Mark West

Mark West, 33, of Sante Fe, a skiing coach working in New Zealand, died after a van in which he was traveling slid off an icy road in the Southern Alps region, police said in Christchurch.

Imagine you turned 10,000 years old ? and nobody showed up at your birthday party. That's a bit how they're feeling in the ancient West Bank city of Jericho, believed to be one of the world's oldest continually inhabited settlements. Three years ago, Palestinians made big plans for Jericho's historic birthday. Nobody really knows the exact anniversary, but Palestinians thought 10-10-10 had a good ring to it. The idea was to host an international blowout to rival the 2000 millennium, including fireworks, laser shows, half a million guests and a who's who of international dignitaries.

The surname is appropriate, because Mark West knows how important direction and location have been to his career. The Phoenix Suns are the fourth team he has played for in the seven years since he left Old Dominion University. In his first 4 1/2 seasons, he was with Dallas (34 games), then Milwaukee (11 days) and then Cleveland (until Feb. 25, 1988). A 6-foot-10 center, he went to Phoenix from Cleveland in a trade that also brought Kevin Johnson to the Suns.

Two crows in San Juan Capistrano were found to have West Nile virus this week, the first cases to appear in Orange County. The discovery did not surprise health officials because the disease has been marching west after making its U.S. appearance in New York in 1999. A Riverside County man who last week tested positive for the disease is believed to be the first person to acquire the infection in California. He was hospitalized for five days.

Didn't you used to be . . . The Western Conference? Two seasons ago, six of its teams won 50 games. A year ago, seven won 47. Now it's sagging, as a look at the Midwest Division from the All-Star break to the start of this weekend suggests: * Houston: 18-4 * San Antonio: 15-13 * Denver: 12-12 * Utah: 9-14 * Minnesota: 6-20 * Dallas: 4-20 What has happened to the once-wild West?

After one week, they were merely hot. After two, they were a fluke. After three, they were a surprise. But last week, when the Bucks tied Portland for the best record in the NBA--briefly--they were a full-fledged Milwaukee Miracle, posing this question for Coach Mike Dunleavy: Why are you messing up a perfectly good lottery pick? "I tell 'em I don't know any better," Dunleavy says, laughing. "People said the Knicks might take six months to get together with all their new players.

War of the Rockets: It's easier to find the good guy in a TV commercial for personal injury lawyers than in this mess. Did Hakeem Olajuwon fake a hamstring pull to pressure the Houston Rockets to redo his contract? Or has the Rocket front office gone bonkers? You can't dismiss either possibility. Olajuwon is 29, immensely talented, refreshingly down to earth . . . and yes, a little headstrong. Despite his $3-million salary, he has a history of agitating for money.

Shorty Rogers, a man whose shy stage demeanor and gentle fluegelhorn sound were in stark contrast to some of his hearty, swinging compositions, was one of the major figures of the West Coast jazz scene of the 1950s. Rogers, who died Monday at age 70, had already achieved a degree of fame playing trumpet as well as composing and arranging for Woody Herman and Stan Kenton by the time he landed in Southern California in the early '50s from Massachusetts.

After some maneuvering over the seedings, a process known as the regular season, the NBA is, mercifully, set to start its playoffs with only one thing certain: Some team has to win this thing . . . doesn't it? OK, nothing is certain. The Spurs are favored in the West. In the East, it's the Magic, Bulls, Pacers or Knicks (or in other words, you're on your own over there). Here's how it shapes up. WESTERN CONFERENCE * No. 1 San Antonio vs. No.

Earvin and Jerry: It ended quickly, but the Laker foundations trembled last week. Magic Johnson took exception to Jerry West's seeming dismissal of his performance to a Cleveland reporter--"Magic has been playing OK. At times, he's looked like the Magic of last year." Johnson even wondered aloud if he wanted to remain a Laker. A short meeting with West chilled everything out. The franchise endures. What's going on? Like the economy, the Lakers are confronting an age of limits.

After some maneuvering over the seedings, a process known as the regular season, the NBA is, mercifully, set to start its playoffs with only one thing certain: Some team has to win this thing . . . doesn't it? OK, nothing is certain. The Spurs are favored in the West. In the East, it's the Magic, Bulls, Pacers or Knicks (or in other words, you're on your own over there). Here's how it shapes up. WESTERN CONFERENCE * No. 1 San Antonio vs. No.

Shorty Rogers, a man whose shy stage demeanor and gentle fluegelhorn sound were in stark contrast to some of his hearty, swinging compositions, was one of the major figures of the West Coast jazz scene of the 1950s. Rogers, who died Monday at age 70, had already achieved a degree of fame playing trumpet as well as composing and arranging for Woody Herman and Stan Kenton by the time he landed in Southern California in the early '50s from Massachusetts.

Didn't you used to be . . . The Western Conference? Two seasons ago, six of its teams won 50 games. A year ago, seven won 47. Now it's sagging, as a look at the Midwest Division from the All-Star break to the start of this weekend suggests: * Houston: 18-4 * San Antonio: 15-13 * Denver: 12-12 * Utah: 9-14 * Minnesota: 6-20 * Dallas: 4-20 What has happened to the once-wild West?

After one week, they were merely hot. After two, they were a fluke. After three, they were a surprise. But last week, when the Bucks tied Portland for the best record in the NBA--briefly--they were a full-fledged Milwaukee Miracle, posing this question for Coach Mike Dunleavy: Why are you messing up a perfectly good lottery pick? "I tell 'em I don't know any better," Dunleavy says, laughing. "People said the Knicks might take six months to get together with all their new players.

War of the Rockets: It's easier to find the good guy in a TV commercial for personal injury lawyers than in this mess. Did Hakeem Olajuwon fake a hamstring pull to pressure the Houston Rockets to redo his contract? Or has the Rocket front office gone bonkers? You can't dismiss either possibility. Olajuwon is 29, immensely talented, refreshingly down to earth . . . and yes, a little headstrong. Despite his $3-million salary, he has a history of agitating for money.

Earvin and Jerry: It ended quickly, but the Laker foundations trembled last week. Magic Johnson took exception to Jerry West's seeming dismissal of his performance to a Cleveland reporter--"Magic has been playing OK. At times, he's looked like the Magic of last year." Johnson even wondered aloud if he wanted to remain a Laker. A short meeting with West chilled everything out. The franchise endures. What's going on? Like the economy, the Lakers are confronting an age of limits.

When the Palestine Press Service's office computer broke down the other day, it was only the first of co-owner Ibrahim Karaeen's unpleasant surprises. The second came when his usual repairman, a Jew, refused to make a service call because Karaeen's office is in predominantly Arab East Jerusalem. Only after Karaeen, a Palestinian Arab, complained to the computer firm's main office in Tel Aviv did a repairman show up--accompanied by a bodyguard.

Imagine you turned 10,000 years old ? and nobody showed up at your birthday party. That's a bit how they're feeling in the ancient West Bank city of Jericho, believed to be one of the world's oldest continually inhabited settlements. Three years ago, Palestinians made big plans for Jericho's historic birthday. Nobody really knows the exact anniversary, but Palestinians thought 10-10-10 had a good ring to it. The idea was to host an international blowout to rival the 2000 millennium, including fireworks, laser shows, half a million guests and a who's who of international dignitaries.

Mark West, 33, of Sante Fe, a skiing coach working in New Zealand, died after a van in which he was traveling slid off an icy road in the Southern Alps region, police said in Christchurch.

The surname is appropriate, because Mark West knows how important direction and location have been to his career. The Phoenix Suns are the fourth team he has played for in the seven years since he left Old Dominion University. In his first 4 1/2 seasons, he was with Dallas (34 games), then Milwaukee (11 days) and then Cleveland (until Feb. 25, 1988). A 6-foot-10 center, he went to Phoenix from Cleveland in a trade that also brought Kevin Johnson to the Suns.