FEATURE
C5
Brits, Americans feud over park, tongues in cheeks Roswell Daily Record
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The British and the Americ an s a r e qu a r r e l i n g — al b ei t w it h t o n g ue s i n ch ee k — ove r t e r r i t or y again, this time over who has the world’s smallest park. One, in Portland, Ore., is essentially a concrete planter, 2-feet in diamet e r, wi th so i l a nd s o m e vegetation, and the Guinn es s Bo ok o f Wo r l d R e cor d s s ay s i t ’ s t h e smallest. T he o th e r i s a b ou t 5,000 miles away, in Engla nd . T h os e g u y s d on ’ t claim to have a physically smaller park — theirs is 1 5 f ee t b y 3 0 f ee t . B u t are d i s p ut i n g they whether Portland’s is a park at all. W ha t st a rt e d a s t wo Brits’ stunt to drum up publicity for a charity run at t he i r p ar k s p a r ke d some cross-pond banter. On e o nl i ne co m m e n t er wr o t e : “ I f t h at ’s a p ar k
t h e n m y w i n d ow b ox should take the title.” Someone who said they w e r e fr o m P o rt l an d replied: “Yes, but our park h a s l ep r ec h a un s . D o es yours?” L ep r e ch a u ns ? Ye s, that’s right. The faux-feud has helped unearth the curious story of a Portland newspaper column i s t ’s qu e st to ge t t h e park declared the smallest and his claim that it was home to leprechauns. The tale stretches back to 1946, when newspaperman Dick Fagan returned from World War II. From his of fice at the Oregon J o u r n al n ew s pa p er, h e co u ld se e a h o l e i n t h e street where a light post was supposed to be erecte d . F a g an g o t t i r ed of looking at the hole and planted flowers in it. An Irishman with a vivid imagination, Fagan wrote a b o ut t h e p a r k i n h i s columns — spinning tales
about leprechauns who l iv ed th er e. So meh ow, Guinness proclaimed Mill E nd s P a rk t h e w or l d’ s smallest park in 1971. Ja mie P an a s, th e record-keepers spokeswoman, said she didn’t know how that determination was made. But she sai d t h e e n t r y i n t h e Guinness database reads, in part: “It was designated a s a c it y par k o n 17 March 1948 at the behest of the city journalist Dick F agan ( US A ) f or sn ail races and as a colony for leprechauns. “ S n ail ra ces ? T h at ’ s right. Snail races. Over the years, Portland has been kind to the tiny park, giving it equal care as th at a f f or d ed t o th e 2 00 o r s o no r m a l- siz e parks scattered around the verdant city. St. Patrick’s Day cerem on ies h av e b ee n hel d there. It has plants and other vegetation. Strange
Sunday, April 14, 2013
ob jec ts ha ve a ppear e d mysteriously within it — a miniature swimming pool with a diving board, a tiny Ferris wheel and a UFO. The Occupy Wall Street movement, those protester s again st i nco me inequality, gave the park som e r ecog ni ti on . I n December 2011, a small gr ou p pu t m in iat u r e pr o te st sign s a nd t o y tents in the teeny park an d h eld a p r ot est (a m onth earl ier they had been evicted from a very real park they had occupied for six weeks). One of the protesters was arrested for refusing to leave. And now, Portland’s littlest park is getting big headlines. It started with a British sports management company called KV Events, based in Lichfield, north of Birmingham. It was p r om ot i ng the “world’s shortest fun run,” around Prince’s Park in Burntwood. The park has the Guin-
ness title of the United Kingdom’s smallest park. It h as a fen ce, a b en ch an d t hr ee t r ees. I t was founded in 1863 to commemorate the marriage of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, to Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Promoters Paul Griffin and Kevin Wilson decided to have some fun, launchin g a fau x ch allen g e t o Portland’s claim — figuring that would generate publicity for the race and for the charity the race is intended to benefit. gau n t let was The thrown down when Wilson told LichfieldLive.co.uk, a local web sit e, t h at t h e Portland park was just a “glorified flower pot.” Griffin followed up with interviews on Portland broadcast stations. “We understand the definition of a park to be a fenced area, usually in a natural state, possibly for r ecr eat ion p u rp oses,” Gr if fin said on K PA M
radio’s “Bob Miller Show.” Parks, said Griffin, are places where you can take family and friends for a picnic. “We don’t think you can do that in your fair park,” Griffin quipped. Portlanders have come to the defense of their Lilliputian park. Someone put a toy soldier with a bazooka in the vegetation as well as a fen ce — a defensive perimeter. “We Americans have a pretty good track record when it comes to taking on th e Br i ts. Pe rh ap s they’re still smarting over that whole American Revolution thing,” said Mark Ross, spokesman for Portland Parks & Recreation. Wilson says he has no intention of actually asking Guinness to take away Portland’s title. There is talk, however, of a North Atlantic alliance: A sisterpark relationship between t h e t wo, wh at ever t h at might look like.
AP Photo
Allison Wildman crouches low to get a photo of Mill Ends Park in Portland, Ore., Thursday. Tiny battle lines are being drawn in a whimsical British-American dispute over which country has the world’s smallest park. Two feet in diameter, Portland’s Mill Ends Park holds the title of world’s smallest park in the Guinness Book of World Records. But a rival has emerged — Prince’s Park, more than 5,000 miles away in the English town of Burntwood which holds the record for smallest park in the United Kingdom.
Lock of baby’s hair, first tooth ... breast milk?
NEW YORK (AP) — Strands from baby’s first haircut. The first tooth. Tiny footprints sunk into clay. Some parents even tuck away the dried stump of the umbilical cord or the stick pregnancy test as a touching memento marking the milestones of their kids. The latest? Breast milk jewelry. Few issues polarize mothers more than breast-feeding, and all things related to breast-feeding, so wearing processed breast milk around the neck or in a bracelet has ignited some passions. The jewelry, on sale at the handmade marketplace Etsy, is definitely not for writer Ashley McCann, 34, in Naples, Fla. She nursed both her boys, 6 and 9, and loved it, but she feels some sort of gross-out line has been crossed. “This is the most hilariously absurd trend in mommy jewelry that I have ever heard about in my life,” she said. “I think it is just flat-out weird, to be honest.” In addition to finished jewelry, a search on Etsy produces sellers of breast milk soap and one offering a locket kit for the DIY inclined. A couple purveyors, both moms, said in interviews that they hit on the idea as they sought out unusual keepsakes of their special bonds with their babies during nursing. The two would not reveal their recipes for processing the milk, which is covered with a glaze or clear resin after it is plasticized or dehydrated, forming a clay-like substance that hardens over time when at least one method is used. Prices range from $15 for the kit, which includes various locket designs, to $125 for a double pendant in copper bezels with a matching vintage chain. See MILESTONE, Page C6
Our pledge: When it comes to OB care, we deliver. Summer is coming upon us, don't forget to summarize your A/C units. We offer FREE estimates for new systems on all residential and commercial sites. Call for details 575-623-4328 We do service and install Trane, Frigidaire, Gibson Equipment, ect. to all Residential and Commercial properties. 2104 ½ S. Sunset Ave. PO Box 4523 Roswell, NM 88202 (575) 623-4328 Office * (575) 623-4329 Fax E-Mail: cdeltonsheatingnair@yahoo.com
Michael Nowak, D.O., and Scott Snyder, M.D., share a passion for bringing babies into the world. As dedicated, board-certified OB/GYN physicians, they have delivered thousands of babies and truly understand women’s needs. In addition to their wide range of services, Dr. Snyder provides specialized ultrasounds for high-risk pregnancies. Michael Nowak, D.O. Board-Certified OB/GYN
Scott Snyder, M.D. Board-Certified OB/GYN
Members of the Medical Staff at
Same- and next-day appointments are often available. Call for an appointment at 624-4646.
A New Era OB/GYN 350 W. Country Club Rd. • Roswell
624-4646