December 2019

Welsh Rotary Club holds monthly meeting

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The Rotary Club of Welsh held its weekly meeting on Nov. 21. Rotarian and Principal Architect Chad Abell, President-Elect for the Rotary Club of Lafayette South, had the opportunity to educate club members and fifth graders Isiah Meche, Murphy Roche and Blaze Aube on the duties and responsibilities of being an architect and the designing and construction of buildings.

 

Report: Worldwide volunteers at 970 million

DID YOU KNOW?

According to United Nations Volunteers, global estimates indicate the number of volunteers worldwide at 970 million. When considering 2018 estimates from the U.N. that pegged the global population at just under 7.6 billion, that means that nearly one-eighth of the world volunteers in a given year.

Lacassine Jr. High 4-H Club donates blessing bags

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During the month of October, the Lacassine Jr. High 4-H Club held a donation drive for items to make blessing bags to be given out by local law enforcement to the homeless. A total of 24 blessing bags were able to be packed and included items such as soap, socks, Chapstick, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, Kleenex, wet wipes and a word of encouragement. Lacassine Jr. High 4-H is grateful they were given the chance to bless others and remind them that they matter and are not forgotten.

Bad boys: Mean, tough and hard-boiled

Tony Curtis once said that he enlisted in the Navy after seeing the Cary Grant submarine classic Destination Tokyo (1943). Since they first flickered on the screen, movies have been a window to observing human behavior and presenting archetypes that audience members could be inspired by. Guys especially wanted to ride tall in the saddle like John Wayne, take nothin’ from nobody like James Cagney’s gangster characters and be dashingly heroic like Errol Flynn’s outlaws.

It’s not a flower, it’s a bract

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Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are one of the most popular winter and Christmastime plants. They can be found this time of year in retail outlets and florists and now even in grocery stores. The gorgeous display of bright red against dark green foliage is the perfect combination to match our traditional Christmas palette of red and green.

Recreational red snapper season open seven days a week

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Secretary Jack Montoucet signed a declaration of emergency to modify the recreational red snapper season from a weekends only (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) season to a seven day per week season, effective at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 28, 2019, until 11:59 a.m. on Dec. 31, 2019, or when the remaining quota (27,582 pounds) is reached or projected to be reached.

Keep food safety, moderation in mind for holiday meals

BATON ROUGE — As the holidays approach, most minds will become focused on that special meal. But food safety and portion control should also be high on the list of priorities for this time of year. The holidays are the time of year when turkey can be found on tables around the country. Without careful preparation, that traditional favorite can become a food safety nightmare. Wenqing Xu, LSU AgCenter food safety specialist, said a few things should be kept in mind when preparing holiday dinners.

Three AgCenter researchers share in nationwide award

BATON ROUGE — Three LSU AgCenter researchers and extension educators have been recognized for their excellence in agricultural research.

Marlene Janes, Achyut Adhikari and Wennie Xu received the National Excellence in Multistate Research award from the Association of Public Land-Grand Universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Janes is a food microbiologist and Adhikari and Xu are food safety specialists in the AgCenter School of Nutrition and Food Sciences.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,

In response to Wayne Peterkin’s letter (published Nov. 17 in Jennings Daily News).

Only a complete moron values money and the economy over Christian values such as caring for those in need and suffering persecution. Only a complete moron thinks only Americans are of value and those from other countries are lesser human beings, and not equal in God’s eyes or even children of God.

Little pink taxes for not you, but me

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I’M JUST SAYIN’

In Louisiana, we are exempt from paying state sales taxes on necessities such as groceries, utilities and prescription drugs. This setup can be interesting.

For example, as a prescription drug, Viagra, a pill for men experiencing erectile dysfunction, is considered a necessity. However, some items that are in fact necessities are deemed luxuries by lawmakers. According to the state, feminine hygiene products such as tampons and pads, as well as diapers, are luxuries. The Merriam-Webster dictionary disagrees with these assessments.