Comment by Josselyn Simpson. Comment on the deportation of Haitian refugees from Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, where they have been warehoused by the government since fleeing their country. According to Amnesty International's executive director, John Healey, 1500 Haitians have been killed since the coup that deposed Pres. Jean-Bertrand Aristide. According to Healey, the...

The Talk of the Town Policemen's Ball by James Lardner. Talk story about the Policemen's Ball at One Police Plaza, at which the annual H. Dale Hemmerdinger awards were presented for "exceptional public service." Michael Fandel, a 42-year-old patrolman whose regular job is to guard the Police Academy, was honored for his appearances in schools and other settings...

The Talk of the Town Tesserae by Brendan Gill. Talk story about Simon Verity, the British stonecutter, who is creating a mosaic to celebrate the opening, on April 30, of the new Americas Tower building on 6th Ave. between 45th & 46th Sts. The building was designed by the firm of Swanke Hayden Connell; it is owned by the...

The Talk of the Town Merchandise by David Owen. Talk story about attending the annual Merchandise Show held by the Professional Golfers' Assn. of America, at the Orange County Convention/Civic Center, in Orlando. Greg Norman was signing autographs at the show, and his hair looked as if he had been wearing a hat for several hours. The writer...

Fiction Cyberprez by Richard Liebmann-Smith. Humorous science-fiction parody referring to recent revelations about Pres. Bush's use of tranquilizers. Headed with quotations from Benjamin J. Stein, in the N.Y. Times, and William Gibson's "Neuromancer." As soon as the Cabinet meeting adjourned the President reached for a handful of the bright-red pills.... Now the President...

Fiction The High Priest of Frivolity by George Konrad. In the winter of 1944-45 the narrator was an 11-year-old Jew living in Budapest. The building in which his family lived with his Aunt Zsuzsa, a modern dancer, came under Swiss protection. 80 people slept in Zsuzsa's apartment-studio; half of them were shot by the Hungarian Nazis...

Television WHAT'S ON? by William McKibben. REFLECTONS about television. While writer was resting by the pond, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. He didn't know it at the time, of course--didn't know it until he hiked out of the woods and his wife told him. Then, his first impulse was to turn on the radio, and he...

The Theatre by Edith Oliver.

The Current Cinema by Terrence Rafferty.

Letter from Washington by Elizabeth Drew. Tells about his showing in New Hampshire, winning over Bill Clinton for the Democratic nomination to the Presidency. It was difficult to tell whether numerous Democratic officeholders, concerned about maintaining their majorities in Congress and their hold on state offices, were more discombobulated by Tsongas's victory on New Hampshire or...

Books by Deborah Garrison.

Poetry Winter Ball by August Kleinzhahler. The squat man under the hoop...

Poetry A.M. Fog by Mark Jarman. Night's afterbirth, last dream before waking...