of the game , as americans are trying to explain to their english friends in teaching the fun , not the tyranny , of the finer points , as in the sixth inning here when the pitcher suddenly wheeled into a successful pickoff move to first base . ''is that clear ? '' an american asked of an english companion after his third attempt at explanation . but wait . the umpire ruled it was an illegal pickoff and so started advancing base runners , strange as stonehenge . ''a balk ? '' asked the grandstand englishman , growing testy as an american at a cricket match . ''what on earth is going on here ? ''

lead i would like to summarize several points about the state_department of education report on racial_integration in our public schools that was presented to the state board of education earlier this month . the report raises fundamental issues about excellence and equity in education , and a review of the facts helps brings the report and its goals into clear focus . i would like to summarize several points about the state_department of education report on racial_integration in our public schools that was presented to the state board of education earlier this month . the report raises fundamental issues about excellence and equity in education , and a review of the facts helps brings the report and its goals into clear focus . it is a fact that 14 of connecticut 's 166 school_districts have 29 percent of the state 's total student enrollment but enroll 79 percent of the state 's minority students . these same districts are home to 82 percent of the state 's children so poor that they receive assistance as part of the aid to families with dependent children program . these districts also have a significantly higher percentage of students who are in need of remedial education . each and every one of these districts has shown a significant increase in minority enrollment during the past decade , a trend that is likely to continue except in those districts that have reached a ' 'saturation level'' of 90 percent or more . by 1990 , one of every four children in our public schools will be from minority_group , and in a few , subsequent years such a ratio will also reflect the state 's general population . it is a fact that it has become increasingly evident that districts with minority enrollments greater than 70 percent hartford , new haven and bridgeport cannot successfully integrate their schools by pursuing only internal options . consequently , the present statutes and regulations are no longer effective in resolving racial balance in these districts , and a larger number of the remaining districts may fall into this pattern in the next decade . it is a fact that the primary burden for providing integrated education rests with the state . recent adjudications throughout the united_states have reinforced the state 's responsibilities of insuring integrated education . states should not , cannot , shy away from their moral obligation , and the state board of education has chosen to address these conditions rather than allow the conditions to continue or worsen . there was no choice the problem had to be brought forward for discussion . to do otherwise would mean that the state board would not be fulfilling its responsibility to provide each and every child with an equal educational opportunity . it is a fact that in order to have true quality education we must integrate our schools . i do not disagree with those who argue that achievement levels can be raised without integration . certainly , the research shows that it is possible to raise the achievement of poor children . but that is not the point . even as we continue to work to raise the achievement scores of these children , we must remember that high achievement alone does not complete the equation for quality education . a fundamental element would still be lacking . our schools would still not be places that reflect the rich racial and cultural_diversity of our state . our children would not be profiting from the opportunity to learn and grow together . students in our suburbs and rural areas , as well as those in our cities , would be growing up isolated and apart and not understanding their counterparts from other areas with whom they will have to live and work as we move into the next century . it is a fact that this report advocates voluntary collective measures to accomplish integration . it encourages clusters of communities to address the problem and work out creative solutions for specific regions in our state . and there are many strategies that could be explored , like magnet schools , school pairings , better utilization of unused space , exchange programs and educational parks . however , i feel strongly that these solutions can best be generated at the local level . what may work in one area may not be appropriate in another . it is a fact that the state board will spend at least the next year listening carefully to comments from the public , and members are prepared to alter the report . there is ample time for reasoned and informed debate . i have great confidence that the intelligence , good will and morality of our citizens will prevail , and they will respond constructively to this issue . solutions will emerge that will make connecticut a model for the rest of the nation . connecticut opinion.

an article on june 2 about the arraignment of a former school official in roslyn , n.y. , on grand_larceny charges in an embezzlement case misstated the number of people at a school board meeting where the case was discussed . it was more than 500 , not about 100 .

lead so it turns out that bob horner is human , after all . so it turns out that bob horner is human , after all . back in the spring , a lot of japanese_baseball watchers were n't so sure . they were calling him the red devil , sometimes the blond ogre , a man of brobdingnagian size and power , a hitter who merely had to think of a home_run and it was as good as done . anyone would have excused the japanese their hyperbole , given the way horner had stormed ashore in early may to take up his station at third base for the yakult swallows of the central_league . fresh from the united_states and a contract dispute with the atlanta_braves , he hit a home_run in his first game . the next day he banged out three more . game no . 3 produced nothing , mainly because opposing pitchers thought it made more sense to walk him three times . but in his fourth game horner bounced back with two more shots over the fence . six home_runs in four games . a hulking import suddenly , all of japan was talking not about trade surpluses but about this hulking import . television commentators delivered impassioned lectures on how to get him out . publishers tripped over each other to put out magazines devoted to the ho na gensho , or horner phenomenon . battalions of photographers stalked the new swallow wherever he went . in a matter of days his face became as familiar as the prime_minister 's . predictably , one could hear a few xenophobic mutterings , mostly well worn twaddle from some sports circles about how foreigners should be banned because they were ruining the japanese game . there arose , too , a conviction that japan 's single season record of 55 home_runs , held by the great sadaharu oh , was doomed . well , it is nearly september , and oh has nothing to worry about . for sure , horner is still hitting homers . he had 21 as of today , a more than admirable number for a man who has played in only 56 games , having started the season late and then missing some action because of injuries . 'not my bag' but setting records ? not this year . then again , horner said , ''that 's not my bag . '' ''sure , i 'd love to break records , '' he said . ''but if you come over to a foreign country expecting to break all their records , you 're letting yourself in for a letdown , and you 're fooling yourself . '' although the man has proved to be mortal , the ho na gensho shows no sign of fading , at least to judge from the horner dolls , horner t shirts , horner megaphones and other horner paraphernalia that went on sale this week at a tokyo department_store . of course , american ballplayers have long been a fixture in japan . they are appreciated some would say merely tolerated for their power . six of the nine leading home_run hitters in the central_league are americans . ( horner is tied for seventh place . ) in the rival pacific_league , americans hold five places among the top 10 . in one vital respect , however , horner is different . previous imports tended to be major_league has beens or never wases . horner is believed to be the first american to choose japan in the prime of his career . through nine seasons with atlanta , he batted . 278 and hit 215 home_runs , including 4 on a single day last year . just turned 30 , he is young , with ample youth ahead of him . but horner turned his back on the braves as a free_agent early this year , rejecting contract offers of 3 . 9 million for two seasons and 4 . 5 million for three seasons . he also took his battle to court , joining in a lawsuit accusing american baseball owners of collusion to hold down salaries for free agents . an easy catch against that background , he was a relatively easy catch for yakult . all it took was a one year deal reportedly worth 2 million , by far the largest salary in japanese_baseball history . that is a lot of money for a man likely to play at most 95 games . it is also more than twice the amount paid to the top homegrown star , mitsuhiro ochiai , or to the previous reigning american star , a slugger from oklahoma named randy bass . at those prices , some resentment may have been expected . indeed , soon after horner signed , the japanese sports press arched its collective eyebrows , with cavils that he tended to be overweight , to be injury prone , to be overly fond of beer . even now , some writers question how hard he tries on the field . barrage silences critics but his early home_run barrage silenced most of the critics . so did the obvious fact that yakult was getting more than its money worth . club officials say that they now average 37 , 000 fans a game at tokyo 's jingu stadium , compared with a pre horner attendance of 27 , 000 . those extra fans easily pay for his salary , plus a good deal more . the swallows , a nondescript outfit over the years , are suddenly in fourth place . for them , that is a dizzying height . as for the team 's parent company , yakult , horner is a public_relations bonanza . sales have reportedly improved this summer for the thousands of women who go door to door on bicycles peddling the milk based soft_drinks that yakult makes . ''unless i 'm just missing something , i have n't felt any resentment about money at all , '' horner said . ''you find a lot more of that petty stuff in the united_states . '' for horner , his wife , chris , and their two sons , settling into japan has been fairly easy . some of the required adjustments were obvious but manageable , such as dealing with an unfamiliar language , unfamiliar food and even unfamiliar medical practices . horner submitted recently to his first acupuncture treatment , to help alleviate a back problem that had kept him out of the lineup for a few games . on the field adjustments have been more complicated . more formula bound the new arrival discovered that the style of play here is more formula bound than in the united_states . japanese pitchers are more likely to avoid challenging a star hitter and to offer him little to swing at . one result is that horner is walked nearly twice as much as he was with the braves . at one point he began to swing at bad pitches , producing a surge in strikeouts . but he has calmed down , he says , and feels comfortable with his . 320 batting_average . ''i went through bad times because i got impatient , '' he said . ''you ca n't force things over here . you 've got to let things happen . playing in japan requires a mental adjustment . some guys ca n't make it . a lot of good players came over here and did n't do well . '' comments like that help his standing among japanese fans , who expect americans to avoid swagger and to adapt to local ways . not that horner has really adapted . he basically can do whatever he wants . but he has avoided ostentatious displays of self centeredness , and has impressed people with acts of generosity , such as a 35 , 000 donation this month to a japanese foundation for medical research . it is accepted wisdom that he will say sayonara to japan after a one year fling . but horner insists he has not made up his mind . when the question arises , he puts a spin on a time tested baseball cliche . all he wants , he says , is to play them one season at a time .

if ''the closer'' is n't any good , blame the winter_olympics hype . among cbs 's perks for broadcasting the olympics despite lower than expected ratings was its ability to unleash torrents of promotions for its programming , including last night 's premiere of tom selleck 's new situation comedy . having spent about 80 hours in cbs 's company , i know selleck is back . ( but where 's courteney cox ? ) i 'm certain ''cybill'' is moving to wednesdays . and i 'm glad to declare that i love raymond , too . ( now , will channel 2 finally stop the sappy olympic athlete and family profiles ? ) so it was n't one extended , 17 night hermann_maier tumble for cbs . by various measures , the 1998 winter_games were highly successful for the network , even if the 16 . 2 prime time nielsen_rating was far below guarantees to advertisers . even if critics were cranky and viewers appeared dissatisfied . ''the olympics were not without disappointment , '' said gil schwartz , cbs 's senior vice_president of communications . ''but in substantial ways , they did exactly what they were supposed to do for cbs . '' john tinker , an analyst with nationsbank montgomery securities , said ''the stations did well , the network rating was way higher than the competition 's and letterman was matching leno . in that sense it was successful . '' a peek at the numbers ( but if you do n't want to know , turn away ) for the february sweeps really the main reason to pay 375 million for the winter_olympics cbs won every night but sunday ( when oprah winfrey 's film ''the wedding'' beat all ) . cbs 's 16 . 0 rating was 70 percent better than nbc 's 9 . 4 , 122 percent better than abc 's 7.2 and 132 percent better than fox 's 6.9 . the 12 stations that cbs owns in nielsen 's 38 metered markets averaged an 18 . 2 rating in prime time , up 88 percent from the same period a year ago . in new york , channel 2 jumped to a 16 . 3 from a 9.3 . the minneapolis station leaped 89 percent to a 23 . 3 . kdka in pittsburgh rose 81 percent to a 22 . 6 . plus , the stations' late news averaged an 11 . 6 rating , up 40 percent from 1997 . ( so if you fancy how fetching warner wolf looks on channel 2 's new set , you might stay . that 's the great thing about having the olympics as your lead in . ) ''late show with david_letterman , '' which seemed to revive creatively , beat ''the tonight show'' by a 5.6 to 5.4 nielsen score . the race culminated with letterman 's 8.5 overnight rating last friday , which thumped the 4.8 of ''tonight . '' ''a significant number of people rediscovered letterman , '' schwartz said . but now it 's back to regular programming . ''the nanny'' will have to do more than deliver reports from nagano . whatever halo effect the olympics provided for the network and the stations may disappear tonight . ''you ca n't expect the halo to go on forever , '' said neal pilson , an industry consultant who was the cbs_sports president when the nagano deal was made . ''your programming still has to be good . '' said schwartz ''it 's back to the usual battle . there are no gimmes . '' but at least more people know where to find their cbs station 184 million are said to have watched all or part of the olympics . now , the olympics are all nbc 's , from 2000 in sydney to 2008 in a city to be named much later . will cbs 's struggles with the 14 hour time difference from nagano to the eastern time zone bear on nbc 's efforts in sydney , which will have a 15 hour time difference ? will cbs 's woes with event postponements in a blizzard beset winter locale shift plans for 2002 in salt_lake_city ? dick ebersol , the president of nbc_sports , anticipates no problems . ''the summer_olympics is a 26 ring circus , and there 's never a paucity of events to put on , '' he said by telephone from sydney . ''and americans are medal participants in all sports . '' despite the time difference , despite everything being on tape , ebersol said his production will be propelled by storytelling . nbc should have an easier time in salt_lake_city than cbs did in japan . besides being a domestic enterprise , ebersol said , ''we 've shown that the olympics have to be produced more as an entertainment than a sporting_event . '' pilson had a scheduling idea for salt_lake_city nbc should show an indoor event , like pairs figure_skating , on the first night of competition , to avoid a weather related postponement of downhill skiing , which bedeviled cbs . ebersol is convinced that storytelling will triumph over choices offered by other media , which will surely expand and morph over the next four years . ''there is a lot more fragmentation out there , from on line , so they 'd better hit the emotional high points all the time , '' tinker said . emotion ? at nbc ? no problem . john tesh will be playing his keyboards at the luge and halfpipe . weeping snowboarders should move us all . airwaves bob page , set to leave ''msg sportsdesk'' april 1 because his contract was not renewed , anchored his last show sunday . his reference to ''politics behind the scenes at madison_square_garden management'' during a report on the rangers' firing of coach colin_campbell ired network brass . ''we had an arrangement with mr . page and his representatives that he would be professional , and we are not pleased with the results of that arrangement , '' said mike mccarthy , executive_producer of msg . sandy montag , page 's agent , said ''it 's no big deal . '' tv sports.

paolo maldini looked like some movie star trying to get to a waiting limo . tightly surrounded by a threesome of police officers brandishing raised forearms , maldini nodded and smiled to the encircling mob of camera wielding , microphone stabbing journalists all shouting at once . a brazilian television reporter even dashed up the steps of the team bus to interview him , but she was pulled off by the police . and maldini , italy 's star left fullback , had n't even practiced . the italian national team has been practicing , often twice a day , here at the pingry school 's huge , lush , putting green smooth grass field , but most of those sessions have been closed to the press . today was their last open practice here they will also train friday morning at giants_stadium , where they play their first world_cup game saturday , against ireland and the day 's big news was that maldini , who has been nursing a pulled right thigh muscle , will play . he will begin practicing thursday . coach arrigo_sacchi has been criticized for not settling on a lineup , and especially for not sorting out the midfielders and forwards . he has sometimes used the brilliant roberto_baggio as a striker and sometimes as an attacking midfielder , the role baggio prefers . against costa_rica in italy 's final tuneup match last saturday , he replaced midfielders nicola berti and dino baggio ( no relation to roberto ) with daniele massaro and roberto donadoni at halftime , and almost immediately the attack picked up italy won , 1 0 . interesting development oddly , sacchi says he wants to use a_4 3 3 alignment , but has only two true forwards on his roster , giuseppe signori ( who over his career has scored 60 goals in 88 games in the italian first division ) , and pierluigi casiraghi , a center forward good in the air , who often does not start . so sacchi evidently intends his midfielders to attack up the flanks . the italian outside fullbacks are also quick to join the attack , but with maldini recovering from his injury , there may be less of that against ireland than sacchi would like . today , sacchi was asked whether saturday 's match will be excessively defensive , given ireland 's history of playing for ties and the pressure on both teams not to lose the opening game . " if you put too many people in the defense , that 's static soccer , not dynamic soccer , " sacchi said . " the idea is to get more people into the attack . " tough on all sides who those people will be , however , is of great interest to soccer followers , especially the scores of italian journalists at today 's session . though they pressed sacchi repeatedly " will casiraghi start as striker ? " and " will baggio play up front , or behind the forwards in midfield ? " and " will you keep berti at midfield , and make donadoni a substitute , or start donadoni ? " the coach adamantly refused to name any starters before friday . " friday is soon enough , " he said , with a tight smile . someone asked if saturday is too soon to be playing ireland , potentially italy 's toughest opponent in group e . would sacchi have preferred to play ireland later in the round ? " ireland is a tough team , now or later , " he replied , through the translation of carlo tramontozzi , former soccer coach and athletic_director at st . francis college in brooklyn . " we might as well face them right away . " after saturday 's showdown , italy plays norway at giants_stadium on june 23 , and ireland plays mexico in orlando on june 24 the final first round games are june 28 , with ireland norway at giants_stadium and italy mexico in washington . world_cup '94.

after years of debate , hundreds of studies , thousands of pages of blueprints and billions of dollars , the united_states and 15 other nations are ready to start building the largest , most complex structure ever assembled in space , the international_space_station . planners say the five year construction project , 220 miles above the earth , will culminate in a sprawling research complex that answers major questions about the future of humans in space , while producing data and products with more immediate applications down on the planet . despite severe money problems at its space agency , russia is to place the first piece of a giant puzzle on the board this week by launching a_20 ton pressurized module that will serve as the core of the orbital outpost by providing initial propulsion and power . this unit , named zarya after the russian word for sunrise , is to lift off on friday atop a proton rocket launched from the baikonur cosmodrome in kazakhstan . the united_states is to follow on dec . 3 when the shuttle endeavour takes off with a hub unit , named unity . this node attaches to the russian part and serves as a main connector for future pieces of the station , designed to eventually house up to seven astronauts at a time from countries around the world . three astronauts are expected to occupy the station beginning early in 2000 , well before it is fully completed . the space_station is one of the largest peacetime international engineering projects in history , and one of the costliest , with a construction price of at least 40 billion , more than half of which will be paid by the united_states . various estimates suggest that participating nations together will spend a similar amount to operate it during its lifetime , a minimum of 10 years . it will be a risky and difficult project as well , experts said , noting that the odds of a major accident in the station 's construction or operation are high . in darkness of space , assembly required construction will require at least 43 space flights , including 34 by space shuttles and the rest by russian rockets , to haul almost 900 , 000 pounds of supplies . these materials , including pressurized modules , connecting nodes , expandable metal trusses for holding solar_panels and heat radiators , and miles of electrical_cables , are to be assembled by american and russian astronauts making 144 spacewalks . the spacewalks , in which two member teams will have to connect hundreds of station components and cables , are expected to total at least 1 , 800 hours , double the time that american astronauts have spent outside their ships since the beginning of piloted space flight almost four decades ago . when all of the pieces finally come together in 2004 , as scheduled , they are to form a complex that covers an area equal to two football fields when the solar_power arrays are unfurled . almost a dozen interlocking modules , housing research laboratories , living quarters and support equipment , are planned to provide 46 , 000 cubic_feet of pressurized space , equal to the interior volume of two 747 jet planes . ''the space_station is being built to see how people can live and work safely and productively in space for long periods , '' said daniel s . goldin , administrator of the national_aeronautics_and_space_administration . ''it will be a world class laboratory for science that could lead to discoveries and technical advances that affect all our lives . '' but construction is to begin while several uncertainties remain about costs and schedules . assembly already has been delayed more than a year because the third major component , a russian built unit called the service_module , has not been completed because the russian space agency is out of money . this unit is to provide living quarters and laboratory space in the early stages of station construction . noting that the collapse of the russian economy is a threat to the space_station , nasa last month announced a bailout plan to funnel money to the russians to complete the service_module and have it ready for launching in july 1999 . the american agency said it would initially pay russia 60 million for equipment and services related to the station project . and nasa told congress that the united_states would have to channel 600 million more to russia over the next four years to help that nation meet its space_station obligations . even with this aid , questions remain whether russia will eventually find the money to complete what it has promised for the station , including two science laboratories , a power_station and cargo spacecraft to take up supplies . president_clinton , at the kennedy_space_center on oct . 29 for the space_shuttle flight of senator john_glenn , said he favored covering russia 's financial shortfalls for the station because of the importance of the international project . ''i think we 're doing the right thing with this space_station , and we need to stay with it , '' mr . clinton said in a cnn interview . the clinton_administration has had a vested interest in the space_station since 1993 , when it restructured the program , on the verge of cancellation by congress , and brought in the russians as a full partner in a foreign_policy initiative after the breakup of the soviet_union . dr . john logsdon , director of george_washington_university 's space policy institute , said that including russia in the program saved it , by giving the project an added political purpose and by offering the hope that the russians would move the program along . ''there was a dramatic shift in the debate when russia was brought in , '' dr . logsdon said . ''political support for a space_station is now very solid . '' much of the flight hardware for the station has either been built or is nearing_completion since the new start five years ago , he said , and the project has a good chance of being completed once construction in space begins , even if russia ends up with a lesser role . ''i do n't think there is much of a possibility of canceling the program now , '' dr . logsdon said . station a u.s . interest since kennedy 's days the new outpost will not be the first space_station , but it will be the biggest and most versatile and well equipped . in the early days of the space_race , president john f . kennedy considered having the united_states try to build the first space_station to assert american dominance . but when advised that the soviets' more powerful rockets would allow them to win that race , mr . kennedy set the more difficult goal of landing men on the moon . after the moon landings , nasa officials believed that the next step should include a large space_station supplied by a reusable shuttle . but public support for the space_program declined markedly after the moon_landing , and the nixon_administration cut the agency 's budget , making it clear it would not support two major new programs . nasa chose to pursue the space_shuttle . only after the shuttle began flying did nasa resurrect the idea of a space_station . the soviets launched the first space_station , salyut 1 , in 1971 . they followed it with a series of larger and more sophisticated salyuts , culminating in the launching of mir in 1986 . mir , the first permanent station , grew to a complex of seven modules weighing more than 100 tons . the first united_states space_station was skylab , made from the third stage of a saturn rocket and flown into orbit in 1973 . the 84 ton station was in use for only nine months , during which crews visited for 28 , 56 and 84 days . president_ronald_reagan first proposed building an international station , led by the united_states , in 1984 and within two years got the european_space_agency and other partners to agree to contribute hardware to the project . nasa first estimated that the united_states could build its part of the station for 8 . 5 billion , but the project almost immediately bogged down . ''no one agreed on what kind of a space_station to build , and it was constantly being redesigned , '' said howard c . mccurdy , a professor of public affairs at american_university who studied the program . ''all we could agree on was that we wanted one . '' as work on the station dragged on , with several nasa centers proposing different designs , estimated costs rose , prompting congress to get involved in managing the program to hold down expenses , mr . mccurdy said . ''by 1993 , we had spent 11 billion on the space_station and all we had to show for it was piles of blueprints and no major flight hardware , '' he said . the clinton_administration then asked nasa to redesign and streamline the station again , this time including russian components , and capped united_states spending at 17 . 4 billion through assembly . but mr . goldin , the nasa chief , said early this year that american costs would likely be about 21 . 3 billion , requiring additional financing . and an independent study commissioned by the agency suggested in april that united_states costs could climb as high as 24 . 7 billion . 16 countries share a significant burden joining the united_states in the project are russia , japan , canada , brazil and 11 nations of the european_space_agency italy , germany , france , britain , belgium , denmark , the netherlands , norway , spain , sweden and switzerland . the original russian contribution to the program was expected to be worth 8 billion to 10 billion before the current economic crisis . the other partners' shares amount to about 3 . 1 billion from japan , 850 million from canada , and 3 . 8 billion from the european group , with a separate 550 million from italy . experts warn that the cost of the space_station is likely to be borne in more than mere dollars . ''like any construction project , this is going to be risky business , '' said john e . pike , director of space policy for the federation of american scientists . ''you have to assume that you are going to lose at least one major component of the station , either because of a rocket blowing up or an accident in orbit , '' mr . pike said . ''and it is likely that someone will be killed , which is not uncommon on construction sites even when they are not doing spacewalks , which are dangerous all by themselves . '' with so many rocket launches required for the station , the odds of a major accident involving a shuttle or russian rocket are high , according to mr . pike and others . a statistical analysis done last year by the british journal new scientist concluded that there was a 73 . 6 percent chance of at least one major failure in the assembly sequence . ''it would be a miracle if there was n't a major failure , '' mr . pike said . ''and depending on any loss of life , or what part of the station is lost during an accident , it could severely cripple the project or cause major construction delays . '' the new space_station , which will be five times larger than mir if completed as planned , is to be occupied and producing research data long before its scheduled completion date . plans call for russia to launch a soyuz_spacecraft in january 2000 , carrying capt . bill shepherd of the united_states_navy , the station 's first commander , and the russian astronauts yuri gidzenko and sergei krikalev . their arrival will mark the beginning of research and a permanent human presence on the station . outpost in space.

lead the unemployment rate in japan , seasonally_adjusted , averaged 2.8 percent in 1987 , the worst on record , the statistics bureau reported today . in december , the rate stood at 2.6 percent of the labor force , down a tenth of a percentage point from november , the bureau said . the unemployment rate in japan , seasonally_adjusted , averaged 2.8 percent in 1987 , the worst on record , the statistics bureau reported today . in december , the rate stood at 2.6 percent of the labor force , down a tenth of a percentage point from november , the bureau said .

like so many others in a city of eight million people , joe girardi bustled through the downtown streets here this week , a few blocks away from the yankees' hotel . a man approached him for an autograph , and after girardi obliged , the man kept walking with him , rifling through the pages of a program to see if any other big leaguers were in his midst . not every japanese person wears a yankee hat and frets over hideki_matsui around the clock . but there are die_hards who trail backup catchers like girardi through town , and they made an impression on the yankees , who split a two game series with the tampa_bay_devil_rays at the tokyo_dome . ''i did n't know what to expect , '' said derek_jeter , who sent some fans to swooning during batting practice . ''but it 's kind of amazing you go somewhere and people recognize you . it 's kind of overwhelming , considering how far away we are . '' the yankees are back now , touching down on thursday in tampa , fla . , where they will rest and work out on friday . the workout will be a walk through no batting practice required and some teammates will be waiting for them . the starting_pitcher javier_vazquez stayed behind because he was not scheduled to pitch , and center_fielder bernie_williams , who is recovering from an appendectomy , also missed the trip . williams , who visited japan on a tour of major_league all stars in 2002 , predicted last week that his teammates would be overcome by jet_lag . ''it feels like a truck just ran on top of you , man , '' williams said . ''i just slept the whole second day . i could n't get up . it 's rough . '' after the mets and the chicago_cubs opened the 2000 season in japan , they returned to face different opponents . on tuesday , the yankees will meet the devil_rays again for a two game series in st . petersburg , fla . , matching the weary and the bleary . ''you 're going to be tired , but it 's like that for both teams , '' jeter said . ''everything we 're faced with , they 're faced with . '' even mike_mussina , who dreaded the trip and pitched poorly in an 8 3 loss in the opener , acknowledged that the visit was more about good will than comfort . george_steinbrenner , who until 2002 had prevented his players from coming to japan for the postseason all star tour , endorsed the trip , partly to expand the yankees' brand . ''it 's mission_accomplished as far as the state of the game , '' said third baseman alex_rodriguez , who went 1 for 9 on the trip . ''when you talk about growing the game , i think the new york yankees can do that better than any other team in the world . '' rodriguez , jeter and matsui visited the united_states embassy with manager joe_torre and others on wednesday . another group including girardi , who made the transition from player to broadcaster on the trip visited a military base , taking black hawk helicopters to get there . every player came home with at least two souvenirs caps of the yomiuri_giants and the hanshin_tigers . each yankee exchanged hats with a player on those teams before the exhibition games on sunday and monday . the yankees won the first game , beating the giants by 6 2 , and lost to the tigers , 11 7 . torre noticed several differences in the japanese style of play . ''you see a lot of guys out on their front foot , putting the ball in play , '' torre said . ''they start running out of the box and hit the ball . it 's all about speed , and that definitely seems to play right into the type of game they want to play . ''it 's different than our game , but the thing i 've always admired about the japanese brand of baseball is how fundamentally sound they are . they do n't make mistakes . '' the major_league games in tokyo were not crisp . of the 24 runs scored in the series , 15 came on homers . the yankees overcame two base running gaffes to win the second game , when devil_rays pitchers issued eight walks . jason giambi , who homered in his first at bat of the season , said it was important that the yankees be patient at the plate , to take advantage of the thunder in their lineup . they are likely to play many games like their 12 1 victory on wednesday . ''that 's what everybody 's been wanting to see , '' said giambi , who played the second game at designated_hitter because the artificial_turf bothered his left knee . ''i think it 's just the beginning of what this machine can do . '' jorge_posada thumped three run homers from both sides of the plate on wednesday , when kevin brown threw seven stingy innings for a victory in his yankee debut . posada and brown were acknowledged in a ceremony after the game , but matsui , the former yomiuri_giants slugger , was the trip 's superstar . his picture covered the front pages of the sports dailies in japan on thursday , with ''m . v.p . '' written in two inch type on one . matsui went 3 for 9 in the series , with a homer and three runs batted in on wednesday . his performance under hometown pressure was the highlight of the week . ''i 'm just glad matsui 's a yankee and not a giant , '' brown said after the second game . ''he did an unbelievable job of handling everything he 's had to go through over here . he 's so completely focused and comfortable . you tip your hat for a very professional effort . '' steinbrenner will expect more of the same now , with the yankees back for two exhibitions before the regular season resumes at tropicana field on tuesday . they avoided a dreaded 0 2 start by keeping their perspective and coming home with a victory . ''it was n't pressure at all to win , '' closer mariano_rivera said . ''but it was good that we came back and played a good , solid game , hitting a little bit and pitching good . now everybody has to start all over again . '' baseball.

while vacationing last week in quebec , i read an editorial in the montreal gazette that crystallized for me the fatal flaw in new york city 's attempt to win the 2012 summer_olympic_games . the bid was essentially bungled by an inability to appreciate the mass appeal value of a good burger . the editorial was about the renaissance of the canadian_football_league and especially the reborn montreal alouettes , who disappeared for nine years from a_league that was often predicted to be facing a similar fate . to the contrary , football at least the canadian rules version is a hot sport throughout the province these days , particularly among french canadians who previously shunned it . three french speaking universities are fielding teams , while thousands of fans are embracing an all american pastime of the parking_lot . as the gazette reported ''le tailgate ( a parking_lot party that begins several hours before game time ) is every bit as big an event at quebec football games as the tailgate parties in buffalo or atlanta . '' there you have it . so called francophones , who once thought of football as a vulgar simulation of war , have grasped its essential significance as live entertainment next door to the great north_american cookout . they have recognized what new york mayor michael r . bloomberg daniel l . doctoroff , the deputy_mayor and the jets' owner , woody_johnson , apparently did not . how could the key new york players in the costly 2012 olympics pursuit construct their original plan around a parking challenged football stadium that , among other insurmountable opponents , was not even appetizing for famished fans ? was it because bloomberg , doctoroff and johnson are too rich and refined to enjoy their filet mignon on paper plates ? we 'll never know how the voting would have gone in singapore on wednesday had johnson not insisted on returning the jets to new york on the west side of manhattan and agreed to build a luxury suite palace in queens . one thing is clear nyc2012 would not have made the end game impression of a desperate delegation in disarray that no doubt precluded any chance of the upset london ultimately pulled . at the very least , johnson , bloomberg and doctoroff would have created in addition to an easier commute for the jets' large brooklyn , queens and long_island fan base a legacy of national sporting_events , real revenue producers , that they were promising in return for the public subsidies in manhattan . remember the super_bowl ? while the war of the far west side was still being waged , the n.f.l . munificently weighed in by awarding its 2010 showcase to new york provided there was an agreement in place to open a stadium in manhattan with a roof over it by 2009 . when the manhattan deal died , i did n't hear anyone say the super_bowl had officially expired , so i called the n.f.l . yesterday to find out if 2010 was still a possibility , provided a roof was built somewhere in the region that would eliminate the possibility of a halftime breast exposure to frostbite . a_league spokesman , brian mccarthy , said the deal offered to the jets and the city for the manhattan stadium was in place until the end of the year . i asked what if the jets and giants agreed to put a retractable_roof on the new stadium planned for the meadowlands ? after checking with the brass , mccarthy called back to say , ''they would have to submit a new bid . '' this sounded neither promising nor hopeless , so i called jay cross , the jets' president , to ask if the jets , now positioning themselves to partner up in the meadowlands with the giants , would be interested in constructing a retractable_roof . while the teams would have no interest in playing indoors , cross said , ''from the league 's perspective , there would be a lot of interest in having a roof in the region . '' provided , of course , it was paid for by new jersey . ''the lion 's share of benefits of having a roof are accrued to the municipality , '' cross said . could be , or it could also be a case of another negotiating tactic to determine just how much public largesse might be available . it 's hard to believe the giants and jets could n't produce substantial nongame revenue from a climate controlled stadium they jointly controlled . and whatever happened to all that civic and regional pride we were hearing about ? how about the giants and jets , cashing in on new york 's name all these years while nestled in new jersey , digging a little deeper so the city they claim to represent could reap the certain tourist windfall the super_bowl and final four across the river would bring ? who knows ? maybe new york and new jersey could figure out a way to work together to bid for a regional 2016 summer games to defray burgeoning costs . last week , the montreal gazette also reported that construction costs for the 2010 winter_games in vancouver were running 40 percent ahead of original projections . meanwhile , yesterday 's horrific news out of london was a reminder to its olympic people what a staggering and costly challenge it faces to secure the prize it won . in the end , it could be argued that bloomberg and friends did new york a favor by sabotaging their own bid , thereby preserving for jets fans the all american right of le tailgate . ( attention , woody that 's a parking_lot party that begins several hours before game time . ) sports of the times e mail hjaraton nytimes . com.

to the editor regarding " making wasteful packaging extinct " ( viewpoints , april 4 ) , about germany 's ambitious experiment with mandatory recycling , we wo n't know if it works there for several years but even if it does , that does not mean americans will embrace such a system . what works in europe does n't necessarily work here . we share a common cultural_heritage , but in 200 years our cultures have evolved quite differently . americans drive more than europeans , for example , and would not tolerate the limitations european_countries place on cars . likewise , americans accept the many tangible and intangible benefits of plastic and paper packaging safety , variety , and convenience . the more reliable challenge to american industry is to to devise aggressive , market based incentives for waste reduction . that would propel the search for environmental excellence far more reliably than a direct transplant of germany 's mandate to recycle three out of four containers . bruce piasecki troy , n.y. , april 12 the author is director of the environmental management program at the rensselaer school of management .

lead a pediatrician whose practice collapsed after he filed a lawsuit that revealed he had tested positive for the aids virus has agreed to settle the suit against his former roommate . a pediatrician whose practice collapsed after he filed a lawsuit that revealed he had tested positive for the aids virus has agreed to settle the suit against his former roommate . the doctor , robert john huse , of suburban mesquite had sought thousands of dollars in damages and an injunction against his former roommate , tyrone wesley sims . he contended that mr . sims was telling people that he carried the virus . dr . huse agreed to settle by accepting 10 and a promise that the roommate would not talk about the doctor 's condition .

breaking a longstanding taboo , financial authorities rushed in with funds today to rescue a japanese credit_union whose troubles had threatened to spark turmoil in the nation 's banking system . it was the first time in three decades that the central_bank , the bank of japan , had issued special loans , this time to prevent a run on tokyo 's largest credit association , the cosmo credit corporation , from alarming jittery depositors at other financial_institutions . the scare , which developed suddenly over the weekend , has become a test for japanese regulators and bankers who are eager to demonstrate to investors and financiers around the world that japan can manage a crisis and prevent it from spilling over into the global financial system . just last week , robert e . rubin , the united_states treasury_secretary , expressed concern about japan 's banking crisis . the nation 's banks are saddled with at least 570 billion in bad_loans , and many financial experts say the debt load is hobbling the economy and roiling the stock and property markets . cosmo 's depositors have withdrawn about 915 million in cash , or nearly one fifth of total deposits , over the last two days . today , officials at the credit_union prominently displayed cartloads of money to assure depositors that cash supplies were ample . there appeared to be little risk that the credit_union 's troubles would have an impact abroad because cosmo turned to depositors , rather than the money_market , to finance its lending activities . analysts have expressed concern that if a full blown banking crisis did develop in japan , some of the nation 's banks would be unable to meet commitments on the international money markets . still , tokyo share prices fell today , with the nikkei index of 225 stocks declining 318 . 96 points , or 2.1 percent , to close at 16 , 358 . 57 . shares of financial_institutions led today 's retreat . government officials were coy about saying whether the special loans from the central_bank represented a use of public funds . that is a sensitive issue because many in japan hold the nation 's wealthy bankers responsible for creating a speculative economic bubble that has burst , producing the country 's worst economic problems in decades . nonetheless , if today 's measures did not actually presage the use of public funds to aid banks , they did at least elevate the public debate about pouring such money into failing institutions . financial regulators and government authorities have said they do not want public funds to go into saving poorly managed , bankrupt institutions , but they also recognize that taxpayer money may be necessary at times to prevent bank runs from exploding into a nationwide panic . officials at the ministry of finance and central bankers tried to distinguish today 's loans from public funds . " it is funding from the bank of japan , and not normal lending by the bank , " said yukio yoshimura , a spokesman for the ministry . " there is no strict definition of public funds . " an official at the bank of japan said the loans were " different " from public funds . the central_bank declined to disclose precisely the amount of today 's loans , but various financial officials suggested that the amount was between 170 million and 215 million . on monday , the national federation of credit_cooperatives , an industry association , lent about 700 million to cosmo . runs on banks in japan are extremely rare , and the government almost never lets lending institutions go bankrupt . even today , lines at cosmo were orderly and people waited_patiently to withdraw their deposits . sampachi taido , cosmo 's president , resigned , and authorities said that cosmo probably would be merged into another bank . authorities suspended cosmo 's operations on monday , forbidding it from taking any new deposits and making any new loans , but depositors are still allowed to withdraw funds up to a limit of about 1 . 1 million , regulators said . cosmo lent heavily to real_estate speculators during the bubble economy of the 1980 's and now is saddled with a large bundle of bad_debts . ministry officials said cosmo had nearly 2 billion in bad_loans , representing about 35 percent of its loan portfolio . international business.

the abc_news program ''nightline'' will broadcast on friday night the names and faces of every member of the armed_forces killed in action in iraq . ted_koppel , the anchor , will deliver a brief introduction and then read more than 530 names , as photographs and captions with the ages and hometowns of the dead appear . ''nightline'' will not include those who died by accident and other causes because of time constraints . leroy sievers , an executive_producer of ''nightline , '' said his inspiration for the program was a june 1969 issue of life , which presented photographs of all the american_soldiers killed during one week in vietnam . although that issue is now remembered as a crystallizing moment for opposition to the vietnam_war , mr . sievers denied that the program was making any political statement . but william_kristol , the editor of the weekly_standard , said the message was clear to him . ''this is a statement with a capital s , and it 's a stupid statement , '' he said , saying it emphasized the controversy over the war in iraq while neglecting to mention the casualties in afghanistan or those killed by terrorists .

the chinese government publicly confirmed tuesday that it had conducted a successful test of a new antisatellite weapon but said it had no intention of participating in a ' 'space_race . '' the confirmation was made at a regular foreign ministry news briefing , 12 days after china used a medium range ballistic missile to destroy one of its own weather satellites 535 miles above earth . several countries , including the united_states , japan , britain and australia , pressed beijing to explain the test , apparently the first successful destruction of a satellite in orbit in more than 20 years . until now , chinese officials declined to confirm or deny that it had occurred , despite news reports last week that quoted bush_administration officials describing the exercise in detail . liu jianchao , the foreign ministry spokesman , issued the first official comment . ''this test was not directed at any country and does not constitute a threat to any country , '' he said . ''what needs to be stressed is that china has always advocated the peaceful use of space , opposes the weaponization of space and an arms_race in space . china has never participated and will never participate in any arms_race in outer_space . '' mr . liu did not say why the chinese_army had conducted the test . he also did not directly address concerns that the use of a missile to shatter a satellite in a low orbit might be perceived as inconsistent with china 's repeated calls to ban the use of weapons in space . beijing 's prolonged silence about the test , which american intelligence officials said took place on jan . 11 , raised speculation about its intentions and the circumstances surrounding the test . senior bush_administration officials raised the possibility that the silence might have reflected the autonomy and isolation of the chinese military . they said they could not be sure that president hu_jintao , who oversees the military as well as the communist_party , had personally authorized or overseen the test . on tuesday , mr . liu denied that officials had taken too much time before speaking publicly . ''china has nothing to hide , '' he said . ''after various parties expressed concerns , we explained this test in outer_space to them . '' japanese and american officials said china had not volunteered any information until they had made formal diplomatic inquiries , and then it had taken at least four days to get a reply . the first confirmation apparently came when christopher r . hill , an assistant secretary of state , visited his counterparts in beijing over the weekend to discuss efforts to revive six nation negotiations on north_korea 's nuclear_weapons program . sean_mccormack , the state_department spokesman , said monday that mr . hill had been assured that the test ''was not meant as a threat against anybody'' and that chinese officials had acknowledged that it had taken place . independent experts on the chinese military say china has sought a workable antisatellite weapon since the 1980s . one reason is that the united_states military depends heavily on satellites for missile_guidance , navigation and communications , and any widespread damage to that network could hamper military action overseas . china has long feared that the united_states might intervene in any military conflict with taiwan , and has invested heavily in new arms that experts say are intended to give it the power to attack taiwan while keeping american_forces at bay . but others say china 's intentions in conducting this test may have been more diplomatic in nature , intended to put pressure on the united_states to negotiate a treaty to ban weapons in space . russia and china have pressed for an international_treaty that would limit the use of space for military purposes . the bush_administration has declined to take part in such talks . over the summer , president_bush authorized a new space policy that seeks to preserve ''freedom of action'' in space , and he said the united_states reserved the right to use force against countries seeking to disrupt american satellites . xu guangyu , a former chinese_army officer and an official at the government run china arms control and disarmament association , said the antisatellite test amounted to an attempt to redefine the ''rules of the game'' and press the united_states into negotiations . ''what china is saying is , 'let 's sit down and talk , ' '' mr . xu said . ''there is a trend toward weaponization of space that no one , especially china , wants to see . ''

newspaper accounts of city_council meetings and mayoral news briefings are fine , but they do not always fully capture the events' most exhilarating moments . like last week , when the council voted for an increase in the property_tax , and councilman allan w . jennings jr . of queens stood to denounce the plan , citing biblical verse . then there was the time that mayor michael r . bloomberg decided to abruptly leave his own news conference without taking any questions , another highlight best viewed in real time . but now , anyone with a computer can enjoy all mayoral events held in the blue room at city hall , as well as the stated city_council meetings , which are generally held every other week , because they are being broadcast live on the internet . mayoral news conferences , announcements and bill signings can be viewed at www . nyc . gov . council meetings in chambers are available at www . council . nyc . ny . us . ''city government should be easily accessible to new yorkers everywhere , '' mr . bloomberg said yesterday in a prepared statement . ''these live internet webcasts will give anyone with an internet connection a front row seat to their government . '' in the same statement , gifford_miller , the council speaker , added , ''this is a testament to what this city_council embodies accessibility , accountability and fresh ideas . '' actually , the mayor 's office has been broadcasting most blue room news conferences live since september , but did not announce the fact until the mayor 's staff members were certain that the kinks had been worked out , said a spokesman for mr . bloomberg , jonathan werbell . but even those with internet connections and a strong cup of coffee would not have caught the mayor signing that 18 . 5 percent tax increase into law at 7 30 a.m . monday , as that was not telecast live . ''going forward , we will have all blue room press conferences live , '' mr . werbell said . both houses of the state legislature show their full sessions live on the web , a service they began providing last year . but they do not show other events , like committee meetings , public hearings and news conferences . gov . george e . pataki 's office does not broadcast his activities on the internet . the senate is online at www . senate . state . ny . us , and the assembly 's webcast is at www . assembly . state . ny . us av . the city 's internet broadcasts are brought to the world by crosswalks nyc , the municipal cable television_station that is responsible for the recently introduced live shots of traffic during rush_hour , and nyc . gov , the city 's official web_site .

after nearly two weeks of one day strikes at scores of companies , germany 's giant metalworkers' union reached a deal with industry that will increase wages by 4 percent this year . the raises are significantly more than employers had been offering , but the settlement is not a huge , resounding demonstration of the union 's power . wages will rise in the second year of the agreement by only 3.1 percent , much less than union leaders had been demanding . the deal , announced this evening , ends the first major strike campaign that germany has experienced since 1995 . the strikes demonstrated a renewed militancy by ig_metall , the metalworkers' union , which has in recent years generally accepted modest wage_increases to preserve jobs . union leaders had originally demanded annual raises of 6.5 percent , far higher than they had been able to extract in the past and greatly exceeding the rate of productivity growth in german industry . after it failed to come even close to an agreement at the bargaining table last month , the union began an unusual experiment , staging one day strikes at individual factories . the strikes were meant to rattle companies without provoking lockouts or plant closings . today 's result will almost certainly raise the minimum demands put forward by other big unions , and it could have ripple_effects in neighboring countries that often take their cues from germany . just last month , the chemical workers settled for raises of only 3.3 percent an example few unions will want to follow now . the european_central_bank has warned for months that big raises could accelerate inflation , and it recently served notice that it already sees hints of price trouble . germany 's leading economic institutes have warned that any wage_increases of more than about 3 percent could slow the country 's fragile economic_recovery . the settlement with the metalworkers does not break that threshold by much . averaged over two years , it raises pay by about 3.5 percent . the agreement is good news for germany 's chancellor , gerhard_schr_der , who had pleaded without success for the two sides to reach agreement without a strike . though strikes did take place , they did not paralyze the entire industry , and an agreement was reached fairly swiftly after the strikes began . ''reasonable people on both sides succeeded in carrying it off , '' mr . schr_der said . today 's deal applies only to workers in the industrial state of baden w rttemberg , and it still faces ratification by workers . but it is expected to be the model for very similar pacts in other states . the bigger question is how it will sit with other manufacturers . executives say that carmakers like porsche and daimlerchrysler 's mercedes , which are running nearly flat out , were more willing than other companies to accept higher wages . but the legions of small german parts suppliers feel squeezed by slumping prices , and many quietly threatened to abandon the industrywide wage deals if they became too expensive . in a statement tonight , daimlerchrysler expressed relief that the strikes were over and that ''there will now be no additional impact on the delivery of vehicles , '' preserving its positive outlook for 2002 .

the top american commander for the middle_east said thursday that the insurgency in iraq had not diminished , seeming to contradict statements by vice_president dick_cheney in recent days that the insurgents were in their ''last throes . '' though he declined during his congressional testimony to comment directly on mr . cheney 's statements , the commander , gen . john p . abizaid , said that more foreign_fighters were coming into iraq and that the insurgency 's ''overall strength is about the same'' as it was six months ago . ''there 's a lot of work to be done against the insurgency , '' he added . his more pessimistic assessment , made during a senate armed services committee hearing , reflected a difference of emphasis between military officers , who battle the intractable insurgency every day , and civilian officials intent on accentuating what they say is unacknowledged progress in iraq . mr . cheney , in an interview with cnn after general abizaid spoke , repeated his assertion that the insurgency was facing defeat , which he said was driving it to increase attacks to disrupt the united_states backed political process aimed at defusing the violence . ''if you look at what the dictionary says about throes , it can still be a violent period , '' he said in the interview . ''the terrorists understand if we 're successful at accomplishing our objective , standing up a democracy in iraq , that that 's a huge defeat for them . they 'll do everything they can to stop it . '' persuading the public that the american led effort in iraq is succeeding is a white_house priority this month . president_bush will meet friday with the iraqi prime_minister , ibrahim_al_jaafari , at the white_house , and on tuesday , he will give a speech on the first anniversary of the end of the american occupation . dr . jaafari , speaking at the council of foreign relations here , supported the white_house argument that the situation in iraq was steadily improving , despite continuing attacks . he also warned against setting a timetable for troop_withdrawal . when he was asked thursday evening about mr . cheney 's recent comments , he sidestepped the issue . defense secretary donald h . rumsfeld and his top commanders appeared at all day hearings , starting with the senate armed services committee in the morning and continuing with the house armed services committee in the afternoon . ''any who say that we 've lost this war , or that we 're losing this war , are wrong we are not , '' mr . rumsfeld said in the morning session . he added that consideration of troop_reductions in iraq , as some democrats have called for , would ''throw a lifeline to terrorists , who in recent months have suffered significant losses and casualties , been denied havens and suffered weakened popular support . '' general abizaid had just returned from a visit to iraq , afghanistan and the horn of africa , where he said he was surprised at how many american commanders and soldiers asked whether the military was losing support at home for their missions overseas . ''it was a real concern , '' he said . he added that afghan and iraqi military officers had raised the same concern . ''they worry we do n't have the staying power to see the mission through , '' he said . several lawmakers warned that public support for the american troop presence in iraq would continue to decline , which could eventually force a withdrawal of the troops , unless progress could be made at stemming the violence . senator lindsey_graham , a republican from south_carolina , told mr . rumsfeld at the senate committee hearing ''we will lose this war if we leave too soon , and what is likely to make us leave too soon ? the public going south . that is happening , and it worries me greatly . '' no senator called for an american withdrawal , but several democrats urged the administration to consider setting a timetable for troop_reductions if iraqi officials fail to approve a constitution by a self imposed august deadline , which could be extended for six months . the constitution is scheduled to be voted on in october , and if it is approved , a national election would be held in december . ''an open ended commitment to the iraqis that we will be there even if they fail to agree on a constitution would lessen the chances that the iraqis will make the political compromises necessary to defeat the jihadists and end the insurgency , '' said senator carl_levin , democrat of michigan . dr . jaafari urged the united_states on thursday night not to set a timetable for a troop_withdrawal , saying insurgents would seize on the action to ' 'spread terror across the nation to weaken the country . '' he said the only viable military_strategy was to wait until iraqi troops are ''trained to a very high level , '' a process he insisted was already well under way . his reluctance to set deadlines appeared synchronized with the position taken by mr . bush , who has declined to set a goal for withdrawal . yet despite his care not to differ with the white_house , dr . jaafari appeared at one point to side with general abizaid , who told congress that foreign_fighters were still entering iraq . mr . jaafari agreed that iraq 's borders were still not secure and that terrorists continued to flow into iraq . he made no effort to quantify how many have entered the country , or how important they have been in the insurgency . in the afternoon session , representative loretta sanchez , a california democrat , repeatedly pressed gen . george w . casey_jr . , the top commander in iraq , on whether the insurgency was in its final throes , as mr . cheney said , or was essentially holding its own , as another top american officer , lt . gen . john r . vines , stated this week . pressed repeatedly to choose between the two , general casey said ''there 's a long way to go here . things in iraq are hard . '' but general casey insisted that the allied forces had significantly weakened the insurgency even though the number of attacks against american_forces has remaining steady at about 60 a day for the last several weeks . the most heated exchange of the day occurred between mr . rumsfeld and senator edward m . kennedy . after a six minute recitation of what he said were mr . rumsfeld 's mistakes and misjudgments , the senator , a massachusetts democrat , accused him of putting ''our forces and our national_security in danger " and called for mr . rumsfeld to resign , as he has several times previously . ''well , that is quite a statement , " mr . rumsfeld responded , saying mr . bush has rebuffed his offers to resign twice . the struggle for iraq insurgency.

orbit technologies inc . of rancho_santa_fe , calif . , said yesterday that it had received an 18 . 4 million contract for the first phase of its titanium refining venture with the chinese government . the chase_manhattan corporation said yesterday that it had formed a joint_venture with loma negra , which is an argentine cement producer , and a unit of philip environmental inc . of canada to create an industrial waste to energy facility in argentina . allianz a.g . holding , europe 's largest insurer , signed an agreement yesterday with the french bank credit_lyonnais to sell its non life_insurance products through the bank 's network .

radio listeners who woke up yesterday to a news report about mayor rudolph w . giuliani at an early morning building collapse in brooklyn heard something extraordinary a few seconds later a political advertisement by the mayor 's campaign boasting that he is always there at a building collapse . and the ad did not stop there . it described how the mayor is always there for a subway derailment , a brutal snowstorm , a water main break , an injury to a city worker , a burned firefighter or a wounded police_officer . it even praised him for having ''protected'' a group of deaf mexican immigrants last month and for being vigilant against terrorism , a reference to last week 's discovery of pipe_bomb devices and the arrest of two suspects in brooklyn . in short , the ad asserted that the city was extremely fortunate to have a ''round the clock mayor'' who is there when the city needs him the most . ''some say rudy works too hard , that putting in 20 hour days is too much , '' the announcer says , as heroic synthesizer music plays in the background . ''maybe . but he 'll be there for us , 24 hours a day . '' the exquisite juxtaposition of the advertisement and the building collapse was purely coincidental , of course the ad was prepared by the campaign last week . ''it 's eerie , '' mr . giuliani acknowledged . ''of course , we did n't have the slightest knowledge when we prepared the ad that this would happen . '' but the ad served to underline the political uses of mr . giuliani 's frenzied daily schedule , his insistence on dominating camera shots at crises large and small in the life of the city . he routinely maintains that his involvement in such matters as the plight of deaf mexican immigrants is not being done for political purposes , which made its inclusion in yesterday 's campaign commercial all the more startling to the democratic candidates for mayor . two of the republican mayor 's democratic challengers expressed outrage at what they described as the self aggrandizing tone of the commercial and its use of a series of tragedies to cast mr . giuliani in a positive light . ''he 's shameless , '' said one of the candidates , city councilman sal f . albanese of brooklyn . ''he 'll use anything in his ads . it 's outrageous using those poor victims to promote his political career . '' mr . albanese contended that the mayor was in fact partly responsible for the troubles of the mexicans because he cut the number of building inspectors , some of whom failed to recognize the conditions in which the immigrants were living in queens . the mayor 's leading democratic opponent , ruth w . messinger , the manhattan borough_president , suggested that mr . giuliani was going too far . ''he runs around the city holding press conferences , very often taking credit for other people 's work , and now he 's running a political ad taking credit for showing up , '' she said . ''the next thing he will take credit for is the sun coming up over the manhattan skyline , except on cloudy days , which he will blame on his political opponents . '' another democratic candidate for mayor , the rev . al_sharpton , was traveling and could not be reached for comment yesterday . fran_reiter , the mayor 's campaign manager , said the events of the last few weeks , including the discovery of deaf immigrants forced to sell trinkets in the subway and the bomb plot , have repeatedly led ordinary citizens to compliment mr . giuliani and his staff for his constant presence on the scene . that , she said , was the genesis of the commercial , not any desire to use tragedies for political purposes . ''he does n't do these things for political purposes , '' she said . ''he does them because that 's who he is , that 's what he believes the role of mayor should be . ''not all mayors have been as 24 hours as he is . you cannot deny that this informs , that this is a big part of who he is as a mayor and as a leader . so i think it 's perfectly legitimate to use this during a campaign to say to the people of the city , here 's who rudy_giuliani 's been , here 's what he is . '' ms . reiter denied a suggestion made by several democratic political leaders that mr . giuliani was trying to promote his devotion to the city to counter several days' worth of intense publicity questioning whether his marriage is still intact . she said the commercial was already planned for this week , even before campaign officials knew that a critical story about the mayor 's private life was coming out in the magazine vanity_fair . the giuliani campaign issued a packet of news articles to justify each assertion in the commercial , but the one explaining how the mayor protected the deaf immigrants seemed a bit questionable . citing a column by michael daly in the daily news , it used this quotation ''the ever heartless federal immigration authorities were preparing to ship the 57 mexicans to a detention camp when mayor giuliani rode to the rescue . '' in context , the quotation was clearly intended to be read sarcastically because the column , titled ''giuliani forgets where he 's rooted , '' was almost entirely critical of mr . giuliani for his stance 15 years ago as the associate attorney general in the justice_department who supported the detaining of nearly 2 , 000 haitian ''boat people . ''

japan yesterday refused to grant diego_maradona a visa to play in a tournament there this month , citing his drug record . but the japanese embassy in buenos_aires said the government in tokyo had granted a visa to forward claudio caniggia . caniggia , like maradona , had been suspended after testing positive for cocaine use . " the difference is that maradona had a judicial case against him and caniggia did n't , " said mokoto kato , a spokesman for the japanese embassy . ( ap ) sports people soccer.

six years ago , the army had to fly in 17 , 500 soldiers from the united_states and deploy 7 , 000 armored_vehicles and nearly 1 , 100 tanks to practice the kind of epic battles the nato alliance would have to fight if world war iii broke out . just the damage nato forces caused tearing around the german countryside cost 23 . 4 million then , and since unification in 1990 germany has severely_restricted ground and air maneuvers . generals since napoleon have used sandboxes and even wooden soldiers to model their battle plans , but this year 7 , 600 american and allied soldiers here did their maneuvering by computer . in this era of shrunken defense budgets , commanders mostly stared at screens and video simulations , clomping between electronic stations in the combat_boots and fatigues they used to wear to roar around the range at this sprawling training base in bavaria . " this exercise costs me less than the maneuver damage for 1988 , " gen . david m . maddox , commander of the 74 , 000 united_states soldiers still in germany , said with a laugh . he expects to spend 15 . 8 million . saving money was not the only reason for the change . this exercise was intended as preparation for the kinds of missions that have arisen in europe since the cold_war ended for example , a large peacekeeping force in a country like bosnia where ethnic tensions have boiled over . although the prospects for a peace accord in bosnia now appear dim , the army has sent nearly 22 , 000 soldiers on crisis missions to 30 countries since the persian_gulf_war . and because threats to european security and stability did not end with the soviet_union in 1991 , 100 , 000 americans from all branches of the service will remain on this side of the atlantic after the end of next year , down from 314 , 200 in 1990 . " we are not going to be doing many things in the future by ourselves , " general maddox said . " our operations are going to be multinational . " so the recent exercise here was designed to practice both diplomacy and military skills in a nato task_force with troops from the united_states , britain , france , the netherlands and germany . the scenario involved an imaginary island off europe 's west_coast divided between two ethnically separate countries with a disputed bosnia like province in the middle . in the exercise , nato tries to use diplomacy to help its ally fend off a threat from its northern neighbor , which finally seizes the disputed province in an invasion that the allies mobilize to defeat . " we built an exercise that deals with the realities of the world as it is now , " said col . thomas machamer , the army 's chief exercise designer in europe . although the geography of the island was developed by carving it out of france and renaming the towns , the 462 soldiers from the french seventh armored division did not seem to mind . diplomats borrowed from the state_department and allied foreign ministries set up ground rules to protect civilians in the battlefield and negotiated with the bellicose north titanian prime_minister , played by brig . gen . james darden of the 87th army_reserve division from birmingham , ala . they will do so again when they rehearse post hostility talks at the end of the month . " we were told to go for the throat and inflict as much pain as we could to stimulate some very real decision making by the commanders on the other side , " general darden said . to help the soldiers here simulate the logistics of sending in thousands of imaginary troops , tanks and supplies , the army brought in 260 american civilian computer technicians from a san_diego defense_contractor , the cubic corporation . the computer displays were graphic and detailed . in one simulated commando raid on a missile battery on a peninsula far behind enemy lines , a small team of saboteurs zapped enemy targets with machine_guns and missiles , then called in nato aerial gunships to blast more as they flitted across the screen . what the players behind computer screens see is only as much as they would see in a real battle . the accuracy of weapons on either side is figured into the computer program , which in this case let nato players hit their targets more often than their less well armed adversaries .

candidates in the large democratic presidential field clashed tonight over the justification for the war in iraq and the role the united_states should now play in that country 's reconstruction . their debate signaled a postwar phase of a contest that has to date been overshadowed by the fighting in the persian_gulf . the disagreements about the past and the future in iraq came as the result of the confluence of the fall of baghdad this morning with the first time all nine likely democratic presidential_candidates have shared a stage for a debate . that took place at a forum this evening sponsored by the children 's defense fund that was intended to provide the candidates with a platform to talk about children and family issues . that subject dominated much of the forum , reflecting an eagerness by many in this democratic field to turn the discussion away from foreign_policy and to domestic issues , where president_bush might be more vulnerable . but in the context of the events of the day , and with a field of candidates almost evenly_divided about whether the united_states should have moved against saddam_hussein , the debate inevitably underscored fissures in the democratic_party and suggested that new ones are emerging . none of the candidates said they regretted their original position , given what all seemed to acknowledge was the success of president_bush 's campaign to overturn mr . hussein 's government . but the candidates moved onto new ground , disagreeing over the financial role the united_states should play in rebuilding iraq . again and again , democrats who opposed the war questioned whether the united_states should invest in rebuilding iraq , telling this receptive audience that the money would be better spent on programs like education and children 's health_care at home , as opposed to baghdad . by contrast , democrats who supported the war suggested that both could be done , assuming that congress voted to trim president_bush 's proposed tax_cut . ''we 've gotten rid of him i suppose that 's a good thing , '' howard_dean , whose campaign has been lifted on his image as the antiwar candidate , said of mr . hussein . ''but there 's going to be a long period when the united_states is going to be maintaining iraq , and that 's going to cost this country 's taxpayers a lot of money that could be spent on schools and kids . '' his argument was echoed by carol_moseley_braun of illinois , representative dennis j . kucinich of ohio and the rev . al_sharpton of new york . a moment later , senator john_edwards of north_carolina , who has consistently supported the war in iraq , disputed the suggestion by dr . dean and other war opponents that this was ''an either or choice . '' ''that is a false choice , '' mr . edwards said . ''we can do two things at the same time , particularly if we get rid of the tax cut for the top 1 or 2 percent of americans . '' meanwhile , senator john_kerry of massachusetts used the platform to repeat his support of the war and his criticism of how mr . bush had executed it , before moving on to suggest that it was possible both to rebuild iraq and attend to domestic needs . ''now this administration is laying out enormous plans for building roads , schools , hospitals and providing books in iraq , '' mr . kerry said . ''it 's time they lay out a plan to do the same thing here in the united_states . '' and senator joseph i . lieberman of connecticut , who along with representative richard a . gephardt of missouri joined with mr . bush in announcing the iraq_resolution last fall , said that what he saw on television today gave him hope about what the united_states could accomplish at home . ''after i saw that statue of saddam_hussein in baghdad , i could feel the hopes of the children of iraq for a better life rising , '' mr . lieberman said . ''and i could feel the hopes of the children in america rising for a safer life at home . now we have to come back home and help our children not only have a safer life , but a better life . '' tonight 's forum served , if nothing else , to illustrate just how unwieldy the democratic field is . with nine candidates on the stage , as well as five questioners , no one had much time to make much of an impression . it was 30 minutes into the debate before the first question was posed . at one point , the audience started giggling as the moderator tried to explain some of the complex rules the group had put together to try to deal with the crowd . the event tonight was also notable as the debut of the latest candidate to enter the race , senator bob_graham of florida , who has been recovering from heart surgery . mr . graham , who alone among the candidates referred to a sheet of paper on his lap while giving his introductory statement , said he had no regrets about opposing the war . and he restated his reasons , arguing that the invasion of iraq would actually increase the threat in the united_states of a terrorist attack . ''saddam_hussein is an evil person , '' mr . graham said . ''he lives in a neighborhood with a lot of evil people . '' reflecting their audience and their own political needs , the candidates emphasized domestic issues , and in the course of the evening , laid out an ambitious and presumably expensive catalog of programs . for example , mr . gephardt said universal_health_care would be the centerpiece of his presidential campaign , an issue that was of great concern to this liberal advocacy_group .

lynn mayson is an unemployed machine operator here . roger chastain is president of a textile company . while they travel in distinctively different circles , they have quite a bit in common . both are republicans . both were part of the solid south vote that helped george w . bush win the white_house in 2000 . and , now , both say they are angry enough about job losses in the region to vote for someone else in 2004 . ''something 's got to give , '' said ms . mayson , a mother of three , as she left a state run jobs center the other day . ''i 'm not going to vote for bush unless things change . the economy has got to get better , and it 's only going to do that if someone makes something happen . '' mr . chastain , whose company , mount vernon mills , has laid off 1 , 000 workers in recent years , is part of a coalition of textile executives who have formally complained to the white_house about trade practices they contend are driving americans out of jobs and manufacturers out of business , while giving huge advantages to china and other countries . ''bush can forget about the solid south , '' mr . chastain said . ''there 's no solid south anymore . '' the frustrations of ms . mayson and mr . chastain over the slow pace of economic_recovery , shared by a growing number of republicans in upstate south carolina , have not reached such a critical_mass that anyone is predicting that president_bush could lose the state next year . but the republican wall of support here is indeed showing cracks , reflecting economic trends that democrats say make mr . bush vulnerable . since the president took office , more than 2.5 million jobs have been lost across the country , a downturn that administration officials contend is now turning around . mr . chastain said problems had reached such a point that he would consider voting for a democrat , perhaps representative richard a . gephardt of missouri , who is a persistent critic of the north_american_free_trade_agreement , known as nafta . ms . mayson said she would vote for anyone with a plan to create more jobs . does such talk signal a new south in the making ? probably not yet . but bush bashing among republicans is almost unheard of in this part of south_carolina , one of the most conservative areas in the united_states . in winning the region , mr . bush outpolled al_gore by a ratio of almost two to one . the trade issue has even become a major factor in the early stages of a united_states_senate campaign here , and could affect a congressional_district race . representative jim demint , a three term republican who angered many of his constituents by voting for fast track procedures for trade agreements , is stepping down to run for the seat of senator ernest f . hollings , a six term democrat , who is retiring . danny varat , an adjunct professor of history at the university of south carolina in spartanburg , said that if the economy was ailing a year from now and trade policies had not changed enough to help manufacturing in the state , republicans could have a hard time winning both the senate race and the fourth congressional_district seat that mr . demint is vacating . as for the president , ''if there 's a faltering economy , he bears the responsibility , and that has political consequences , '' mr . varat said . ''to the degree he could lose the state ? it 's too early to assess that right now . '' scott stanzel , a spokesman for the bush re election campaign , dismissed the idea of any problems for mr . bush in south_carolina by defending him against critics of his economic stewardship . mr . stanzel said the recent tax cuts that mr . bush aggressively sought demonstrated his abiding concern for the economy and the nation 's jobless . ''the president will not be satisfied until every american looking for work can find it , '' mr . stanzel said , adding that the tax cuts were ''a victory for american workers , their families and america 's small businesses . '' still , many industries here and elsewhere are reeling , perhaps none more so than textiles and apparel manufacturing , which today employ only about half the 1.5 million workers who had jobs in 1994 , when nafta went into effect . industry officials say that about half of those losses have come since mr . bush was inaugurated , and in upstate south carolina , once the vital core of america 's textile_industry , many major companies have cut back their work forces or closed . this month , south_carolina 's unemployment rate reached 7 percent , the highest level in more than nine years , compared with a national rate of 6.2 percent . like his two term predecessor , bill clinton , who twice failed to carry south_carolina , mr . bush has argued that free_trade has been good for the country . over all , the region has attracted companies from nearly 20 other countries in recent years . but economic experts in the state , like r . carter smith , chief executive of the spartanburg county economic_development corporation , say the number of new jobs has not matched those lost , keeping south_carolina among the highest ranked states in percentage of jobs lost during the bush years , at no . 3 behind massachusetts and ohio . textile_industry leaders blame the administration for not demanding that china alter trade practices that enable chinese companies to sell goods cheaper in the united_states than american businesses do , making it harder to compete . j . richard dillard , a spokesman for milliken company , a major manufacturer in the carolinas , said mr . bush promised such protections , called ' 'safeguards , '' before and after he was elected but had not followed through . ''we 've heard a lot from elected officials that free_trade creates jobs , '' mr . dillard said . ''that 's absolutely true . it has created jobs in mexico , china , indonesia and everyplace else in the world , but not here . we 're tired of it . '' they are so tired of it , he said , that for the first time industry leaders are drawing a line in the cloth , insisting that if the bush_administration does not narrow the trade gap with china by the fall , company executives will withhold support for mr . bush or even campaign for another candidate . that was the principal message of two news conferences the officials held in greensboro , n.c. , and spartanburg , although only mr . gephardt emerged as a possibility . among other major democratic contenders , senators john_kerry of massachusetts , joseph i . lieberman of connecticut and bob_graham of florida are strong supporters of free_trade . howard_dean , the former governor of vermont , and senator john_edwards of north_carolina favor balanced approaches with stronger protections for american workers . asked for a show of hands in spartanburg to indicate how many of the executives voted for mr . bush in 2000 , all indicated they had . asked for a show of hands of how many would be willing to abandon him in 2004 , all indicated they would . ''this is an excellent opportunity for any elected official to base their campaign on jobs , '' said roy baxley , chairman of the south_carolina cotton board . ''this is the time to step up to the plate . '' ms . mayson said jobless people in the area could not agree more . ''i know he 's trying , '' she said of mr . bush . ''but too many jobs are going overseas . what about the people here ? ''

lead the tokyo_stock_exchange plans to upgrade its computers and renovate its building to provide more seats for foreign brokerage_firms by next may , it said today . of the six that now hold seats on the tokyo exchange , three are american merrill_lynch , morgan_stanley and goldman , sachs . the tokyo_stock_exchange plans to upgrade its computers and renovate its building to provide more seats for foreign brokerage_firms by next may , it said today . of the six that now hold seats on the tokyo exchange , three are american merrill_lynch , morgan_stanley and goldman , sachs . michio takeuchi , chairman of the exchange , asked for patience from nations that are urging japan to move faster . foreign investors account for 12 to 15 percent of volume in the tokyo market , he said , up from 2 to 4 percent five years ago .

the department of defense has identified 1 , 505 american service members who have died since the start of the iraq_war . it confirmed the deaths of the following americans yesterday eacho , donald w. , 38 , sgt . first class , army black creek , wis . ninth infantry , second brigade combat team . grimes , sean , 31 , capt . , army southfield , mich . ninth infantry , second brigade combat team . mcgowan , stephen m. , 26 , cpl . , army newark , del . ninth infantry , second brigade combat team . salem , adriana n. , 21 , specialist , army elk grove village , ill . third infantry division . twyman , wade michael , 27 , specialist , army vista , calif . ninth infantry , second brigade combat team . correction march 10 , 2005 , thursday a listing of american military deaths published yesterday referred incompletely to the unit of capt . sean grimes , sgt . first class donald w . eacho , cpl . stephen m . mcgowan and specialist wade michael twyman . they were with the first battalion , ninth infantry , second brigade combat team .

lead internecine warfare was declared within connecticut 's republican_party today . internecine warfare was declared within connecticut 's republican_party today . william f . buckley jr . , the conservative republican editor and pundit , announced the formation of a political_action_committee to oppose the re election of senator lowell p . weicker_jr . , a liberal republican . and oh , yes , buckpac , as the committee is to be called , will support instead the state 's attorney_general , joseph i . lieberman , who is mr . weicker 's democratic challenger . ''you 're telling us that the buckleys are with us ? '' asked marla romash , the lieberman campaign press_secretary . that seemed to take her by surprise . ''can i get back to you ? '' mr . buckley said he had ''always voted the straight republican ticket in the past , '' but that he could abide mr . weicker no longer . an animadversion about 'pomposity' ''his pomposity and tergiversations on every issue make his running as a republican an anomaly we ought to correct , '' mr . buckley said in a telephone interview from his home in sharon , conn . those fighting words would probably not startle mr . weicker , a third term incumbent who has long cast himself as the gadfly in the republican soup , adopting positions well to the left of the republican mainstream on everything from the invasion of grenada to prayer in the schools . the only republican holding statewide office in connecticut , mr . weicker has rejected proposals that he defect to the democrats precisely because such a move might give conservatives like mr . buckley too much satisfaction . ''it 's really the republican_party that has changed more than i have , '' the senator said in an interview earlier this year . mr . weicker was attending the republican_party 's national_convention in new orleans today and could not be reached for comment . an aide , however , did manage to inform the senator that mr . buckley had accused him of ''tergiversations'' repeated changes of opinion to which mr . weicker 's only reply was ''what did he say ? '' but in a heated exchange sunday with senator gordon j . humphrey , a conservative republican from new hampshire , on the nbc_news program ''meet the press , '' mr . weicker was clearly not in the mood to put on a show of unity . he said he would not run on this year 's republican platform and advised george_bush to act similarly . he then charged that conservatives and evangelicals were ''turning us into a one note party , '' adding that if those groups should ''want to take a hike , that 's their privilege because , believe me , i think we 'd do better without them . '' many buckleys in buckpac at the core of the anti weicker , pro lieberman organization will be about 50 members of the buckley clan . they include mr . buckley 's brother , james , the former new york senator mr . buckley 's son , christopher , a former speechwriter for vice_president bush , and a nephew , john , who is a former press_secretary to representative jack_kemp , republican of buffalo . starting from that base , mr . buckley hopes the organization will spread to what he called ''inertial republicans , '' those apt to vote for mr . weicker only out of party loyalty or habit . ''we want to pass the word that it 's o.k . to vote for the other guy or stay at home , '' mr . buckley said , adding that he had ' 'done the arithmetic'' and saw no possibility , no matter what happens , that the republicans can become the majority party in the senate in the next session of congress . primary ruled out mr . buckley added that it would be too late and too expensive to begin a republican primary challenge or to find a candidate who might oppose mr . weicker on the conservative line in the general_election . six years ago , a campaign by prescott bush jr . , the brother of the vice_president , to take the republican nomination away from mr . weicker ran out of money and died . how much buckpac can do for mr . lieberman remains to be seen . mr . buckley promised ''a sustained campaign'' that would include articles in the national review , the magazine he edits . for example , a featured story in the sept . 2 issue is entitled , ''does lowell weicker make you sick ? '' ms . romash , the lieberman press_secretary , emphasized that the endorsement had not been solicited . 'way left' but preferable asked what he liked about the attorney_general aside from the fact that he was taking on mr . weicker mr . buckley replied that mr . lieberman was a man of unquestioned integrity . ''i 've known joe since he was at yale , '' he said . ''he 's way to the left of me , but i have great personal respect for him . '' moreover , unlike mr . weicker , mr . buckley added , mr . lieberman ' 'does n't have the tendency of appalling you every time he opens his mouth . '' might one not consider that attack on mr . weicker slightly ad hominem ? ''not slightly , '' mr . buckley replied . ''totally . ''

oblivious to the stares of mere bipeds , itsi atkins rolled into a midtown luncheonette on monday and requested a table for two . he loomed in commanding presence , towering more than six feet in the air and sporting white , wind blown hair that brought to mind an urban zeus . mr . atkins stepped down from his segway , and now he was 5 foot 6 . but his return to earth in no way diminished his stature as the founder of the new york city segway club , or his passion for this curious machine , which spins about in that murky terrain between the stupendous and the silly . mr . atkins , 59 , bought his first segway in early 2003 . since then , he has measured the city 's acceptance through the looks and comments he receives while aboard his ''personal transportation device , '' which operates on microprocessors , gyroscopes and small electrically charged motors . basically , it looks like a pogo stick on wheels . at first people did not know what to call it , mr . atkins recalled , but ignorance and fear gradually gave way to amusement , even interest . then , in june 2003 just as segway enthusiasts were hoping to be seen as something more than jetsons re enactors president_bush fell off a segway . its defenders complained that mr . bush probably failed to activate the device properly , but their cries were muffled by widely disseminated photographs of the commander in chief stumbling over some wacky gizmo . in shorts , no less . ''we became the thing that the president fell off of , '' mr . atkins lamented . ''people still did n't know the name of it , but they thought that if the president could fall off of it , it could be dangerous . '' mr . atkins noticed that by 2005 a lot of people knew segways by name , and were talking of their growing prominence in popular_culture . and with oil prices soaring this summer , many new yorkers were cheering on the segway and its towering , wild haired operator . ''segway rules , '' some called out . ''segway rocks . '' ''we were feeling very good about this summer , '' said mr . atkins , who tends to use ''we'' when speaking for the city 's segway community . but that collective ''we'' released a collective moan last week , after the manufacturer announced a voluntary recall of all segways because of a software problem . in certain rare situations , the wheels can reverse direction , and you do n't want to be aboard when that happens . now , as mr . atkins tools about the city on his self balancing scooter , people helpfully shout out the news ''hey , recall . you know about the recall ? '' ''yes , yes , i am quite aware , '' answers the zeus on wheels . ''this recall is a bummer , '' he said . as an entrepreneur who designs handbags and has helped to produce major films , he knows enough about publicity to question the way that segway markets itself . he also knows enough about life to recognize the challenges of his chosen ministry . based on his segway networking , he estimated that this famously congested city has only 50 or so segways , and maybe 30 owners . he owns five , he said , and knows of someone else who owns four . mr . atkins suggested that the scarcity of segways in new york was rooted in the prohibitive cost , about 5 , 000 , as well as in questions concerning their public use . proposals to define and establish the use of segways have stalled in albany , which one might argue is because of legislative language like this ''the electric personal assistive mobility device transforms a person into an empowered pedestrian , allowing him her to achieve more than they could simply by walking . '' we are all free to be empowered pedestrians , of course , just as long as we do not empower ourselves by using segways on public roads and sidewalks . that would be illegal , according to paul j . browne , a police department spokesman . ''they 're basically unregistered motor_vehicles , '' mr . browne said . ''but we have very few , if any , records on this because they 're so rare in the city . '' critics also deride segways as threats to the age old but sometimes forgotten endeavor known as walking . they see the devices as rolling la z boys . but mr . atkins is n't a segway club founder for nothing . riding a segway constitutes a low impact isometric workout , he said . it is faster than walking , and cheaper than taking a cab . it is environmentally sound , a benefit to the disabled , the way of the future . ''and 'not covered by law' is a lot different than 'illegal , ' '' he said . ''it means they have n't decided . '' do not hesitate to say hello if you see mr . atkins gliding along the sidewalk . he will gladly step down to give demonstrations to the unempowered . about new york e mail dabarry nytimes . com.

lead esop 's edge up esop 's edge up more employees than ever are joining esop 's , or employee stock ownership plans . this year , about 8.6 million workers will participate in esop 's , says corey rosen , executive director of the national cener for employee ownership in oakland , calif . one reason for the rise , mr . rosen says , is better esop financing . a provision in the new tax_code makes it easier for bankers to bundle and market the loans sometimes made to esop 's for stock purchases investors in these debt instruments may now deduct 50 percent of the interest income they collect . with more investors interested , the loans and esop 's will get larger , mr . rosen says . recently , the management of the hospital corporation of america proposed the largest esop yet , a 1 . 8 billion transaction involving 20 , 000 employees . such big esop 's could flex considerable muscle . mr . rosen pointed to the proposed buyout by the pilots' union of united_airlines as an example . that proposal set off a chain of events that forced allegis , united 's parent , to announce it would sell its hotels and rental car businesses . in the words of mr . rosen , soon other employees in esop 's may be saying , ''if you do n't do what we want , we 'll buy you . ' '' swaps at thrift units ? property foreclosures are still rising . in the first quarter , the federal national mortgage association reported 8 , 315 residential and commercial foreclosures , 1 , 000 more than a year ago . so savings and loan associations , which grant many real_estate loans , may be ready for a version of the debt for equity swaps sometimes used by large banks to settle foreign debts , says william a . kilpatrick , president of green mountain united financial operations , a real_estate investment firm in littleton , colo . in a typical swap , a thrift unit would trade a foreclosed commercial building or apartment house for shares of a company looking to buy income producing property at a discount . this way , liabilities are turned into assets on a thrift unit 's balance_sheets , said mr . kilpatrick , adding that ''at least 20 , 000 to 25 , 000 properties are available for this kind of swap . '' but not every thrift unit will use swaps . ''there are regulatory restraints , '' said brian smith of the united_states league of savings institutions in washington . though swaps could work under certain circumstances , he says , federally_insured thrift units , for example , cannot own stock directly . the ultimate export because 20 percent of japan 's population will be over age 65 by the year 2000 , japan , the world 's largest exporter , is considering a new export retirees . the ''silver colonies'' under consideration at the ministry of international_trade and industry would help retirees achieve a ''comfortable , soul enriching'' life in countries like australia , spain or possibly the united_states places where property is less expensive and the cost of living is lower than in japan . but there may be problems , says ruri kawashima at the asia_society in new york . even though 16 percent of 50 year olds who responded to a m.i.t.i . survey in japan said they would consider living in a silver colony , the details of medical care and housing have yet to be worked out . and ''it would require a government to government agreement'' to overcome such obstacles as immigration laws , she said . at any rate , construction for the colonies is not scheduled to begin until 1990 , said ms . kawashima , and by then , as the obstacles become clearer , ''enthusiasm may cool . '' one 'olympic' only with the olympic_games approaching , the u.s . olympic_committee will be more aggressive about protecting its exclusive right to the word ''olympic . '' ''any use of the name is illegal , '' said george miller , executive director of the u.s.o.c . in denver . indeed , the supreme_court backed up this view a week ago with a ruling against the five year old san_francisco based ''gay olympics . '' disputes are likely . thousands of american businesses have ''olympic'' in their names including more than 60 in new york city alone . ''we ca n't go after them all , '' acknowledged mr . miller . the main targets , he says , will be athletic contests and businesses that link themselves to the games and thus affect the u.s.o.c . 's ability to merchandise goods , sell sponsorships and raise money . mr . miller points out that the greek airline , olympic airways , is outside the committee 's jurisdiction .

when ed littman , a struggling jazz musician , moved to new york from boston two years ago , he thought he had stumbled upon the perfect apartment , in a converted carriage_house once owned by alexander_hamilton . but soon after he moved in , mr . littman , now 33 , discovered that the architectural charms of his home at 250 west 10th street were overshadowed by rats , leaky plumbing and rotting beams . the landlord , dror levy , was slow to make repairs , according to a housing court judge , peter m . wendt , and several city agencies . after mr . littman made repairs himself and tried to recoup the cost of materials , the landlord threatened to evict him . " at that point , i realized i was n't dealing with a reasonable person , " said mr . littman , who learned that tenants throughout mr . levy 's four contiguous buildings were having similar problems . mr . littman and a half dozen tenants are now on rent_strike and judge wendt , citing the landlord 's refusal to make court ordered repairs , has issued a warrant for mr . levy 's arrest . mr . levy , however , is in israel , where he is seeking medical treatment for wounds suffered in the 1973 yom kippur war , according to his younger brother rafi . karen stamm , a lawyer for the east side s.r.o . project , says mr . levy illegally converted the building next door , 252 west 10th street , from a single_room_occupancy hotel to market rate apartments . construction , according the department of buildings , was without a permit , and the division of housing and community renewal says mr . levy never registered any of his buildings' 26 apartments with the agency , as required by law . in all , inspectors have recorded nearly 100 health and building_code violations in his four buildings , which include 514 and 516 hudson street around the corner from the two 10th street buildings . this week , the housing division will hold hearings on a slew of allegations , including that mr . levy harassed tenants to force them out . " this man does n't think that housing laws apply to him , " said ms . stamm , who represents tenants at 250 west 10th street . adam cooper , who lives at 514 hudson street , has experienced mr . levy 's wrath first hand . when he hired a lawyer to deal with the lack of heat and repairs to his apartment , he began to get intimidating messages on his answering_machine . mr . cooper 's lawyer , douglas kellner , said mr . levy even tried to hire him away , offering twice as much money for his services . " in 20 years of practice , i 've never seen anyone as brazen as this landlord , " said mr . kellner , who says he has since received threatening phone_calls from mr . levy . mr . levy 's lawyer , todd nahins , acknowledges that his client has not been a stellar landlord , but he says he is trying to change . rafi levy is overseeing repair work while dror levy is in israel , he said . the family , he added , has spent 150 , 000 on improvements and hopes to address all court ordered repairs by the end of july . andrew jacobs neighborhood report grenwich village.

japan 's economy expanded 1 percent in the april june quarter , the government said today , a stronger than expected performance driven by higher government and consumer_spending . the result reported by the economic_planning agency translated into an annual growth rate of 4.2 percent and was the second consecutive quarter of expansion . japan , the world 's second largest economy , has been struggling to overcome the worst prolonged downturn since the end of world_war_ii . some private economists said the quarterly growth , coming after a 2.5 percent expansion in the january march quarter , suggested that the recovery might be growing more solid , although it remained slow . many had forecast that the economy would grow only seven tenths of a percent in the april june quarter . but there was no consensus on whether the data meant that japan 's recovery was gathering momentum . and the economic_planning minister , taichi_sakaiya , was cautious about interpreting the results , suggesting that they might reflect temporary stimulants that could dissipate later this year . one of the biggest surprises was a 13 . 6 percent increase in government spending in the quarter , which followed a 7.5 percent decrease in the january march quarter . ''the main difference between our forecast and the result was that there was a very , very big increase in public spending , '' said jeffrey young , chief economist with nikko_salomon_smith_barney in tokyo . but that component of the economic expansion will have to be replenished by the government through additional borrowing . japan is already borrowing record amounts of money to finance public works projects to stimulate the economy , and the rising indebtedness led moody 's investors service to lower japan 's credit_rating last week . nonetheless , there is a widespread expectation that japan 's political leaders will opt to borrow more money for public spending . after the release of the data today , kiichi_miyazawa , the finance minister , said senior japanese political officials had agreed on the need for a supplementary budget , although the size of it was undecided . another unexpectedly strong source of economic expansion in the april june quarter came from consumer_spending , which rose 1.1 percent . economists said that corporate earnings , which have been recovering for more than a year , are finally spilling over to consumer_spending and wage growth . they said the april june results now easily put within reach the government 's forecast of 1 percent growth for the 2000 fiscal year , which ends march 31 . mr . sakaiya , however , was cautious about reading too much optimism into the consumer_spending data . he noted that it contained extraordinary elements , like the introduction of nursing care insurance . the rise in personal spending , moreover , was counterbalanced by a 3.3 percent decline in capital spending , which until recently had been a big component of economic_growth . international business.

the current_account surplus unexpectedly shrank in march from february as high oil prices pushed up the value of imports that grew more quickly than exports . the surplus in the current_account , the broadest measure of trade and financial flows in and out of japan , declined a seasonally_adjusted 17 . 5 percent , to 1 . 37 trillion_yen ( 12 . 8 billion ) in march , from 1 . 66 trillion_yen a month earlier . imports for the month grew 4.7 percent , while exports rose at a rate of 2.8 percent . todd_zaun ( nyt )

a federal district judge in washington has ordered a reporter for the new york times to testify before a grand_jury investigating the disclosure of the identity of a covert c.i.a . officer . in a decision dated sept . 9 and released yesterday , the judge , thomas f . hogan , said the reporter , judith_miller , must describe any conversations she had with ''a specified executive branch official . '' the judge said ms . miller had received subpoenas issued by a special_prosecutor investigating ''the potentially illegal disclosure of the identity of c.i.a . official valerie_plame . '' george freeman , assistant general_counsel of the new york times company , said ''we regret that judge hogan has denied our motion to quash the subpoena on judy miller seeking that she reveal her confidential_sources . journalists should not be forced to testify about their confidential_sources when they have done nothing more than aggressively gather news about government actions . '' judge hogan , the chief judge of the federal district court for the district of columbia , did not say what penalty ms . miller might face if she refused to testify . ''this court holds that ms . miller has no privilege , based in the first amendment or common_law , qualified or otherwise , excusing her from testifying before the grand_jury in this matter , '' judge hogan wrote . in short , he said , ''ms . miller must fulfill her obligation , shared by all citizens , to answer a valid subpoena issued to her by a grand_jury acting in good faith . '' in his opinion , judge hogan said , ''the information requested from ms . miller is very limited , all available means of obtaining the information have been exhausted , the testimony is necessary for the completion of the investigation , and the testimony sought is expected to constitute direct evidence of innocence or guilt . '' judge hogan said that ms . miller had never written an article about ms . plame or her husband , joseph c . wilson_iv , a former diplomat . but , the judge said , ms . miller ''contemplated writing one . '' in an earlier decision related to the same investigation , judge hogan ordered a reporter for time magazine jailed and said the magazine must pay a fine of 1 , 000 a day . he suspended the sanctions while they appealed , and he withdrew them when the reporter ultimately testified . floyd abrams , a leading first amendment lawyer who represents ms . miller , said she would appeal to the united_states court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit . ''the decision in the case involving judy miller is particularly unfortunate since it rejects the notion that there is any protection at all , of any kind , for journalists who are called to appear before grand_juries , '' mr . abrams said in an interview . ''that sort of absolutist rejection of first amendment principles is deeply disturbing . '' judge hogan cited the 1972 case of branzburg v . hayes , in which the supreme_court held that the first amendment did not relieve a newspaper reporter of ''the citizen 's normal duty'' to furnish relevant information to a grand_jury . mr . abrams said , ''even if the first amendment does not protect journalists' confidential_sources and we believe it does we think that under federal common_law , those sources should be protected . '' the decision did not name the executive branch official in question . three journalists who received earlier subpoenas in the inquiry testified about contacts with i . lewis libby , the chief of staff for vice_president dick_cheney . in an op_ed article in the new york times on july 6 , 2003 , mr . wilson asserted that president_bush had relied on discredited intelligence when he said , in his state of the union address in 2003 , that iraq had ' 'sought significant quantities of uranium from africa . '' on july 14 , 2003 , the syndicated columnist robert_novak , disclosed ms . plame 's identity . he wrote that ''two administration officials'' had told him that ms . plame was ''an agency operative on weapons_of_mass_destruction . '' disclosing the identity of a covert officer for the central_intelligence_agency can be a crime . mr . wilson has suggested that the white_house may have leaked his wife 's name as retribution for his criticism of mr . bush . judge hogan wrote that ms . miller had spoken with ''one or more confidential_sources'' about mr . wilson 's article . mr . novak has refused to say whether he has received a subpoena . five other journalists have acknowledged receiving subpoenas . in addition to ms . miller , they are glenn kessler and walter_pincus of the washington_post , matthew cooper of time and tim_russert of nbc . mr . kessler , mr . russert and mr . cooper all testified about their contacts with mr . libby based on what they said was his consent . at a deposition on wednesday , mr . pincus said he understood that his source had already spoken to the special_prosecutor , patrick j . fitzgerald , about a conversation with mr . pincus in july 2003 . he said he would not testify about the identity of his source , whom he has identified as an ''administration official . '' but he added , ''my source , through counsel , has informed me that there is no problem with my testifying about our conversation . '' some federal officials who spoke to reporters about ms . plame have apparently signed forms releasing the journalists from any pledges of confidentiality . mr . freeman , the times company lawyer , said ''our understanding is that the consent was coerced and that government employees could have been fired if they did not sign the forms . so those waivers do not affect the essence of the confidential relationship between reporter and source . ''

explosions and the acrid smell of war still haunt the cnn anchor bernard_shaw . baghdad , once bob simon 's dreaded prison , is now familiar turf for him as a cbs correspondent . and after virtually vanishing from american television screens , arthur kent , formerly of nbc , is now reporting for cnn . five years after the end of the persian_gulf_war , the television correspondents whose familiar faces brought the 43 day conflict into living rooms across the country hold varied memories from and find myriad lessons in a war that propelled them in different directions afterward . peter_arnett and christiane amanpour of cnn have hopscotched from one hot spot to the next russia , somalia , haiti and bosnia . forrest sawyer of abc and wolf_blitzer of cnn are now anchors of news magazines or political programs in addition to their reporting duties . some correspondents , including mr . arnett , have written books about their war experiences and have been transformed into television personalities . brief as it was , the gulf_war was the first major conflict involving american_troops since vietnam nearly 20 years earlier . as such , it stamped an indelible mark in the passports of aspiring and veteran correspondents alike and ignited a running debate between the news_media and the military over war coverage . " baghdad was clearly the most exciting story i covered , " said mr . arnett , who has covered 17 wars in a 35 year career that has spanned the extremes of journalism , from the news service world to the 24 hour realm of cnn . he won a pulitzer_prize for his work as an associated press reporter in vietnam . " if we 'd had the immediacy in vietnam that we had in the gulf_war , it would have changed history , " said mr . arnett , 61 , who was the only western correspondent in baghdad for most of the war . " the vietnam_war could not have lasted as long as it did . " the anniversary of the gulf_war 's end amid the continuing nato peacekeeping operation in bosnia frames a larger debate on the future of war coverage . journalists criticized the pentagon 's strategy to conduct the gulf_war largely out of the camera 's view , restrict access to troops and showcase the most favorable gun camera film from allied bombings . but most of the news_media acquiesced to this stage managing . some reporters , including mr . simon , defied the restrictions . both sides invoked the vietnam example the military said that unchecked television exposure could jeopardize war plans and stoke opposition back home if casualties piled up journalists said full and open disclosure would help prevent a senseless war . vowing never to be shut out again , television has broadcast largely unfettered from somalia , haiti and bosnia . but those were peacekeeping operations . the real test will come in the next true shooting war . " the battle i see today is an attempt by some to restrict the technological_advances we 've made and restrict our coverage in future crises involving american_troops , " said mr . arnett . " live cameras are going to be on the battlefield . it 's going to be a matter of how military works with them . " many broadcast reporters say these advances , like improved satellite hookups , also shift more responsibility onto journalists . " the networks are struggling with how to cover these conflicts , how to report fairly and not jeopardize lives , " said mr . sawyer , 46 , who broadcast live from kuwait and is now anchor of abc 's " turning point " news_magazine . " a lot of questions are yet unanswered . " but to many of the correspondents who covered the gulf_war , its legacies are more visceral than theoretical . mr . shaw , 55 , cnn 's main anchor in washington , was one of three cnn correspondents who broadcast live the first night of allied bombing in january 1991 from baghdad . mr . shaw said he had never listened to those tapes , partly because of the painful memories they would stir . " i 'm still rattled by certain exploding sounds and smells , especially that acrid smell of electrical equipment burning , " said mr . shaw , whose patriotism was questioned by some viewers after he refused to tell the pentagon what he saw and heard in baghdad . for many ambitious young correspondents , the gulf_war represented a big break and their first taste of pentagon press constraints . christiane amanpour , now 38 , covered the romanian revolution in 1989 . but reporting the gulf_war from saudi_arabia and baghdad whetted an appetite for conflict that has made her the most visible war_correspondent of her generation . " clearly , there is the drama , danger and immediacy , " said ms . amanpour in a telephone interview from paris . " but you also see the very best and very worst of human nature . " ms . amanpour , whose signature story has become bosnia , believes she saw the very best in the besieged citizens of sarajevo , who " did not lose their values , their hopes , their humanity . " the worst moments , she said , were also in sarajevo , " looking into the faces of women and children caught in the shelling . " ms . amanpour 's passion for the bosnia story has led some people to question her objectivity , a criticism she rejects . " there are some situations one simply cannot be neutral about , because when you are neutral you are an accomplice , " said ms . amanpour . " objectivity does n't mean treating all sides equally . it means giving each side a hearing . " more than any other network , cnn set the standard for gulf_war television reporting . one of the network 's best known correspondents , wolf_blitzer , benefited from lots of air time and his martial name . " i do have an unusual name , " said mr . blitzer , who was cnn 's pentagon correspondent during the war and is now the network 's senior white_house correspondent and host of " inside politics weekend . " " but it is my real name . i did n't make it up for the gulf_war . " mr . blitzer , 48 , now works 14 hour days from cnn 's cramped booth in the white_house pressroom . " but people come up to me to this very day , and say 'i remember your coverage of the gulf_war . you were so brave , ' " mr . blitzer says . " i say 'look , i did n't go to saudi_arabia , iraq or kuwait . i was standing in front of a map at the pentagon . ' " no other gulf_war correspondent experienced the rise and fall of arthur kent , whose good looks and broadcasts during iraqi missile attacks on saudi_arabia won him the nickname scud stud . mr . kent covered the romanian revolution and the tiananmen square massacre in 1989 for nbc , but it was his gulf_war broadcasts that captured public attention . nbc dismissed mr . kent in august 1992 after he refused a balkans assignment in the midst of negotiations on his contract . he sued the network , and the two parties settled two years later . by then , mr . kent had disappeared for most american viewers , producing documentaries for the canadian_broadcasting_corporation . now 42 , mr . kent was hired by cnn 's london bureau in march , and recently covered the shooting of 16 schoolchildren and their teacher in dunblane , scotland . " for a couple of years my career was in limbo in the united_states while i cleared my name , " said mr . kent , who in his forthcoming book , " risk and redemption , " writes about his war experience and the television_industry . " i still get mail from people who wrote me during the gulf_war , who are not interested in my leather_jacket or hair , but in my reporting . " in his 24 year career at cbs , bob simon had covered vietnam , the yom kippur war in 1973 and tiananmen_square before the gulf_war . on the fifth day of the air campaign , he and three crew members were seized by iraqi soldiers after crossing into kuwait . mr . simon spent the next 40 days in iraqi prisons , where he was beaten and , for most of his captivity , locked in solitary_confinement as a suspected spy . " what i did was a stupid mistake , " mr . simon , 54 , said in a telephone interview from jerusalem , where he has been cbs 's chief middle_eastern correspondent since 1987 . " it 's not like we were after some fantastic story and got unlucky . we were just careless . " after his release , mr . simon wrote a book , " forty days . " he has returned to baghdad five times since the war 's end . mr . simon said he did not dwell on his gulf experience . " what happened to me was like nothing that happened before and i hope never again , " said mr . simon . " but i survived . " mr . arnett has been busy , too , and not just with broadcasting . reporting from the enemy capital under siege earned mr . arnett the enmity of many americans . after mr . arnett returned home , hecklers hounded him at speeches . but there were also dinners at glitzy restaurants with jack nicholson , warren beatty and annette bening . and mr . arnett received a 500 , 000 advance to write his memoir " live from the battlefield . " in exchange for this fame , he has become an ambassador for the news_media , mr . arnett says . " since the gulf_war , i 've addressed the role of media in society and explained why journalists do the things we do , " said mr . arnett , who lives in mclean , va . " before then , i did n't feel that was my responsibility . " mr . arnett spent the last month speaking in the united_states , europe , australia and his native new zealand ( he has been an american citizen for a decade ) . his speaking calendar is booked into 1997 , but he says he rarely charges a fee . " i 'm available to go on any crisis story , " said mr . arnett , who in the last year has reported from bosnia , vietnam and cuba . " that 's where my heart is , and that 's what i want to keep doing . " television eric schmitt , a washington correspondent for the new york times , covered the persian_gulf_war from saudi_arabia .

in the evening gloom , on a dirt track a quarter mile from this country 's largest killing field , the two brothers spoke of the need for answers . they wanted saddam_hussein to tell them to tell all of iraq why the bullet scarred remains of more than 3 , 000 people had been dug up here last summer . they wanted to know why one of their cousins was among those found , why this cousin had disappeared 12 years earlier while buying flour at the village market , why members of the baath_party had killed so many of their own countrymen . those were the easy questions . more important , said the brothers , dhiya and ayad abed , they wanted to know why life had gotten worse for them since the american led forces ousted mr . hussein . why did they lack electricity and fuel , why were there no jobs , why were armed bandits roaming the streets ? ''it was inevitable that he be captured , '' said dhiya abed , 27 . ''there was no other way for this to end . but the americans have to do something for us because things are worse than before . '' the abed brothers and others in this rural area provide a sobering glimpse into the impact of mr . hussein 's capture on iraqis , including those who suffered enormously under his rule . the joyous bursts of gunfire that echoed throughout parts of iraq on sunday are already a distant memory . many people are left wondering how they will push on with their daily lives in a country controlled by a foreign power and filled with political and economic uncertainty . nowhere do those concerns seem more ominous than in this village , about 50 miles south of baghdad , where many families lost members to execution squads . the bodies at mahawil began accumulating in 1991 , during the ill fated mass uprising against mr . hussein . this is the largest of the country 's more than 260 potential mass graves identified by human_rights workers . so one would expect the people of mahawil to be clamoring for accountability from the imprisoned mr . hussein . they are , but they are clamoring even louder for accountability from the american occupiers . ''i 'm against the americans , '' said alaa abdul nabie , 25 , as he drove some visitors along a palm lined dirt road to one of the mass graves . ''i 'm a muslim and iraq is an islamic country . the americans should get out of iraq and let the iraqi people build their own country and do what they should do . the americans do n't have a pretext to be here now that saddam_hussein has been captured . '' mr . abdul nabie stopped the car next to a length of concertina_wire protecting the graves . he lit a cigarette and glanced at the burial mounds , many marked by scraps of clothing a pair of boots here , a torn shirt there . ''people who refused him , he just buried them , '' he said . ''saddam had authority over all iraqis , and because he had authority , what could people do ? '' few things illustrate the brutality of mr . hussein 's rule more potently than the mass graves . he will undoubtedly be called on to explain them during his trial , whenever that takes place . though senior american and iraqi officials are saying mr . hussein will be brought before an iraqi led criminal tribunal , some residents of mahawil said they preferred to see him judged in an international court . ''of course he should answer for this he had to know about these graves , '' said muhammad moussa , a sudanese worker at a poultry farm near the graves . ''i think he should be taken to trial in an international court . not only have iraqis suffered under him , but other people too . '' down the road , the abed brothers echoed those sentiments while reflecting on their family 's loss . their cousin went to the market one day in 1991 , they said , and was inexplicably picked up by local baathists . the abeds did not know his fate until they found his remains 12 years later . mr . hussein , mr . abed said , ' 'should be taken to an international court . ''we 're not in a situation where we can have an iraqi court , '' he added . ''naturally , the graves should come up . most of the people were innocent and did n't do anything . '' but the brothers did not dwell on the subject . there were more pressing matters , they said . ayad , 21 , a law student at babylon university , waved his hand at the gathering darkness . ''there 's no electricity , '' he said , clutching two textbooks to his chest . on the highway running past mahawil , two policemen watching over traffic were preparing to end their shift . it was too dangerous to stay out past dark , they said . ''saddam was a great personality , '' said one of the guards , uthman eddan . ''he ruled the country for 35 years . now , there is no security , and you ca n't even trust your friends . '' the capture of hussein the outlook.

the department of defense has identified 779 american service members who have died since the start of the iraq_war . it confirmed the death of the following americans yesterday cowherd , leonard m. , 22 , second lieut . , army culpeper , va . first armored division . curran , carl f. , 22 , specialist , army_national_guard union_city , pa . first battalion , 107th field_artillery . cutter , brian k. , 19 , pfc . , marines riverside , calif . first marine division . harlan , james w. , 44 , sgt . , army owensboro , ky . 88th regional readiness command . kasecky , mark j. , 20 , specialist , army_national_guard mckees rocks , pa . first battalion , 107th field_artillery . ledesma , rene , 34 , staff sgt . , army abilene , tex . first cavalry division . mora , michael a. , 19 , pfc . , army arroyo grande , calif . first cavalry division . sturdy , brandon c. , 19 , pfc . , marines urbandale , iowa first marine division . the struggle for iraq.

a new community of one family homes for which the homeowner does not have to do exterior or landscape maintenance a relatively new concept for the northeast opened last month in new milford , conn . the village at sullivan farm , a neighborhood in the sullivan farm community , will consist of 34 homes , ranging in price from 176 , 000 to 209 , 000 . exterior and landscape maintenance is provided by the sullivan farm association . monthly common charges run about 127 to 152 . the system , which is used in selling some homes in florida and california , protects homeowners from large , unexpected repair bills and guarantees a high quality appearance for the home . " all the things that you have to take care of cleaning of the gutters , maintenance reserve for roofing , garbage removal , painting , fertilizing , mowing , snow removal , even insurance you get , " said george davon , the president of sullivan farm partnership , the builder of the project . the homes are built in a neo_classical style with vaulted_ceilings , front entry porches , attached garages , private decks and , in most homes , full basements . ten homes have been sold already . three model homes are available for inspection . the architect of the project is william devereaux of the berkus group in washington , in association with zane yost and associates of bridgeport .

gov . mario m . cuomo is now conceding that it is politically impossible to reduce state spending on hospitals this year , backing away from a proposal he made two months ago . the governor wants to use the state 's control over hospital payment rates to provide more money for preventive and family care , and he had proposed to do it by making major cuts in the amount paid to hospitals . but after two months of negotiations , it has become clear that this legislative battle may end the way so many do in albany with a compromise that gives something to everyone . the only question is how much . " i think it 's possible to have a compromise with them that would give them a little more , " mr . cuomo said last week . but negotiators for the republican controlled senate and the democratic led assembly have yet to hear what mr . cuomo means by " a little more . " his aides are not talking numbers yet , and the governor is revealing little . " i 'm hoping that the amount they finally settle on is small enough so that they can find a way to find the revenues , like through savings or something else , " mr . cuomo said at a news conference today . footing the bill gubernatorial and legislative aides are now comparing the negotiations to the legislature 's annual fight over state aid to schools . they have learned that the only way to distribute school aid more equitably is to find enough money so that all school_districts get more than they did the previous year . the downside of providing more money to hospitals , of course , is that someone has to foot the bill . in this case , it would be insurance ratepayers , whose premiums would rise to reflect increased health_care costs , and taxpayers , who would pay the state 's share of higher medicaid spending . mr . cuomo originally proposed a plan in april that would reduce anticipated payments to hospitals by more than 700 million over three years . the republican controlled state_senate , a reliable ally of the hospital industry , countered with a proposal that would increase payments to hospitals by 181 million a year . expanding primary_care both proposals envision expanded access to preventive and family medicine , known as primary_care , through measures like the forgiveness of student loans to physicians providing primary_care in underserved areas and grants to medical_schools that focus on primary_care . there is also strong interest in the democratic controlled assembly in expanding eligibility for child health plus , a state financed program that provides health coverage for the children of the working_poor . and the senate republicans are pushing for new regional health planning boards that would decide whether hospitals can build new complexes and buy expensive equipment , taking authority currently held by the state health department . all of these issues are being negotiated in the context of changing the state 's hospital reimbursement formula , which expires at the end of this year . the state is able to regulate how much the hospitals receive currently about 20 billion by setting rates the hospitals are paid by medicaid and private insurers . negotiations are intensifying this week because the legislature hopes to recess this weekend . lawmakers do not want to return to albany in the fall to deal with the issue . weakening resistance on paper , 1993 seemed like a good year for mr . cuomo to take a firm stand against rising health_care costs . president_clinton 's election provided evidence that the public was increasingly frustrated by spiraling health costs . the task_force headed by hillary_rodham_clinton moved the issue to the center of national debate . saying he hoped to influence the discussion in washington , mr . cuomo issued a special health_care message to the legislature in march recommending a number of cost control measures , including caps on doctors' fees . but a number of factors apparently made it difficult for mr . cuomo to maintain his resistance to increasing payments to hospitals , including actions in congress , the problems of empire blue cross and blue shield , and the absence of vigorous backing from businesses . the federal budget is likely to include significant cuts in medicare , meaning less money for new york hospitals . daniel sisto , president of the hospital association of new york state , estimates that the federal budget will drain about 250 million from new york hospitals in 1994 and 500 million in 1995 . mr . sisto and his counterparts have been successful in arguing that the state needs to cushion vulnerable hospitals from the medicare cuts . meanwhile , empire blue cross and blue shield has lost credibility in albany because of allegations of mismanagement and falsified financial reporting . the company is normally a strong lobbyist against increased hospital payments . and the state business council , which was expected to be a strong ally of mr . cuomo in calling for cost control , has lent only moderate support thus far , negotiators said . in a memorandum sent to negotiators last week , the group said it agreed with mr . cuomo that the senate 's increase of 180 million to hospitals was too much .

last year the eight building , 850 , 000 square_foot vreeland road business center in florham_park sat virtually empty and in the hands of its lender . now all but one of the buildings have been , or soon will be , leased or sold to tenants . the turnaround at the center , with buildings and a location south of route 10 that are less than prime , reflect the strength of the office market in morris_county . with a total of 22 million square_feet of space it is one of the largest in the 11 county northern new jersey office market . and with leases steadily whittling down its available space it is also among the most active , brokers and developers say . over the last year some 2.9 million square_feet were leased in the county , nudging up average annual asking rents to 19 . 44 a square_foot from 19 . 18 , and pushing the vacancy_rate down by 7.1 percentage_points to 15 . 1 percent , one of the lowest in the state . the rate for the entire market is 18 . 7 percent , according to the cushman_wakefield brokerage . " the space game is that of the county 's 3.3 million square_feet of available space , " said donald p . eisen , senior managing director at cushman_wakefield . " just 600 , 000 feet is in prime buildings , in which there are few big blocks left . " the vacancy_rate in those buildings is 7.1 percent , down from 12 . 9 percent in 1995 . in turn , companies are expanding their options and considering secondary buildings like those on vreeland road , said david simson , a vice_president at cb commercial 's teaneck office . there , at t leased a 133 , 090 square_foot building and donaldson , lufkin and jenrette securities , a stock brokerage , bought one with 142 , 000 square_feet . abc had been negotiating to buy a 139 , 750 square_foot building for its cable news service in the business_park , but plans for the service were shelved on may 23 and the deal fell through . " we are in a rising market and have been deferring inquiries because of the commitment we had from abc , " said peter g . rasmusson , vice_president at galbreath summer , which is marketing the vreeland road center . " we feel strongly that we can replace abc in the building sooner rather than later . " the major reason the county is seeing such activity is location . it is served by several major highways , including interstates 80 and 287 and route 46 , and is supported by hotels , all levels of housing and a skilled labor pool . another is that it had the most available space , remnants of the overbuilding of the last decade when 82 percent of its 22 million square_feet was built . the more recent wave of corporate reconfigurations also returned space to the market . in 1994 , the county 's vacancy_rate was 25 percent in 1992 , it was more than 30 percent . " companies have begun to stabilize and are growing with cautious optismism , " said mr . simson . he said much of the space was being leased by expanding local companies , with health , telecommunications and service concerns the most active . he said the pattern of companies relocating to morris from eastern counties like essex and bergen persists . the county is also expected to gain 33 , 400 new jobs by the year 2005 , according to state data . in addition , with new construction " still too expensive and time consuming , companies are willing to take buildings and rebuild them , " said christopher w . marra . he is the executive director of the nonprofit morris area development group , based in morristown , which focuses on attracting new businesses to the county and retaining those already there . most brokers agree corporate consolidations are not over and space will come back onto the market . " but , " said mr . eisen of cushman_wakefield , " the activity on the taking side is greater , leaving the market with a lot of momentum . " for instance , novell inc . , the computer software manufacturer , is expected to vacate its 242 , 000 square_foot building in florham_park by year 's end . at t is already rumored to be considering the space . still , say brokers , a big question_mark is what impact at t 's breakup into three companies will have on the morris_county market , where it occupies five million square_feet . meanwhile , deals are being made . bay networks , which manufactures computer networking equipment , is leaving 22 , 000 square_feet elsewhere in parsippany and expanding into 60 , 000 feet at the prudential business campus , the 1.5 million square_foot complex at the intersection of i 287 and routes 10 and 22 . " in 1995 , we had 500 , 000 square_feet of available space , now we have 25 , 000 feet , " said john s . gregorits , managing vice_president of prudential realty group , a subsidiary of the insurer and the campus 's owner with uswest real_estate in denver . " the market is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel . " the center also landed the largest sale . american cyanamid , a subsidiary of american home products corporation , the health_care products company based in madison , bought a 386 , 000 square_foot building that " better meets the company 's need for modern space , " said lowell b . weiner , its spokesman . the deal removed one of the last big blocks from the market . the shortage of big blocks of space and the need to move into the space quickly benefited the vreeland road business center , said douglas h . haynes , president of galbreath summer in paramus . the commercial real_estate firm is marketing the center for cigna investments , the real_estate arm of the insurer based in hartford , which took back the site in foreclosure in 1994 . " these are specific user deals , " said mr . haynes , noting that tenants had bought or leased the space " as is " and will improve it , saving the time and cost of new construction . donaldson , lufkin and jenrette bought a 142 , 000 square_foot building for its expanding pershing division , its stock transaction and processing arm , said catherine m . conroy , a spokesman . she said " a couple of hundred people " will move from leased space in jersey_city to the building , which will be rebuilt to meet the company 's technological needs . as the market tightens some brokers and developers foresee continued , though selective , activity in build to suit deals . one , a 268 , 000 square_foot office and distribution center is rising on the prudential business campus for tiffany company , the manhattan jeweler . it will be completed in october . and a two building , 151 , 000 square_foot corporate headquarters for bayer corporation 's consumer care division has just been completed at the corner of columbia turnpike and whippany road in morris township . " buildings will go up if they create better economics for companies , " said peter j . cocoziello , president of advance properties in bedminster , developer of the bayer project . " but there is n't going to be a building boom . " still , one builder plans to develop a speculative building , the first in the county in six years . bellemead development corporation of roseland , a subsidiary of chubb insurance , has approvals to build a 107 , 000 square_foot building at its waterview corporate centre off interstate_80 in parsippany . " we are readying to get in the ground this summer and am confident the market will permit us , " said robert r . martie , a bellemead vice_president . " it is in an upward cycle . "

the state 's education commissioner announced yesterday that he was placing 24 more schools on a list of poorly_performing schools , and said that he would close and reorganize one such school in the bronx . the additions to the list of schools under registration review , and the removal of 15 schools that have improved their performance , put the total under review at 105 statewide . only 8 schools on the list are outside new york city . the bronx school that will be reorganized , public_school 104 in highbridge , has been under state review since 1992 . after evaluating its performance data from last year , including the new state fourth_grade tests , the commissioner , richard p . mills , and the new york city board of education agreed that the school should be closed . in september , the school , which teaches kindergarten through fifth grade , was placed in the schools chancellor 's special district for failing schools , which meant an additional 2 million for the school from the board of education for longer school days , extra professional development and smaller class_sizes . but that apparently was not enough to convince mr . mills that the school could be turned around . the commissioner said he had already given p . s . 104 an extra year . ''the school is out of time , '' he said . ''there is n't any evidence it 's improving . '' while he praised the board 's efforts and called the chancellor 's district ''a good strategy , '' mr . mills said p . s . 104 's performance was simply too poor . ''the perspective that matters is that of the parents and the children , '' he said . closing is a less than precise term . what will actually happen is that the school programs operating in the beige brick building on shakespeare avenue will stop accepting new students and will phase out classes as students transfer or advance beyond the fifth grade . a new school program , with a new principal , staff and instructional model , will be phased in . at some point , the new and old programs may share the building . ninety seven of the city 's more than 1 , 000 schools are on the registration review list , and the board of education is in the process of closing and reorganizing a dozen of them . but this is the first time that a closing has been announced in the middle of the school year . for students , the effect will not be felt until the board of education comes up with a closing plan , which probably will not happen until the end of the year . the school has more than 1 , 000 students . by almost every measure , it is struggling . it had a high turnover rate of principals in the last decade , and during the 1997 98 school year , only 66 . 2 percent of the staff members were appropriately licensed and permanently assigned to the school , compared with a citywide average of 86 . 3 percent . teachers missed an average of 10 . 2 days a year , compared with a citywide average of 7.9 days . the suspension rate was three times higher than a typical elementary_school , according to the school 's report card for that year . about a third of the school 's students had limited proficiency in english . state officials said that , after being placed on the review list in 1992 , the school had shown little improvement . in 1996 , the commissioner gave it two years to turn around , then an additional year because it showed slight improvement . last school year , state officials said , the school 's scores on state and city tests dropped significantly . on the third and fifth grade city tests , only 18 . 4 percent of the school 's students were reading at or above grade level in math , the figure was just 19 percent . this school year , the state 's new fourth and eighth_grade english and math assessments were used to identify schools for the list . the performance of all special_education students was also included for the first time . schools considered candidates for registration review had fewer than 60 percent of their students performing at or above level 2 on the state tests , which are ranked from levels 1 to 4 . students at levels 1 and 2 fall below the standards . on the fourth_grade english test , p . s . 104 was among the lowest performing in the state , with 52 . 9 percent of its students at or above level 2 . william casey , who administers instructional programs for the city board , said that over the past week the board informed the state about the extra resources it was putting into the school but the talks ''ultimately resulted in agreement that 104 needed something more dramatic to happen . '' outside the school yesterday , parents picking up their children expressed surprise at the decision , but also , in some cases , delight . ''it 's about time , '' said yvonne moore , whose daughter , vanessa , is in second grade there . ''it 's lousy here they do n't teach , '' she said , noting that her daughter 's teacher was frequently absent . but , she said , officials should not pretend the school 's problems were something new . ''this has been going on for years . ''

six people identifying themselves as americans , and two others saying they are british , are being held prisoner in connection with guerrilla attacks in iraq , a united_states general said today . brig . gen . janis_karpinski , who is in charge of prisoners in iraq , provided no details on the men , except to say they are among 4 , 400 ' 'security detainees , '' a category distinct from prisoners of war or common criminals . she said the ' 'security detainees'' were suspected of carrying out or planning attacks on american or other troops in iraq , agence_france_presse reported . her reference to the men , the first mention of possible westerners among some 10 , 000 prisoners , was made during a tour of abu_ghraib_prison , where they are being held . american_forces took over the prison , just west of baghdad , which was notorious during the saddam_hussein government . law enforcement officials in washington said today that there was little certainty about the men 's identities , nationalities or even what they were doing in iraq , questions that are being investigated in iraq and the united_states . but they said there was no obviously american figure among them like john walker lindh , the californian who fought with the taliban in afghanistan . ''the truth is that the folks that we 've scooped up have , on a number of occasions , multiple identifications from different countries , '' defense secretary donald h . rumsfeld said today at a briefing in washington . ''they 're quite skilled at confusing people as to what their real nationality is or where they came from or what they 're doing . '' agence_france_presse quoted general karpinski as saying the detainees ' 'did n't fit into any category'' and that secretary rumsfeld had ordered her to ''categorize'' them about a month ago . she said classifying the prisoners as security detainees gave the military a right to interview them that it did not have with prisoners of war , according to agence_france_presse . ''it 's not that they do n't have rights , '' general karpinski said . ''they have fewer rights'' than prisoners of war . mr . rumsfeld said he could not explain what she meant by ' 'security detainees . '' he said the prisoners generally fell into two categories , those arrested for ordinary crimes and those being detained because of their roles as members of mr . hussein 's government or as combatants against american_forces . a pentagon official said the prisoners the general spoke of were being questioned to assess whether they were fedayeen , baathist , foreign terrorists or some other category that could be a threat to united_states interests and to those of the new iraqi government . during the war in afghanistan , the pentagon sent ''enemy_combatants'' suspected of having ties to the taliban or al_qaeda to a prison camp at guant_namo_bay , cuba , for questioning and possible trial before military tribunals . on a day of comparative quiet in iraq , the military reported scattered attacks against the occupying forces , but no soldiers' deaths . in the northern city of mosul , the military said , one albanian soldier , part of a contingent of 70 albanians in iraq , was wounded on monday along with 13 iraqis in a grenade attack in front of the city hall building . later on monday , officials said , two american_soldiers were also wounded in separate attacks there . amid dozens of raids around tikrit , the hometown of mr . hussein , the military also reported it had killed two iraqis in a firefight overnight near an ammunition_dump . here in khaldiya , 45 miles west of baghdad , the small and beleaguered police department vowed to stay on duty despite the slaying the day before of its new chief , col . khudheir mikhlif ali , who was shot as he drove to his home in the restive sunni city of falluja . even before the killing , the work of the new police officers here had been stymied by accusations that they were collaborating with the american military . ''this is our place , '' said maj . mohammad farhan , 36 , sitting in a police station nearly empty because of looting . ''we will stay no matter what . '' the death of colonel ali was seen as a blow to the american efforts to create a functional police force and establish a stronger sense of order north and west of baghdad . it is there , in the so called sunni_triangle , that loyalty to mr . hussein runs deep and that most of the attacks against american_soldiers have taken place . sentiment against americans has run high from the time the occupation began last spring , a feeling that spiked four days ago , when soldiers killed 10 new police officers in falluja in an incident that american officials later apologized for . still unsettled today was the question of whether the killing of colonel ali , a former army officer who took the job of police chief less than two months ago , was an act of common criminals or those who considered themselves anti american resisters . ''we bless the guy who killed this colonel , '' said said ibrahim , 33 , a resident of khaldiya . he and several other men complained that colonel ali had been confiscating vehicles from residents and had passed along the names of townspeople to the american_soldiers , who had provided the police with weapons . ''we consider it collaborating with the americans , '' said one man who would give his name only as samar . strongly denying that colonel ali was a collaborator , major farhan and friends and members of the police chief 's family said he had confiscated two cars , but ones that had been looted by criminals . major farhan said , however , that colonel ali had made no arrests in his short tenure in part because , even with the weapons given by the americans , the police were still badly outgunned by the criminals . a funeral for colonel ali was held in falluja today , although he was buried on monday_night , in accordance with muslim tradition , as soon as possible after his death . during the ceremony , sheik khalf tarmoz al sharqi , a tribal leader , suggested that colonel ali would not be dead but for his association with the americans . the only solution , he said , was for american_troops to withdraw from the area and let iraqis sort out their problems alone . ''they did n't restore security to the city , '' he said . ''they failed . so they better leave . '' the struggle for iraq prisoners.

to the editor as i read ''new fabrics can keep wearers healthy and smelling good'' ( feb . 3 ) , about fabrics that protect against odors , bacteria , fungi and yeast , i thought of french farmers aggressively protesting against genetically altered agricultural products and beef with additives from the united_states . i applaud the french innovation in fabrics , but if american manufacturers tried to introduce fabrics that contained fungicides , perfume microcapsules , pesticides and ceramic particles into the french market , would there be protests about ''unnatural'' products ? howard whitfield madison , conn . incoming.

he did not say , ''i told you so , '' but he might as well have . over and over , senator john_edwards of north_carolina had urged democrats not to count him out . he cautioned pundits that he surged late and could sense it happening here , though he was not confident he could overtake senator john_kerry . there was mr . kerry 's momentum and the assumption by many democrats that the race was all but over . but with the results showing him just a few percentage_points behind mr . kerry on tuesday night , after some recent polls had placed him more than 20 points behind , mr . edwards hopped onto a stage at a community hall , beaming and pumping his fists , barely containing his glee . ''today the voters of wisconsin sent a clear message , '' mr . edwards said , ''and the message was this objects in your mirror may be closer than they appear . '' but he quickly moved to the theme he had promoted all week , the need to recover from the loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs , a theme his advisers say he will emphasize before the super_tuesday round of primaries on march 2 . he recalled meeting earlier in the week with steelworkers facing the prospect of losing their jobs when their factory moves operations to mexico . ''they lost their jobs their jobs are going to mexico , '' mr . edwards said . ''what are they supposed to do ? '' the election result left mr . edwards 's advisers pondering what might have been if he had had another week to campaign . though mr . edwards held events every day in wisconsin , ran three different television commercials statewide and won the endorsement of the state 's two largest newspapers , he left the state twice for fund_raisers in los_angeles . surveys of voters leaving the polls bore out mr . edwards 's predictions that he tended to close strongly and attracted votes from beyond the party . he drew the support of almost half the voters who made their decision in the last three days , and his focus on jobs seems to have paid off . of voters who said the economy was their top concern , 45 percent voted for him . just as in earlier open primaries , he drew strong support from republicans as well . he also captured the majority of votes from those who said they considered a positive message most important and those who said they were concerned about the candidate having the right temperament . mr . edwards said he now expected the run up to super_tuesday , when 10 states have primaries or caucuses , to be the two man race he has sought . long before the polls closed , mr . edwards , in an interview with an ohio television_station , said that as a ''practical matter , '' howard_dean was out of the race . ''it 's already narrowed down to senator kerry and myself , '' mr . edwards said . ''we clearly have the ability to go long term in this nomination process . '' mr . edwards has won just one primary , in south_carolina , his birthplace . he came in second in iowa , missouri , oklahoma , tennessee and virginia and finished fourth or worse in the other contests , some of which he skipped . experts said they believed the closer than expected showing on tuesday would solidify mr . edwards as the alternative to mr . kerry and would position him well for a kerry collapse , or for the vice presidential sweepstakes , though mr . edwards has insisted he is not campaigning for that job . ''it will galvanize his resolve that he is the credible alternative to kerry and the media needs to treat me as a bona_fide second candidate in the race , '' doug schoen , a veteran democratic pollster , said . mr . edwards 's supporters predict he will continue to draw disaffected working_class voters once known as reagan democrats . going into wisconsin , his strategists saw an opportunity . there would be a full week to campaign in just one state with a history of favoring populists , as mr . edwards promoted himself , and an electorate stacked with independents who , polls in other states showed , mr . edwards was attracting . bill de blasio , a new york city councilman and veteran democratic operative who is running mr . edwards 's campaign in the state , said mr . edwards would do well in rust_belt upstate communities and working_class sections of the outer boroughs and suburbs . ''new york is a place that defies prediction , '' mr . de blasio said , adding that ''the decision tonight may be closer than expected and that will have an impact . '' mr . edwards does not plan to compete in the feb . 24 contests in hawaii , utah and idaho and will instead jump ahead to the march 2 states , his campaign aides said . nick baldick , his campaign manager , said he believed the two week gap before march 2 would allow mr . edwards to become better known , and voters to reconsider mr . kerry 's front runner status . mr . edwards plans to focus on new york , georgia and ohio he is planning three trips to new york alone over three days this week where he plans to combine his standard upbeat message with more talk on the loss of manufacturing jobs to trade agreements . ''we plan to spend a lot of time in the albanys in new york and georgia , the rochester , new yorks , the cincinnatis and daytons , '' mr . baldick said . campaign officials said mr . edwards 's travel plans were still under discussion . although mr . edwards has said he will ''compete everywhere , '' it is possible that he will bypass vermont , connecticut and rhode_island , which are in mr . kerry 's home turf . at this point mr . edwards does not plan to focus on california , either . the two biggest states that vote on march 2 , california and new york , also include the most expensive television advertising markets , new york city and los_angeles . mr . edwards does not yet have the money to advertise in those cities and for now will focus on smaller markets in new york , ohio and georgia . the 2004 campaign the north_carolina senator.

during the first few days , war seemed so easy on television , and it was covered with no small degree of pride in the display of american power . ''amazing pictures as u.s . troops push into iraq , '' anderson cooper , a cnn anchor , told viewers early friday morning . ''tanks with the seventh_cavalry roll virtually unopposed deep into the iraqi desert . '' but by early sunday , it was as if somebody had changed the channel . ''this was a very bad day , '' said maj . gen . don shepperd , a cnn military analyst . ''i am reminded to not beat your breast and clap your hands early . '' television news went into this conflict with significant access to the troops and technology that allowed it to show the action live . when the early successes came , television amplified the seeming effectiveness of the battle plan . but as the news turned darker , television painted the opposite picture . last night there was even some early criticism of the news_media . fred barnes , the executive editor of the weekly_standard and a commentator for the fox_news_channel , said the news_media was overstating how easy the war would be and then panicking as fighting got rough . ''the american people , '' he said , ''are not as casualty sensitive as the weenies in the american press are . '' in the days leading up to battle , the networks and local affiliates dedicated plenty of time to the military hardware . on wabc in new york , n . j . burkett , a correspondent stationed with troops in kuwait , described how they ''tuned up their weapons like an orchestra on opening night . '' after the first bombs dropped on wednesday , all of the networks carried similar pictures an american soldier ripping down a portrait of saddam_hussein with the help of an iraqi villager tanks cruising at 40 miles an hour up the iraqi desert toward baghdad , unopposed surrendering iraqi soldiers smiling behind the barbed_wire fence penning them in . the passage into southern iraq was so effortless that at one point aaron brown , the cnn anchor , connected a tank commander in the desert , clay lyle , to his wife , stephanie , in georgia . ''we 've gone a long way , and we 've dealt with anything we 've encountered . we hope to come home real soon , '' the commander said ''i love you . be safe , '' his wife replied . on saturday , chip reid , an nbc correspondent traveling with tanks in southern iraq , reported that the americans were , indeed , welcomed by the iraqi people ''the people were out there waving , giving thumbs up . they were blowing kisses to the troops and the troops were waving back , '' he said . but on sunday morning viewers were faced with a new reality , one that included reports of heavy iraqi resistance , fierce firefights and pictures of dead and wounded american_soldiers . and those images kept coming yesterday , along with urgent reports from the front line . jason bellini on cnn reported yesterday that the battle at umm_qasr , was , ''another messy , frustrating combat situation . '' all of the networks carried video from iraqi state television of a downed united_states helicopter and two soldiers' helmets on the ground beside it . later , some briefly showed the american pilots in iraqi custody . anchors said they were simply going where the story was taking them while trying to keep the larger picture one of general battlefield success in mind . they acknowledged that the amount of battlefield video could be overwhelming . ''it 's like drinking from a fire hydrant , '' said tom_brokaw , the nbc_news anchor . ''we 've got to stand back from that a little bit . i go home at night mentally exhausted by it . '' mr . brown of cnn acknowledged that in the beginning of the conflict , ''there was certainly some gee_whiz about the technology . '' but , he added , ''at the same time i tried to say to people do n't expect that these tanks racing through the desert is like a car chase on l.a . tv brought to you live . this is not the war this is getting to the war . '' bill o'reilly , the fox_news_channel commentator who is especially popular among conservatives had some advice for his viewers . he told them not to watch too much television . ''if you watch too much tv news coverage , your perspective can get warped . '' jim rutenberg.

as the united_states and its persian_gulf_war allies move toward a permanent cease fire with iraq , the bush_administration is basing its actions and its policy on the expectation that president saddam_hussein will fall from power by the end of the year , officials said today . although president_bush has gone out of his way to encourage the iraqis to oust mr . hussein and has taken steps aimed at making it harder for the iraqi leader to hold onto power , the officials said mr . bush and his senior advisers do not expect whoever succeeds mr . hussein to be much friendlier to the united_states or more acceptable to the administration . the white_house does not yet see any credible alternative in iraq to mr . hussein 's baath_party , which they expect to survive for the foreseeable future regardless of how long mr . hussein himself is in power , the officials said , speaking on condition of anonymity . the officials said that the united_states has not , as a matter of policy , identified a political group in iraq that it would favor to replace mr . hussein . but it is clear that the administration would prefer a political structure that is not dominated by the baath_party and that it also would not like to see an iraqi government dominated by shiite_muslims with political ties to iran . u.s . expectations on hussein american expectations about mr . hussein 's future , the officials said , formed the backdrop to the president 's response in recent days to developments in the insurrection within iraq , and to the administration 's efforts to craft tough new conditions that iraq must meet before the american led coalition will sign a formal cease fire agreement with baghdad . secretary of state james a . baker 3d , just back from a_10 day trip to the middle_east and the soviet_union , said today that many of the officials he visited believed mr . hussein would be out of office by the end of this year . mr . baker did not express an opinion . interviewed on the abc_news program " this week , " mr . baker said " we would like to see a change in that government . we 've made no bones about it . " but mr . baker said the united_states and its allies in the region wanted to see " the territorial_integrity of iraq preserved " so that " a power_vacuum " did not occur . baker cautious with answer mr . baker did not answer directly when he was asked twice specifically whether the united_states was helping forces in revolting against mr . hussein 's government . all he would say was , " we are not in the process now of assisting through provisioning arms to these groups that are in uprising against the current government . " the administration officials said mr . bush was balancing his desire to hasten mr . hussein 's downfall with his concern that the united_states must not be seen as meddling in iraq 's internal affairs in the aftermath of war . the administration also fears that if the allies put too much pressure on mr . hussein 's grip on power too quickly , it could produce what the coalition says it wants to avoid an iraq torn by civil_war and split among its often hostile religious , regional and ethnic factions . for those reasons , and after intensive consultations last week during visits with his primary western allies , mr . bush decided not to take the opportunity for military action that some of his aides thought was presented by iraq 's use of combat helicopters to attack rebel forces , officials said . instead , he intensified the rhetorical pressure on iraq by accusing baghdad of violating the terms of the provisional cease fire with the helicopter attacks , by warning iraq not to fly its fixed_wing combat aircraft and by leaving open the possibility of military action if the violations continued . iraqi request refused after allied commanders met with iraqi officers in an occupied area of iraq today and refused a request for permission to move fixed_wing planes around the country , administration officials said they knew of no new military missions by iraqi warplanes . mr . bush 's his five day trip included stops in ottawa to see prime miniser brian_mulroney , in martinique to see president_francois_mitterrand of france and in bermuda to meet with prime_minister john_major of britain . on his way home , mr . bush visited sumter , s.c. , where residents were welcoming home units from shaw air force base that had served in the gulf_war . aides said the intensification of the strife in iraq and the iraqi military 's use of combat helicopters to attack rebel positions prompted mr . bush to review his policies toward mr . hussein . " we had been assuming all along that saddam would survive the war and that he would survive the current fighting within iraq , " an official said . " the feeling was that after the dust settled , and iraq found itself still saddled with sanctions and war reparations payments , they would start looking for scapegoats and saddam would eventually fall . " how much u.s . should do the official added , " there is a division on how long that will take , but the general expectation is that he will be gone by the end of the year . " for some time now , the administration has been discussing how much it should do to hasten that outcome , officials said , and the helicopter issue reopened those deliberations . on wednesday , mr . bush seemed to be laying the groundwork for the possibility of further american military action with a strong statement accusing iraq of violating the provisional cease fire with those flights and warning that they could interfere with the signing of a permanent cease fire document . at the same time , the white_house issued a statement saying that baghdad 's attacks on the rebels " is clearly inconsistent with the type of behavior the international_community would like to see iraq exhibiting . " and the administration is working with britain on the text of a united_nations resolution that would require , among other things , the destruction of iraq 's poison_gas and biological_weapons and the diversion of its oil profits to war reparations before a permanent cease fire is signed . " the point is to make things so tough that when the iraqis have a chance to draw their breaths , they will see that saddam 's continued presence is causing them a lot of trouble with the outside world , " an official said . after the war.

the department of defense has identified 326 american service members who have died since the start of the iraq_war . it confirmed the death of the following americans yesterday norquist , joseph c. , 26 , specialist , army san_antonio 588th engineer battalion . scott , kerry d. , 21 , pfc . , army mount_vernon , wash . , first battalion , 32nd infantry , 10th_mountain_division . silva , sean a. , 23 , pvt . , army roseville , calif . troop e , second squadron , second armored_cavalry . swisher , christopher w. , 26 , staff sgt . , army lincoln neb . troop e , second squadron , second armored_cavalry .

lead the european_community will formally investigate british_airways' takeover of british_caledonian airways after complaints about the bid from a group of independent british carriers . the european_community will formally investigate british_airways' takeover of british_caledonian airways after complaints about the bid from a group of independent british carriers . a spokesman for the european_commission said on wednesday that its executive body had been studying the takeover before the complaints emerged to see if it breached the community 's competition laws . the airlines of britain group made up of british_midland airways , manx airlines , loganair and eurocity express complained tuesday to the commission about the merger , saying it would break competition policy by creating a super airline . the european_commission has wide powers to block or modify mergers within the european_community , including the right to impose fines on offending companies , but it can act only after a merger is completed .

since taking over in december as the american ground commander in iraq , lt . gen . raymond t . odierno has urged patience to those seeking quick progress . he has privately pushed to extend the current american troop_buildup into next year , and he said thursday that whenever an american pullback does come , no one should expect it to be rapid . ''we 'll do this in a very deliberate and slow way , '' general odierno , a 1976 west_point graduate from rockaway , n.j. , said in an interview here . ''i call this thinning the lines . we 'll do it extremely slowly . we wo n't take everybody out at once . '' his message appears to reflect a profound change in his views on how to stabilize iraq since his last tour here , as commander of the fourth infantry division in 2003 and 2004 . then his soldiers were known for heavy use of force , an approach that some military analysts have blamed for helping drive sunni arabs into the arms of the insurgency . now general odierno is trying to impress on his soldiers the need to win the trust of iraqis and draw them from narrow sectarian agenda . it is the same message emphasized by gen . david h . petraeus , the overall american commander in iraq , but because general odierno is further down the chain of command , he in some ways has more freedom to warn politicians in washington that the approach will take time . ''your job is to protect the population , '' he told a battalion commander and his officers during a visit on thursday to army units in taji and baquba , towns near baghdad that have seen a recent surge in violence . ''this is counterinsurgency . this takes time . '' general odierno 's comments also reflect how rising pressure in washington for troop pullbacks , possibly beginning as early as this fall , are increasingly at odds with the expectations of senior commanders in iraq , who favor more time before reducing the american troop_levels . the white_house has said it plans for an iraq progress report in september that would look in part at whether to keep the roughly 30 , 000 additional troops ordered to iraq by president_bush in place or to begin withdrawals . political reforms by the iraqi government would be a major factor in that debate . for his part , general odierno warned against rushing the iraqi government into passing laws that would not accomplish genuine reconciliation among iraq 's main sectarian groups . he said that winning approval for at least some of the measures would not be completed by september . ''what we do n't want to do is rush them to a bad law , '' he said . ''we want them to really work through it and make it the right law for their country . i call it providing them the time and space to continue to mature as a government . '' the struggle for iraq.

bechtel has emerged as one of the top two contenders for the major contract to reconstruct iraq , people involved in the bidding said . officials with the agency for international development said today that a final decision had been delayed until next week , because ''outstanding issues are holding this up , '' a spokeswoman for the agency , ellen yount , said . these people say the chief issue is whether the government will insure the winning company against claims for property damage , injuries or death while working in iraq , a provision that could save the company millions of dollars . if that request is granted , the approval would be another significant improvement in a contract that would give the company a toehold in one of the most lucrative building programs in decades , a task that will cost 25 billion to 100 billion . the method of awarding the contracts has angered allies . just american companies were asked to submit_bids , a move that british officials have protested . they say the united_states has cut out them out of the contracts even as their armed_forces fight beside the americans . charges of bias have plagued the administration since the competitors were announced . they were among the largest and best politically_connected companies . there was disagreement about the identity of the second competitor . halliburton , where vice_president dick_cheney was chief executive from 1995 until mid 2000 , is no longer in the running , a fact first reported today by newsweek and acknowledged by an aid official . a spokeswoman said she could not say whether halliburton removed itself or was uncompetitive . bechtel is regarded among the world 's largest contractors , and former secretary of state george p . shultz is on its board . it was a company that raised the indemnification problem . some people said that problem could be a deal breaker . given the scope of the project , experts said , the request is understandable but will require a white_house decision . john p . janecek , former deputy general_counsel of the air_force , said that such indemnification clauses were unusual and that they were typically granted for contractors involved in obviously hazardous enterprises like satellite launching rockets . ''a lot of companies provide the government weapons , supplies , services that do n't get indemnification even in wartime , '' mr . janecek said . the director of the aid agency , andrew s . natsios , said time constraints and the need to work with classified_information forced the administration to restrict the candidates to american companies . mr . natsios has also said there was no possibility of influence_peddling . his spokeswoman repeated today that the administration was following standard procedures in an emergency . experts questioned whether rules were being bent . they point out that the procurement agreement of the world_trade_organization requires all countries to have an open and transparent bidding process . usually , united_states_government contracts are posted on a web_site and are open to all bidders , foreign or american . as a result , among the top 50 companies that obtained federal contracts in the 2001 fiscal year were british nuclear fuels , no . 15 british_aerospace , no . 16 and philipp_holzmann , the big german contractor , no . 34 . the government lets more than 200 billion a year in contracts . steven l . schooner , co director of the government_procurement law program at george_washington_university , said he was not convinced by the argument that companies needed to be cleared to handle classified material to build bridges or lay new roads . ''that defense of a need for speed and security clearances will be a classic loser'' at the world_trade_organization , mr . schooner said . ''we are sending the message that we are insular , we are closed . '' mr . natsios has said , on the contrary , that he won a waiver in january to let all companies , foreign and domestic , to bid for subcontracts that could amount to half the reconstruction money . britain and other european_nations remain unhappy with the arrangements . when the agency for international development announced this week that stevedoring services of america , headquartered in seattle , had the 4 . 8 million contract to run the port of umm_qasr in iraq , british officials and labor leaders complained . the company , they said , has an antiunion history . a nation at war the rebuilding.

the current wave of bank mergers threatens to siphon money from local communities , denying them the loans needed to build businesses and neighborhoods , the head of the house banking committee said in remarks released today . representative henry b . gonzalez , democrat of texas , made the comments in releasing a banking committee report that shows the nation 's 100 largest banks control 54 percent of american bank assets , or 2 . 3 trillion . the amount controlled by the biggest banks has risen 18 percent in six years , the report said . the banks make 52 percent of all domestic loans , up from 44 percent at the end of december 1985 , and hold 45 percent of the nation 's deposits , the report said . the trend toward consolidation in the banking industry " raises the specter of a large scale diversion of lendable funds from local communities , " mr . gonzalez said . the report raises new questions about bank mergers even as the bush_administration and the federal_reserve_board push for more mergers and for banks to be allowed to open branches nationwide . in the last year , 10 of the top 100 banks joined forces , including chemical_bank and manufacturers_hanover , two giant banks in new york . on the west_coast , bank of america and security pacific also plan to merge , although their deal faces some local opposition . the report adds fuel to arguments that the creation of large interstate banks means communities have less access to credit . it found that 40 percent of the 15 largest banks with major operations in several states drained money from their communities . the report said that the norwest corporation of minneapolis was the most extreme case , funneling money from 8 of the 10 states where it has banks .

the car parked outside was almost certainly a tool of the sunni insurgency . it was pocked with bullet_holes and bore fake license_plates . the trunk had cases of unused sniper bullets and a notice to a shiite family telling them to abandon their home . ''otherwise , your rotten heads will be cut off , '' the note read . the soldiers who came upon the car in a sunni neighborhood in baghdad were part of a joint american and iraqi patrol , and the americans were ready to take action . the iraqi commander , however , taking orders by cellphone from the office of a top sunni politician , said to back off the car 's owner was known and protected at a high level . for maj . william voorhies , the american commander of the military training unit at the scene , the moment encapsulated his increasingly frustrating task trying to build up iraqi_security_forces who themselves are being used as proxies in a spreading sectarian war . this time , it was a sunni politician vice prime_minister salam al zubaie but the more powerful shiites interfered even more often . ''i have come to the conclusion that this is no longer america 's war in iraq , but the iraqi civil_war where america is fighting , '' major voorhies said . a two day reporting trip accompanying major voorhies 's unit and combat troops seemed to back his statement , as did other commanding officers expressing similar frustration . ''i have personally witnessed about a half dozen of these incidents of what i would call political pressure , where a minister or someone from a minister 's office contacts one of these iraqi commanders , '' said lt . col . steven miska , the deputy commander for the dagger brigade combat team , first infantry division , who oversees combat operations in a wide swath of western baghdad . ''these politicians are connected with either the militias or sunni insurgents . '' whatever plan the bush_administration unveils a large force increase , a withdrawal or something in between this country 's security is going to be left in the hands of iraqi forces . those forces , already struggling with corruption and infiltration , have shown little willingness to stand up to political pressure , especially when the americans are not there to support them . that suggests , the commanders say , that if the americans leave soon , violence will redouble . and that makes their mission , major voorhies and colonel miska say , more important than ever . they added that while political pressure on the iraqi_army is great , the influence exerted on the police force , which is much more heavily infiltrated by shiite_militia groups , is even greater . shiites , led by militia forces and often aided by the local police , are clearly ascendant , colonel miska said . ''it seems very controlled and deliberate and concentrated on expanding the area they control , '' he said . the sunni forces are being bolstered by support from insurgent_strongholds in the west . the shiite_militias are using neighborhoods in the north , specifically shuala and sadr_city , as bases of operation . there is also increasing evidence that militia members from southern cities like basra are coming to baghdad to join the fight . ''i believe everyone , to some extent , is influenced by the militias , '' colonel miska said . ''while some iraqi_security_forces may be complicit with the militias , others fear for their families when confronting the militia , and that is the more pervasive threat . '' looking at a map he had his intelligence officers create , which highlights current battle zones and details the changing religious makeup of neighborhoods , colonel miska noted just how many different forces , each answering to different bosses , currently occupied the battlefield . ''who would design this mess ? '' he said . ''it is like an orchestra where everyone is playing a different song . '' his main focus , he said , is trying to establish some kind of unity of command . as it stands , the police and military answer to different ministries , and within the police force the bureaucracy is divided even further between the regular police and the national police . on top of that are about 145 , 000 armed men who work as protection detail for the facilities protection services , with minimal oversight , according to united_states military officials . there are also thousands of shiite_militia members and sunni insurgents posing as security forces . colonel miska tried to define where american_forces fit in the tangle of competing interests , which is only further complicated by the complicity and direct participation of top government officials . ''when they are conducting armed aggression against the population , that is where we try and step in and stop it , '' he said , adding that when the groups fight one another , ''we sit back and watch because that can only benefit us . '' some days , the line between militia and insurgent clashes and attacks on the population is a blurry one . nowhere can the current battle be seen more starkly than on the border between the shiite district of shuala and the sunni controlled ghazaliya . major voorhies briefed his men before dawn last thursday morning about the day 's mission , code named operation thunderball . they were to join with lt . col . sabah kadam fadily and his command unit and direct a joint search of houses in ghazaliya . there were 300 american_troops and 200 iraqis involved in the operation . the sun was just rising as the team set out , and daylight revealed an apocalyptic landscape , trash everywhere , open sewers emitting a revolting smell and scores of buildings damaged in recent clashes . a mosque on the side of the road had a massive hole blown in its once ornate blue dome . major voorhies got a call on his radio . the iraqi soldiers had spotted a body . it was a man , dead , tossed on the side of the road , piled with the garbage . his hands were bound behind his back and his shoes were off . his head was turned to the right , revealing a single bullet_hole covered in blood that still appeared wet . as the iraqi soldiers called the police , who pick up dozens of similarly abused bodies around the city daily , an american soldier spotted a pair of legs . major voorhies walked over and , with a stick , flipped a piece of plastic foam off the body . it was another man , his neck slit , his head almost completely severed . he was lying on his back , eyes open looking vacantly to nowhere , arms bound behind him and torn from their sockets . major voorhies asked colonel sabah if he could tell if the man was shiite or sunni , but the answer was obvious to the colonel . ''he is shiite , '' colonel sabah said absently . ''how do you know ? '' asked the american major . ''because this is the sunni sector , '' colonel sabah said . there would be little investigation and no chance that anyone would ever be arrested for the murders , major voorhies said . in fact , he said , colonel sabah 's assessment might not even be right since the sunnis and the mahdi militia , called jam for jaish al_mahdi by american_troops , had been fighting for control of this forlorn ground . ''this is either a warning from the sunni here'' to the shiites to get out , he said . ''or a message sent by jam that we are winning . '' for the american_soldiers , it was just another morning in baghdad , where americans are trying to protect people on both sides while being attacked by people on both sides , trying not to take a side themselves . major voorhies thought about what he had just seen and the cycle of killing it would inspire . ''i do n't know what the answer is , '' he said , almost to himself . but he said he would push forward with his mission regardless . last week , a search of a house led to the discovery of 23 men being held captive , likely to be killed . he could take pride in helping save their lives , even if some of them might be shooting at him tomorrow . colonel sabah , in glaring contrast to his efficient and focused american partners , did not seem to display a sense of urgency . he paid a visit to a house that belonged to a former army colleague , a general , who had to flee the area . there he drank tea . then he went to see another past colleague , an admiral , and drank more tea . the two discussed what fun they had getting drunk and going to brothels . major voorhies struggled to keep his patience . ''sometimes i feel like i work for the iraqi government , '' he said . outside , neighbors gathered , telling strikingly similar accounts of having their lives threatened by shiite_militiamen , who forced them from their homes . they were angry about the searches . ''anyone leaving ghazaliya will get killed because they know you are sunni , '' said fadhel a . zaidan , who had lived in nearby huriya for 50 years . ''now the americans are taking our weapons , and when they leave , the mahdi militia will attack . '' american commanders say they are aware of this danger . in part , that is why residents are allowed one ak_47 and two cartridges . among sunnis , there is absolutely no faith in the ability , or desire , of the iraqi_army or police to provide protection . colonel sabah , who is shiite but who had to leave his own home because of threats by the militia , is viewed as a collaborator . major voorhies acknowledged that it was easier to persuade colonel sabah to search sunni neighborhoods . still , he said the colonel was one of iraq 's better army officers . ''when we have his back , he will fight anyone , '' said major voorhies . ''when we do n't , he will cut deals . '' american_soldiers seemed to appreciate the difficult position of officers like colonel sabah . his brother was murdered on sept . 12 , and just working in the iraqi_army puts his life in danger . facing such stark challenges already , it makes the actions of iraqi political leaders who try to manipulate the security forces that much more galling , major voorhies said . ''colonel sabah gets in a very political predicament sometimes , '' major voorhies said . ''he will detain someone and then gets a call and is told not to take them away , so he has no choice . '' the struggle for iraq.

on the third day of the air_assault on iraq , the pentagon said today that it was able to confirm that only 18 of its 89 targets had been severely_damaged or destroyed , despite waves of bombers and more laser guided cruise_missiles than were hurled at iraq during the persian_gulf_war in 1991 . in baghdad , president saddam_hussein spat defiance at the united_states in his first televised address since the attacks began , calling his attackers ''the agents of satan . '' and american military planes rained thousands of leaflets on iraq warning ground troops that if they mobilized , they would face bombing_raids from the forces assembled on aircraft_carriers in the persian_gulf and at bases scattered around the region . president_clinton is to meet on saturday with his national_security advisers to discuss how long the air campaign will continue , but the pentagon suggested the bombing would go on into the weekend . at about 4 a.m . saturday in iraq ( 8 p.m . tonight eastern time ) , news_agencies reported , another air raid was under way in baghdad . at a briefing this afternoon , the pentagon released the first detailed assessment of the damage inflicted in the largest military strike ever ordered by mr . clinton . while refusing to say exactly how many laser guided cruise_missiles and conventional bombs were fired against iraq , gen . henry h . shelton , chairman of the joint_chiefs_of_staff , said more cruise_missiles were launched in the first two days of the air campaign than the 290 or so that were showered on iraq in 1991 . each of the computer guided bombs costs about 1 million . cruise_missiles were not the main weapon of the 1991 air war against iraq , which relied much more heavily on bombs dropped from b_52 airplanes . but pentagon planners are anxious to keep casualties to an absolute minimum in this operation , and cruise_missiles do not require human pilots or crews . cruise_missiles also present a lower risk of civilian casualties because they are far more accurate than bombs dropped from overhead . general shelton , seeming anxious not to offer the sort of inflated damage assessments that embarrassed the pentagon during the gulf_war , acknowledged that the results of the american and british air campaign had been mixed so far . the targets included military command centers , missile factories , television and radio transmitters and an oil_refinery in basra , which the united_states said was being used for exports in violation of united_nations sanctions . according to the initial assessment , the pentagon was able to confirm that of its 89 targets , 8 had been destroyed completely , including an iraqi air defense site 10 were severely_damaged , including the iraqi military_intelligence headquarters 18 were moderately damaged 8 were lightly damaged , and 12 had not been damaged at all . the defense_department said it had no assessments yet for damage to the other 33 targets , including the basra refinery and several facilities believed to have been used for the production of chemical and biological_weapons . ''we have had some very good success with our strikes , but not all of them have gone exactly as planned , '' general shelton said at a news conference in the pentagon , where he released videotape of laser guided bombs hitting a variety of targets . senior administration officials continued to insist that the goal of the campaign was not to destabilize the iraqi government or encourage a coup against president hussein . but the pentagon confirmed reports by the iraqi government that american warplanes had dropped tens of thousands of leaflets on iraqi troops in the southern part of the country , informing them that ''only those units that support the baghdad regime'' are targets for attack . the leaflets , in arabic , bore photographs of the charred hulks of iraqi tanks destroyed during the gulf_war in 1991 . ''your unit has not been a target but it is being watched , '' the leaflets said , warning the soldiers not to mobilize . and radio free iraq , a seven week old american sponsored transmission into iraq that the government there calls an anti hussein propaganda machine , said it had doubled its programming , to four hours a day , since the air_strikes . spokesmen for the network insisted that the programs are straightforward news broadcasts , but acknowledged that they also report on the activities of iraqi opposition groups . in releasing its bombing reports today , the united_states said that it had bombed television and radio transmission towers in the hope of cutting off communication from the government in baghdad to iraqi troops and the public , and that it was unclear how many iraqis may have seen president hussein 's defiant television address . in the speech the iraqi leader , dressed in a military_uniform and seated beside an iraqi flag with an enormous bouquet of red flowers on his table , offered fierce words that contrasted sharply what american military officials have described as the feeble response of his military to the air_strikes . ''by god , we will not compromise ! '' he thundered in the taped address , which was broadcast shortly before air raid sirens sounded in baghdad to mark the start of the third night of air_strikes . ''we stand against the barbaric way of those that have used our airspace to launch an aggression against our people . a curse on the agents of satan ! '' he asked iraqis to ''continue resistance and attack in the name of god , and may the criminals lose . '' he added , ''we will fear nothing but god and we will not kneel except to the face of god . '' military commanders at the pentagon said tonight that they were studying reports from the third day of bombing to determine when they could halt the air campaign , which they hope to do this weekend . ramadan , the month of fasting and religious reflection , and the holiest time in the islamic calendar , begins on saturday in iraq . ''we are sensitive to the issue of ramadan and will take that into account , '' defense secretary william s . cohen said in an interview tonight on cnn . ''but there is no fixed end time . we have to keep some flexibility . '' he said the air_strikes would continue until the united_states and britain determined that the bombing had done significant damage to iraq 's ability to make chemical and biological_weapons . ''once those missions are completed , the mission will end , '' he said . another senior administration official , speaking on condition of anonymity , said the united_states might halt the air_strikes this weekend but make clear that bombing would resume after ramadan unless iraq allows united_nations weapons inspectors to resume their work . ''this is not over by a long shot , '' he said . at the state_department , secretary of state madeleine k . albright and other diplomats sought today to heal a rift in relations with russia , which has harshly_criticized the air_strikes on iraq and withdrew its ambassador to washington in protest . and violent anti american protests were reported in several arab capitals , with many demonstrators claiming that president_clinton had launched the attacks to divert attention from the impeachment debate in washington . secretary cohen insisted at a news conference that the political crisis here was having no effect on the ability of american_forces to carry out the air_strikes . ''i would have to speculate at this point that those people involved in this operation are focused on one thing , and that 's carrying out the mission , '' he said . ''whatever else is going on at this particular moment is probably of little concern to them until they carry out their mission . '' attack on iraq the overview.

lead the dollar finished narrowly_mixed yesterday in quiet trading ahead of the easter holiday weekend . gold prices rose worldwide . the dollar finished narrowly_mixed yesterday in quiet trading ahead of the easter holiday weekend . gold prices rose worldwide . activity finished early in europe , where traders have a four day weekend . in domestic dealings , traders spent a dull session squaring accounts ahead of what will be a short trading session today . ''there 's not much interest out there at all , '' said stephen flanagan , a vice_president at the manufacturers_hanover trust company . the most notable activity came from japanese investors , who sold dollars for yen . mr . flanagan said there was some speculation among traders that the bank of japan might move to raise interest rates over the weekend in an attempt to bolster the weak japanese currency . strength against the yen still , the dollar maintained its strength against the yen , relinquishing ground only in asian trading . in tokyo , where trading ends as europe 's business day begins , the dollar fell 0 . 50 yen , to a closing 158 . 00 yen . later in london , it was quoted at 158 . 14 yen . in new york , the dollar closed at 158 . 18 yen , up from 157 . 95 yen on wednesday . in london , the british_pound fell to 1 . 6425 , from 1 . 6432 late wednesday . in new york , sterling fell to 1 . 6420 from wednesday 's 1 . 6425 . other late dollar rates in new york , compared with late wednesday 's rates , included 1 . 6724 west_german marks , up from 1 . 6720 1 . 4818 swiss_francs , up from 1 . 4800 5 . 6160 french francs , up from 5 . 6110 1 , 229 . 50 italian lire , down from 1 , 230 . 25 , and 1 . 1617 canadian dollars , down from 1 . 1645 . on the commodity exchange in new york , gold bullion for current delivery settled at 375 . 90 a troy ounce , up 1 . 60 from late wednesday . the republic national bank in new york quoted a late bid for gold at 375 . 25 an ounce , up 50 cents . gold rose in london to a late bid of 375 . 25 a troy ounce , from 374 . 75 bid late wednesday . in zurich , gold rose to a closing bid of 375 . 50 from 374 . earlier in hong_kong , gold rose 1 . 07 to close at a bid of 376 . 20 . silver prices were little changed . on new york 's comex , silver bullion for current delivery slipped to 5 . 091 a troy ounce from wednesday 's 5 . 129 . in london , silver traded at a late bid of 5 . 11 an ounce , unchanged from wednesday . currency markets.

blue circle industries p.l.c. , a british building materials and heating supplies company , said yesterday that it would cut up to 500 more jobs this year as part of its plans to reorganize its heating business in britain and continental_europe . the staff reductions come in addition to december 's announcement of more than 600 job cuts in britain , france and germany , bringing the total to around 1 , 150 . ( bloomberg business news ) international briefs.

after four years of recession , corporate confidence in japan is improving but more slowly than analysts had expected , according to a bank of japan survey released yesterday . the central_bank 's quarterly survey showed that the percentage of major manufacturers saying business conditions were bad fell to 23 percent in february from 26 percent last november . eleven percent said conditions were good , down from 12 percent , with 66 percent saying business was somewhere between good and bad , up from 62 percent . masayuki matsushima , head of the bank 's research and statistics department , said the february results indicated that japan 's economy was recovering from a four year slump . ( ap ) international briefs.

the department of defense has identified 922 american service members who have died since the start of the iraq_war . it confirmed the deaths of the following american on friday mccune , donald r. , 20 , specialist , army_national_guard ypsilanti , mich . first battalion , 161st infantry . conflict in iraq.

in the heyday of the internet , italy 's technology startups and other fast growing companies ran to list shares on the nuovo mercato , often referred to as the country 's nasdaq . investors greeted them with open arms . then the bubble_burst and share prices plunged , scaring investors away . this week the exchange announced a bold plan to get them back giving companies that meet certain financial requirements a seal of quality . details have not been disclosed , but the exchange is basically just making existing data more accessible to the public . perhaps two thirds of the nuovo mercato 's 44 companies are likely to get the seal . the rapid rise and fall of these small companies mirrored what happened in the united_states . while many came to the stock_market with little more than a business_plan , investors could not get enough of the shares , and 50 percent surges on the first day of trading became commonplace . at one point tiscali , which sells internet_access and has never had a profitable quarter , had a market value higher than fiat . but before long many companies , including tiscali , endured share price plunges of more than 95 percent . getting individual and professional investors to forget those price drops has proved difficult , even though about half of the stocks traded in market , including tiscali 's , have risen this year . massimo capuano , chief executive of the italian exchange , says he may have the answer , announcing the plan on tuesday . while mr . capuano refuses to say what the financial criteria will be , people who have been told of the exchange 's plans said the main , and perhaps only , criteria would be the growth of companies' earnings before interest , taxes , depreciation and amortization , known as ebitda . ebitda is sometimes used by analysts to evaluate young , fast growing companies because it strips out one time costs that can distort the bottom line . its use in evaluating companies has fallen out of favor somewhat in recent years because many internet start_ups in the united_states that had positive ebitda never reached a net_profit . indeed , on the nuovo mercato , more than half the members have positive ebitda , but most have never earned a euro . because all public companies must publish financial results , the data that will determine the seal of approval is available on company web_sites . but since most investors either do not have the skills to read an income statement and balance_sheet or simply lack the desire to do so , most people know little about the financial strength of the companies they invest in . in fact , mr . capuano says all he is doing is bringing together readily available data . some companies that will be affected do not see it that way . ''they are dividing the market in two , and i 'm completely in favor of that , '' said stefano salbe , chief_financial_officer of digital bros , an exchange member that makes video_games . he said that the company 's growing ebitda should ensure that it received the quality seal . in the coming months the exchange will announce its criteria , and the first grouping will be announced in april so as to use the data from 2003 . about 15 of the nuovo mercato 's 44 companies are not likely to receive the seal , those who have seen the plans say . to receive the seal , companies must also meet certain legal requirements that have not yet been defined . mr . capuano rejects the characterization of his creating a segmentation in the market . ''we are not putting a stamp of approval on the companies , '' he said . ''that 's not the job of those who run the market , it 's the job of the market itself . '' persuading italian mutual_funds to invest in small companies may prove to be an uphill battle . italy has 11 funds that invest in small capitalization companies , compared with 78 in france and 139 in britain , the exchange said . mr . capuano says he prefers to view the paucity of italian funds investing in small companies as a growth opportunity . growth is certainly a possibility considering that the total value of daily trades of the 44 companies is equal to a fifth of the value of the shares of the oil company eni that change hands every day . and of the total trades on the nuovo mercato , almost three quarters come from tiscali and e . biscom . those two account for 40 percent of the nuovo mercato 's total capitalization .

patrick r . dougan 's office at the mackie international factory sits astride the peace line , the wall imaginary in some spots , quite real in others that divides the protestant and roman_catholic neighborhoods of west belfast . " if you look over there to the left , you can see houses flying tricolors , " mr . dougan said as he pointed out the window , referring to the irish flag , a symbol of the catholic minority 's demands for a british withdrawal from the province . " over there to the right , you can see union jacks . " at mackie , no flags fly at all . they would not , said mr . dougan , the company 's chairman and owner , be a good idea at the plant , once a bastion of protestant employment and now the site of one of the more ambitious efforts to desegregate northern_ireland 's economy . of the 400 workers at the plant , which makes machinery for the textile_industry , 29 percent are catholic , up from 11 percent in 1991 , when mr . dougan took over . catholics make up about 42 percent of northern_ireland 's population of 1.6 million . for mr . dougan , a wealthy catholic entrepreneur , who was viewed with deep suspicion by mackie 's work force when he was recruited by the government three years ago to revive the ailing company after the previous american owners filed for bankruptcy , the opportunity to hire more catholics has been a byproduct of his success in stabilizing and then expanding mackie international . relations on the shop floor have generally been harmonious , workers said , and mackie is profitable again . but even now , as the peace process in northern_ireland gains momentum , protestants arrive to work each morning through a gate adjacent to their neighborhood and the catholics at a separate gate near their homes . " i frankly do n't see that wall coming down anytime soon , " mr . dougan said . " but we have a gospel to preach , that it is possible to be successful right here on the battlefield , the erstwhile battlefield i hope , when people want to work together and get on with their lives . " workplace integration in northern_ireland is a huge task , given the province 's deep_rooted patterns of segregation and employment_discrimination , primarily against catholics , and the enduring enmity between the two communities . even putting history aside , male unemployment in the neighborhoods visible from mr . dougan 's window runs as high as 60 percent , spawning levels of poverty , disillusionment and resentment that have made the area the primary recruiting ground for the terrorist forces on both sides . such integration is also a subject watched with great interest among american supporters of northern_ireland 's catholics . new york city 's municipal pension_fund and other public pension_funds are among the investors that subscribe to guidelines known as the macbride principles . the principles , which were named after an irish politician , sean macbride , include a call for selling the stock of american companies operating in northern_ireland that are shown to discriminate against catholics . american companies account for about 10 , 000 jobs in northern_ireland , or less than 2 percent of the total . with northern_ireland enjoying its best chance for peace in 25 years , government officials and business leaders said they saw great opportunities to breathe new life into the economy , create jobs and redress the imbalances of the past while providing hope to both sides . by some indicators , northern_ireland has a long way to go . catholic males , with a jobless_rate estimated at 28 percent , are more than twice as likely to be jobless as protestant males , who have an unemployment rate around 13 percent . with the economy still feeling the effects of recession , few industries are hiring new workers , making it hard to provide opportunities to catholics . at many of the biggest industrial employers , a combination of prejudice , fear and economic difficulty has left catholics badly underrepresented . of the 2 , 000 employees at harland_wolff , the shipyard that is belfast 's largest employer , only 5 percent last year were catholic . with the company struggling to avoid further job cuts , the prospects for hiring more catholics there are dim . by the same token , there are employers with predominantly catholic work forces who are having as much trouble hiring protestants . despite efforts to step up recruitment , the sean quinn group , a cement manufacturer near fermanagh , had only six protestants among its 280 employees last year . although there is a growing catholic middle_class , in inner city ghettos many catholic families are enduring their second or even third generation of male unemployment . skill and educational levels are low among those catholics . even when jobs in protestant companies are available to catholics , they are often passed up out of fear of violence . catholic workers are a primary target of protestant paramilitary_forces . still , there has been measurable progress over the last few years in reversing discrimination . catholics held 36 . 6 percent of all jobs last year , up from 34 . 9 percent in 1990 , according to the fair employment commission , the british agency that enforces a tough antidiscrimination law enacted in 1989 . " we 're heading in the right direction , and the pace of change could accelerate very substantially if we were to have peace , " said robert g . cooper , the panel 's chairman . " you 'd hope to see an expansion of the economy . and you would not have the enormous chill factor , the reluctance and fear on the part of many workers to go to jobs in particular areas . " the textile_industry has a long history in northern_ireland , and mackie , which was founded in the mid 19th_century and makes machines that prepare and spin fibers for textile companies , has suffered badly along with the rest of the industry over the last several decades . employment at the company dwindled from the thousands down to 270 in 1991 . mackie had been acquired in the mid 1980 's by an american company , lummus industries of georgia , but after lummus went into chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in 1992 , threatening mackie 's already precarious chances of survival , mr . dougan agreed to buy the company , with the price being the assumption of its 21 million in debt . mr . dougan , who has turned around other companies , expanded mackie 's sales force , pushing into asian markets , for example . he diversified into environmental services . and with some help from the gradual world economic_recovery , mackie 's sales this year will be about 30 million , up from 9 million in 1991 . the company should record a 3 million profit this year after a long period of losses , mr . dougan said . later this month , mr . dougan will take mackie public through a 16 . 5 million share offering on the london_stock_exchange . the proceeds will go to debt repayment and modernizing machinery . as he has added more than 100 new jobs over the last few years , mr . dougan said , he has recruited actively among catholics , but never hired workers just because they were catholic . he praised his protestant work force for what he called its strong work ethic and reliability . the biggest problem , he said , is finding skilled catholic workers , who are in short supply . many of the catholics he has hired have been recently trained in jobs like welding , rather than in more highly_skilled fields like machine_tool operations . catholics from nearby neighborhoods used to throw rocks at protestant workers as they went in and out of the plant . but now , as the catholic proportion in mackie 's work force grows , workers on both sides said they get along well , and that at least within the walls of the factory no one focuses on religion . " you ca n't change the balance overnight , because you 've got to hire the people who can do the kind of work we do , " said paddy auld , a plant supervisor , who is catholic . " if we do n't get the proper people in , then the company ca n't survive , and one thing that people in all sections of the community are finding out is that if you lose your job , it does n't matter what religion you are . " belfast hilton planned london , sept . 7 ( reuters ) in a joint_venture with a northern_ireland real_estate_development company , hilton international will build a 187 room hotel in the center of belfast , the company said today . the luxury hotel will cost 26 . 3 million , according to hilton , a subsidiary of the ladbroke group in britain . its partner in the project will be the belfast based ewart .

at the international center for medicinal leeches here , gennadi nikonov has a true evangelical fire about bloodsucking and is determined to restore to the leech its good medieval name . mr . nikonov , the center 's director , has big plans for his eye cream made of extract of leech , which he is sure will do well in the united_states when it goes on sale there soon . and he sees a great future for leeches and some big money along the way as he sends the creatures to pharmacies and doctors all over russia , to be placed on the tailbone of someone who suffers from migraines , for example , or on the legs of people hobbled by phlebitis . mr . nikonov acknowledges it is a hard sell . ''it 's a perfectly normal reaction for a person to think 'leech , yuk , ' '' said mr . nikonov , a pharmacological biologist . but he insisted he was on the verge of tapping into a worldwide trend . ''there 's a general feeling around the world to get away from the synthetics of medicine and back to nature , '' he said . ''and we have yet to uncover the many mysteries the leech holds . '' meanwhile , mr . nikonov has to settle for a rather limited audience for the virtues of the 1.5 million leeches bred annually in the warm confines of the center . there are the local villagers and the cognoscenti from moscow , 10 miles away , who come here to buy jelly jars filled with leeches in a room decorated with pictures of the squirmy creatures latched on to human skin . and there are the men from a nearby slaughterhouse who came on a recent friday afternoon to prepare for the monday feeding . they took six aluminum milk cans containing cows' blood to a room filled with high metal shelves stacked with big jars of murky water . women in aprons and white head_scarves opened the steaming cans . one with a dowel stirred the blood , for the surface had congealed into a spongy foam , and accidentally sloshed some onto the floor in bright starbursts . ''we feed our leeches cows' blood because cows are cleaner than pigs , '' a biologist , yelena titova , told a group of visiting doctors as thousands of leeches swam about in the jars . ''pigs eat all sorts of things , just like we do . that 's why leeches usually do n't live long after feeding on a person , because there is so much junk in our blood . '' but if mr . nikonov has his way , the leeches bred here are doomed to find their way to human beings . the center , built in 1937 , was in a shambles when mr . nikonov arrived 14 years ago eager to test ideas that had emerged in his laboratory work with leeches . most other leech farms built under the soviets have gone out of business . of the 400 or so kinds of leeches , only one , hirudo medicinalis , can be used for therapeutic purposes . cherished by the pharaohs , leeches were historically used for lowering blood_pressure not to mention removing the evil eye . but mr . nikonov and his biologists contend that the saliva of leeches has 60 kinds of proteins with medical uses like improving the immune system and reducing inflammation . russian medical_schools do not teach about leeches , but patients and doctors are trickling back to them . some are skeptical that modern_medicine has all the answers . for others , drugs are too expensive . medicinal leeches bred commercially cost only 30 cents each , and for most treatments only two or three leeches a week are needed . ( in the united_states , where leeches are sometimes used these days to aid blood flow after reconstructive_surgery , the companies that market them say , one costs 6 to 9 . ) the dozen doctors at the center one morning scribbled copious notes from mrs . titova 's account of leeches a sort of everything you ever wanted to know about bloodsucking worms but were afraid to ask tour . leeches , for example , have five senses , as humans do , and are hermaphrodites , though they mate to reproduce . because leeches are so sensitive , only women handle them at the plant . ''leeches need care and affection , and only women , mothers , can give that , '' mrs . titova said . ''men either do all the grunt work or they run things . '' the ties between employee and leech are strong . when she feels tense , mrs . titova said , she relaxes by gazing on the swimming leeches . one worker recently fell ill with stomach pains , but was apparently cured when her colleagues put a few leeches on her belly . ''i do n't know why people think badly of leeches it does n't make sense , '' said olga petukhova , 80 , who has worked at the plant for 30 years . she uses giant tweezers to sort older , bigger leeches from younger ones swimming in a metal pan . ''i 've used leeches myself , put them everywhere , '' she said . she pulled down her lower lip . ''i even put one on my gums , right here , '' she said , ''to ease a toothache . '' adult leeches feed on average about once every three months , and hungry leeches should never be stored with fed leeches , or the consequences for the latter could be grave . a leech has three jaws that come together into something like the mercedes_benz logo . each jaw has 90 teeth , and they work like tiny saws to open the skin so that the leech can issue an anticoagulating secretion and draw blood . the average leech consumes about three to five milliliters of blood . some of the physicians visiting the leech farm had already used leeches to treat patients and themselves . ''i put a couple behind my ears for hypertension , '' said one rosy cheeked woman . ''they 're great . they dangle just like earrings . '' doctors generally destroy leeches after a single application , and most of the center 's revenue comes from their sale . but the plant also has agreements with companies in ukraine and france to make face creams from leeches . mr . nikonov would not discuss revenue , but he said 150 units of their flagship cream , antonia , were sold when introduced in 1995 last year , 500 , 000 jars of the cream were snapped up . the companies also plan to introduce toothpastes with leech extracts . their cosmetics are already sold in europe , and the center said it recently signed a contract with a small dallas importer called odysseus russian to sell up to two million units of the various creams in the united_states starting in may . the company does draw a line when it comes to some uses of leeches . several years ago , a few people who regularly bought leeches at the plant were putting them on the menu of the peking restaurant in downtown moscow . ''they did n't tell us why they were buying them , but from acquaintances we found out that the leeches were being cooked up as a kind of blood sausage , '' mr . nikonov said . ''once we heard , we stopped selling to these people . i felt bad for the leeches . they were created for more noble purposes , after all , than to be scarfed up at a restaurant . ''

president_clinton and prime_minister_keizo_obuchi of japan professed fundamental agreement today on strategies to pull japan from a seven year slump and deregulate its economy . but their daylong meeting underscored how many of mr . clinton 's once ambitious economic initiatives with tokyo have been sunk by the japanese recession . mr . obuchi , the sixth prime_minister mr . clinton has dealt with in six years , spent all morning at the white_house , talking about the containment of north_korea , deregulation and japanese aid to kosovars . he and the president then announced agreement on deregulating a range of japanese industries , from telecommunications to medical equipment . for example , foreign companies will now be able to own 100 percent of cable_television operations in japan , and foreign telecommunications companies will be guaranteed more fairly priced rates to connect into japan 's domestic telephone_network . at a news conference , mr . clinton went out of his way to praise mr . obuchi while pressing him to ''use all available tools to restore solid growth . '' mr . clinton 's aides said they feared that any of the benefits of japan 's government spending program to spur the world 's second largest economy has been undercut by the unwillingness of many japanese companies and consumers to spend . and they acknowledged that today 's deregulatory accord would mean little if japan 's economy kept contracting . in fact , the japanese recession has changed the nature of meetings between japan 's leaders and mr . clinton . the president came into office promising to exert great pressure on japan , open its markets and invoke sanctions if japan 's bureaucracy stood in the way . but that energy was spent after the united_states and japan battled over an accord on automotive trade in 1994 , and it has never really recovered . the auto agreement was the first big effort by the clinton_administration to clear away regulatory hurdles that american manufacturers had complained about for years . but although the agreement led to some changes in japanese regulations , the economic benefits mr . clinton had envisioned never materialized . for example , under that agreement the administration once boasted that the big three auto companies would be displaying their cars in more than 1 , 000 japanese showrooms by this year . they are now in 193 showrooms , the united_states trade representative 's office says scarcely more than when the accord was signed . sales of cars manufactured by ford , gm and daimlerchrysler are down by 34 percent in the first quarter of this year , compared with the same quarter in 1998 . that is a far steeper falloff than the one in overall japanese car sales yet president_clinton , who was briefed on the decline , never mentioned it in today 's meeting , according to participants . ''there 's a lot of japan fatigue around here , '' one senior administration official said today , ''and it was evident in the meetings . there comes a moment when you recognize that while you 've made some progress , it 's hard to provide much proof that american workers or companies are going to benefit anytime soon . '' in fact , the most notable shift in recent times is the absence of pressure from the business community for more openings into japan . american auto executives are virtually silent about japan these days , and daimlerchrysler walked away recently from a chance to take a big stake in the ailing nissan motor corporation , the second largest japanese manufacturer . estimates from private economists that japan will be lucky to grow at 1 or 2 percent annually over the next decade have scared away many american companies , even though the cost of buying land for factories in japan has not been this low in decades . the result is an astounding turnaround american companies are turning their backs on 120 million of the world 's richest consumers , at the very moment that the japanese government says , for the first time since before world_war_ii , that it is actively seeking american investors . mr . obuchi argues that deregulation is critical to reviving japanese industry , and many japanese executives agree . his economic strategy council made up of business executives , former bureaucrats and other influential japanese recently circulated in japanese and english a report detailing laws and regulations that should be swept away . they ranged from proposals to establish high technology businesses to the development of bankruptcy laws that would allow the sell off of assets of unsustainable businesses . japan experts note that similar reports have been prepared in japan since the early 1980 's and resisted by bureaucrats who did not want to lose control over every aspect of the economy , and by businesses that feared competition . administration officials acknowledge that deregulation has been extremely slow but say that each agreement maintains pressure on japan to keep moving . and there are signs now that japan 's prolonged pain has in fact resulted in a rethinking , in which the deregulation of american industries has become a model . as richard fischer , the deputy trade representative , explained it , ''there are a lot of japanese firms who now realize that bringing down their costs their energy costs , their telecommunications costs is critical to their survival . '' despite the clear effort by the white_house and mr . obuchi 's handlers to portray this as a harmonious meeting , there were two areas of clear disagreement . mr . clinton warned mr . obuchi , first in private , then more mildly in public , that he would begin a trade action against japan if its shipments of steel to the united_states did not soon return to the levels that existed before the onset of the asian economic crisis . a flood of low cost foreign steel has already resulted in some job losses in the steel industry , leading to a commerce_department action to penalize japan and other countries for ' 'dumping'' steel at prices below the cost of production . while japan 's shipments to the united_states have fallen in recent months , mr . clinton vowed stiffer action unless the levels declined .

in the following reports , the " listed at " price is the asking price when negotiations began that ended in the sale . time on market is from most recent listing to contract . manhattan gramercy_park 400 , 000 1 irving place ( zeckendorf towers ) 2 bedroom , 2 bath , 1 , 000 sq . ft . condo in an 8 year old building 24 hr . doormen , dining_area , hardwood floors , common roof_deck , pool and health_club common charge 535 taxes 6 , 428 , listed at 430 , 000 , 3 weeks on market ( broker j.i . sopher ) tribeca 257 , 500 258 broadway ( warren st . ) 1 , 250 sq . ft . co op in a loft building elevator , 12 ft . ceilings , hardwood floors , 15 windows , city hall and brooklyn_bridge views maintenance 1 , 625 , 66 tax deductible , listed at 299 , 000 , 26 weeks on market ( broker tabak ) upper west side 335 , 000 225 west 85th_street ( claremont ) 2 bedroom , 2 bath , 1 , 140 sq . ft . postwar condo 24 hr . doormen , newly_renovated , marble baths , south exposure common charge 494 taxes 5 , 928 , listed at 375 , 000 , 34 weeks on market ( broker corcoran group ) washington_heights 70 , 000 100 overlook terrace 2 bedroom , 1 bath , 1 , 100 sq . ft . postwar co op dining_room , terrace , hardwood floors maintenance 513 , 45 tax deductible , listed at 75 , 000 , 5 weeks on market ( broker stein perry ) bronx city_island 240 , 000 465 minneford avenue 2 family , 30 year old brick house 3 bedrooms , dining_room , eat in kitchen in primary unit 1 bedroom in other 1 bath in each 1 car garage , 50 by 100 ft . lot taxes 2 , 000 , listed at 250 , 000 , 9 weeks on market ( broker_jacqueline_kyle_kall ) west farms 70 , 000 1539 commonwealth avenue 3 bedroom , 1 bath , 65 year old house dining_room , eat in kitchen , full basement , needs renovation , 1 car garage taxes 800 , listed at 89 , 000 , 4 weeks on market ( broker heritage first better homes gardens ) brooklyn brooklyn_heights 333 , 480 54 willow street 2 bedroom , 3 bath , 1 , 400 sq . ft . co op in a brick building family room , fireplace , c a maintenance 1 , 266 , 70 tax deductible , listed at 350 , 000 , 4 weeks on market ( broker brooklyn landmark ) park_slope 320 , 000 305 13th street 2 family , 70 year old , 2 story brick house 3 bedrooms in primary unit 2 bedrooms in other eat in kitchen , 1 bath in each finished_basement , 2 car garage taxes 1 , 425 , listed at 340 , 000 , 1 year on market ( broker garfield ) prospect_heights 323 , 500 288 park_place 2 family , 4 story brownstone 6 bedrooms , 2 1 2 baths , dining_area in primary triplex 1 bedroom , 1 bath in simplex eat in kitchens original moldings and detail , finished_basement taxes 1 , 842 , listed at 395 , 000 , 1 week on market ( broker cole ) queens forest_hills 310 , 000 71 41 loubet street 2 family , 70 year old detached_house 3 bedrooms , dining_room in primary unit 2 bedrooms in other eat in kitchen , 1 bath in each finished_basement , 1 car garage , 31 by 100 ft . lot taxes 2 , 200 , listed at 325 , 000 , 14 weeks on market ( broker advantage forest_hills ) forest hills gardens 730 , 000 220 seasongood road 5 bedroom , 3 1 2 bath , 85 year old detached side hall brick tudor_dining_room , remodeled eat in kitchen , fireplace , solarium , finished_basement , 2 car garage , 56 by 100 ft . lot taxes 4 , 800 , listed at 795 , 000 , 15 weeks on market ( broker terrace ) staten_island emerson valley 560 , 000 35 francis place 4 bedroom , 2 1 2 bath , 8 year old center hall colonial_dining_room , eat in kitchen , family room , fireplace , jacuzzi in master bath , 1 car garage , 60 by 111 ft . lot taxes 3 , 800 , listed at 669 , 000 , 35 weeks on market ( broker vitali sunshine ) connecticut darien 1 . 725 million 396 mansfield avenue 6 bedroom , 5 1 2 bath , newly_constructed georgian colonial 2 story foyer , butler 's pantry , circular staircase , finished_basement , 3 car garage , 2 . 1 acre lot taxes 8 , 000 , listed at 1 . 775 million , 37 weeks on market ( broker kelly associates ) greenwich 490 , 000 4 dearfield lane 4 bedroom , 3 bath , 39 year old colonial ranch_dining_room , family room , fireplace , c a , bay window , 2 car garage , 90 by 130 ft . lot taxes 4 , 488 , listed at 520 , 000 , 1 year on market ( brokers preferred properties william_pitt ) norwalk 210 , 000 901 foxboro drive ( foxboro ) 2 bedroom , 2 1 2 bath , 1 , 305 sq . ft . condo in a 6 year old building eat in kitchen , fireplace , c a , skylights , rear_deck common charge 108 taxes 2 . 922 , listed at 214 , 000 , 2 weeks on market ( broker_weichert ) ridgefield 550 , 000 copper hill road 4 bedroom , 2 1 2 bath , newly_constructed colonial eat in kitchen , 2 fireplaces , jacuzzi in master bath , c a , screened_porch , 3 car garage , 2 acre lot taxes 7 , 950 , listed at 580 , 000 , 26 weeks on market ( broker_weichert ) westchester eastchester 535 , 000 4 joan drive 4 bedroom , 2 1 2 bath , 26 year old colonial modern eat in kitchen , wine_cellar . 50 acre taxes 16 , 704 , listed at 650 , 000 , 18 months on market ( brokers the prudential_ragette coldwell_banker schlott ) katonah 349 , 000 32 hillside avenue 4 bedroom , 1 bath , 75 year old colonial french doors , sun porch , dining_room , pantry , fireplace . 33 acre taxes 6 , 171 , listed at 349 , 000 , 6 weeks on market ( brokers ginnel houlihan_lawrence ) mamaroneck 516 , 000 24 homer avenue 4 bedroom , 3 1 2 bath , 65 year old colonial screened_porch , attached 1 car garage taxes 10 , 794 , listed at 539 , 000 , 21 weeks on market ( brokers merritt_associates mcmillan severin mitchelle constabile ) somers 260 , 000 96 mitchell road 3 bedroom , 3 bath , 12 year old ranch cathedral ceilings , 2 fireplaces , deck , tennis_court , pool . 25 acre taxes 5 , 592 , listed at 269 , 900 , 8 weeks on market ( broker prudential notas ) new jersey bridgewater 320 , 000 1451 drumhill road 5 bedroom , 2 bath , 25 year old expanded ranch 2 car garage , fireplace , full finished_basement taxes 4 , 999 , listed at 349 , 000 , 1 week on market ( broker_weichert ) hillsdale 260 , 000 93 standish drive 3 bedroom , 2 bath , 42 year old ranch 2 fireplaces , 2 car garage , finished_basement taxes 5 , 285 , listed at 287 , 900 , 19 weeks on market ( broker prudential_higgins ) hopewell 280 , 000 12 first street 4 bedroom , 2 1 2 bath , new contemporary colonial 2 car garage , circular staircase , fireplace and skylight in family room taxes 1 , 079 , listed at 299 , 900 , 9 weeks on market ( broker richard a . weidel ) union 138 , 000 1 dean terrace 4 bedroom , 2 bath , 50 year old expanded cape_cod 1 car garage , c a , corner property_taxes 3 , 680 , listed at 148 , 500 , 2 weeks on market ( broker the prudential new jersey ) long_island lake ronkonkoma 142 , 000 13 elm street 4 bedroom , 2 bath , 25 year old high ranch_dining_room , eat in kitchen , deck taxes 4 , 100 , listed at 148 , 900 , 5 weeks on market ( brokers_coldwell_banker bellbrook prudential long_island ) lattingtown 440 , 000 285 bayville road 4 bedroom , 3 1 2 bath , 41 year old colonial_dining_room , eat in kitchen , den , fireplace , maid 's room , 2 car garage taxes 10 , 000 , listed at 499 , 000 , 28 weeks on market ( broker douglas_elliman jane hayes ) sea cliff 245 , 000 155 littleworth lane 2 bedroom , 1 bath , 81 year old victorian dining_room , eat in kitchen , attic , basement , 50 by 140 foot property with 1 bedroom , 1 bath , detached cottage taxes 2 , 600 , listed at 249 , 000 , 2 weeks on market ( broker northern properties ) williston park 230 , 000 138 campbell avenue 3 bedroom , 1 bath , 65 year old colonial_dining_room , new eat in kitchen , basement , attic , 1 car garage taxes 3 , 400 , listed at 239 , 000 , 1 week on market ( broker atanas )

city_council leaders said yesterday that they would go to court to force mayor rudolph w . giuliani to retract a flier critical of the council that was tucked into 900 , 000 property_tax bills last week . saying the flier was not only blatantly political but also inaccurate , the officials said they wanted the city to send a follow up letter giving the council 's response . the flier contended that the council had set the tax rates illegally , and had raised taxes for single family homeowners . the council says that both accusations are false . the message in the bills was part of the mayor 's response to the city_council 's decision to pass next year 's budget over his objection . mr . giuliani and the council have dueled to a stalemate , so the details of the budget now seem destined to be decided in court . round 1 went to the mayor late friday night , when the council 's request for a temporary restraining_order to prevent the mailing of the bills was turned aside by justice edward h . lehner of state supreme_court in manhattan . lawyers for the mayor and the council went to justice lehner 's home to argue their cases at 9 p.m. , six hours after the mayor 's office had released the flier . richard m . weinberg , the general_counsel to the city_council , contended that the mailing ' 'misuses a bureaucratic function for starkly political purposes . '' the administration 's lawyers asserted that the bills were already in the mail , so nothing could be done . the council 's lawyers then withdrew their request with the condition that the administration check to be sure no bills still awaited mailing . the flier began by asserting that ''the city_council voted out a budget proposal and fixed property_tax rates in an invalid and improper manner . '' it concluded by saying that mr . giuliani ''will do everything in his power to reduce the city_council 's proposed spending and to prevent the property_tax increase that the city_council would otherwise be imposing upon many of you . '' raymond d . horton , president of the citizens budget commission , a civic watchdog group financed by business interests , said that the language of the flier was ' 'really rubbing it in the council 's face . '' he said he believed the mailing would make it much more difficult for the mayor and council to work out their differences over how to spend the city 's 34 billion budget next year . thomas l . mcmahon , the council 's finance director , said that as a result of the ruling , taxpayers would pay last year 's rates , which were printed on the disputed bills . ''the department of finance used taxpayers' funds to advance a political agenda that was not truthful , so now we will ask a court to direct the department of finance to do a mailing correcting its inaccuracies , '' mr . mcmahon said . cristyne f . lategano , the mayor 's communications director , said the administration would fight the council 's request for a follow up letter as ''fiscally imprudent . '' the mayor 's aides said the flier was nothing more than ''an instructional sheet on how to pay your taxes'' that is included with the bills every year . joseph j . lhota , the mayor 's budget director , said ''it 's not political . it 's not personal . the business of this administration is to inform the public of the facts . '' under the formula the council adopted last week , homeowners would pay slightly more than last year , while owners of co ops , condominiums and commercial property would pay slightly less . the council 's spokesman , michael s . clendenin , said a corrective letter should state that the council has little discretion in the matter , but must adopt rates based on state requirements and assessments set by the city 's finance department .

president_bush today rejected criticism that he had exaggerated the urgency of going to war with iraq and said american_forces were ''on the hunt'' for saddam_hussein . but at his first full scale news conference in nearly five months , mr . bush also took responsibility for the first time for an assertion in his state of the union address about iraq 's nuclear_weapons program that turned out to be based on questionable intelligence . he had initially suggested that the fault for including the assertion rested with the c.i.a . ''i take personal responsibility for everything i say , of course , '' mr . bush said . ''i also take responsibility for making decisions on war and peace . and i analyzed a thorough body of intelligence , good , solid , sound intelligence that led me to come to the conclusion that it was necessary to remove saddam_hussein from power . '' asked in several ways whether he had oversold the threat from iraq to justify the war , mr . bush said that he remained confident that banned weapons would be found , and that there had been a well documented case even before he took office that mr . hussein had biological , chemical and nuclear_weapons programs . ''and in order to placate the critics and cynics about intentions of the united_states , we need to produce evidence , '' mr . bush said . ''and i fully understand that . and i 'm confident that our search will yield that which i strongly believe that saddam had a weapons program . '' it was only the ninth formal news conference of his presidency . mr . bush has made clear that he dislikes the sessions and does not think they are a good way of communicating with the public . it was called by the white_house at the last minute this morning after weeks of pressure from reporters , including a bellowed request directed at the president by bill plante of cbs_news after the president 's appearance in the rose garden on tuesday with prime_minister ariel_sharon of israel . white_house officials said mr . bush had no particular news to disclose , although he suggested that he was considering legislation or a constitutional_amendment to codify that marriage can take place only between a man and woman . but the session , held in the rose garden , gave mr . bush a chance to promote his domestic and foreign_policy record as the presidential race begins to heat up and as he prepares to head to his ranch in texas for a month starting on saturday . mr . bush began the session with a statement about progress in iraq , in the fight against terrorism and in strengthening the sluggish economy . then , for more than 45 minutes , he fielded questions on a wide array of topics . the president said the threat from al_qaeda remained real , noting that the united_states had information that the terrorist organization might again try to hijack airliners , perhaps an international flight . ''i 'm confident we will thwart the attempts , '' the president said . mr . bush said he did not know how close american_forces were to capturing mr . hussein , whose two sons were killed in a gun battle with troops last week . ''closer than we were yesterday , i guess , '' mr . bush said . ''all i know is we 're on the hunt . '' mr . bush got one question about his statement in the state of the union address that iraq had sought to acquire uranium in africa , a statement that turned out to be based on intelligence that the c.i.a . had warned the white_house might be unreliable . he was specifically asked if condoleezza_rice , the national_security adviser , whose office helped go over the speech , should be held responsible for the inclusion of the assertion . ''dr . condoleezza_rice is an honest , fabulous person , '' he said , with her standing not far away . ''and america is lucky to have her service . period . '' speaking this evening on ''the newshour with jim_lehrer , '' ms . rice said , ''i certainly feel personal responsibility for this entire episode . what i feel most responsibility for is that this is detracting from the very strong case the president has been making . '' mr . bush defended his tax cuts as effective in helping the economy despite the continued rise in unemployment and the surge in the federal budget_deficit . he pledged to follow through on his plan to provide 15 billion over five years to combat aids in some of the world 's poorest nations , later drawing fire from some advocacy_groups that said the financing levels he was supporting for next year were inadequate . he reiterated his commitment to a united_states role in bringing peace to liberia . but he did not respond directly to a question about whether that role would include the use of american ground troops , and said american participation in general would depend on a number of factors , including the departure of president charles g . taylor of liberia and the enactment of a cease fire between mr . taylor 's forces and liberian rebels . mr . bush disclosed that he had spoken this morning to president hu_jintao of china about north_korea 's nuclear_weapons program , and said he was urging the european_union and russia to join the united_states in sending a clear message to iran not to build a nuclear_weapon . throughout the session , his first extended encounter with reporters since march 6 , before the war with iraq , mr . bush appeared unruffled and well prepared for the occasionally sharp questions . he parried them with what has become a familiar blend of explanations , saying the threat from mr . hussein , for example , had been well established by the united_nations and previous administrations . but a number of his statements , especially on the economy , drew criticism from democrats and other critics of his administration . mr . bush said the three tax cuts he had signed into law since taking office were a ''job_creation program'' and that the tax bill he signed in 2001 had helped make the recession of that year ' 'shallow . '' democrats noted that the unemployment rate has risen to 6.4 percent from 4.1 percent since mr . bush took office and that the economy has lost 2.5 million nonfarm jobs in that period . at the same time , they said , the federal budget has gone from surplus to deficit , with more red ink likely for years or decades to come . ''we cannot create jobs and put our nation back on the path of economic_growth until president_bush abandons his failed economic plan , '' said representative richard a . gephardt of missouri , a candidate for the democratic presidential nomination . ''the president 's budget busting tax cuts have done little if anything for the majority of american families . '' from the rose garden white_house.

the european_court_of_justice , europe 's highest court , today overturned a ban that would have phased out tobacco_advertising across europe . in a final decision , the court sided with the german_government and four british tobacco companies , which had argued that the european_union was overstepping its jurisdiction in enacting the ban . tobacco legislation , they argued , is a health matter , and as such should be decided by individual countries , not by the european_union , which oversees market competition among its 15 member nations . they also argued that the ban violated their freedom of speech . ''governments and the commission are not above the law , '' said john carlisle , public affairs director for the tobacco manufacturers association . ''we feel justified in our actions and hope they will result in a better and fairer mix of legislation in the future . '' british_american_tobacco p.l.c. , the gallaher group , the imperial_tobacco group and rothmans ltd . had appealed the ban . a british high_court judge had approved a request by the tobacco companies to take their appeal to the european_union court . the ruling today was based on a recommendation in june from the court 's advocate general , nial fennelly , who said the european_union did not have the legal standing to enact such a ban . but the victory is likely to be short lived for the tobacco_industry , which could be facing new restrictions . the european_parliament is considering a directive that would cut the tar content of cigarettes and require larger health warnings on packs . and even though the current advertising ban which was ratified by the european_parliament in 1998 and proposed phasing out newspaper , magazine and billboard tobacco_advertising across europe by 2006 has been overturned , individual governments are likely to take up the issue . britain 's public_health minister , yvette cooper , said today that the government intends to push ahead with a ban on tobacco_advertising , despite the european court 's ruling . ''this ruling is a disappointment , but it will not deflect us from implementing our manifesto commitment to ban tobacco_advertising , '' the minister said . ''we hope that the european_commission will bring forward new proposals in this area as soon as it possibly can . '' in response , mr . carlisle of the tobacco manufacturers association said , ''we would urgently ask the minister to talk to us before framing any legislation so we can help them make sure that what they 're proposing is workable . '' more than half a million europeans die each year from tobacco related_illnesses , according to action on smoking and health , a british based anti smoking lobby group . ''i am disappointed , '' clive bates , the group 's director , said of the court 's decision today . ''in britain , we 'll be o.k . but we do want to do something that benefits all citizens of the e.u . ''

seeking to buttress the case for military action against iraq , the bush_administration published a brief paper yesterday outlining what it says are efforts by saddam_hussein to develop chemical , biological and nuclear_weapons , and the missiles to deliver them . some senior democratic lawmakers have complained that the central_intelligence_agency has yet to deliver an updated national_intelligence_estimate documenting iraq 's military programs . they have also asserted that some of the intelligence that the administration has provided about iraq 's weapons activities is sketchy and out of date . but the administration insists that despite iraq 's efforts to hide its activities to develop or acquire nonconventional weapons , baghdad has shown a clear pattern of violating its commitments in all areas . president_bush 's speech yesterday at the united_nations and the new document a fact_sheet , the white_house calls it are intended to bolster the case for action by specifying how iraq has violated its international pledges on arms and human_rights since 1991 . in both the speech and the paper , the white_house asserted that iraq 's efforts to buy specially configured aluminum tubes was evidence that president hussein was still trying to make nuclear_fuel for a bomb . senior officials acknowledged yesterday that there have been debates among intelligence experts about iraq 's intentions in trying to buy such tubes , but added that the dominant view in the administration was that the tubes were intended for use in gas centrifuges to enrich uranium . george j . tenet , the director_of_central_intelligence , has been adamant that tubes recently intercepted en_route to iraq were intended for use in a nuclear program , officials said . they also said it was the intelligence agencies' unanimous view that the type of tubes that iraq has been seeking are used to make such centrifuges . the defense_intelligence_agency and the national_security_agency support the c.i.a . view , the officials said . although the c.i.a . position appears to be the dominant view , officials said some experts had questioned whether iraq might not be seeking the tubes for other purposes , specifically , to build multiple launch rocket systems . specifically , washington officials said , some experts in the state_department and the energy department were said to have raised that question . but other , more senior , officials insisted last night that this was a minority view among intelligence experts and that the c.i.a . had wide support , particularly among the government 's top technical experts and nuclear scientists . ''this is a footnote , not a split , '' a senior administration official said . the government has shown great sensitivity about suggestions that intelligence experts differ over iraq 's intentions , because mr . hussein 's pursuit of weapons_of_mass_destruction is the centerpiece of the argument for planning a military campaign to topple him . the new york times reported on sunday that the dominant view was that the tubes were for iraq 's nuclear program and that it was only one of several indications that iraq was reconstituting and expanding its effort to acquire nuclear_weapons . the white_house paper today also repeated the charges that mr . hussein 's government was trying to develop mobile laboratories that could be used to make biological_weapons . on chemical_weapons , the report said , iraq is trying to buy ingredients that could be used to make poison_gas . the fact_sheet also said iraq was trying to hide activities at its plant at fallujah . iraq , the report said , can make chlorine at fallujah and three other plants . though iraq claims that the production is to purify its water_supply , the production capacity at the plants , the report said , is greater than iraq needs for civilian purposes . the report says some of the chlorine supply is being diverted for military purposes . on ballistic_missiles , the report says iraq is trying to develop missiles with a range of more than 90 miles , the upper limit established under the cease fire after the persian_gulf_war in 1991 . the report says iraq has made preparations for testing the engines of prohibited longer range missiles at its al rafah north complex . iraq has also rebuilt structures at al mamoun that were dismantled years ago at the insistence of united_nations weapons inspectors . the original structures were dismantled because they were intended to make solid_fuel engines for a long range missile . regarding its nuclear programs , the report notes that iraq has withheld documentation from the united_nations of its past nuclear program and relates that mr . hussein has repeatedly met his nuclear scientists in the last 14 months . an administration official called discussions about the aluminum tubes and iraq 's intentions ''a normal part of the intelligence process . '' the administration has stopped iraq several times from buying such tubes . officials said yesterday that earlier shipments differed from latter ones and that the specifications of the earlier shipments were not as clearly suited for nuclear purposes . ''there are tubes and then there are tubes , '' the administration official said . he added that the best technical experts and nuclear scientists at laboratories like oak_ridge supported the c.i.a . assessment . threats and responses baghdad's arsenal.

dr . sanjeeva rao used to look after the inmates at the state prison in jackson , ga . , treating their high_blood_pressure and more serious ailments . when the state started using lethal injections in 2000 , he took on another task helping to execute them . dr . rao does not administer the injections , but he monitors the process , and occasionally , he has testified , he helps out . if the prisoner 's heart monitor has not flatlined after the injections meant to kill him , dr . rao orders up more poison . in 2001 , after a nurse spent 39 fruitless minutes stabbing needles into jose high , a former drug addict , in search of a sound vein , dr . rao put in a line through his neck that allowed the deadly chemicals to flow . whether promoting health or hastening death , dr . rao refers to the prisoners in medical terms . ''i always say 'a patient , ''' he testified in a 2002 case filed by a death_row inmate that unsuccessfully challenged lethal injections as inhumane . ''that 's by habit . '' doctors who participate in executions violate the most fundamental tenet of medical_ethics , some critics say . but others defend these doctors , saying that lethal injections , the almost universal form of execution in the united_states , can be performed humanely only by medical professionals . dr . sidney wolfe , the director of health research for the consumer advocacy organization public_citizen , said dr . rao and others like him should be disciplined . ''the state medical boards should just yank the licenses of these people , '' dr . wolfe said . dr . kenneth baum , the author of a law review article on the question , disagreed , saying that doctors can play a valuable role at executions . the alternative , he said , is having prison employees with little training perform the procedures . ''in the absence of competent medical oversight , '' dr . baum said , ' 'many of these executions are unnecessarily painful . there is no reason , given that we are going to execute these people , to leave them defenseless . '' about 25 states allow or require doctors to be present at executions . but information on the number of doctors who participate in executions is hard to come by , as states generally refuse to name anyone who does so , citing security and privacy concerns . the georgia department of corrections , for instance , says execution records are ''privileged and confidential state secrets . '' dr . rao 's name was disclosed in the 2002 lawsuit challenging georgia 's use of lethal injections . he did not respond to several messages left at his office and his home seeking comment . many of the states that encourage doctors to participate in executions have seemingly contradictory laws that allow doctors to be disciplined by state medical boards for violating codes of medical_ethics . those codes almost universally forbid participation in executions . the american_medical_association 's ethics code , for instance , says that ''a physician , as a member of a profession dedicated to preserving life when there is hope of doing so , should not be a participant in a legally authorized execution . '' the code forbids doctors to perform an array of acts at executions , including prescribing the drugs , supervising prison personnel , selecting intravenous sites , placing intravenous lines , administering the injections and pronouncing death . ''they 're not allowed to determine that the execution has been unsuccessful so that the execution can be repeated , '' said dr . stephen h . miles , a professor of medicine at the university of minnesota and author of ''the hippocratic oath and the ethics of medicine . '' but a survey of doctors in 2001 found that more than 40 percent would be willing to perform at least one of the forbidden activities . scholars who have studied the matter said they knew of no state board action against a doctor for aiding in a lawful execution . dr . arthur zitrin , a retired professor of psychiatry at new york_university and a former director of psychiatry at bellevue_hospital , aims to change that . ''my major thrust , '' he said , ''is to identify physicians who have participated in executions in one way or another , with the objective of charging these physicians with professional misconduct for violating medical_ethics . '' dr . zitrin tried to have dr . rao expelled from the american college of physicians , an internists' organization . the effort failed when the group determined that dr . rao was behind in his dues and was thus no longer considered a member . dr . zitrin said he and two georgia lawyers , michael mears and matthew rubenstein , would file a complaint against dr . rao with the georgia medical authorities this month . ''i 'm also on the trail of a doctor in virginia , and one in illinois , '' he said . the question of whether doctors should participate in executions is more difficult now that lethal injections are the dominant mode of execution in the united_states . firing squads and electric chairs did not require doctors to help in quite the same way , medical experts say . ''what 's unique about this procedure is that it 's specially_designed to imitate medical procedures , '' said dr . jonathan i . groner , a surgery professor at ohio_state_university and the trauma medical director of the columbus children 's hospital . in a unanimous decision on may 24 allowing a death_row inmate to challenge lethal injections as cruel_and_unusual_punishment , the united_states_supreme_court appeared to suggest that a doctor should be required for at least some procedures . the inmate in that case , david l . nelson , had badly_damaged his veins by long term drug use , and went to court to fight a plan by alabama prison officials to make a two inch incision in his arm or leg to allow his execution to proceed . ''there was no assurance , '' justice sandra day o'connor wrote in the decision , ''that a physician would perform or even be present for the procedure . '' at least eight states , including georgia , also seek to shield doctors from professional discipline through laws saying that aiding in executions is not the practice of medicine . dr . baum , who supports letting doctors participate in executions , said such laws are dishonest . ''what about this is not the practice of medicine ? '' he asked . ''it 's inserting the i.v. it 's infusing medicine it 's monitoring vital_signs it 's declaring death . these are practices that in any other setting are the practice of medicine . '' some of those opposed to allowing doctors to participate in executions concede that their real agenda is abolition of the death_penalty . ''it is true that this is my small way to get at an abhorrent process , '' dr . wolfe of public_citizen said . others say it is possible to oppose the death_penalty and approve of doctors aiding in executions . ''the physician 's role is to treat when you can and to comfort when that is all you can do , '' dr . baum said . ''i would n't see any conflict in a physician who participates in executions being vocally anti death_penalty . there 's not a conflict in my mind , ethically , morally or politically . ''

gov . m . jodi_rell underwent what her doctors called successful surgery to remove breast_cancer on monday , her office said . the mastectomy of one of her breasts , followed by reconstructive_surgery , came after a final diagnosis on friday of a very early stage of cancer , her office said . the news surprised many at the capitol , including some people close to the governor , a longtime advocate for breast cancer awareness . the governor 's office announced the surgery , performed at danbury hospital , about an hour before an aide said it was expected to begin . the surgery began about noon and was expected to last about four hours , according to mrs . rell 's chief of staff , m . lisa moody . the governor 's office released a four sentence statement about 6 40 p.m . saying the governor was ''out of surgery and resting comfortably . '' the statement went on to say that one of her surgeons called the operation successful and said , ''everything looks very good . '' the governor 's office , which did not identify the doctors treating her , said tests showed that the cancer had not spread to lymph nodes , which could have allowed it to spread to other parts of her body . many details of mrs . rell 's surgery and of the diagnosis of her condition were unclear late monday . mrs . rell , 58 , is expected to be released wednesday . the hospital is near her private home in brookfield , where she lives most of the time . ''the governor wants her doctors to act quickly so that she will be back in time for the opening of the general_assembly and the state of the state address on jan . 5 , '' her office said in a statement released before the surgery . her office said the cancer was diagnosed last week after a routine mammogram . a spokesman for the governor , dennis schain , said the governor did not have ''final results needed for her and the doctor to make their decision on how to proceed until well into the day on friday . '' lt . gov . kevin b . sullivan , a democrat , said mrs . rell , a republican , called him thursday with the news of her probable diagnosis and her plans for surgery . he described the governor as upbeat and optimistic about the outcome . during mrs . rell 's surgery and recovery mr . sullivan said he would remain in the state but would not be the acting governor . ''i do n't expect anything to be needed of me , '' he said . mrs . rell 's office said the surgery was performed after a routine mammogram showed evidence of calcium deposits in her breast . after a procedure to remove the deposits , her doctor noticed two additional deposits and removed them both . one calcium deposit tested positive for cancer . breast_cancer specialists said on monday that the kind of cancer described in the limited information released by the governor 's office might be in an early phase , possibly what is called a ''zero stage'' of cancer . they said it usually was successfully treated through a mastectomy or a lumpectomy followed by radiation treatments . reasons vary for why a patient would choose a mastectomy and reconstructive_surgery over a lumpectomy , which often preserves the appearance of the breast , experts said . neither treatment is necessarily an indicator of how extensive the cancer may be . ''very often it 's preference'' of the patient , said dr . larry norton , deputy physician in chief and director of breast_cancer programs at memorial_sloan_kettering_cancer_center in new york . dr . norton has not been involved with mrs . rell 's care . ''the important point is , having a mastectomy does n't necessarily convey that it 's a bad prognosis situation , '' dr . norton said . ''lots of people with a very good prognosis choose mastectomies . '' experts said patients with multiple calcium deposits , which can be indicators of cancer , sometimes choose mastectomies to be certain that all cancer is removed . some women with demanding work schedules choose mastectomies to avoid weeks of radiation treatment . some lumpectomies can cause cosmetic damage . dr . norton said that the breast_cancer surgery would have been performed by a cancer surgeon and that a plastic surgeon would have performed the reconstructive_surgery . the governor 's office 's initial announcement on monday morning seemed to play down the cancer and the surgery . it quoted mrs . rell saying she expected to be out of surgery in time to watch the university of connecticut play the university of toledo in football in the motor city bowl on monday_night . ''my family is here with me for the holidays , and the doctors and i are ready , '' the governor said in the statement . ''nothing is going to keep me from cheering for the huskies . '' but the news , and the absence of details during the day , created a measure of concern and uncertainty at both the capitol and the hospital . several nurses leaving a surgery floor at danbury hospital expressed surprise that the governor was there that day and asked whether it was former gov . john g . rowland , whom mrs . rell succeeded following his resignation july 1 . mrs . rell has long pushed for public awareness of breast_cancer issues . for several years as lieutenant governor , mrs . rell offered mammograms in her office during breast cancer awareness month in october . she also successfully pushed to add an option to state_income_tax forms allowing taxpayers to contribute to a fund for breast_cancer education and research . the governor 's office said it did not have her medical_history available for release . one longtime aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the governor had not had cancer in the past . the state 's only previous female governor , ella t . grasso , a democrat , resigned from office in 1980 while suffering from ovarian cancer . she died in february 1981 , less than six weeks after leaving office . there seemed to be few , if any , complaints or political concerns from either party about the short notice surrounding the announcement of mrs . rell 's surgery , only optimism that she would recover fully and quickly . ''she 's faced a number of challenges , '' said robert m . ward , a republican who is the house minority_leader and a longtime friend of the governor . ''to say the least , she 's handled them with grace and determination . i 'm sure she 'll meet this with the same resolve . ''

the earthquake that shook the los_angeles area yesterday was the latest in a string of costly disasters to strike a state still suffering from a deep recession and now facing perhaps billions of dollars in damages . " the bad news is that it happened , " said james a . snyder , president of the personal insurance federation of california , a sacramento based insurance_industry group . " the good news is that we 've had a lot of practice . " government and insurance officials said no reliable cost estimates for the los_angeles earthquake , which registered 6.6 on the richter_scale of ground motion , were immediately available . a spate of disasters storms , floods and major fires in the state last year caused at least 1 . 3 billion in damages and took 26 lives , according to the california office of emergency services . the 1992 los angeles riots , which followed verdicts in the first rodney g . king police beating trial , resulted in 53 deaths and 1 billion in losses total damages exceeded 1 . 6 billion . state losses from the devastating oakland hills fire and other disasters in 1991 exceeded 3 billion . the worst calamity in california in recent years was the loma prieta earthquake , which struck northern_california , including san_francisco and santa_cruz , in october 1989 , just before a world_series game between the oakland a 's and the san_francisco_giants . that earthquake , which registered 7.2 on the richter_scale , caused an estimated 7 billion in damages , with only about 1 billion of those losses covered by private insurance . about one in four homes and businesses in california are covered by earthquake insurance , according to the insurance information institute . but jerry parsons , a spokesman for the state farm insurance company , the largest insurer of homes in california , said that more than 40 percent of the homeowners in los_angeles and ventura counties , the two hit hardest by yesterday 's quake , may be insured against earthquake damage . insurance not required insurance_companies that sell homeowner policies are required to offer separate quake coverage , but property owners are not obligated to buy it . partly because of the limited coverage and partly because yesterday 's earthquake , while severe , appeared to fall well short of the potential impact of the massive earthquake that has long been predicted for the region , the insurance_industry was not expected to face severe losses . " as far as the insurance_industry is concerned , this is not a big event , " said hal cochrane , an economist at colorado state university and director of its hazards assessment laboratory . " hurricanes hugo and andrew had a much bigger impact than the l.a . earthquake is likely to have . " the most significant economic and business fallout , experts said , was expected to flow from long term disruptions in travel and commuting caused by damage to freeways and other major roads in the los_angeles area . much of the cost of repairing and replacing damaged freeways , which could reach into the billions of dollars , will be borne by federal taxpayers . indeed , southern_california could eventually enjoy modest economic gains as the region rebuilds after the earthquake . " in the end , the impact of a disaster on a local economy is , strangely enough , almost always positive , " said roger brinner , a senior economist at dri mcgraw_hill , a major economic consulting_firm in the boston_area . losses in southern_california are expected to be much lower than the 15 billion that hurricane_andrew caused in florida and along the gulf coast in 1992 . " no one is talking megabucks yet , " said michael blumstein , an insurance_industry analyst for morgan_stanley company in new york . " i 've talked to a few companies and they are all taking a wait and see attitude . " on wall_street , the values of most insurance_companies were only mildly affected by the disaster yesterday . " it 's been a little on the negative side , but not a tremendous reaction , " mr . blumstein said . the cost of quake insurance for homeowners , the cost of earthquake insurance varies_widely depending on location and the type of home . in the los_angeles area , where most houses are post world_war_ii in vintage and wood frame in construction , quake insurance premiums average approximately 1 for each 1 , 000 in insured value . in most cases , homeowners are required to pay the first 10 percent of losses themselves . recently , some insurers have offered policies covering losses after they exceed 5 percent of insured value . typically , the annual cost of earthquake insurance in california ranges from 150 to more than 300 a year , said jeanne salvatore of the insurance information institute in new york . that is in addition to the cost of homeowners insurance , which averages about 500 on a home valued at 300 , 000 . homes built of brick , which are comparatively vulnerable to earthquakes , are much more expensive to insure . because of the high cost , few such houses are covered in southern_california , insurance_industry officials said . the price of no insurance homes and businesses without earthquake insurance are covered against losses from fires , explosions and other disasters that may be triggered by the earthquake . but they are not covered for the cost of repairing walls and rebuilding structures damaged directly by earthquakes . the three biggest insurers of homes in california are state farm insurance , with an estimated 25 . 7 percent share of the market allstate insurance , with a 15 . 6 percent share , and farmers insurance , with 13 . 5 percent . the fireman 's fund is a major insurer of commercial properties . allstateis a unit of sears , roebuck and company farmers is owned by the british conglomerate b.a.t . industries , and fireman 's fund is part of allianz , a german company . major insurers said they would be rushing equipment and people to southern_california within the next few days to help handle the expected crush of claims . state_farm and allstate announced special toll free phone numbers for residents of the los_angeles area . state_farm 's number is ( 800 ) 732 5246 and allstate 's is ( 800 ) 755 4126 .

gov . mitt_romney has signed into law a bill giving him expanded powers to cut aid to municipalities as a way to deal with a state budget_shortfall . the law lets mr . romney unilaterally reduce aid if the cuts amount to less then one third of the total deficit , which could reach 600 billion by the end of this fiscal year . mr . romney , a republican , has warned that he might need to reduce local aid by 200 million . katherine zezima ( nyt )

lt . gen . david h . petraeus , president_bush 's new choice as the top commander in iraq , told senators on tuesday that the new military_strategy to secure baghdad can work , and that he had asked that the additional troops the administration promised be deployed as quickly as possible . in his first public comments about mr . bush 's plan to send some 21 , 500 troops , the general described the situation in iraq as ' 'dire'' but not hopeless . he asserted that the ''persistent presence'' of american and iraqi forces in strife ridden baghdad neighborhoods was a necessary step , but also cautioned that the mission would not succeed if the iraqi government did not carry out its program of political reconciliation . ''the way ahead will be neither quick nor easy , and undoubtedly there will be tough days , '' he told the senate armed services committee . ''we face a determined , adaptable , barbaric enemy . he will try to wait us out . in fact any such endeavor is a test of wills , and there are no guarantees . '' but much of the hearing focused not on details of the strategy about to unfold in iraq , but rather on the political debate within the senate over resolutions that would signal disapproval of the new strategy . when senator john_mccain , republican of arizona , who has long favored sending more troops to iraq , asked if approval of a senate resolution assailing mr . bush 's new strategy could hurt the morale of american_troops , the general replied , ''it would not be a beneficial effect , sir . '' asked by senator joseph i . lieberman of connecticut , who also backs the plan , if a resolution would also ''give the enemy some encouragement'' by suggesting that the american people are divided , general petraeus replied , ''that 's correct , sir . '' that answer sparked admonishments by critics of mr . bush 's strategy , who insisted that the point of the senate resolutions is to put pressure on the government of prime_minister_nuri_kamal_al_maliki of iraq to follow through on its political program and take more responsibility for its own security . ''we know this policy is going forward , '' said senator hillary_rodham_clinton , democrat of new york . ''we know the troops are moving . we know that we 're not likely to stop this escalation . but we are going to do everything we can to send a message to our government and the iraqi government that they had better change , because the enemy we are confronting is adaptable . '' senator john w . warner , the virginia republican who is promoting a resolution opposing mr . bush 's troop reinforcement plan , cautioned general petraeus to be sure that ''this colloquy has not entrapped you into some responses that you might later regret . '' by the end of the hearing , general petraeus sought to extricate himself from the political tussle by insisting that as a military man he did not want to take a position on the senate debate . ''there are a number of resolutions out there , '' he said . ''learning that minefields are best avoided and gone around rather than walked through on some occasions , i 'd like to leave that one there . '' senator carl_levin of michigan , the democratic chairman of the panel , said later that he was satisfied that the general had not intended to involve himself in the debate . the exchanges at the hearing did not appear to have any ill effect on the prospects for the confirmation of general petraeus , and mr . mccain said he hoped the commander would ''catch the next flight'' to iraq after winning senate confirmation . when their questions focused on the military plan , senators elicited several new details . general petraeus said lt . gen . raymond t . odierno , the day to day commander of american_troops in iraq , advised that in order to carry out the new strategy , five additional brigades were needed in baghdad and two additional battalions were needed in anbar_province in western iraq . under the current deployment schedule , it will be may before all five of the brigades are in iraq , but general petraeus hinted that he would like them sooner , saying that he had asked the pentagon to dispatch them ''as rapidly as possible . '' general petraeus acknowledged that the guidelines in the military 's counterinsurgency manual implied that 120 , 000 troops would be needed to secure baghdad . but he reasoned that the roughly 32 , 000 american_troops that would be deployed in the capital under the plan would be enough , because the total number of american and iraqi security personnel would be about 85 , 000 , while the use of civilian contractors to guard government buildings would reduce troop requirements . if the troops are sent according to the current schedule , general petraeus said the united_states would know by late summer if the plan to clear contested neighborhoods of insurgents and militias , hold them with american and iraqi_security_forces and win public support through reconstruction was working . he said he would raise the issue of suspending troop reinforcements with his military superiors if the iraqi government appeared to have not lived up to its commitments . but he suggested that withholding assistance from specific iraqi institutions that fall short would have a greater influence . the general also said that a decision to withdraw american_troops within six months would lead to more sectarian attacks and increased ''ethnic_cleansing . '' general petraeus acknowledged that he had concerns about the absence of a unified command structure . under the new plan , the iraqi_army and police units will be under direct iraqi command . the american_army units that work with them will be under a parallel american command . to ensure proper coordination , american officers are trying to establish joint command_posts . senator levin said his committee had repeatedly asked the administration to make available a list of the security and political ''benchmarks'' the iraqi had agreed to meet . he warned that the committee would use its subpoena power or hold up military nominations if benchmarks were not provided . by insisting on that the benchmarks be provided , mr . levin seemed to be trying to position himself to argue that the ' 'surge'' of reinforcements be suspended if the iraqis fell short of meeting commitments . the reach of war.

lead concerned about tensions between the united_states and japan , a group of former officials of both nations was reported today to be planning a conference on mutual problems that is to be attended by several former american_presidents and japanese prime_ministers . concerned about tensions between the united_states and japan , a group of former officials of both nations was reported today to be planning a conference on mutual problems that is to be attended by several former american_presidents and japanese prime_ministers . a japanese newspaper said today that the meeting , in hawaii , is scheduled for may and is to be attended by former presidents ronald_reagan , jimmy_carter and richard m . nixon . also expected , it said , are former prime_ministers noboru_takeshita , yasuhiro_nakasone and sousuke uno . the newspaper attributed information about the meeting to unidentified government sources . but robert c . mcfarlane , a former national_security adviser to president_reagan , confirmed the newspaper report in tokyo , saying plans were at a ''tentative stage'' among various leaders . mr . mcfarlane said that mr . carter had formally agreed to attend and that mr . reagan and mr . nixon were interested but that their formal response had not been received . 'looking to longer_term' ''this is one of two or three efforts centered on american centers of scholarship designed to improve understanding between the two countries , looking to the longer_term u.s . japan relationship , '' mr . mcfarlane said . a japanese official confirmed that mr . takeshita was also expected to attend , but plans for mr . nakasone and mr . uno could not be confirmed . details about who would sponsor or pay for the session were not available , although on the japanese side officials said the planning was not by the government , but by the leadership of the governing liberal democratic_party of prime_minister toshiki_kaifu . several influential party officials are also expected to attend , according to mr . mcfarlane and the japanese newspaper . the yomiuri newspaper , a leading japanese daily , said the meeting would provide ''the last negotiating opportunity'' to resolve a range of trade disputes that have worsened relations between tokyo and washington . but mr . mcfarlane and the japanese official said the conference would not deal with specific trade issues . for deeper understanding instead , they said it would try to deepen understanding about how to create better political , economic and security ties between the two countries at a time when most publicity is focused on the nearly 50 billion deficit that the united_states has with japan . american and japanese officials with longstanding ties to one another have become worried about recent opinion_polls showing that americans have reacted negatively to the rise of japanese economic power and the surge of japanese private investment and real_estate purchases in the united_states . several japanese initiatives outside mr . kaifu 's government have been undertaken recently to improve relations with the united_states . for instance , mr . takeshita , who resigned from office last year to take responsibility for an influence_peddling scandal in his government , is due to meet with president_bush in washington next week . although mr . takeshita has no formal responsibility in japan , he continues to lead the largest faction in the governing party and to serve as a kind of power behind the scenes for mr . kaifu . his meeting with mr . bush is seen by many here as no less critical than the one the president held last weekend with prime_minister kaifu in palm_springs , calif . , since mr . takeshita is in a strong position to block or approve action sought by the united_states .