Perry

Defense Secretary William J. Perry said Monday on his return from Africa that he is more hopeful about an international effort to save millions of Rwandan refugees and that only 3,000 U.S. troops will be needed to support the humanitarian operation. The troop estimate, given to reporters at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, was lower than the 4,000 Americans that he earlier predicted would be stationed near Rwanda by the end of this week.

Defense Secretary William J. Perry said after an inspection here Sunday that U.S. soldiers may be deployed for "a year or longer" to help more than 1 million Rwandan refugees facing death and disease in nightmarish camps along the Zairian border. Perry said that the 1,000 Americans now deployed in Zaire, Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda as part of Operation Support Hope are on "a humanitarian mission" to alleviate the suffering of the refugees and to help them return home.

Los Angeles mayoral hopeful Wendy Greuel traded barbs with rivals Eric Garcetti and Jan Perry on Sunday as the leading candidates dashed around the city in a final burst of weekend campaigning, from Encino and Eagle Rock to Venice Beach and South Los Angeles. The top contenders to succeed Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa sought to shore up support with morning visits to churches and afternoon stops at a taco stand, farmer's market and art gallery. With the election just two days away, acrimony erupted anew between Greuel, the city controller, and the two City Council members she sees as her most formidable opponents, Garcetti and Perry.

Newly installed Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson engineered another shake-up at City Hall on Friday, stripping rival lawmakers Bernard C. Parks and Jan Perry of key committee chairmanships that had major influence over the city budget crisis and utility rates. The move is expected to widen the bitter divide between Wesson and the council's only other African American members, who are at odds with the council president over proposed new political district boundaries.

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick A Novel Joe Schreiber Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: 192 pp., $16.99, ages 12 and up When Perry Stormaire learned his family would be hosting a Lithuanian exchange student during his senior year of high school, he immediately imagined "some chic Mediterranean lioness with half-lidded eyes, fully upholstered lips, curves like a European sports car, and legs of a swimsuit model who would tutor me with...

Animated stepbrothers Phineas and Ferb, of the Disney Channel series "Phineas and Ferb," go feature-length Friday with "Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension. " It is suitable for (and recommended to) children of all ages — though much of it is meant specifically for children of a certain age, old enough to appreciate jokes that reference Georgia O'Keeffe, "The Jeffersons," Wittgenstein, Sartre and the "Fit as a Fiddle" number from "Singin' in the Rain. " Like the series it polishes and amplifies, the movie follows the pair (Vincent Martella as Phineas, Thomas Sangster as Ferb)

You might have chosen to report who built the recently completed Kentucky Fried Chicken on Western Avenue. We did. PERRY A. STONE 2M CONSTRUCTION INC. Glendale

Jim McMahon, the punky Bear quarterback with the funky shades, is being paid handsomely these days as a pitchman. McMahon earned about $2 million this year as a product spokesman for scooters, sunglasses, soft drinks and tacos, his agent Stephen Zucker said. "Jim McMahon has a reputation as saying what's on his mind and not mincing words, so he's not phony in any way.

I watched the Bears-Cardinalsfootball game Saturday night and more or less enjoyed it. But when William (The Refrigerator) Perry picked up Neil Lomax and slammed him to the turf on a late hit and then dropped his 325 pounds of lard on top of him, and later when a riot occurred with both teams acting like wild animals, I turned the set off. Why wasn't Perry ejected and the team penalized? No wonder so many quarterbacks are on the injured list. And these are the guys our youngsters are supposed to look up to?

Chicago Bear rookie William (The Refrigerator) Perry warmed hearts, gave money and caused a sensation Monday when he appeared as part of a fund-raising effort for a 7-year-old girl who needs a liver transplant. Perry, the 302-pound defensive tackle-running back, gave $1,000 and declared himself national spokeman for the "Crystal Jenkins Life Fund for Children" as about 300 people cheered at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center.