December 3, 1993

Sketching a grim portrait of New York City's fiscal condition, a panel appointed by Mayor David N. Dinkins reported yesterday that the city's long-term budget problems were more severe than previously estimated. The committee also outlined what it called a "menu" of Draconian and politically unpalatable measures -- including layoffs of city workers, fees for residential garbage collection, postponing of planned hiring of police officers, increases in the sales tax and in property taxes for single-family homeowners, and putting tolls on more East River bridges -- from which city officials could choose to achieve long-term budget balance.

The Transit Authority's methods for determining how often subways depart on time from the terminals are riddled with problems and have led to gross overstatements about performance success, according to a study released yesterday by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Inspector General. Unlike other records kept by the Transit Authority about on-time performance, which are made public, the on-time departure statistics were for internal use only, posing questions about the agency's ability to assess its weaknesses accurately. It also raises doubts about the accuracy of the published on-time figures, which monitor the trains along their routes. 46% of Trains Left on Time The investigation by Inspector General Henry P. Flinter, conducted in April and May, discovered during random checks at all terminals that only 46 percent of 305 trains left on time, meaning they departed within a 45-second window when a green light signaled for them to go. By contrast, the Transit Authority records for 1992 showed that 96 percent of trains started their trips on time.

In the 1940's, the secret ministry charged with developing the Soviet atomic bomb took over the tiny village of Obninsk. About 65 miles southwest of Moscow, it was close enough to be central, but far enough away not to endanger the capital and the Soviet leadership in the event of a nuclear accident. Today, what is now called the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry remains in effect the owner of Obninsk. The main city square of what has become a well-kept city of 120,000 features an electronic sign that shows the time, the temperature and the radiation level.

Ten days before Russians choose a new parliament, many voters are undecided or uninterested as blocs headed by two rival reformers lead the pack. Article, page A3.

SHOPPING isn't a chore. It is a gift. That's the delightful delusion to which we eagerly fall prey each time we enter the great emporiums of consumer fantasy. Showered with the free spritz of cologne, the bonus kit of cosmetics, the floral extravaganzas of spring and the thrill of celebrity appearances, we can easily forget that we're the ones who are paying for this copious largess. Indeed, we may begin to wonder whether we are worthy to receive it. Christmas decorations, on the other hand, remind us that it is more blessed to give than to receive, a message that calls for a more Baroque set of signals. For while it is indeed a great pleasure to give, the pleasure is likely to be diluted when the giver is faced with a long list of people who expect to be remembered with, at least, a tie.