U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for Dec. 13 & 14

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13: POINSETTIAS

Profile America -- Saturday, December 13th. Poinsettias, withtheir contrast of brilliant red against green are an established partof the color and tradition of the holidays. But most of us areunaware that they are named for a real person. He was Dr. JoelRoberts Poinsett, a U.S. diplomat who developed his lasting legacyand symbol of Christmas from a flower he found while stationed inMexico in the early 19th century. He also represented South Carolinain congress and later served as secretary of war. Today, we spendmore than 13-billion dollars for the products of greenhouses andnurseries -- including over 830-million dollars of potted floweringplants, such as poinsettias. You can find these and more facts aboutAmerica from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at http://www.census.gov

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14: BOSTON TEA PARTY

Profile America -- Sunday, December 14th. Today on the CongressStreet Bridge in Boston, a group will reenact one of the mosteffective protests in history -- the Boston Tea Party. In December of1773, some 50 members of a group called the Sons of Liberty boardedthree ships in Boston Harbor and dumped nearly 350 chests of valuabletea into the harbor to protest British tax policies. The BritishParliament responded by closing the port and sending four regimentsof soldiers to the city, along with a new governor. These moveshardened the position of those wishing for independence. Tea is nolonger the expensive and dominant drink of choice as it once was. Theaverage American drinks close to 8 gallons of tea a year compared to26 gallons of coffee. You can find these and more facts about Americafrom the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at http://www.census.gov

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Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office ofthe U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available asproduced segments ready to air on a monthly CD or on Internet athttp://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button). For furtherinformation, contact Rick Reed 301-763-2812, fax at 301-457-3670, orE-mail at rreed(At)census.gov.

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