Cultural note - Carnival Cruises is offering a west coast theme voyage - "O.J. Trial of the Century." Featuring "comic entertainment, legal experts, TV reporters and other O.J. `celebrities.'" Our only question is, how will we know which are the comedians?
`Welfare queens' - In California, which has one of the higher welfare standards in the country, a mother and two children are granted $445 a month.
Gov. Pete Wilson now wants to trim that by 25 percent, plus a 10 percent cut for people who are old, blind, or disabled. The guv also wants a 15 percent cut in corporate taxes.
Including capitalist politicians? - "Gingrich says not all species need to be saved from extinction" - News headline.
`To your good health!' - More than 50 million U.S. people are supplied tap water contaminated with radiation, lead, feces and other pollutants. Nearly 1,000 people die from this each year and at least 400,000 become ill. That's the finding of two studies based on Environmental Protection Agency data. And, it's noted, this is a partial picture. Utilities don't always report violations.
Despite their unceasing efforts - "These [water pollution] reports underscore the fact that the job of protecting public health is never done." - EPA administrator Carol Browner.
Never a dull moment - Recalling 8 billion cigarettes because of filter contamination isn't the only extra chore for Philip Morris. The company is also suing ABC over a TV program spotlighting its practice of increasing nicotine content to help ensure user addiction. Philip Morris wants $10 billion in damages.
Another recall - Responding to the Philip Morris suit, ABC asked for the right to examine certain company documents. After three court orders, PM complied by dumping 1 million pages on ABC.
Virtually illegible, the files were reproduced in Black ink on dark red paper - with a nauseating odor. The judge frowned on this and the company promised a new set on white, nonodorous paper.
Great for spare parts - Until a couple of weeks ago, there were five of BMW's McLaren F1 sports cars in use in Germany, but the number is now down to three. The president of BMW totaled one by driving it into a ditch. A few days earlier, a businessman doing 170 mph on the autobahn hit a center divider, totaling his. The F1 sticker price? $1.1 million.
Guess she's not a lawyer - Mary Tolja, who was stuck with a leaky Ford Mustang, was among 65,000 winners in a class- action lawsuit. They were each awarded a $400 coupon toward the purchase of a new Ford. Their lawyers collected about $1 million (cash). Tolja, definitely not interested in another Ford, saw the outcome as "asinine."