Rainbow

EAGAR, Ariz. -- Down a dusty, rocky trail and through a knot of pine trees, past a naked guy chewing leaves, a fully clothed Christian choir and a retired Jewish pie thrower, is the meadow where the Rainbow Family is holding its 27th annual gathering to party and pray for peace.As many as 14,000 members of this family of old hippies and young converts, of blacks and whites, of American Indians and recent immigrants, of babies and grandparents have come from across the country to the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, just west of this two-stoplight town near the New Mexico border, for an annual gathering that lasts for about three weeks.

INDIANAPOLIS -- About 6 p.m. yesterday, a rainbow formed over the Hoosier Dome here. For Duke and Kansas, the two survivors in this year's NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the symbolism couldn't be more appropriate.Both the Blue Devils and the Jayhawks needed more than a little luck to advance to tonight's championship game (9 o'clock, Channel 11).Duke (31-7) pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament, knocking off defending champion Nevada-Las Vegas, 79-77, and ending the Runnin' Rebels' 45-game winning streak.

A civil rights group is accusing Sinclair Broadcast Group of trying to "corruptly influence" Maryland's recent gubernatorial election by illegally providing free helicopter service for Gov.-elect Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and then attempting to cover it up. In a motion filed with the Federal Communications Commission, attorneys for the Rainbow/ PUSH Coalition said the Baltimore County-based broadcasting firm engaged in fraud by failing to disclose to its...

It was an intriguing day at Laurel Park yesterday with a shower hitting the track the race before the feature, a rainbow arching over the backstretch following the downpour, then the rare bald eagle flying in for a visit to the infield pond just before the card ended. But all the off-track activity had no effect on the competition itself as prohibitive favorites continued to rule. The trend was underscored again in the featured $75,000 Lady Baltimore Stakes when Melody Queen upheld her even-money status to score a 2 1/4 -length victory over the rallying second choice, Orange Sunset.

AFTER A BIG bash often comes a hangover. This is the case in South Africa, where the euphoria that followed the end of apartheid and Nelson Mandela's bloodless rise to power three years ago is now starting to ebb.The erosion so far is slight. Blacks, who gave him an 8.7 rating on a scale of 10 a year ago, now accord him 8.3, according to a nationwide survey. The president's support among other ethnic groups has also softened.The big story, though, is respondents' growing ambivalence about all established political leaders in South Africa.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa - Opening a new session of this nation's first democratic Parliament with a blend of old pomp and new priorities, President Nelson Mandela pledged his government yesterday to continuing change aimed primarily at benefiting the neediest."

Network security specialist SafeNet Inc. reported second-quarter results yesterday that beat Wall Street estimates as it reaped the benefits of its acquisition of a California technology company. SafeNet said revenue more than tripled to $54.3 million in the three months that ended June 30, the first full quarter to include the effect of its purchase of Rainbow Technologies Inc. That compared with $16.5 million in the second quarter last year. Excluding acquisition costs, the company reported adjusted net income of $7.4 million for the second quarter, or 30 cents per diluted share.

Rainbow Hall's history has long been one of star-crossed lovers, of matches and rematches, and unexpected ironies. Why should its present be much different? The 1917 mansion, which was briefly the home of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, will be auctioned Oct. 11. That arrangement was reached after two prospective buyers backed out of plans to purchase the Green Spring Valley property from Baptist Home of Maryland/Delaware Inc., which operated a nursing home there. Yet one of those buyers, Stanley Keyser of Keyser Development Corp.

She may have eclipsed Madonna as the most successful woman in popular music, but Mariah Carey has yet to match Ms. Ciccone on the critical front.Some of that lack of acclaim may a function of age -- Mariah, being a dozen years younger than Madonna, hasn't left quite so long a shadow on pop history -- but mostly, it's a matter of focus. From the first, Madonna was unabashed about adding an arty edge to her music, if even it cost her commercial ground.So even though the intensely personal "Oh Father" was nowhere near as big a hit as the fluffy, inconsequential "Who's That Girl," Madonna was cheered for daring to address such deep issues.

MAMARONEK, N.Y. -- They say lightning doesn't strike twice. But what about rainbows? Could Davis Love III find another pot of gold at the end of this week's U.S. Open at Winged Foot? Love returns to one of the most colorful scenes in the history of major championship golf, the course where he won his first and only major championship under that unforgettable rainbow at the end of the 1997 PGA Championship. He won with those spectacular streaks of color overhead and CBS announcer Jim Nantz wondering whether something mystical wasn't at work.