NOTEBOOK

By J.F.O. MCALLISTER, JANICE M. HOROWITZ, LINA LOFARO, JEFFERY C. RUBIN, ALAIN L. SANDERS AND SIDNEY URQUHART

WINNERS & LOSERS

THE VETERANS DAY WEEK

[WINNERS]

JEAN CHRETIEN Tail wags dog: Canadian PM persuades Clinton to join risky multinational Zaire relief effort

ARMY FOOTBALL West Point's once-defeated Cadets have posted their best record in nearly 50 years

BOEING Lands a big deal. Air Force picks firm to build new $1.1 billion laser-attack warplanes

[LOSERS]

BILL CLINTON Surprise: with the election over, President okays longer Bosnia stay for U.S. troops

SERGEANT LOREN TAYLOR Five months behind bars and a bad-conduct discharge for first catch in Army sex scandal

REPRESENTATIVE BOB DORNAN G.O.P. firebrand "B-1 Bob" gets blitzed by Dem Latina foe in still too-close-to-call vote

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE STATE DEPARTMENT WALL...

Leaving a swirl of speculation in his wake, President Clinton flew to Asia last week without naming a new Secretary of State or Defense. Notebook handicaps the field of candidates:

FOR STATE

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT

Pro: Years of public face-time as feisty U.N. ambassador, and she knows the subject; friend of Hillary; goes antiquing with Barbra Streisand

Con: Can she play golf like a true Clinton crony? Would she look tough enough pushing his sometimes wobbly policies on TV?

RICHARD HOLBROOKE

[Pro:] Smart, campaigning hard; negotiated Bosnian peace accords; has the support of Strobe Talbott and others at State

[Con:] Bosnia agreement is unraveling; aggressive personality occasionally alarms and annoys even Clinton (remember Al Haig?); has rocky longtime relationships with Warren Christopher and Tony Lake

VERNON JORDAN

[Pro:] May be the "secret" candidate mentioned in leaks; ultimate Washington insider and F.O.B.

[Con:] Lawyer has little foreign affairs expertise; with all those rich clients, confirmation hearings might be bumpy

GEORGE MITCHELL

[Pro:] Starred as Dole during Clinton's debate preps; named negotiator in Northern Ireland

[Con:] Suffering from overexposed-front-runner syndrome; asks naive questions in meetings; the aggressively partisan former majority leader is not fondly remembered by some G.O.P. Senators

COLIN POWELL

[Pro:] War hero, best-selling author, Mr. Clean; G.O.P. affiliation would give second term that bipartisan luster

[Con:] Candidacy never really got off the ground; superstar might outshine Clinton

FOR DEFENSE

WILLIAM COHEN

[Pro:] A Republican with moderate-centrist views that Democrats could relate to; his pals on the Armed Services Committee would treat him gently; Colin Powell is a buddy

[Con:] If Mitchell gets State, would there be room in the Cabinet for two ex-Senators from Maine?

JOHN DEUTCH

[Pro:] The acerbic CIA chief has already served as Deputy Defense Secretary; would be a good fallback if stronger candidates self-destruct (remember Bobby Ray Inman?)

[Con:] His criticism of Clinton's missile attacks against Saddam Hussein made the White House wince

SAM NUNN

[Pro:] A highly regarded moderate with an awesome grasp of military matters

[Con:] He and Clinton aren't close--retiring Senator's fierce campaign against gays in the military drove Clinton to the contorted "Don't ask, don't tell" alternative

FLIGHT 800: THE UNTOLD STORIES

Pierre Salinger, former press secretary to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, met with FBI and Secret Service agents in New York City last week to discuss his claim--picked up from the Internet--that TWA Flight 800 was accidentally shot down by a Navy missile. As it happens, this isn't the only theory about the tragedy's cause knocking around the Net. Three other potential culprits, as cited on the alt.conspiracy newsgroup:

--A meteor fragment "the size of a BB"

--The military's experimental "focused newtron [sic] beam"

--An Army "laser weapon" that was being used to shoot down UFOs missed an alien craft and "locked on" to the airliner instead

FOOD FIGHT!

A report from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an advocacy group based in Washington, rates the healthfulness of the food-service offerings at 38 leading U.S. colleges and universities.

THE TOP AND BOTTOM FIVE

1. Duke. "Students can enjoy...spicy couscous with vegetables"

2. University of Pennsylvania. "Every breakfast offers fresh-squeezed orange juice"

3. Notre Dame. "Offers a 'nacho' bar with vegetarian refried beans"

4. Columbia. "Grains and legumes...are served daily"

5. Brown. "The pasta is usually egg free"

34. Williams. "Steams side vegetables but sometimes adds...sour cream"

35. Johns Hopkins. "Only provides egg-based pasta"

36. U.S. Air Force Academy. "No dairy-free milk"

37. U.S. Naval Academy. "Has few alternatives to fatty entrees like chicken with bearnaise sauce"

38. U.S. Military Academy. "[Few] alternatives to...entrees like fried chicken tenders, ham steak or hot dogs"

HEALTH REPORT

THE GOOD NEWS

--Women of a certain age may want to cultivate a taste for tofu. Menopausal HOT FLASHES are less severe in women who eat soy protein daily, research shows. Soy contains phytoestrogens, the plant form of the hormone estrogen, which is widely prescribed to relieve symptoms of menopause. In Japan, where diets are rich in soy, hot flashes are so rare that there is no common word for them.

--A new experimental drug beats ASPIRIN at preventing heart attacks and stroke without harming the stomach.

--A diet loaded with fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy foods can drive down HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE quickly and significantly. Among hypertensive patients, the regimen appears to work nearly as well as drugs do--and in just two weeks.

THE BAD NEWS

--Swallowed poison? A trip to the hospital may not help. Researchers find that many hospitals in the West--and maybe nationwide--don't stock antidotes to COMMON POISONS. More than 70%, in fact, can't treat an overdose of methanol, contained in antifreeze, which is often used in suicide attempts.

--Smoking is not generally linked to BREAST CANCER, but it may be a risk factor for some women. Half of all women carry an enzyme that breaks down tobacco carcinogens inefficiently. For them a pack a day may quadruple the risk of developing the cancer after menopause.

--Nearly half the U.S. population suffers from some form of CHRONIC ILLNESS, such as diabetes, arthritis or ulcers. Together, the conditions account for 75% of all medical expenses.

Sources--GOOD NEWS: American Heart Association annual meeting (1,2 and 3 ). BAD NEWS: Journal of the American Medical Association (1,2 and 3).

LOCAL HEROES

ED S. JONES, 82; COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA; founder of Junior Civitan in South Carolina

In 1964 Jones chartered the first Junior Civitan in South Carolina, a volunteer-service club for teens. Today 60 clubs in the state claim almost 2,000 members. Jones has also raised funds for the mentally disabled and collected canned food for local charities. He says, "You never get too old to enjoy being cared for and loved. These are the kinds of principles we help these kids establish in their lives."

MARVA SMALLS, 40; NEW YORK CITY; volunteer coordinator

Smalls directs cable channel Nickelodeon's Big Help program, which matches service organizations with child volunteers. Begun in 1993, Big Help this year attracted 8.5 million kids, who pledged more than 92 million hours of work. This Saturday they will begin making good on their promises by painting over graffiti, raking leaves for the elderly and reading to hospital patients, among other projects. Says Smalls: "Their capacity to do good seems to be limitless."

29 YEARS AGO IN TIME

Up, Up & Away

In the three years since [the miniskirt] made its first real appearance in small, offbeat boutiques and far-out discotheques, it has surged onto the campuses, into offices...[anywhere] that youth defiantly chooses to show its colors. By general agreement, a true mini rises to just mid-thigh. But with dresses growing shorter by the season, new categories have had to be advanced. Notes one designer, "there is the micro-mini, the micro-micro, the 'Oh, My God' and the 'Hello, Officer.'"...Boston Adman John Lamb recalls with relish the time he walked into a wall while watching a short-skirted secretary bend over to rummage through the bottom drawer of the file cabinet." --Dec. 1, 1967

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

RONALD ZIEGLER, 57; ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA; Ex-White House Press Secretary

Pierre Salinger, press secretary to John F. Kennedy, is courting controversy with his alleged revelations about the downing of TWA Flight 800. During the height of Watergate, Ron Ziegler courted controversy daily as Richard Nixon's press secretary and popularized such beloved '70s catchphrases as "third-rate burglary" and "inoperative." In 1974 Ziegler accompanied his boss into exile, staying on another year as Nixon's chief aide. He has since been an engineering consultant and a lobbyist for the National Association of Truck Stop Operators. His current job: chief executive officer of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. Mellower, his combative White House years long past, Ziegler sees the media and politicians as "constructive adversaries." His advice for current White House press secretary Mike McCurry: "Maintain a calm posture and don't lose respect for the press, no matter how harsh it gets." And one more thing: "Always tell the truth."