F7

We regarded with some amusement recent ads for "Henry & June," a film bearing the new NC-17 rating. We understand that NC-17 films are differentiated from true porno by virtue of an appeal to mind as well as libido. In observing the ad, we counted the word erotic seven times, sex and its derivatives three times, and ravishing , seductive , sensual and voyeuristic once each. In contrast, the words intelligent and intellectual appeared once each.

KHALIL TABSH was up all night delivering another baby and has just finished a 17-hour day, fueled only by cough drops and coffee. Now, wear ing green surgical scrubs, the newly appointed chief of obstetrics at the UCLA School of Medicine scrambles from his black Mercedes 560 SL and sweeps into the conference room 30 minutes late, like a man possessed. He is here, at Sherman Oaks Community Hospital, to discuss a case in which some lives must be ended to save others. And for Tabsh, the case is simple--a medical necessity--although he, perhaps more than anyone, still feels torn by it. His 34-year-old patient has flown here from a small Midwestern town.

Thomas Monaghan is a postmodern American entrepreneur. Where the old-style capitalist built railroads, made steel and dug for oil, the contemporary type produces nothing durable. Ray Kroc's McDonald's is the best-known of the postwar fortunes made from the new service economy. Fast food is more profitable than steel and a lot cheaper to produce. Monaghan's Domino's Pizza business grew from one store in Ypsilanti, Mich., run by him and his brother in 1960 , to a vast pizza empire.

In 1899, as American troops fought to conquer the Philippines, President William McKinley told a friend: "If old Dewey had just sailed away when he smashed that Spanish fleet, what a lot of trouble he would have saved us." Ninety years later, as Stanley Karnow makes abundantly clear in this compelling account, America is still hostage to the place where its imperial adventure began. "History is often a series of expedients that grow into dogmas--today's pragmatism becoming tomorrow's doctrines; thus the American presence in Asia evolved," from the Philippines to China to Korea to Vietnam.

Orange County's Spanish origins are reflected in many of the names that have been given to its cities, streets, canyons and communities. Ever wonder about the meanings of these ubiquitous Spanish names? Following is a sampling of English translations. Abajo: down, below. Abuelitos: grandparents. Acantilado: steep. Acebo: holly. Adelanto: advance, progress. Aguacate: avocado tree or avocado. Alameda: public walk lined with trees.

Oh mother, here in your lap, as good as a bowlful of clouds, I your greedy child am given your breast, the sea wrapped in skin, and your arms, roots covered with moss and with new shoots sticking out to tickle the laugh out of me. Yes, I am wedded to my teddy but he has the smell of you as well as the smell of me. . . . Oh mother, after this lap of childhood I will never go forth into the big people's world as an alien, a fabrication, or...

Thank you, Harry Shearer. At last, the Empress has clothes! MATTHEW TRULIO Castaic

Got a hankerin' for a slab o' ribs? Angelena's Kitchen Table, 4515 Sepulveda Blvd., Sherman Oaks. (818) 788-0465. Style : Not ordering the ribs would be a sin. Setting : Solid soul--soul music, soul celeb photos and soul food. Recommended : Granddaddy's BBQ pork ribs. Cost per person: $9.75. Carl's BBQ, 5953 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 934-0637. Style : Take-out ribs for that gnawing hunger. Setting : Mini-mall melange. Recommended : Pork ribs.

Where to eat when you're in Century City. Cabo Cabo Cabo, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd. (213) 552-2226. Style: Restaurant as theme park. Setting: Zany zany zany. Recommended dishes: Corn Chowder; ceviche; Cabo burger. Cost per person: $8-$25. Champagne, 10506 Little Santa Monica Blvd. (213) 470-8446. Style: A grown - up restaurant with state-of-the-art California/French/Spa cuisines. Setting: Back door entrance to cozy elegance.