Has a grueling day of hand-to-hand combat with your fellow shoppers over the few remaining pairs of Air Jordans left you battered, stressed, and sore? Well, put those shiny sneakers up and unwind to the soothing sounds of Dutch ensemble Musica Amphion, as they play the 4th and 5th movements from Baroque composer Arcangelo Corelli’s Christmas Concerto in G Minor.
The comments are open, as always, for your Reader Tips.

Tommy Robinson, founder of the English Defense League, hospitalized with brain bruising after he is beaten by a mob of knuckle duster-wearing Pakistanis who shouted “Allahu Akhbar!!” and “Merry Christmas!”
This is pretty funny. Space junk is falling all over these days. Obviously its part of a satellite or defunct spacecraft.
The Gods must be crazy: Metal ‘Teletubby head’ falls near Namibian village
http://rt.com/news/namibia-flying-object-529/
EBD: He has spoken to The Sun, who asked whether he had called the police. Tommy said there was no point, as a racial attack on a white guy was of no interest to them.
When he was admitted to hospital, would they not notify the police?
Heard it first on Michael Coren’s show and he has him booked for another visit after he has recovered. Am looking forward to that interview.
Obama’s Christmas gift to America
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/12/president-obamas-christmas-present-america
Wow! Applauding loudly:
http://wizbangblog.com/2011/12/26/if-he-wants-money-get-a-job-work-like-everybody-else-in-this-world/
via Instapundit
Simone, good thing that store employee doesn’t work for Walgreens or else he’d be out of a job. 🙁
Just stumbled across this on Youtube. I couldn’t believe the CBC didn’t figure out it’s a fake video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoRiYOplcwY
I don’t think it’s fake, Coach: http://www.newsday.com/long-island/obituaries/mohammed-sohail-48-who-gave-robber-money-dies-1.2243135
Neo-AGW Progress Report.
We’re back despite stately cost overruns.
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“Telegraph | National Trust switches off solar power plans as ministers cut returns
The National Trust has scrapped many of its plans to install green energy at stately homes across Britain because of the Government’s decision to reduce funding.”
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“OC | Forecast: Winter storm headed our way Tuesday evening, Environment Canada says
OTTAWA — Environment Canada is now alerting residents to the possibility of a winter storm Tuesday evening that could drop as much as 15 centimentres of snow on the Ottawa-Gatineau area.
[…]
WN | Winter storm moves into parts of southern Ontario and Quebec”
http://www.jacksnewswatch.com/
Socialism: a religion of the stomach.
“baked into socialism”: No tomorrow.
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“Ironically this outcome was baked into socialism from the beginning. It was suspicious of “tomorrow”– that place where the worker would enjoy his benefits — and preferred to consume things today. The most hated tomorrow in socialist opinion was the Christian heaven. It was the “opiate of the people”; the object to which they lifted their eyes the better not to see the miseries of the present. The sooner man was rid of heaven and its earthly equivalents, the nation or the country, the better the new man would be. As John Lennon knew, the best way to understand socialism is to imagine a world without tomorrow.
Imagine there’s no heaven.
It’s easy if you try.
No hell below us, above us only sky.
Imagine all the people living for today.
And that is precisely what the welfare state consisted of. Living for today. Social security is a perfect example. It was never a “fund”; it was never anything more than a payroll tax moving money from young workers to old workers. For it while it seemed to work, but only because the West was running on the legacy of a generation that believed in tomorrow and had sacrificed its life and youth in World War 2 to secure it. The “living for today” lifestyle resulted in the spectacular party some may remember at the end of the 20th century: an era that valued unlimited sex, unlimited welfare, and sacrifice for God and country not at all.”
“If Tomorrow Comes”
http://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2011/12/27/if-tomorrow-comes/#more-19723
Thanks for the beautiful Concerto, EBD.
Ban EUrats.
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“Stilton villagers banned from using own name on cheese”
“The Cambridgeshire village of Stilton is resuming manufacture of the famous cheese almost 300 years after it was first created – despite an EU ban on the use of the name.”
“Villagers are being forced to come up with a new title for the blue-veined cheese following a “ridiculous” ruling that prevents it officially being made outside three East Midlands counties.
The cheese – being sold by a local pub for the first time early next year – is now to be named “Bell Blue” while locals battle to have the ban overturned.
Liam McGivern, landlord of the Bell Inn, which is behind the move, said the rules meant they could not call it Stilton but could produce packaging saying “blue-veined cheese made in Stilton”.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/8979255/Stilton-villagers-banned-from-using-own-name-on-cheese.html
Via Drudge, mass brawl at Minnesota’s Mall of America, after a rumour breaks out that rapper Lil’ Wayne was going to show up.
Um, Shetland Islands, anyone?
Hi! I’m Archie from the Bank’s Bunker. Here to help youse with a stash of Hope.
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“Measure of Fear”
“Banks Bunker Hundreds of Billions in Deposits at ECB”
“Just before Christmas, the European Central Bank flooded the financial markets with 500 billion euros — a move that may not ultimately have the desired effect of stabilizing banks. Instead of passing that money on in loans to businesses to spur the economy, European banks have redeposited the money with the ECB at low interest rates.”
http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,805940,00.html
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“My Financial Career ( Stephen Leacock)
When I go into a bank I get nervous. The clerks make me nervous; the little windows at the counters make me nervous; the sight of the money makes me nervous …”
http://urlm.in/klqi
Hi! I’m Archie from the Bank’s Bunker. Here to help youse with a stash of Hope.
…-
“Measure of Fear”
“Banks Bunker Hundreds of Billions in Deposits at ECB”
“Just before Christmas, the European Central Bank flooded the financial markets with 500 billion euros — a move that may not ultimately have the desired effect of stabilizing banks. Instead of passing that money on in loans to businesses to spur the economy, European banks have redeposited the money with the ECB at low interest rates.”
http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,805940,00.html
Thanks for the concert EBD.
My internet provider was down from Saturday around 4 pm until the middle of last evening. My son-in-laws were convinced that my wife had this set up with Yourlink. Yourlink assured me that this was not the case and a local tower went out of commission.
BTW, we learned a new game at our house this Christmas. It was called “pass the barf bucket”. The games originator was a gastrointestinal virus affected all except the adult females and two of the adult males. Good thing we had good supply of ice cream pails.
Still, despite the illness, we had a great Christmas.
Robert W- Watch it more closely. The security cameras are panning around, shooting from 4 different angles, and zooming in on the actors.
“Suffering Greek retail sees worst Christmas in decades”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-news/suffering-greek-retail-sees-worst-christmas-in-decades/article2284216/
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“Former Turkish PM’s arson admission fuels anger”
“Greek politicians reacted angrily on Monday following the admission by former Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz that Turkish secret agents intentionally started forest fires in Greece in the 1990s as part of state-sponsored sabotage.”
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_26/12/2011_419985
if this works, watch the automakers drop hybrids like a live grenade…if they can’t tie up the court with lawyers arguing procedure until their opponent goes broke, their only chance is to bribe the judge
By Jerry Hirsch, Los Angeles Times
December 27, 2011
Heather Peters is an angry consumer who knows she has little chance of winning a war with Honda Motor Co. and its army of high-priced lawyers.
The Los Angeles resident is miffed that her 2006 Honda Civic hybrid doesn’t get its claimed fuel economy. And she isn’t satisfied with a proposed class-action lawsuit settlement that would give trial lawyers $8.5 million while Civic owners would get as little as $100 and rebate coupons for the purchase of a new vehicle.
But Peters believes that she found a venue where she can win justice and where Honda can’t spend a single dollar on legal help.
On Jan. 3 she’ll take her case to Small Claims Court in Torrance, where California law prohibits Honda from bringing an attorney. She’s asking for the maximum of $10,000 to compensate her for spending much more on gasoline than expected. Honda said the Civic would get about 50 miles per gallon, but because of technical problems the car gets closer to 30 mpg.
full story at:
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-autos-honda-smallclaims-20111227,0,959031.story
Of leftist political correctness and Mohammedanism.
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“Islamic honor killing in Texas: “Santa” who murdered family on Christmas morning was Muslim who didn’t like his daughter dating a non-Muslim
Aziz Yazdanpanah, a Muslim, didn’t like his daughter’s non-Muslim boyfriend and was exhibiting stalker behavior. “She couldn’t date at all until she was a certain age, but when he was going to let her date she couldn’t date anyone outside of their race or religion.”
Again and again we have seen honor killings in which fathers kill daughters who are dating non-Muslims or have supposedly besmirched the family honor by some sexual indiscretion. Lt. Todd Dearing says that motive isn’t important — which is generally only the case when Islam is involved.
“Neighbors horrified at news of family’s slayings in Grapevine,” by Gloria Salinas and Scott Goldstein for the Dallas Morning News, December 26 (thanks to Steve):
GRAPEVINE — Aziz Yazdanpanah seemed to be losing control of his life in recent months — his wife left him, his house was in foreclosure, and his 19-year-old daughter was dating a young man he didn’t like.
Even so, the 58-year-old former real estate agent from Colleyville seemed to be holding it together. Neighbors say he would smile and wave as he drove through his middle-class neighborhood. Recently, he was seen raking leaves in his yard.
“He was very friendly, a very good neighbor,” said Carrie Stewart, who lives across the street. “He was out here often doing yard work and he even watched our house for us when we went to Colorado.”
A decent fellow indeed.”
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/12/islamic-honor-killing-in-texas-man-who-murdered-family-on-christmas-morning-was-muslim-who-disliked.html
More of: pics also.
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“Well, well, well, the Texas Christmas Day massacre of 7 people, including the killer, was a MUSLIM honor killing, after all.”
“Truth be told, I quickly discounted my initial reaction that Muslims might be involved because the killer was reported to be in a Santa costume. Stupid me. The ‘Santa’ who massacred his family on Christmas morning was a Muslim who was enraged that his daughter was dating a non-Muslim.”
“As usual, the media ignored the obvious honor-killing elements of this massacre. Aziz Yazdanpanah had lost control of his family. His wife had left him. His daughter was dating a non-Muslim. And he killed them all. Just as the Ft. Hood Jihadist Massacre was labeled “Workplace Violence,” the Obama-subservient media are trying to pass off this mass honor killing as “Holiday Blues.””
http://barenakedislam.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/well-well-well-the-texas-christmas-day-massacre-of-7-people-including-the-killer-was-a-muslim-honor-killing-after-all/
The “foreign national” O is “weighing” is a Mohammedan.
Will O invite Saleh to the White House for a sleepover, a la Arafat/Clinton?
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“POLITICO 44”
“U.S. still weighing Saleh travel”
“12/27/11 7:53 PM”
“A U.S. State Department press release from acting spokesperson Mark Toner, regarding Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh:
“In all cases in which a foreign national seeks to travel to the United States, a formal process is undertaken to determine the applicant’s eligibility for a visa to the United States. This process can vary in length of time, and until each step of the process is complete, no final determination is made.
“Despite reports to the contrary, the United States is still considering President Saleh’s request to enter the United States for the sole purpose of seeking medical treatment. Only at the end of this internal review process will a final visa adjudication be made. The Department of State will confirm that a decision has been reached only after this process has been completed.”
http://www.politico.com/politico44/whiteboard/2011/12/U_S__still_weighing_Saleh_travel.html