Mandrills in Lope Reserve of Gabon are observed living in large groups, some numbering over a thousand, and these groups are made up almost entirely of females and their dependent offspring; males move into the group at beginning of a breeding season and disappear once it is through; their battles for mates are fierce and punishing, and their remarkable coloration may be a way of minimizing violence; scientists are concerned that mandrills will increasingly fall prey to bush meat trade as logging roads open deep forests; photos; map; drawing (M)

In Mandrill Society, Life is a Girl Thing

New Jersey Devils defeat Philadelphia Flyers, 4-1, in fifth game of NHL Eastern Conference championship series; Flyers lead series, 3-2; photo (M)

Devils Play With Precision To Avoid Playoff Elimination

Fierce debate erupts on floor of New York Assembly as Democratic majority engages in rare public struggle; Speaker Sheldon Silver beats back coup attempt as expected, but emerges politically wounded; attempt provides remarkable display of defiance nearly unheard of in Albany; Silver himself never emerges from his office, reinforcing aloof image; Assemblyman Michael Bragman leads floor fight, accusing Silver of hoarding power, stifling debate, reducing members to bit players and giving too much power to lobbyists; Silver allies prevail in 85-63 vote, with support from seven Nassau Republicans (M)

Failed Coup in Assembly Leaves Speaker Standing, But Wounded

Caryn James reviews The Tom Green Cancer Special, on MTV, on Green's treatment for testicular cancer; Green photo (M)

An MTV Prankster Gets (Mostly) Serious About His Cancer

Bernard Holland reviews James Levine conducting Met Orchestra in Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle and Concerto for Orchestra at Carnegie Hall; photo (M)

Thunder From the Pit For Bluebeard

 Ex-G.M. Executive Indicted  A former executive has been indicted on charges of defrauding General Motors by taking documents with him when he jumped to Volkswagen in 1993. PAGE C1

INSIDE

CUNY trustees approve new master plan to reinvigorate system with new vision of elite coleges and research groups, higher standards for admission and graduation and, possibly, core curriculum across campuses; hope is to rebuild university's reputation after years of criticism of low standards, low graduation rates and lack of English proficiency even among graduates; master plan calls for better teacher education, new honors college and more full-time faculty members; CUNY chairman Herman Badillo strongly backs core curriculum, particularly American history (M)

Plan Approved To Invigorate City University

Brazil and other nations in satellite launching business are hoping boom in telecommunications satellites will boost their spaceports; Brazil's Alcantara launching center's site near Equator, where Earth's rotation speed is greatest, allows rockets launched from there to carry relatively heavy payloads and use less fuel; map; tables of launches from various sites; photos (M)

A Developing Nation on the Frontiers of Space

Accusations fly in long-simmering debate over treating Lyme disease; one camp of doctors holds that most cases of Lyme can be successfully treated within 30 to 60 days of antibiotics and that if symptoms continue, they are due to something other than the Lyme spirochete and will not be helped by further use of antibiotics; another camp holds that patients suffering long-term symptoms need long-term antibiotic treatment; both Allen C Steers, who is of the first group, and Dr Joseph J Burrascano, who is of the second group, have been ordered by their states' medical boards to answer formal complaints about their practices; patients with chronic symptoms are increasingly angry, vocal and organized, and members of Congress are entering the fray; photos (M)

Questioning Long-Term Lyme Cases

Exhibition Treasures From the Royal Tombs of Ur to go on view at Morgan Library; Sumerian city of Ur was one of most important city-states flourishing in early cultures of Mesopotamia; photo; more than 100 spot news and feature photography prizewinners will be on view in The Pulitzer Prize Photographs: Capture the Moment, at Newseum/NY, 580 Madison Avenue; more than 3,000 bargain-price tickets to concert halls, theaters and museums will go on sale to 13- to 18-year-olds at Ticketmaster outlets; 500-acre Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, NY to be site of Andy Goldsworthy at Storm King Art Center, Goldsworthy's construction of serpentine fence about 10 city blocks in length (M)

FOOTLIGHTS

Corporate supporters of China's entry into World Trade Organization launch new $1 million advertising blitz while labor opponents storm Capitol Hill, two days before crucial vote by Congress; both sides press to recruit handful of undecided lawmakers who hold key to victory or defeat; business groups have filled airwaves with $8 million advertising campaign, their costliest legislative campaign ever, while unions have focused on small group of Democrats who need union support in fall elections; photos (M)

LAST-DITCH EFFORT BY 2 SIDES TO WIN CHINA TRADE VOTE

US Army cancels new appointment of Maj Gen Larry G Smith in wake of accusations of sexual harassment by Lieut Gen Claudia J Kennedy, Army's highest-ranking woman; he is accused of making unwanted sexual advance toward Kennedy in 1996; was to become Army's deputy inspector general, position in which he would have been responsible for investigating accusations against senior officers; he has denied allegations; decision to replace him comes before end of formal investigation, which Army officials say substantiates Kennedy's accusation that he touched her in inappropriate way and tried to kiss her at end of meeting in her office at Pentagon (M)

Army Rescinds Job Of General Accused Of Sexual Advance

US Supreme Court, declaring for first time that programming on cable television is entitled to highest level of First Amendment protection, strikes down in 5-4 decision federal law that required many cable systems to limit sexually explicit channels to late-night hours; justices agree that purpose of 1996 law, to shield children from sexually explicit, is legitimate goal but differ on degree on constitutional flexibility court should give government in its effort to protect children; challenge was brought by Playboy Magazine's sexually oriented cable operations; majority opinion written by Justice Anthony M Kennedy,joined by Justices John Paul Stevens, David H Souter, Clarence Thomas and Ruth Bader Ginsburg; court rules, 5-4, that manufacturers of cars made before federal law requiring airbags cannot be sued under state negligence laws for failing to have safety devices; will decide whether employers can enforce binding arbitration agreements that employees are increasingly required to signas condition of being hired (M)

Supreme Court Roundup; Court Overrules Law Restricting Cable Sex Shows

Book publishing industry is fast reaching critical mass in its embrace of electronic publishing; Time Warner Trade Publishing, Time Warner unit, is set to announce creation of separate online publishing venture, iPublish.com, and iWrite, unconventional hybrid that will solicit manuscripts from would-be authors for possible electronic publication; Microsoft, Simon & Schuster and Random House are set to detail giveaway of electronic versions of Michael Crichton's novel Timeline, along with agreements to publish over dozen Star Trek titles in electronic form readable only on Microsoft's new reader software for hand-held and personal computers (M)

4 Giants Set to Embrace Electronic Publishing

Ira Berkow Sports of The Times column discusses outlook for NBA Eastern Conference championship series between New York Knickerbockers and Indiana Pacers; photo (M)

Sports of the Times; This Repeat Is Replete With Drama

Michiko Kakutani reviews Martin Amis book Experience: A Memoir; photo (M)

For Writers, Father and Son, Out of Conflict Grew Love

Mir space station remains in orbit, largely because it is a source of great national pride in Russia; Russia's continuing investment in MIR irks NASA because inadequate financing has prevented Russians from completing critical components of nascent International Space Station, which is now more than two years behind schedule; Mir is operating because of last-minute money from Western investors; photos (L)

Proud Russia Keeps Mir Aloft

 Diageo Said to Be in Talks For All or Part of Bestfoods  Diageo, which owns Pillsbury bakery goods and Haagen-Daz ice cream, is negotiating to buy all or part of Bestfoods, the maker of Skippy peanut butter and Hellmann's mayonnaise, executives close to the talks said.    Diageo is holding trans-Atlantic negotiations with Bestfoods in hopes of combining Bestfoods' bakery business with its own bakery business and possibly spinning off the newly combined unit into a company that might be controlled by Bestfoods' management, the executives said. [Page C2.]

BUSINESS DIGEST

Sir John Gielgud, one of great actors of English stage, dies at age 96; enthralled audiences for more than 70 years with his eloquent voice and consummate artistry; was last survivor of triumvirate of legendary theatrical knights, including Laurence Olivier and Sir Ralph Richardson, who dominated acting in England and vitalized Shakespeare in what became golden age of classical theater; photos (L)

Sir John Gielgud, 96, Dies; Beacon of Classical Stage

Professional Children's School in New York City is having great success in getting its students into nation's leading colleges; about 80 percent of 46 seniors are college-bound this year, with ten admitted to Ivy League schools out of 22 seniors who sought places in academic institutions; photos; school behind Lincoln Center educates young people involved in performing arts (M)

From Curtain Calls to Ivy Halls; Top Colleges Take Notice of Special School's Young Stars

Center of Israel's buffer zone in southern Lebanon abruptly collapses after Israeli-backed Lebanese militia abandons villages, command posts and arms to advancing Hezbollah guerrillas, and Israeli Army hurriedly evacuates major Lebanese base; handover is part of ongoing Israeli pullback leading to full withdrawal by July 7 deadline set by Prime Min Ehud Barak; dozens of Israeli buses arrive at border crossing points to transport fleeing South Lebanon Army fighters and family members to makeshift refugee camps inside Israel; Israeli warplanes reportedly bomb Hezbollah fighters and followers moving into border zone, reportedly killing six civilians and wounding dozens; Army orders Israeli frontier residents into bomb shelters, fearing Hezbollah reprisals; hundreds flee homes instead; tanks and troops reinforce outposts on Israeli side of border, with pressure mounting to pull remaining troops in Lebanon back into Israel as quickly as possible; arrival of Hezbollah fighters in buffer zone thwarts plans by UN to deploy peacekeeping troops to replace Israeli Army; photos; map (M)

Israel's Buffer Strip in South Lebanon Collapsing

Suddenly, the engineering workshops at Snecma S.A., the engine maker based in Paris, seem as pristine as a chapel. The nude photographs and girlie calendars that used to be plastered on some of the walls have disappeared into desk drawers or been tossed into the trash bin.    For that, the men in the department mostly have one of their few female colleagues to thank. Fabienne Lecore, an aerodynamics engineer, said she started arguing against the cheesecake from the moment she joined the company 13 years ago.  

Regarding Sexism On the Job: Plus Ca Change...

Article on Indiana Pacers basketball player Reggie Miller preparing for NBA Eastern Conference championship playoff series against New York Knickerbockers; photo (M)

Fueled by Contempt, Miller Is Ready to Roll

Clinton administration officials are lukewarm about and Commerce Sec William M Daley opposes for now Federal Trade Commission Chmn Robert Pitofsky's bid for bill, also opposed by Republicans and industry groups, to protect consumer privacy on Internet; FTC, in annual report to Congress on online privacy, favors continued industry self-regulation, with FTC empowered to set standards in four areas and to intervene when industry groups are unable to resolve case; finds 88 percent of randomly chosen Web sites have some kind of privacy disclosure, but that only 20 percent that collect personal data meet existing government guidelines (M)

White House and Agency Split on Internet Privacy

Randolph Walker, 71-year-old actor known for dozens of Off Broadway roles, is struck and killed by double-decker bus operated by New York Apple Tours, which for years has been criticized for flouting regulations and disrupting residential neigborhoods; driver, Howard Scott, who is not licensed to operate bus, struck Walker while turning from Ninth Avenue onto 45th Street, residential street where bus is not allowed; photo; accidents sets off new outcry from residents of area, where four pedestrians have been injured by Apple Tours buses in last four years; Consumer Affairs Department issues strong statement on its efforts to revoke company's license; cites falsification of pollution records and 1,400 summons for traffic violations, many for reckless driving (M)

Tour Bus Kills Actor As He Walks On 45th St.

Felipe Drugovich Roncato is a Brazilian racing driver, who most recently competed in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Cadillac Whelen and serves as a reserve driver in Formula One for Aston Martin.

Felipe Drugovich, Brazilian-Italian racing driver

Felipe_Drugovich

Israel Reyes Romero is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Liga MX club América and the Mexico national team.

May 23, 2000

Headlines from May 23, 2000

In Mandrill Society, Life is a Girl Thing

Devils Play With Precision To Avoid Playoff Elimination

Failed Coup in Assembly Leaves Speaker Standing, But Wounded

An MTV Prankster Gets (Mostly) Serious About His Cancer

Thunder From the Pit For Bluebeard

Billboard 200

No Strings Attached

Goodfellas

Unleash The Dragon

My Name Is Joe

The Heat

Notable Births

Historical Context for May 23, 2000