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

tors shifted to a conspiracy theory after broadcasters aired a videotape that ap

peared to show another man clearing a path for Aburto toward Colosio . Largely b

ased on that tape and two other videotapes , three men have been imprisoned alon

g with Aburto . They are awaiting trial as alleged accomplices in the killing . 

Citing a lack of evidence , a judge dismissed charges against a fifth man , who 

had recruited the accused accomplices for crowd control at the rally . `` To dat

e , the investigation has not turned up new evidence that would strengthen ( the

 material ) used to jail Tranquilino Sanchez Venegas , Vicente Mayoral Valenzuel

a ( and ) Rodolfo Mayoral Esquer , '' Montes said . Angel Terrazas , the Mayoral

s ' Tijuana lawyer , said he plans now to seek his clients ' release . The charg

es against them were based on a hasty prosecution and thin evidence , he said . 

But Jorge Mancillas , a University of California , Los Angeles , professor and h

uman rights activist who is acting as an adviser to the Aburto family , accused 

the Mexican government of trying to put an end to the Colosio case without a tho

rough investigation of the possibility of a high-level plot . ( Optional add end

 ) Aburto 's behavior and prior contacts with suspicious people connected to the

 Colosio case , his family said , make them suspect that he was part of a wide-r

anging plot . His father has said that Aburto had spoken of attending mysterious

 political meetings in Tijuana with two of the suspects , the elder Mayoral and 

Sanchez , as well as two federal security agents who were investigated but not c

harged . Aburto 's relatives believe that the guards and others were trying to d

raw the 23-year-old factory worker into a plot in which he would be set up as a 

scapegoat , Mancillas said . The Aburtos remain willing to accept the special pr

osector 's request that they give formal declarations about what they know to in

vestigators , Mancillas said . But the elder Aburto has not acted on that reques

t , said Montes spokesman Miguel Angel Sanchez de Armas .

 In JAPAN-TRADE ( Risen , Times ) sub for 4th-7th grafs ) ( Clarifying , adding 

grafs ) xxx industrial sectors . Still , it appears the administration has effec

tively backed away from the notion of attempting to set specific targets for red

ucing the overall U.S.-Japan trade deficit , which has become a highly visible r

eminder of America 's uncertain standing in the increasingly competitive global 

marketplace . Administration officials and many private economists agree that th

e level of U.S. exports is a more direct measure of America 's ability to elimin

ate the barriers that make it difficult for U.S. companies to do business in for

eign markets . That is because the trade deficit also reflects purchases of fore

ign goods by Americans , and the gap can widen even if U.S. exports are rising a

nd contributing to job growth in this country . The absolute size of the U.S.-Ja

pan deficit `` is less important .. . than the content of the deficit , '' Kanto

r said . `` You can find no correlation between the size of the trade deficit an

d whether or not you 're creating or not creating employment , '' he said . `` W

hat has worried us most about the closed markets in Japan , and what the framewo

rk talks are aimed at , are those sectors where we have the highest potential gr

owth : semiconductors , electronics , computers , super-computers , auto and aut

o parts , services like insurance and financial services . '' During the 1992 el

ection campaign , Clinton cited the growing deficit with Japan as evidence that 

the Bush administration had not moved aggressively enough to open up restricted 

markets . He promised to make vigorous trade policy a central element of his str

ategy for economic renewal , estimating that every $ 1 billion in additional U.S

. exports would create 20,000 to 30,000 new jobs in this country . Kantor , addr

essing another touchy competitiveness issue , said America 's trade gap with Chi

na ultimately could rival in size the troublesome deficit with Japan . Speaking 

just a week after Clinton announced renewal of Beijing 's most-favored-nation tr

ade status , he said tough negotiations lie ahead to ensure China complies with 

international trade laws as it grows into a trading powerhouse . PICK UP 8th gra

f : `` If we xxx .

 Greenspan outlined to Clinton an economic approach Woodward calls the `` financ

ial markets strategy . '' Policy was to be designed to send a message to Wall St

reet and ultimately , drive down interest rates . According to the theory , the 

economy would improve and as a result , Clinton would have more tax revenue to s

pend on favored domestic programs and be re-elected in 1996 . The theory , and t

he policy Clinton adopted , bore little resemblance to the economic program on w

hich Clinton had campaigned . Clinton 's `` Putting People First '' campaign ban

ner stressed government `` investment '' in programs that would improve the live

s of middle-class Americans such as job training , early education , government 

promotion of cutting-edge technology . A middle-class tax cut and health care fo

r all Americans were additional sweeteners .

 WASHINGTON Workers should not be forced to speak only English on the job unless

 their employer can prove such a rule is necessary for business reasons , the Ju

stice Department told the U.S. Supreme Court this week . `` Depriving persons of

 the opportunity to use the language in which they communicate most effectively 

cannot be characterized as a ` de minimius ' ( minor ) injury , '' Justice Depar

tment lawyers said in a brief filed on behalf of two Latino in California challe

nging their employer 's English-only requirement . The court had requested the b

rief before deciding whether to accept the case . The dispute over whether emplo

yers can legally bar employees from speaking languages other than English on the

 job is seen by many lawyers and lawmakers as a symptom of concern over increase

d immigration to the United States . But others see the issue revolving around i

mmigrants ' ability to preserve their ethnic heritage . In the California case ,

 the two Latinos were accused of making racist remarks in English and Spanish to

 three co-workers one black , one white and one Chinese at Spun Steak , a compan

y that processes beef into frozen meat patties . Besides instituting a policy ba

nning racial harassment and separating the two Latino employees , the company is

sued a regulation requiring workers to speak only English on the job . The Latin

o employees won a discrimination claim before the federal Equal Employment Oppor

tunity Commission and sued when the company refused to settle . But Spun Steak '

s policy , struck down by a federal judge , was upheld by a federal appeals cour

t , which said it would be illegal only if imposed on workers who spoke little o

r no English . The workers appealed to the Supreme Court . The case is not an is

olated one , government officials say . Jennifer Goldstein , a lawyer for the EE

OC , said Friday that 120 such claims against 67 employers are pending . In urgi

ng the Supreme Court to hear the case , the Justice Department said the federal 

court decision upholding the English-only rule was `` wrong '' and makes it too 

difficult for ethnic groups to challenge such rules that weren't promulgated str

ictly for legitimate business reasons . ( Begin optional trim ) `` It is disappo

inting to see that the Clinton administration is trying to eliminate English-in-

the-workplace rules , '' said George Tryfiates , executive director of English F

irst , a Virginia-based advocacy group that wants English declared the nation 's

 official language . Tryfiates said the administration has done `` everything in

 its power to divide America along language lines . '' Rep. Toby Roth , R-Wis. ,

 has introduced a bill that would make English the official language and repeal 

federal funding for bilingual education . But Ed Chen , director of the American

 Civil Liberties Union 's Northern California office , said English-only rules `

` send a message to would-be job applicants , that if you 're going to work here

 you have to leave your ethnicity at the door . '' ( End optional trim ) The EEO

C issued guidelines in 1980 declaring English-only rules legal only when there w

as a business reason for them . For example , Goldstein said , a hospital could 

require that all personnel working in an operating room speak English because it

 is imperative everyone understand one another instantly . `` I 'm disappointed 

but not surprised , '' Kenneth Bertelsen , president of Spun Steak , said of the

 Justice Department brief . Bertelsen said he believes the EEOC guideline is fla

wed and that the 1964 civil rights act `` guarantees equal opportunity , not the

 right to discuss your ethnic background or heritage in the workplace . ''

 NEW YORK The rattlesnakes were hungry , so the cops were very , very careful . 

As police investigated a reported burglary , they stumbled across a veritable ra

ttlesnake clearing house hidden behind the tinted windows of a storefront in Que

ens early Friday . Authorities found 62 live western Diamond-back rattlesnakes i

nside a Plexiglas-topped wooden box in the store , whose marquee read `` Queens 

health store . '' Inside a freezer police found about 40 dead snakes , twirled a

round each other tightly as if they had continued coiling after being placed the

re . They had not been packed in boxes or bags . Displayed on shelves were jars 

ranging from pint- to quart-sized , containing snake eggs packed in alcohol . Mo

re dead snakes were curled in stewpots one pot contained several snakes and was 

still warm when police arrived , filling the storefront with a strong odor . Sma

ller reptiles , about a foot long , were pickled in pint-sized vodka bottles als

o displayed on shelves . `` I heard the rattling , but I thought it was steam , 

'' said Police Officer Robert Charlton of Emergency Services . `` Who knew the t

hing would be filled with snakes . '' Bronx Zoo snake expert John Behler said th

e live reptiles , ranging from 2 to 4 feet in length , appeared to be dehydrated

 . He said they had not been fed or washed for several days . `` They can be ver

y dangerous , '' Behler said . Queens patrol Capt. Rocco Romano said the snakes 

were used and sold for food and , when boiled into an herb soup , as a tradition

al Korean cure for various ailments . Bags of the root , ginseng , and other her

bs were also found inside the store . Because it is illegal in New York state to

 possess live poisonous snakes , police arrested the owner of the store and two 

clerks , all of whom are related . Arrested were Chang Kim , 27 , Chung Kim , 27

 , and Jung Kim , 45 . They were charged with felony endangerment and violations

 of state environmental conservation law . The trio faces fines of up to 15 days

 in jail and $ 250 for each violation . Fines could total $ 20,000 . Police offi

cers and Bronx Zoo workers removed the snakes one at a time from the box using t

ongs and hooks , placing them into yellow , steel salvage cans to be taken to th

e Bronx Zoo . Behler said the zoo will try to find a home for the snakes at a zo

o or a research group . It is not against the law to own dead snakes , so those 

remained inside the business , police said . Police also left behind the six hot

plates apparently used to boil the rattlers . The business was then padlocked . 

`` The family said they use the snakes for their own medicinal purposes , '' sai

d Romano . Snakes have long been used as a medicinal remedy in many Asian societ

ies , including Korea and China . Korean herbologists often boil the reptile int

o a soup that is believed to cure fatigue and improve vitality , even the sex dr

ive .

 SAN FRANCISCO Federal agents sifted through smoking rubble Friday in a search f

or clues to a massive explosion that killed three people , demolished an unoccup

ied three-story building and sparked a fire in a neighborhood near Union Square 

. The blast , which occurred shortly before 10 p.m. PDT Thursday , shattered win

dows for blocks around and hurled boulder-sized chunks of debris hundreds of yar

ds . One brick shot through the window of a passing car , leaving the driver wit

h severe facial injuries . Four other people also were injured , none critically

 . Witnesses said the mysterious explosion packed the force of a bomb and gave t

he intersection of Post and Hyde streets below Nob Hill the look and feel of a w

ar zone . `` The force was incredible 100 times worse than an earthquake , '' sa

id Elisa Magidoff , who was standing outside a neighboring grocery store and was

 badly cut by flying glass . `` It came up from the ground , lifted my body and 

knocked me right over . Then there was screaming , smoke and chaos . '' Lisa Dem

itro , a palm reader , was closing her shop for the night when the explosion ble

w out her front windows , shattered her crystal ball and knocked her sideways . 

`` I got jolted , and suddenly the street was filled with a big orange ball of f

ire , '' Demitro said . `` Then that building just disintegrated . Big pieces of

 it came flying down the street . '' Ten structures were damaged by the explosio

n , and 11 cars were battered by falling rubble . Fractured window frames , glas

s and mattress stuffing littered the pavement , and bedsheets hung from lamppost

s and overhead wires . About 50 people were evacuated from neighboring apartment

s ; 34 of them spent Thursday night on cots in the ballroom of the St. Francis H

otel . ( Optional add end ) The explosion obliterated the 1907 apartment buildin

g , leaving only a blackened hole . The structure was owned by Margarita Delpeck

 , who was its sole occupant and lived there only part-time . She was elsewhere 

at the time of the blast . By late Friday , investigators with the San Francisco

 Fire Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco and Firearms had no

t pinpointed the source of the blast . Their hunt for clues in the rubble was sl

owed when the one wall left standing had to be demolished for safety reasons . S

everal neighbors reported smelling gas in recent weeks , and noted that utility 

crews had done some work on their street just last month . But Pacific Gas & Ele

ctric officials said a survey turned up no leaks or other evidence suggesting th

at natural gas was to blame . The meter to the building was intact , as were pip

es leading inside . And a check of the street work , concluded in early May , sh

owed nothing was amiss , PG&E spokesman Paul Ward said . Speculation also center

ed on the possibility that a methamphetamine lab had operated clandestinely in t

he basement of the building . Neighbors , meanwhile , wondered whether there was

 a connection with the building owner 's long-running feud with drug dealers and

 prostitutes who work the neighborhood . Delpeck 's brother was assaulted after 

an argument with the loiterers more than a year ago , they said .

 NEW YORK Touched by the magic of Hollywood greats , bidders spent thousands of 

dollars at Christie 's auction house for the one-time personal belongings of suc

h stars as Clark Gable , Orson Welles and Harriet Brown . Harriet Brown ? Better

 known , no doubt , as G.G. , or Greta Garbo who wanted to be alone . A collecti

on of handwritten letters from Garbo to Hollywood hairstylist Sydney Guilaroff f

etched $ 10,925 at the Thursday night sale . The letters were addressed to `` Da

rling Gilly '' and signed , `` Love , Harry , '' a reference to Garbo 's alias ,

 Harriet Brown . In her last letter to Guilaroff , true to her `` vant-to-be-alo

ne '' legend , Garbo wrote , `` I am sorry , but for the moment I can speak to n

o one . G.G. . '' Going for $ 5,750 was Gable 's monogrammed dressing gown , and

 bringing in $ 9,200 was a set of his golf clubs . An autographed cast photo of 

`` The Misfits , '' his last film and also that of Marilyn Monroe sold for $ 8,0

50 . The film was released shortly after he died . But it was a Welles item a sc

ript of the 1938 radio play `` War of the Worlds '' that brought the best price 

in the sale . The broadcast frightened many listeners out of their wits because 

they believed they were hearing a live news broadcast about Martians landing in 

New Jersey , and the notoriety skyrocketed to fame the man who would drink no wi

ne before its time . The script brought $ 32,200 .

 LOS ANGELES In a complex deal worth $ 2.3 billion , Times Mirror Co. is plannin

g to spin off its cable television operations to form a new , publicly held comp

any with Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises Inc. . The combination of the two compani

es ' cable units would create the nation 's third-largest cable operator , with 

3 million subscribers . Cox would acquire the cable system by assuming about $ 1

.4 billion worth of Times Mirror debt , and swapping about $ 900 million worth o

f privately held Cox shares , sources said . Analysts called the deal equivalent

 to about 11 times the expected 1994 cash flow for Times Mirror 's cable operati

ons positive for both sides . `` We think Times Mirror is getting a very good pr

ice and Cox is getting a very good system , '' said John Reidy , who follows the

 cable industry for Smith Barney Shearson in New York . `` Times Mirror sharehol

ders may well end up with ( stock in two companies ) which sell for more than to

day 's one . '' Analysts said the deal could signal a new round of consolidation

 in the cable industry , driven by the massive technology investments required t

o compete with the telecommunications industry for control over the coming era o

f interactive communications . Tele-Communications Inc. , the country 's largest

 cable operator , and Viacom Inc. , the 13th-largest operator , are said to be c

lose to an agreement to combine their cable systems in San Francisco and Seattle

 . Times Mirror stock closed up 4 Friday , at 36 a share on the New York Stock E

xchange . The company whose holdings include the Los Angeles Times , Newsday in 

New York as well as magazine and book publishing interests issued a statement co

nfirming an `` agreement in principle for the disposition of its cable televisio

n business to Cox Enterprises , '' but declined further comment on the continuin

g negotiations . The deal , first reported in USA Today on Friday , is expected 

to be finalized this weekend . Cox is expected to manage the company , but it wa

s not immediately clear how big a stake Times Mirror shareholders would have . S

ources said the Outdoor Channel , the first effort of Times Mirror 's new cable 

programming division , would be guaranteed a spot on the new system 's lineup . 

The cable programming arm will remain part of Times Mirror . Cox 's cable unit i

s the nation 's sixth-largest cable company with 1.8 million subscribers , inclu

ding systems in San Diego , southeastern Virginia and the New Orleans area . Tim

es Mirror Cable is ranked 11th with 1.2 million cable subscribers , including sy

stems in Phoenix , Ariz. , Orange County , Calif. , and suburban San Diego . The

 agreement also could mark the beginning of a trend in which media conglomerates

 move to separate information and entertainment divisions , such as those that p

roduce newspapers and programming , from the delivery systems , at a time when e

ach is taking on new roles . `` This is the inverse of the Time Warner merger , 

'' said Jonathan Seybold , a Malibu , Calif.-based new media analyst , referring

 to the largest media merger in history , in which movie , record and TV product

ion was merged with cable and magazine operations . Time Warner is the nation 's

 second-largest cable operator . But in an age in which information , entertainm

ent and advertising can be easily converted to digital formats and sent over del

ivery mechanisms ranging from the global computer web known as the Internet to w

ireless personal communications devices , some argue that it may make more sense

 for producers of such content to operate unfettered by the interests of any par

ticular transmission system , and vice-versa . ( Optional add end ) Times Mirror

 has been exploring delivery of its magazine and newspaper content via CD-ROM an

d the Prodigy on-line service , which could be viewed as competitive with cable 

delivery . Under the Cox-Times Mirror deal , Cox 's cable systems would also app

arently be spun off into the new entity . `` In the end a content company should

 be in the position of delivering its content over any and all delivery mechanis

ms , and a company that operates the pipelines and the servers should be offerin

g the broadest possible content over its services , '' Seybold added . The ongoi

ng consolidation of the cable industry was interrupted over the last year as cab

le and phone companies flirted with the idea of joining forces across industries

 to pay for the costly roll-out of the `` information superhighway . '' But two 

such planned alliances Bell Atlantic 's with Tele-Communications Inc. and Cox 's

 with Southwestern Bell collapsed this year when the Federal Communications Comm

ission slapped stiffer rate regulations on the cable industry and company stocks

 slipped precipitously . Now that the Baby Bells appear to have decided to go it

 on their own , analysts say , consolidating resources within the cable industry

 is even more crucial . And with FCC Chairman Reed Hundt signaling at the nation

al cable conference last month that the worst of his agency 's actions were over

 , the regulatory environment appears more receptive to mergers of this kind . `

` Over the next several years the cable business is going to get more competitiv

e , require bigger investments in technology , and become much more difficult to

 manage , '' said Melissa Cook , an analyst at Prudential Securities in New York

 . `` Only the biggest companies have a chance of surviving . '' In paying a hea