February 17, 2002

South Africa shakes off decades of apartheid-era isolation and stretches beyond its borders in powerful explosion of trade and investment that fellow Africans are watching with awe and admiration, but also unease at prospect of ceding so much control to outsiders; development underscores metamorphosis since apartheid ended in 1994 as former pariah state seems poised to dominate continent that once shunned its products and leaders; economic expansion is accompanied by growing political influence; many people praise country's championing of new partnerships among African nations they hope will reduce economic dependency on former colonial rulers, but there are also cries of outrage from politicians and businessmen who view rapid expansion as new form of colonialism; map; charts; photo (L)

New York Gov George Pataki brokers tentative deal with Oneida Indians that could resolve bitter 31-year-old dispute over quarter-million acres Oneidas maintain state bought from them illegally through treaties in 19th century; deal requires state and federal governments to pay three branches of tribe $500 million, and for tribe to drop claim to most of land; tribal leaders would use part of payment to buy back about 35,000 acres from willing sellers in Madison and Oneida counties, with about 5,000 acres set aside as wilderness; land would not be contiguous; current owners would not be forced to give up property; Indians and state would set up $100 million fund to compensate counties for lost tax revenues and will agree not to acquire more than 5,000 acres in first 10 years of deal; Pataki hails agreement as 'historic breakthrough' in decades-long legal struggle; Oneidas claim state violated Federal Indian Trade and Intercourse Act of 1790, which banned states from buying land from Indians without federal approval; between 1795 and 1840, state and local governments acquired more than 270,000 acres from Oneidas through 26 treaties and several other agreements--none of which were approved by Congress; photo (M)

French figure skating judge Marie Reine Le Gougne begins to weep during judges' regular meeting reviewing decisions in pairs competition; Ron Pfenning, head referee, says she also implicated Didier Gailhaguet, president of French Figure Skating Federation, saying he pressured her to vote as she did; other judges viewed her as pathetic figure during meeting; photo (M)

Players and observers of housing market agree that it is driven at least as much by psychology as by economic fundamentals; say pack mentality is evident in national and regional mood swings that market has gone through over decades; describe how different psychological phenomena -- 'anchoring' or loss aversion -- come into play at different stages in market cycle; one student of market says women buy houses and men are almost irrelevant; photos; drawing (L)

Lisa Belkin comment on mutual mentoring of Judy Katz and Dian Griesel; adds her own appreciation for role models who have helped her along the way, particularly strong women who came before her at The New York Times (M)

Swaps of fiber market access appear to have been important common ingredient in epidemic of accounting fiascos at Global Crossing, Qwest Communications International and Cable and Wireless, and they also seem to have played role in cascading problems of Enron and Tyco International; SEC and FBI are now searching for signs of sham transactions and fraudulent accounting; photos; drawings; graphs (L)

Felicia Lee Coping column on New York City's East Harlem Block Schools, subject of new book by Tom Roderick, A School of Our Own: Parents, Power and Community at the East Harlem Block Schools; drawing (M)

Holland Carter article on evolution of African art from tribal-based to Western-style modern; focuses on multimedia show of modern African art, from 1945 to 1994, on view at PS 1 Contempoary Art Center in Queens, NY; photos (L)

Horrified authorities in Noble, Ga, discover at least 120 rotting corpses on grounds of Tri-State Crematory, where they say furnace may not have worked for years; say figure could double after facility is completely examined; describe discovery of mummified or nearly skeletal remains, and other bodies fresh from funeral homes that still bore toe tags; say furnace may have broken down years ago and owners probably could not afford repairs; ghoulish jumble of remains is likened to scene from Stephen King novel; state officials rule out foul play; declare Walker County disaster area to enable use of state funds for cleanup; crematory manager Ray Brent Marsh is charged with five counts of theft by deception; state's Chief Medical Examiner Dr Kris Sperry and assistant director of Georgia Bureau of Investigation Vernon Keenan comment; map; photo (M)

David Bouley, arguably New York City's most brilliant chef and restaurateur who closed four-star restaurant Bouley six years ago at top of his form to develop gastronomic empire, returns to kitchgen; was forced to abandon nearly all plans for gastronomic empire following series of unsuccessful partnerships, run of feuds with colleagues and collaborators and upheaval caused by World Trade Center attack; is starting over as chef at other eateries Bouley Bakery and Danube, hoping they will hold him over over until bigger dreams are realized; photos (M)

Harvey Araton Sports of The Times column praises Russian skater Anton Sikharulidze for maintaining grace and poise in face of judging scandal in pairs competition, but says bitterness and debate will always cloud issue, one that, Russians believe, was created by media; Sikharulidze is ready to put situation in past and move on to bright and prosperous future; photo (M)

Gretchen Morgenson column says trust that investors should have in a company's audited financial statement has been undermined by accounting firms' increasing reliance on other services they provide to companies they audit; notes that fees for nonauditing services, usually consulting, are two and a half times greater than fees for audits; says risk is that audit work, which generates lower fees, could jeopardize by desire to maintain more lucrative consulting relationship; table (M)