NATION UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Friday, January 31. 1997 Cold snap uproots workers Florida freeze destroys crops, laborers' income Associated Press FLORIDA CITY, Fla. — The American Dream for Sara Rosas, her husband and their 1-year-old daughter may have slipped away while they slept. Two weeks ago, a hard freeze in Florida, where the nighttime highs during the winter usually are in the 60s and 70s, killed millions of dollars in fruit and vegetables, wiping out the jobs of up to 20,000 migrant farmworkers. Before the freeze, many migrants, like the Rosas family, had hoped to settle down. Now they may be forced to hit the road again and return to their frayed lives looking for work from Ohio to Florida. "I thought we had found a home," said Rosas, 19. "I thought our little girl could grow up without having to live out of a car and beg for the key to the restroom at gasoline stations." The Rosas and hundreds of other migrant farmworkers have been living year-round in rent-subsidized homes outside Florida City, in a neighborhood that looks no different from many in nearby Miami — new, three-bedroom houses with vards dotted with palm trees. The homes are a far cry from the leaky and filthy wooden shacks around the country that most of the migrants had known while growing up and traveling to harvest crops. The Florida city housing, with its rent subsidized by the Department of Agriculture, had meant that many of the workers could put down roots rather than head north for the spring and summer crops. Their savings from working hard from November through March — 10 hours a day, seven days a week —and from a little farm work during the rest of the year were enough to allow them to remain in South Florida. But the freeze means that many will have to go to other warm spots to pick fruits and vegetables. Many of the workers, mostly from Mexico, Guatemala and Haiti, don't have enough money to survive until the last winter harvest, in March and April. "Some families already have moved. We're going to see more," said Juanita Mainster, director of resident service for Everglades Community Association, a nonprofit group that helps migrant farmworkers. "They're eligible for food stamps and unemployment, but it takes weeks to process their applications, and they just don't have enough money to hang on until then." Similarly, USDA is considering waiving or deferring rent on the hundreds of USDA-subsidized homes, but that requires a federal disaster declaration first, and Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman has not yet made a decision, said Tom Kirby, government affairs director of the Dade County Farm Bureau. Florida is the nation's No. 2 supplier of winter produce, after California. It supplies the Northeast and some of the Midwest. The 24-degree freeze the night of Jan. 18 caused an estimated $93 million in damage to tomatoes, squash, corn, mangoes and other fruit and vegetables in Dade County alone. The crop damage elsewhere in Florida was put at $200 million, and produce prices around the country already are rising. Hormone may help obese shed pounds Associated Press NEW YORK — Scientists have uncovered the first direct evidence that people with low levels of the hormone leptin may be prone to weight gain. A study reported in the February issue of Nature Medicine found that people who gained an average of 50 pounds over three years had lower leptin levels than did those who didn't gain weight. The study strongly suggests that low leptin levels lead to weight gain, said Eric Ravussin, one of the researchers. Leptin made headlines in 1995 when scientists reported that it could melt weight off mice. It is made by fat cells and appears to tell the brain how much fat an He said that 10 percent of overweight people might be leptin-deficient. Leptin injections may help some overweight people slim down. Scientists are studying this possibility. animal is carrying. People have leptin in their blood, too, but it's not clear if it affects their weight. Scientists launched the new study after noticing that some people had less leptin compared to others with similar percentages of body fat. The results are intriguing, said John P. Forey of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. But the study will have to be done again with larger numbers and with people other than Pima Indians, he said. However, if further studies show similar findings, doctors may one day be able to identify children with low leptin levels and give them the hormone to prevent them from getting fat, he said. Foresty said leptin isn't the only influence over a person's weight, nor would low levels necessarily mean a person will get fat. "All of us are in control of our behavior," he said. FDA approves drug that may help diabetics The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration approved a drug yesterday that offers a million diabetics the hope of reducing—and for some even stopping—their insulin shots. Hitting pharmacy shelves by the end of March, Parke Davis' troglitazone is the first drug to attack the underlying trigger of Type II diabetes, the disease's most common form It somehow resensitizes the body to insulin, a hormone that converts blood sugar into energy. Some patients — about 15 percent of those who tested the drug — no longer needed insulin shots because the amount their bodies manufactured became sufficient again. Most patients still needed insulin but required fewer injections each day. "It's an exciting new drug," said Philip Cryer, president of the American Diabetes Association. "Nobody ought to abruptly stop their insulin," he said. "They have to work with the doctor to see if troglitazone has an effect and then reduce insulin gradually." Troglitazone will be sold under the brand name Rezulin, but Parke Davis said a price has not been set. About 90 percent of the 16 million diabetics in America have this type. Diet, exercise and pills to boost insulin production and decrease glucose production can help. But as they age, most of these diabetics will need insulin shots — and a million of them still cannot adequately control the disease. Type II diabetes, also known as the noninsulin-dependent type, usually hits in adulthood. The body's natural insulin gradually loses its ability to work, letting blood sugar, or glucose, rise. Unchecked, that can cause kidney damage, blindness, heart disease and other complications. These are the patients Rezuln is expected to help. The National Institutes of Health is studying whether people at high risk of developing Type II diabetes could avoid contracting the disease by taking the drug. The drug's side effects are rare and mild, the FDA said. NAITDATWAY - NATURAL FIBER CLOTHING * NATURAL BODYCARE *820-822 MASS. *841-0100* Your only opportunity to see this spectacular national tour in our region. 5 Exclusive Performances! Tickets on sale at the Lied Center Box Office (913) 864-383; Murphy Hall Box Office (964) 862-382; SUA Box Office (864) 3477; Ticketmaster at (913) 234-5455 ALL TICKETS 1/2 PRICE FOR STUDENTS Presented by The University of Kansas School of Fine Arts Lied Center Broadway Series and Astor Universal 928 Mass. Downtown Park in the rear We Buy, Sell, Trade & Consign USED & New Sports Equipment 841-PLAY 1029 Massachusetts PLAY IT AGAIN SPORTS S 35 50 Adults Before Hearing Baby 6:00 P.M. Imagined Stereo Fireace CreaturesPG13 4:30, 7:30, 9:40 One Fine DayPG 7:20, 9:40 In Love and WarPG13 4:10, 7:10, 9:50 Shadow ConspiracyPG 4:20, 7:20, 9:30 EvaPG 4:00, 7:00, 9:50 Meet Walt SparkPS 4:00, 7:00, 9:30 Zeus and RoxannePG 4:20 coupon All Films Screened in Woodruff Auditorium, Level 5, Kansas Union Tickets $2.50 ($3.00 Midnight) FREE with SUA Movie Card. Call 864-SHOW http://www.ukans.edu/sua Brightone Leather Goods The Etc. Shop Accessories for Men & Women Belts, Hand Bags, Shoes Wallets & Billfolds 928 Mass. Downtown Lawrence Liberty Hall 644 Mass 749.1912 Hollywood Theaters THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FUNN B **4/15, 7:28, 9:50** JERRY MAGUIRE B **5:00, 8:00** THE DELI JM **4:20, 7:28, 9:30** EVENLY HILL PARK PE-13 **4:55, 7:28, 9:30** STAR UNDER PE **4:00, 7:55** CINEMA TWIN ALL SLATS 1110 IOWA 841-5191 $1.25 SLEEPERS R 5:30, 6:30 THE ASSEMBLY PE-13 5:30, 7:15, 9:30 SHOW TIMES FOR IODAY ONLY Also featuring, "NKWA" (African Dance Group), a newly formed Student Organization at the University of Kansas which will perform traditional dances from Nigeria. "Antioch Mass Choir" from The Antioch Ministry Baptist Church, Topeka, KS will perform gospel songs Sponsored by the Black Student Union, NKWA, Student Senate and African and African American Studies Department The Traditional Music Society, an educationally-based arts organization from Kansas City, MO will perform "The Soundz of Africa," an ensemble of authentic music and dance from West Africa. Sunday, February 2 7:00 pm, Lied Center Free Admission STUDENT SENATE THREE-FERS 3-PIZZAS 1-TOPPING 3 DRINKS TWO-FERS 2-PIZZAS 2-TOPPINGS 2-DRINKS $9.75 "NO COUPON SPECIALS"EVERYDAY 842-1212 PARTY "10" 10-PIZZAS 1-PIZZA 1 TOPPING 1-TOPPING 1-DRINK $32.50 $3.75 DELIVERY HOURS Sun-Thurs 11am-2am Fri-Sat 11am-3am Lunch • Dinner • Late Night 1601 W. 23rd Southern Hills Center • Lawrence DINE-IN AVAILABLE • WE ACCEPT CHECKS A/V 913-842-1811 CAR 913-842-1438 CDs 913-842-1544 24th & Iiowa St., Lawrence, KS 65046