Exhibits

Hundreds of people are expected to attend the opening of the new $30,000 rain forest exhibit at the Santa Ana Zoo on Friday, a spokeswoman said. When it is unveiled at 12:15 p.m., "Conservation Rain Forest," will depict a simulated rain forest with two-toed sloths, tamarin monkeys and iguanas. Parts of the exhibit include devastated and burned trees and foliage to show how humans have affected such areas, said spokeswoman Leslie Perovich.

Alien hardships Made bearable by the hope I hold for my children .

Facing pressure from Arab nations, Disney officials said Friday that a controversial exhibit on Israel for its millennium celebration will not designate Jerusalem as the political capital of Israel. Disney spokesman Bill Warren wouldn't say what role the Arab pressure played in Disney's decision, nor did he say if any changes had been made to the exhibit after a meeting between Walt Disney World President Al Weiss and Arab leaders earlier this week.

In a normal year, the White House hosts a cherished tradition of the holiday season: public tours of its glittering Christmas decorations, which this year feature 49 pines, plenty of fake snow and 15 models of former presidents' homes. On Sunday, however, First Lady Laura Bush unveiled what will stand as a substitute during these security-conscious times: a photo exhibit and video of the White House decorations, installed several blocks from the executive mansion.

Responding to rising criticism, the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum said Thursday it is overhauling its planned Enola Gay exhibit. The changes came as a result of two marathon meetings with representatives of the nation's largest veterans' group, both sides said.

A gruesome photo gallery of men and women impaled by arrows, augers and pipes is gone from the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum in Hollywood. And don't expect to see any displays of medieval chastity belts or tongs used to torture victims of the Spanish Inquisition. These and other macabre oddities have been replaced by such exhibits as a painting of Marilyn Monroe made entirely of candy, a mounted two-headed calf and the world's smallest drivable car. It's all part of a new family-friendly look at 33 Ripley's Believe It or Not museums around the world.

We were on our way to see the Brandenburg Gate when they came unexpectedly into view across the street — rows of muted gray concrete slabs of varying heights, their rise and fall taking up an entire city block. The sight stopped us in our tracks. "That must be the Holocaust Memorial," I said. "It can't possibly be anything else," said Jon, my husband. As a Jew, I always have mixed feelings when visiting such places. I am repelled by the horror they represent yet drawn to them for the recognition they offer.

Hot Wheels, Beatle boots, the Flying Fickle Finger of Fate. A Mercury space capsule, civil rights speeches, a Vietnam War-era Huey helicopter. Melding pop culture and history, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum has gathered these relics and more into an exhibit opening Saturday called "Back to the '60s."

The nerve of it all. The work of some of Southern California's brainiest neuroscientists was on the line Tuesday--being judged by hundreds of wiggly, giggly schoolchildren. In a twist on the traditional school science fair where experts evaluate the work of youngsters, fourth- and fifth-graders assessed exhibits built by neurological researchers, professors and graduate students.