Of Human Interest: News lite

VIEWERS HIP TO 'REALITY' SHOWS

People enjoy watching so-called reality TV shows -- "Big Brother" or "Popstars" -- but they are not fooled by how participants tend to act up, British research shows.

University of Westminster researcher Annette Hill in Middlesex says viewers see these programs as entertaining, not informative. She says cynicism about the reality of such shows has led viewers to look for moments of truth -- usually during a crisis when the participants appear true to themselves.

Her research covered a wide range of shows -- including leisure programs, docu-soaps and documentary game shows.

A survey of more than 8,000 adults and 900 children found 67 percent opted for programs about watching people in everyday places -- such as the airport -- and 64 percent liked shows based on true-life experiences about emergency services, driving, first aid or pets.

CLEANER EMISSIONS SAVE LIVES

A study in Tuesday's Journal of the American Medical Association shows a decrease in carbon monoxide vehicle emissions -- a result of the 1970 Clean Air Act -- can be linked to big reductions in the death rate from motor vehicle-related CO poisoning.

Carbon monoxide had contributed to more than 2,000 poisoning deaths per year in the United States.

Common sources include the operation of vehicles in enclosed areas, malfunctioning home heating systems and improperly vented combustion appliances.

The researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta say between 1968 and 1998, CO-related death rates declined an estimated 57.8 percent.

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS SUE OVER GLOBAL WARMING

Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the City of Boulder, Colo., have filed suit in federal court in San Francisco on behalf of their members and citizens who are victims of global warming.

The suit names two U.S. government agencies -- the Export Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corp., which provide financing and loans to U.S. corporations for overseas projects that commercial banks deem too risky.

The suit, the first of its kind, alleges OPIC and Ex-Im illegally provided more than $32 billion in financing and insurance for oil fields, pipelines and coal-fired power plants without assessing their contribution to global warming and their impact on the U.S. environment, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act.

Among those joining in the suit are a North Carolina couple who fear their retirement property will be lost to storm surges, erosion and the rising sea level, one of the largest maple syrup producers in Vermont who believes his business will be ruined as maple trees disappear from the area, and a marine biologist whose life's work is in jeopardy because coral reefs are disappearing because of rising ocean temperatures.

SAT SCORES UP IN UNITED STATES

Math scores are up and more minority students are taking the SAT, the College Board says.

Bob Chase, of the National Education Association says students are making consistent improvement in math achievement and college preparation.

"More students have tackled challenging coursework, especially in math -- and it shows," Chase said.

Math scores on the college entrance exam for the high school class of 2002 rose 2 points to 516 -- the highest level in 32 years, the College Board reported.

A record 46 percent of 2002 high school graduates took the college-entrance exam; 35 percent of test-takers were minority students, another record.