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,
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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.
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PACIFIC PO W ER
A PacifiCorp Company
Vh» Pacific Power's website at http://www pacificorp com