European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 24, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 a a a the stars and stripes saturday March 24,1990u.s. Health labelled a Good Overall Blacks life spans declining report says Washington apr the health of while americans is improving but aids homicide and Lack of Access to medical care Are cutting Short the lives of Black americans according to a government report released thursday. While the life expectancy of whiles held steady from 1987 to 1988 at 75.5 years the Span for Blacks dropped slightly to 69.5. For Black men it is 65.1 years the report said. Quot americans health is Good Overall and we Are making excellent Progress in Many areas Quot health and human services Secretary Louis Sullivan said in a statement. Quot but this report also makes Clear that we need to do  the study. Health United states 1989, is the nth annual report of the health status of the nation. Overall the country improved its infant mortality rate slightly to 9.9 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1988, although this rate still ranks the United slates behind 21 other nations and the Gap Between whiles and Blacks is widening. White infants died at the rate of 8.6 per 1,000 live births in 1987, Down 0.3 Points from 1986. During the same period the rate for Black babies dropped Only slightly and at 17.9 per 1,000 births is More than twice As High As for whiles. Sullivan said the nation must move toward a equal health Opportunity for All americans and that individuals themselves must take More responsibility for their own health. As Many As half of All premature deaths in the country from the 10 leading causes of death can be traced to personal lifestyle said or. James Mason assistant Secretary for health. Quot no one is More responsible for our own Good health than you and me Quot he said. Dramatic declines in deaths from heart disease Down 33 percent Between 1970 and 1987, and stroke which dropped by 54 percent during the period contributed to the increased longevity of americans. Additionally the decline in cigarette smoking is accelerating Sullivan said. From 1985 to 1988, cigarette sales dropped about 2 percent a year but decreased 6 percent from 1988 to 1989. However from 1970 to 1987, lung cancer a the leading cause of death among women a increased by 31 percent for White women and 25 percent for Black women. In 1987, homicide took the lives of seven times More Black males than White males while the homicide rate for Black females was More than four times that for White females. Blacks were also lagging in the proportion of mothers receiving prenatal care in the first three months of pregnancy. For Blacks the proportion was 6 percent in 1987, compared with 60 percent for american indians 76 percent for asian and Pacific islanders and 79 percent for White women. The most important Factor in infant mortality is Low birth weight. The percent of infants born at less than 2,500 Grams or 5.5 pounds has remained about the same during the 1980s at 7 percent. However 1987 rates were highest among Black infants 12.7 percent and puerto Picans 9.3 percent. Hispanics had a rate of 6.2 percent and Whites 5.6 percent. A growing number of Blacks Are being diagnosed with acquired immune deficiency syndrome increasing from 25 percent to 29 percent of All aids cases Between 1984 and 1988. As of last september Blacks made up 55 percent of All aids cases among children under age 13, and hispanics accounted for 21 percent. Stateside a buddies Boogie Down the Boulevard four minium by buddies strut across new Yorkus l Imes Morlino of san Diego and Ken Triwush of Dayton Square on thursday. From left Greg Poretta of a Ohio Are finalists for the role of Rock Star buddy Holly Rien c Onn. Darren Dollar of Daytona Beach Fla Jim in a Broadway musical called  general motors Saturn Plant begins Pilot production of cars Spring Hill Tenn. Up a the Saturn c orp., the new subsidiary of general motors began Pilot production thursday of the subcompact cars announced with great fanfare six years ago As americans answer to the japanese Challenge a we just started today. We re trying to make sure that irom one end to the other this process works right Quot Saturn spokeswoman Jennifer Sheet Lucr said from the corporations state of the Art $3 billion la Clory. Saturn will build 80 Pilot cars before beginning commercial production in june or july she said. Pm is to Start a leaser advertising Campaign in september open the first Saturn Dealership in october and Send cars to showrooms in november. A a we re doing great. We re right on schedule. Well unveil the product in the fall As a 1991 Model Quot Schel Tler said. Saturn is scheduled to build 240,000 coupes sedans and station wagons annually priced Between $10,000 and $12,000 to compete against japanese imports. About 2,000 of the eventual 3,000 employees Are working at the factory where Saturn is imitating japanese automakers by employing the team concept. There arc brightly coloured cafeterias and fitness centers in each factory building and plans for a swimming Pool. Unlike other Auto factories the 2,400-acre Saturn Plant will build entire cars a from raw materials to the finished product. Engineers will be stationed regularly on the shop floor to be available for questions. The 80 Pilot cars will be taken apart and studied by engineers and Plant personnel said Guy Briggs vice president of manufacturing operations. A a it son the Job training. These wont be sold a he said. Quot this is a testing procedure. We re using this period to tweak the system and the Assembly  therapy used in treating disease Washington up a researchers reported thursday they have stumbled on a much simpler possibly reversible Way to use genes to treat disease a directly injecting genetic material into Muscles. In experiments involving Laboratory mice scientists said they have succeeded in injecting genes directly into Muscles. A the discovery that muscle has the ability to take up genes directly by injection is unexpected and very exciting a said or. Jon Wolff the University of Wisconsin researcher who directed the study published in the journal science. A i did no to believe it at first.�?�2 Sisters remain close right through birth of boys Greensboro . Apr As Sisters go Karen Marie Gehrke and Mary Ann Plante Are pretty close. They live a few doors Down from each other and go shopping and do a lot of other things together. Early thursday Gehrke 26, and Plante 28, delivered babies less than three hours apart. Both babies were boys. Each weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces. A you  have planned it this Way Quot said obstetrician Charles Lomax who spent thursday morning shuffling Between the two mothers at Wesley Long Community Hospital. Plante arrived at the Hospital first but Gehrke was first to deliver. Michael William her second child was born at 1 21 . In the next room at 4 19 ., Plante delivered Thomas Joseph. A this is such a wild coincidence. We could t believe it a Plante  Moose May get checkmate Westhampton mass. Up a the Lovesick Bull Moose that courted Peter Montague a Dairy heifers during the mating season last fall has renewed his romantic pursuits. Only this time the 1,800-Pound beast is damaging fences and Maple sugar Bushes at Montague a farm and authorities have Given the Farmer permission to shoot the Moose. A any animal that is destroying property the land owner has a right to destroy. That a our policy and its always been our Rule Quot Peter Pekkala state game manager said thursday. _ but Montague claims he does not necessarily want to shoot the full grown Bull Moose especially since local animal rights advocates asked him to spare the animal after they read in a local newspaper about plans to destroy it. The Moose first showed up at Montague a farm during the fall mating season and began courting the unsuspecting bovines. During his latest visit the Moose knocked Down fencing at the farm which allowed 20 of the cows to escape