“Silver Bells is a classic Christmas song, composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. The lyric is unusual for a Christmas song in that it describes the festival in the city and not a rural setting.
Silver Bells was first performed by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell in the motion picture The Lemon Drop Kid, filmed in July-August 1950 but released in March 1951.[1] The first recorded version was by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards, released in October 1950.[2] After the Crosby and Richards recording became popular, Hope and Maxwell were called back in late 1950 to refilm a more elaborate production of the song.[1]
what was the best thing that happened to you today?
I’ll start, I got a raise!
legal helpers review
CNN BREAKING NEW! YES HE CAM! :-)
Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, who threw for 28 touchdowns and ran for 20 more, wins the Heisman trophy.
Chris Matthews: ‘300 Plus’ Chris Christie’s Weight Is ‘Something He’s Just Gotta Deal With’
by Frances Martel | 9:08 am, December 11th, 2010
The heavy political issue of New Jersey governor Chris Christie’s weight just can’t seem to quarantine itself outside of the political sphere– not that it is ever Christie’s doing that this is so. This time, it’s Chris Matthews who has some qualms about Christie’s presidential prospects because you can’t “cut the budget [without] starting with supper.”
The comments this time weren’t on Hardball, but at a local D.C. event on Thursday– the Q&A Cafe at the Georgetown Ritz-Carlton. The Washington Examiner reports that his comments were part of a conversation on 2012 presidential prospects, in which he found Christie’s presidential prospects were compromised by his weight:
http://www.mediaite.com/online/chris-matthews-300-plus-chris-christies-weight-is-something-hes-just-gotta-deal-with/
3 Chics isn’t going to begrudge the fat one a few days at the fat farm.
Michael Moore Checks Into Miami Fat Camp
And the Daily Caller points out all its luxuries By John Johnson, Newser Staff
Posted Dec 10, 2010 1:53 PM CST
Newser) – The conservative Daily Caller is tickled that Michael Moore is back for a return visit to a luxury fat camp in Miami. It ticks off features of the $4,500-a-week spa such as “aqua-thermal bathing experiences” and “Finnish saunas” and concludes: “It is unknown whether the Communist Cuban health care system, which Moore has praised, offers its citizens refreshing stays at luxurious weight loss resorts.” Click here for more.
http://www.newser.com/story/107335/michael-moore-checks-into-miami-fat-camp.html
McCain Flashback: ‘I Would Clearly Support Not Extending [Bush] Tax Cuts In Order To Help Address The Deficit’
This afternoon on Fox News, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said Congress should vote to pass the tax cuts deal negotiated between President Obama and congressional Republicans. “We have sent the message that we will not increase people’s taxes,” McCain said.
During the interview, McCain took a moment to mock Obama for backtracking on the Bush tax cuts for the rich:
McCAIN: I guess it was my old beloved friend Morris Udall who said the politician’s prayer is — may the words I utter today be tender and sweet because tomorrow I may have to eat them. We’re seeing clips all over the place — “We can’t extend these tax cuts for the rich,” “it’s the rich people” — you know, all of the clips of the President.
He got a good laugh out of Obama’s predicament of dealing with the GOP “hostage takers.” Watch it:
Health News
Obama seen as more ‘black’ than ‘white’
Published: Dec. 11, 2010 at 2:16 AM
BOSTON, Dec. 11 (UPI) — U.S. adults view President Barack Obama and actress Halle Berry — one parent white and one parent black — as minorities, researchers say.
Lead author Arnold K. Ho, a doctoral student in psychology at Harvard University and James Sidanius, professor of psychology and of African and African-American studies at Harvard, say Americans tend to see biracial people not as equal members of both parent groups, but as belonging more to their minority parent group.
It’s a lasting perception that dates back to the “one-drop rule” — also known as hypodescent — from a 1662 Virginia law on the treatment of mixed-race individuals. Biracials are viewed as members of their lower-status parent group, the researchers said.
The legal notion of hypodescent has been upheld as recently as 1985, when a Louisiana court ruled that a woman with a black great-great-great-great-grandmother could not identify herself as “white” on her passport.
“One of the remarkable things about our research on hypodescent is what it tells us about the hierarchical nature of race relations in the United States,” Sidanius says in a statement. “Hypodescent against blacks remains a relatively powerful force within American society.”
The findings reflect the cultural entrenchment of America’s traditional racial hierarchy, which assigns the highest status to whites, followed by Asians, with Latinos and blacks at the bottom, the researchers say.
The study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, finds people who are one-quarter-Asian are consistently considered more white than those who one-quarter-black, even though African-Americans and European Americans share a substantial degree of genetic heritage.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2010/12/11/Obama-seen-as-more-black-than-white/UPI-58991292051787/
Lena Horne, Melvin Van Peebles and Roger Ebert to Receive 2010 AAFCA Awards
The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) will honor the special achievements of iconic filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, film legend Lena Horne and veteran film journalist Roger Ebert, with 2010 AAFCA Awards at its’ 2nd live ceremony on 13th of December 2010, at the legendary Ebony Repertory Theatre in Los Angeles.
AAFCA is the film industry’s premier African-American film critics group.
“It is a privilege and an honor to bestow AAFCA Awards to these three great talents,” said AAFCA founder and president, Gil Robertson IV.
Melvin Van Peebles will receive the 2010 Cinema Vanguard Award. He is widely credited as the “godfather of modern, African-American cinema.” Best known for his seminal film, “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song,” his artistic contributions and independent spirit, have elevated the craft of filmmaking. He assured the presence of African Americans in all aspects of feature film.
Similarly, actress Lena Horne, who died earlier this year, captivated audiences worldwide with her breakthrough roles in classic films such as “Cabin in the Sky” and “Stormy Weather.” As the 2010 Legacy Award honoree, Ms. Horne’s diverse body of work in film, theatre and music, paved the way for African-American actresses in all three genres. Moreover, Ms. Horne’s tireless support of civil rights emboldened other celebrities to leverage their notoriety for worthy causes.
Lastly, film critic Roger Ebert, internationally-known for his wildly popular TV show, “At the Movies…” and break-through catch phrase “Two Thumbs Up!” achieved both critical acclaim and cultural relevance for his contributions to film criticism. As the recipient of the 2010 Horizon Award, Ebert was the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize. He continues to serve as the ambassador for film critics around the world.
Robertson, executive producer of the 2010 AAFCA AWARDS, has assembled an A-list production team including versatile director, Jonathan X, veteran entertainment journalists Kevin Frazier (Entertainment Tonight) and Tanika Ray (EXTRA) as co-hosts.
“Cinema is the visual landscape of our past, present and future,” Robertson said. “So it’s truly an honor to produce a project that not only rewards quality in filmmaking in general, but also recognizes the valuable contributions made by African Americans to the art form.”
AAFCA comprises respected journalists, academic scholars and industry professionals, who screen, review and provide commentary on film at-large. They also highlight films that are inclusive of the black experience in America – in-front of and behind-the-camera.
http://newsblaze.com/story/20101210134728zzzz.nb/topstory.html
Envoy Holbrooke in critical condition post-surgery
The Associated Press
Saturday, December 11, 2010; 10:57 AM
WASHINGTON — The State Department says Richard Holbrooke, the president’s special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is in critical condition at a Washington hospital after surgery to repair a tear in his aorta.
Department spokesman P.J. Crowley says the surgery at George Washington University Hospital was completed Saturday morning on the 69-year-old Holbrooke and that his family is with him.
Holbrooke was named to his post by President Barack Obama early in his administration.
The veteran diplomat is perhaps best known for helping broker the 1995 agreement that ended the war in Bosnia.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/11/AR2010121101399.html?wpisrc=nl_natlalert
a tear in his aorta?
Thoughts & prayers!
Yes. May the blessings be!
Ron Paul one of only four House Republicans to request earmarks for 2011 budget (UPDATED)
51 earmarks requests totaling $358,303,155 from libertarian favorite
UPDATE: The original version of this article incorrectly listed earmarks from Fiscal Year 2010 as requests in Fiscal Year 2011. TAI drew those numbers from the Taxpayers for Common Sense which listed the earmarks from the wrong year. The earmark totals in the updated version have been drawn from Paul’s website, where each individual request from both 2010 and 2011 may be viewed. We apologize for the the error.
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) was one of only four House Republicans to break rank from the party and request earmarks despite a Republican Conference earmark moratorium. Paul sent 41 earmark requests totaling $157,093,544 for the 2011 Fiscal Year. His largest single request was $19,500,000 for a naval training ship at the Texas Maritime Academy in Galveston, followed by a $18,126,000 to provide maintenance on the Matagorda Ship Channel.
For Fiscal Year 2010, Paul requested 54 total earmarks, adding up to $398,460,640 in pork that the former presidential candidate sought to bring home to his district. These requests were made prior to the House Republican Conference’s voluntary ban on filing earmarks.
Paul’s largest request in 2010 was $51.5 million in federal money to be spent on “Reconstruction of Bluewater Highway Hurricane Evacuation Route Between Brazoria and Galveston Counties in Texas.” He requested another $50 million to be directed to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and $46 million for deepening the Texas City channel. The majority of Paul’s requests were for projects related to various ports and channels, though other sectors of his district also received attention, such as $20 million for a hospital in Chambers County. Even smaller projects received attention from the libertarian representative, such as $2.5 million requested “to redevelop historic downtown area and to purchase trash cans, bike racks and decorative street lighting” in Baytown.
While Paul requested these earmarks, he can still claim to have voted against the spending. Here’s how he defended his earmarking habit when he was challenged during a Fox News interview in 2009:
I think you’re missing the whole point. I have never voted for an earmark. I voted against all appropriation bills. So, this whole thing about earmarks is totally misunderstood.
Earmarks is the responsibility of the Congress. We should earmark even more. We should earmark every penny. So, that’s the principle that we have to follow and the — and the responsibility of the Congress. The whole idea that you vote against an earmark, you don’t save a penny. That just goes to the administration and they get to allocate the funds.
http://washingtonindependent.com/104609/ron-paul-one-of-only-four-house-republicans-to-request-earmarks-for-2011-budget-updated
Richard Holbrooke in ‘critical’ condition: State Dep’t
Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was in critical condition Saturday in hospital where he has been joined by family members, the State Department said.
http://www.alternet.org/rss/breaking_news/388509/richard_holbrooke__in_'critical'_condition%3A_state_dep't/
President Obama on Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters
http://news.yahoo.com/video/politics-15749652/raw-video-president-obama-on-quot-mythbusters-quot-23402184
Memo to the left: Hands off Obama
By Colbert I. King
Friday, December 10, 2010; 7:05 PM
Since the Democratic Party’s “shellacking” in last month’s midterm elections, speculation has been growing about a possible 2012 presidential primary challenge to President Obama launched by his party’s disgruntled left. Talk of a primary challenge has only ratcheted up following Obama’s announcement of the tax deal he cut this week with congressional Republicans.
Warning: If the Democratic left does to Obama in 2012 what it did to incumbent President Carter in 1980 via Ted Kennedy’s damaging Democratic presidential primary challenge – or what the Republican right did to incumbent President George H.W. Bush in 1992 with Pat Buchanan’s entry into the GOP primary – the Democratic party as a whole will find itself paying a steep price for years to come.
That’s a promise, not a threat.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/10/AR2010121005182.html
So it’s a Bernie day, eh? Bernie Sanders is being touted as a primary challenge for PBO. Ummm…. ???? For fillerbustering for a few hours.
They’re idiots. Anyone will do against the black guy.
Bernie’s a purported INDEPENDENT, who does not stand a SNOWBALL’s chance in HELL of winning a presidential race.
Ya know, we’ve been saying all aong that the Dems as much as the Rethugs would damage the Democratic Party. Someone in BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA’s own party is gunning to take him down.
CNN Breaking: — Mark Madoff, son of Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff, found dead in NYC apartment of apparent suicide, source tells CNN.
I just saw that.
Mark Madoff, son of infamous Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, was found hanged in his New York City apartment Saturday, dead from an apparent suicide. Both Mark and his brother Andrew have been the focus of investigators regarding their possible roles in their father’s Ponzi scheme. Click here for more.
The Daily Beast’s Allan Dodds Frank reports on Bernie Madoff’s devilish female partner in crime: Sonja Kohn is a multi-lingual European who suckered more than $9.1 billion from investors into the Ponzi scheme and is still stealing.
At first glance, Sonja Kohn, a short, stout, red wig-wearing 62-year-old grandmother and banker from Vienna, Austria hardly appears to be one of the greatest financial crooks ever, let alone the repeated recipient of a “big hug and a kiss” from her “criminal soul mate,” Bernie Madoff.
Kohn, according to bankruptcy trustee Irving Picard, may be even worse than the now-jailed Madoff. He claims she and her family continue to steal with impunity and hide millions of dollars taken from Madoff victims, in spite of the ongoing U.S. criminal investigation.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-12-11/sonja-kohn-madoffs-partner-in-crime/?om_rid=DRaeQf&om_mid=_BNA5bhB8WI2zHc
I’m going to be a blogging fool today.
Later on, we can build a snowwoman, and pretend that she is FOXY BROWN!
We’ll say are you packin’? She’ll say yes mam, and I can do the job while I’m in town! LMBAO
LMAO
Tee hee, hee!
good morning, 3 Chics, Friends & Lurkers! We know you’re out there.
Look, this 3 Chic’s snowed in today, so I’m gonna be mad blogging; come on in and join us. :-)
Good morning all!
Happy Saturday, Dannie! Minneapolis is getting a blizard.
Time to build a snowman. Imma make me a chocolate one though, he’ll be the HNITBY(Headniggainthebackyard) LOL
What? A blizzard? Be careful up there!
Hi ya, SG2. Season’s Blessings to you! :-)
Here’s your morning cup of java:
http://www.theluxuryspot.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/cup-of-coffee.jpg
I was shivering after reading Minneapolis is getting a blizzard. This will warm me up! :)
Thank you!
LOL! C’mon out and help me build a snowman, SG2. :-)
Guess I bundled up and come on out!
Brrr… :)
Downtown Minneapolis
OMG!
You can’t even see the road! No way I would drive in those conditions. Too scary.
LOL We dug our way out enough to get to the mailbox. Our good neighbor took his snow blower and plowed our driveway.
Good Morning, Ametia, Dannie & 3 Chics!
Happy Saturday!
Christmas Glitters Graphics
3 Chics continues to lift Peanut up in prayers.
AMEN!
May the Blessings Be!
AMEN!!