DATE: Monday, March 24, 1997                TAG: 9703220056

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LIZ SZABO, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   42 lines

CONFUSED BY ALL THOSE RIBBONS? NOW THEY'VE GOT THEIR OWN WEB SITE.

HALF THE FUN of watching the Oscars comes from getting a glimpse of what the stars wear.

While the nominees for best actress take care to avoid showing up to the ceremony in the same gown, in recent years most stars have worn the same accessory - a red AIDS-awareness ribbon.

Some stars display wear other causes on their lapels as well. In fact, there are now nearly as many different-colored ribbons as there are social issues.

During the Persian Gulf War, yellow ribbons were a sign of support for the troops. Pink ribbons have become a symbol of breast cancer awareness. Rainbow-striped ribbons support gay and lesbian rights. Green ribbons advocate helping to find missing children. Silver ribbons support children with disabilities.

Internet users have developed their own ribbon system. Advocates of free speech online append blue ribbons to their World Wide Web pages.

New Jersey resident Carolyn Gargaro has compiled a web site listing dozens of political ribbons, from the sincere to the farcical.

White ribbons advocate peace in Northern Ireland, while orange ribbons support the loyalists in Ulster. A blue-and-pink ribbon tied together signals opposition to partial-birth abortions. Purple ribbons advocate fighting cystic fibrosis. Plaid ribbons are donned by supporters of ``Scotland Against Nuclear Dumping.''

On the lighter side, a lime-green ribbon on a web site means the author protests being called a computer nerd. Orange ribbons protest the blinking web-page tags that so many people find annoying.

At least one ribbon protests of the proliferation of ribbons, such as the ``Black Ribbon Campaign against ribbon campaigns.'' MEMO: ``A Comprehensive List of Ribbon Campaigns'' web site can be found

at: http://www.gargaro.com/ ribbons.html ILLUSTRATION: Color illustration

RIBBONS

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