August 31, 1999

Allan Kozinn reviews Mota Trio playing final concert of 1999 Summergarden series in Sculpture Garden of Museum of Modern Art; photo (M)

Heavenly Sleuths Prevail Astronomers think they have solved the mystery of a strange object that has confounded them for three years: It is probably a type of quasar. SCIENCE TIMES, PAGE F1

Astronomers think that strange object that has confounded them for last three years is extremely rare type of quasar; quasar experts had been unable to find clear identifying clues in object's spectrum of light until 10 nights ago; new observations were made by one of world's two most powerful telescopes, at Keck Observatory in Hawaii; there, astronomers detected distinct pattern of hydrogen emissions, signature of quasars; mystery object was detected in 1996 by Cal Tech team conducting Digital Palomar Sky Survey; it has frustrated astronomers ever since, until now (M)

Horror is hot in the movies; mass film audience has sprouted sudden and insatiable appetite for dark woods, ghostly visions and psychological terror; The Blair Witch Project came out of nowhere to become phenomenon of summer, then little-heralded Bruce Willis film called The Sixth Sense exploded at box office; forthcoming horror films include Stir of Echoes and Stigmata; photos (M)

Authorities say Gidone Busch, mentally disturbed Orthodox Jew wielding hammer, was fired upon at least 12 times and killed by police in Borough Park, Brooklyn; shooting brings several hundred angry residents of largely Hasidic neighborhood into streets to protest what they say is excessive force by police; many residents criticize Mayor Rudolph W Giuliani for not going to Brooklyn to address their concerns; map; photo (M)

Scores of misleading, inaccurate 'facts' about cancer and other diseases appear on World Wide Web; these references are accessible in moments to anyone with computer and Internet connection; misinformation includes unproven remedies as well as basic, and perhaps life-threatening, factual errors; team of researchers from University of Michigan reports in journal Cancer on their analysis of 371 Web sites with references to one form of cancer; search reveals errors that authors call 'shocking,' with about third of references lacking any indication that information has been deemed accurate by independent experts through time-honored process of peer review; in some cases, information was seriously outdated or misleading; researchers suggest that doctors help to identify or create accurate patient information Web sites and teach public how to evaluate information found on Internet (M)

French retailers Carrefour SA and Promodes SA, pressed into defensive by Wal-Mart Stores Inc's aggressive moves into Europe, announce $16.6 billion combination intended to challenge Wal-Mart's ambitions; Carrefour SA will exchange six of its shares for every share of Promodes SA in deal that would create world's second-biggest retailer after Wal-Mart; combination would supplant Metro AG of Germany as Europe's largest retailer; all-stock deal, which is subject to approval of European Union regulators, will result in chain with 9,000 stores in Europe, Asia and Latin America and expected sales this year of $56 billion; chart; photo (M)

Investors are cashing out stock mutual fund shares at highest rate in almost a dozen years; though more money is still flowing into funds than is being taken out, pace at which people have been selling fund shares has been growing faster than rate of purchases; selling helps to explain surge in consumer spending on big-ticket items; Investment Company Institute says investors redeemed shares from fund companies at annual rate of 21.8 percent in July; investors typically sell 13 to 17 percent of their stock mutual fund shares in any given year; some investors comment on how they spent profits from mutual funds; graph; photo (Market Place column) (M)

Clyde Haberman column on Aug 29 picnic in Commack, NY, for about two dozen stutterers that was sponsored by two support groups, National Stuttering Project and Friends (M)

The rate of infection with the AIDS virus in the United States is no longer declining, health officials meeting in Atlanta said yesterday. And they said that while the rate of AIDS deaths continues to fall, that decline has slowed. New infections with H.I.V. were ''dangerously high'' in some areas among young gay men and heterosexual women, particularly blacks and members of other minorities, participants at the conference in Atlanta said. The new studies also showed that the highest rates of H.I.V. infection were among those infected with other sexually transmitted diseases.

Long-Distance Rate War Heats Up After AT&T Cuts AT&T has introduced lower long-distance rates, reluctantly joining a price war with large and small phone carriers that has brought bargains for consumers but threatens to add to already intense pressure on profits. The new plan, which has a $5.95 monthly fee, offers calls at 7 cents a minute any time. That represents a 30 percent cut in the per-minute rate from AT&T's previous main offering, 10 cents a minute with a $4.95 monthly fee. Customers must request the new plan, otherwise they will remain with their older, more expensive ones. Shares of AT&T declined $1.50 a share, or 3 percent, to $46, on the news. [Page A1.]

Public schools nationwide face worst teacher shortage in recent memory as new academic year begins; problem attributed more to geography and expertise rather than overall supply; teachers in states where hundreds are vying for one job are largely unwilling to move to those most in need, while many amenable to change of scenery are often untrained in subjects where shortages are greatest; districts and states, in desperate pursuit especially of those trained in specific subjects, have stepped up competition in ways that mirror private sector and were unheard of even five years ago; situation in New York City and some other large school districts nationwide discussed; photo (M)