IN THE KNOW…

RE-DEFINING RACE IN THE U.S. CENSUS By JIM KLING, UPI

A new study suggests that, in the
2000 census, many more people are likely to identify with more than one race
than previously thought. This year's count was the first to allow
respondents to mark more than one race, and the results may pose new challenges for making civil rights policies and tracking social and economic inequality. Joshua Goldstein and Ann Morning of the University of Princeton Office of Population Research estimate the number of Americans likely to mark multiple races at some 8 to 18 million, several times greater than previous estimates by the government. They suggest that such a high degree
of multiracial self-identification could further complicate the difficult
issue of developing and implementing race-based policies, such as
fairness-in-lending and affirmative action programs. "The advantage of the new system is that it more accurately reflects how people see themselves. The disadvantage is it shifts the burden of assigning single-race labels from individuals to the government," says Goldstein. Under the old system, the government was criticized for pigeonholing people into single-race boxes. Now, says Goldstein, it may be accused of reinstitutionalizing the
'one-drop rule,' the segregation-era notion that a person with any amount of
minority ancestry must be a member of that minority.

DEADLY ENSCHEDE FIREWORKS FACTORY EXPLOSION DAMAGES ENVIRONMENT
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/may2000/2000L-05-18-04.html

TELEPHONE INFECTIONS

By JIM KLING, UPI

In the future, computer viruses may attack
intelligent mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), according
to a report in this week's New Scientist. Such viruses could record
conversations and forward them to others, swipe money from 'electronic wallets,' or rack up huge phone bills. "The thing that makes viruses a threat is that we're so well connected," says Charles Palmer, a specialist in network security and cryptography research at IBM. A big threat are programs that link to and trigger other applications, such as email attachments that can dial phone numbers or wipe out the contents of electronic wallets or other files. Palmer and others believed that as more and more feature-laden cellular phones are developed, they will become more vulnerable to viruses. But not everyone is concerned. Charles Davies, chief technology officer for the British PDA maker Psion, believes that the widely
used EPOC operating system, which he helped design, is unlikely to be vulnerable. "I don't want to seem smug or complacent but I just don't see it as a big threat," he says.

SATELLITE PHOTOS SHOW NUCLEAR WEAPONS BUILDUP IN INDIA, PAKISTAN
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/may2000/2000L-05-16-01.html

LAW OFFICER DEATHS By Larry Schuster, UPI Science Editor Preliminary figures released by the FBI show the number of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty hit a 35-year low in 1999. The bureau said 42 officers were slain nationwide last year, down 61 from 1998 and 28 from 1997. The FBI said in 1999, firearms continued to be the weapon most frequently used to killed law enforcement officers. Five officers were slain with their own guns. Overall, 12 officers lost their lives during arrests, six were serving warrants, three were attempting to prevent robberies or capture robbery suspects, two were investigating drugs and one was attempting to prevent a burglary or arrest a burglary suspect. Eight officers were murdered while enforcing traffic laws, seven while investigating "suspicious" persons or circumstances, seven while answering disturbance calls and two while handling prisoners. Six officers were killed in ambush. Arrests have been made in all but one of the incidents. In addition to those killed in the line of duty, another 63 officers were accidentally killed while performing their jobs, down 18 from 1998.

U.S. GOVERNMENT BUYS PRISTINE CALIFORNIA DESERT FOR CONSERVATION
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/may2000/2000L-05-18-07.html

OKLAHOMA CITY

It happens every summer. As the temperature rises, so does the electric bill. The reason: air conditioners. But while it's practically unavoidable that the A/C will speed up the electric meter, there are plenty of ways to conserve energy in the summer and year-round. OG&E Electric Services energy efficiency expert Harold Kelly offers the following tips: -- Set the thermostat at the highest comfortable temperature -- 76 degrees or higher -- and keep it there. "Each degree a thermostat is raised can save up to 4 percent on the cost of operating an air conditioner," Kelly said. -- Clean or change air conditioner filters monthly. "The flow of air is the key to cooling, so don't make your system work harder than it has to," Kelly said. "Filters are cheap, compared to electricity. Also, make sure that air vents are clear of furniture or other objects that might slow down the flow of air." -- Use fans to keep air moving. "A ceiling fan uses about as much electricity as a light bulb -- far less than an air conditioner," Kelly said. -- Close the drapes and window blinds on the sunny side of the house. "Now that you've got such a good start on keeping cool, it would be a shame to waste it by inviting the hot sun in," Kelly said. -- Shrink the amount of space being cooled by closing the vents and doors in rooms you're not using. "This is a really good one that lots of people don't think about. If you've got a guest bedroom, den, or utility room that gets little or no traffic on a hot day, close them off and save the cool air for rooms where you are," Kelly said. -- Don't use ovens, clothes dryers, and dishwashers to heat the home you're trying to keep cool. "It takes a little planning, but it pays to cook your meals and do the laundry during the cooler hours of the day -- early in the morning or late in the evening. Many dishwashers have an air-dry setting and summer is the best time to use it," Kelly said. -- Check your windows and doors. "Make sure they're closed and sealed up tight," Kelly said. "Weather stripping also is cheaper than electricity. If it's properly installed, it can save you a lot of money." -- Make friends with the microwave. "Everybody knows it cooks much faster, but less well known is the fact that it uses up to 70 percent less energy than a conventional oven. It also releases far less heat into the kitchen," Kelly said. -- Get the kids involved in the energy-saving game. "With children home from school, look out for lights, computers, televisions, stereo equipment, and other electrical appliances that not only use electricity, but also generate heat," Kelly said. He added that team spirit and peer pressure are effective ways to get the people in your house to turn things off when they're finished using them. -- Be quick with the fridge. "Summer is the season for cold drinks and refreshing treats. But remember, a refrigerator with the door standing open uses a lot more energy than one with the door closed," Kelly said. A bonus tip: Most electric companies have an average-billing plan. Eligible customers can have their monthly electric bills nearly equal all year, enabling them to avoid the abrupt increases that can occur during the summer. (Editors: contact Brian Alford of OGE Energy Corp., at 405-553-3187. Web site: <http://www.oge.com> )

JAIL, HOSPITAL STAYS LOWER FOR MENTALLY ILL By ELIZABETH MANNING, UPI A program that bridges the medical and justice systems as well as the community seems to have slashed jail and hospital stays among 44 mentally ill patients, report researchers in Rochester, N.Y. The patients, two-thirds of whom are homeless, averaged 104 days in jail and 114 days in hospital during the year before entering the Project Link program, says director Dr. J. Steven Lamberti. After enrolling, they averaged just 45 and 8 days, respectively. They are also better at managing money, caring for themselves, and avoiding drugs and alcohol. At the same time, patient-care cost dropped from about $74,500 to $14,500 including the program. Lamberti says the key to the five-year-old project is cultural diversity among staff, close cooperation with the criminal justice system and community agencies, and mobile as well as residential treatment. Lamberti is a psychiatrist with New York State's University of Rochester Medical Center. For more information Rapper/producer Dr. Dre has taken a kinder, gentler approach to legal action against Napster, the online trading community for MP3 digital music files. Dre sent the company a list of 935,000 pirated copies of his songs to the company and asked that they be removed from the Napster Music Share service. Rock band Metallica, however, went so far as to identify more than 300,000 fans who had traded pirated MP3 files of the band's songs. Napster limited access by those fans, but says it will allow them in again unless the band sues each fan individually. Attorney Howard King, who represents both Dre and Metallica, told USA Today that the rapper isn't interested in kicking individual fans off Napster. Removing the 935,000 copies of Dre recordings could prove difficult, though, because those who pirated the songs can move the files to new locations quickly. Joe Warminsky, UPI Washington

CHINA'S ENVIRONMENT MAY SUFFER IF U.S. CONGRESS PASSES TRADE BILL
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DRUGS, THERAPY SEEM BEST FOR DEPRESSION By LIDIA WASOWICZ, UPI A study indicates the most effective way to treat patients with chronic major depression is with both antidepressant drugs and psychotherapy. An estimated 14 million Americans suffer from chronic forms of depression, marked by disabling psychological and social problems. The study of 681 patients -- published in the New England Journal of Medicine -- showed the one-two punch with the drug Serzone and psychotherapy resulted in an 85 percent success rate, doctors said. "This is the first time that combination therapy has proven to be so much more effective than either medication or psychotherapy alone," said lead investigator Dr. Martin Keller, Mary E. Zucker professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Brown University School of Medicine. "For some of the study's patients, who underwent the combination therapy, it was the first time in more than 20 years that they could sustain pleasure and function fully at work and with families and friends." The research was funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., makers of Serzone. For more information call 401-863-1862