[H]ardNews 4th Edition - Blair Tech Ed.

Bodies Make Ozone?

The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is reporting that the human body makes ozone. Led by TSRI President Richard Lerner, Ph.D. and Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry Paul Wentworth, Jr, Ph.D., who made the original discovery, the team has been slowly gathering evidence over the last few years that the human body produces the reactive gas—most famous as the ultraviolet ray-absorbing component of the ozone layer—as part of a mechanism to protect it from bacteria and fungi. "Ozone was a big surprise," says TSRI Professor Bernard Babior, M.D., Ph.D. "But it seems that biological systems manufacture ozone, and that ozone has an effect on those biological systems."

Toll Free Sex:

Out-of-work Ohioans might welcome a diversion, but state officials say they never intended to suggest they call a toll-free sex line. Embarrassed officials in the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said all 165,000 unemployment checks issued during the first two weeks of February carried a toll-free number to file an automated claim.

Net Sales Tax:

California--the birthplace of the Internet revolution--is considering taxing e-commerce, a policy reversal being urged by some lawmakers desperate to head off a budget crisis. California Gov. Gray Davis vetoed a bill in 2000 that would have required Web-based retailers to collect sales taxes, a move that came as the Internet bust was just beginning to undo many of the state's high-flying dot-coms. Three years later, California's high tech-fueled surpluses have evaporated and the Golden State faces a shortfall that could reach $35 billion over the next year and a half.