| OCR Text |
Show Lifcsty e Also in this section: Movie listings D3 D4-D- Classified 8 Why yes, By SUSAN SCHAUER Herald Washington Bureau WASHINGTON Abraham Lincoln delighted in spending Christmas Eve shopping near the White House for just the right toy soldier to give his son. Warren Harding loved to give books as Christmas gifts and Dwight D. Eisenhower, a weekend artist, gave his staff color prints of his own paintings. A jovial Franklin D. Roosevelt couldn't wait to gather the family for his annual reading of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Woodrow Wilson was married and honeymooned over the holidays. White House historians say each president and first family have - ' fitere Mir. Presidleiruti, found their own way of celebrating Christmas. Conservationist Theodore Roosevelt once banned Christmas trees from the White House but later softened when he learned how much his son missed the tradition. In fact, he kept a small tree in his personal quarters. But "Teddy" Roosevelt was by no means a Christmas grinch, recalls White House curator Rex Scouten. Roosevelt insisted on following family traditions and always bought armloads of presents for everyone in his large family. like "President Bush and the whole Bush clan," some first families have "escaped Washington" and returned to their home states or favorite vacation spots. "Like a spokeswoman in Christmas," Mrs. Bush's press office said. Christmas Day always found the back in Plains, Ga. They'd all Abraham Lincoln get up early and head for Miss Lillian's for a real country breakfast complete with grits and biscuits. The Kennedy clan spent two Christmases in Palm Beach, Fla., where they had a floor-to-ceili- 1' m:v v Jl say. In the spirit of 18th Century Virginians, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe all hosted parties that traditionally ran from Christmas Eve to Twelfth Night. By day the men pitched quoits, hunted fox, raced or fought their gamecocks, leaving any remaining quiet spells for courting, talking politics or business. Food and spirits were extravagant and plentiful, a far cry from the cabbage, turnips and potatoes that sustained Washington and his men during the -- J AP Laserphoto Researchers: Santa's Where is a real number cruncher rounds, Santa Claus has about 10 gazillion American routes to choose from. To be more precise, the number of Christmas routes in the United States alone would be expressed by 10 trailed by 60 million zeroes. Researchers at AT&T Bell Labs say they're awed that Santa always manages to pick the best route. Santa's itinerary is actually a variation on the old mathematical puzzle known as the "Traveling Salesman's Problem" how to determine the most efficient possible route for a traveler who has to stop once at each location. Grace R. Emlin, an AT&T researcher, explained that a traveling salesman with 10 cities to visit would have 10 choices for his first stop, then nine for his second, eight for his third, and so on down to one. Multiplying the numbers one through 10, the salesman has 3,628,-00- 0 different routes to choose from. In the United States, there are about 25 million children under the age of 8. If 75 percent haven't been naughty, Santa has about 13 million stops in the United States alone, Emlin figured. Multiply all the numbers between one and 13 million, and voila, 10 gazillion choices for Santa and his reindeers. The number-crunchin- g demanded by Santa's heavy itinerary is enough to blow the circuits of most computer systems, Emlin said. Bell Labs can now find some of the most efficient routes on a million-sto- p trip in about four hours, a task that would have taken 10 billion hours of computer time in 1965, she said. There's a lot of businesses that would like to acquire Santa's knack for scheduling, Emlin said. For example, some computer chips are etched with hundreds of millions of lines, she said. By applying the traveling santa, er, salesman problem, scientists will be able to map out highly efficient paths for the etching process. 2. were serious parties, historians In addition to Christmas, Woodrow Wilson celebrated bis wedding anniversary during the holidays. MURRAY HILL, N.J. (AP) -When contemplating his Christmas - a lanta Clays frigid holiday spent at Valley -- D noted. The Johnsons spent four of six Christmases at their Texas ranch and the Fords enjoyed skiing in Colorado. But back in Washington, music played a special role at most White House holiday celebrations, historians say. Mrs. Calvin Coolidge loved music so much, that she began the tradition of having carols sung on the North Portico of the White House. Mrs. Herbert Hoover's favorite custom was to turn off all the lights in the White House and take friends and family members on caroling candlelight tours. Even the presidents often requested favorite carols or hymns. Eisenhower and Thomas Jefferson loved "0 Come, All Ye Faithful." Ulysses S. Grant's favorite was "0 Little Town of Bethlehem;" Lyndon Johnson preferred "Silent Night" and John F. Kennedy enjoyed having a strolling band play "Silver Bells" as background music for his holiday parties. Early White House celebrations Camp David for home 4f tree and hung stocking from a fireplace mantel decorated with gold and silver angels, Scouten last year, President Bush and the whole Bush clan will be at Carters ns Monday Dec. 24, 1990 Forge in 1777. The first record of a grand Christmas party at the White House was in 1811 when Dolly Madison sent out invitations to a large dinner in the State Dining Room, followed by games, singing and dancing. Hosting large dinners turback then was inexpensive keys cost 75 cents each, ducks were 50 cents and waiters could be hired for 35 cents a day. One of the most unforgettable early parties came in 1885 when children from across Washington AP Laserphott President and Mrs. Bush stand in front of the White House Christmas Tree in the White House Blue Room. got this invitation: "The children of President Jackson's family request you to join them on Christmas Day at 4 p.m., in a frolic in the East Room." Historians say "a frolic it was," with dancing, games, confections and lots of laughter. The Kennedys and Johnsons expanded the first family's party-givin- g to children of the diplomatic corps, while the Carters played host one night to nearly 1,000 peo mostly members of Congress ple at a holida and their spouses ball, followed by another party fol 500 members of the Washington press corps the next night. In 1981 Nancy Reagan gave chil party for 178 hearing-impaire- d dren, who in addition to cider an cookies, each received a calico elephant or angel. Historians can spend hours tel ing stories about White Hous Christmases. sportsmanship in hunting deer? Dear Ann Landers: With all the ranting and raving about animal rights these days, it is time somebody spoke out about a sport that is nothing but an atrocity. Let me start at the beginning. I'm a Nebraska farmer. Last year some very pleasant neighbors invited me to go deer hunting. I applied for and received a permit. Since I had never been hunting, I was totally unprepared for the events of that day. I discovered that animals have no rights, or even a sporting chance, for that matter. Truckloads of hunters jammed the roads armed with binoculars, CBs and dogs, not to mention planes scouting from the skies. This, of course, is illegal, but it goes on just the same. I was there and I saw it. After only three hours, three bucks and two does had been shot by the men in our party. Only one doe and one buck were bagged. The other three animals got away, which means they were suffering and dying in some shelterbelt or a ditch. So long as an animal is not asked if we would take our grandson, now 8, into our home. J Patty's fiance is very comfortable financially and generous, to$. He is also nearly twice her ag$, only a few years younger than jl Ann Landers CREATORS SYNDICATE brought in, according to the permit, the hunter can keep on hunting. One man in our party shot three bucks and all three of his animals got away. To me, this is a sick way to have a good time. I will never go hunting again. To see those beautiful, graceful animals shot down for the fun of it was horrible. I know a lot of sportsmen will be angry with me for writing this letter, but to my way of thinking, deer hunting is something animal rights organizations should investigate. These poor defenseless animals need help. Certainly someone can figure out a more humane way to ed J control their population. I want my children to see deer as the beautiful animals they are, not as targets in a sick contest between men and A Onetime Hunter From beasts. Pierce, Neb. Dear Nebraska: You have written a letter that is sure to raise the hackles of a great many hunters. If the animal rights people really want to do something of value, I suggest they concentrate on deer hunters. Dear Ann Landers: Our daughter is getting remarried soon. "Patty's" first husband was very abusive. Her mother and I were greatly relieved when she am, but he is a very fine persoh and seems crazy about her. This brings me to the problem. Patty and her fiance have decided that her son will not live wih them but will remain with Ms grandma and me. We love tins child, Ann, but we are both 6$. What if something happens to uj? Who will the little boy have theii? We are deeply concerned abovt this. Should we say something to our daughter? The last thing we want to do is put a damper on tpe wedding. Frett:.ng in the Golden West J Dear Golden West: I have fa feeling that the boy is better off with you and Grandma. Unless be is a burden, keep him as long s you can. Actually, 65 isn't old these days. Meanwhile, I think you are J pretty darn terrific. Reviving our newborns (AP) Delivery-roo- physi- m cians are now able to intervene aggressively if they detect a problem with a newborn's breathing or heart. "Increased awareness and tech- nical advances have allowed us to save a growing number of lives," said Dr. Karen Hendricks-Munodirector of the Division of Neonatology at New York University Medical Center. One out of 10 newborns in the United States requires some type of intensive care. Most delivery suites now have artery and vein lines in place to z, administer medication and test in case of an emergency. Many hospitals include resuscitation areas within delivery suites, as well as a neonatologist, a specialist in newborn care. blood "Babies born prematurely are rapidly provided with a tube that helps ensure the lungs receive sufficient oxygen," Hendricks-Muno- z said. If their heart rates are low, infants receive artificial respiration and may be given stimulants such as epinephrine. "Very small premature infants who have problems breathing receive assisted respiration within minutes of birth," she said. "Glucose is administered very early if a baby has had episodes of decreased blood flow and decreased oxygen. Nutrition is important from the beginning." Many of the newborn's needs are better understood today. Delivery suites used to be kept cool because the adults are gowned. "We now know babies tend to lose a lot of warmth into the environment," she explained. "Delivery suites are now warmed by overhead lamps. Warmed towels and hats wrap the baby and prevent decreases in I temperature." As a result of these developments, the widely used Apgar test is becoming of less diagnostic value in determining when to start or continue assisting an infant with breathing or heart problems. "Now that physicians have tools to intervene immediately, they no longer have to rely on a test done at five minutes," Hendricks-Muno- z said. "They continuously evaluate a newborn every 30 to 60 seconds. New tests can provide more objective results." The Apgar score, based on a standardized testing method vised in 1952 11 . ..JAKW. ' 1, '; : Snow White and the Seven Elves? de- by anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar, has been used worldwide to assist the delivery room physician assess whether a newborn needed resuscitation or was being effectively resuscitated. ? rp Decked-ou- cap, t 19-fo- ot with a Christmas stocking Dopey looks over Grumpy and Doc on the front of the Walt Disney Company corporate headquarters in i-- ' -- lU AP Laserphoto Burbank, Calif. All seven dwarfs displayed on the building. t are |
