Nick Confalone, a writer for the Disney Channel cartoon Fish Hooks, edited a home video footage his father filmed every December 25 to chart his sister and himself growing up over 25 years.
The video, which was posted on YouTube, shows the changes in Confalone family’s lives over a quarter of century.
The footage begins in 1985 and shows the two children clambering down the staircase in their pyjamas as toddlers to see what Santa Claus has left under the Christmas tree.
Nick Confalone edited a home video footage his father filmed every December 25 to chart his sister and himself growing up over 25 years
In the following years, their styles change – as does their willingness to be featured on the home video.
By 1991, a dog has entered the scene and in one of the last scenes, the girl’s boyfriend is brought into the family tradition. The tape is accompanied by the song Christmas Time by Vince Guaraldi.
Nick Confalone explained: “Every year, for pretty much my entire life, Dad has videotaped me and my sister coming down the stairs on Christmas morning.
“As teenagers, we begrudgingly accepted our fathers tradition, but as we grew up we realized we were part of something special – dare I say, <<something magical>>.”
Seven people from were shot dead in a suburban Fort Worth apartment as they had opened their Christmas gifts, police said yesterday.
According to authorities, the shooter appeared to be among the dead, but got a warrant before doing a full search on the small chance that it was otherwise.
Four women and three men, aged 18 to 60, were found in an adjoining kitchen and living room area when police entered the apartment around midday, said Grapevine Police Sergeant Robert Eberling.
Two handguns were found near the bodies in the apartment that was decorated for the holiday with a tree, Robert Eberling added.
“It appears they had just celebrated Christmas. They had opened their gifts,” he said.
Seven people from were shot dead in a suburban Fort Worth apartment as they had opened their Christmas gifts, police said yesterday
The victims have not yet been identified, but Robert Eberling said it appears they all died of gunshot wounds. He said authorities still don’t know what sparked the incident.
Grapevine Police Lieutenant Todd Dearing said investigators believe that all the victims were related, but that some were only visiting and didn’t live in the apartment. He said police are looking for other relatives to inform.
“Seven people in one setting in Grapevine, that’s never happened before. Ever,” Todd Dearing said.
He said police were performing a “meticulous” search of the apartment and he expects them to be on the scene for many hours.
Police and firefighters first rushed to the Lincoln Vineyards complex after receiving an open-ended 911 call at about 11:30 a.m., Robert Eberling said.
“There was an open line. No one was saying anything,” he explained.
Police went into the apartment, located in a middle-class, suburban neighborhood of Grapevine, not far from the upscale Fort Worth neighborhood of Colleyville. The apartment is at the back of the complex, overlooking the athletic fields of Colleyville Heritage High School.
But many of the nearby apartments are vacant, and police said no neighbors reported hearing anything on a quiet Christmas morning when many people were not around.
Apple hopes to use hydrogen cells to produce lighter batteries that could last for weeks on its products.
Apple is staying on the cutting edge as they have recently submitted applications for patents to create new energy sources for their products.
The filings that Apple submitted seem to have rather bold promises of allowing electronics to run for days or weeks without having to be recharged.
“Such fuel cells and associated fuels can potentially achieve high volumetric and gravimetric energy densities, which can potentially enable continued operation of portable electronic devices for days or even weeks without refueling,” the filings report read.
Not only would their plan to use hydrogen fuel cells get rid of “the need for a bulky and heavy battery” but it would also help the environment.
By switching from standard batteries which use toxic chemicals to hydrogen, the by-products of the new technology would only be water and electrical energy.
“Our country’s continuing reliance on fossil fuels has forced our government to maintain complicated political and military relationships with unstable governments in the Middle East, and has also exposed our coastlines and our citizens to the associated hazards of offshore drilling,” Apple wrote in its patent application.
“These problems have led to an increasing awareness and desire on the part of consumers to promote and use renewable energy sources,” it continued.
The idea of hydrogen fuel technology isn’t new, but this is the clearest indication of exactly what the company intends to do to improve users experiences with the iPod or iPhone.
Apple Insider reported that the first round of patent applications on the subject came in October when they filed papers that mentioned “lighter and more efficient hydrogen fuel cells”.
While the iPhone 4S was released after the death of legendary Apple founder Steve Jobs in October, a technological breakthrough like an entirely different battery would be a massive upswing for the company.
The new iPhone 5 is still on the imminent horizon, as initial predictions put its release date at sometime in late December.
In their 23-16 victory over the Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals’ Jerome Simpson epic touchdown was the highlight of the game.
The Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton noticed him with plenty of space wide on the left.
He delivered a perfect 19-yard pass.
Jerome Simpson collected the ball with ease, ran at the Cardinals’ Daryl Washington and did an amazing acrobatic forward flip over him in the endzone.
He landed perfectly on both feet, with the somersault drew loud cheers from the crowd.
Jerome Simpson collected the ball with ease, ran at the Cardinals' Daryl Washington and did an amazing acrobatic forward flip over him in the endzone
The mighty move on Christmas Eve helped the Bengals edge to one win away from the playoffs Saturday, holding on for a 23-16 victory over Arizona that secured only their third winning record in the past 21 years.
Now Jerome Simpson could be fined up to $25,000 for breaking NFL regulations as he scored.
Norwegian researchers have discovered a cure to ease that painful gut-busting feeling brought on by over indulging during the holidays and without cutting down on the feasting.
The researchers’ advice is to have a sugary snack.
“A sweet taste can allow the stomach to hold more, and we can eat a little more without experiencing discomfort,” Dr. Arnold Berstad of Lovisenberg Diakonale Hospital in Oslo said in a report by the New York Post.
In a paper published this month in The Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association, Dr. Arnold Berstad and Dr. Jorgen Valeur said sugar appears to stimulate the vagus nerve, which controls digestion, speech, breathing and other functions.
The tickled nerve signals the stomach muscle to loosen up and allow a bit more food to fit in, reports the New York Post.
At the same time, the looser stomach muscle let the food already eaten to settle comfortably.
However, Dr. Arnold Berstad said the effects only last “long enough to influence the current meal but maybe not more”.
Sugary treats can relax the stomach so much that it doesn’t feel full even when it really is, which experts say could explain why it is easier to overindulge when it comes to dessert.
How Teamsters union boss Jimmy Hoffa vanished in 1975 remains one of America’s most enduring mysteries.
After 36 years since Jimmy Hoffa disappeared, his driver Marvin Elkind has claimed he knows where the former Teamsters boss is buried and how he got there, and all it was revealed a new book, “The Weasel: A Double Life in the Mob”, by Adrian Humphreys.
Marvin Elkind claimed Jimmy Hoffa was killed by a mob enforcer and buried in the foundations of the towering General Motors’ HQ in Detroit, Michigan.
“It was his own people who did it,” Marvin Elkind said in excerpts of a new book published in the New York Post, adding Mafia member Tony Jack insinuated he was responsible.
After 36 years since Jimmy Hoffa disappeared, his driver Marvin Elkind has claimed he knows where the former Teamsters boss is buried and how he got there, and all it was revealed a new book, “The Weasel: A Double Life in the Mob”, by Adrian Humphreys
The startling claim comes 36 years after Jimmy Hoffa, who led the labor union for 13 years, vanished while on his way to meet two mobsters he knew well, Anthony Giacalone and Tony Jack – real name Anthony Provenzano.
The Renaissance Center was under construction when Jimmy Hoffa disappeared.
Marvin Elkind explains how, during a Teamsters conference in 1985, he was among a group of men walking from the city’s Omni International when the Center came into view.
Tony Jack nodded toward the tower’s base and said: “Say good morning to Jimmy Hoffa, boys”, Marvin Elkind alleges in “The Weasel: A Double Life in the Mob” by Adrian Humphreys.
He also describes the rush to build the Renaissance Center following the disappearance of Hoffa – and claims the body was buried in wet cement.
“There was a mad rush to get the concrete poured,” the New York Post quotes the book as saying.
Jimmy Hoffa was declared legally dead July 30, 1982, when he would have been 69.
He was a union stalwart, serving as its General President from 1958 to 1971 and playing a key part in its growth and development.
During his term as its leader, membership surged to more than 1.5 million members, becoming the largest single union in the country.
As well as a role as Jimmy Hoffa’s driver, Marvin Elkind had careers as a loan collector, a boxer – and a police informant.
Marvin Elkind was working as a busboy in a Toronto restaurant frequented by Jimmy Hoffa’s crew when he was poached as a driver.
Marvin Elkind initially said he didn’t want the job, but he was told: “Nobody’s asking you.”
He began testifying against the mob when police discovered he’d worked with a con man. They gave him an ultimatum – tell or be charged.
The book, by Canadian reporter Adrian Humphreys, follows his life.
It takes its title from Marvin Elkind’s nickname, The Weasel, which he claims was his boxing moniker – rather than to do with his snitching.
A series of bomb attacks in Nigeria, including two during Christmas Mass services at Catholic churches, killed 40 people and left many others injured.
The Islamist group Boko Haram said it carried out the attacks, including one on St. Theresa’s Church in Madalla, near the capital Abuja, that killed 35.
A second explosion shortly after hit a church in the central city of Jos. A policeman died during gunfire.
Three attacks in northern Yobe state left four people dead.
Two hit the town of Damaturu, and a third struck Gadaka. Yobe state has been the epicentre of violence between security forces and Boko Haram militants.
The Islamist group Boko Haram said it carried out the bomb attacks in Nigeria, including one on St. Theresa's Church in Madalla, near the capital Abuja, that killed 35
President Goodluck Jonathan, who is a Christian, said the attacks were an “unwarranted affront on our collective safety and freedom”.
The White House condemned what it described as “senseless violence” and pledged to assist Nigeria in bringing those responsible to justice.
Boko Haram – whose name means “Western education is forbidden” – often targets security forces and state institutions.
The group carried out an August 2011 suicide attack on the UN headquarters in Abuja, in which more than 20 people were killed.
Nearly 70 people have died this week in fighting between Nigerian forces and Boko Haram gunmen in the country’s north-east.
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesman Yushau Shuaibu told the BBC that the latest Abuja explosion had happened in the street outside the church.
He said the church – which can hold up to 1,000 people – had been badly affected by the blast.
Witnesses said windows of nearby houses had been shattered by the explosion.
Officials at the local hospital said the condition of many of the injured was serious, and they were seeking help from bigger medical facilities.
Police had trouble controlling the anger of local people.
Reuters reports that thousands of youths have erected roadblocks on the road from the capital to the largely Muslim north, and are being tackled by security forces firing tear gas.
One of the Damaturu explosions was a suicide car bomb attack on a convoy of the State Security Service.
In Jos, a blast close to the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church was followed by gunfire that left one officer dead, government spokesman Pam Ayuba told Associated Press.
Two explosive devices found in a nearby building were disarmed as military were deployed to the site.
The attack in Jos, in Plateau state, could have even more serious consequences than the attack in Abuja.
The state lies in Nigeria’s so-called Middle Belt, between the mainly Muslim north and Christian south.
More than 1,000 have been killed in religious and ethnic violence in Jos over the past two years and our correspondent says there will be fears that the latest attack could spark wider conflict.
A string of bomb blasts in Jos on Christmas Eve 2010 were claimed by Boko Haram.
President Goodluck Jonathan said after the latest attacks: “I want to reassure all Nigerians that the government will not relent in its determination to bring to justice all the perpetrators.”
Christmas celebrations started last night with Pope Benedict XVI holding a midnight mass service at a packed St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
Pope Benedict XVI used the ceremony to condemn the “superficial glitter” that now imbues the holiday.
The Pontiff, 84, urged the faithful to discover its true meaning and remember the “child in the stable” instead of being consumed by the commercial side of Christmas.
The Vatican traditional service began with a papal procession through the church shortly after 10:00 p.m. local time.
Christmas celebrations started last night with Pope Benedict XVI holding a midnight mass service at a packed St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican
Wearing cream and gold colored vestments, Pope Benedict XVI proceeded into St. Peter’s Basilica standing on a moving platform – a new concession to spare the pontiff the fatigue of having to walk up and down the long center aisle.
In his sermon, Pope Benedict lamented that Christmas has become an increasingly commercial celebration that obscures the simplicity of the message of Christ’s birth.
“Let us ask the Lord to help us see through the superficial glitter of this season, and to discover behind it the child in the stable in Bethlehem, so as to find true joy and true light,” Pope Benedict XVI said.
It was the second time in as many days that the Pontiff has pointed to the need to rediscover faith to confront the problems facing the world today.
In his end-of-year meeting with Vatican officials on Thursday, Pope Benedict said Europe’s financial crisis was largely “based on the ethical crisis looming over the Old Continent”.
The Christmas Eve mass was moved up to 10:00 p.m. from midnight several years ago to spare the Pope a late night. This morning he must deliver the important Christmas Day “Urbi et Orbi” speech (Latin for “to the city and the world). He will also offer brief Christmas greetings in 65 languages.
The Pope speech, delivered from the central loggia of St. Peter’s overlooking the piazza, is usually a survey of sorts of the hardships and wars confronting the globe. It is understood that this year he will base his message on the Arab Spring and the global economic crisis.
There follows an intense two weeks of Christmas-related public appearances that will test the Pontiff’s stamina amid signs that fatigue is starting to slow him down.
Hours before the evening Mass began, Pope Benedict lit a candle in his studio window overlooking St. Peter’s Square in a traditional sign of peace. A few hundred people had gathered in the square to watch the candle lighting and the unveiling of the Vatican’s larger-than-life nativity scene.
Next weekend, Pope Benedict XVI will preside over a New Year’s Eve vespers service, followed by a New Year’s Day Mass. A few days later he’ll celebrate Epiphany Mass followed by his traditional baptizing of babies in the Vatican’s frescoed Sistine Chapel.
Security was tight at last night’s celebration, as it has been in recent years. In both 2008 and 2009 there were Christmas Eve security breaches, in which a woman with a history of psychiatric problems and wearing a telltale red sweatshirt jumped the wooden security barrier along the basilica’s central aisle.
In 2008, the Pope’s security detail blocked her from getting to Benedict. But in 2009, she managed to grab Benedict’s vestments and pulled him to the ground. The Pope was unhurt and continued along with the service, but a French cardinal who was nearby fell and broke his hip.
A new painless cavity drill is set to hit dentists’ surgeries in two years, scientists from University of Missouri and the technology company Nanova announced.
The hi-tech “plasma brush” can hollow out rotten teeth in just 30 seconds, with only a slight cooling sensation for the patient.
The new device uses chemical reactions to disinfect cavities before operations, and forms a bond on the tooth which is much stronger than current techniques.
This means that fillings will much last longer than before, a huge boost for dentists and patients as currently many stay in place for just a few years.
Scientists from the University of Missouri, which has pioneered the research along with medical technology company Nanova, are confident that the new device marks a huge breakthrough in dental practice.
“Our studies indicate that fillings are 60 percent stronger with the plasma brush,” said engineering professor Hao Li.
The hi-tech “plasma brush” can hollow out rotten teeth in just 30 seconds, with only a slight cooling sensation for the patient
Clinical trials are about to begin and are expected to show the uses of the plasma brush, according to researcher Qingsong Yu.
Qingsong Yu said: “There have been no side effects reported during the lab trials, and we expect the human trials to help us improve the prototype.”
If the trials are successful, the brush could revolutionize one of the most important areas of dentistry.
The scientists claim that 75% of all dental procedures involve fillings, and billions of pounds are spent on the minor operations each year.
Despite how common fillings are, they still fill many with dread – not least because of the pain involved in drilling in to a rotten tooth.
If all goes to plan, the pain will end in late 2013, when the plasma brush should be made available to dentists for the first time.
Riverside County sheriff’s deputy Dayle Long has been charged with executing a man in a sports bar in Murrieta, California, after an argument over a game of darts, while he was off-duty.
Police officer Dayle Long, 42, has allegedly shot Samuel Vanettes, 36, three times, leaving the victim to die on the floor of the bar.
It is reported that Dayle Long, who had been drinking alone, struck up a conversation with Samuel Vanettes and his friends at Spelly’s Bar and Grille before the shooting.
An altercation allegedly broke out after the deputy told one of the friends: “I’m better at darts than you are”, Chris Hull, 39, told Patch.com.
“My buddy says, <<Aw, you suck at darts>>. (The man) says, <<That’s why I’m a cop, I can do whatever I want to do>>.”
Chris Hull said his friend asked: “Really, you can do anything?”
The deputy then pulled out his gun, Chris Hull claimed and after the group repeatedly asked him to put it away he “pops three rounds into my friend Sam”.
Dayle Long appeared at the Southwest Justice Center in French Valley in a red prison uniform, on Friday, charged with murder.
Samuel Vanettes, a gas station cashier, was trying to keep the peace in the bar when he was gunned down, John Hall, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s office, according to Patch.com report.
Off-duty police officer Dayle Long, 42, has allegedly shot Samuel Vanettes, 36, three times, leaving the victim to die on the floor of the bar
Dayle Long and another man were in an argument when Samuel Vanettes had stepped in to break up the fight.
“He came in to act as a peacemaker and ended up getting shot,” Chris Hall said.
Chris Hall added that the victim was unarmed and showing no aggressive behavior.
According to a family member of the victim, who spoke to the LA Times, Samuel Vanettes was at the bar with his sister, her boyfriend and another friend when he started playing darts with Dayle Long.
“They were getting along good,” the relative said Samuel Vanettes’ sister had told.
“When the cop started having more whiskey, he started getting belligerent.
“He lifted his shirt up and showed his gun. Sam was standing by the dartboard.
“He said, <<You don’t want to do this; you’re a nice guy>. And he shot him. That’s what I’m told.”
If convicted, Dayle Long could face 50 years to life behind bars.
India Parker from Cleveland, Ohio, was being held on $10,000 bond Saturday after reportedly confessed police she threw her daughter’s body out with the trash.
India Parker, 35, is facing a charge of abuse of a corpse.
India Parker is at the centre of an investigation into the disappearance of her daughter, Kaliyah, 10.
The girl was reported missing Monday by the father of one of India Parker’s other children, Fox News reports.
India Parker confessed police she threw her daughter's body out with the trash
Relatives and friends have told police they haven’t seen Kaliyah Parker since she was five in 2006.
Sgt. Sammy Morris, with the Cleveland Police Department, told Fox 8: “The Cleveland Division of Police received information from the Cuyahoga County Department of Child and Family Services on Monday, about a missing 10-year-old.”
The police report shows that India Parker told the girl’s father that Kaliyah died when a bookcase fell on her.
However, no death certificate has been found and there were no records at local hospitals.
Police say India Parker was also reported for child endangering back in 2000.
According to Fox News, India Parker had previously had at least one child taken away from her by social workers and subsequently returned to her.
Sgt. Sammy Morris said India Parker will stay behind bars until police find out what happened to Kaliyah.
He told Fox 8: “This is an open investigation. We are asking anyone with any information to call the Cleveland Homicide Unit.”
Kim Kardashian’s declining popularity looks set to receive a further blow after animal rights group PETA launched a billboard campaign slating the star’s love of fur coats.
Kim Kardashian, 31, has regularly been spotted wearing such jackets this year, despite already being chastened by PETA, who named her their worst dressed person of 2010.
In the emotive ad PETA has a cute picture of two fox cubs, with the statement: “Kim: These babies miss their mother. Is she on your back?”
In addition to the adverts, the animal rights organization has also blasted Kim Kardashian on their website.
PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange said: “Kim knows that animals on fur farms are beaten, electrocuted, and often skinned alive.
“We’ve explained it to her, and she’s watched a video expose that was filmed inside fur farms.
“When Kim is ready to put an end to her relationship with fur, PETA will be happy to take her discards and donate them to the homeless.”
Kim Kardashian, 31, has regularly been spotted wearing such jackets this year, despite already being chastened by PETA, who named her their worst dressed person of 2010
Ironically Kim Kardashian turned out to support a PETA campaign poster AGAINST fur which featured her sister Khloe earlier this year.
Kim Kardashian posed with Khloe next to the 2008 “Fur? I’d Rather Go Naked” picture, after her younger sibling stripped off for the charity.
It is the second time in recent days the Kardashians have been involved in a fashion flare-up.
It was claimed the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights had criticized the Kardashians for using Chinese sweatshop labor to produce their fashion lines.
However the group’s executive director Charles Kernaghan later spoke out to say the allegations could not be proved, that he had been speaking about conditions in the country in general, and that his words had been twisted.
Charles Kernaghan did speak out again last night to say: “If Ms. Kardashian has found a way to overcome the iron-fisted repression under which the Chinese workers are forced to toil, then that would be huge news and worthy of tremendous applause.
“But unfortunately, based on our concrete experiences investigating factories in China and elsewhere, the chances are about one in a million that Ms. Kardashian has found a way to push back against the Chinese authorities and guarantee that her employees will be afforded their most basic, internationally recognized workers’ rights.”
Mel Gibson finalized his legal separation on Friday and is likely to hand half of his estimated $850 million fortune to his ex-wife Robyn Moore, according to reports.
Legal representatives for Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore gave a judge their suggested parting payment in a Los Angeles courtroom today.
The actor owns several properties in the wealthy, seaside enclave of Malibu, outside L.A.
Under California state law Robyn Moore, 51, is entitled to half of his assets as they didn’t sign a prenuptial agreement in 1980 when they wed.
After 26 years of marriage, Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore split five years ago when he was a detained for driving under the influence in Malibu.
Mel Gibson, 55, was later shamed throughout the film industry for making anti-Semitic remarks.
Mel Gibson finalized his legal separation on Friday and is likely to hand half of his estimated $850 million fortune to his ex-wife Robyn Moore
His wife only filed for divorce, stating “irreconcilable differences” in April 2009 after he had publicly stepped out with a pregnant Oksana Grigorieva, 41.
Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva went on the have a two-year-old daughter, however in 2010 more trouble brewed for the star when he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery following a dispute with Grigorieva.
The filmmaker and actor was sentenced to three years’ probation and was given a glowing review earlier this month by the same judge who is handling Lindsay Lohan’s case, for attending counseling and doing double the community service required of him.
The recovering alcoholic has been working with Mending Kids International, and he previously said working with the organization had helped him realize what the important things in life really are.
Mel Gibson said: “It gives you perspective. It’s one of my faults, you tend to focus on yourself a lot, which is not always the healthiest thing for your psyche or anything else.
“If you take a little time out to think about other people, it’s good. It’s uplifting.”
While Mel Gibson has seven offspring with Robyn Moore, he recently settled a custody battle with his former girlfriend, agreeing to pay Oksana Grigorieva $750,000 and share custody of their child.
Mel Gibson’s wild ways over the last few years have landed him in hot water when it comes to his career.
Producers of The Hangover movies pulled out of featuring him in their second movie due to his controversial actions.
For people seeking to do their best to avoid any embarrassing expulsion of gas during Christmas lunch, Sainsbury’s supermarket has produced a handy table of the most fart-prompting vegetables.
The worst offender is the Jerusalem artichoke, beating, surprisingly, the much-condemned Brussels sprout, which came in third.
Second was the parsnip with cabbage in fourth and cauliflower in fifth.
A spokesman for Sainsbury’s, which has revealed its “top of the pops” league, said: “Winter is an amazing time for colourful, fibrous vegetables that are fantastically healthy, but which have predictable results in the human digestive system.
“Really it’s the very things that make them good for us – lots of fibre and complex carbohydrates – that are the culprits and it’s a small price to pay for the health benefits.
“Scoff your winter veg with abandon and blame the household pet, I say.”
The most fart-prompting vegetable is the Jerusalem artichoke, beating, surprisingly, the much-condemned Brussels sprout, which came in third
Passing wind is caused by a reaction in the gut to the carbohydrate, fibre and sugars found in the vegetables to produce gas.
The Vegetarian Society has offered this advice for dealing with the possible side effects of winter veggies.
A spokesman said: “Eat more vegetables all year round so that they don’t cause such a shock to your system at this time of year.
“A possible cure for flatulence is to add dill or caraway seeds to vegetables such as cabbage when cooking, or if all else fails have a cup of peppermint tea after your meal.”
A mystery woman has popped up to help families pay their bills brandishing an American Express card at a Californian Toys R Us.
The woman, believed to be a retired grandma, delighted shoppers at the store in Culver City when she offered to pay for gifts for around 50 people.
The mystery shopper was joined by a “sidekick” who helped her pass an Amex card between the lines, according to a report by the Daily News.
“She was very quiet and unassuming and nobody in line had a clue what was going on,” shopper Laura Yoo told the daily News.
“People were excited and crying.”
Laura Yoo said the mystery woman paid for shopping for at least 50 people, many of whom had carts heaped with toys.
The woman’s assistant offered to pay for Laura Yoo’s own $54 bill after she bought gifts for her children.
“My boss would like to pay for your purchases today,” Laura Yoo recounted the sidekick as saying.
“I said, <<Thank you very much>> and gave a hug and she said <<Merry Christmas>>,” Laura Yoo told the Daily News.
Witnesses described the woman as at least 50, wearing a skirt, leather boots and a beret.
The woman would not give her name and has not been identified.
There has been a plethora of “layaway angels” in stores this holiday season, paying bills and debts in Kmart, Wal-Mart and Toys R Us stores across the country.
“It’s the Santa effect, really,” author and psychologist Elizabeth Lombardo told msnbc.com.
“It’s exciting and motivating and when people hear about it, they want to be in on it, too.”
More than $400,000 in layaway bills has been paid off at Kmart stores alone, according msnbc.com.
In one of the most recent examples of generosity, David Wilson, a car dealer from Laguna Beach, contacted a K-Mart in Costa Mesa, California after seeing a television report about donors paying off strangers’ outstanding accounts.
He asked the manager to tally up the balances on all the accounts with balances of $100 or less, and then wrote a check for $15,919.61 to pay off the total.
The 28th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in China, featuring work by some of the best ice sculptors and attracting thousands of visitors from around the world, will be opened on January 5, 2012
The 28th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in China, featuring work by some of the best ice sculptors and attracting thousands of visitors from around the world, will be opened on January 5, 2012.
The town of Harbin in northeast China, located near the border with Russia, has created an entire city carved out of ice and snow.
Spread out across three zones, the theme park features a range of snow-based rides, Ice Mountains and reproductions of some of the most iconic buildings in the world – all carved from giant blocks of ice and snow.
Harbin experiences dry but freezing winters and has an abundance of ice on tap from the nearby Songhau River.
Winter activities at the festival include Yabuli Alpine Skiing, winter-swimming and the ice-lantern exhibition in Zhaolin Garden.
Bethlehem Christmas celebrations will culminate in Midnight Mass at the 1,700-year-old Church of the Nativity, built on the spot where it is believed Jesus was born
Hundreds of thousands of Christian pilgrims and tourists from around the world are expected in Bethlehem for Christmas Midnight Mass.
About 120,000 visitors are in the Palestinian West Bank town, 30% up on last year, officials said.
Crowds gathered early to sing carols around the 50ft (15m) Christmas tree in Manger Square.
Celebrations will culminate in Midnight Mass at the 1,700-year-old Church of the Nativity, built on the spot where it is believed Jesus was born.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fuad Twal, has travelled from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, where he will later lead the Midnight Mass.
He passed through the massive gate in the controversial Israeli security barrier that separates Jerusalem from Bethlehem and arrived in Manger Square, where he was greeted with a bagpipe band.
Patriarch Fuad Twal, a Palestinian who is a Jordanian citizen, has expressed concern for Christians in the current upheavals in the Middle East and asked them to support the moves towards freedom and democracy.
His midnight homily will urge “the return of calm and reconciliation in Syria, in Egypt, in Iraq and in North Africa”.
It will read: “O Child of Bethlehem, in this New Year, we place in your hands this troubled Middle East and, above all, our youth full of legitimate aspirations, who are frustrated by the economic and political situation, and in search of a better future.”
Boy scouts with drums and bagpipes have taken part in the traditional afternoon procession through the town.
Restaurants and shops selling memorabilia such as olive wood-carved religious statues were doing brisk trade as habit-wearing monks rubbed shoulders with Father Christmas hat-wearing Filipino tourists.
Bethlehem Mayor Victor Batarseh said he hoped the festivities would bring Palestinians closer to their dream of statehood.
Israel controls access to Bethlehem through checkpoints and the controversial barrier.
Residents say their livelihoods are imperiled by the barrier, which skirts around the edge of Bethlehem, surrounding it on three sides.
Once predominantly Christian, two-thirds of Bethlehem’s 50,000 residents are now Muslim.
Some say the economic restrictions imposed by Israel are the main reason behind the exodus of Christians from the West Bank; others cite persecution by militant Muslims.
As her family was struggling financially and was unable to afford a big Christmas celebration, all that 5-year-old Helen Berence Cardenas de Reyes wanted, when she wrote a Christmas message to Santa, was a doll, some clothes and a pair of shoes.
Helen Berence Cardenas de Reyes from Auburn, Washington, attached her frugal Christmas list to two balloons and set it off hoping it would somehow reach Santa in the North Pole.
Julie Sanders and her son discovered the scrap of paper while they were out on their quad bikes near their home in Laytonville, California.
Although Helen’s letter was written in Spanish they could tell it was a Christmas list and could make out a few words.
So Julie Sanders asked a ranch hand to translate the rest of note.
Julie Sanders told ABC news: “The fact that she asked for a doll, some pants, boots and nothing materialistic, I just knew it was a family in need.
“I thought if I we can get a hold of them we can make sure there is something for her under the tree for Christmas.”
Julie Sanders decided to get on the phone and called up the family.
She found out that Helen’s mother is injured and her father had struggled to find any work at all this year.
Little Helen sent her letter on December 2, which is a particularly emotional date for Julie Sanders as it is the birthday of her brother, who passed away a few years ago.
So kind-hearted Julie Sanders headed to the shops and bought little Helen a few outfits and toys.
Julie Sanders addressed the package from Santa and sent it special delivery so it could be under the girl’s tree in time for Christmas.
Dennis Dodds, a family friend of the Sanders was also there when they found the balloon message.
He told ABC: “Laytonville is a small timber industry town that has lost its mill. People here know what it is like to struggle around the holidays. It is always good to pay it forward.
“We’ve been in that situation ourselves, I know what it feels like,’ said Sanderson ‘but now we are in the position to help so it really felt good to help this little girl.”
Helen’s mother, Rosa Cardenas de Reyes, said she helped send the note.
The mother said: “I didn’t know what to do.
“So I always told her we would send a balloon to Santa because that was a tradition when I was little.”
Children and parents across the world can see just how far Santa and his reindeer are from their homes, thanks to a “Santa Tracker” that follows his route around the globe.
Santa tracker – a collaboration between Google and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) – shows live footage of the sleigh passing landmarks including Big Ben, the Empire State Building and, of course, his grotto in the North Pole.
The tracker uses radar, satellites, Santa Cams and fighter jets to follow his sleigh, and can be seen online on Google Earth.
Santa can also been seen on the Google Maps app on smart phones by typing in “Santa” or on the NORAD Santa Site.
NORAD Santa site explains: “The moment that radar indicates Santa has lifted off, we use our second detection system. Satellites positioned in geo-synchronous orbit at 22,300 miles from the Earth’s surface are equipped with infrared sensors, which enable them to detect heat.
“Amazingly, Rudolph’s bright red nose gives off an infrared signature, which allows our satellites to detect Rudolph and Santa.”
Children and parents across the world can see just how far Santa and his reindeer are from their homes, thanks to a “Santa Tracker” that follows his route around the globe
NORAD has been tracking Santa’s journey for more than 50 years.
In 1955, a Colorado Springs newspaper advert invited children to talk to Santa on a hotline.
But the number had a typo, and dozens of children mistakenly dialed the Continental Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado Springs, the predecessor to NORAD.
The officers on duty sprang into action and began passing along reports on Santa’s progress – and the tradition was born.
It is going strong, with a Denver-based NORAD crew answering 80,000 phone calls and 7,000 emails on Christmas Eve last year.
The NORAD Tracks Santa website has had more than 2.2 million unique visitors this year, compared with 2 million last year, according to the Associated Press.
More than 1,200 volunteers will answer calls in shifts until 3:00 a.m. Mountain Time on December 25.
They check big-screen computer monitors to pass along information to the children who call in.
“It’s just so precious to hear the little sigh or (only) breathing on the other end, and you realize how nervous they are,” Joyce Creech, NORAD’s project leader, told the Associated Press.
“But we’ve had really heart-wrenching stories as well,” she said.
“<<Can you ask Santa to heal my brother of cancer?>> Or, <<Can I get a new pair of shoes? I don’t have any.>>”
This year, they have added a further 20 phones this year, bringing the total to 120, and four more laptops, totaling at 23.
Santa tracker now even has a Twitter account, a Facebook page, a Youtube channel and apps for mobile phones, along with a website, and the phone line, 877-HI NORAD.
A new aviation rules will allow carriers operating in the South Pacific to take a “short cut” over the North Pole for the first time.
Under the new relaxation of aviation rules, British air passengers will be able to cut the times of long-haul flights by as much as half and fly faster to exotic destinations.
It could also mean cheaper and cleaner flights for holidaymakers.
While pilots from Australia taking passengers to South America will be able to steer more direct courses making big savings in time, fuel and emissions.
Until now, Boeing’s 777 and the new 787 Dreamliner jets had for safety reasons to stay within a three hour range (180 minutes) of the nearest diversion airport.
Under the new rules, that has been nearly doubled to five and a half hours, (330 minutes) taking account of improvements in aircraft and engine technology.
It means, for example, that planes from the UK will be able to take a non-stop flight – dubbed “Santa’s short cut” – over the North Pole to destinations such as Hawaii, Alaska or French Polynesia.
It also means shorter journeys, cheaper flights, less fuel, and lower emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the so-called greenhouse gas, which is blamed for global warming.
The “extended operations” rules define the time that an aircraft is permitted to be from an emergency landing site in case of an engine failure and is applied to two-engine jets.
The new regulation follows a decision by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to allow up to 330-minutes “extended operations” for Boeings’ 777 fleet.
It allows airlines operating Boeing 777-300ER (extended range), 777-200LR (longer range), 777 Freighter and 777-200ER models equipped with General Electric engines to fly up to 330 minutes from a potential “diversion” airport.
Approval for the Boeing 777-200ER equipped with British Rolls-Royce and American Pratt & Whitney engines is expected to follow over the next few months.
The first airline to take advantage of the new longer “extended operations” option is Air New Zealand which earlier this month flew from Los Angeles to Auckland.
Last October The European Aviation Safety Agency granted a 207-minute rating after receiving an application from Air France to fly a 777-300ER from Los Angeles to Papeete, Tahiti. The European agency is also expected to adopt the 330-minute rule.
Planes once flew over the North Pole during the Cold War in the 1950s to avoid Communist Bloc airspace.
One fan has gone the extra mile to show rapper Drake how much he means to her – by getting the hip hop star’s name tattooed across her forehead.
The mystery woman, who has shaved eyebrows and hair, adding to the dramatic look, visited an LA based tattoo parlor to make her bold statement.
It is thought that she may be responding to a lyric in one of Drake’s songs, Free Spirit, which instructs a lover or listeners to, “tat my name on you so I know its real”.
Photos of the bold new look found their way onto the internet and have now gone viral.
One fan has gone the extra mile to show rapper Drake how much he means to her - by getting the hip hop star’s name tattooed across her forehead
Even Drake (real name Aubrey Graham) has seen the photos, reacting in disbelief at the permanent addition to the girl’s face.
Drake told Mando Fresko that he wants to meet her and “understand what happened”.
The Canadian rapper said: “That’s cool. I feel you 100 %. That to me is absolutely incredible. It was love.”
Drake then exploded in a rant against the tattoo artist:
“The guy who tatted it is a ****ing ***hole. You should lose your job and never do tattoos again.”
Drake even threatened to “f*** [the tattoo artist] up”.
The hip-hop artist appeared visibly upset by the pictures. He added: “It’s crazy, it’s surreal- I don’t even want to look at it anymore.”
Drake is said not to have any tattoos himself.
Meanwhile Kevin Campbell, the tattoo artist at LA parlor Will Rise, who is responsible for the work, has spoken out about his decision to go ahead.
“She was really psyched about it. She had the sh—y font all picked out on her iPhone ready to go and was pretty adamant about putting it on her forehead.”
Kevin Campbell, who claims he asked the woman three times if she was sure about the inking, and explained possible future consequences to her, told Vice magazine:
“She acted as if she had planned it out for a while; though I’m not really sure how much extended coherent thought could actually go into getting such a stupid tattoo on your forehead.”
Kevin Campbell assumed because of the neighborhood that it was a gang-related tattoo.
Robert de Niro and his wife Grace Hightower De Niro, 56, welcomed a baby daughter through a surrogate mother, Entertainment Tonight reports.
The baby, whom they’ve named Helen Grace Hightower, weighed in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces.
Robert de Niro and Grace Hightower also have a 13-year-old son, Elliot.
The Oscar-winner has four other children – daughter Drena, 40, and son Raphael, 35, with former wife Diahnne Abbott, as well as 16-year-old twin sons Julian and Aaron, born via surrogate with ex-girlfriend Toukie Smith.
Robert de Niro and his wife Grace Hightower De Niro welcomed a baby daughter through a surrogate mother
Robert de Niro and Grace Hightower have been married for almost 14 years but are rarely photographed together, choosing to keep their relationship out of the spotlight.
They met in 1987 and married ten years later.
After hitting a rough patch, Robert de Niro and Grace Hightower managed to reconcile and renew their vows in front of friends and family at a romantic ceremony back in 2004.
The couple’s early marital troubles played out on a public scale, with a 1999 divorce filing by Robert De Niro and a 2001 custody case over their son Elliot.
But after their second set of vows, the couple became resolutely private about their renewed relationship.
They’ve been solid ever since, and the actor is a devoted father to all this children.
Robert de Niro said: “One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my years as a father is to keep the lines of communication open with my kids.
“I have five of them, ranging in age from 14 to their 30s, by three mothers, so I guess you could call it a fractionalized family of sorts.”
“But I care deeply about all of them, and I have made a conscious effort to talk to and to listen to them.
“Sometimes it’s hard to talk to kids, especially when they’re teenagers.
They’re in their own world, and they don’t look like they’re even listening to you.
“But that’s the time when it’s most important to find a way to talk to them – not to lecture them, but to tell them things I think are important for them to know.”
Chaos is the name of what happened across the U.S. stores when a re-issue of shoes first worn 15 years ago by basketball legend Michael Jordan went on sale.
Madness was breaking out yesterday in many stores across the U.S. as impatient shoppers queued up to get their hands on the first new Nike retro Air Jordan shoes that went on sale for $180 in the morning.
Police used pepper spray in Seattle, Washington; four people were arrested in Atlanta, Georgia; there were fights in Louisville, Kentucky, and unruly crowds forced two stores shut in Austin, Texas.
Fights broke out in Charlotte, North Carolina; a gunshot was fired in Richmond, California; 1,500 turned up for 300 pairs of shoes in Indianapolis, Indiana; and a boy was injured in Troy, Michigan.
In Pineville, North Carolina, dozens of police officers had to break up fights and restore order inside Carolina Place Mall as early as 5:00 a.m. on Friday.
Outside the Foot Locker on the second floor, two could be seen throwing punches as they waited to get their hands on the Air Jordan XI Concord tennis shoe.
Moving west to Seattle, police used pepper spray on around 20 people to break up fights among pushing and shoving customers waiting outside a mall to buy the shoes.
One man was arrested there for assault after police say he pushed an officer. Authorities said more than 1,000 people lined up to buy shoes at 4:00 a.m. at four stores, which all sold out quickly.
In Atlanta, four people were arrested in a mad dash by customers hoping to purchase a pair of the shoes and up to 20 squad cars responded.
Police said a large crowd broke down a door to get inside before a store opened. Authorities escorted most of the people back outside, but took four into custody.
Officers said they had to break a car window to get two toddlers out after a woman went in after the shoes. They said she was taken into custody when she returned to the car.
Meanwhile in Indianapolis, 1,500 people were waiting for 300 pairs of shoes hours at Castleton Square Mall before they went on sale when police were called by security because of shoving.
Shoppers were throwing things at each other and officers, police told ABC affiliate WRTV. Authorities also had concerns that a glass window on the storefront could break because of the crowd pushing.
The shoes named for Michael Jordan are still generate huge sales years after the retirement of the NBA legend
The front doors of Lafayette Square Mall were broken off their hinges at 7:00 a.m. as shoppers ran inside and several people were knocked over in the mad rush, reported the Indianapolis Star.
Over in Charlotte, North Carolina, three malls reported unruly customers and dozens of police officers were called to restore order at Carolina Place Mall in Pineville after fights erupted.
The unrest started at 5:00 a.m. as a crowd of about 200 that had been waiting pushed inside. Women were seen throwing punches. There were also disturbances at SouthPark and Northlake malls. Police at both asked patrons to leave.
The shoes named for Michael Jordan are still generate huge sales years after the retirement of the NBA legend, who now owns the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats.
Two malls with Foot Locker stores in Austin, Texas, were shut down on Thursday night at around 10:00 p.m. when shoppers began pushing each other and police called in backup to control the crowd.
In Richmond, California, crowds waiting to buy the shoes at the Hilltop Mall were turned away after a gunshot rang out at 7:00 a.m. No injuries were reported but a suspect, 24, was taken into custody.
There were also reports of Florida police using pepper spray. In Louisville, Kentucky, witnesses said police had to break up around 100 shoppers who were fighting over the shoes at Jefferson Mall.
WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT AIR JORDAN SHOES
Air Jordan’s are hugely lucrative for Nike and bring in around $1 billion in revenue each year.
Oregon designer Tinker Hatfield first developed the iconic shoes and they were made famous by basketball legend Michael Jordan in 1996 while he was playing for the Chicago Bulls.
“Jordan 11s only come around once a year, so don’t miss this highly anticipated release,” a Nike press release said earlier this week.
Johnna Woolfolk , a jealous wife from California, allegedly called in a bomb threat to prevent her husband getting on a plane from Los Angeles to Atlanta, where she believed he was to visit his mistress.
In a last ditch attempt to save her marriage of 30 years, Johnna Woolfolk called AirTran Airways on November 27 and said her husband was carrying a bomb, the FBI said.
But her romantic gesture didn’t quite work out like the movies.
Johnna Woolfolk’s husband, who was intercepted at the airport, explained he was having marital problems, the Torrance Daily Breeze reported. She has now been charged with providing false and misleading information.
The woman broke down in tears after authorities replayed her conversation with the AirTran operator, according to FBI Special Agent David Gates.
“She stated that she was not thinking, she did not want to hurt anyone and did not want to cause harm,” David Gates wrote in an affidavit.
Defence attorney Gordon E. Turner said on Thursday that Johnna Woolfolk, who is about 50, admitted in court and to the FBI that she made the call.
“She now realizes it was wrong,” Gordon E. Turner said.
Johnna Woolfolk is caring for her dying mother at the couple’s Lynwood home and it has been stressful, the attorney said.
She also believes he is having an affair and was boarding the flight to meet the woman, the lawyer said.
Johnna Woolfolk is expected to plead guilty during a January 9 hearing having struck a plea bargain, US attorney’s office spokesman Thom Mrozek told the Torrance Daily Breeze.
Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has been visited by The Queen at Papworth Hospital following his emergency heart surgery to treat a blocked coronary artery.
The Queen arrived at the hospital this morning from her Sandringham estate, where the Royal family is spending Christmas.
The Duke of Edinburgh was this morning recovering after being airlifted to hospital for emergency heart surgery.
Prince Phillip was flown to the specialist cardiothoracic unit, near Cambridge, in a RAF search and rescue helicopter after being taken ill at Sandringham with serious chest pains last night.
Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has been visited by The Queen at Papworth Hospital following his emergency heart surgery to treat a blocked coronary artery
After “precautionary” tests, Prince Philip underwent what was described as a “minimally invasive procedure” known as coronary stenting.
This involves placing a tube in the coronary arteries that supply the heart, to keep them open in the treatment of heart disease. Stents reduce chest pain and have been shown to improve survival rates in the event of an acute heart problem.
Today Buckingham Palace said Prince Phillip “had a good night” and was currently under surveillance in the world-famous Papworth Hospital after emergency surgery for a blocked coronary artery.
He is expected to be visited by members of his family this morning.
There was no indication when he would be discharged, but medical experts have said that many patients can leave hospital a day after undergoing the procedure, providing there are no complications.
Dr. Simon Davies, a cardiologist at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, said: “The pain was from the heart. It means that one or more of the coronary arteries was badly narrowed or perhaps blocked.
“That meant that the blood was not passing through that artery so the muscle was starving of oxygen and in danger of dying, in other words a heart attack, or was on the verge of one.”
In view of his age, Prince Phillip, who still conducts more than 350 engagements each year, will remain in hospital for a day or so for further monitoring.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement last night: “His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh was taken to Papworth Cardiothoracic Centre this evening from Sandringham House for precautionary tests after experiencing chest pain.
“Following tests at Papworth the Duke of Edinburgh was found to have a blocked coronary artery which had caused his chest pains. This was treated successfully by the minimally invasive procedure of coronary stenting. Prince Philip will remain in hospital for observation for a short period.”
It is believed the Duke of Edinburgh was flown to the hospital, which is around 60 miles away from the Sandringham estate, by a Sea King helicopter from RAF Wattisham, near Stowmarket in Suffolk, where Prince Harry is based.
