European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 1, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday january 1, 18s6 the stars and stripes Page 3 late entries putting spice in 1985 Oscar race los Angeles a the 1985 Academy awards which some critics have suggested cancelling because or artistic deficiency in the year s crop of movies have suddenly acquired credibility with a late season surge of prestige entries. Until december the list of potential Oscar nominations seemed painfully thin. However As usually happens he major companies brought Forth their Best products for the Holiday and Academy season. Among the Lale contender Ore this color purple out of Africa revolution Murphy s Romance and a Cho rus  the Lale arrivals arc Likely to dominate the Oscar Competition to the detriment of worthy though not overwhelming films re leased earlier in the year. Academy voters Wilh Short memories might Overlook such movies As the purple Rose of Cairo  the breakfast club and wit Ness the lunch release prizzi s Honor is not Likely to be ignored. U contained Power House performances and tour do Force direction by John Huston still at the Peak of his Powers at 79. Publicity cannons for Alt potential Candi dates began firing in november Wilh Trade paper ads and free screenings for Academy members. Campaigning will continue until the feb. 5 nominations and Hen resume for the final drive. The awards ceremony will he held March 24, again in the los Angela music Center. Stanley Donen singin in the rain charade will produce the presentation and Marly Pasetta will Clurn As director. Here s How the major races Are shaping up Best picture the color purple May Well provide the Oscar hat has eluded Ste Ven Spielberg. Out of Africa directed by Sydney Pollack hits a so proved a Strong entry. Others in Contention arc or Biz s Honor revolution Murphy s to  runaway train a chorus line Back to the future cocoon and kiss of he spider  Best actor it was t the Best of years for male performances William Hurt has attracted critical acclaim for his role As the homosexual prisoner in kiss of the spider woman and Jack Nicholson s rare latent was acclaimed Nncy in Pri i s  Lou Gossett or. Managed a spectacular performance underneath pounds of makeup in enemy  also impressive were Danny Glover in the color purple Al Pacino in revolution icae Haltman in twice in a life time Harrison Pord. Witness Michael Douglas a chorus line Jon void Ltd runaway train and Sam Shepard fool for love  actress As happened last year the in Murphy s Romance Jessica Lang set dreams Sissy Sparck  out they arc threatened by a Brush new Comer whoops Goldberg in the color  Gerald inc Page has been drawing Hoo rays from reviewers Lor a trip to Founti  other possibilities include Olynn close the jagged Edge or Masie Mia Farrow the purple Rose of Cairo Anne Bancroft and Jane Fonda Agnes of god Cher  Bitsi supporting actor a Good year for old timers. Don Ameche made a sparkling comeback in cocoon William Hickey was sensational in prizzi s Honor and John Gielgud was his usual perfection in  Harry Dean Sinton was equally Good in one magic Christmas and fool for  others to consider Are Raul Julia kiss of the spider woman Jeff Daniels the purple Rose of curio Erie Stollz  Best supporting actress Anjelica Huston registered strongly in her father s Piizzi i Honor and Meg Tilly had a powerful role in Agnes of  also there s Amy Madigan in twice in a lifetime Marga ret a the color purple Laura Dern mask Kirn Basinger fool for  Best direction Spielberg Pollack and Huston will be in the running. Others in clude Hugh Hudson revolution Martin Rill Murphy s Romance Woody Allen the purple Rose of Cairo Andre Kon Halovsky runaway train anti Ron Howard  baby Boomers will be marking 40th birthdays Washington a the huge group of americans who burst Forth in the Post world War ii baby Boom to flood the schools and reorient american society toward youth is about to Start turning 40. The first 9,000 or so members of that generation a group that has had an unsettling effect on America since u began arriving will Mark their 40lh birthdays with the Start of the new year said Cheryl Russell editor of american demographics Magazine. Throughout their lives. Baby Boomers have placed stresses on american society said Leon f. Bouvier of the population reference Bureau a Pri vate research group in Washington. The problem is it s a one shot phenomenon. Never before and maybe never again will we have a Genera Tion surrounded by smaller ones. Thai alone is wild Bouvier said in a Telephone interview. The baby Boom generation has flooded the a lion i schools then the colleges the work Force the homing Market. Building demand for goods and or Viccy and leaving in its Wake a smaller Genera lion with fewer requirement. While academics disagree Over the exact Span of the baby Boom most concur that it began will the Fearn of the military personnel after world War ii lasting into the Early 1960s, when birth Rales dropped off  War ended in 1945, when the United states had a birth rate of 20,4 births per 1,000 women aged is to 44, or a total of 3,858,000 live births. The following year the Boom by under Way As the rate jumped to 24.1. With a total of 3,411,000 births. And the rate remained High total births averaged morn than 4 million annually for 17 years until the Early 1960s, when the baby Boom generation itself began arriving at childbearing age Bui they did t reproduce. They Are nol following in their parents foot Stem. All the expectations that people have had for this generation for years Are basically that they would Settle Down. The generation is not fulfilling those expectations Russell said in a Telephone in Terne. Ker Magazine which specialize a in Popula Tion analysis carries a detailed study of the . Population at mid decade in its january Issue. Although there has been a widely reported in crease in total births in the last couple of years Russell said that figure is misleading. It results from the Large number of women baby Boomers in their childbearing years not from any in crease in the birth or Fertility rates. Indeed the Only age group showing an increase in children at Home is that Between 35 and 44. Russell said the group is re Lavely old to begin having children and they Are not having As Many children. At the rate women Are delaying a lot of people Are going to end put no disappointed that they can t Tiave children that they have become infertile while  weighty change proceeds at a slow measured Pace Washington a a decade after president Ford signed the metric conversion Aei the nation remains Union Virled but the changeover to the International sys tem of weights and measures is proceeding. It s coming it s inevitable but we Are smart enough to understand that Yon can t shove it Down americans throats said Albert m. Novas president of he american. National metric Council live private Industry sponsored group coordinating the changeover. It s going to be � Long Lime before the country is All metric Bui i anticipate Well be so percent constr cd by the year 2000," Navas said in a recent Telephone inter  use of the metric system has been Legal in the United states since 1b66, it was widely ignored in favor of traditional English measures. The rest of the world mean while including England converted to the simpler metrics in which All units arc based on multiples of 10. Spurred by Industry which wanted to change Over to metrics to compete in foreign markets Ford signed the conversion act on Dee. 23, 1975, setting up a system for orderly transition. Metrics advocates greeted that with enthusiasm and began a series of widely publicized efforts to effect change quickly a process that served primarily to antagonize the Public which was not willing to make a sudden conver  were made to change weather forecasts and Highway signs for example. Even today forecasts include temperature r celsius As Well As the traditional fahrenheit degrees. And some High Way signs listing distance in Kilometres remain but few new ones Are added. Where the purists goofed up Back in the 70s was putting up Highway signs without educating the consume ,11 Naves continued. The citizen was suddenly facing signs that said 100 Kilometres it licked off the people and they wrote their  the unexpected changes frightened a number of peo ple who feared they might be somehow denied continued me of . Measure despite efforts to reassure the Public that there was no threat from the metric system added Allan Whelihan of the office for metric programs Al the Commerce department. Today education has come to the forefront raising generations of americans who Are comfortable with the metric system before expecting them to use in and uni Ilce the . Metric Board a highly visible presence in the 1970s which was closed by president Rea Gan the Federal metric office today sees its responsibility mainly As assisting businesses that want to make the con version the role of government is one of accommodation of i voluntary transition led by the private sector follow ing its own economic Best interest said Whelihan sires sing that metrics arc increasingly important to firms seek ing foreign sales the status of metric use in the United Stales today is probably impossible to measure accurately both Whelihan and naval said but it has quietly become a major pres ence. Metric is. Traditional measurements Milt comping la in i Allwine and liquor Are sold Only in metric containers now i automobiles Are metric soft drinks come in liter bottles and thousands of other products have made the change they noted a switch that has been accepted or simply gom unnoticed by the Public. Certainly the pressures for change Are Una baling so there is More metric now than there was Whelihan said. The Pace has not been As rapid As we had anticipated Back in 1975," naval added but we have made quite significant  "1 anticipate the movement will accelerate in the next 10 years but for anyone to say we would convert totally in the next 25 to 50 years Well. I would t put my Money on