August 29, 2000

Article in series, Governor Bush's Journey, focuses on his intense involvement in his father's 1988 presidential campaign in which he got first real taste of national politics; Governor Bush learned from master strategist Lee Atwater how to maneuver through electoral shoals, but paradoxically remained largely oblivious to substance of father's campaign; pushed no particular agenda and seemingly never, of own volition, pressed for one policy or another; correspondence with father during Bush presidency reveals virtually no instance in which he urged him to take particular position on any issue; emerging portrait is of individual immensely talented in steering political ship, but who seems less concerned with precisely where ship of state is headed; seems less of political chameleon, than ad hoc decision-maker who lacks bedrock passions; photos (L)

Market Place column on stock options as major secret expense that does not show up on earnings reports of corporations; sideways slide of stock market in recent days may inspire investors to take more notice of what option programs are really costing them in way of lower earnings; list (M)

Federal Judge Michael A Telesca, declaring that inmates beaten in 1971 Attica prison uprising were treated 'like garbage,' divides $8 million settlement to compensate more than 500 inmates and relatives for abuse that prisoners suffered at hands of state police; allotment of landmark settlement caps one of longest and most ignominious chapters in American criminal justice history, fleshing out deal reached in January between New York State lawyers representing 1,281 former inmates, who will receive between $6,500 and $125,000 in compensation; photo (M)

Acoustical tapes made by US nuclear-powered attack submarine Memphis and other vessels contain strong evidence to support leading American theory that onboard explosion, probably misfiring of torpedo, caused sinking of Russian nuclear submarine Kursk in Barents sea with loss of 118 lives; American officials rule out collision with another submarine, as claimed by Russians; say rocket-propelled torpedo being loaded or launched as part of exercise misfired, with its engine and fuel exploding; refuse comment on whereabouts or mission of Memphis and another American submarine that were spying on largest Russian naval exercise in years, when disaster struck Kursk on morning of August 12; photo (M)

Peru's Supreme Military Justice Commission, top military court, revokes life sentence of Lori Berenson, New Yorker imprisoned since 1996 following conviction for treason; grants her new trial in civilian courts, but she must remain in prison; lawyer says trial will begin soon; human rights officials and Berenson family members voice dissatisfaction; say first trial was unfair and that there is no confidence that second will be any better; case has long bedeviled relations between Peru and US and new trial may represent gesture by Peru to soothe relations, especially following country's tarnished presidential election; Pres Alberto K Fujimori, who was re-elected in May after campaign marked by irregularities and charges of voter fraud, declines comment; Berenson was charged with helping rebels of Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement plan aborted attack on Peru's Congress; photos (M)

The second most popular kind of drug used to lower high blood pressure is less effective than other drugs in preventing heart attacks and heart failure, according to a study being reported today. The use of such drugs, known as calcium channel blockers, is leading to nearly 85,000 avoidable heart attacks and cases of heart failure each year worldwide, with half the cases in the United States, a group of researchers are reporting at a meeting of the European Cardiology Society.

Crucial Concessions Made On Minimum Wage Bill Speaker J. Dennis Hastert offered crucial concessions to Democrats on a plan to raise the federal minimum wage, moving to end months of stalemate on a popular bill that Republicans feared could damage them at the polls.

Indonesia's new economic czar, Rizal Ramli, wants to renegotiate to limit IMF's role in economy, limiting it to broader issues such as macroeconomics and monetary policy; Ramli's leverage may be limited, given Indonesia's fragile recovery and continued dependence on IMF money; his photo (S)

Exhibition of major paintings and sculptures from Phillips Collection, Washington, is set for Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, Las Vegas; Roger Bart will take over 36 characters in Becky Mode's play Fully Committed from Mark Setlock, who is taking entire original cast to Los Angeles for fall opening; Museum of American Folk Art plans exhibition of works donated by Cyril I Nelson; American Ballet Theater plans three-week tour of China and Taiwan; photos (M)

Prof Sam James, earthworm ecologists, reports most of earthworms found on upper half of North American continent are invaders from Europe and Asia, brought inadvertently by humans, while rest of continent contains mixture of invaders and native species; encroachment of nonnative species is having profound effect on soil structure and could throw ecosystem off balance; map; photo (M)

Dr Albert J Ammerman and other archaeologist studying origins of Venice say study of artifacts and structures that lets them estimate both past and future rates of subsidence indicates that city is sinking faster than ever; findings suggest multibillion-dollar plan to build floodgates to save city from rising waters is doomed; Ammerman, concerned that encroaching Adriatic Sea could devastate city in coming century, calls for fresh approach to saving city; map; graphs; diagrams; photos (M)

Interview with Wen C Fong, who is retiring as head of Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian art department, which he has transformed into the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of Asian art under one roof; Asian art occupied a marginal place at museum when he joined it in 1971; photos (M)