WE’RE NO. 2
Marjabelle Young Stewart was simply delighted when we called to ask how Springfield
made it back on her annual list of well-mannered cities. “You are precious
to care that much,” the well-known etiquette expert and Kewanee, Ill., resident
gushed. Then she explained: “The people who nominated you admire your polish
and kindness and the respect you have for each other. There’s just something
about the stability and goodness of that town.”
The capital city comes in just behind Charleston, S.C., in Stewart’s ranking
for 2003, tied for second place with Peoria, Ill., and the Quad Cities. It’s
Springfield’s first appearance on the list since 1996, when it also placed second.
Springfield last year got a new mayor and a new part-time resident at the
Executive Mansion. Stewart says that didn’t weigh in the rankings, though she
says people tend to be polite when they get a new job. “They put a little more
emphasis on manners when they’re first on board,” she says.
Other polite cities: Pensacola, Fla., San Francisco, Omaha, Neb., Council
Bluffs, Iowa, Nashville, Tenn., New York City, Seattle, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Stewart bases her rankings on correspondence from people who take her etiquette
courses.
ORANGE YOU GLAD?
Do those dogs playing poker look squinty-eyed and suspicious? Black cat crossed
your path? Until now, your only choice: Be afraid, very afraid.
Thanks to Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Illinois today has a 24/7 Animal Terrorism
Information Hotline. Described as “the most comprehensive and thorough animal
surveillance hotline in the country,” the service takes calls from veterinarians,
health officials, and other government types who suspect that animals have been
involved in potential acts of terrorism. Not as perpetrators, but as victims.
The thinking is animals, especially livestock, could be targets of terrorists,
exposed to chemical or biological substances. (What will they think of next,
those darn evildoers!)
The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center and the departments of Public Health
and Agriculture worked jointly on the project. The number (888-426-4767) is
restricted to callers in Illinois.
This article appears in Jan 22-28, 2004.
