Gerald Clarke discusses his forthcoming book, Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland; notes that it benefits from his discovery of unpublished manuscript of Garland's 68-page autobiography in Random House archives at Columbia University; photo (M)

Finding New Cracks in an Exposed Life

Boccie ball players in Kissena Park in Flushing, Queens, are outraged at city Parks Department's $175,000 six-month renovation of boccie courts because they are now slanted and often flood because of poor drainage; photo (M)

Boccie Men Recall Old Days, Before the Water Hazards

 Flag Amendment Fails Again  The Senate did not approve a constitutional amendment to give Congress the power to ban the desecration of the American flag.   PAGE A24    Agent Talked to Florida Star  An agent at the center of an investigation at St. John's may have broken laws by contacting a Florida basketball star, among others.   PAGE D1

INSIDE

Caryn James reviews Wonderland, new ABC series; photo (M)

Wrung Out, Strung Out In Bedlam

Filmmaker George Lucas wins preliminary approval to build a 23-acre Digital Arts Center within Presidio, the national park made from former Army base in San Fransisco, and he envisions a corporate campus, stylistically drawing on park's military architecture, that would house five Lucas enterprises; about 80 other historic structures in park have been rehabiliated and taken over by quirky array of businesses and not-for-profit organizations; critics fear business culture will endanger Presidio's natural and historic treasures; Congress, in creating park, stipulated that it be economically self-sufficient by 2013; Presidio Trust, its controversial landlord, estimates that annual cost of maintaining the park at $36 million; photos; map (M)

A Force in Film Meets a Force of Nature

Some New York City police officers privately voice criticism of Mayor Rudolph W Giuliani's style and tactics on law enforcement matters; say they appreciate mayor's support for officers involved in recent shooting of unarmed black man, but that mayor's zero-tolerance approach to crime, his limited outreach to black and Latino communities and his criticism of dead man, Patrick M Dorismond, had needlessly widened breach between police force and people in many of neighborhoods it serves; extent of police disaffection with Giuliani is unknown; in interviews, 12 of 18 officers of various ranks, most of them white, and including several union officials, talk about how mayor's strong language and aggressive policies have undermined one of force's greatest assets, community support, and made it more difficult to patrol in minority neighborhoods; say pressure to produce higher arrest tallies and lower crime rates force them to pursue lesser offenders, policy that has exacerbated tensions in many neighborhoods; photo (M)

Some Officers Say Giuliani Widens Police-Civilian Gap

Chicago Cubs defeat New York Mets, 5-3, in season opener played in Japan; photo (M)

Mets' Start Is Finally Here, Although It's Over There

Vancouver-based novelist Douglas Coupland discusses his art and furniture projects, which he pursues obsessively and is now trying to bring to market; is currently on a tour promoting his seventh novel, Miss Wyoming; photos (L)

Blame Canada: Bottling Gen X Style

Anne Raver article on a 240-mile pilrimage of about 40 Indians across the Sonoran Desert of Arizona to raise awareness of diabetes, a disease that affects an alarming number of these people, among whom it was unknown before desert foods and medicines gave way to white bread and foods high in fats and sugar; says there is also a spiritual dimension to their effort to recapture desert traditions; photos (M)

Finding Desert Blooms That Heal

Anthony Tommasini reviews Metropolitan Opera's production of Walkure; photo (M)

Through Wagner, a Chance To Cherish Today's Masters

Rabbis of Judaism's Reform movement say gay relationships are 'worthy of affirmation' through Jewish ritual and that Reform rabbis who officiate at same-sex ceremonies would have support of branch's rabbinical body, as would those who do not; Central Conference of American Rabbis represents 1,800 rabbis who lead nearly 1.5 million Jews in United States and Canada; it is largest group of American clergy to affirm that its members may conduct gay unions; conference has already said it favored right to civil marriage for gays; resolution just adopted uses term 'union' to describe gay relationship and leaves it up to individual rabbis to decide type of ritual to use to bless one; Rabbi Paul Menitoff, conference's executive vice president, sees resolution as strong weapon against antigay bias; photos (M)

Reform Rabbis Back Blessing of Gay Unions

Supreme Court rules that cities and states may ban nude dancing as way of combating crime and other 'negative secondary effects' associated with establishments offering that kind of entertainment; court's 6-to-3 vote upholds Erie, Pa, ordinance requiring dancers to wear at least pasties and G-string, but fails to explain how that would in fact reduce crime, prostitution, sexual assaults or other problems associated with places where dancers appear nude; Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, voting with majority, says that under appropriate First Amendment analysis, such regulation need only further government's legitimate interest rather than accomplish it fully; court rules that nude dancing is form of expression that has some minimal protection under First Amendment, but that could nonetheless be regulated under appropriate standard; photo (M)

Justices Uphold Laws Banning Nude Dancing

Increased use of wireless devices and variety of services they provide has resulted in an unprecedented degree of flexibility to the workday; at same time, whatever line people have drawn between work and leisure, between the office and home, is growing thinner than ever as sense of obligation to stay connected to work at all hours continues to grow; social scientists and business experts are beginning to study the cost to an employee's well being if that employee is constantly within reach; reactions of some people electronically connected to their jobs discussed; photos; chart on variety of ways people can get e-mail (L)

For the Well Connected, All the World's an Office

AT&T Corp will acquire full control of At Home Corp, nation's largest provider of Internet service over cable systems, bolstering its plan to deliver high-speed Internet access over cable television lines; Comcast Corp and Cox Communications Inc, other major shareholders, will resign from board and relinquish veto power; AT&T will gain 74 percent voting control, but not outright ownership of company, which has been riven by strategic disagreements among major shareholders since it became investor in 1999 (M)

AT&T Takes Full Control Of At Home Cable Venture

 A Complex $19 Billion Deal To Take Seagate Private  In a complex $19 billion deal, Seagate Technology, the disk drive company, will be taken private by an investor group led by Silver Lake Partners, Seagate executives and the Texas Pacific Group.    Under terms of the deal, Veritas Software will buy back its one-third stake held by Seagate and redistribute the assets to Seagate's stockholders. The investor group will acquire Seagate's disk drive business. [Page C12.]

BUSINESS DIGEST

Pres Fidel Castro says Elian Gonzalez's father is preparing to come to United States to reclaim his son, reportedly surprising American officials; Castro makes statement as boy's relatives in Miami continue to defy immigration officials, and politicians there seem to side with them against federal government; State Dept says Elian's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, has not asked for permission to enter US; US has always made clear that he would be welcome to come, although not accompanied by large group of relatives mentioned by Castro; Castro's remarks come after warnings from local authorities in South Florida that Miami could erupt in violence if federal agents try to forcibly take boy from his great-uncle's house in Little Havana section and send him back to Cuba; Mayor Alex Penelas of Miami-Dade County says he will not allow police officers to assist federal government in that effort; photos (M)

CUBAN FATHER SET TO GET BOY IN U.S., CASTRO ANNOUNCES

Article discusses campaigns by Flushing, Queens, residents Terence Y Park, John C Liu and Ethel T Chen to become first Asian American on New York City Council; photo(M)

Bringing Asian Voice to the Council; Three Candidates in Flushing Want to Become the First

Symphony Orchestra of Curtis Institute of Music is set to perform at Carnegie Hall; photo...J Anthony Lukas Prize Project, which honors nonfiction writing, announces awards to Witold Rybczynski for A Clearing in the Distance, John W Dower for Embracing Defeat and James Tobin for Work of the Wind...Ralph Fiennes will star in Almeida Theater productions of Shakespeare's Richard II and Coriolanus in London and bring them to Brooklyn Academy of Music in Sept; photo (M)

FOOTLIGHTS

Hours after Iran angrily broke ranks with the other OPEC members meeting in Vienna, its leaders reversed themselves and announced that they would try to raise production, after all, in line with the rest of the oil-producing nations.    Oil markets interpreted the agreement as a sign that production would indeed rise, and prices fell moderately in commodity trading around the world, reaching the lowest level in New York since January. One OPEC official predicted that in the next few weeks oil prices would continue to decline, and Iraq's oil minister forecast that the decline would persist in coming months.  

Iranians Join OPEC On Raising Oil Flow

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rudolph W Giuliani find themselves confronting series of decisions over next two months that might be as important as any they make between now and Election Day: how to pick their way through maze of six independent parties listed on New York ballot, each clamoring for role in contest in which third-party endorsements could provide margin of difference (M)

The Minor-Party Puzzle Has Become a Labyrinth for the Senate Race

Harvey Araton Sports of The Times column decribes scene at Penn Station where morning commuters could see New York Mets-Chicago Cubs game from Japan on big screen television; photo (M)

Sports of The Times; A Breakfast Of Baseball For the Fans

Susan M Fulton article on voice recognition software, which people use for variety of reasons such as need to be more productive, or to accommodate disabilities; says whatever the reason, using speech recognition software requires an investment of time and also money, not only for cost of software but also for possible upgrade to PC to accommodate it; notes that selecting software can be daunting because there are number of packages available; also says persons must be aware that training is necessary because person cannot just start using software and expect to have words accurately transcribed into text (M)

Speak Softly, Carry a Big Chip

Joyce Purnick Metro Matters column humorously advises how Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Hillary Rodham Clinton can spend so-called soft money in their campaign for Senate; soft money is contributions to political parties to promote 'issues' rather than candidates (M)

Metro Matters; Helpful Hints On Spending Soft Money

Andy Miller, professional sports agent who figures prominently in National Collegiate Athletic Association's investigation of St. John's basketball program, appears to have broken law in two states by repeatedly contacting prominent college players without registering as an agent in those states or alerting athletes' universities about those conversations; photo (M)

Agent's Contact With Athletes Is Questioned

Israel's planned departure from southern Lebanon worries South Lebanon Army, 3,000-member militia of Lebanese Muslims, Christians and Druse; without agreement among Israel, Syria and Lebanon setting terms for withdrawal, men of SLA, and possibly even 5,000 other residents of buffer zone who work in Israel, appear to be prime targets for reprisals; anxieties have been heightened by warnings from leaders of Hezbollah, or Party of God, Shiite Muslim militant group backed by Iran and Syria; Hezbollah describes members of SLA as 'criminal collaborators' and warns Western countries not to offer militiamen refuge; Hezbollah bomb assassinated SLA's top field commander on Jan 30; Israeli government has rejected idea of letting SLA members settle in Israel; it has identified 200 senior officers who with their families will be accepted as refugees in United States, Canada, France and Australia; photos; map (M)

Israeli Exit Plan Worries Lebanese Militia

Colton Thomas Herta is an American racing driver who competes in the NTT IndyCar Series for Andretti Global with Curb Agajanian. He is the youngest person to ever win an IndyCar Series race.

Colton Herta, American race car driver

Colton_Herta

Rudolf Kirchschläger, GColIH was an Austrian diplomat, politician and judge. From 1974 to 1986, he served as the president of Austria.

March 30, 2000

Headlines from March 30, 2000

Finding New Cracks in an Exposed Life

Boccie Men Recall Old Days, Before the Water Hazards

INSIDE

Wrung Out, Strung Out In Bedlam

A Force in Film Meets a Force of Nature

Billboard 200

Supernatural

Unleash The Dragon

Dr. Dre -- 2001

On How Life Is

BTNHResurrection

Notable Births

Notable Deaths

Historical Context for March 30, 2000