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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1998)
6 Clinton tours Johnson Space Center, reaffirms commitment HOUSTON (AP) — President Clinton reaffirmed his commitment to space exploration and got a taste of an astronaut’s life—food and all—during a tour of Johnson Space Center on Tuesday with the nation’s newest and oldest astronaut. Led by 76-year-old Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, who is preparing for a space flight in October, Clinton chatted with astronauts and toured life-sized mockups of the space shuttle. With only the slightest crinkle of his nose, the president even braved a taste of space food—a mash of green beans and mushrooms that Glenn re hydrated and served. “I thought this was a good chance to let the president sample a little space food that I might be eating a lit tle bit later on,” Glenn said in broad cast interviews after the tour. During his visit, Clinton also made a video call to the crew of the space shuttle Columbia, which is scheduled to launch Thursday from the Kennedy Space Center for a 16-day flight focusing on the human nervous system and how it functions in space. “The space program has enormous potential to change life here on earth for the better,” Clinton told the astronauts. The president then addressed some of Johnson’s 15,000 employees before heading 30 miles to downtown for an evening town hall meeting on race and sports. Clinton thanked the space center workers for their dedication to the nation’s space program, and reiterated his support of their mission. “I am committed to maintaining a strong, stable, bal anced space program,” he said. “We cannot imagine our future without a vigorous, comprehensive and consistent commitment to our mission in space.” Citing ongoing congressional fights over funding for the International Space Station, the multibillion-dollar venture scheduled to begin construction later this year, Clinton said future Americans would wonder why it ever was the subject of debate. “It was a fight for a while and there were those who thought we should abandon it, but we did not abandon it,” he said. “We will all, before long, be thanking our lucky stars that we had the vision... to set up the International Space Station in the sky.” The president’s remarks were welcomed by Johnson employees, who would like to see more congressional support for space exploration and research. “It seems like he’s a big proponent of the space pro gram. Hopefully, he’ll stick by those words,” said Drew Nash, a co-op student from Iowa State University who works for the center. Local leaders also used the president’s visit to make a pitch for increased spending on space. “It’s crucial, Mr. President, that we make NASA’s bud get a priority,” U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Texas, a mem ber of the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, said in a speech to the JSC audience. “Your presence here is certainly an indication of your commitment and your vision of space.” Coke pulls tab on curvy test can ATLANTA (AP) — Coca-Cola’s new curvy can is being pitched into the recycle bin. The company pulled the con toured, red 12-ounce can from four of five test markets as it tries to re solve problems and come up with a can that repeats the success of its curvy bottles that lit up sales four years ago. Consumers liked the cans, but not enough to pay extra for it, com pany officials said. There also were problems fitting the cans into some vending machines. “This is just a natural part of the testing (and) learning,” company spokeswoman Polly Howes said Tuesday. “We continue to work on it.” The company had tested the cans for about a year in Terre Haute, Ind.; Tucson, Ariz.; Las Cruces, N.M.; and Brownsville, Texas. The cans are still available in El Paso, Texas, as development continues. One problem to work out is the cost of production. Mike Harris, sales manager at Coca-Cola Bot tling in Tucson, said some con sumers balked at paying the extra 10 percent to 12 percent it added to the cost of a Coke. “It was pretty good for just kind of a test,” Harris said. The contoured can was used only for Coca-Cola Classic in the test markets. John Sicher, publisher of Bever age Digest, said he expects testing of curvy cans to continue because Coke’s contoured bottle has been so popular. He said production costs will eventually come down. “Coke’s test was just that — a test. 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Such reactions, which do not include prescribing errors or drug abuse, rank at least sixth among U.S. causes of death — behind heart disease, cancer, lung disease, strokes and accidents, says a report based on an analysis of existing studies. “We’re not saying, ‘Don’t take drugs.’ They have wonderful ben efits,” said Dr. Bruce H. Pomer- anz, principal investigator and a neuroscience professor at the University of Toronto. “But what we’re arguing is that there should be increased awareness also of side effects, which until now have not been too well understood.” The harm may range from an allergic reaction to an antibiotic to stomach bleeding from fre quent doses of aspirin, Pomeranz said. The study, by Pomeranz and two other colleagues at his school, Ja son Lazarou and Paul N. Corey, did not explore which medications or illnesses were involved. The authors analyzed 39 studies of hospital patients from 1966 to 1996. Serious drug reactions affected 6.7 percent of patients overall and fatal drug reactions 0.32 percent, the authors reported in Wednesday s Journal of the American Medical Association. In the study, serious injury was defined as being hospitalized, having to extend a hospital stay or suf fering permanent disability. The most surprising result was the large number of deaths, the authors said. They found adverse drug reactions ranked between fourth and sixth among leading causes of death, depending on whether they used their most conservative or most liberal estimate. In 1994, between 76,000 and 137,000 U.S. hospi tal patients died, and the “ballpark estimate" is 106,000, Pomeranz said. The low estimate, 76,000 deaths, would put drug reactions sixth. The ballpark estimate would put them fourth, he said. An additional 1.6 million to 2.6 million patients were seriously injured, with the ballpark estimate 2.1 million, he said. More than two-thirds of the cases involved reac tions outside hospitals rather than in hospitals, the nnm “...what we’re arguing is that there should be in creased awareness also of side effects...” Dr. Bruce H. Pomeranz neuroscience professor at University of Toronto authors reported. Experts commended the study whether the estimates are on target. Dr. David W. Bates of Partners Healthat and Brigham and Women’s Hospital inB the estimates may he high. ()ne rea$on,hf^hdi l! that they may overrepresent large medicfcMfexc which treat sic ker than average patient Roar more prone to reactions. ^Jesi ■'Nonetheless, the; head important, and even if cymbal ..a OSH 1 '' '1 is somewhat lowertham/'jfeel ported ... it is still high,auMwo mg lion generallyrecf*A() d inaneditorialattBsioil study. glee' Shville )r. Sidney M.Wolfe,di consumer advocac zen Healtli Reseaid 1 he believes the nun target. I \ e read most of theses they representlaH5&ta*ob\| MogeneoussamptaftH fb| in v, and include a whoflm one Iuesda\ fiomWadinBy (d f/e x inihel t ions between c hrome onl hi tesday fvomWashi' jsel md deaths arepre-lie\ we safer available;;in by two differ In avoided,hes i* drug dosages ack the drug tol ir kidneys and li tetter ways tot in Ha I ptb i 04) ov| ■ns gn; | small hospitals ofhospitals in tl Wolfe said by U Many serioi he added. Mar __ w rives, and harmful inter such as those being pres< tors — can be more carel Doctors need to incre many older patients, wh< younger adults because tl declined, Wolfe said. Hospitals should fine head off problems, the way a model comp 1 iSomr system does at LDS 1 lospital in SaltLakeCi; A&M That hospital reported last year thatitdfio® 19 50 percent of its adverse react! preventable, including 42 percet cause patients were their weight and kidi The hospital now tients’ kidney functit antibiotic reactions other facilities could Wolfe said it is “in sive computers are, copied the system. ms werepoi^k th nt thathappeaSlou much medoBe a unction, omatically calcula: lily. It has reduced; .M-cent and suggea y do the same. sable, given howia it other hospitals D dies &ior£s “Bridal and Tuxedo” Tux Rentals Including Shoes & Vest $ 49.95 AT THE TEXAS AVE. ENTRANCE TO A&M Open weeknights | until 7 p.m. j ^ Grea •Tour! Where the grads with great jobs got their interview suits. Aren Don’t let an average appearance be the difference between you and the next person. Because when it comes down to it, every last detail counts. 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