Looking Back on 2008

Summer 2008: Hangin' with Edmar and the Castanedas and Yuja Wang...

Any way you slice or dice it, 2008 definitely was the "year that was" - so much happened, so much changed! Right here in New York, Governor Eliot Spitzer aka Client 9 had to step down in shame. David Paterson became New York's first black (and legally blind) Governor. Some called it Serendipity. Barack Hussein Obama was elected our President. And then there was all the other craziness between January and December. Here are a few good Buzzwords from 2008 (The New York Times revisits some of the hop topics and catchphrases from this past year)

Liz Funk: Ypulse Best And Worst Of 2008: Book Publishing

The Confabulum » Blog Archive » Best of Journalism 2008

Best of 2008: Megan Garber : CJR:

Disney brings premature end to Narnia franchise

Cuban blogger Retazos [ES] shares some of her wishes for 2009. Gaurav Mishra at Gauravonomics digs into the Indian Blogosphere to find the top five events in 2008, in which the Indian blogosphere itself became newsworthy.

Pepsi's New Year's Resolution...

Say Goodbye to 2008: through work, through the Net, through this blog and just by walking down the road, I have met many incredible people this year. I have heard and seen wonderful things, like One Self's music. I was sad to hear about the many who crossed on and over, and glad to hear of those whose time came close, but not yet...

Twitter gains 5,000 to 10,000 new users each day. The future of Twitter.

Danger Room's 25 Most Popular Posts of 2008...
Tags: 2008, 2008

And who among you had the BEST YEAR ever? Hands down it's Malaysian Blogger Kimberly as you'll see when you read her post!

World Says 'Good Riddance' To 2008

RIP Lark Previn

Soon-Yi and Lark Previn, circa 1984

Lark Previn, a daughter of actress Mia Farrow (whose sister Soon-Yi Previn was at the center of Farrow's messy breakup with Woody Allen), died on Christmas Day. She was 35.

Lady GaGa is NOT "the new Madonna"

Was Lady GaGa born a man? YES or NO? Say, why do people get caught up in nonsense like this and nonsense like "XiaXue is Dead?"

It really and truly pisses me off when some knucklehead makes a comment like the one I heard today on the radio: "Lady GaGa is the new Madonna." A statement like that is the last thing a hardworking performing artist or group wants to hear. It brands that person as less than whole, as a copycat or a rip-off artist (while the REAL rip-off artists are heaped with praise, but that's another story!)

You NEVER want to hear that you are the "new and so and so" - it's a slap in the face, spit in the eye, and the idiot (in this case the female disc jockey) who started that kind of talk, well, she should be regarded as a total nincompoop. How would SHE like it if I started telling people that "DJ so and so is the next Bozo the Clown?"

BTW - we also see this kind of labeling done retrospectively - when Eartha Kitt died the press was calling her "the original material girl!" - original my butt!

Tags: Lady GaGa, Lady GaGa

xiaxue dallas accident

This came to my attention: XiaXue is Dead. Unreliable sources place her driving alone outside Dallas, TX. when she met her demise.

Breaking News:SHE'S ALIVE!!!

I don't believe it is true, and there is no mention of her ever obtaining a Texas driver's license, nevertheless I have messaged Wendy, asking her to confirm whether or not she has left us. I am awaiting her reply and I will let you know how it all works out.

Tags: Xiaxue Dallas, XiaXue Dead

Pop Clips » 29 Dec 08

Sweet little accused murderer...

Children often turn on their parents. Remember Christopher Porco? The NY Daily News prints a chilling tale of 15-year old Sharell Butler, aka "Lady Red" is charged with two murders...

Here's another sweetie-gone bad: De-throned: The Queen of Hispanic America.

The Israeli strikes on Gaza cause Jamaican blogger Annie Paul to recall Nobel Prize-winning German author Günter Grass' “heartfelt rumination on war and the role of writers in times of war”, saying: “While Grass did not explicitly mention bloggers (perhaps in 2006 they were not as omnipresent as they are today) everything he had to say about the responsibility of writers can and should be applied to us.”

There are photos of the aftermath of the attacks on Rafah at Rafah Today.

Jeremie Berrebi, writing from Israel - "Quand je lis les réactions sur Twitter, certains vont jusqu’à aller croire qu’Israel a déclenché cette guerre mais il faudrait peut être que chacun étudie les événements des dernières semaines afin de comprendre véritablement ce qu’il se passe. Je vous invite à lire tout l’historique de Gaza sur Wikipedia en anglais (bien plus documenté que la version française)" - See also: Israeli Bloggers React to Gaza.

Eva Bartlett has written about the situation at Shifa hospital in Gaza City (please be aware that many of the images are disturbing). Sameh A. Habeeb, who is a blogger and journalist in Gaza City, has also described the situation in hospitals

New York State Health Commissioner Richard Daines has recorded a YouTube manifesto in defense of Governor David Paterson's so-called "fat tax" - an 18 percent levy on sugary drinks like non-diet soda. More (and the video) from Liz Benjamin.

Michelle Malkin posts her latest newspaper column, a "Tale of Two Presidential workout Fanatics"

What would you have done? Would you be stupid enough to put your life savings in a box of crackers and then return it to the store? D'oh! (Hope she doesn't mistake the gas for the brake too often!)

And last but not least, here's the most played song of the 20th CenturY!

Paris Hilton’s The Bongo Virus NYE Sydney Party In 3D

ExitReality To Stream NYE Party In 3D Sponsored By Webcruzer

Sydney, Australia, 24 December 2008: Worldwide publicity has surrounded the announcement of celebrity Paris Hilton launching The Bongo Virus New Year’s Eve bash in Sydney. Now ExitReality ( http://www.exitreality.com/ ) and sponsor Webcruzer (http://www.webcruzer.com/ ) will turn Paris’s party into the World's Largest Online 3D party with live streaming of the event.

“The groundbreaking 3D party palace invention is taking The Bongo Virus' New Years Eve party to the next level, by enabling users the opportunity to create their own individual avatars within the one space, whilst partying with the heiress herself,” said founder of Webcruzer and sponsor of the online party, 24-year-old Paul Flammea.

“Exit Reality is excited to be involved in what is going to be an exceptional online experience. Now we can move into all the technology, laser lights, streaming music, streaming video, dancing etc. This is going to be a very exciting New Years Eve,” said founder of ExitReality and inventor of the 3D technology, Danny Stefanic.

The Bongo Virus is a new platform that converges mobile phone and internet applications in one solution. Launching this December 31st with the world's largest New Years Eve party, ExitReality, a free internet plug-in that converts the entire World Wide Web into 3D and Webcruzer, a recession busting business website solution, have now also jumped onto the party bandwagon as sponsor.

The 3D party palace will plunge users into another universe with its realistic replica of the Sydney NYE party. From the paparazzi and photographers following Paris Hilton, to nightclub dancing on the main dance floor, users will be able to experience the unimaginable. The 3D party website can be accessed at: http://www.bongovirusnye3d.com/

Tags: Paris Hilton, Bongo Virus, Bongo Virus, Paris Hilton Bongo Virus

Caroline Kennedy Immersion Course

Sweet Caroline, we hardly knew ye...

For years she was little more than a distant gleam in the greater American public eye (outside New York City, that is) - now, she's catching up - or maybe trying to catch US up. Almost as if she were trying out for the team, Caroline Kennedy is popping up here and there and over there.

Caroline hosted The 31st annual Kennedy Center Honors, which taped December 7 - before she made headlines by announcing her political ambitions. While her appearance on the program would have been moot at most any other time, this year is a very different story. Because it was taped BEFORE she announced, it will be interesting to try and figure out whether she "knew" she was going to announce and conducted herself in a certain fashion while the cameras were turned on... Celebs Morgan Freeman, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend of The Who, Twyla Tharp, George Jones and Barbra Streisand comprised the group of honorees who received Kennedy Center Honors at Pennsylvania Avenue. Oddly enough, on blogs where it is mentioned that Beyoncé Knowles will be making an appearance, that mere mention draws negative comments (like: "Puh-leeze. If I see Audrey Hepburn in the same sentence as Be Yonce Eh again" from ***), some traceable back to this particular post.

The Who light up Kennedy Honors Dec. 30 on CBS

Not necessarily a surprise: If we are to believe the New York Times, Caroline Kennedy [who, according to HuffPo "...friends describe as unflashy but determined, wrestled with whether to give up what has been a lifetime of avoiding the spotlight."] is positioning for the US Senate seat expected to be vacated soon by Hillary clinton... (more) On Governor David Paterson's short list are also NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Congresswomen Kirsten Gillibrand and Carolyn Maloney, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, and of course, The Nanny.

Senate Rep. Gary Ackerman, a Democrat from Queens, said this month in a WOR radio interview "I don't know what Caroline Kennedy's qualifications are. Except that she has name recognition, but so does J. Lo."

New York Governor David Paterson has some soul-searching to do in picking a replacement for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. [New York Magazine] ... The Weekly Standard pointed out that "New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has long been seen as a likely primary opponent to Paterson in 2010, and given his famous name and fundraising base, he's likely to offer a stiff challenge. Paterson will surely be tempted to dispatch Cuomo to Washington--if he's willing to go. Recent reports say Cuomo would turn the job down, but his attitude might change once the discussion moves past hypotheticals."

On the road to become a NY Senator, Caroline has thrown down the gauntlet before Chuck Schumer's feet: Referring to Senator Schumer's annual visit to every corner of the state of New York, Caroline quipped "I could race Chuck Schumer around all 62 counties and, you know, we'll see who wins." Liz Benjamin has details... Caroline Kennedy also did an interview with NY1 that aired Friday night. She said two events shaped her decision to ask Gov. David Paterson 11 days ago to consider her for the position if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is confirmed as secretary of state: the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and her work for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Tags: Caroline Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy

Pop Clips » 27 Dec 08

Eliot Spitzer certainly brought political hanky-panky to a new level - corruption, it seems, is everywhere...

Jezebel discusses the case of a 21 year-old Missouri girl who is one of the first to be charged under a post-Megan Meier cyberbullying law.

The Albany Times Union newspaper is out with a countdown of the Top 10 stories in the Capital Region for 2008: Joe Bruno checks in at number 5. Wonder if Spitzer will take the #1 spot?

chicagotribune.com — In an age when the adult populations of most industrialized nations have grown significantly taller, the average height of black women in the U.S. has been receding, beginning with those born in the late 1960s.

Here in the USA we'll be swearing in our first black president next month. Next to us, what western nation may be "most ready" for black leadership? Martiniquan blogger le blog de [moi] posted on the effect Obama's victory has had on France's identity as an ethnically diverse nation, saying "Ca lui arrive de temps en temps à la France de se souvenir de sa réalité. Au gré d’un événement marquant (victoire mémorable, commémoration ou mort d’un homme célèbre) par exemple. La problème c’est que ça ne dure qu’un temps et “ils” redeviennent vite des étrangers ou pire des immigrés (comprendre ici des boucs émissaires voleurs, profiteurs de tous poils, preneurs de job des “vrais Français qui se lèvent tôt”)."

Eugene Ebode offered this: "Le refus français de poser la question raciale sur la table est une politique de l’autruche" (The French refusal to squarely consider the racial question is a policy of burying heads in the sand.)

Why the French love Obama (Salon News)

Pop Culture shocker? MTV's ratings continue to fall (dropping 23% among 12 to 34 year olds. Is this a wider trend among young viewers?

Egyptian Blogger Zeinobia posts that 27 year old IT programmer Youssef Al Ashmawy is currently detained in a prison Riyadh and is accused of spying on the Kingdom. [Zeinobia's Channel in Youtube]

2 drunk girls on youtube has gone viral...

More trouble for youtube: Parents Television Council goes after YouTube comments which contain obscenities and sexually suggestive content... perhaps those interested in keeping certain computer materials away from prying eyes should investigate Hide Folders on you PC: Fast and Easy Windows...

More confusion in the iWorld as iPhone nano knockoffs have already gone on sale in Thailand (Photos)

I've been tinkering with Facebook over the last few days. Blogger Nelson Tan has posted Take Facebook Marketing To The Next Level.

Politics 26 December 08

The latest in the saga of Caroline K for NY Senator: The gauntlet thrown down before Chuck Schumer: "I could race Chuck Schumer around all 62 counties and, you know, we'll see who wins." Liz Benjamin has details... Caroline Kennedy also did an interview with NY1 that is airing tonight at 7. She said two events shaped her decision to ask Gov. David Paterson 11 days ago to consider her for the position if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is confirmed as secretary of state: the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and her work for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Things are not good and getting worse (in the print media world) - Gawker proclaims "the media depression" has arrived.

Wanna meet NY Governor David Paterson up-close and personal? See you at the mansion on Jan. 1!

Brooklyn Ron blogs that Kwanzaa isn't quite the holiday it's cracked up to be...:"If somebody sends me a Kwanzaa card, I just tear it up."

R.I.P. Eartha Kitt

Eartha Kitt, 1927-2008: The Original Material Girl

Perhaps best known for her 1953 Christmas song "Santa Baby" and to another generation as "Catwoman" in the Batman TV series, Eartha Kitt, sultry singer and dancer, died at 81 (Christmas, 2008). The Washington Post remembers "the purrrfect diva"...

Eartha Kitt's finest moments on YouTube

Eartha Kitt versus the LBJs

Timeline results for eartha kitt santa baby

Christmas 2008 Report

Let the Shopping Spree begin - Okay - we are in phase 2, and it is Friday, December 26th, being introduced on the TV news as "the second Black Friday."

What's particularly appealing about Christmas 08 is the fact that many employers have given today, the day after, as a "day off." A perfect time to begin preparations for next week's holiday: New Year's Day.

Have you given any thought to resolutions for 2009? The best thing to do is hone in on 5 things you want to accomplish, 5 things in relatively easy reach but presenting a particular puzzle or challenge. I have one very serious challenge before me, so much so that I am considering authoring one of this niche "targeted" blogs to "cover" and detail the day by day events surrounding this issue. I want to do the blog anonymously, for several reasons.

Now, this particular blog racked up some holiday numbers fro just a few specific posts in the period between Saturday and Christmas Midnight. They are, in popular order:

1 - People who were giving or receiving the GPXML638b pocket video player.

2 - How To Save and Copy YouTube Videos and/or make mp3's out of them.

3 - People looking for anything related to Beyonce, her plastic surgery, wigs and/or Sasha Fierce, her alter-ego.

4 - Holiday Video/mp3 Gift Suggestions

5 - Judging from where the traffic originated incoming to Get Your Blog Noticed, a lot of people either got a computer for Christmas or had nothing to do but surf the net on Christmas Day... just 5 more hits on this post would have put it in position number 4!

It seemed more crowded under this year's Christmas Tree than in previous years. (see grainy cellphone photo) The ACTUAL gift count was fewer: the packages were larger and represented more clothing purhcases (coats, hats, mittens, etc.) and after all the presents were unwrapped, everyone was delighted with his or her gifts. Hope YOU had a wonderful, bountiful Christmas.

We attended Church services on Christmas Eve, and elsewhere in the city of Albany, Pastor Charlie Muller played Santa for the girls at St. Ann's and for kids in some of the poorer, tougher neighborhoods. Christams Day we were off to the annual family holiday bash in Manhattan.

Here's some "2008: Year End" Stuff:

My Top Ten TV Shows of 2008

The Best Gizmodo Features of 2008

MG’s ten favorite iPhone apps of 2008 » VentureBeat

Academia’s Top 10 Abuses of 2008

Japan: The year in Japanese blogs

Southeast Asia: Newsmakers of 2008

Caucasus: 2008 Blog Review

Metacritic's 10 Best, Worst Games Of 2008

Seasons Greetings!

Merry Christmas Everybody!

HaPPy HoLiDayS!

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (or not)!

'Tis the season - and nowhere celebrates Christmas quite like the Caribbean! Global Voices' Janine Mendes-Franco presents a glimpse into what bloggers are doing to get into the spirit of the festivities...

Trinidadian blogger Attillah Springer is playing Sock and Awe, “the simply brilliant online game” in which more than 46 million people have pelted shoes at President Bush! Meanwhile, Bruce Springsteen says Bush hate fueled new album...

In the End, Hillary Clinton’s Secretary of State Gig Only Cost Her $13 Million... Gawker takes aim at Caroline...

It's Cuomo vs. Schlossberg - Rush says so!

More contemporary advice from Liz B: "In the brave new world of YouTube, blogs and 24-hour media coverage, no matter how badly you publicly screw up, someone else's screw up is always going to supplant yours, so just ride out the storm. It won't last long."

and, before we leave the world of politics, Gothamist reports that the drama over whether NY State Senator-elect Hiram Monserrate assaulted his girlfriend continues!

Getting down to earth: The Albany Project has some thoughts on America's Housing Crisis.

The Green Lantern Blog: The World According To Klecko

The Night Before The Day Before

Wanna record Blue Christmas with Elvis? Head over HeRe.

DJ VADIM writes on his MySpace blog: "...the new dj vadim song - 'hidden treasure ' featuring the amazing sabira jade and kwasi taken from the forthcoming brand new album - u can't lurn imaginashun... [IS AVAILABLE] for net streaming this week only! its like the 4th track in... Hey DJ, Merry Christmas to you too!

Experts say Pop Culture is finally hitting the eject button on the VHS tape.

Surprise: Google was my doctor: Says Scott Adams, Dilbert Creator

Surprise not: Insuranceless Plaxico Burress Is Sued Over Car Crash

25: Almost Here!

12 Days of Christmas Blogger Style

via StumbleUpon

Hallelujah! Same song dominates British music charts...

...Surprise Christmas Hit

Michelle Malkin has posted Christmas bailout gift ideas

Last-minute gift alert: for film buffs, this was one of the best DVD years ever...

The Christmas atmosphere is alive and well in San Pedro Sula, Honduras writes Santos Galvez of El Sam Pedrano [es].

Signs That Something Must Be Really Wrong

Things we cannot fathom:

The price of oil continues to drop, even after OPEC cuts production

Car sales continue to plummet; Toyota posts the first LOSS in the company's 70-year history, and despite the "automaker's bailout" people can't get the credit to need to buy cars anyway, so what's the point?

Dyed-in-the-wool democrats are overheard referring to Caroline Kennedy as "Sharpie's Harpie" while CBS News reports Kennedy's press releases on policy are signed by an aide, not by Caroline herself.

Discounts as deep as 70% aren't luring Christmas shoppers out, and there are 2 days left until...

Blog Boost

How to steal content for your blog (and use it to increase your pagerank!)

The REAL deal: 7 Ways to get your blog noticed!

Dana Blankenhorn writes "The best blog posts are personal." Do you agree?

Tags: Arianna Huffington, HuffPo, HuffPo, Arianna Huffington

Pop Clips » 22 Dec 08 » eXtreme edition

Ba-ROCK! Listen up, kiddies: Nickelodeon plans to cover the inauguration.

JOBSEARCH: Building value on Facebook by reinkefj... More like Fakebook ypulse reports Inside Facebook calls out guidebook publisher College Prowler for creating fake profiles and groups in an attempt to generate a mailing list. More on the underhanded dealings on SquaredPeg.

Ukrainiana writes about and posts video of a very loud protest in Kyiv: “On December 22, at noon, Kyivites honked their horns to protest against rampant government corruption and endless power struggles wrecking the Ukrainian Dream amid the country’s deepest economic crisis since the early ‘90s.”

In Fort Dix jihadists convicted: Thank you, Brian Morgenstern, Michelle Malkin praises a young electronics store employee who, by my reckoning, should be a National Hero!

Reckless teen driving (is taken to creative and dangerous new levels in Maryland) (another one from ypulse) - and here's one all defiant teens should see... as one commenter writes: "Dear God!! Show that to kids in drivers ed, they will never speed!" And then there is, as Paul Harvey would say, the REST of the story.

Tags: Brian Morgenstern, Barack Obama Muscles, Nikki Catsouras, Porsche Toll Booth Crash

Shocking Disclosures

OMG it's c-c-cold outside!!!

There isn't a bone, joint or muscle in my body that didn't get a workout cleaning up after our weekend double-storm whammy. Precious few days left before Xmas and I am far behind on my gift shopping and my budget is LOST!

In my work as a journalist, I've often encountered press releases and articles written about father's rights groups. One topic that always appears on such material involves child support. I admit I never really gave it much thought while reading the dad's angry complaints. It took a newspaper article to open my eyes and realize how cheap, and penny-pinching some of the woman actually are. I was shocked! A paltry $25 a year has women doing cartwheels, outraged that they are being deprived of 2-dollars and change a month! Oi Vey!

Here's a snippet of the article:

...in September, the single mother in Queensbury, Warren County, learned New York state was going to begin skimming $25 a year off her court-ordered child support payments. The federally mandated fee is now being collected whenever a recipient's payments go over $500 for the year.

"That's a week's worth of school lunches for three kids. That's a pair of sneakers. That's a doctor's office visit," Varmette said. "It's upsetting. I am a single mom, and it's not easy. This is my children's money."

UPSET! Can you believe it? Bitchin' over a lousy two bucks! Maybe those father's rights dudes are onto something! Here's the complete clipping! Some father's rights advocates say that although women CLAIM it's the "children's money" they're actually not spending it on the little tykes.

Related: An Alienated Father’s Christmas « Fathers’ Rights

Obama on the ropes: via Huffington Post - Rick Warren And Obama: What Is 'Traditional Marriage' ...

More SHOCKERS:
Arrests after fathers rights fart gas attack
Michael Jackson needs lung transplant, says biographer
Toyota looks to log ¥150 billion loss

Spirit of the Season

As you begin to think about what you have or have not accomplished over the past year, take one moment and thank God, praise Allah, that you HAVE a life to live. Be good to yourself, because you all you have. Everything and everyone else is passing quickly thru your life, like water through your hands. In simpler times, people used to get broken up over Dickens' novel "A Christmas Carol" and in the mid-20th century over the motion picture "It's A Wonderful Life." There are many poems that have been written that move us to assess and evaluate and sometimes regret our lives.

Snippet:
The picture books are put away,
There are no longer games to play,
No goodnight kiss, no prayers to hear...
That all belongs to yesteryear.

My hands, once busy, now are still.
The days are long and hard to fill.
I wish I could go back and do
The little things you asked me to.

Are you ready for Christmas?

Now is the time to make sure you'll be keeping in touch with all of your family and friends!

zYZa blogs about a Christmas Tradition.

'The Man Who Invented Christmas' by Les Standiford

What the true meaning of Christmas? ChrisJ

Costa Rican online humour collective nosedecirlaerre.com which translates into "I can´t pronounce the R" has set out a call for participation from Costa Ricans and those familiar with their culture to create a collaborative video for Christmas.

Holiday Magic: Christmas Tree Powered By Bikes, Supposedly

Kona Christmas parade winners Hawaii247.com

Pop Clips » 22 Dec 08

mashable.com — Over the past year we’ve reviewed sites from just about every cross-section of the web. And yet, so many ground breaking new services haven’t received the recognition they deserve: we aim to set that straight. From niche social networks to job sites and alternative search engines, each of the following excited us in 2008... presenting the 24 Most Underrated Websites of 2008.

How To Survive The Coming Credit Card Crisis via forbes.com — Plastic is shaping up to be the next chapter in the financial meltdown. What you need to know.While the economy tumbles and the government rushes to help stop the housing crisis, another danger is lurking--in your wallet!

During President George W. Bush's valedictory visit to Iraq, an Iraqi journalist launched his shoes at Bush's head during a press conference. Since then, an assortment of games, animated GIF's, videos, and creative websites have appeared to making light of the journalist's shoe toss. (HotHardware.com: Bush Shoe Toss Games Go Viral )

On Global Voices, Marwa Rakha writes about Egyptian Spinsters:

The outcasts of the Egyptian society - the spinsters - are raising their voices in an attempt to change how society views them.

Khokha - the anonymous author of The daily diaries of a sinister spinister - says:
انا عشت حبة كل ما اقول رأى ولا كلمة … يردوا فى سرهم ” دى عانس و غيرانة”طب ماشى بقى … شوفوا الدنيا من عين هذى العانس الغيرانةو تابعوا يوميات العانس الحقود
There was a time when every time I opened my mouth or voiced an opinion, they would look at me and say “ah … yes … she is a jealous sinister”. Ok! Fine! Let me show you the world through the eyes of this spinsters … follow my blog… the daily diaries of a sinister sinister.

Abeer Soliman, an Egyptian writer and the author of The Journal of a Spinster, wrote (continues here)

Eye on youTube: Dan Osman - Speed Rock Climbing - No Harness & No Protection watch!

Photographs: 8 of the Most Beautiful Cities at Night [24 PICS

Music: Dans mon iPod ce weekend... Tom Tom Club, le projet mené par Tina Weymouth et Chris Frantz en marge des Talking Heads... Moins prise de tête que les...

Social Networking: Facebook is attracting more and more Italians by the day - but could the attraction prove fatal?

Around The Blogosphere 20 December 08

Global Voices needs your financial support in order to remain independent, free and sustainable. Donate today, and declare your commitment to helping amplify stories, images and videos from ordinary people around the global who use the internet to communicate with their fellow world citizens! [....]

Linux's '09 Outlook: Everywhere, Even On Windows Machines!

Keith Richards Reveals His Favorite Rolling Stones Songs

Krugman: "A World Gone Madoff"

Achelois: a retired goddess comments on the animal sacrifice in Islam and the tradition of letting children watch the slaughtering: “I believe that there is no need or reason for us to show animals being killed to young children.”

A Green Agenda for Obama's First 100 Days

Welcome The Accolade - the all girl rock band from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, recently released their first song "Pinocchio" on their official facebook page... [:more:] (The girls also have a MySpace page.)

Happy Chanukah!

One of the great things about growing up in Albany and New York City is the fact that one encounters a magnificent tapesty of humanity as one makes his or her way thru daily life. I have friends who are Christians, Muslims and Jews. I think I'm pals with an Athiest and a "new ager" too...

When I was coming up the holidays were always times of wonder (and still are). And because the Jewish community has always had a presence in both of my cities, it is common to have knowledge and even observe (in one's own way) the many holidays of various faiths that occur this time of the season.

Sunday night, December 21, marks the beginning of the Jewish festival of Chanukah (or Hanukkah). Like many Jewish holidays, Chanukah commemorates a story from Jewish history.

As a holiday, Chanukah has sometimes seemed like a paler version of Christmas, but in reality it is steeped in special traditions and practices. For one thing, in the 21st century, more people are AWARE of Chanukah than they were, say, back in 1988. We have come along way, and it's great to "share holidays" among good friends. Heck, some people even switch from one religion to another, almost like changing their sox.

So is there gift-giving at Chanukah? Eight nights worth, beginning December 21. Here is Gift-giving advice from the Talmud. Klug’s running a promo where she’s giving away one autographed copy of the book for every night of Chanukah.

Is there food? Yup - LATKES! How about music? What about "carols" like Christians sing at Christmastime? Well, sure BTW --- I found another really neat column written by Nechemia Meyers from Rehovot, Israel. Instead of copying and posting excerpts, I thought you'd enjoy reading the entire article, so kindly click HeRe!!!

Jessica Jensen: Thoughts on a Green Chanukah

Tags: Chanukah, Nechemiah Meyers, Nechemiah Meyers, Chanukah