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Thursday, December 4, 2008
FEATURES
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Joel R. Poinsett, first U.S. ambassador to Mexico in 1825, would probably recognize the Christmas plant that bears his name — or not. When Poinsett returned home, he brought with him the wild poinsettia, also called Christmas flower, lobster flower and Mexican flame leaf.
Haylie Reno, 12, accomplished what many a professionally trained, well-oiled journalist might pat her on the back for doing: helping an interview subject feel relaxed. For empty nesters, holidays hold a special appeal. The birds that have flown away tend to fly back. They may not race to the Christmas tree with the same fervor they did when they were 6, but having them around, even for a short time, is wonderful. Elizabeth Holloway reached out her ungloved hand toward a honeybee on top of a hive to see if the bee would step on her finger. The bee wasn’t in the right frame of mind just then, but sometimes it happens, Holloway said. Mention the word “Broadway” and you are guaranteed Courtney Svendson’s attention. “I’m almost obsessed,” the 17-year-old Lafayette native said. In this week’s Style File, where we catch people out and about, this well-dressed woman got our attention. Neighbors Notes for Dec. 2, 2008 Driving through a Baton Rouge neighborhood four years ago, Terry Boyd became unhappy with the view outside his car windows. “I started seeing little kids hanging out on the corners. I don’t know, it just got to me.” The Interact Club at Baton Rouge Magnet High School set out to join a project promoted by the band Hanson, hoping to contribute $500. The club collected almost triple its goal: $1,345.90 has been sent to Take the Walk to help buy TOMS Shoes for children in Africa and other places where there is a need, said Angela Chun, BRHS senior and Interact president. Youth Calendar for Dec. 1, 2008 Dine out and support the Greater Baton Rouge Literacy Coalition, a nonprofit organization working to promote literacy. Anne Record Stout holds a pink foam noodle in the air, ready to swat the orange balloon flying around the room. She swings and misses. The balloon brushes her face instead. She laughs. Social support is the key coping mechanism for caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, said an LSU professor who studies caregivers. Studies of caregivers, such as spouses, children and friends, show that they are stressed out from the burden of providing long-term care, said Scott Wilks, assistant professor in the LSU School of Social Work. If the ubiquitous Christmas music — Subway’s been playing ho-ho music since before Thanksgiving — is giving you the bots, give the principal at the school near you a call. Wonder what people are reading, watching, listening to or want to know about? Here’s a report from the East Baton Rouge Parish Library. Longtime congregation member Barbara Foote was relieved when she heard that the 103-year-old Baker Presbyterian Church had survived Hurricane Gustav. Constance Lafay¬ette and Darrell Berry have a per¬fectly happy mar¬riage most of the year. Things, however, do get a little tense when the holidays roll around. It’s not the shopping or family meals that create the pres¬sure. |
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