November 14, 1993

Arafat Condemns a Killing Yielding quickly to demands, Yasir Arafat condemned the killing of an Israeli by P.L.O. members and urged an end to violence. Page 7. Victory for 3 TV Networks A Federal judge has opened the way for ABC, CBS and NBC to own a financial interest in all programs that they broadcast. Page 21. Shortages of Ritalin A blunder at the Justice Department has left thousands of parents struggling to find supplies of a drug for their hyperactive children. Page 20. Great Day for Fighting Irish Notre Dame defeated No. 1-ranked Florida State, 31-24, in a matchup of unbeaten teams. Section 8.

I WENT to the fall collections to get a sense of my future. I wanted to get a glimpse of what I might be wearing when I start dating my checks 2000. In a mere six years, the century will turn, and fashion designers, I thought, so used to projecting themselves into the future, must be thinking about it, must be planning for it. After all, whoever pinpoints what we will be wearing for the first decades of the 21st century will go down in economic and social history. During the last turn of the century, one of my favorite fashion periods, women wore those extraordinary hats. A few summers ago, a friend who lives in Ireland sent me a clipping from an Irish newspaper dated 1902. It was about a protest in Dublin against the use of stuffed kittens for decoration on hat brims. It was bad enough, the article said, that milliners were using egrets and all manner of bird life on hats without stooping to the use of kittens! I agree.

Eight miles into today's New York City Marathon, Pam Kezios and Tom Young of Chicago will stop briefly to be married on the steps of the Brooklyn Academy of Music. A small service is planned, but 26,000 are expected for the reception. Everyone venturing the marathon distance of 26 miles 385 yards has made some sort of vital, if less permanent, commitment: To win, to finish, to run a personal best, to promote a cause, to prove a point.

IN the moments immediately following Notre Dame's convincing victory over Florida State this afternoon, the watchword was "rematch." Everybody wanted to see a rematch. Kez McCorvey, a Seminoles wide receiver, reflected on Florida Sate-N.D. II and predicted, "It'd kind of be like the Thrilla in Manila."

In its vote this week, Congress will weigh the North American Free Trade Agreement, a complex five-volume plan to bind the economies of the United States, Canada and Mexico. From immigration to investment and from factories to farms, the agreement draws a detailed map for a new economic era. Article and chart, page 14.