Informed Sources

Fashion You Won't See on Paris Runways

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army has been so busy lately in trouble spots around the world that it has come up with reversible battle fatigues so soldiers can blend in with either desert or woodland settings. One side is sandy brown; the other is traditional camouflage green. The two-in-one uniforms could save the government money. And, says a source, "we won't be embarrassed like we were in the Gulf War, when some of our paratroopers had to jump into the desert in dark green cammies."

National Bioethics Commission in the Works

WASHINGTON -- Senators EDWARD KENNEDY and MARK HATFIELD are working on legislation that would create a National Bioethics Commission. The 11-person panel would investigate controversial research such as embryo cloning and advise the Department of Health and Human Services on whether studies should be changed, blocked or left alone. In the past such proposals have bogged down in partisan politics, but a Hatfield aide says, "The ((recent)) radiation- research disclosures created a lot of political will to do this. It's on a pretty fast track." The Senators will submit their bill in about two weeks.