by Kelley Rouse
Santa's Grab Bag
Peace on Earth to Occidental Chemical Corporation. Occidental will pay $129-million dollars to cover the federal government's cleanup costs at Love Canal, closing another chapter in the nation's most notorious toxic dumping case.
Good Will to all the men and
women who have suffered for so long over the possession of "holy lands."
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will be delivering a speech Christmas Eve
from the roof of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. 28 years of Israeli
occupation in the town of Jesus' birth ended this week, allowing
Palestinians home rule.And for all the families of the
little northwoods towns in Michigan's Upper Peninsula whose men deserted
them, they'll "be home for Christmas!" And they'll be bringing back fat
paychecks after spending the month of December in big city parking lots
selling Christmas trees.Pounds of Flesh
It may sound like something from "Silence of the Lambs" but Tommy McGruder is helping to ease the suffering of many children. McGruder, who lost 400 pounds in five months had so much excess skin hanging on him, doctors were concerned. So they trimmed 60 pounds of skin from McGruder this week in a 19 hour long operation.
The skin was donated to St.
Christopher's Children's Hospital in Philadelphia for burn victims and
research. That's enough skin, doctor's say, to cover a ten year old child
head to toe."Duck!!!"
Here's to the fifteen people who carried on in the Animal House tradition with an "in-flight food fight" this week.
Children from the group were
apparently sent to steal liquor from the flight attendents when the grown-ups
were refused any more. And then the food started flying."It was basically pandemonium,"
said a Northwest spokeswoman.The group was given time to
sober up when they landed in L.A. and were then sent back to London.Swan Song
"I would look at the way the wind would make trees move. At how the branches would bend," Nina Verchinina once said trying to explain the slow, graceful lift of her arms.
The 85 year old Russian-born
dancer, who was one of the first to blend classical ballet with modern
dance movement and emotion, died at her home in Rio last week.Until the day she died,
Verchinina gave 12 hours of daily dance lessons. "It was her passion," says
her close friend Regina Miranda, a respected choreographer, who was with
her when she died.Vigilent
We might say, "Get A Life."
Colin Powell chose to express that sentiment a little differently to the die-hard supporter who spent the last five weeks in an L.A. park in hopes of persauding the retired general to reconsider his decision not to run for president.
Powell sent the man a fax
explaining his decision was final and encouraged him to "find a new way to
challenge your energy in service to the nation."Mona Lisa Baby
Finally, we leave you with a "smile" in the making. 7-year old Chelsea Thomas will be practicing her smile by using the facial muscles we use to bite. Surgeons have transplanted a nerve to the left side of her face hoping to correct a rare condition that causes the corners of her mouth to sag in a perpetually grumpy look.
What is a smile worth? This
two-step operation cost around 70-thousand dollars. But for Chelsea's mom
it's a priceless gift. "She'll be able to smile for the first time, and
that's something every parent waits for."Copyright ©1995 Kelley Rouse
kxrouse@sae.ssu.umd.eduOther Writings by Kelley Rouse
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