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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 1997)
j f ¿ A . .¿ .M U U Page A5 AUG. 27, 1997 (Elje ^ o rtla n h (Observer Cigarettes Can Cause Death Northwest Forecast he chief executive at Philip Morris is on record as say ing cigarettes can cause death. Geoffrey Bible was questioned today in Florida’s lawsuit aimed at recovering the state’s costs of treat ing smoking-related illnesses. Dur ing the 90-minute session, Bible was asked if he believes it’s possible that ceanographic phenomenon one person a year could die from El Nino is predictor for Earth's cigarette smoking. He replied "y e s,” climate. according to his attorney. When Ask any meteorologist what the asked whether I, (XX) or I (M),(XX) people weather's going to be like next month, coulddie from smoking, Bible replied and all you're likely to gel is hand- •’possibly.” The state is seeking $ 12.3 wringing. billion in damages from the tobacco But next year? Why. that’s easy! industry. The forecast for early 1998: Clinton Met W ith FedExChiet Wetter than usual in the south President Clinton reportedly held ern and southwestern United an unusual White House meeting States, with higher than nor last year with Frederick Smith, the mal temperatures along the chairman of Federal Express C orp. West Coast and drier weather and a Democratic Party donor, to discuss a problem costing the com in the Pacific Northwest. South pany $ KM) million a year in lost rev ern Australia and A frica's Sahel re enue. The W ashington Post reports gion are expected to be warmer than that Smith pressed Clinton to impose usual. Wetter than normal conditions sanctions on Japan, which has re are forecast for southern Africa and fused to let Federal Express deliver the Amazon basin, but northern Bra cargo from Japan to other lucrative zil should be relatively dry. Asian markets. The Post says the So how do they know all that? Smith meeting was opposed by White Simple: Just by looking at the ocean. House National Economic Council In recent years, meteorologists head Laura D ’Andrea Tyson. have discovered that much o f the year-to-year variation in the Earth’s climate is controlled by a single oceanographic phenomenon - the Clinton Fights T O Tobacco Credit 1998 is drier famed ” EI Nino” of the tropical Pa cific. El Nino is a warming of the waters off equatorial South America that develops every few years, reaching a peak in November or December. Its effects propagate around the world, influencing the weather in Australia, Africa, South Asia and the tropical parts o f the Americas. This year, forexample. meteorolo gists can already see a whopper of an El Nino developing. They expect it to be the biggest in 15 years. •’The physics behind El Nino are fairly well understood.” says Lisa Goddard, a project scientist at the International Research Institute lor Climate Prediction in La Jolla, Calif. Unfortunately, the physics o f the rest of the w orld's oceans are more mysterious. But if they can under stand the Atlantic, Indian and South ern oceans as well as they do the tropical Pacific, perhaps scientists can forecast things like droughts, heat waves and cold snaps a year ahead of time. ’’You can't say it’s going to be rainy on August 10. but you can say over next season - August. Septem ber, October - there’s an increased likelihixxlforrainina particular area. " Goddard explains. S c ie n tists d isc o v e re d in the m id-1980s w hat m akes El Nino tick, and have spent the last d e cade learning to p re d ic t m onths ahead o f tim e w h e th e r one will develop. The big pro b lem , h o w ever, is that El N ino d o e s n 't sig nifican tly a ffect the w eath er in m any p arts o f the glo b e. So m e te o ro lo g ists have turned th e ir a tte n tio n to th o se o ther parts, e sp e c ia lly the A tla n tic By d e te rm in in g how th e A tla n tic evolves over m onths and years, they can estim ate how m any h u r ricanes will develop in an upcom ing season or tell E u ro p ean s if th e y ’re facing an u n u su a lly cold winter. Who cares? Well, farmers for one. Peruvian cotton growers switch to rice in El Mobile classroom to visit local school he White House says Presi dentClinton will insist that the tobacco industry pay an extra $50 billion in any tobacco settlement, to negate the $50 billion credit that Republicans included in balanced budget legislation Clinton signed earlier this month. The credit was aimed at reducing the cost of big tobacco’s tentative $368.5 billion settlement with dozens of states. The Clinton administration reluctantly agreed to it, to gain congressional approval of a 15-cent-per-pack ciga rette tax hike to fund children's health care. A tobacco industry spokesman says C linton’s new demand “could very well be the end of the settle ment. A White House spokesman saysClinton will notchangehism ind. T Foster Grandparents Receive a Tax-Free Stipend for Helping Children Nino years, because rice likes the rain 1 the weather pattern brings. In north eastern Brazil, they plant drought- resistant varieties of corn and beans when El Nino rears its ugly head. And in Africa and Colombia, an impend ing El Nino year prompts stronger malaria prevention efforts. In m ore tem p erate parts o f the w o rld , c itie s could ch o o se to in vest in new sn o w p lo w s if the com ing w inter looks co ld and snow y. C o astal re sid e n ts m ight buy m ore insu ran ce if a storm y h u rri c a n e se a so n is fo re c a s t. And m aybe th e ir in su re rs w ould raise th e ir rates. El N ino p re d ic tio n s have su c ceeded because re se a rc h ers went b eyond d e sc rib in g how w inds and w aves m ove around in the tropical Pacific. T hey noticed a p a tte rn to the in te ra c tio n s o f the ocean and at m osphere in that part o f the world, and w ere able to sim u la te that beh av io r w ith a co m p u te r m odel. - ■ The Foster Grandparent Program is recruiting older adults on lim ited incom es to help children w ith sp e cial needs in the Tri C ounty area. They provide the individual a tte n tion and personalized care needed to help children grow academ ically, socially and em otionally. Some o f the opportunities are talking and listening, tutoring stu dents with reading, playing gam es or helping with craft projects. But m ostly, Foster G randparents act as role m odels and direct children in positive ways through nurturing and love. Qualifications of a Foster G rand parent are: you must be 60 years of age or older, on a lim ited income ( less than $806 per month ) and com m itted to spend 20 hours a week helping children. Foster G randparents receive a m onthly stipend o f approxim ately $200 (tax exem pt), paid training, transportation reim bursem ent, a daily meal w hile in service and paid vacation and sick time. Queen B Productions, ^ ' ' l^ S . Î ? K * 1st Annual -Ttíwd'Xhrow Down •WE BEEN SLACKIN LET’S GET CRACKIN WHEN: SEPT. 1, 1997 LABOR DAY WHERE: r BLUE LAKE PARK CAR T fiAlfi <z> & 4? ^COMPETITION AMA he American Medical As sociation said today it is reviewing a controversial agreement to endorse health care products made by Sunbeam Corp. The nation’s largest doctors’ group was hit with a wave of criticism, some of from its own membership, since announcing last week that it would allow its name to be used on certain Sunbeam home health care products such as blood pressure monitors and vaporizers. It also agreed to provide health care brochures to be included with the products. In return, the AM A was to get royalties from Sunbeam, the potential amount of which has never been disclosed. P re S e " ,S FOOD&DRINK The Amazing Yellow Adventure is stopping Tuesday at the Portland YMCA summer youth program at Richmond Elementary, 2276 S.E. 41st. The bus then stops Saturday, Sept. 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at OMSI. The bus is sponsored by GTE Directories to give kids across the country a hands-on experience exploring the internet. For sign-lip info, call Lu at 460-9414 We're more than a power company. We're your neighbors, loo. That's ivhi/ it's important for us Io arlivelv support education, the arts, community and business development and other events that enhance quality of life and enrich the entire community. Meat Plant to Close SHEILA HOLDEN CARL TAITO N GENERAL BUSINESS MANAGER GENERAL BUSINESS MANAGER s. S. Agriculture Secretary D an G lic k m a n say s Hudson Foods will recall and destroy all products produced at ' o m e o f the most a suspect Nebraska meat-packing plant and temporarily shut down the important energy provided by Pacific Power facility. The USDA said last week doesn't travel along utility poles, that Hudson would recall 1.2 million pounds of hamburger due to pos flow through power lines or pass through sible contamination with a deadly strain of the E.coli bacteria. Glickman any meter. It's our power to make says the firm also will cease opera a difference— something we do year-round tions until “far more stringent safety standards” are adopted. Sixteen by actively supporting programs and people in Colorado became sick in July from eating apparently tainted special events unique to our community. hamburgers made at the plant. In spectors found the plant had a prac True, this kind of energy can't illuminate a tice of reusing raw material from one single light bulb. But over time, day to the next. U it could help our entire community shine. < PACIFIC PO W ER A PacifiCorp Company Vh» Pacific Power's website at http://www pacificorp com
