Christmas World

                                          Christmas greece

St. Nicholas is important in Greece as the patron saint of sailors. According to Greek tradition, his clothes are drenched with brine, his beard drips with seawater, and his face is covered with perspiration because he has been working hard against the waves to reach sinking ships and rescue them from the angry sea. Greek ships never leave port without some sort of St. Nicholas icon on board. To members of the Eastern Orthodox Church, as are most Greek Christians, Christmas ranks second to Easter in the roster of important holidays. Yet there are a number of unique customs associated with Christmas that are uniquely Greek. On Christmas Eve, village children travel from house to house offering good wishes and singing kalanda, the equivalent of carols. Often the songs are accompanied by small metal triangles and little clay drums. The children are frequently rewarded with sweets and dried fruits.

                                         Christmas france

Nearly every French home at Christmastime displays a Nativity scene or creche, which serves as the focus for the Christmas celebration. The creche is often peopled with little clay figures called santons or "little saints." An extensive tradition has evolved around these little figures which are made by craftsmen in the south of France throughout the year. In addition to the usual Holy Family, shepherds, and Magi, the craftsmen also produce figures in the form of local dignitaries and characters. The craftsmanship involved in creating the gaily colored santons is quite astounding and the molds have been passed from generation to generation since the seventeenth century. Throughout December the figures are sold at annual Christmas fairs in Marseille and Aix.

                                            Christmas Australia

For the majority of Australians, Christmas Downunder has all the glitter, tinsel and razzmatazz of a Christmas in New York, London Paris or Vancouver. The major difference is one of WEATHER....Christmas Down Under is never White. Snow has rarely fallen if ever on this date, Down Under. We have during past Christmases experienced all the seasonal variations of a Summer Down Under.....electrical storms, floods, hailstorms, cyclones and bushfires. But 80% of the time we are blessed with blue skies and depending on our Australian location, temperatures ranging from 25-38 degrees centigrade. Currently it is Summer Down Under and daily temperatures range from 30-40 degrees centigrade on the mainland. Tamania is always slightly cooler.

http://www.the-north-pole.com/around/

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Obama wins a second term as U.S. president

By David A. Fahrenthold,

Barack Obama was elected to a second presidential term Tuesday, defeating Republican Mitt Romney by reassembling the political coalition that boosted him to victory four years ago, and by remaking himself from a hopeful uniter into a determined fighter for middle-class interests.

Obama, the nation’s first African American president, scored a decisive victory by stringing together a series of narrow ones. Of the election’s seven major battlegrounds, he won at least six.

“While our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up,” Obama told a cheering crowd of supporters in his home town of Chicago early Wednesday morning. “We have fought our way back. And we know in our hearts that, for the United States of America, the best is yet to come.”

He said he intends to sit down with Romney in the weeks ahead to talk about how the two can work together.

Obama also made an oblique reference to the hard, negative edge of his campaign, saying that even this bitter election was something to be envied in unfree nations around the world: “These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty.”

Obama takes key battlegrounds to win re-election

By Tom Cohen, CNN
November 7, 2012 -- Updated 0807 GMT (1607 HKT)

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama rode a wave of broad support from minorities, women and moderates to win re-election Tuesday by defeating Republican challenger Mitt Romney in Democratic strongholds and key battleground states.
According to CNN projections, Obama surpassed the decisive 270-vote threshold in the Electoral College with victory in Ohio. That and a later projected victory in another swing state -- Virginia -- gave him 303 electoral votes to 206 for Romney, according to the CNN call based on unofficial returns.
Joyful supporters danced and cheered at Obama's victory party in Chicago, and the president thanked them for ensuring the nation will continue to move forward while warning the battle for change they seek will continue to be difficult.
"Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come," Obama said to prolonged cheers.
He emphasized his main campaign theme of fighting for equal opportunity for all, saying the political arguments that come with democracy in America were a necessary part of the process.
"We will disagree, sometimes fiercely," Obama said, noting that "progress will come in fits and starts" and the victory Tuesday night "won't end all the gridlock."
Foreshadowing hard decisions ahead, the president said blind optimism and wishful idealism "can't substitute for the need to make difficult compromises to move forward."

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Streets around CNN Center reopen after bomb scare

Written by
Gary Franklin

ATLANTA -- Atlanta Police have completed a sweep of the CNN Center on Marietta Street downtown following a bomb threat Friday morning.

Officers from APD, Turner security and Omni Hotel security swept the CNN Center for any suspicious people or packages after an unidentified man called a police precinct and said he was at the center with "a chemical bomb," police said.

Atlanta Police Capt. Adam Lee III said the man who called in the threat demanded money and a plane ticket, but did not say why he supposedly wanted to blow up the center.

Police shut down Marietta Street between Spring Street and Andrew Young Drive. They also closed Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW between Georgia Dome Drive NW and Nassau Street NW while they investigated.

Lee told 11Alive News that nothing was found and the streets are now open. He said Homeland Security is now trying to trace the phone call.
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/262719/40/Police-have-closed-streets-near-the-CNN-Center

Inside the polls: Obama's slim lead comes from women, cities

By Paul Steinhauser, CNN Political Editor

Washington (CNN) -- Five days before the presidential election, polls in some crucial battleground states suggest two things: The race is close, and President Barack Obama appears to have a very slight "inside the sampling error" edge over Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
The president on Thursday ended a three-state swing with a rally in Colorado. A few hours earlier, a CNN/ORC International Poll indicated that 50% of likely Colorado voters support Obama, with 48% backing the former Massachusetts governor. The president's 2-point margin is well within the survey's sampling error.

The poll's Thursday release also came on the same day that Rep. Paul Ryan, Romney's running mate, headlined a rally in Greeley, Colorado. The top-line results of the CNN survey are very similar to an American Research Group poll conducted this past weekend that had Romney at 48% and Obama at 47%, and an NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll conducted last week that suggested the race was tied at 48%.
"If you didn't know why President Obama and Paul Ryan are here today, and Mitt Romney is coming Saturday, now you know," said CNN Chief National Correspondent John King, who was reporting Thursday from Colorado.
As in most swing states, there is a fairly big gender gap, with the CNN poll indicating Romney ahead among men by 10 points and Obama winning with women by 13 points. Income is also an important indicator, with the president holding a big lead among lower-income voters, while voters with more than $50,000 in income last year are tied at 49% for Romney and 49% for Obama.

Routines Restart, if With Less Power and Public Transit

By JAMES BARRON
Published: October 31, 2012
Still hobbled by power failures and waterlogged transit, the New York region struggled to return to the rhythms of daily life on Wednesday, while facing the reality of a prolonged and daunting period of recovery.


Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg was expected to open the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday morning after a two-day closing, the first for weather-related reasons since 1888, as Wall Street and other businesses began to shake off the storm and return to work.

But as the skies cleared and the sun poked out over Manhattan for the first time in days, the morning commute quickly froze to gridlock. People who normally took the subway or regional rail lines were forced into taxis or their own cars, clogging the streets. Drivers reported delays of hours, with vehicles lined up at the major crossings and at parking garages.

More than 4,000 taxis, which for the moment could be shared among harried commuters, offered another partial lifeline to those cut off by the continued suspension of subway service. Some ferries were expected to be crossing between New Jersey and Manhattan.

Northeast Awakes to Huge Damage in Storm’s Path; Millions Without Power

By JAMES BARRON and J. DAVID GOODMAN

As Hurricane Sandy churned inland as a downgraded storm, residents up and down the battered mid-Atlantic region woke on Tuesday to lingering waters, darkened homes and the daunting task of cleaning up from once-in-a-generation storm surges and their devastating effects.
Power remained out for roughly six million people, including a large swath of Manhattan. Early risers stepped out into debris-littered streets that remained mostly deserted as residents awaited dawn to shed light on the extent of the damage. Bridges remained closed, and seven subway tunnels under the East River remained flooded.

The storm was the most destructive in the 108-year history of New York City’s subway system, said Joseph J. Lhota, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, in an early morning statement. “We are assessing the extent of the damage and beginning the process of recovery,” he said, but did not provide a timetable for restoring transit service to a paralyzed city.

At least 16 deaths — including 7 in the New York region — were tied to the storm, which toppled trees and sparked fires in several areas, The Associated Press reported.

Nine hours after making landfall at 8 p.m. on Monday, the storm — already reclassified as a post-tropical cyclone — weakened as it passed west across southern Pennsylvania, though it still packed maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center said. It was expected to turn north and head for Canada late on Tuesday.

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October 25 2012 14:52:10

5 things we learned in Monday's debate

By Mark Preston, CNN Political Director

Boca Raton, Florida (CNN) -- The third and final presidential debate proved to be a substantive, if not sharp, discussion on the major issues facing the nation as both candidates tried in earnest to persuade the small sliver of undecideds to vote for them.
While foreign policy was the overarching theme, it was no surprise that the domestic economy shared center stage as President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney each sought to score points on the No. 1 issue of this election.
In two weeks, the long and bitter campaign will come to a close -- barring an election controversy [shudder the thought] -- and Monday night's debate will help frame the discussion in the closing days.
Reflecting on the 90-minute matchup in Florida, here are five takeaways:

1. Heated, but measured disagreements

The level of animosity between the two candidates was apparent but unlike last week, it was capped due in a large part to the debate format and setting.
It is much more difficult to bring a level of personal anger to a boiling point while seated at a table. Sitting on high chairs with the ability to walk freely on the stage seems to help fuel rage, while sitting together at a table appears to have a cooling affect.

Obama wins final debate, but does it matter?

Daniel Cohn-Bendit Why should the Germans pay the debts of the Greeks?

Weil die Griechen auch schon für die Deutschen Schulden bezahlt haben. 1953 gab es einen Schuldenschnitt für die deutschen Kriegsschulden des Ersten Weltkrieges, an dem sich Griechenland beteiligte. Auch dieser Schritt half der jungen Bundesrepublik auf die Beine. Leute wie Herr Dobrindt sollten lieber ins Geschichtsbuch gucken, bevor sie ihren Populismus absondern.

Griechenland hat Daten manipuliert, die Korruption wucherte, wer Steuern zahlte, war der Dumme. Das wiegt schwer.

Sicherlich, Griechenland hat schwere Fehler gemacht. Das politische System war korrupt. Nur dürfen wir nicht vergessen: Athen hatte die vergangenen zehn, fünfzehn Jahren einen Wehr-Etat gehabt in Höhe von vier Prozent des griechischen Inlandsproduktes. Deutsche Regierungen hat das nicht gestört, weil die Griechen fleißig Waffen aus Deutschland und Frankreich gekauft haben. Niemand ist im Europäischen Rat aufgestanden und hat gesagt: "Leute, hört auf, das kann nicht gutgehen."

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Debt Impasse Shadows Race for Presidency

WASHINGTON — President Obama and Mitt Romney will again debate their visions for the next four years on Tuesday night, and if the campaign so far is any guide, they will not acknowledge that the winner’s agenda could depend on the fiscal showdown between Election Day and Inauguration Day.

If Mr. Romney wins, Republicans say they would seek to delay the year-end deadline for a bipartisan deal by up to a year to give him time to flesh out his budget plans and get Democrats to agree. But even if Democrats and the financial markets go along with the delay, the months before Mr. Romney’s swearing-in could be as crucial to his presidency as the transition period was for Mr. Obama four years ago, when the economic crisis led him to draft a big stimulus package while President George W. Bush still occupied the White House.

Mr. Romney’s ability to foster cooperation at the outset could determine his success on a range of issues. Yet Democrats have been dismissive, at best, about his budget plans, which have few specifics on how Mr. Romney would reduce deficits. He has mostly spoken about cutting taxes and increasing military spending.

Mr. Obama, if he loses, would still be president for the lame-duck Congress, but he would have limited leverage. If he gets another four years in the White House, he already has plans to go right back on the campaign trail to build support for his deficit-reduction framework, Democrats say, and administration officials are debating whether Mr. Obama should make some concession to Republicans to spur negotiations.

Polls: Obama, Romney in tight race

9:20AM EDT October 15. 2012 - Another poll, another close result between President Obama and Mitt Romney.
Obama leads by a single point -- 49%-48% -- in the latest Politico/George Washington University Battleground Poll released Monday morning, well within the margin of error.
On the other hand, Romney leads 50%-48% in the poll's 10 top "battleground states:" Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll gives Obama a 49%-46% lead among likely voters.
Various polls also show a tossup race in the Electoral College.
Obama once led most polls, but things have tightened in recent days for one major reason: The first debate on Oct. 3, perceived by many as a Romney victory.
Obama and Romney debate again Tuesday night in New York, and a third time a week from tonight in Boca Raton, Fla.
Some other highlights of the Politico-GWU Battleground Poll:
Of the 86% of voters who watched the first presidential debate, three in four declared Romney the winner; only 16% thought Obama prevailed.
Romney leads with independents by 8 points, 49%-41%.
Obama still leads with women, 54%-43%.
 Regardless of whom they're supporting, only 53% of voters now believe Obama will win the election (down from 61% before the first presidential debate)
http://www.theworldpress.com/press/worldpress/usapress/usatoday.htm

David Hatton, Neighborhood Team Leader

David H., one of our star volunteers, shares why he’s in for Obama 2012.

You know, I used to play golf. I’ve been retired for more than a decade and golf is one of my favorite pastimes; I played every day. But a few months ago, I found something I wanted to do even more: volunteer for Barack Obama’s reelection. Now, the four to six hours I’d spend on the green I spend pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, calling supporters and registering voters. I’m proud to support President Obama in whichever way I can.

I like that he has a long view – a very mature, intelligent, long-term plan for America. He’s not just looking for short-term gains; he wouldn’t have pursued tough battles like health care reform if that’s what he was after. He saw the reforms that were needed to make affordable health care accessible and recognized how necessary they were for our long-term prosperity.

Obama Beats Romney in August Fundraising

For the first time in three months, President Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney in monthly fundraising. The Obama campaign announced Monday it raised $114 million in August, edging out the Romney side, which raised $111.6 million.

[10 Celebrities Who Have Made Big Donations to Obama]

Both totals included money raised by the campaigns themselves and their corresponding national parties. These "victory funds" can accept larger amounts because the proceeds from one check are divided amongst the campaign, the national party, and several state parties. August marks the first month this election cycle that Obama's victory fund has outraised Romney's.

Autumn 2012

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