NOTEBOOK

By JAMES CARNEY, CHARLOTTE FALTERMAYER, JANICE M. HOROWITZ, LINA LOFARO, LARA MARLOWE, MICHAEL QUINN, JEFFERY C. RUBIN AND DOUGLAS WALLER

WINNERS & LOSERS ANTHEM ANTICS

[WINNERS]

HAKEEM OLAJUWON Houston's star immigrant is cast as the "good Muslim" to Abdul-Rauf's "bad Muslim"

BASEBALL America's favorite pastime has long had a quiet answer: stay in the dugout till it's over

ROSEANNE Now her shrieking rendition of the anthem at that Padres game doesn't seem quite so bad

[& LOSERS]

MAHMOUD ABDUL-RAUF He finally compromises with the N.B.A., but forget a Wheaties box--and the Dream Team

BASKETBALL Taking away a man's living just for refusing to slouch and scratch himself like everyone else?

THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER All this might have been avoided if only it were a singable tune--or America the Beautiful

IRAN: MAYBE WE DIDN'T MEAN IT

When Iran's official news agency described the suicide bombings in Israel as "divine retribution," the Tehran government, in its current attempt at moderation, went through public hoops to disavow the sentiments and to regret the loss of life. All of which makes a recent round of Iranian diplomacy more than a little embarrassing. Just before the murderous last spate of bombings in Israel, Hasan Habibi, Vice President of Iran, visited Syria for what amounted to a pep rally for Middle East terrorism. Gathered at Iran's embassy in Damascus were the leaders of such Palestinian extremist groups as Hizballah, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command and Hamas.

Habibi congratulated the Hamas representatives on the previous bombings in Israel and urged them to keep up the attacks. Habibi promised more financial aid and extra training at bases in Lebanon supported by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Tehran said it would also press Damascus to let Hamas fighters continue to operate in Syria and in Syrian-controlled sectors of Lebanon. After the latest attacks, will all these be empty promises?

THE PRICE OF A PHOTO-OP

So what did Bill Clinton have to endure for his photographic coup of getting 29 world leaders to stand shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism? Opening statements, lots of opening statements--as in 250 minutes of self-congratulatory remarks from all the global egos present. They went on so long that Clinton, having flown overnight aboard Air Force One with a rambunctious King Hussein of Jordan as a roommate, periodically verged on nodding off. In fact, the hour allotted for the actual meeting of the leaders had to be cut back to 20 minutes because of the remarks. In any case, negotiations weren't the reason for the summit in the first place. A picture is worth at least $100 million, the amount Clinton pledged to Israel the next day toward an antiterror campaign.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

While Steve Forbes, who dropped out last week, may have spent a mountain of money, he doesn't show that bad a return, considering the votes he won in the G.O.P. primaries and caucuses through March 12. Others have worse ratios.

PRIMARY CAMPAIGN COST PER CANDIDATE VOTES (EST.) SPENDING VOTE

BUCHANAN 1,523,900 $11 million $ 7.22 DOLE 3,660,800 $27 million $ 7.38 KEYES 173,500 $ 2 million $ 11.53 FORBES 1,240,500 $30 million $ 24.18 ALEXANDER 393,400 $12 million $ 30.50 LUGAR 53,500 $ 7 million $130.84 GRAMM 42,800 $24 million $560.75

HEALTH REPORT

THE GOOD NEWS

--Look, Ma--no cavities in more than 50% of today's school-age children, compared with 25% of kids in the early '70s. FLUORIDATED WATER and better dental care are reasons why.

--A new form of the blood-thinning drug heparin may enable patients with potentially dangerous BLOOD CLOTS to be treated at home, two studies find. Traditional heparin must be administered intravenously at a hospital.

--To be screened for heart disease, people are subjected to an exercise stress test or injected with radioactive thallium before undergoing an X-ray. Now research shows that an ultrafast CAT-SCAN can do the job just as well. The scan takes speedy "stop motion" pictures of the heart that spot coronary artery-clogging deposits.

THE BAD NEWS

--Is chicken really foul? A consumer group charges that 25% of RAW CHICKENS harbor Salmonella and 90% are contaminated with Campylobacter, an equally stomach-sickening and potentially deadly bacterium. The study blames the practice of immersing carcasses in hot water to loosen feathers; the report, disputed by the poultry industry, says the water is not hot enough to kill the bacteria and encourages them to spread.

--Black women having trouble SHEDDING POUNDS, consider this: a study suggests that the metabolic rate of overweight black women at rest is about 5% slower than for whites.

--Thunderstorms, say scientists, can trigger ASTHMA attacks--even in people who have never had one. Water and wind gusts release asthma-triggering particles from pollen.

Sources--GOOD NEWS: American Dental Association; New England Journal of Medicine; Circulation BAD NEWS: Center for Science in the Public Interest; Fourth International Congress of Behavioral Medicine; British Medical Journal

LOCAL HEROES

TONY BROWN, 18, BROWNING, MONT.; high school wrestler Brown survived a horrific train accident last April that resulted in the amputation of both legs below the knee. But after intensive rehab, the high school wrestler refused to give up his sport. By adjusting his skills and maneuvers, he continued to compete--without the use of his prostheses. At a state meet last month, he placed sixth out of 16 finalists at 105 lbs. His coach, Steve Komac, calls him "one of the most courageous people I've ever met."

DAN LAWRENCE, 45, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, CALIF.; radio DJ After two tours of duty in Vietnam, Lawrence developed cancer, which doctors believe was caused by Agent Orange. His vocal cords were removed as part of treatment, and he talks via a laptop computer and voice synthesizer. Still, since February, he has been host of Digital Music Zone on KHUM-FM, which features tunes from the Vietnam War era. Facing more surgery, he nevertheless urges listeners to "jump into the river of life."

20 YEARS AGO IN TIME

WATERGATE, THE MOVIE

When Robert Redford bought the screen rights to All the President's Men, he had little idea of the snags that lay in store. One was his hiring of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid scriptwriter William Goldman, who put emphasis on off-color newsroom humor. The move caused an uproar: "The Post nearly backed out of the project then, and [Executive Editor Benjamin C.] Bradlee was blunt with Redford. 'Just remember, pal,' he said, 'that you go off and ride a horse or jump in the sack with some good-looking woman in your next film--but I am forever an asshole.' Redford was impressed: 'I've met few people who were as conscious of their position--and how to keep it.'" --March 29, 1976

WHERE ARE THEY NOW

SOONG MEI-LING, 97; MANHATTAN Former First Lady of China

The widow of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, Madame Chiang--as she came to be known--was the most charming and persuasive of China's notoriously influential Soong family. As her husband's emissary, she pleaded for the Allies to support China in its war against Japan, taking Washington by storm in 1943 when she addressed a joint session of Congress. Defeated by the communists in 1949, the Chiangs fled to Taiwan, where he ruled until his death in 1975. Estranged from his successor, her stepson, she divided her time between Taiwan and the U.S. Now settled in New York City, she leads a quiet life of Methodist prayer, visiting old friends and avoiding politics. Still, appearing last week at a controversial exhibition of treasures her husband took from the mainland, she couldn't resist a veiled reference to the current Taiwan crisis. Says Metropolitan Museum of Art director Philippe de Montebello: "She spoke with majesty of the enduring and unifying quality of art in times of political turmoil."

--By James Carney, Charlotte Faltermayer, Janice M. Horowitz, Lina Lofaro, Lara Marlowe, Michael Quinn, Jeffery C. Rubin and Douglas Waller