BY HARRY RING
Debauched? Perhaps. But gentlemen - Three businessmen on a birthday bash dined and wined at a London restaurant where - if price is a reliable gauge - the food and drink is quality stuff. The tab was $333,000 plus, most of it on wine. The manager assured that the three chaps "were not at all ostentatious."

Let them drink champagne? -Scientist Erik Millstone said 1 in 10 British children suffer learning or behavioral difficulties as a result of lead pollution. Estimating that 10 million homes still get their drinking water through lead pipes, he declared, "The government has chosen to do nothing about it, knowingly and deliberately. They seem much more concerned with protecting the water companies than protecting human health."

Not just a British thing - "The five most serious environmental threats to children in the United States are lead, air pollution, pesticides, tobacco smoke, and contaminated drinking water, according to a study by the Natural Resources Defense Council." - News item

Next, cargo-area steerage class? - To ensure room for more passengers, airlines are looking to reduce the amount of carry- on luggage. New rules may peg the number of pieces brought on to the price of the ticket. United Airlines will do test flights in which lowest fare passengers may be limited to one piece instead of the usual two.

Facts-of-life dep't - In Plano, Texas, the school system signed a 10-year contract to sell only Dr. Pepper beverages in return for $1 million a year. Explained a school official: "We feel that we have to become entrepreneurial to provide the funds we need..."

The medium is the message? -"Colorado Springs - The school system sells [advertising] space on everything from school buses to school hallways... Other promotions are provided, including the sponsor's corporate logo on numerous school system's publications and public address announcements at football and basketball games." - News item

We can hear it now - "OK children, back to our reading lesson. But first a few brief messages from our sponsors."

You can count on Uncle - In 1995, Montserrat, a tiny United Kingdom colony in the Caribbean, suffered a major volcanic eruption. Recently it was disclosed to the British parliament that used tents bought from the U.S. for emergency housing had to be thrown away because they were full of holes.

Inside dope - The Dept. of Education was being tactful when it rejected John Gardner's application for a grant because it wasn't typed double spaced. A blind scientist, Gardner requested the grant to further develop a Braille computer software program he invented. Actually, his request was rejected because it wasn't written in Gobbledygook.  
 
 
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