By CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY

Anarchy: The Final Frontier

As Russia struggles to hold together, its space program is falling apart. At the BAIKONUR COSMODROME in Kazakhstan--the Russian equivalent of the Kennedy Space Center--civilian workers have been looting equipment, crippling the facility's launch pad in the process. The Russian space program is also involved in a feud with the new Ukrainian state, which has its own space program. A Russian meteorological satellite was turned off in orbit, so Ukraine couldn't recover weather data from it. Some of the stolen Baikonur equipment has mysteriously resurfaced in Ukraine. Understandably, the disarray of Russia's once great space program has NASA officials worrying about scheduled joint U.S.-Russian manned spaceflights.

Early Warning

Israeli security officials concluded two years ago that the World Trade Center garage was vulnerable to a car bomb, according to Israeli sources. These security officials checked out the garage for Zim American Israeli Shipping Co., which is located in the Twin Towers and is a subsidiary of a partly state-owned Israeli company. Zim representatives publicly admit no knowledge of the security team's inspection.

Read My Ships

George Bush could soon discover that losing a presidential election can be a taxing experience. Clinton's budget proposes increasing fuel taxes on barge companies $1 per gal. (a 525% rise). Bush and former Cabinet Secretaries James Baker and Robert Mosbacher have all had lucrative investments in the same Houston barge company. Bush reported an $11,962 profit on his $31,000 stake in 1988 before he moved his investments into a blind trust. He is a private citizen now, so his current holdings, if any, are his business. But the tax could prove to be quite a parting gift. A Clinton adviser says with a smile that it's just a "coincidence."

We Aren't the World

United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali could be trying to loosen America's grip on power within the U.N. One new Under Secretary-General was scolded by Boutros-Ghali for choosing an American as his deputy. And when Bush appointee Dick Thornburgh left as U.N. Under Secretary-General of Administration and Management, Boutros-Ghali tried to take the influential position from America and give the U.S. a frilly public relations post instead. An American official in the U.N. complains that it's "a very clearly anti-American bent." However, with just one superpower left in the world, Boutros-Ghali may feel that a little bureaucratic kryptonite is exactly what is needed to maintain the U.N.'s equilibrium.

America's Most Wanted

The Army is looking for a few good men other than the ones it just let go, that is. The highly publicized round of military-base closings and cutbacks is making it hard for the Army to recruit, partly because many would-be candidates assume that the military isn't looking for new people. In fact, the military needs a steady influx of newcomers to maintain its vitality. Adapting to the reduced demand, the Army has scaled back its goal of recruiting 100% high school grads to 95%--and even that's proving tough to meet.

Calling All Senators

Bill Clinton asked Americans to answer the call--instead, they're placing calls. U.S. citizens are phoning their Senators at a rate more than twice that of last year. Figures from the office of the Senate sergeant at arms show that from Jan. 1 to Feb. 4 there were 4.2 million calls to the Senate this year, in contrast to 1.9 million during that same period in 1992.

Revenge of the Tourists

Last year 23 Japanese traveling abroad met crime-related deaths. This year Griptone, a Japanese travel-goods company, has opened a store in Osaka, Japan, for the safety-conscious Japanese tourist. Merchandise includes an attache case that gives thieves within 170 ft. a 40-volt electric shock, and safety vests ranging from ice-pick proof to bulletproof. Americans visiting Osaka from New York City might want to pick up a few Griptone products for when they get home.