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   PR # 12236
    AO 0235+164(z=0.94)is a remarkable BL Lac:not only it is polarized
    and variable in all wavelengths,but it is one of a few BL Lacs known
    to be gamma-ray emitters.Furthermore,a galaxy(or a protogalactic disk
    )at z=0.524 produces radio and optical absorption lines in the backgr
    ound BL Lac continuum.A modest quality Einstein IPC data requires str
    ong absorption,$\sim 10$ x Galactic.Our proposed 20 ks ASCA observ.,
    which we will coordinate with an already approved EGRET observ., will
    yield the X-ray continuum,crucial to any models of gamma-ray emission
    ,and accurate column of X-rayabsorbing elements in the line of sight,
    which via comparison with the radio data will yield abundances in the
    intervening galaxy,thus providing crucial information about elemental
   evolution  at z ~ 0.5.
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