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NOUVEAU JEWELRY BOXES Portray Spring Floral Fantasies
Flowers have been greatly esteemed since the dawn of civilization. Ancient Egyptians painted them on their temple walls and the withered remains of flowers have been found in ancient tombs around the world. The colorful and fragile beauty of flowers has given rise to countless culturally symbolic meanings, and folktales about flowers have abounded from the earliest times. Floral representations have been added to all forms and materials of artistic effortpaintings, metal ware, furniture, fabric and so on. Floral names have even graced our daughters. Although less common now, names such as Rose, Daisy, Myrtle, Pansy, and even Honey (originating from flowers), were once quite popular. With the advent of the 19th century, the growing scientific sophistication of Western civilization and explorations to the furthest exotic corners of the earth greatly increased popular interest in nature and the natural richness of the planet.
Women in government still rare
By Daisy Sindelar for RFE/RL (09/03/07)
If you had to guess which country out of Peru, Rwanda, Belarus and France had the largest representation by women in parliament, which would it be? The correct answer is Rwanda, where just under half the members in the lower house are women. In last place? France, where that figure drops to just 12 percent. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), an international parliamentary organization that conducts an annual head count of female lawmakers, it's developing countries - and not the so-called "old democracies" - that are doing the most to ensure a fair gender balance in parliament. Flowers on women's day Among the last-place finishers in this year's IPU survey of 189 national parliaments, is Kyrgyzstan, which has no female lawmakers.
GARDEN SPOT: Preserve Valentine's blooms
Cupid has had his hands full this past week. Lovers throughout the country have kept his bow busy. His quiver, usually burgeoning with arrows, is probably sagging nearly empty and his shooting arm may be stiff from overuse by now. During the past few days lovers everywhere searched for just the right tokens to say "I love you." Many of them found that flowers were just the item. These are a time-honored way to express love. After experiencing the shortened, drab days of winter and scattered piles of dingy melting snow, bright, lively flowers really give a lift. Although Valentine's Day has been around for centuries, the custom of giving fresh flowers is a new one & at least in our climate. It is only in recent years that greenhouses have provided flowers out of season and that shipping methods could bring fresh blooms quickly enough to keep them fresh.
Local florists hustle for Valentine's Day bonanza
TRACY It wasn't exactly a rose riot, but a last-minute rush for Valentine's Day expressions at The Little Flower Shop was enough to make anyone go a little daisy crazy. Owner Karen Ferrante said Valentine's Day is the single busiest business day of the year as opposed to the most hectic holiday Christmas. Red roses top the list as the No. 1 petal of choice, with yellow roses following at a close second. A dozen roses cost $85, $20 more than the nonholiday price. The staff stopped taking delivery orders after they hit 300, but customers could still pick up their purchases of passion. Ferrante said that most of the flowers were purchased by men, and a lot were romantic procrastinators. Twenty-five-year veteran florist Marilyn Hindley, 57, of Tracy, said, "We try to make our men order early (but) they tend to be last-minute." At 1:30 p.m.
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