Monday, December 10, 2012
Zoo hopeful that bears will reach full term.
Move over Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge. The biggest baby news on this side of the pond is that Billie Jean, a 6-year-old Andean bear, is pregnant with two cubs. The Smithsonian National Zoo made the announcement on Friday and officials are hoping Billie Jean will reach full term successfully as she did in January 2012, when she gave birth to two other cubs—Bernardo and Chaska. But what makes this story even sweeter is that Bille Jean mated naturally with Nikki, a male Andean bear that was humanely euthanized in August after he was diagnosed with skin cancer. So if the Billie Jean's cubs are born healthy, they'll be a legacy. “It would not only be a heartwarming story if Nikki’s legacy were to continue,” said Craig Saffoe, …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
How will the newest royal affect parents' naming habits?
- LOCAL CONNECTIONS
- Ben Gross
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Thursday, December 6, 2012
According to popular website BabyCenter, royal family events are an influence on baby naming trends. One article on the site estimates that in 2012 - the year Queen Elizabeth celebrated her diamond jubilee (her 60th year of her accession to the throne) - the name Elizabeth is expected to see a 264 percent increase in popularity. But what about the younger royals? Since the announcement of her engagement to Prince William in 2010, the use of the names Catherine (Greek origin, means “pure”) and Kate (a nickname for Catherine) are expected to rise by 188 and 264 percent respectively. Even Pippa, the name of Kate's sister, (Greek origin, means “friend of horses”) is slated to see a dramatic increase, the same article claims. While the name …
Friday, April 29, 2011
A Riverdale-based business manager explains the significance of a hat in the African-American culture. She says the British aren't the only ones with fashionable hats.
As Prince William and Catherine Middleton are set to wed Friday morning, one thing people will be paying attention to other than the happy couple are the variety of hats wedding guests will be wearing. The British Royal trend of wearing hats has topped the headlines in recent weeks as excitement built for the Royal Wedding. Whether it is a big floppy hat with flowers or a small feathered headband, hats are making a statement. Yet, Sophisticat Boutique manager Vera Akinboboye said hats have also been a fashion statement in African-American churches. On Sunday, the "church" hat can be predominately seen on the head of many African-American women headed to services. Akinboboye said the tradition goes back to something stated in the Bible. "…
Laura L Thornton
1:40 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012
Part of what makes this story interesting, though, is the fact that people are actually gambling on what the kid will be named. I had no idea people went to such extremes to find new things on which to gamble... more ›