December 17, 1990

Twice a week, Kendall Williams, a 26-year-old department store clerk, drives to Taco Bell for lunch from his job at a mall here. "They have fast service, and the price is good," said Mr. Williams, as he handed over $2.66 for a large burrito and a small Pepsi. "I like a change of pace from burgers, and this is a fast way to get Mexican food."

Despite a warning from Moscow, Iraq is delaying the departure of 2,300 Soviet advisers now working at oil and military installations, Eastern European diplomats said today. Soviet officials fear that the advisers could become targets in any attack on Iraq by the American-led forces in the Persian Gulf.

The sign warns that the Soviet Army base beyond is a restricted area. But the clumsy barrier is permanently raised, and the two young Russian sentries in quilted coveralls huddled over a bonfire seem more intent on the rock music blaring from a portable tape player than on the cars or people moving past. "We're just here to make sure nobody steals the barrier," cracks one of the pair, a husky farm boy from Yaroslavl with heavily tattooed hands.

Over a vast, half-desolate swath of the South Bronx, a place of lonely businesses, empty lots and storefront evangelists, planners are drawing the core of a new city. Their proposal seeks to transform the appearance and economic potential of one of the country's most resilient symbols of urban blight by creating a synergy among a wide range of development projects, some already under construction, others merely proposed.

The Jets got a glimpse of their past and their future at Giants Stadium today and both of them looked decidely more glittering than their prospects for the remainder of the prresent season after the 29-21 defeat at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts. The past is known. It was represented by the 24 retired Jets who showed up to be honored along with Weeb Ewbank, the former head coach, at halftime as part of ceremonies honoring the 36 Jets who have been All-Stars or All-Pros.