Watercooler Stories

WIRELESS COMPLAINTS UP IN WASHINGTON

For many people, cell phones and computers are still "experimental" and should have never been released to the general public until they are perfected. The attorney general of Washington state knows that already. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer says that Christine Gregoire has received more than 2,200 complaints about cellular service in her state.

The problem is that, in essence, a cell phone is a two-way radio. The same people who would understand a crummy signal if they were using a walkie-talkie, think that cell phones should perform flawlessly. Part of the reason they have the perception, of course, is the way that the companies advertise their projects -- "Can you hear me now?"

The publication says that Gregoire reports that complaints range from dropped calls to billing problems and misunderstandings over sales plans.

The attorney general says she may prepare a kind of "report card" about the various cell providers in her state.

MAYO SAYS SKIN CREAM GOOD FOR MIGRAINES

Researchers at the venerable Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., confirm that tests on Botox, sold as a wrinkle-reducer, has been shown as an effective treatment for severe headaches. According to information released to national media by the medical clinic, it's not known why Botox has an ameliorating effect on migraines, but preliminary tests seem to bear out that conclusion.

It is thought that the medication somehow blocks the transmission of "pain information" to the brain. Nearly 30 million Americans suffer from migraines and other debilitating headaches.

The substance was injected into areas of the face and head during a series of tests at the clinic. Success rates have been as high as 61 percent.

FRENCH COURT: FETUS NOT A PERSON

In a court judgment in France that will likely evoke as much strident debate as this week's "the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional" ruling here in the States, the highest French court has ruled that a fetus is not a living human. Court records of the French supreme court -- the Cour de Casssation -- show that the jurists ruled against a woman's bid to sue doctors in the death of her unborn child. The child died during what the woman claimed was a botched delivery.

The decision is the second of its kind for the court in the last year. Several months ago it ruled that a drunken driver who caused an accident in which a pregnant woman was hit and lost the baby she was carrying could not be ruled a homicide.

AMTRAK AND WHITE HOUSE REACH AGREEMENT

This was to be "push has come to shove" week for the future of the nation's passenger rail service, Amtrak. The head man at the railroad had told legislators on Capitol Hill that if he wasn't handed a check for $200 million he would have to start shutting down some of the company's less-used routes. Some on The Hill promised monetary help, but much less than he wanted.

Now, according to a statement released by the Department of Transportation and the national rail carrier, what is being termed "excellent progress" has been made in attempts to find the millions to keep the trains rolling.

One reason that some legislators may be more friendly to Amtrak than the average American is the success of the trains in what is called the Northeastern Corridor. That section of Amtrak's routing runs from Washington, through New York City, to Boston. It is highly used and has proven to be a faster way to get from downtown Washington to downtown Manhattan than taking the plane.