What’s Left Proves It Flies Right

--Jim Stites has a concrete idea, but he’s not sure it will fly. Even if it does, it will be for only a few seconds and then his long hours of painstaking research may be reduced to rubble. Stites, 30, of Denver, is building a flying disc of concrete, designed to be tossed like a Frisbee, but this one is much heavier. The plastic toys weigh just a few ounces each, but Stites said his first concrete model weighed five pounds. Stites said he hopes his final model will weigh less for an April 4 student competition of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The concrete flying disc entries will be judged on hang time and total distance, he said. Each entry must remain at least 50% intact after the first throw so it can be tossed a second time. No one will be on the other end of any tosses, however. Catching the concrete discs was ruled out for safety reasons and because it presented an opportunity to “fudge a bit on the total yardage,” Stites said. Planners of the contest also considered a category for concrete skis, but that idea was put on ice, said Barbara Arrighi, competition coordinator from the University of Colorado at Denver.

--This retiree didn’t get a gold watch. He got a plastic fire hydrant, a year’s supply of dog food and a 21-bark salute. Clodo, a 5-year-old German shepherd, became the first member of the San Diego Police Department canine corps to retire. He was forced to give up his career because of a hereditary hip disorder. He will live with his handler, Officer Cheryl Morel. The retirement ceremony included an address by Chief Bill Kolender, who praised Clodo and the department’s other dogs for expertise in sniffing out and tracking suspects. The canine force has been on the job for a year. Kolender presented Clodo with a red plastic fire hydrant and a police identification card with Clodo’s picture. Four canine companions delivered the 21-bark salute.

--Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and other artists and photographers donated their works for African famine relief at a New York auction that raised more than $400,000. The Art Aid auction at the Hard Rock Cafe featured a painting by singer Joni Mitchell that sold for $3,700, a charcoal print by Bob Dylan for $4,200 and a photograph of Mick Jagger and Tina Turner taken backstage at Philadelphia’s JFK Stadium during last year’s Live Aid concert for African famine relief. The auction was highlighted by the sale of an Arabian mare and her 3-year-old foal for $35,000. The highest price paid at the auction was $37,000 for a Lichtenstein silk-screen collage entitled “Painting: Beachball.”