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States that some of hard-core rap's biggest stars are making negative and even tragic headlines, and wonders if their fans will hear the message. Eazy-E (Eric Wright), 31, who died from complications of AIDS; Dr. Dre; Snoop Doggy Dogg; Tupac Shakur's repudiation of his life style in a `Vibe Magazine' article; Reactions by fans; Example of Tony DeCicco. INSET: Three rap sheets, one R.I.P..

The article provides the author's autobiographical reminiscences of his childhood in Louisville, Kentucky, mainly focusing on stories of African American boxing champion Muhammad Ali's life in the city. Ali was the author's neighbor during his childhood. Emphasis is given to Ali's experiences with racism and segregation in Louisville, the cohesiveness of Louisville's African American community, and descriptions of murals painted by Ali's father, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr.

Focuses on the physical and emotional assaults against men that are inflicted by their women partners. Incidence of domestic violence in the U.S.; Reasons battered men refuse to talk about the abuse; Growth of violent behavior by women according to psychiatrist Cynthia D. Barnes.

Discusses the rise to fame of Afro-American comedian Chris Rock. Rock's propensity for calling attention to what he views as social, political and racial conventions; Colleagues' praise for Rock's comedic talent; Career highlights; Two favorite subjects for comedy; Attitude towards women; Thoughts on marriage and relationship; Challenge of keeping his private life private. INSET: Warning signs..

Talks about the relationship of a father and son. How the son felt about his absent father; How the son's long-term relationships with women were affected by his feelings towards his father; How the father felt about his son's visit.

Discusses Afro-American men's difficulty in making marriage commitments. Erosion of traditional Afro-American values; Opinion of black men on the impossibility of a true commitment; American society's role in black men's formation of intimate relationships with women; Black women's willingness to financially support male love interests; Social injustice against black men; More.

Discusses why many African-Americans are uninterested and unwired when it comes to using computers. Economics and education as handicaps to computer ownership; Reasons rooted in African-American history, culture and psychology; African-Americans' thinking that cyberspace is predominantly a white, male domain; The book, `The African American Resource Guide to the Internet,' cowritten by Stafford Battle; Why young blacks are hardest to sell; More.

Offers information on graphical browsers, the special software needed to get around the World Wide Web on the Internet. NCSA Mosaic; Netscape Navigator (nicknamed `Mozilla'), by Netscape Communications Corp.; OS/2 Warp's WebExplorer, by IBM; Prodigy; InternetWorks, by BookLink; Features; Prices.

Discusses the growth of coffeehouses in the United States in the mid-1990s. The marketing of specialty coffees; The cross-generational appeal of the new coffeehouses; The coffeehouse as a social unit; Types of people who frequent the coffeehouse; Drive-up cappuccino vendors in Portland, Oregon; Jitters in Minneapolis; Reasons behind this surge in coffee-drinking; Price breakdown of a cup of cappuccino; Caloric content of specialty coffees.

Looks at the numbers of inner-city parents who are keeping their kids indoors for fear of the violent streets, and comments on the physical and psychological drawbacks to growing up behind closed doors. Nelsy Cotto, a single mother in the Bronx and her restrictions on her two children; Studies on children kept inside; Comments by Dr. Alvin Poussaint.

Studies the lyrics of gospel rap, a burgeoning genre which blends hard-core rap's energy and imagery with traditional black gospel's fire-and-brimestone preachings. Gospel rap's origin; Sample lyrics by A-1 S.W.I.F.T., T-Bone and Gospel Gangstas; `Heaven's Hip-Hop' magazine; Gospel rappers' view that Christian rap offers a spiritual solution to urban America's pathologies.

Focuses on a major new study of American sexuality, the National Health and Social Life Survey. How it was conducted; Findings on numbers of sex partners, frequency of sex and of orgasms, and more; The book `Sex in America: A Definitive Survey,' by John H. Gagnon, Robert T. Michael, Edward O. Laumann and Gina Kolata.

Discusses the author's participation in a men's-only group meeting. Blacks' concealment of inner problems; Loneliness; Discussion on premature death; Culturally imposed limits on male bonding; Closed rank solidarity of women; Author's childhood recollection of the men in his family.

Reports that starting in October 1995, Japan will be rolling out its new marketing revolution into America's automobile showrooms. The introduction of the mini-sport utility vehicles or `miniutes'; The Suzuki X-90; Toyota's four-wheel-drive RAV4; The target audience of aging baby boomers; Success of the micro cars in Japan.

Reports how the practice of `stealth baby-sitting,' the act of leaving children in local multimedia and toy stores while parents run other errands, is increasing. Complaints from salespeople; How stores are fighting back; The panel discussion at the American Booksellers Association during the spring 1995; Comment from Oliver Johnson, executive vice president of the North Carolina Child Advocacy Institute.

Comments on the popularity of home-exercise riders, sold under names such as HealthRider, CardioGlide and The LoneRider. How they are used; Lack of study on the effectiveness of riders; Why Ned LaBonne won't stock them in his New York City fitness store; Rider advocate Ryan Pool.

Asks how far United States blacks should go in confronting an African regime. The May 1995 demonstration in Washington to protest General Sani Abacha's repressive military regime that seized hold of Nigeria in 1993; The views of Randall Robinson of the lobbying group TransAfrica; Opposing view by Molefi Kete Asante of Temple University.

Focuses on programs that use moderation rather than abstinence to manage problem drinking. The programs Moderation Management (MM) and Drink/Link; How they differ from Alcoholics Anonymous; How some problem drinkers use moderation as a road to abstinence; The book, `Moderate Drinking: The New Option for Problem Drinkers,' by MM founder Audrey Kishline; Comment by Paul Wood, National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. INSET: New rules for sobriety.

Highlights technophobes, who fear anything electronic from answering machines to computers, and looks at how technophobes have historically propelled technology. The automatic transmission, created because of motorists' intimidation by manual transmissions; VCR Plus +, which eliminates timers; Microsoft plans to release its even smarter Windows 95; Other examples.

Focuses on Huntsville, Alabama, once known as `Rocket City, U.S.A.' and the super-destructive bullets local inventor David Keen says he has developed. Black Rhino and Rhino-Ammo; What Keen says the bullets do; Reaction by Huntsville residents; Redstone Arsenal; Why Huntsville has a `bad-tech' reputation.

Focuses on digital satellite television and questions whether it is a true fast-forward or just a transitional technology. RCA's Digital Satellite System (DSS); The increased television programming it delivers; Picture quality and sound; Ease of use; The two providers, DirecTV or United States Satellite Broadcasting; Costs involved; Implications for cable television.

Warns that aging thugs in the United States are being replaced by younger, more violent criminals. Example of John G., 17; Prediction by criminology professor James Fox of Northeastern University; Statistics on crimes.

Discusses the CD-ROM 'The Key: An Interactive Guide to Historically Black Colleges and Universities.' Software that contains information about black institutions, financial aid and the application process; Corporate donations that financed the project; Promotional assistance from Bill Clinton and the radio personality Tom Joyner; Disc that is being distributed free to public schools in New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, California.

Discusses innovations made in blackboards in university classrooms. Discussion of the progression from blackboards to dry erase boards and then to digital technology; Mention of products by 3M and Smart Technologies; Description of the uses of digital whiteboards; Discussion of universities like Massachusetts Institute of Technology developing Internet connectivity throughout their campuses.