Analysis of Federal Communications Commission's proposal to levy network access fees against some companies that provide telephone service over the Internet; Internet advocates see move as first of many to come against freedom of cyberspace, but proposed fees can also be seen not so much as new layer of regulation, but as realization that there are costs to operating public communications network and that everyone using network should cover those costs (L)

On Internet, Playing Fair May Mean Paying Up

Rob Cohen's Home Box Office film The Rat Pack is being completed in Hollywood for showing later in the year; Cohen comments on life style of 'Rat Pack' members, which included Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford; photo (L)

Requiem for Rats: Ring-a-Ding-Ding, Baby

Recliners have lost their 'beer and baloney' stigma and become favorite chair of baby boom generation; close to 7 million recliners were sold last year, and 45 percent of buyers were age 34 to 52; latest models have features unknown in earlier generations of recliners; in addition to reclining, some models glide, swivel and rock; some answer telephone and connect to computers; some offer heat and massage; recliner has sired category called 'motion furniture' that accounts for close to half of nation's $17 billion business in upholstered furniture; sales of multiseat motion furniture leaped 85 percent from 1990 to 1996; La-Z-Boy, nation's largest upholstered furniture maker, just crossed billion-dollar mark in sales; La-Z-Boy recliner, jewel in its crown, has turned 70 and sales continue to boom; photos (M)

The Recline (but Not Fall) Of the Baby Boom Empire

Anna Kisselgoff reviews Eifman Ballet's presentation of 'Tchiakovsky' at City Center; photo (L)

A Tortured Composer Embracing His Desires

Richard Li, second son of Hong Kong's most prominent tycoon, Li Ka-shing, plans to start digital media company to provide Internet access and other information services to television sets and personal computers throughout Asia; map; chart; photo (M)

Bringing Asia on Line; Hong Kong Tycoon Seeks Internet Success

 Citicorp and Travelers Face A Tangle of Technology  The synergies that Citicorp and Travelers promise will result from the huge merger the two companies announced last week may be a while coming. That is because it is likely to be a decade, at least, before their computer systems can be fully integrated. Citicorp itself has tried for 10 years to merge the computers in its banks in 100 countries into one happy family, a task that remains far from complete.  

BUSINESS DIGEST

Second of four articles in series Does Workfare Work? on efforts to find work for welfare recipients in New York City; 34,100 people in city's Work Experience Program constitute low-cost labor force that does substantial amount of work that had been done by municipal employees before Mayor Rudolph W Giuliani reduced city payroll by about 20,000 employees, or 10 percent; in many instances, workfare workers are doing same work as current city employees; some union leaders contend that workfare program violates state law barring public employers from replacing regular workers with workfare participants; two unions have sued city on this issue, but labor leader with most potential to create problem, Stanley Hill, head of District Council 37, is close Giuliani ally and says he can stomach program as long as city does not lay off any civil servants; expanding workfare while shrinking municipal work force means fewer opportunities for many New Yorkers who traditionally viewed civil service jobs as springboard to middle class; labor committee of City Bar Assn found workfare participants in certain city agencies performed variety of jobs once done by civil servants; workfare recipients complain about not earning as much as regular workers, and about not being hired as permanent workers; photos; charts; graph (L)

Many Participants in Workfare Take the Place of City Workers

Recycled bank buildings are but one sign of a passing era of banking in New York City. Consolidation and restructuring have eliminated dozens of banks in the last decade. But experts say the city is coming out ahead in maintaining its status as the national epicenter of the new financial services industry.      Article, page B1.

The Post-Bank Era

Clinton Administration handling of satellite technology exports to China by key Clinton supporters illustrates competing forces that buffet President on China policy; classified Pentagon report in May 1997 concluded that scientists from Hughes Electronics and Loral Space and Communications had turned over expertise that significantly improved reliability of China's nuclear missiles, even though companies were ordered to keep tight rein on such sophisticated technology sought by Chinese military; criminal probe of companies was reportedly undermined when Clinton approved Loral's exports to China; White House denied any political interference in issue, but Chinese reportedly concluded that Administration policy on issues like spread of weapons and human rights abuses could be reversed by corporations; Loral is headed by largest personal donor to Democratic Party last year; Administration's China policy has come under intense Congressional scrutiny in last year; at issue is influence American contributors have on China policy (M)

U.S. BUSINESS ROLE IN POLICY ON CHINA IS UNDER QUESTION

On the television replays, there appeared to be two-tenths of a second left when the game's last shot left Allan Houston's hand. But the referees saw it differently, disallowing Houston's basket and giving the Miami Heat an 82-81 victory over the Knicks. The loss, coupled with the Nets' victory over Toronto, dropped the Knicks into the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.      SportsMonday, page C1.

Nightmare in Miami Haunts Knicks Again

People of Northern Ireland go to their churches to celebrate Easter and to pray for permanent peace promised by historic agreement signed by leaders of Protestant majority and Roman Catholic minority; many of them barely remember when there was no sectarian violence; forgiveness and hope for peace are themes at most Catholic and Protestant churches, but not at breakaway church founded by Rev Ian Paisley, who kept his Democratic Unionist Party out of peace negotiations; Paisley, publicly described by opponents as xenophobe and fascist, attacks peace agreement and urges his congregation of 300 mostly older people to vote against it in May 22 referendum; one of his congregants voices fear about terrorists being released, theme Paisley has been stressing; under peace accord, many Catholic and Protestant paramilitary prisoners would be eligible for early release within two years; photo (M)

For Most in Belfast, an Easter of Joy and Hope

Targets of journalistic scrutiny file unusual number of complaints to Pulitzer Prize board, challenging facts and context of articles and trying to knock them out of the running for awards; Seymour Topping, administrator of Pulitzer board at Columbia University, says at least five such challenges reached juries judging this year's entrants (M)

Press Critics Strike Early At Pulitzers

 Tensions in South Africa  Violence and legal wrangling over efforts to integrate a high school in a cattle town are reminding South Africans of how fragile progress is in some rural areas. Page A4.    Chemical Weapons Disposal  After two years, a prototype chemical weapons incinerator in Tooele, Utah, fought by environmentalists, is seen by some as a success. Page A10.

INSIDE

Ann Powers reviews performances by Artist Formerly Known as Prince, with rhythm-and-blues veterans Larry Graham and Chaka Khan, at Irving Plaza (L)

What Can Happen When Musical Fantasies Come True

Exhibition Rhapsodies in Black: Art of the Harlem Renaissance, which celebrates achievements from 1919 to 1938 of black artists, is on display at Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; English-speaking contemporary theater takes spotlight in Toronto for 18 days beginning April 16, as international festival called du Maurier World Stage presents more than 100 performances; concert to benefit Kenneth Haas, managing director of Boston Symphony, who suffered cardiac arrest resulting in serious brain injury that requires long-term rehabilitation, has attracted major conductors and artists at Symphony Hall, Boston; exhibit called World Port New York: Celebrating 30 Years of the South Street Seaport Museum, which explores role of the sea on creation of culture and commerce of New York City, opens April 17 and continues through June 26 at Paine Webber Art Gallery; drawing; photo (L)

This Week

Miami Heat defeats New York Knicks, 82-81, when game officials rule that Allan Houston's last-second shot came after final buzzer; photos (M)

Knicks Dispute Call, But Still Suffer Loss

Dave Anderson Sports of The Times column praises Jack Nicklaus, 58-year-old golfer who finished Masters tied for sixth; photo (M)

Sports of The Times; Nicklaus More Than Ceremonial

Analysis of dwindling options left for Pol Pot, Khmer Rough leader and mastermind of brutal campaign to reduce Cambodia to a primitive agrarian society; Pol Pot is now 73 and ailing, closer to capture than he has ever been; Khmer Rouge has been shrunken by defections, but they have managed to keep Government soldiers at bay for 10 months in their own jungle stronghold; Pol Pot has few friends left and virtually no options for refuge; his own lieutenants condemned him to house arrest in show trial; analysts say that for those who control his fate, Pol Pot is most dangerous alive and testifying about their involvement with him; photo; map (M)

For Pol Pot, An Endgame

Wave of consolidation and restructuring has caused dozens of banks to vanish in New York City in last decade, eliminating thousands of jobs and causing over 200 neighborhood branches to close; advocates for poor warn that disappearance of bank branches will only worsen chronic lack of banking services in neighborhoods outside Manhattan; industry experts say New York City will maintain its status as national epicenter of new financial services industry; photo (M)

A Victim of a New Economy, The Corner Bank is Fading

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on Upper East Side closes its doors for good after celebrating Easter Mass; church was built in 1887 for Czech immigrants, it was thriving church for decades, but by beginning of 1990's only about 50 parishioners remained, and building had fallen into disrepair; Archdiocese of New York has proposed replacing church with home for retired priests; photo (M)

Before the Wreckers Come, Lilies and Hymns of Hope; Beloved Manhattan Church Celebrates Last Mass

Growing number of local officials in New Jersey seek to ease tax burden on homeowners by having builders help pay for schools and other public projects that they say are needed to support rapid development in their communities; newly formed coalition of school board members and municipal officials is asking State Legislature and Gov Christine Todd Whitman to allow them to impose so-called impact fees on developers for each house they build to cover some of construction costs for new schools, roads, parks and even police and fire stations; local officials welcome impact fees as way to control taxes, but builders attack fees as selective form of double taxation that unfairly penalizes new-home buyers; photo (M)

New Jersey Towns Want Builders to Pay Fees for the Costs of Growth

Two huge new banking mergers are expected to accelerate wave of consolidations in financial-services industry and likely leave just few giant powerhouses; expected merger of Nationsbank Corp and BankAmerica Corp will create nation's first coast-to-coast bank, largest in terms of total branches and deposits and nation's second-largest bank holding company in terms of total assets; second expected merger, of Banc One Corp and First Chicago NBD Corp, will create fifth-largest banking company by assets; resulting bank would dominate Midwest; Nationsbank-BankAmerica deal is expected to involve stock-for-stock transaction valued at about $60 billion; Nationsbank's chief executive, Hugh L McColl Jr, is expected to be named chairman of combined company, and David A Coulter, BankAmerica's chairman, is expected to be named president; deal between First Chicago and Banc One has estimated value of $30 billion in stock, with Fist Chicago shareholders receiving 1.62 shares in new company for every share they own and Banc One shareholders getting one share of new company for each share they own; Verne G Istock, First Chicago chairman, will be chairman of new company and John B McCoy, Banc One's chairman, will become president and chief executive (L)

2 MAJOR MERGERS EXPECTED TODAY IN BANK INDUSTRY

Mark O'Meara wins Masters golf tournament; photos (M)

THE 62D MASTERS: A Major Putt for a Major Title; O'Meara Sinks a 20-Footer on No. 18 to Win in Augusta

Fifteen Duke University students are spending semester in New York City to learn firsthand the place of the performing arts in American life; program is sponsored by Duke's Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy and Metropolitan Opera; Prof Bruce Payne, who devised program and is its director, says it is aimed at undergraduates headed for careers in law, medicine, business and government who may be 'very well educated but culturally deprived'; photos (L)

Lessons to Be Learned From the Glitter of Broadway; Duke Students Examine the Business Side of the Arts

Proliferation of personal finance magazines continues; number of new magazines that focus on business and finance climbs to 19 in 1997 from 3 in 1992, reaching high of 22 in 1996; photo (L)

Shouting Financial Advice in Crowded Field

Patrick de Gayardon was a French skydiver, skysurfer and a BASE jumper.

April 13, 1998

Headlines from April 13, 1998

On Internet, Playing Fair May Mean Paying Up

Requiem for Rats: Ring-a-Ding-Ding, Baby

The Recline (but Not Fall) Of the Baby Boom Empire

A Tortured Composer Embracing His Desires

Bringing Asia on Line; Hong Kong Tycoon Seeks Internet Success

Billboard 200

Titanic

Let's Talk About Love

The Pillage

Ray Of Light

Savage Garden

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for April 13, 1998