January 4, 1993

Already hit hard by the recession, tens of thousands of small businesses in New York State face a heavy new burden in 1993: immediate increases of up to 22.5 percent in the cost of health insurance for employees covered by Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield. For many, it will be the last straw. Coming atop other large rate increases in recent years in a system many believe has spiraled out of control, the new rates for small groups and their families -- 650,000 people, mostly employed in some 50,000 small businesses in 28 counties in the state's eastern half -- offer a choice of evils for many New Yorkers.

The Markets at Year-End The Dow Jones industrial average set a record for tranquillity in 1992, with the narrowest margin in history between high and low. For the first time since 1986, the Dow had no 100-point days. Yet individual stocks caromed around like overheated molecules. Onetime favorites like I.B.M. collapsed, and others that had seemed washed up, like Chrysler, made impressive gains. [ Page D1. ] Forecasts of lower long-term interest rates are less surprising than the reasons for such projections. Some forecasters are considering what was once unthinkable: a year of low inflation and credible efforts to reduce the Federal budget deficit. [ D1. ] Japan turned out to be the best-performing bond market for American investors last year, but not because of high yields. [ D5. ] The Economy Under pressure to select a prominent mainstream economist, President-elect Clinton has offered a seat on the Council of Economic Advisers to Alan Blinder, and Mr. Blinder is said to have accepted. The Princeton economist would serve under Laura D'Andrea Tyson, whose appointment has been criticized. [ A1. ] A record number of boycotts have been called against cities and states. A recent target, Colorado, may have lost $20 million in business since November, when voters approved a measure that prohibits special civil rights protection for homosexuals. [ D1. ] International A Berlin painter is living an inventor's dream come true: goo scraped from his truck removes graffiti almost instantly. [ D1. ] Germany's Economics Minister will resign. Jurgen W. Mollemann was caught up in a growing scandal over letters he had signed to help a cousin's business. [ A3. ] The Media Business As cable systems expand, figuring out what's on TV is becoming skilled labor. Several companies are competing to provide the next generation of electronic program guides. [ A1. ] People were reading newspapers last year in numbers large enough to suggest the reversal of a long readership slide. William Glaberson: Press Notes. [ D12. ] Acquisition of Hanna-Barbera's program library expanded a crucial asset of Turner Broadcasting: characters that can be marketed as everything from dolls to keychain images. [ D12. ] The Utne Reader has one of the best collections of alternative magazines, which it analyzes, excerpts and reprints. [ D12. ] The Cosmopolitan "girl" is a woman now. Stuart Elliott: Advertising. [ D13. ] Today's Columns A trend toward ever-more-powerful patent claims may be reversing after a decade in which the balance of power shifted toward patent holders. Edmund L. Andrews: Patents. [ D2. ] The outlook for the securities industry is not so promising in 1993, after a year of record profits. Market Place. [ D4. ]

Plans by the nation's largest cable television company to expand its systems tenfold in some cities provoked the lament last month "500 channels and nothing on!" But an even more fundamental problem is: How would anyone know? As cable systems expand, introducing a host of new programs and services, simply being able to figure out what's on television is becoming skilled labor.

NEW YORK CITY BILINGUAL EDUCATION 20 YEARS LATER

Bernd Neumann makes no claim to inventive genius, but he knows a good thing when he sees one. And what the Berlin painting contractor saw two years ago was an inventor's dream come true: goo scraped from the bed of his truck removed graffiti almost instantly without damaging the underlying surface. "I was hired to remove graffiti from an apartment house stairwell," Mr. Neumann said. "Nothing worked. By the end of the day, I was totally frustrated. A bunch of buckets containing different substances had spilled in my truck. So I scooped the stuff up, rubbed it on and the graffiti came right off. I just stood there staring at it with my mouth hanging open."