July 8, 2005

Seeking a better understanding of how well diabetics are managing the disease, New York City health officials have proposed that all laboratories in the city be compelled to pass along to the health department the results of certain tests that measure blood sugar levels. New York's is the first health department in the country to propose such a mandate, and health officials say the information would provide them with the most extensive system in the nation for tracking control of the disease.

WHILE vacationing last week in Quebec, I read an editorial in The Montreal Gazette that crystallized for me the fatal flaw in New York City's attempt to win the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. The bid was essentially bungled by an inability to appreciate the mass-appeal value of a good burger. The editorial was about the renaissance of the Canadian Football League and especially the reborn Montreal Alouettes, who disappeared for nine years from a league that was often predicted to be facing a similar fate.

Goldman Sachs reports that US retail sales in June were 5.5 percent above year-earlier level, with Wal-Mart posting 4.5 percent gain after dismal showing in May; gains extend to luxury retailers like Saks (up 7 percent), moderate-price chains like Kohl's (up 14.4 percent) and retailers who cater to teenagers like Abercrombie & Fitch (up 38 percent) and American Eagle Outfitters (up 28 percent); Gap sales are flat, but that impresses analysts because chain has been posting sales declines for seven months; photo; chart; table (M)

After 17 seasons in the major leagues, Tom Gordon knows how his shoulder should feel. It can be stiff, especially after three days off, but that feeling should not last all day. When he picks up a ball and starts throwing, it should disappear within 20 pitches. But Gordon, the Yankees' setup man, felt stiffness yesterday that lingered from the time he woke up until the time he threw his last pitch. He faced three batters in the top of the eighth inning, walking the first on four pitches and striking out two. After the second strikeout, he paced behind the mound, shaking his arm, trying to get the good feeling back.

The question has long dogged her candidacy: Is C. Virginia Fields tough enough to be mayor of New York? Ever since this polite, pleasant woman joined the Democratic mayoral field last winter, the political and chattering classes have wondered whether she was too nice to do the job. Now, as Ms. Fields prepares to shake up her campaign after a week spent on the defensive, some are wondering how far she will go as she seeks to protect her political future.