The News Of …

Wondering what stores are open on Christmas Day 2010? Hardly any.
Even though more stores than usual stayed open this Thanksgiving. And plenty of stores kept later hours this Christmas Eve, stores will widely be closed as typical on Christmas Day.
It’s one of the few days every year in which nearly all businesses are closed across the country. Of course (this year Christmas falls on a Saturday) only solidifying the day off for many.
Walmart, Target, Kmart, Old Navy and Toys R Us were open on Christmas Eve. But will all be closed Christmas Day this year.
However, if you need to make a quick run to the store, Walgreens locations across the country will be open, and many CVS locations will also be open.

Christmas Day's parade.

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Christmas time is the ideal time to spend at home with the family and of course the TV set is the center of attention. The Sound of Music and Home Alone have become classics. One name which pops up particularly around Christmas time is David Copperfield. Year after year he astonishes audiences with his magical performances.
This year David Copperfield made The Statue of Liberty disappear in front of a life audience, and the show will be broadcasted again at Christmas in his show called ‘The Magic Of David Copperfield.’
No camera tricks or cut-out were used during the performance, and it is a show every American should have seen. The magical performance is even listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest magical vanishing act in human history.
The Statue Of Liberty on Liberty Island in New York City is a grande neoclassical sculpture by Fredirque Bartoldi and was given to the United States as a gift from the French nation. The Statue of Liberty is the Roman goddess Libertas (the goddess of freedom). In one hand the scripture of the law (the American Declaration of Independence) and in the other the torch with the endless fire of enlightment. The Statue has become and icon for the United States and New York City in particular.

Statue of Liberty.

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It’s a Festivus for the rest of us. At least for today.
For all you non-Seinfeld fans, if you exist, Festivus is a secular holiday which is celebrated on December 23 as an alternative to the holiday season. Festivus is about staying away from commercialism.
And, of course, the holiday has a backstory.
Festivus was created by writer Dan O’Keefe and made popular by his son Daniel, a screenwriter for ‘Seinfeld’. Festivus shuns the traditional Christmas tree and instead is represented by an unadorned aluminum pole.
Festivus traditions include the ‘Airing of Grievances’ where you can tell all your loved ones how they have disappointed you over the past year.
‘The Feats of Strength’ involves a wrestling match and it is the concluding ritual of Festivus.

Festivus.

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There are so many people on the internet these days. If you do not have the internet then you are considered to be in the stone age; almost everything that you have online is password protected and is supposed to be safe. What is someone could figure out the most common password or hack your information?
Most people are not very wise when they pick their password. The reason most often for choosing an easy password is because it is easy to remember. You may not know it but you yourself could be using the most common password. After Gawk media was hacked and all it’s user’s password put out on the internet for the public to see we now know what the most common password is.
188.279 people’s passwords were hacked and the top password was 123456 and the runner up was password. Maybe they just don’t think that someone would be interested in hacking their information but guess what, they just might be. You should choose a password that will be hard to figure out.
Make sure whatever you do that you do not use the most common password.

Web protection.

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It’s almost 2011, and people are still talking about CBS reality TV show ‘Survivor.’ This morning ‘Survivor’ search terms were hot, including ‘who won survivor nicaragua,’ ‘survivor redemption island,’ ‘survivor winner,’ ‘jud birza,’ ‘survivor 22′ and ‘fabio survivor.’ All were in the Top 10.
What does it mean? On first glance, it means folks just want to know who won. But I think it means much more.
When it first aired in May of 2000, no one really knew its long-range impact it would have on TV programming and even pop culture. Today, every network, every cable channel and even talk show rely on reality TV for its success.
Tonight (9 p.m.), NBC crowns a new winner of ‘The Sing-Off,’ a reality TV version of ‘Glee’ that is (in my opinion) a great show with an underrated cast of judges. (I would love to see Fox hire Ben Folds, Nicole Scherzinger and Shawn Stockman as its next judges). ‘The Sing-Off’ may not be a Top 10-rated show, but it doesn’t need to be. Low cost, big pay off.

Judson 'Fabio' Birza.

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Last December 13, 2010, star gazers and sky watchers enjoyed the bright Geminid meteor shower. For those who missed watching and witnessing this phenomenon, don’t fret because this December 21, 2010 there will be another meteor shower: the Ursids meteor shower according to space.com.
The Ursids meteor shower aren’t supposedly bright enough as the Geminid. But the stars and the moon are aligned on a very nice position on this night that the Ursids meteor shower will be visible.
There will be a Lunar Eclipse on December 20 or 21 depending on the area and thus, we will have a darker sky. But the stars will be brighter and the meteor shower seen. Do refer to the diagram above to see in which countries the Lunar Eclipse December 2010 can be seen.

Lunar Eclipse.

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Musician and visual artist Don Glen Vliet, better known as Captian Beefheart, passed away on Friday. He was 69.
Vliet, of Glendale, California, died at a hospital in Northern California as he had been suffering
from multiple sclerosis for several years. His condition had been deterioration lately.
As a musician, Vliet recorded 12 studio albums between 1965 and 1982 with a rotating ensemble of musicians called “The Magic Band.” Frank Zappa began collaborating with the band since 1964 and began performing with “The Magic Band” in 1965. Some experts credit Vliet with having strong influence in Frank Zappa’s musical development.
Vliet’s 1969 Trout Mask Replica ranked fifty-eighth in Rolling Stone magazine’s 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. He was the lead singer of his albums. But he was also in charge of most of the compositions as he played a number of instruments including harmonica, saxophone and other wind instruments.

Captain Beefheart.

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For today only, more than 1.700 merchants are participating in Free Shipping Day. Not only do your items ship sans pesky delivery costs, they’re guaranteed to arrive by Christmas Eve.
More than half of the participating vendors offer free shipping with no minimum purchase. Some do enforce a minimum purchase amount or other criteria to have shipping costs waived. Some of the no-minimum-purchase-required merchants include L.L. Bean, the Disney Store, Barnes & Noble and more than 1.000 others. Also, certain retailers ask that you include a discount code upon checkout, so be sure to have that information ready upon submitting your order.
Some retailers have extended free shipping offers to a little later in the week, according to the Washington Post. Amazon.com allows shoppers to order by Sunday to benefit from ‘super saver shipping’and receive items in time for Christmas. The Apple Store offers free shipping and delivery before Christmas for orders placed up until Monday. For a more detailed list of stores’ order deadlines, see FreeShipping.org.

Free Shipping Day.

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After apparently reporting on his ESPN Radio Show Wednesday morning that A.J. Burnett of the New York Yankees went through a nasty divorce last season Colin Cowherd might find himself subjected to a lawsuit.
After shooting down the report, Burnett’s representatives said they might sue Cowherd.
“Colin Cowherd has no idea what he’s talking about” – said Darek Braunecker, who is Burnett’s agent.
“A.J. Burnett is not in the process, nor was he ever in the process, of getting divorced. It’s unequivocally false. And it’s really irresponsible for Colin Cowherd to report that. We’re going to take issue.”
From the Huffington Post, this is what Cowherd said this morning – “A.J. Burnett went through a terrible divorce and he still might going through it. His wife was vindictive and spiteful. I don’t even feel comfortable telling you everything. The stories are ugly.”
Burnett has a miserable 10-15 season with a 5,26 ERA, and showed up at one point with a black eye that was never explained.

Brandy and AJ Burnett.

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Hollywood stars Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds have called it quits after two years of marriage, they said in a statement on Tuesday.
“After long and careful consideration on both our parts, we’ve decided to end our marriage. We entered our relationship with love and it’s with love and kindness we leave it” – their statement said.
Johansson, the 26-year-old star of movies such as ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ and ‘He’s Just Not That Into You,’ married Reynolds in September 2008. The 34-year-old Canadian native, whose credits include ‘Van Wilder’ and the upcoming ‘Green Lantern,’ was previously engaged to singer Alanis Morissette.
US Weekly cited a source as saying their marriage was strained by time spent apart on movies, while People magazine said they actually separated about six months ago. Coincidentally, People recently named Reynolds ‘the sexiest man alive’ in its annual survey.

Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson.

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