A prep course for the month-long World Cup soccer tournament, a worldwide pheno

s promise to put economics at the center of American foreign policy , Clinton ch

ose economics . It is not an irrational choice . But its implications will not b

e lost on China 's dictators , or on dictators anywhere else . What 's most trou

bling is not Clinton 's flip-flop but the fact that it appeared so inevitable . 

Human rights served America 's interests in the Cold War as a rallying cry again

st Soviet power . But now that the Cold War is over , a lot of policy makers are

 starting to see concerns over human rights as a barrier to a rational , self-in

terested American foreign policy . In the case of China , after all , there were

 not only concerns over trade but also over cooperation against North Korea . If

 human rights are destined to give way to cold-eyed realism whenever the going g

ets even remotely tough , then let 's be honest about it . Let 's stop rationali

zing by pretending that what we really cared about in this MFN business was `` o

pening up '' China to democracy . If we 're unprepared to come to the defense of

 the lives and liberties of others when doing so might inconvenience our own pur

suit of happiness , we should at least admit it to ourselves .

 It ranks up there with the world 's other great unanswerable questions : Will M

adonna 's career ever get back on track ? Are Roseanne and Tom going to reunite 

? When will Susan Lucci ever get her Emmy ? And now we have : `` Why bother with

 sex ? '' OK , we guys know why . But Rosemary Redfield , a Canadian evolutionar

y biologist , wants the female of the species to know that when their hormones a

re in hysterics , when their libido is wired , when they 've got `` making whoop

ee '' on their brain cells , they should think twice about having sex . Redfield

 , a researcher in the Department of Zoology at the University of British Columb

ia in Vancouver , wrote in the journal Nature that a female would be more likely

 to have genetically healthier offspring by not mixing her genes with those of a

 male , whose sperm is more likely to carry mutations than are her eggs . She wa

s talking about hypothetical , computer-modeled species lonely , dateless amoeba

 , to you and me . But because there were no single-cell spokes-creatures availa

ble to comment , we had to interview humans . `` This is male-bashing at the mol

ecular and biological level , '' Dennis Palumbo , a psychotherapist in private p

ractice in Los Angeles , said of Redfield 's findings . Redfield , who was unava

ilable for comment , told the Washington Post that her ideas on sexual reproduct

ion `` do not apply to the vast majority of human males , who make many very imp

ortant non-genetic contributions to their offspring . '' Still , Palumbo asked :

 `` Are we , as men , basically on the way out ? It sounds like that . `` But on

 the other hand , male scientists have sort of been the voices of record for so 

many years that some part of me now thinks that this is an attempt by female res

earchers to balance the voices out there . '' Helen E. Fisher , research associa

te in the department of anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History i

n New York and the author of `` Anatomy of Love '' ( Ballantine , 1992 ) , said 

the study by Redfield `` is providing balance to the subject and pointing out th

at there are some maladaptive consequences to sex as well . '' `` It 's more ada

ptive to clone yourself than it is to reproduce with a male partner who may intr

oduce mutations and produce a more shoddy offspring , '' she added . Too bad peo

ple can't be more like strawberries , Fisher said . `` Strawberries clone themse

lves when they are in the middle of a nice good patch . But when they get to the

 edge of the patch and they have to branch out into dangerous frontier , they re

produce sexually instead . `` And that is useful to them because they 've got mu

tant and new kinds of strawberries that may survive in very unpredictable circum

stances , '' she said . `` The same could be said of human beings . It has long 

been said that there is variety in offspring . '' As far back as Darwin , scient

ists have argued that reproduction is possible through parthenogenesis , or virg

in birth . Ellen Kriedman says Darwin be damned . The author of `` How Can We Li

ght a Fire When the Kids Are Driving Us Crazy : A Guide for Parents to Be Lovers

 '' ( Villard , 1994 ) said any woman who has ever had an orgasm wouldn't want t

o put the kibosh on sex . `` There 's nothing like it . It 's the closet act you

 can engage in . It 's intimacy . It 's loving . It fulfills your need to be hel

d and to be touched and to be connected with another human being , '' she said .

 `` Aside from the biological , it is psychologically and emotionally satisfying

 to be engaged in the sexual act . '' ( Optional Add End ) Palumbo said he doesn

't like the notion of eliminating the `` middleman '' or the sexual act from pro

creation . `` There 's already a growing body of literature delegitimizing the n

eed for males . Our culture already suffers from the lack of fathers , a crucial

 aspect of the dysfunction in families . I know if I were a woman , I would be f

rustrated by how many men abrogate their responsibility as fathers . '' Maybe , 

Palumbo said , Redfield 's work `` will be a clarion call for men to hang around

 , '' even though the biologist `` was studying amoeba who missed out on intimat

e dinner dates , going to the movies and holding hands . '' Christine Martin , a

 former erotic film actress and exotic dancer , said Redfield 's sexual reproduc

tion theory reeks of `` female supremacy . '' Martin , who resides in New York ,

 teaches a class in `` How to Drive Your Woman Wild in Bed '' at the Learning An

nex in Los Angeles . `` Men have been battered by feminists and are confused by 

courtship and how to please women , '' she said , adding that Redfield 's conclu

sions `` are anti-male to me . And the fact that it is anti-sex is pretty anti-h

uman because sex is not only for reproduction , it is for pleasure , relaxation 

and intimacy . ''

 Madge Sinclair was `` flattered '' to be asked to be involved . Talia Shire tol

d her husband she was really lucky in life : `` I have had the chance to work wi

th the very best and that 's a wonderful feeling . '' And Justine Bateman and Ja

smine Guy found working on the fictional segments of TBS ' `` A Century of Women

 '' to be a great learning experience . Directed by Academy Award-winning Barbar

a Kopple , the fictional segments of the documentary follow the lives of four ge

nerations of women in one family . Teresa Wright , Olympia Dukakis , Talia Shire

 , Justine Bateman and Brooke Smith play the women who gather to celebrate the b

irth of Bateman 's daughter . Madge Sinclair and Jasmine Guy play mother and dau

ghter African American friends who join in the celebration . Throughout the cour

se of the gathering , they discuss the changes women have seen and fought for ov

er the course of the century . `` To me it just showed that everything starts wi

th the family , '' Sinclair says of the fictional scene . `` You can find every 

single instance of anything that happens in your life within the family . It onl

y is multiplied to that many powers when it goes out in the community . Everythi

ng that happens in the community happens to the family . '' Originally , Sinclai

r worried that her and Guy 's characters were included to fill a quota . But the

n she realized their inclusion made perfect sense . `` If we are talking about t

he journey of women , this is about where we have arrived at from a place where 

black women and white women could barely talk to each other in public , except i

f one was giving orders and the other was saying , ` Yes ma ' am . ' `` To have 

a family as closely knit as that one was to feel comfortable enough with these t

wo women to invite them to a happening , I thought it was pretty nice and indica

tive to where I think we have arrived , which is a happy place . '' The weeklong

 shoot brought all the actresses closer together . `` I came out with such enorm

ous respect for all of those women , '' Shire says . `` It was hard to say goodb

y . '' Guy recalls how much they talked about about their lives and careers when

 the cameras weren't rolling . `` For me , Justine and Brooke Smith , to get a p

erspective from Olympia and Talia , I think , was really invaluable . At least w

here I am , I 'm still trying to plot everything out and pursue specific goals .

 I think Olympia said to me one day , ` You can't plan this career . Your career

 just is . ' It was a relief to know that because you are kind of fighting a los

ing battle thinking we are in control of this business . '' Bateman believes the

 documentary is important for women her age . `` I 'm 28 and I need to see this 

stuff , '' she says . `` I came into a world where I already had the vote . I al

ready had equality the most equality we 've had . And to see that this was hard 

won , I can be really grateful for where I am now . ''

 Tina Hill is always asked the same question : Did she know she was making histo

ry when she became a `` Rosie the Riveter '' during World War II ? Yes and no . 

`` I knew I was making history for myself , but I didn't know I was making histo

ry for anyone else . Always as a little child , there were two or three things I

 always wanted in my house . I didn't want a leaky roof and I didn't want a lot 

of fussing and fighting . Up until now , I have had some leaks , but I 've had n

o fighting ! '' Hill , now 76 and living in Los Angeles , is among the women pro

filed on the first installment of TBS ' six-hour `` A Century of Women . '' The 

Texas native migrated to Los Angeles in 1940 to seek a better life . She found u

nheard-of economic freedom for a black woman when she began working in one of th

e many defense-industry facilities sprouting in Southern California during World

 War II . After the men returned from the war , she continued working at the pla

nt , run by North American Aviation ( now known as Rockwell ) . She retired in 1

980 , after 37 years . `` They didn't have a lot of jobs for black people then ,

 especially women , '' Hill says . `` Some of them had jobs working in the hotel

s . They had a few black teachers . '' When Hill came to Los Angeles to stay wit

h an aunt , all she could find was domestic work . Then came the Japanese attack

 on Pearl Harbor . `` I went home and married my childhood sweetheart . He went 

into the service and I came back to Los Angeles again . They were hiring people 

, so I went to the plant and put in my application that day . She applied at Nor

th American Aviation . `` They hired me and they sent me to a training school fo

r six weeks . They paid you the same thing as if you were working regular . That

 old 40 cents an hour was a lot of money . I would bring home about $ 16 a week 

. '' As a domestic , she earned $ 40 a month . She was happy working at the plan

t , she recalls , `` as long as I was making some money that was sufficient and 

I was able to spend it as I wanted to . I was home with my family when night cam

e . That 's what I liked . '' World War II , she says , `` helped every woman wh

o was breathing air because they learned to manage things and do things . We jus

t learned a lot . We learned how to do things we thought we couldn't do . '' If 

there was racism at the plant , Hill says , `` you couldn't show it . Roosevelt 

was a good president and he opened up the doors and things for us to go in these

 different places to work . '' Whites , she says , `` didn't want us to get ahea

d . They wanted us to stay back . Hitler got the black woman out of the white wo

man 's kitchen . ''

 As spring turns to summer , more and more people are enjoying activities outdoo

rs . The American Cancer Society estimates that between 700,000 and 1 million ca

ses of skin cancer will be diagnosed this year . Although many forms of skin can

cer are highly curable , it can be a fatal disease . To reduce the likelihood of

 developing skin cancer , wear clothing that the sun cannot penetrate and use a 

sunscreen with a sun protective factor ( SPF ) rating of 15 to 30 .

 REMEMBERING D-DAY : Sunday and Monday , news services will cover the major cere

monies commemorating the D-Day invasion 50 years ago , including a parachute dro

p . Some stations will offer documentaries and special programs . Other planned 

TV coverage : SUNDAY On ABC , Joan Lunden will report from St. . Mere Eglise , F

rance , site of the parachute drop , for `` Good Morning America/Sunday . '' `` 

This Week With David Brinkley '' will originate from Chateau de Vierville . Brin

kley , who covered the D-Day invasion , will be joined by Sam Donaldson , Cokie 

Roberts and George Will . For CBS , Charles Osgood will anchor `` CBS News Sunda

y Morning . '' Segments will include a report by Tom Fenton and Andy Rooney 's v

isit with D-Day veteran paratroopers en route to France aboard the Queen Elizabe

th II . For NBC , Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric , Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams

 will anchor at Normandy . On cable , CNN reports are anchored by Frank Sesno in

 Normandy with reporters Bruce Morton and Richard Blystone and two analysts , Br

itish historian Paul Beaver and French historian Francois Bedarida . CNN airs th

e Drumhead Service from Portsmouth , England , with remarks by the Archbishop of

 Canterbury in the morning . Arts & Entertainment runs several movies and docume

ntaries including the series `` D-Day . '' Later A&E also offers `` Eye on Histo

ry : D-Day '' featuring first-person stories from retired Vice Adm. John D. Bulk

eley , historian Stephen E. Ambrose and Paul Stillwell , author of `` Assault on

 Normandy , '' among others . On Sunday night Discovery Channel repeats `` Norma

ndy : The Great Crusade '' ; `` CNN Presents ... '' offers `` D-Day : The Great 

Crusade '' ( Lou Waters and Judy Woodruff host ) ; The Disney Channel carriess `

` World War II : A Personal Journey '' ; and The Learning Channel offers `` This

 Century : War . '' MONDAY NBC , ABC and CBS will cover the 50th anniversary eve

nts beginning at 7 a.m. EDT . For ABC , Peter Jennings reports from the American

 Cemetery at Colleville , overlooking Omaha Beach , where troops from the United

 States Army 's 1st Infantry Division and 29th Division landed . ABC 's `` World

 News Tonight '' will air from Normandy , followed by `` Day One . '' Sheila Mac

Vicar reports on the search for a former Nazi general who is still wanted by the

 United States , Britain and Canada for the alleged murder of unarmed prisoners 

of war . For CBS , Harry Smith will co-anchor from the American Cemetery with re

ports from Fenton and Bill Plante ; Rooney , who was a soldier in the D-Day inva

sion ; former CBS News anchor and correspondent Walter Cronkite , who covered th

e invasion of France in 1944 for United Press ; and David Eisenhower , grandson 

of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower , Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces . `` CBS E

vening News '' includes coverage from Rita Braver and Mike Phillips , among othe

rs , in Normandy . For NBC , the anchors are Brokaw , Gumbel and Couric . Willia

ms also anchors coverage live for NBC News ' `` Nightside , '' as well as the jo

int French-United States ceremony at Utah Beach at 4:30 a.m. EDT . PBS carries `

` D-Day Remembered : A Musical Tribute from the QE2 '' from Cherbourg Harbor , w

ith Walter Cronkite , Bob Hope , Tommy Tune , Vera Lynn , Helen Mirren and other

s ; and then Bill Moyers 's `` From D-Day to the Rhine , '' follows World War II

 veterans as they returned to the battlefields . This 1990 documentary includes 

new interviews . On CNN , Sesno continues to anchor with Blystone and Morton . L

ive coverage includes a memorial service aboard the USS George Washington , the 

Ranger Assault Ceremony from Pointe du Hoc and the U.S.-French Ceremony at Utah 

Beach with President Clinton and French President Francois Mitterrand . `` Larry

 King Live '' originates from Normandy ( repeating that night ) . Later. Lou Wat

ers anchors `` D-Day Remembrances . '' LOVE ON THE RUN : Sunday night on NBC . T

his action-adventure follows the exploits of a business entrepreneur ( Anthony A

ddabbo ) and a Canadian heiress ( Noelle Beck ) . After exchanging intoxicated m

arriage vows on a whim in Greece , the newlyweds realize they don't get along an

d decide to divorce . But her father ( Len Cariou ) orchestrates a clever financ

ial scheme to ensure that the two remain partners both in marriage and in the co

mpany , Adventure Inc. , an operation that allows clients to go anywhere and do 

anything for a price . THE ESSENCE AWARDS : Monday night on Fox . Sinbad and Van

essa Williams host this entertainment special celebrating achievements of eight 

African-American men . The awards were taped April 22 . Honorees are Eddie Murph

y and Denzel Washington and film-maker Spike Lee ; Benjamin Carson , director of

 pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute ; civil-rights activi

st Robert P. Moses , director of the Algebra Project for mathematics education ;

 musician/composer Quincy Jones ; Joseph E. Marshall Jr. , director and co-found

er of Omega Boys Club , which promotes academic achievement ; and the Rev. Jesse

 Jackson , president of the National Rainbow Coalition .

 WASHINGTON It is one of those rare spring days when Washington city is at its m

ost beautiful , and Vermont filmmaker Jay Craven is nostalgic . `` I used to liv

e here , '' he says , taking in the sights of Georgetown as he ambles toward the

 Potomac River `` 1970 to '71 . '' College ? you wonder . Government family ? Mi

litary brat ? Nope . `` I was a full-time anti-war activist , '' says Craven . I

t was no small time in his life and not only for the obvious reasons . Raised by

 his grandparents , Craven grew up more or less alone and had always longed for 

a place where he felt at home , a community . He discovered both in the anti-Vie

tnam War movement , as well as something equally valuable : his ability to organ

ize and make things happen . These days he is still leading a charge and still e

xtolling the virtues of community . But now his venue is a feature film , `` Whe

re the Rivers Flow North , '' a made-in-Vermont opus funded mostly by Vermonters

 , set against a singular time and place in the state 's history . Craven , 42 ,

 and his co-producers are distributing the movie too . Encouraged by the buzz at

 the recent Sundance Film Festival , which gave it two extra screenings , the te

am turned down eight distribution offers that seemed too limited . `` We want to

 see it play across the country , '' Craven says , `` at least in every town in 

New England and New York with a movie theater . '' The film has opened cautiousl

y to appreciative reviews , first in Vermont , New Hampshire and Upstate New Yor

k , then two art houses in Boston . Since then it 's been getting released gradu

ally elsewhere . Taken from a novella by Vermonter Howard Frank Mosher , and a s

creenplay by Craven and Don Bredes , the movie tells the story of an old Vermont

 logger and his Native American housekeeper-companion and their battle in 1927 t

o survive the construction of a big hydro-electric dam that threatens to flood t

heir land . The logger , Noel Lord ( Rip Torn ) , is defiant no amount of money 

will buy his lifetime lease and livelihood . His companion , Bangor ( Native Ame

rican actress Tantoo Cardinal ) , is more pragmatic . Craven , who also directed

 , has lived almost 20 years in the poor , rural country where much of `` Rivers

 '' was filmed . He moved there after his Washington sojourn and a couple of yea

rs in New York . `` I wanted to be in a place where there was a stronger sense o

f community , '' he says of his decision to leave New York . `` And I was intere

sted in the challenge of mingling with people unlike myself . '' So just around 

the time of the Saturday Night Massacre ( Craven still chronicles that period in

 political terms ) , he set out with a girlfriend to visit a poet friend in Verm

ont and stayed . After a lonely first year spent researching Vermont history and

 nursing an arm he 'd broken carrying wood , Craven , an activist by nature , st

arted the Catamount Arts Center . Using it as a base , he put together a 16mm se

ries of American and European film classics , which he showed in church basement

s and town halls around the state . He also taught history , journalism and film

-making at an alternative high school and fathered a son . By the time he set ou

t to make `` Rivers , '' he had more than a decade of community activity and per

sonal contacts behind him . He also had a couple of documentaries and a 30-minut

e fiction film to his credit ; both were helpful when he reached out for funding

 to his friends and neighbors , some of them conservative Yankee Republicans he 

never dreamed he 'd be buddies with in his anti-war days . Craven , his producer

 and wife Bess O' Brien and associate producer Lauren Moye ( both of whom were p

regnant ) systematically worked the state . They brought cocktails and homemade 

hors d' oeuvres , a chance to be part of a major motion picture and a fund-raisi

ng style borrowed from charitable giving . Individuals and businesses from all o

ver the state , and some from neighboring New Hampshire , participated . Even th

e ads that paid for the publicity brochure were local : Bailey 's Country Store 

, the Rotary Club of St. Johnsbury , the National Life of Vermont insurance comp

any . Grants from 11 foundations ( including the National Endowment for the Arts

 ) , $ 475,000 in business loans and a $ 500,000 foreign-sales advance completed

 the almost $ 2 million budget . Finally , during the cold , wind-swept fall of 

1992 , the movie was shot . Nearly half the cast and crew are or have been resid

ents of Vermont ( or New Hampshire ) including Michael J. Fox and Treat Williams

 , who have small character roles in the film . More than 100 local extras , inc