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

erve all these goodies. ' ' ' In the last several years , he says especially sin

ce the 1989 fall of former House Speaker Jim Wright over alleged ethics violatio

ns the pendulum has swung in the other direction , with a public that has `` alm

ost no regard for the institution . '' The days of the imperial Congress and , t

hus , members expecting royal treatment are over , says the former congressman .

 `` The two go hand-in-hand . '' Former New York Rep. Stephen Solarz says the in

creased scrutiny today deters abuses of power . `` If anything , people are exce

ssively cautious , '' says Solarz , who lost his seat in 1992 , at least in part

 because he was found to have abused banking privileges with 743 overdrafts . ``

 They don't want to be snake-bit . With everyone looking over their shoulder and

 with the press eager to expose miscreants , most people bend over backward to s

tay within the rules . '' But even staying within the rules when the rules are a

s arcane , loosely defined and unenforced as some of them are often results in u

nethical , albeit legal , behavior , Congress watchers say . `` When there is no

t specific guidance on how to relate to certain perks and certain uses of money 

, you run the risk of seeing members stretch that to the limit , '' says Greg Ku

biak , author of a book that examined congress . `` Laws are going to get strain

ed and pushed until they get broken . '' Similarly , Ellen Miller , executive di

rector of the Center for Responsive Politics , believes that the widespread corr

uption in Congress `` mostly has to do with things that are legal and sanctified

 , but are still corrupt in the public 's mind. .. . What better evidence do we 

need than all the people caught up in the House banking scandal ? '' Indeed , be

fore the House bank was shut down two years ago , there were no clear rules agai

nst overdrafts there . Without much regulation , 325 former and sitting House me

mbers had overdrawn their accounts anywhere from one to nearly 1,000 times in a 

three-year period . But Miller and other Congressional observers believe that ca

mpaign financing with special interests allowed to contribute large sums of mone

y to candidates in hopes of buying future influence and favors is the premiere a

venue for institutionalized corruption on Capitol Hill . `` It leads to a lot of

 members losing touch with reality , starting to feel they deserve certain kinds

 of perks and privileges without realizing what those perks and privileges look 

like to the outside world , '' says Bob Schiff , staff attorney for Public Citiz

en 's Congress Watch . Still , even such critics say there are signs that the cu

lture of permissiveness that has long pervaded Capitol Hill what Fred Wertheimer

 of Common Cause calls `` a culture of lax rules and lax enforcement of rules ''

 is beginning to change . They note that the makeup of the legislative bodies ha

s shifted , with many of the freshmen elected in 1992 having campaigned against 

`` business as usual '' and the entrenched elite , and more committed to reform 

than many of their more senior colleagues . And recently , the House and Senate 

passed bills that greatly restrict the gifts , meals and trips that members can 

receive from lobbyists . But Charles Lewis , executive director of the Center fo

r Public Integrity , believes there is still an `` anything goes '' mentality in

 Congress , and fears that the recent passage of the gift ban legislation merely

 reflects a heightened concern about appearances . `` Their main preoccupation w

as , not whether it was right or wrong , but how it would look , '' says Lewis .

 `` They 're trying harder to avoid the appearance of abuses . '' And others bel

ieve such concessions are little more than token gestures by a legislature that 

knows the public is disgruntled , but has little interest in major reform . `` T

he real ethical questions about issues like campaign finance reform haven't been

 answered , '' says Kubiak . Former members are quick to defend the institution 

and their colleagues , insisting they are an honest bunch who are unfairly tarre

d by the actions or even the alleged actions of a few . `` It comes down to the 

character of the individual , '' says former Chicago Democrat Frank Annunzio , a

 28-year House veteran . `` When you have such an aura of power , some people ca

n't handle it. .. . ' '

 The buzz on Wall Street these days is about `` Hard Assets . '' No , it 's not 

the name of a new Sylvester Stallone movie . It 's the strategy of investing in 

what market analysts like to call `` stuff-you-can-touch . '' Stuff like oil , g

old , copper , aluminum , timber , coffee , orange juice , cocoa and , yes , eve

n real estate . The concept is that this stuff will keep its value if rising int

erest rates and mounting inflation seriously erode the value of stocks , bonds a

nd currencies . In fact , the rush to invest in hard assets is well under way . 

Commodity prices have been rising sharply for six weeks , creating a whiff of in

flation that has scared stock and bond investors . The ferment has prompted inve

stors to wonder if there are any mutual funds that can help them keep pace with 

the emphasis on commodities and the growing demand for industrial materials . Th

e answer is yes but indirectly . By custom and regulation , most mutual funds ar

e effectively discouraged from taking part in the high-risk futures markets and 

from trading in such items as copper futures and grain futures . But funds can a

nd do invest in the stocks of companies in the copper business or in the grain b

usiness . And those stocks are a reasonably efficient way to reflect the changes

 in commodity pricing , according to Richard Fontaine , who runs the Fontaine Ca

pital Appreciation Fund in Towson , Md. . Fontaine , for example , rode the upwa

rd move in copper futures by investing in copper producers Phelps Dodge Corp. an

d Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold Inc. . To get on the agricultural bandwagon , h

e bought shares in Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. , a company that dubs itself `` su

permarket to the world . '' However , Fontaine cautioned investors to remember t

hat `` a stock is still a stock '' and thus can be hurt by market or company eve

nts . If a stock drops in price , it also can affect a fund 's performance . To 

pursue the commodities theme , investors can choose from funds in several catego

ries : precious and non-precious metals ; oil and gas ; and industrial materials

 and manufacturing equipment . There are also funds that focus on real estate . 

Remember that gold funds are notoriously volatile . Here , with the help of Morn

ingstar Inc. , a mutual-fund research service , are several funds that might giv

e investors a chance to keep up with the commodities boom , with higher inflatio

n and the growing economic recovery . Warburg , Pincus Growth & Income Fund ( 80

0-257-5614 ; no load ) . Taking a contrarian , value-driven approach , manager A

nthony G. Orphanos dumped most of his interest-rate-sensitive securities last ye

ar and put 38 percent of his fund 's $ 78 million into industrial stocks that wo

uld do well as the economy picked up . He also invested heavily in precious-meta

ls stocks all of which reduced the fund 's yield but propelled it to a 37 percen

t gain in 1993 . The strategy also helped bolster the fund during the recent mar

ket slide , and it is up 6.6 percent this year . T. Rowe Price New Era Fund ( 80

0-638-5660 ; no load ) . This 25-year-old fund , managed by George A . Roche , h

as invested 80 percent of its $ 823 million in oil and gas , precious metals , c

hemicals , forest products , non-precious metals , miscellaneous resources and r

eal estate . The Roche strategy is to diversify widely within these volatile sec

tors and to anchor his fund in non-natural-resources securities such as Wal-Mart

 Stores Inc. , in which the fund has invested almost 7 percent of its money . Wh

ile this strategy has tended to mute the fund 's returns in recent years the fun

d gained 15 percent last year it has taken on less risk than comparable funds . 

The New Era fund is up 1.6 percent this year . Fidelity Select Chemicals Fund ( 

800-544-8888 ; 3 percent sales charge , plus exchange and redemption fees ) . An

 expanding economy requires a vast array of chemical products , and the companie

s that supply them are benefiting by the increased demand . This $ 57 million fu

nd , managed by Steve Wymer , has had a history of positive returns , except for

 1990 . It gained 12.8 percent last year and is up 12.7 percent so far this year

 the best 1994 performance among 35 Fidelity Select funds . Fidelity Select Indu

strial Materials Fund ( 800-544-8888 ; 3 percent sales charge , plus exchange an

d redemption fees ) . Petroleum , chemicals and glass are among the industrial m

aterials that have been in growing demand during the current economic recovery a

nd this $ 131 million fund invests in these products and the railroads that tran

sport them . The fund , under manager Louis Salemy , gained 21.4 percent last ye

ar and is up 8.1 percent so far this year . Invesco Strategic Portfolios Gold ( 

800-525-8085 ; no load ) . Manager Daniel B . Leonard targets North American gol

d-mining companies with strong growth potential . These often include `` junior 

'' producers that are adept at cutting costs , exploring new territories and inc

reasing bullion reserves . The fund , in recent years , has stayed out of South 

Africa and thus avoided some of the gains but much of the volatility of those st

ocks . The fund , which has $ 362 million , gained a whopping 73 percent last ye

ar but is down 8.4 percent this year . United Services World Gold Fund ( 800-873

-8637 ; withdrawal fee within 30 days of investing . ) . This is a gold fund wit

h a difference . Manager Victor Flores packs the World Gold portfolio with `` ju

nior '' mines and exploration companies . Flores has put about 35 percent of his

 $ 231 million in Australian , West African and Latin American mines . The rest 

is in North America , all of which gives the fund a conservative tone . The fund

 , whose charter bars investments in South Africa , gained 90 percent last year 

and is down 5.6 percent so far this year . Cohen & Steers Realty Shares ( 800-43

7-9912 ; no load ) . Co-managers Martin Cohen and Robert Steers invest chiefly i

n real-estate investment trusts ( REITs ) , which have multiplied rapidly . The 

managers recently reduced their stake in apartment REITs in favor of those that 

specialize in shopping centers . The fund , which has $ 287 million , gained 18.

8 percent last year and is up 8.6 percent this year .

 The rankings for hard-cover books in the Washington , D.C. , area as reported b

y selected book stores : FICTION : 1 . THE CELESTINE PROPHECY , by James Redfiel

d . 2 . THE CHAMBER , by John Grisham . 3 . INCA GOLD , by Clive Cussler . 4 . R

EMEMBER ME , by Mary Higgins Clark . 5 . `` K '' IS FOR KILLER , by Sue Grafton 

. NON-FICTION : 1 . IN THE KITCHEN WITH ROSIE , by Rosie Daley . 2 . STANDING FI

RM , by Dan Quayle . 3 . BEYOND PEACE , by Richard Nixon . 4 . EMBRACED BY THE L

IGHT , by Betty J. Eadie with Curtis Taylor . 5 . THE HALDEMAN DIARIES , by H.R.

 .

 ANN ARBOR , Mich. . According to Israeli law , if I revealed the names of the d

irectors of the Shabak and Mossad , I could go to jail . The Shabak , a Hebrew a

cronym , is the General Security Service , which combines the tasks of a police 

force and the U.S. . Federal Bureau of Investigation . The Mossad is Israel 's f

oreign-espionage arm . Israeli law , as well as tradition and precedent , forbid

s Israelis , regardless of where they reside , to publish or privately disclose 

the two names . Its origins go back to pre-statehood days and was inspired by Br

itish emergency regulations targeting the Jewish underground and censoring the H

ebrew press . Every few years , the government appoints two officials to the int

elligence posts without making any formal announcement of who has been appointed

 . The problem is that virtually anyone who cares to know , including Israel 's 

arch enemies , can uncover this `` secret '' except the Israeli public . How can

 such a practice be justified and defended ? In Israel 's early days , there may

 have been some security justification for the imposed anonymity . The two Israe

li directors , for example , could enjoy more freedom to maneuver in a country c

onstantly challenged by war and terrorism . More than two years ago , however , 

even Britain abandoned its hush-hush tradition and revealed the names of its top

 two intelligence directors . The Israeli government , moreover , is less able t

o justify the practice on national-security grounds . First , many well-informed

 Israelis already know the names of the Mossad and Shabak directors . Indeed , i

t has become something of a game at parties to open conversations with `` The Sh

abak chief told me the other day , ' ' or `` I met the head of the Mossad and he

 said .. . . '' Those who can't fill in the names are simply not `` in . '' The 

practice , at times , comes close to farce . The personal lifestyle and manageri

al conduct of the Shabak chief were recently questioned in the Israeli press . A

n official government committee also investigated whether he misused public fund

s . All this was duly reported without naming the subject . The episodes ' major

 victim was the government 's claim that its heads of intelligence maintain a lo

w-key posture in public life . Foreigners , whether friendly American agents or 

hostile Arab officials , usually have no trouble in lifting the cloak of secrecy

 . The director of the Mossad , for example , accompanied Israeli Defense Minist

er Moshe Arens to a meeting in Washington two weeks before the Iraqi invasion of

 Kuwait . As an experienced case officer who ran networks of Iraqi informers , h

e was in a particularly good position to impress his CIA counterpart and other s

enior officials of the Bush administration with his knowledge and understanding 

of the inner workings of Saddam Hussein 's regime . And the Shabak chief recentl

y met in Cairo with officials of the Palestine Liberation Organization to coordi

nate the transfer of authority in Palestinian-ruled Gaza and Jericho . In neithe

r case did the intelligence head attempt to hide his identity . There seems only

 two remaining reasons for the Israeli government to maintain the practice of re

fusing to name its chiefs of intelligence . It helps to preserve the mystique su

rrounding the art of espionage and the heroic glory of spymasters . At the same 

time , it serves as an impediment to genuine , independent scrutiny of the secre

t services by the Knesset , Israel 's Parliament , and the news media . This mon

th , Israel 's supreme court will hear a petition filed by a newspaper in Jerusa

lem seeking to overturn the law barring publication of the name of the Shabak ch

ief . The Israeli government could do itself some good if it went ahead and free

ly disclosed the name . Especially after Foreign Report , a British newsletter ,

 disclosed in August 1993 that Jacob Pery runs the Shabak and Shabtay Shavit the

 Mossad . The new Israel , already shaking off many of its old practices in poli

tics , economics and culture , should not be afraid to break one of its last tab

oos . By confirming the names and identities of its current heads of intelligenc

e or if they are soon replaced , naming their successors the Israeli government 

would make a small but significant gesture toward preparing the country for the 

new and exciting era of peace and security .

 FREDERICK , Md. . The body of Frank R. Olson , a government biochemist who plun

ged to his death in 1953 after unwittingly taking LSD in a CIA experiment , was 

exhumed this week and handed over to forensic scientists trying to find out whet

her he was murdered . Olson 's son , Eric , a Frederick psychologist , stood by 

with members of the scientific team as the concrete burial vault was hoisted fro

m a hillside grave at Frederick Memorial Park . The dark wooden coffin was remov

ed from the asphalt-sealed vault , wrapped in black vinyl and loaded into a van 

. Eric Olson , 49 , said he had been haunted by inconsistencies in government ac

counts of his father 's death , and he expressed hope that his father 's body wo

uld unlock the secrets that he believes have been kept for four decades . `` I d

on't know if we 're going to find out what happened to my father , but I want to

 feel we did what we could do to find out , '' he said . `` I was only 9 years o

ld when he died , and it was an overwhelming shock for me and something from whi

ch , in a lot of ways , I 've never recovered . '' Frank Olson plummeted from a 

13th-floor window at the Hotel Statler in New York in the early morning hours of

 Nov. 28 , 1953 , and authorities labeled his death an apparent suicide . The fa

mily did not learn until 1975 that Olson , a civilian scientist working on top-s

ecret germ warfare projects at Camp Detrick , Md. , had been subjected to an LSD

 test nine days earlier . In 1976 , the government paid Olson 's family $ 750,00

0 to settle claims that the CIA was responsible for his suicide . But new eviden

ce showing foul play might lead to new legal action , Eric Olson said . CIA spok

esman Dave Christian , calling Olson 's death `` a tragic event , '' said exhaus

tive investigations into the role of agency employees `` indicated no reasons wh

atsoever to suspect that homicide was involved . '' Frank Olson 's body was take

n to a police laboratory in Hagerstown , Md. , and will be examined for a month 

by a team of investigators led by James E. Starrs , a George Washington Universi

ty professor of law and forensic sciences . Starrs has conducted similar investi

gations into the deaths of the ax-murdered parents of Lizzie Borden and assassin

ated Louisiana Sen. Huey P . Long . The investigators will test for drugs and to

xins , document bone fractures and use other modern techniques to test official 

explanations of Olson 's death . A final report could be released within a month

 . `` We certainly expect to find what the nature of the injuries were that he s

uffered when he went out the window , '' Starrs said . `` Hopefully we 'll also 

find out whether he suffered any injuries before he went out the window , which 

might be attributable to .. . foul play . If we find nothing ( in toxicology exa

minations ) , then there 's nothing that could have been found , I assure you of

 that . '' Olson said he and his brother , Nils , 45 , decided to have the tests

 performed at the same time they were transferring the body to the cemetery wher

e their mother was buried last summer . Olson said his father 's body was well p

reserved . `` They said the condition of the body was such that there were none 

of the tests they could not perform , '' Olson said . The autopsy performed at t

he New York medical examiner 's office in 1953 was `` very cursory '' and includ

ed no X-rays or graphs cataloguing Olson 's injuries . `` The doctor was misled 

. He was told that it was an out-and-out suicide , '' Starrs said . `` If he had

 known there was something more sinister , I 'm sure he would have gone much fur

ther than he did . ''

 STUDIO CITY , Calif. . There it is , 65 seconds into the show , the first joke 

based on bodily functions : `` Order now and get the Nancy Poo books , about a g

irl who dropped out ( of school ) and had to clean toilets . '' Yuk , yuk , you 

say . That 's really unfunny . But it gets a big laugh from the 9-to-teen-year-o

ld studio audience , a reaction the creators of `` The Roundhouse '' are fully a

nticipating . The show is a kind of `` Saturday Night Live' ' / `` Laugh-In '' f

or pre- and mid-adolescents , surprising in its relative wit and occasional lite

racy . In a television world where such grotesqueries as `` Beavis and Butt-head

 '' or `` Ren and Stimpy '' pass for youth culture , such qualities are worthy o

f note . And , while vulgarity rules , the show also owes an unexpected debt to 

musical comedy , that old-fashioned American art form that keeps threatening to 

die but doesn't . The packaging may be grungily hip , but when you strip away th

e style , what you 've got is a bunch of extroverted kids putting on a show , wi

th a big , belting number in the middle . Few parents seem to know about `` The 

Roundhouse , '' which may be part of its charm . Now entering its third year on 

the Nickelodeon cable network , its devoted audience of about 2 million househol

ds tunes in every Saturday night ( there 's a rerun on Sunday ) for a weekly hom

ily encoded ( and sometimes obscured ) in a series of quick sketches , songs and

 choreographed hip-hop . The show is aimed at the ages when a kid is between ide

ntities no longer a child but not yet a cool teen , worried about pimples and fr

iends and what he 's supposed to like . One reason `` The Roundhouse '' may seem

 excessive to adults is that it reflects some of the social brutality of that ag

e group . Grandmas might be appalled at the frequent jokes about the noises and 

substances that the body emits , but most parents have already been numbed and w

illn't be too grossed out . It 's no use groaning at the mention of `` Napoleon 

Bonafart '' or Boogertown , or fake commercials for `` Fig Spewtons '' ( the coo

kie that will make you really vomit so you don't have to go to school ) or `` Ch

ia Pits '' that will grow instant hair under your arms . Each show centers on An

yfamily , a massively dysfunctional takeoff on a `` stereotypical television fam

ily . '' Dad Anyfamily tools around in a motorized recliner , with lamp and barb

ecue attached . He is unemployed , stupid and spends all day watching television

 and eating pork rinds . Mom is usually baking cookies or lecturing the kids , a

nd Sis is the perfect child . Skip Anykid ( also known as Doug , Joey and variou

s other names ) is the quintessential goof-up , failing school and life in gener