Notebook: Jan. 19, 1998

WINNERS & LOSERS COMEBACKS AND COMEUPPANCES

[WINNERS]

MICHAEL TIGAR The anti-Cochran. Takes Nichols jury by the tail. Defense lawyers don't have to be sleazy

STEVE JOBS Apple posts a profit. Maybe the better product isn't rotten after all. And, Steve, bag the beard

LITTLE MERMAID Topless, headless Copenhagen siren gets noggin back

[& LOSERS]

RAMZI AHMED YOUSEF Gets 240 years of solitude. World Trade bomber, proud to be a terrorist, will have no one to brag to

JERRY JONES Firing Barry was a good idea, but you hired him. An even worse idea: your desire to coach

DR. RICHARD SEED We like the name, but can this guy even clone a cockroach?

OF THEE WE SING

Sonny Bono was not the only recording artist to walk the halls of Congress. A brief Washington hit parade:

--In 1967 EVERETT MCKINLEY DIRKSEN became the first to record an album while serving in the Senate. Dirksen beat out Rod McKuen for the best spoken-word Grammy award.

--Senator George ("Softshoe") Murphy made many records. One with Ronald Reagan was Communist Infiltration of Hollywood in the 1940s, also featuring Gary Cooper.

--While he was majority leader in 1978, Senator Robert Byrd (who started his political career by playing fiddle on West Virginia street corners) recorded Mountain Fiddler, an album of "classic fiddle tunes of the old frontier, frolic tunes and gospel."

--Last year Utah Senator Orrin Hatch released two CDs, My God Is Love and Freedom's Light, with music by Janice Kapp Perry and lyrics by himself. He also released a single, titled Many Different Roads, that was a tribute to Princess Diana and Mother Teresa.

--This spring, the Singing Senators--majority leader Trent Lott, John Ashcroft of Missouri, Larry Craig of Idaho and James Jeffords of Vermont (all Republicans)--will release their first album. The only one with professional recording experience is Ashcroft, who collaborated on two albums and in 1995 released a solo effort called Gospel (Music) According to John.

HEALTH REPORT

THE GOOD NEWS

FISH STORY Just one serving of fish a week seems to cut in half the risk of sudden cardiac death. Researchers don't know if the fat or something else in seafood is the reason. But beware: other studies show that fat from fish may increase the risk of breast cancer 69%.

TAKE A HIKE The ranks of retired guys are growing fast, yet few studies have examined whether exercise really benefits them. Now research finds that walking is great stuff: two miles daily can keep older men alive significantly longer.

THAT'S OIL Monounsaturated fat in the diet--found in canola and olive oils--appears to cut the risk of breast cancer in half.

Sources: Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA); New England Journal of Medicine; JAMA

THE BAD NEWS

IT'S A GENE THING Cholesterol-lowering drugs, while great at correcting bad cholesterol, may not be effective in preventing heart disease in men who have an unusual cholesterol gene. About 15% of men have the problem gene. A blood test can show if you're one.