Published: May 13, 2007 11:49 am         

Census figures detail motherhood stats

As we celebrate Mother’s Day today, it is interesting to note that the day’s official observance began 99 years ago — and at a location not too far from here: Grafton, W.Va. It was May 10, 1908, when the first Mother’s Day was observed at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church (now United Methodist) in Grafton.

The latest Census Bureau statistics tell us that there are now more than 80 million mothers in the country.

Of the 4.1 million births in the U.S., in 2005, 414,000 were to teen-age mothers and 111,000 were to mothers 40 and older.

Eighty-one percent of women aged 40 to 44 are moms. In 1976, 90 percent were.

The census findings also show the number of mothers in the labor force who have infants is 55 percent, down 4 percent from the record-high 59 percent in 1998....

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) doesn’t want animals referred to as “it.”

Editor & Publisher magazine said PETA has written a letter to Norm Goldstein, the editor of the AP Stylebook, asking that the book be changed so that pronouns referring to animals always be “he,” “she,” and “who.” AP responded by noting the stylebook only uses “it” and “which” if the animal’s sex has not been established and the animal’s name is unknown.

According to Editor & Publisher, PETA says that in a society that is recognizing animals rights more and more, the pronouns were what animals “deserved,” and the letter from Anna West, Director of Written Communications, noted that many magazines had already made the switch. The legal system, as well, recently elevated animals to a status beyond “property,” and now holds that abusing animals is a crime worse than vandalism....

Mike Noonan, a Cumberland attorney, found his photograph on the front page of the Louisville Couurier-Journal last weekend during Kentucky Derby festivities. The photo shows a smiling Noonan sporting a wide-brimmed hat large enough to be holding an assortment of fruit and what appear to be fake cocktails — Mint Juleps, no doubt....

Is Bill O’Reillly of the Fox News “No Spin Zone” the media’s biggest name-caller?

According to a study done by Indiana University, researchers found that O’Reilly — whose newspaper column appears Mondays in the Times-News — consistently paints certain people and groups as villains and others as victims to present the world, as he sees it, through political rhetoric.

The IU study found that O’Reilly called a person or a group a derogatory name once every 6.8 seconds, on average, or nearly nine times every minute during the editorials that open his program each night.

“It’s obvious he’s very big into calling people names, and he’s very big into glittering generalities,” Mike Conway, assistant professor in the IU School of Journalism, said....

A few White House reporters covering the press briefings of presidential spokesman Tony Snow are wearing yellow cancer bracelets with Snow’s name inscribed on them. Snow is recovering from a recurring battle with cancer.

Some journalists are questioning whether it is appropriate for their colleagues to wear such bracelets while questioning Snow. The inference being that perhaps the reporters will be soft on Snow.

I, for one, think you can show encouragement and concern for your fellow man, and still be an effective reporter. At least, I hope so....

Speed Trap Exchange, an Internet Website that alerts drivers to speed traps, lists one for Allegany County on Interstate 68 in the vicinity of Rocky Gap State Park, and one for Garrett County, essentially all of I-68 in Garrett....

Seen on the Internet — Famously Stupid Celebrity Quotes:

* “Smoking kills. If you’re killed, you’ve lost an important part of your life.” — Brooke Shields

* “I’d rather be dead than singing Satisfaction when I’m 45.” — Mick Jagger

* It’s not that I dislike many people. It’s just that I don’t like many people.” — Bryant Gumbel

* “We’re going to turn this team around 360 degrees.” — NBA player Jason Kidd

* “From the waist down, Earl Campbell has the biggest legs I’ve ever seen on a running back.” — John Madden

* “The word ‘genius’ isn’t applicable in football. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein.” — Joe Theismann

Jan Alderton is managing editor of the Cumberland Times-News. His email address is jpalderton@times-news.com.