NOTEBOOK

By JANICE M. HOROWITZ, NADYA LABI, EMILY MITCHELL, MEGAN RUTHERFORD AND ALAIN L. SANDERS

WINNERS & LOSERS

DOING THE NASTY--IN AND OUT OF UNIFORM

[WINNERS]

KELLY FLINN First to talk, gets to walk. Leaves sordid service with book and movie prospects--and a little dignity

STRAYING PRESIDENTS Rumored affairs by Chief Execs from F.D.R. to Clinton seem less startling in they-all-did-it climate

STEDMAN GRAHAM Nope, I'm not gay, says Oprah, scotching rumors; no beard he

[& LOSERS]

WILLIAM COHEN All adultery's not alike. Tries to stop Pentagon witch hunt, but women see double standard

MICHAEL J. BOWERS Georgia gubernatorial candidate who zealously enforced sodomy law cops to office affair

BOB BENNETT Every time he's on TV, Paula's price goes up 100 grand

ATTACHE ART

There is art to diplomacy, certainly, but is there diplomatic art? Absolutely. The State Department's Art in Embassies program provides American paintings, sculptures, drawings--even weavings--to U.S. ambassadors who want to spruce up their residences and look tasteful and patriotic. Through agreements with an array of institutions, artists and collectors, the program encourages ambassadors to become their own art dealers, selecting works that strike their aesthetic fancy. Among the most chosen artists in the diplomatic service: Childe Hassam, Maurice Prendergast, Edward Hopper, Mark Rothko, Jacob Lawrence, Morris Louis, Andrew Wyeth, Robert Rauschenberg, Dale Chihuly and Helen Frankenthaler. Says director Roselyne Swig: "Our ambassadors see the works as an invaluable outreach tool."

HARMONY To mirror Indonesian native crafts, Ambassador Stapleton Roy showcases works by Native Americans, like Michael Beasley's Lady of Lituya Bay

CONTRASTS How to respond to formal Italian architecture? Ambassador Reginald Bartholomew turned to early American works like Portrait of a Woman, attributed to Ruth W. Shute

ROOTS U.N. ambassador and former New Mexico Congressman Bill Richardson, a state booster, displays Three Eggs in Pink Dish by Georgia O'Keeffe, a longtime New Mexico resident

WOMEN OF THE HOUSE

Recent elections in Canada, France and Britain dramatically increased the number of women legislators (to 21.3% in Canada, 10.9% in France and 18.2% in Britain). Despite the gains, women make up just 12.5% of legislatures worldwide.

A sampling of where the women are:

COUNTRY SEATS WOMEN PERCENTAGE

Sweden 349 141 40.4 South Africa 400 100 25.0 Mexico 500 71 14.2

Where the women aren't:

U.S. 435 51 11.7 Israel 120 9 7.5 Japan 500 23 4.6

Figures, provided by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva, are for single or lower legislative houses

LEAP OF FAITH

Did you notice that this ole world isn't spinning like it used to? To keep clocks in synch the National Institute of Standards and Technology will add an extra, or leap, second on June 30. Atomic clocks use a length of a second that doesn't represent the long-term slowing trend, so they're a teeny-weeny bit fast. Says NIST spokesman Collier Smith: "We stop the hands of the clock long enough for the world to catch up."

HEALTH REPORT

THE GOOD NEWS

GO FOR GREEN TEA Researchers have found the component in the tea that may help prevent cancer. The compound ECGC seems to inhibit the activity of an enzyme that breaks down healthy tissue.

BETTER WITH BREAST MILK Breast-fed babies are about half as likely to develop ear infections or diarrhea as those on formula. A mix of both also confers protection, but less.

MORE THAN A MAMMOGRAM With a new imaging test called Miraluma, doctors can get a clear view of breast tissue that's otherwise hard to discern on a mammogram.

Sources: Nature; American Academy of Pediatrics; DuPont Merck Radiopharmaceuticals

THE BAD NEWS

NOT A SURE SHOT Though they're somewhat beneficial in relieving sciatica pain, cortisone injections don't seem to help patients perform routine activities, such as walking, or reduce the need for surgery.

PILL-PUSHING PARENTS About one-third of parents pressure doctors to prescribe antibiotics for their kids even in cases when the pills won't do any good. About one-fifth go ahead and give the drugs to kids without consulting a physician.

WORKING WOE A study of female lawyers finds that working 45 or more hours a week can triple the odds of having a miscarriage.

[Sources:] New England Journal of Medicine; American Academy of Pediatrics; Occupational and Environmental Medicine

ARTIFACT

DRESSED TO KILL Government Exhibit 429: the T shirt Timothy McVeigh wore on the day of the Oklahoma City bombing. The back reveals a tree with droplets of blood for leaves, and underneath is a 1787 inscription by Thomas Jefferson: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." The front of the shirt shows a picture of Abraham Lincoln's face as if displayed on a wanted poster, and it is accompanied by the Latin phrase shouted by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater after he assassinated the Civil War President. Translation: "Thus always to tyrants."

VOX POP

If the Paula Jones case against President Clinton is brought to trial, do you think it should be permissible for Jones' sexual history to be brought up as evidence in the case?

TOTAL MEN WOMEN Yes 62% 66% 59% No 32% 27% 36% Not sure 6% 7% 5%

From a telephone poll of 1,024 adult Americans taken for TIME/CNN on June 4-5 by Yankelovich Partners Inc. Sampling error is +/- 3.1%.