Lubricants

Crying, coughing and holding their aching heads, hundreds of children were evacuated from 13 classrooms at Liggett Street Elementary School on Friday morning after mysterious, foul-smelling fumes apparently invaded the school's ventilation system. Investigators from the Los Angeles Unified School District, city Fire Department and county hazardous materials unit were called to the school about 10:55 a.m. but found nothing unusual, school administrator Carmen Schroeder said.

By the time Adam Huber started his third decade producing lubricants and oils for industrial machines, he knew he could be called a successful entrepreneur. But to Huber, he hadn't quite made it. In the mid-1980s when he was near retirement age, Huber got a longtime idea off the ground as he began testing a product that would be sold to consumers, not companies.

A new state excise tax on oil and lubricants that took effect Friday immediately began frustrating and even outraging retailers who fear that the 4-cents-a-quart levy will add to their paperwork and force them to raise prices. The tax, being levied to raise funds for oil recycling programs, applies only to the makers of oil products.

Paradoxical but true: An industry in which U.S. companies and technology lead the world is in deep trouble here at home. The industry is oil and gas, especially the exploration and production parts of it. Even as major U.S. drilling and exploration companies help find new deposits around the world--contributing about $13 billion in export earnings to the U.S. trade account--the number of drill rigs working in the United States is at its lowest point since 1942.

They are named for that mean Richard Boone character on the classic television Western, "Have Gun, Will Travel," and the Paladins have probably logged more miles than a decade of cowboys in a hurry and Indians trying to stay out of their way. These rockabilly rockers will be opening for Otis Clay Friday night at the Anaconda Theatre in Isla Vista. They wear enough grease on their hair to lubricate a fleet of Harleys. They don't do a lot of slow ones. They don't have a lot of nights off, either.

For a crisp snapshot of California's diverse economy, check out the companies topping this year's Times 100 list. The companies giving their shareholders the most for their money are making software to run printers and selling mutual funds, active sportswear and X-ray machines. Adobe Systems, the Mountain View software maker, topped the list for the second year in a row, despite a stock price plunge earlier in the year.

Q: I'd like to fix up an antique lamp I received from my grandmother, however, before I can get it to work I've got to get the old, broken bulb out. The glass and filament are gone, but the metal part is still screwed tightly into the socket. Is there any kind of special tool I can use? S.T., Rancho Santa Margarita A: "There are no special tools, although I make this repair so often I wish there were," says Joe Trujillo of Allied Lighting in Costa Mesa.

Question: Can you tell me if my new 1989 Buick LeSabre has grease plugs in the suspension system that need to be lubricated in the usual manner? I have read that some new cars do not need this maintenance. --S.M. Answer: All the computer chips, fuel injection systems and high-technology paints in new cars have not changed the basic need for a periodic greasing. I am not aware of any new cars that come without any recommended greasing intervals, and I would be skeptical if any did.

The long-term risks from cardiac, abdominal and gynecological surgery can be significantly reduced by use of a genetically engineered lubricating agent that minimizes tissue damage and improper healing, researchers said Monday at a meeting of the American Chemical Society. Improperly healed surgical wounds, called adhesions, can be painful or life-threatening, and can greatly increase the risk of followup surgery.

A wide range of lubricants commonly used in conjunction with condoms--including Wesson oil, Nivea hand cream, Vaseline Intensive Care lotion and baby oil--can cause the contraceptives to break within 60 seconds after they are applied, far more quickly than researchers had believed, a new study has found.