Of Human Interest: News lite

NO LONGER GROWN UP AT 21

Now that the 21st century is here, forget 21 as the age of majority. A University of Chicago study indicates most Americans think it takes several more years to become an official grown-up.

The National Opinion Research Center's General Social Survey finds 73 percent considered it extremely important to complete one's education en route to adulthood.

Survey respondents said the average age for becoming self-supporting is 20.9 years old; leaving home, 21.1 years; gaining full-time employment, 21.2; completing schooling, 22.3; being able to support a family, 24.5; getting married, 25.7, and having a child, 26.2.

The survey queried 1,398 people nationwide in 2002.

RESTAURANTS LEGAL TARGETS

Lawyers are increasingly targeting the restaurant industry to find ways to hold it accountable for the nation's obesity epidemic, legal experts told a Washington, D.C., food policy meeting.

"We have a new movement," said John Banzhaf, law professor at George Washington University Law School in Washington who helped lead litigation against the tobacco industry. "I don't think I can sue people to get them to exercise, but we can do something about fast foods."

Banzhaf is calling on the restaurant industry to fully disclose all nutritional content of their products so consumers can make informed choices.

He says there is a "growing proliferation of fast food restaurants with their supersize portions and ubiquitous advertising," adding lawyers, "will continue to target the deep pockets of the food industry."

NO PLACE TO PIN THE UNION LABEL

The Philadelphia Daily News says nude models at Moore College of Art and Design have voted unanimously to wear the union label -- somewhere.

Philadelphia has the first nude model union, which will be part of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The Art Institute of Philadelphia and the Academy of Fine Arts could be next on the list.

College President Happy Fernandez, former Philadelphia councilwoman and mayoral candidate, told the paper the school will negotiate a new contract in good faith.

Models have complained of dirty studios and heating problems -- a special problem when working in the buff. The pay hasn't been great either -- $11 per hour.

GIVING BIRTH IN CAR NOT ALL THAT UNCOMMON

About 1 in every 300 women in the United States has given birth en route to the hospital or clinic, according to a new telephone survey conducted by Jiffy Lube and Ipsos-U.S. Express.

Statistics from state health departments that account for births on the road indicate they are more common in larger metropolitan areas such as Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth and Los Angeles.

Eva Marie Avendano, of American Medical Response's South Florida division, cites heavy traffic, foul weather and poor planning as some reasons why expectant mothers give birth before reaching their destinations.

"Based on our own experiences, it could be anything from a lack of good pre-natal care, to not knowing the baby's specific due date, to not knowing who to call for a quick ride to the hospital, or even road and weather conditions," she said.