NOTEBOOK

By KATHLEEN ADAMS, CHARLOTTE FALTERMAYER, JANICE M. HOROWITZ, LINA LOFARO, BELINDA LUSCOMBE, TYLER MARONEY, JODIE MORSE AND JEFFERY C. RUBIN

WINNERS & LOSERS

WHEN THE GRIDLOCK BROKE

[WINNERS]

BILL CLINTON Keeps promise of "ending welfare as we know it." But will it now be worse than we knew it?

SENATORS KASSEBAUM & KENNEDY Their portable-health-insurance bill, once stalled by the industry, wins final passage

MINIMUM WAGE After much wrangling, the 90[cent]-per-hour increase will at last become law

[& LOSERS]

SENATOR DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN Thirty years of erudition on poverty shoved aside in what he calls "welfare repeal"

LEGAL IMMIGRANTS Welfare bill will prohibit their receiving federal assistance until they become U.S. citizens

CAMPAIGN-FINANCE REFORM Bipartisan commission comes up empty, and House rejects Gingrich's compromise

THOSE MISSING FLIGHTS

While most airlines almost immediately jettison the flight numbers of planes involved in disasters, TWA only last week decided to take Flight 800 off its timetables. The reason for the delay? "Our first concern was with the investigation and the families," said a TWA spokesman. After a slew of prank calls, however, the designation was changed to 924. Other numbers retired after tragedies:

--AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 191. Crashed when one of its three engines fell to the ground just after takeoff from Chicago on May 25, 1979; 275 people killed.

--KOREAN AIR LINES FLIGHT 007. Shot down over Soviet airspace, Sept. 1, 1983; 269 killed. The company later changed its name to Korean Air.

--NORTHWEST AIRLINES FLIGHT 255. Crashed on takeoff from Detroit on Aug. 16, 1987; 156 killed.

--PAN AM FLIGHT 103. Bombed over Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988; 270 killed.

--USAIR FLIGHT 427. Crashed as it was preparing to land in Pittsburgh on Sept. 8, 1994; 132 killed.

HEALTH REPORT

THE GOOD NEWS

-- A safe-sex campaign aimed at prostitutes has worked. The rate of HIV INFECTION among young men in Thailand, home to one of the world's fastest-growing AIDS epidemics, is half what it was in 1991. That's when the government unleashed a media blitz and began providing condoms to brothels.

-- Two studies suggest that Kaposi's sarcoma, which commonly afflicts aids patients, is caused by a sexually transmitted HERPES VIRUS known as herpes 8. If confirmed, doctors may be able to block the virus before the cancer ever takes hold.

-- Move over, Prozac. German and American researchers report the herb known as Saint-John's-wort may be effective in treating DEPRESSION--but only in mild to moderate cases.

THE BAD NEWS

-- Looks like the wonder drug ASPIRIN can't do it all. It may lower the risk of colon cancer and heart attack, but researchers report, in a reversal of previous findings, that the drug does nothing to protect against breast cancer.

-- Parents may no longer chalk up a bad case of the "TERRIBLE TWOS" to a kid's inherent temperament. Researchers now say the fault may lie with the adults. Parents with high levels of anxiety, hostility and work stress are more likely to produce tear-your-hair-out two-year-olds.

-- The government says the number of deaths from PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH complications could be as many as 23.5 per 100,000 births--twice as high as previously reported.

THE FABRIC OF GLORY

Clothes make the athlete? The U.S. Olympic Committee reprimanded diver Mary Ellen Clark for not wearing its official outfit to the medal stand. The standouts if dressing were an event:

BEST OPENING-CEREMONY OUTFIT

[Gold] The Virgin Islands, whose resort wear showed a charming lack of stuffiness and was perfect for the steamy Atlanta weather.

[Silver] France. Red, white and blew everyone else away.

[Bronze] Lida Fariman of Iran who, true to her religion, exposed only her wrist and face.

LEAST MODEST DISPLAY

[Gold] Alexei Nemov, who made a display of himself by removing his shirt during an exhibition.

[Silver] Marie-Jose Perec, who showed a lot of cheek in winning the 400 and the 200.

[Bronze] Italian mountain biker Paola Pezzo, who, like many, unzipped her top while racing. It's not a sport for Iranian women.

BEST HAIR

[Gold] Blaine Wilson, who attempted to pull off the Alfalfa middle part. Degree of difficulty: 4.0.

[Silver] Hungarian hurdler Levente Csillag, with the logo dye job.

[Bronze] The U.S. women's softball team, whose commitment to unity extended to many of them having the same perm.

WHATSYOURSIGN.COM

Who's likely to surf the Net? For the 12% who say they use E-mail or the Internet, the answer lies in the stars

Taurus 18% Libra 11% Sagittarius 10% Scorpio 10% Aries 8% Capricorn 8% Gemini 8% Aquarius 7% Cancer 6% Leo 6% Pisces 4% Virgo 4%

Source: MCI

LOCAL HEROES

ERIC STUMACHER, 50; EAST SULLIVAN, NEW HAMPSHIRE; founder, Playing for Peace program

Since 1988, Stumacher has brought music students from Israel, Syria, Egypt and Jordan to the Apple Hill Summer School to play together for a month. "The energy that happens when people play chamber music together creates very strong feelings of inspiration, communication and commonness of purpose," he says. Next he hopes to bring together musicians from England and Ireland and North and South Korea.

GILLIAN KILBERG, 17; MCLEAN, VIRGINIA; high school senior

When her grandmother died last year, Kilberg wanted to honor her memory in a way that would benefit the community. With the $20,000 she inherited (and help from donors like Colin Powell) she started Grandma Rita's Children, a day camp for needy children. Its inaugural year has included trips to an Orioles game and a Motown concert. "This lets these kids be kids and gives them hope that there is a world outside their everyday environment."

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

JEAN-CLAUDE DUVALIER, 45, PARIS; Exiled "President for Life" of Haiti

Life is not so rosy for the former dictator, who ruled Haiti for 15 years. After fleeing in 1986, "Baby Doc" and his wife Michele lived for several years on the French Riviera, bankrolled by hundreds of millions of dollars plundered from Haiti's national treasury. After they blew most of the fortune, Michele divorced him in 1992 and currently lives in Paris. Duvalier and his elderly mother Simone were forced to leave their rented home near Cannes after local merchants sued him for unpaid bills. Mother and son were virtually homeless, reportedly living with a series of friends. Duvalier's lawyer says they live today in the Paris suburbs, adding without elaboration that his client's financial situation "until recently seemed quite difficult." In January a New York State Supreme Court judge ordered Michele to hand over to the Haitian government close to $6 million transferred to her New York bank before the couple fled Haiti. However, only $350,000 remained in the account.

--By Kathleen Adams, Charlotte Faltermayer, Janice M. Horowitz, Lina Lofaro, Belinda Luscombe, Tyler Maroney, Jodie Morse and Jeffery C. Rubin