The mystery behind mistletoe
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 21
… In Scandinavian myth, Balder, the god of the summer sun, was brought back to life by white mistletoe berries. (In fact, mistletoe berries are poisonous, and special care should be taken when using mistletoe around small children). Balder’s mother, Frigga, the goddess of love, was so grateful for her son’s return that she kissed everyone who walked beneath a tree bearing mistletoe…Kissing under mistletoe sealed Roman marriages, and in the 18th century, it was the British custom that a young woman standing under a ‘kissing ball’ of mistletoe decorated with ribbons and evergreens could not refuse to be kissed…Mary Jo Modica is horticulturist at the University of Alabama Arboretum.
W. Ala. jobless numbers drop slightly
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 19
…Sam Addy, director for the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama, said the good news in the latest figures is that Alabama and the Tuscaloosa area are following the national trend. He noted that manufacturers as a whole might not be hiring a lot, but they are adding more hours and days to their production schedules, which helps their workers. He said he still believes the state’s unemployment level will rise to more than 11 percent before peaking sometime next year…Addy said the country is going through what he called the “Great Recession” — a global recession that is the worst in most people’s lifetimes…
Birmingham News – Dec. 20