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

ing fuel from recently removed fuel rods . But it needs to take samples from a r

ange of the unloaded rods to determine whether any fuel was removed from the rea

ctor in years past . The used fuel can be reprocessed to make weapons-grade plut

onium .

 RIVERSIDE , Calif. . A former Nation of Islam minister who clashed with fellow 

Muslims had a small arsenal , including a hunting rifle with a scope , when he a

llegedly shot black nationalist Khallid Abdul Muhammad and five other men outsid

e a university auditorium , authorities said Monday . The suspect , identified a

s James Edward Bess , 49 , opened fire just after Muhammad finished a speech on 

the University of California campus here Sunday night . Muhammad a former Nation

 of Islam spokesman known for his fiery anti-Jewish , anti-white rhetoric was sh

ot in the legs . He and a bodyguard were reported in stable condition . Four oth

er bodyguards were treated and released . Law enforcement authorities said they 

have not ruled out a conspiracy in the shooting but they believe Bess , a Tacoma

 , Wash , resident who was booked on several counts of attempted murder , was ac

ting alone . Investigators have not offered a motive . People familiar with the 

suspect described Bess as a devotee of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan an

d a contentious figure who was removed from his post as a leader of the Seattle-

area mosque . He once wrote an open letter in a black community newspaper critic

izing the mayor of Seattle for denouncing remarks by Farrakhan . And , on anothe

r occasion , he told viewers of a public access television station in Seattle th

at violence was the way to deal with black leaders who let down the black commun

ity . `` If this false leadership continues I willn't be surprised to see the sa

me thing as happened in South Africa , where the black woman was hacked to death

 with a ax and .. . thrown on a fire and burned up , '' Bess said on a 1985 tape

 aired by ABC and CBS . `` Matter of fact , I think that 's what needs to take p

lace with this leadership . They ought to be doused with gasoline and burned in 

public . '' A former top aide to Farrakhan , Muhammad had been one of Farrakhan 

's most vituperative lieutenants until a verbal assault on Jews , Arabs and whit

es provoked denunciations by the Rev. Jesse Jackson , black members of Congress 

and President Clinton , leading to his suspension . Despite his suspension , Muh

ammad has remained so publicly loyal to Farrakhan that many wonder if he continu

es to speak for Farrakhan . He says only that they remain in contact but adds , 

`` We don't have the closeness that we had . We don't have the communication tha

t we used to . '' Muhammad had come to Riverside to make the second of two speec

hes in the Los Angeles area over the weekend . ( Riverside is about 60 miles eas

t of Los Angeles . ) The shooting Sunday night occurred despite tight security i

nside the University of California , Riverside , auditorium during his two-hour 

speech . The 500 members of the audience were frisked as they entered the room .

 In addition to two city police officers , about 50 members of the Fruit of Isla

m the security arm of the Nation of Islam were present . Muhammad drew cheers du

ring his speech when he described whites as satanic and Jews as oppressors . In 

a speech Saturday in Los Angeles , Muhammad referred to Jews as `` bagel-eating 

'' and `` hook-nosed '' and contended that `` the black holocaust is 100 times w

orse than any other holocaust . '' Police and university spokesmen said that sec

urity personnel were caught by surprise when Muhammad left the podium and said h

e would continue to field questions outside . Muhammad said he was going outdoor

s because he had been told apparently in error that the sponsoring organization 

had to give up the gymnasium or pay additional costs . University officials ackn

owledged that they were apprehensive about Muhammad 's speech on campus , sponso

red by the African Student Alliance , but said that to have blocked the talk wou

ld have been a denial of free speech . When he came outside , Muhammad , 43 , wa

s hit in both legs by shots fired from a 9-mm handgun . One bodyguard , Varnardo

 Puckett , 34 , of Pomona , remained hospitalized with three wounds . Caliph Sad

iq , 33 , was shot in the upper right back . Terrell D. Strait , 20 , was shot i

n the left shoulder and stomach . Steve L. Washington received a minor gunshot i

njury , and Thomas L. Harri had a minor gunshot graze to the back . ( Optional a

dd end ) By Monday afternoon , Muhammad had gotten out of his hospital bed and w

as walking around his room , according to Nation of Islam security guards who de

clined to identify themselves . `` He is fine . His spirits are fine , '' said a

 woman who identified herself as Muhammad 's sister at Riverside Community Hospi

tal Monday afternoon . `` He 's just tired . Doing his father 's work makes him 

tired , '' said the woman who would not give her name but was sitting in a room 

beside Muhammad 's 9-year-old son in the hospital 's intensive care wing . One v

isitor said that Muhammad was grateful for the bodyguards who took bullets for h

im : `` He said , ` If it wasn't for ( them ) I wouldn't be here . '' While Frui

t of Islam members guarded his hospital room , Muhammad received a steady stream

 of visitors , including his 9-year-old son , Farrakhan , and other family membe

rs . He also reportedly talked to Louis Farrakhan on the telephone . As of late 

Monday , the Nation of Islam had released no statement regarding the shooting . 

Bess was severely beaten by a crowd of people who had witnessed the shooting . A

uthorities said he suffered a fractured shoulder , multiple abrasions and lost s

ome teeth . He remained hospitalized . Riverside police reported Monday that the

y confiscated not only the handgun allegedly used in the shooting , but also fou

nd a backpack containing two other guns and a hunting rifle in Bess 's car , whi

ch was parked nearby . One knowledgeable source told the Los Angeles Times that 

Bess was removed about three years ago from his post as minister of a mosque in 

Seattle by a former Nation of Islam minister and official , Wazir Muhammad . A r

esident of Los Angeles , Wazir Muhammad was said to be with Khallid Muhammad dur

ing the speech but not at his side when the shooting took place .

 Just when President Clinton thought it was safe to focus on his health care age

nda , Whitewater may come back to haunt him again . Over the past two months , t

he controversial land deal faded from the front page as journalists second-guess

ed their frenzied coverage and congressional leaders delayed holding hearings so

 as not to interfere with ongoing grand jury investigations . But after a visit 

to Capitol Hill Thursday by Special Counsel Robert Fiske Jr. , lawmakers now say

 they may begin calling witnesses as early as July , bringing the issue that Cli

nton and his wife , Hillary Rodham Clinton , have fought so hard to kill back to

 life . Fiske said that by the `` middle to the end of June , '' he would comple

te the portion of his investigation that relates to the death of Deputy White Ho

use Counsel Vincent Foster and possibly improper contacts between Clinton admini

stration officials and government regulators concerning the failed Madison Guara

nty Savings and Loan in Arkansas . Fiske said that at that point , he would tell

 lawmakers if he objected to hearings on those subjects . Speaker Thomas Foley ,

 D-Wash. , under mounting Republican pressure , responded that the House could t

hen hold hearings beginning in late July or early August . And Senate Majority L

eader George Mitchell , D-Maine , who has been exchanging hearing proposals with

 Minority Leader Bob Dole , R-Kan. , grudgingly agreed . `` We all know what is 

going on , '' Mitchell complained earlier . `` This is raw partisan politics ...

. '' Lawmakers from both sides generally agree it is likely that hearings will b

e held sometime this summer . But they say that the proceedings probably will be

 narrowly proscribed and tightly controlled by the dominant Democrats , who will

 keep a tight rein on information that reflects badly on the president . In the 

House , Foley said he wants the Banking Committee to hold the hearings while his

 nemesis , Minority Whip Newt Gingrich , R-Ga. , is calling for the creation of 

a special select committee to investigate . A resolution by Rep. John Doolittle 

, R-Calif. , that called for House hearings to begin by Aug. 15 was recently end

orsed by 92 of his Republican colleagues .

 SAN DIEGO Reveling in her keynote role at a recent conference of 500 women lawy

ers , Kathleen Brown effortlessly established common ground with professionals j

uggling work , families and careers . `` We all know that housework , if done ri

ght , can kill you , '' quipped the California state treasurer and Democratic gu

bernatorial candidate . Her post-feminist advice that day : `` We can have it al

l , so long as we don't try to have it all at once . '' Elegant but down-to-eart

h , Brown , 48 , was delivering a message she has lived . Her father , former Ca

lifornia Gov. Edmund G. `` Pat '' Brown , has called her `` the real politician 

in the family '' high praise , considering that her brother Jerry , 56 , also se

rved two Sacramento terms and made three runs for president . But suppressing he

r own political ambitions , Kathleen Brown raised three children ; she has twin 

2-year-old grandchildren . In her second marriage , to TV news executive Van Gor

don Sauter , she detoured to New York as a corporate wife and Fordham law studen

t before returning west to claim her political heritage . She won the treasurer 

's job in 1990 . Her only previous government service was on the Los Angeles sch

ool board in the 1970s and the city public works commission a decade later . She

 has been forced to combat a perceived lack of executive experience . In the Jun

e 7 primary , she faces state insurance commissioner John Garamendi and State Se

n. Tom Hayden . Brown until recently concentrated on fund-raising and TV ads ins

tead of stump speaking . But her commercials misfired . In one , she slammed Rep

ublican Gov. Pete Wilson , whom she hopes to run against , for paroling a serial

 rapist . He slammed back , contending that the mandates of a judge appointed by

 her father and a parole law signed by her brother left him no choice . Brown fi

nally unveiled a focused message at the state Democratic convention in Los Angel

es last month . Her theme is `` 1 million new jobs '' for Californians in the ne

xt four years . `` My goal is to keep the voters ' attention on jobs and the eco

nomy , '' Brown said in an interview . What about her brother ? Unfavorably reca

lled by many Californians as a flake , Jerry Brown is praising Hayden and refusi

ng to endorse his sister on his syndicated radio show , saying `` I have more ra

dical views '' than anybody running . He 's even said voters are getting `` bamb

oozled '' by her and Wilson alike . Kathleen Brown laughs it off . `` Jerry 's b

eing Jerry , '' she said .

 America has become a sunglass culture . A society of shades , if you will . At 

one time , marketers convinced us that we can make bold statements about ourselv

es by the brand of soda pop we drank or the sneakers we wore . But now , it is t

hose dark spectacles on our noses that tell all . Sunglass makers are making a k

illing on our mass desire to look cool . And for all of today 's talk about ultr

aviolet sun protection , consumer psychologists say that when we slip into our $

 275 Revos , we are mostly protecting ourselves from looking ordinary . Just as 

athletic shoe makers convinced us that we need $ 100 tennis shoes and a differen

t sneaker for every sport the sunglass industry is now spurring its own growth b

y persuading us that we need different sunglasses while driving the car , steeri

ng the boat or competing in the Iditarod . `` It 's all about imagery , '' said 

Marge Axelrad , editorial director of the trade publication 20/20 . `` Fashion a

nd styling have never been more important . '' Nothing absolutely nothing sells 

sunglasses like style . `` Ultimately , you buy a pair of sunglasses because you

 think they look good on your face , '' said Jeff Turner , general manager of Ni

kon Inc. 's eye wear division , which is running ads that nudge consumers to buy

 several pair of its performance glasses for different activities . This is prim

e sunglass season . Between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July , sunglass maker

s expect to peddle nearly 60 percent of the estimated $ 2.5 billion in non-presc

ription sunglasses that will be sold this year . California reigns as the nation

 's sunglass capital . By one estimate , nearly 25 percent of all sunglasses sol

d in 1994 will be sold in California . Although flea markets and tourist attract

ions sell lots of low-end glasses for under $ 10 , the big-ticket sunglasses for

 over $ 100 are increasingly being bought at sunglass specialty stores . While s

ales of all sunglasses jumped 14.6 percent last year , sales of upper-end sungla

sses ( those over $ 30 ) were up nearly 17 percent , according to Bausch & Lomb 

. Manufacturers say that smaller , geometric metal frames are among today 's mos

t popular designs . For $ 330 , you can pick up a pair of fancy Serengeti sungla

sses guaranteed to cut reflective glare from water , snow or your $ 120-an-hour 

tennis pro 's metal racquet . And if your 8-year-old needs a new set of shades b

ecause the last pair ended up getting flushed down the toilet Bausch & Lomb has 

just introduced its new `` Covers '' line of sunglasses that , for $ 30 a pop , 

come with a kiddie neck cord to avoid immediate loss . Sunglass industry executi

ves concede the current sunglass mania was carefully carved out by manufacturers

 many of which pay celebrities to wear their shades . `` All of this has been gr

eatly enhanced by marketing , '' said Jim Pritts , president of the Sunglass Ass

ociation of America . Every time some major Hollywood hunk slips into a new pair

 of shades on screen , sales of the brand tend to skyrocket . Tom Cruise sent Ra

y-Ban sales through the roof when he wore them in `` Risky Business . '' Ditto f

or Arnold Schwarzenegger and his too-cool Ray-Ban `` Baloramas '' in `` Terminat

or 2 . '' And the film `` Blues Brothers '' caused a run on Ray-Ban 's thick-fra

med `` Wayfayer '' sunglasses . Jackie Kennedy Onassis made over-sized sunglasse

s the craze among the over-40 set for years although few realized that her desig

ner frames were actually prescription sunglasses . Bausch & Lomb pays baseball s

lugger Frank Thomas to don its outer space-like `` Killer Loop '' glasses . Oakl

ey Inc. , which virtually owns the so-called `` performance '' segment of sungla

sses , has Winter Olympic gold medalists Bonnie Blair and Dan Jansen wearing its

 brand . Serengeti pays A.J. Foyt to slips on its shades . And Revo has Reggie J

ackson in its glasses . Reebok has just begun trying to do with sunglasses what 

it did with athletic shoes . But the company finds it can't coax its big-name at

hletes to wear its shades because most already have deals with other companies ,

 said Marty Blue , director of licensing . Thomas is with Bausch & Lomb , as is 

Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan , who wears the company 's Ray-Ban line . Foster-G

rant , a company that once ruled the industry , resurfaced over the weekend with

 its first national TV ad campaign in 15 years . The company , which makes lower

-end sunglasses ( under $ 30 a pair ) , was king of the sunglass market in the 1

960s and 1970s . But after years of mismanagement , it sought protection from cr

editors in 1988 when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy . Recently , Foster-Gran

t was purchased by Rye , N.Y.-based Benson Eyecare Corp. , which is about to spe

nd millions to re-establish the brand . Over Memorial Day Weekend , Foster-Grant

 began airing a new ad that features its 30-year-old slogan , `` Who 's that beh

ind those Foster-Grants ? '' `` Brand awareness is incredibly strong , '' said K

en Shaw , senior vice president of sales . Indeed , Foster-Grant tested its slog

an among groups of consumers and discovered that 35- to 54-year-olds were as fam

iliar with that line as the slogan , `` Look who 's squeezing the Charmin . '' B

y next year , Foster-Grant may try to introduce a line of higher-end sunglasses 

, Shaw said . Cashing in on the high-end sunglass craze is the Sunglass Hut chai

n , which has nearly 750 stores nationwide . It will also expand into several Eu

ropean countries this year , said Jack B . Chadsey , president of the Coral Gabl

es , Fla.-based chain . `` It all boils down to lifestyle , '' said Chadsey , wh

o said the typical sunglass customer will own 30 pair of sunglasses over a lifet

ime . `` We all sit on our sunglasses , drop them or leave them sitting on the t

able in the restaurant . '' Today , the typical customer spends $ 77 on sunglass

es at Sunglass Hut , Chadsey said . To improve its bottom line , the firm recent

ly developed its own private-label line , SunGear . Also trying to cut in on tha

t action is the giant LensCrafters optical chain . In five test markets , LensCr

afters is linking up with the Sunglass Hut chain by offering discounts to Sungla

ss Hut customers . Behind the current sunglass craze is a simple cry for attenti

on by many people who wear them . `` It 's the upscale equivalent of the tattoo 

, '' said psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers . `` Wearing sunglasses may be the las

t bit of lure that we have left . ''

 The shellacking unions took on NAFTA last year could soon be avenged by passage

 of the most important piece of pro-labor legislation since the Wagner Act of 19

35 . This is amazing since this is not 1935 , union membership has been declinin

g for more than a decade , we have a centrist presidency disposed to ingratiate 

itself with the business community and the Congress is heavily infested with `` 

new '' Democrats , old Republicans and Reaganite new Neanderthals . What gives ?

 Well , the Anti-Striker Replacement Act has already achieved clear majorities i

n both houses . And it will come to the floor of the Senate this summer with onl

y the promise of a filibuster between it and final passage . It may take but a f

ew compromises to win the 60 votes necessary to shut off the gaseous debate and 

get the measure signed . The usual suspects are bellowing ludicrous warnings tha

t the bill is an invitation to American workers to stage an immediate re-enactme

nt of Paris in the Terror enforced by an epidemic of strikes and the brutalizati

on of their less militant comrades . Given the current condition of organized la

bor and the global mobility of manufacturing , these are hardly realistic fears 

. There were only 35 major strikes in all the United States last year . There ha

ven't been more than 100 strikes in any year since 1981 . In 1979 there were 235

 strikes . In 1974 , 424 . One reason is the decline in union membership . Anoth

er is the wretched example Ronald Reagan set in 1981 by firing all the air traff

ic controllers who had the temerity to strike in protest to working conditions o

f appalling stress . Another is increasing global competition and the ease with 

which U.S. companies can transfer operations overseas . Whatever the reasons , t

he results have not been very pretty . The decline of the unions and in the leve

l of strike activity has moved in lock step with stagnation of blue collar wages

 , an explosion in individual wrongful dismissal litigation by workers with no u

nions to defend them , sharp declines in the percentage of companies offering pe

nsion and health care benefits , the overall redistribution of income to the ben

efit of the wealthy , less job security and huge increases in part-time and temp

orary jobs as a percentage of total employment . America with weakened unions is

 simply not a nicer place unless , of course , you are the CEO of a major corpor

ation whose annual compensation has been rising obscenely over the last decade .

 Miraculously , this seems to have sunk in with a majority in Congress including

 more than a few members not normally to be found on the side of organized labor

 . Even among a number of conservative economists , especially those who applaud

 labor 's recent tendency toward greater cooperation with management on producti

vity issues , there is an increasing sense that the nation has lost something es

sential to social fairness something , well , American by tilting the industrial

 playing field too far to labor 's disadvantage . Besides , in an era where it i

s increasingly fashionable to disparage those who don't work even when there are

 no jobs for them it is finally occurring even to some of the cement heads in Co

ngress that it would be nice for a change to do something decent for those who d

o .

 GAZA , Gaza Strip Hani Abed has disappeared , last seen in the hands of the Pal

estinian police . Abed , a 31-year-old university teacher , may be the first sec

ret arrest and perhaps first political arrest by the new Palestinian authority i

n the Gaza Strip , who took over from Israel two weeks ago . `` If the police do

 things like this , for sure there will be a revolution , '' said his angry sist

er , Atimad Abed . Abed is a man with the wrong kind of friends : for certain , 

opponents of the peace process , and maybe or maybe not murderers from the Musli

m group Islamic Jihad . Because of that , the Palestinian police took him away l

ast Tuesday . They have held him without charges , without explanation , and wit

hout admitting they have him . Suddenly everybody wants him . Israelis have dema

nded he be turned over to them and questioned about a May 20 attack that killed 

two soldiers . Islamic Jihad wants him freed . And his family wants to see him ,

 just to find out where he is . `` This is a very dangerous crime , a stupid cri