Reproductions

Exotic and at the same time cozy, wicker is the perfect furniture for the '90s.Versatile wicker is moving indoors these days -- into living rooms, bedrooms and dens as well as sun rooms and playrooms. Because it goes with so many different styles, it fits comfortably in today's eclectic settings. And the current popularity of natural materials and neutral colors makes wicker, well, a natural.It's no longer just the furniture of summer homes and tropical climates. Nowadays companies like Braxton Culler, a leading manufacturer of wicker furnishings, sell almost as much in this area as they do in Florida.

A struggle for sexual and reproductive rights for women is taking place throughout Latin America - in the courts, in parliaments and in councils of government. And the course of that struggle could be significantly affected by the next appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court and a host of U.S. policies aimed at restricting reproductive rights at home and abroad. Colombia's draconian anti-abortion law, which prohibits the procedure without any exceptions, is being challenged by an international women's rights group.

Hard on the heels of the sensational story of Nadya Suleman - the California woman who has added octuplets to her family of six children - comes the news that a 60-year-old woman recently gave birth to twins in Canada. So we are reminded yet again that doctors are getting better and better at delivering what, in years past, would have been reasonably described as miracles. And important questions are being asked as a result, such as: Is it responsible for a woman to bear children regardless of her age or the number of babies involved?

Master blacksmith Nick Vincent, founder and past president of the Blacksmith Guild of Central Maryland, says he started out modestly 29 years ago — a hammer, an anvil and very little idea of what he was doing. "The first things I ever made I made in my back yard in Reisterstown," said Vincent, who now operates Nathan's Forge, his one-man blacksmithing enterprise, in Uniontown. "I made some hooks, and they were awful," he added with a grin. Vincent has come a long way since then.

Nearly two decades ago, members of the Maryland General Assembly approved a law clarifying a woman's right to an abortion. It permits late-term abortions to save the life or health of the mother or when the fetus is seriously abnormal or deformed. This action was not taken lightly — or without considerable debate and public scrutiny. Lawmakers were concerned that this basic right to choose might be denied women if the Supreme Court ever overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

Q: Where can I find fine reproductions of American country furniture and accessories approved by prominent museums?A: Write to the Workshops of David T. Smith, 3600 Shawhan Road, Morrow, Ohio 45152, enclosing $3.50 for a catalog or $3.50 for a packet of color photos, or phone (513) 932-2472.Q: I collect old and interesting kitchen tools of all types. Is there a club or newsletter for kitchen collectors?A: From 1984 to 1986, extensive information appeared in the quarterly Kitchen Collectibles News, and copies are available for $25 postpaid from Linda Campbell Franklin, 2716 Northfield Road, Charlottesville, Va.: 22901.

Here is an excerpt of an editorial from the Chicago Tribune, which was published Thursday.IT OFTEN appears that technology is advancing faster than the ability of human beings to cope with it. The latest illustration comes from a suburban Chicago divorce battle over the fate of two frozen embryos.The wife, Margaret Hale, wants them implanted in her womb to give them "a shot at life," in her words. Her estranged husband, Todd Ginestra, who filed for divorce in July, prefers to destroy them.

It may be an art-world first: An art collector is suing a sculptor for reproducing her own work.Dallas collector Frank Ribelin filed the suit last month against artist Beverly Pepper. In it, Mr. Ribelin claims that "Ternana Wedge," a cast-iron sculpture he commissioned from Ms. Pepper and for which he paid $90,000, lost value when she created a copy of the piece for the Smithsonian Institution.Ms. Pepper's New York gallery owner, Andre Emmerich, who is also named in the suit, says the pieces differ in size and texture -- that, in fact, they are variations on a theme, a concept that artists, including Degas (with his ballet dancers)

Abortion care is part of basic health care for women. It is not up to politicians to decide whether and when we have children. But as Congress nears agreement on a historic health care reform bill, women's fundamental reproductive freedom is being threatened. Proposed restrictions on how or whether insurance companies in the proposed health care exchange could provide abortion coverage for women remain a contentious issue. In order to move forward, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland is corralling wavering Democrats to find the votes necessary to pass the Senate's health care reform bill.