Israel and its neighbors have arrived at a critical turning point. When the Syrian foreign minister greets Israel's prime minister at the White House today, Syria will be taking a giant step toward recognizing the state of Israel.  

The Mideast's Moment

Society for Human Resource Management survey of human resource professionals shows 57 percent of respondents reported incidents of violence or threats involving employees over previous 43 months; 1996 survey yielded lower figure, 48 percent, but because it covered shorter period; 'personality conflicts' played role in 55 percent of violent episodes in 1999, down from 62 percent three years earlier, while 'relationship problems' influenced 36 percent of all cases, up from 27 percent; women accounted for 45 percent of victims in latest survey, up from 41 percent in 1996, while portion of victims who were men fell to 49 percent of total from 59 percent; graph; chart (M)

The Workplace Can Be Threatening, Especially for Women

Amanda Hesser comments on pleasures of punch, which is having something of a revival in New York; recipes; photos (L)

Dip Into the Past: Rediscovering The Pleasures Of Punch

Article on ways of keeping lines of communications open in building construction industry as more immigrants work in construction trade; says communicating with each other in industry where misunderstandings can set in motion million-dollar mistakes--or cost lives; says language training programs are offered to construction workers, especially in English and Spanish; photo (M)

For Hard Hats, a Confusion of Tongues

German industry and government officials, after months of bitter negotiations, will establish $5.1 billion fund to compensate victims of Nazi slave labor during World War II; settlement could untimately affect more than one million surviving victims of Nazi's systematic use of forced labor; US estimates there are 240,000 surviving slave laborers, about half Jewish, who were held in concentration camps and forced to work under nightmarish conditions; fund would also compensate much larger number, most of whom were not Jewish and were brought from Soviet Union, Poland, and other Eastern European countries; officials estimate group at 700,000 to 1.5 million people (M)

GERMANS TO SET UP $5.1 BILLION FUND FOR NAZIS' SLAVES

Federal jury in Manhattan rejects claim of Danish mother, Anette Sorensen, that police officers had falsely arrested her in May 1997 after she left her baby daughter in stroller on sidewalk to go inside East Village restaurant; awards her $66,401 in compensatory and punitive damages for events after her arrest, including what jury calls police's 'widespread practice' of failing to advise foreigners who are arrested in New York of their right to assistance from their consulate; photo (M)

Danish Mother's Claim of False Arrest Is Rejected

Internal Revenue Service will reduce audits of businesses and high-income individuals, but will step up investigations into two forms of cheating more likely to involve working poor than affluent; will continue giving highest priority to auditing 1,600 largest corporations, but will sharply reduce audits of other 16 million businesses and of rapidly increasing ranks of high-income Americans who tend to file complex returns; number of audits in fiscal 2000 will be cut by 30 percent to 40 percent from record low in 1997; fewer than one in 300 tax returns will be audited, down from 1 in 217 two years ago and 1 in 63 in 1981; for wealthy individuals with gross income of $100,000 or more, fewer than estimated 1 in 150 returns will be audited, compared to 1 in 33 in 1992; percentage of corporte returns that are audited are expected to fall just above 1 percent for fiscal 2000, from just under 3 percent in 1992; agency plans new assault on abuse of Earned Income Tax Credit, in which working poor can collect up to $323 for single people and up to $3,556 for family of four; will aggressively hunt down those who fail to file tax returns and pursue those who owe substantial amounts; under pressure from Congress to stress consumer service, agency will reassign employees who audited companies and high-income individuals to work at counters in walk-in centers, answer telephones around clock and resolve tax disputes of estranged couples; other planned changes discussed; graphs (M)

Reducing Audits of the Wealthy, I.R.S. Turns Eye on Working Poor

New York Knickerbockers defeat Houston Rockets, 101-90; photo (M)

A Revived Ewing Gets The Knicks Rolling

Matthew Purdy, in Our Towns column, holds that Federal corruption investigation has cut jagged swath through Poughkeepsie, NY, in last 2 1/2 years, leaving behind charges, convictions, political unrest and enough rumors and conspiracy theories to keep Dutchess County riveted; notes that prosecutors have accused William Paroli Sr, Poughkeepsie's elections commissioner and head of local Republican Party, of masterminding medley of corrupt acts (M)

Our Towns; Tough Times For Big Man In Dutchess

France's Culture Ministry announces that 13 major works of art looted by Germany from galleries owned by Jews in World War II had been returned to their owners; Great Performers series at Lincoln Center is presenting The Passion of Johann Sebastian Bach to observe 250th anniversary of Bach's death; photo of keyboardist and conductor Ton Koopman; 1999 Cervantes literary award, one of most prestigious in Spanish-speaking world, is awarded by Spanish Culture Ministry to Chilean writer Jose Edwards; more than 40 works by Frank Stella will go on display at Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami, Florida; photo (M)

FOOTLIGHTS

Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of International Olympic Committee, discusses testifying before House subcommittee in Washington, DC, on direction being taken by his embattled organization; questions to focus on scandal over illicit gifts and bribes provided to IOC members by organizers of 2002 Games in Salt Lake City; photo (M)

Confident Samaranch Testifying At Congressional Inquiry Today

My Job column by Deirdre Shaw, who abandoned newspaper journalism to write copy for InfoRocket, online information-auction company; photo (M)

I Write Copy for a Web Start-up

William Grimes reviews Russian Tea Room, reopened under new owner Warner LeRoy; photos (L)

First the New Russia, Now the New Tea Room

High school seniors in New York State are preparing for newly required English Regents exam to earn their diplomas, but students in about 40 alternative high schools, most of them in New York City, are working on individually tailored projects, known as portfolios, to meet alternative state graduation requirements; public alternative schools have existed in city for decades, mostly for students who fail or have disciplinary problems in traditional high schools; push toward uniform set of state standards is posing threat to their future as state argues that these students should pass Regents test; photos (M)

A Tailored Path To Graduation; Work Portfolio Is Challenged As Alternative to State Tests

 Oracle Net Tops Estimates, Lifting Stock After Hours  Shares of Oracle, the maker of database software, soared in after-hours trading after the company reported second-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street estimates by 4 cents a share. Oracle's stock had dropped $2.875, to $76.9375 a share, in regular trading, but it jumped to $84 a share after the close.  

BUSINESS DIGEST

Officials of Transport Workers Union say union and Metropolitan Transportation Authority have reached contract agreement, averting threatened shutdown of New York City's bus and subway system; Mayor Rudolph Giuliani says there will be no strike, and that most city will be forced to deal with are sporadic work stoppages; praises union leaders after several days of harsh criticism; rank-and-file expresses relief, but also anger at Giuliani's handling of crisis; agreement reportedly calls for 14.3 percent increase in wages and benefits over three years, including pledge by management to make larger contributions to workers' pension plan; photos; maps (M)

TRANSIT UNION REPORTS PACT AVERTING A CITYWIDE STRIKE; MAYOR EXPECTS NORMAL DAY

Interview with Christian de Portzamparc, French architect who designed East 57th Street American flagship office tower for French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton; many critics have called building one of most successful to rise in Manhattan in last generation; photo (M)

Designing The Nouveau Building On the Block

AutoNation and other big publicly traded auto dealerships are struggling as car sales industry is buffeted by rise of Internet, fall in used car prices and push by traditional dealers to improve customer services; AutoNation, which had succeeded in creating cheerful, comfortable place to buy used cars, failed to do so in a way that would earn money; used car superstores are disappearing almost as fast as they appeared, while chains' new-car dealerships try to cut costs after sometimes-lavish expansions; AutoNation's chief Michael Jackson is now laying off virtually all 1,800 employees at 23 used car superstores being closed and dismissing 225 of 600 employees at headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Fla; graphs; photos of AutoNation founder H Wayne Huizenga and Jackson (M)

A Breakdown on the Sales Lot; Superdealerships Have Trouble Turning a Profit

Frank J Prial article on Kentucky cooking; reports on his visit to two of state's culinary landmarks, both in Harrodsburg: Beaumont Inn and, a few miles east of town, historic Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill; photos; recipes (L)

The Grace Of Generations

Special report, Looking Back, on emergence of Bill Bradley as Democratic presidential contender after stint in US Senate and after political career almost ended in 1990, when he barely defeated little known Republican challenger Christine Todd Whitman for re-election to Senate from New Jersey; to many critics and supporters alike, Bradley's disastrous 1990 campaign is most important event of his political life, since it shook his confidence, caused intense bout of introspection and has since colored his view of politics; Bradley says near failure has helped him understand importance of listening more directly to voters, of speaking from his heart and not worrying about advice of handlers and of being bold; says he has incorporated lessons into current presidential campaign, in which he has campaigned against conventional politics and made campaign finance reform central issue; photo (M)

A Perpetual Winner Found Liberation in a Near Failure

US hands over full sovereignty and control over Panama Canal to Panama, ending nearly century of American dominance; former Pres Jimmy Carter, who negotiated transfer with Gen Omar Torrijos in 1977, signs handover documents with Pres Mireya Moscoso at Miraflores Locks; says treaties represent passage to new relationship between Panama and US; voices hope that cooperation will continue with investment as Panama begins transformation of US military bases into businesses; Moscoso pledges to meet challenges that come with treaties; Panamanian officials are slighted by absence of Pres Clinton at ceremonies; some US politicians, opposed to canal's transfer, warn Panamanian government could endanger waterway's security through poor management and awarding of concessions to Hong Kong port operating company; maps; photo (M)

Carter, Proclaiming 'It's Yours,' Celebrates New Era for Panama

Labor Department reports Consumer Price Index rose 0.1 percent in November, smallest increase since June; Commerce Department reports retail sales jumped robust 0.9 percent in November; says nation's current-account deficit, measure of what Americans owe to foreign lenders, rose in third quarter to $89.95 billion, up 11.2 percent from second quarter; graph; chart (M)

Once Again, Inflation Is a No-Show

New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza discusses decision by Ken Griffey Jr not to accept trade to Mets; photo (M)

BASEBALL: Piazza's Question to Griffey: Is That Your Final Answer?; Junior Is a Millionaire Who Didn't Want to Be a Met

New York State Senate leaders say they will voluntarily accept new restrictions barring members from accepting most gifts from lobbyists; are trying to minimize potential political damage from disclosures that scores of lawmakers have routinely dined on expense accounts of Philip Morris; Democrats and Republicans in Assembly, who have been more reluctant to embrace reform issue, decline to follow suit; will abide by current law, which in practice allows members to accept virtually any gift; Senate approves, 60 to 0, bill sponsored by majority leader Joseph L Bruno that will toughen state's lobbying law, including proposal with gift restrictions (M)

Senators Back Albany Curbs On Lobbying

Caryn James column says The East Wing, solid though not spectacular ratings success, towers over junkier dramas on television yet consistently undermines its own ambition, not trusting audience to grapple with realism and ambiguity; photo of actors Martin Sheen, Richard Shiff and Rob Lowe (M)

December 15, 1999

Headlines from December 15, 1999

The Mideast's Moment

The Workplace Can Be Threatening, Especially for Women

Dip Into the Past: Rediscovering The Pleasures Of Punch

For Hard Hats, a Confusion of Tongues

GERMANS TO SET UP $5.1 BILLION FUND FOR NAZIS' SLAVES

Billboard 200

All The Way...A Decade Of Song

Millennium

...Baby One More Time

Supernatural

Christina Aguilera

Historical Context for December 15, 1999