Dorothy Brush "Random Thoughts" Published Sept. 18, 2002

Animals add to decor
of city sidewalks

Today's column covers some recent news you may have missed.

It was a fad that caught on quickly. Who first came up with the idea of filling city sidewalks with animal figures I don't know, but artists were intrigued with the concept and began creating gaily painted and costumed animals for display. Racine, WI chose statues of Labrador retrievers to decorate their downtown. Chicago featured herds of fanciful cows. Peoria, IL chose pigs and Orlando, FL, of all things, lizards! I believe Knoxville planned to use bears.

Our nation's capital city fell under the spell and introduced a Party Animals exhibit. The chosen animals were, what else, a donkey and an elephant, symbols of our political parties. All summer they have been on display all over Washington and this fall they will be auctioned, with the money going to the arts community. All these colorful and comic animals brought a light touch to a year filled with stress.

In a more serious vein, New York City has commissioned the rendering of 100 dog statues in tribute to the canines of the search and rescue service. They too will be auctioned after a year with the money going to groups who train the dogs for this dangerous but so helpful mission.

*****
In 1947 the board of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists introduced the Doomsday Clock in that publication. At that time the hands were set at 11:53 before midnight. They defined midnight as nuclear war but over the years that definition has been redefined as the use of nuclear weapons anyplace on earth.

In the intervening years the hands have been reset 17 times. In 1998 the hands were moved back to 11:51 but in February of this year they were once again moved to 11:53, reflecting the effect of Sept. 11 plus increasing world tensions and threats.

*****
Often called the paper of record and at other times the old gray lady, The New York Times uses the slogan "All the news that's fit to print." This month their executive editor, Alabama-born Howell Raines, who was named to that position just a year ago, made an announcement that was both cheered and jeered.

Raines said the paper will publish reports of same-sex commitment ceremonies or of formal registration of gay and lesbian partnerships. He explained, "We recognize that the society remains divided about the legal and religious definition of marriage, and our news columns will remain impartial in that debate, reporting fully on all points of view."

This decision was not ground-breaking, as an article in Editor & Publisher explained. It noted that 36 of the top 100 daily newspapers already accepted such announcements, but some said although they accept them they seldom use them. Last July in North Carolina, the Fayetteville Observer used a picture of the two grooms along with the announcement, and seven readers canceled their subscriptions.

If the experimenting being done at a Chicago reproductive genetics institute works out, papers may change their reporting on births too. These scientists are trying to turn female cells into the equivalent of sperm. That would mean babies could be made from two females.
So much for the news you might have missed!

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Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday.