NOTEBOOK

By KATHLEEN ADAMS, JANICE M. HOROWITZ, AISHA LABI, NADYA LABI, LINA LOFARO, ALAIN L. SANDERS, GABRIEL SNYDER AND JOEL STEIN

WINNERS & LOSERS

REMEMBER: PARTY HARD, BUT PARTY SMART

[WINNERS]

ANNA KOURNIKOVA Underage tennis ace makes eyes at N.H.L. star Sergei Fedorov, but romantic displays are low key

INMATES ON THE LAM As guards whoop at Baywatch babes, six cons cut a hole in New Mexico jail wall and split

POPE JOHN PAUL II Pontiff set to see Dylan jam at Eucharistic Conference in Italy

[& LOSERS] RUDY GIULIANI Irked by predecessor's pro-tennis policies, party-poop mayor skips Arthur Ashe Stadium dedication

JOE KENNEDY Gubernatorial hopes, hurt by annulment flak, get torpedoed by brother's escapades

L.S.U. BINGE DRINKERS Just say when: one student dead, a dozen ill after frat party

A SENATE FOR A VIDEO AGE

A bipartisan working group in the Senate, led by majority leader Trent Lott, has spent the past few weeks thinking of ways to redesign the Senate Chamber. The group wants something tasteful, historically appropriate and, unsurprisingly, TV friendly. It's an intriguing problem: What should a Senate for the 21st century look like? We posed the question to four talented designers and architects.

Adam D. Tihany, designer: Le Cirque 2000 and various Spago restaurants. Screens in the front of the chamber allow Senators to see their constituents and remind the lawmakers that the people are watching. The large clock helps discourage long-windedness.

Roy Christopher, TV designer; Emmy winner for The Academy Awards. Each state contributes one sculpted tree to surround the chamber. The eagle with shield is a giant, 24-ft. replica of the one that overlooked the original Senate.

Sheila Kennedy, Kennedy & Violich; professor, Harvard School of Design. Minicameras are fixed to each desk, which have wheels to simplify "crossing the aisle." Skylights are replaced with a translucent screen showing the caucuses in the hallways outside. World events are projected onto scrims in the gallery.

Gary Panter, designer: Pee Wee's Playhouse. The chamber is a concrete island floating in a burning sea of oil. Speakers are lowered onto the floor by their ankles through a skylight. Seating is quite diverse.

HEALTH REPORT

THE GOOD NEWS

KNOW THY GENES Researchers have found a genetic defect present in roughly 6% of Ashkenazi Jews that doubles the risk of colon cancer. The mutation can be picked up with a $200 blood test. And if cancer is detected early, the likelihood of a cure is high.

STOPPAGE Don't bother looking for Ex-Lax in the next couple of months. The popular laxative was temporarily pulled off shelves by its maker for reformulation. The move anticipates an FDA ban of a key ingredient linked to cancer in animals.

CHOLESTEROL BUSTER A study finds that the drug Lipitor seems better at lowering bad LDL cholesterol than similar medications.

Sources: Johns Hopkins Oncology Center; Food and Drug Administration; European Society of Cardiology

THE BAD NEWS

FOUL FISH Think farmed fish must be safe? Don't bet on it. Prior to cooking, the popular farmed fish tilapia, also called St. Peter's fish, may harbor strep bacteria on its skin that can cause severe swelling of the hands, fever or complications like meningitis.

DANGER IN DIET PILLS The weight-loss combo fen/phen is responsible for 82 cases of a rare heart-valve problem. Also, studies find that Redux, thought to be a safer choice, depletes animal brains of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that controls mood.

WATERWORLD WOE Since 1990, while the number of personal watercraft in use has tripled, related injuries have quadrupled.

Sources: New England Journal of Medicine (1, 2); Journal of the American Medical Association (2, 3)

DATA POINT

TRICKLE UP Whether it is sparkling, caffeinated or flavored, bottled water is fast becoming the beverage of choice. It racked up $3 billion in sales last year.

DATA POINT

HOLD THE FRIES Steering-wheel dining is as American as, well, apple pie a la road. One out of 10 restaurant meals and 1 out of 5 fast-food meals are now eaten in a car. The dashboard favorite: a hamburger for lunch.

NUMBERS

$33 million: Reported value of Michael Jordan's new one-year contract with the Bulls

$3 million: Total 1997 payroll for the 96 players in the W.N.B.A.

4,367: Estimated number of criminals executed by China in 1996

167: Estimated number executed by Ukraine, the second most enthusiastic employer of capital punishment, in 1996

45: Number of criminals executed by the U.S. in 1996

99: Number of holes of golf President Clinton has shot while vacationing on Martha's Vineyard

11: Number of parties he's attended

6: Number of books he's read

46,353,000: Children enrolled in public schools, grades K-12

5,863,000: Children enrolled in private and parochial schools, grades K-12

1,230,000: Estimated number of children who are being home-schooled

Sources: AP; W.N.B.A.; Amnesty International; NBC Nightly News, Aug. 28, 1997; U.S. Dept. of Ed.; Home School Legal Defense Assoc.