November 12, 1990

A few months ago the Summit supermarket and department store in Nakano, a quiet neighborhood on the west side of Tokyo, posted notices that it would stay open an hour later every evening, until 7 o'clock. Within hours, the store was mobbed by owners of small shops, who carried protest signs and shouted accusations that Summit was being deceitful. The crowd kept up its protest until the store's management came out to negotiate.

After 14 weeks of proceeding virtually unchallenged at home, the United States policy in the Persian Gulf has become the focus of a national debate. Political and government leaders and prominent academics are examining the question of whether the country's interests in the region are worth defending in a war with Iraq. Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia, the Democratic Party's leading spokesman on military matters, joined the other voices today in suggesting that President Bush was moving too quickly down the road to war and should be more patient to see if the United Nations-imposed sanctions would work. Questions Halt to Rotation Mr. Nunn said the Administration had made a mistake in canceling a plan to rotate home some of the troops now in the gulf. It marked the first time a leading Democratic Party figure had directly criticized Mr. Bush's handling of the gulf situation. [ Page A15. ]

John Bossie tried Roach Motels. He tried Combat. He tried an exterminator. Finally, in desperation, he took home a gecko. He has not seen a roach since.

During a lifetime devoted to advancing racial integration, Dr. Kenneth B. Clark has confronted countless obstacles. In the 36 years since his research guided the United States Supreme Court's decision banning school segregation, he has periodically been chagrined by how slowly a sociological, moral and, finally, legal precept was being transformed into a vital instrument for assimilation. But even he has been taken aback by the latest tentative trend in education: separate schools for black male students.

In the 10 months since the Romanian revolution lifted the lid off Transylvania's ancient national rivalries, the Romanians and Hungarians who have shared this land for centuries have been living in a state of tense alert, ready for the next spark to fly. Violence erupted here in March, when the two groups did battle in the streets. Peasants flocked into town from surrounding villages armed with axes, knives and bats, even uprooted park benches. Five people were killed and 269 were hospitalized.