         
|
 |
||
| by Andy
Evangelista First appeared 14 October 1998 Here Today, Going to Maui Linda Rodgers, an administrative assistant in the dermatology department, had that familiar line after someone cops the big prize -- “I never won anything before.” But now the 20-year UCSF employee has a trip for two to Hawaii (airfare, seven nights and eight days’ hotel stay, and car rental included), courtesy of United Airlines and the annual “Empact! Presents” raffle. She spent $15, purchasing the winning ticket from her SF neighbor Jeannette Howard, who works in the Medical Center’s dietary department. Jeannette witnessed the drawing of her good friend’s ticket at Empact!’s Waterworld event Sept. 26, and when she came home left a note at Linda’s door informing her of the good news and her willingness to be the second party on the trip. But Linda will be taking her husband Michael to Maui (they were able to pick their Hawaiian destination), and the derm clinic may be needing some temp help for a week in April. Linda and Michael never went on a honeymoon, so on April 15 -- their 30th anniversary -- they will be enjoying Hawaiian sunsets. That date is also Linda’s birthday, and it will be their fifth-year anniversary of buying a new home. They’ll have a lot to celebrate, while the rest of us will be trying to beat the April 15 tax deadline. And speaking of taxes, Linda and Michael do have to ante up some for their prize, but she says it’s a fair price to pay for a long overdue honeymoon. Looking for an Argument Several publications, including this online daily, have informed readers of the importance of state Proposition 1A (the Class Size Reduction Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 1998). If passed on Nov. 3, the measure will provide $9.2 billion to upgrade and build facilities around the state, including one of the first buildings at the Mission Bay campus. But when we opened up the 127-page California Voter Information Guide for the proposition arguments, for and against, there is no “1A” listed. That information, we learn, is included in a supplemental pamphlet that contains information on measures -- including “1A” -- that qualified for the ballot after the printing deadline for the principal ballot pamphlet. Many voters have not yet received the supplemental pamphlet, and UCSF Community and Governmental Relations director Steve Neuberger admits to worrying that many voters could be confused, and that could hamper a measure that is critical to public schools. Viagra Overdose If you listened to or saw some of the early radio, TV or wire stories Monday, you would have thought that the development of Viagra was worthy of this year’s Nobel Prize for Medicine. One report said the three American scientists won the coveted award “for discovering that the body uses nitric oxide gas to make blood vessels relax and widen -- a finding that helped lead to Viagra.” Oh, and by the way the discoveries have led to current and potential treatments for heart and lung disease, cancer and septic shock. Later stories better explained the impact of the work by scientists Robert F. Furchgott of State University of New York, Louis J. Ignarro of UCLA, and Ferid Murad of the University of Texas. Their discoveries in the 1980s that nitric oxide (NO) acts as a signaling molecule, mediating a wide variety of bodily functions, triggered an avalanche of research around the world. A press release from the Karolinska Institute, which awards the Nobel Prize, listed the discoveries’ “importance in medicine today and tomorrow.” Impotence was listed fifth among six categories. Readers: If you have any items or suggestions for this column, send us an email: andye@itsa.ucsf.edu. |
|||
|
DAYBREAK | ARCHIVES | CALENDAR
| CAMPUS NOTES Copyright ©1998 Regents of the University
of California. All rights reserved. |
|||
