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POPSHappy Birfday, Charles Dickens' "Christmas Carol" more: Interestingly, there is no mention of the following in Dickens' A Christmas Carol: -Christmas tree -wrapped gifts -Anything related to The Nativity (wise men, baby Jesus), although there are plenty of homeless parents all through Dickens' works. While such values as charity, family, and universal goodwill certainly fall well within the Christian tradition, the book is not explicitly Christian much beyond the wish that "God bless us, everyone." Actually, that feels quite Anglican. ;-) There is no mention of Santa Claus per se, but the Ghost of Christmas Present is a big Oðin-like viking spirit, in a green fur-trimmed robe, bare chested and hearty. You know GoCP is going to the holiday swingers party once he drops off Scrooge.[/quote[
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POPS8 Gifts that will collect dust after Christmas Day We all give or receive Christmas gifts, year after year, that will ultimately be used one or two times before getting boxed up and banished to the attic to collect dust for eternity. Many of these items flood Ebay after every Christmas, or show up at a garage sale in the spring so they can collect dust at someone else’s house. Some people will even try to exchange them, even though they’re now not only USED pieces of crap, but there’s technically nothing wrong with them to begin with. It’s not that we don’t like these gifts or the thoughtfulness behind them — quite the opposite in in fact — we’re excited about these presents. Unfortunately that excitement wears off the moment they start becoming a pain in the ass to use or clean. This usually happens before we ring in the new year.
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POPSDec 26: Boxing Day Celebrated in Bahamas, Canada, Jamaica, U.K., Ireland. It was once a day when the church's poor boxes were opened. In Britain, originally a day when gifts (boxes) are given to servants, tradespeople, or others who provide services.
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POPSA Merry Christmas for 'Health Care Command and Control Administration's' Congress 
'not green enough' will be rationed. The cross enforcement of anti-pollution laws and green technologies will bring the EPA to the party as an enforcement arm tailored to regulating all manner of pollution producers. Think of banning riding mowers as creating pollution and a sedentary lifestyle, thus running afoul of the 'Green AND Obesity Police.' Want to smoke a cigar with your goombahs at the local pizzeria? Fuggedaboudit! Pizza will, of course, be banned or regulated as a major cause of obesity. Those ovens that pump out CO2 by the cubic yard have got to go, too. And cigars? Not only do they cause cancer, global warming and spew aroma pollutants, but the second hand smoke is a weapon used to assault other peoples' health. Now fur-wearing can be rightfully banned as the glorification of sport hunting among otherwise 'civilized' people. The practical implications of amassing policy-making power in one central administration is almost endless as more and more regulatory
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POPSSanta Claus 'buried in Ireland' It is thought that the man who inspired the tradition of leaving presents under a Christmas tree, came from a wealthy family and he is believed to have given much of his fortune away. Early pilgrims visited the cathedral in Myra to pay their respects to the bishop. The bishop was originally buried at a local church in Myra, in modern day Turkey, when he died. Historians now believe his body was later moved to the abbey in Ireland by early crusaders. “St Nicholas Church is still standing and there is a slab on the ground which marks St Nicholas's grave,” he said. Few locals know of the much-loved figure’s link with Kilkenny. “It is an amazing story and yet very few people in Ireland know about St Nicholas's connection with this country,” he said. “Every year now we get visitors to the site, but still not that many.” i
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POPSReading List: Inside Obama's Brain by Sasha Abramsky Audiobook downloaded. "Never has the world needed strong and wise American leadership more than it does now. Abramsky's eminently readable description of Obama's personal gifts makes it clear that he is remarkably suited to be the president the moment requires." -Former New York Governor Mario M. Cuomo
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POPSNo Matter How Deep The Tinsel Gets "Their passion notwithstanding, they're no match for a $450-billion marketing juggernaut whose seasonal tally helps determine the course of our national economy. Don't get me wrong; I'd never discourage the purists from raising their questions. After all, contention itself confers importance on an issue in America. And the paradox inherent in modern Christmases is worth grappling with. The very fact that the battle to save Christmas is joined year in and year out -- and has been since we started down the gift-giving, Black Friday, mallification path of excess -- seals the deal. If the tension lives, the true meaning of Christmas does too, no matter how deep the tinsel gets. And that ought to give everyone at least a little comfort and joy."
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POPSHave you ever wondered what hope looks like? Meet Celeste Fleck The joy caregivers and donors feel is genuine and not of stuff or material gifts. It is in the smiles of the children they care for, a first spoken word, a glance or a step. Each little success is a miracle of its own making. And what happiness when someone is well enough to go home. There is much about ourselves we can learn here.
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POPSChanukah (Hanukkah) Happy Chanukah (Hanukkah) to all who celebrate! To see the live webcam at the Wall, it is here: http://www.livekotel.com/a_freecam.cfm?affid=18
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POPSEt Tu, Ivan? (just dropped a bomb on Copenhagen) Ivan drops a bomb on Copenhagen. Unfortunately, it’s the kind of neutron bomb that is likely to leave the warmalist infrastructure standing. And thanks to robust tinfoil helmetry, even the soft targets are likely to survive the hit. Selective, distortional warmalist data culling is not a new claim. The hated skeptics have been saying this for some time. In this case, just one cautionary note … beware of Russkies bearing gifts. The last thing Ivan wants is for Europe to become less reliant on Ivan, and there is nothing Ivan likes more than confusion and consternation in the enemy camp. All of which is actually a good argument for the reasonable, rational and measured pursuit of conservation measures. Financial and national security bottom line, clean environment, all that. Not to be confused with economically ruinous policies in furtherance of highly controversial, unproven and apparently rigged theories.
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POPSGives me hope Please go to the site and read the other entries about things that give people hope. The little girl at the end of the clipped stuff was only 6.
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