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Black Santas Make Christmas A Little Less White

Paul Prayze — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:27:01 +0000

Black Santas are becoming a regular thing lately, even in non-Black neighborhoods.

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New York City’s professional Santa agencies are noticing that kids enjoy seeing Santa– regardless of his race or ethnicity.

“Santa is so symbolic in these times and a Santa is a Santa. Kids see no color they just see Santa and they know who he is and they know what he stands for,” said Carlton Benjamin, a professional Santa Claus.

Greenpoint, Brooklyn is known as New York City’s polish enclave. Yet black Santa is a hit.

Fact: Christmas Does Not End On December 25!

Elev8 — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:00:28 +0000

The Twelve Days of Christmas are the festive days beginning Christmas Day (25 December). This period is also known as Christmastide and Twelvetide.

Unfortunately,because there a drive to start the “christmas selling period” there is a misunderstanding that Christmas ends promptly on Christmas Day. That is 100% wrong.

The Twelfth Night of Christmas is always on the evening of 5 January, but the Twelfth Day can either precede or follow the Twelfth Night according to which Christian tradition is followed.Twelfth Night is followed by the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January. In some traditions, the first day of Epiphany (6 January) and the twelfth day of Christmas overlap.

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Over the centuries, differing churches and sects of Christianity have changed the actual traditions, time frame and their interpretations. St. Stephen’s Day (or Boxing Day), for example, is 26 December in the Western Church and 27 December in the Eastern Church. Boxing Day, the first weekday after Christmas, is observed as a legal holiday in parts of the Commonwealth of Nations. 28 December is Childermas or the Feast of the Innocents. Currently, the twelve days and nights are celebrated in widely varying ways around the world. For example, some give gifts only on Christmas Day, some only on Twelfth Night, and some each of the twelve nights.

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So enjoy the season!

Obama Spends Xmas With Family, Military

Paul Prayze — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:45:31 +0000

HONOLULU (AP) — President Barack Obama blended his roles as a father and commander-in-chief this Christmas, exchanging presents and singing carols with his family, then greeting U.S. service members stationed at a Marine base in Hawaii.

The president and his family woke up early Sunday to open gifts, the White House said, then had breakfast and sang Christmas carols at the multimillion-dollar house they rent in Kailua Beach, near Honolulu.

Obama made two trips on Christmas to nearby Marine Corps Base Hawaii, first to attend church services at the base chapel. The president dressed casually in dark khaki pants and a short-sleeve blue shirt, and his wife and daughters donned sundresses for Christmas services on a bright, breezy day on the island of Oahu.

After spending a few hours at their rental home, the president and Michelle Obama returned to the base to visit with several hundred service members and their families, as they have done in past years.

The Obamas posed for photos, signed autographs and stopped to chat with the military families gathered in the dining hall, where roast beef, salad and apple pie were on the Christmas Day menu.

Eight-month-old Cooper Wall Wagner, son of Capt. Greg Wagner, got up close and personal with the president, grabbing his face, then sticking his fingers in Obama’s mouth.

An amused Obama said he thought the baby just liked his “big nose” – a comment that drew laughter from several of the Marines.

Many of the service members stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii have deployed to Afghanistan, as well as Iraq, where the last American troops were withdrawn earlier this month.

Back in the Washington area, Vice President Joe Biden and wife Jill Biden spent Christmas visiting wounded service members and their families at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Obama also called 10 service members stationed around the world – two from each branch of the military – on Christmas Eve. The White House said he thanked them for their service and the sacrifice of being away from their families at the holidays.

The Obamas were wrapping up their Christmas festivities with dinner at the rental home with friends and family. Among those joining the first family in Hawaii are the president’s sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, who lives on Oahu, and several friends Obama has known since high school.

The president has kept a low profile since arriving in Hawaii on Friday evening to start a vacation delayed by the stalemate in Washington over extending payroll tax cuts. He has no public events planned, and his only outings are expected to be to the golf course or to take his daughters for shave ice, a Hawaiian snow cone.

The Obamas are expected to return to Washington shortly after New Year’s Day.

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Xmas Discovery: Ancient Seal Found In Jerusalem

WTLC-AM — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 17:11:36 +0000

JERUSALEM (AP) — A rare clay seal found under Jerusalem’s Old City appears to be linked to religious rituals practiced at the Jewish Temple 2,000 years ago, Israeli archaeologists said Sunday.

The coin-sized seal found near the Jewish holy site at the Western Wall bears two Aramaic words meaning “pure for God.”

Archaeologist Ronny Reich of Haifa University said it dates from between the 1st century B.C. to 70 A.D. – the year Roman forces put down a Jewish revolt and destroyed the second of the two biblical temples in Jerusalem.

The find marks the first discovery of a written seal from that period of Jerusalem’s history, and appeared to be a unique physical artifact from ritual practice in the Temple, said Reich, co-director of the excavation.

Very few artifacts linked to the Temples have been discovered so far. The site of the Temple itself – the enclosure known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary – remains off-limits to archaeologists because of its religious and political sensitivity.

Archaeologists say the seal was likely used by Temple officials approving an object for ritual use – oil, perhaps, or an animal intended for sacrifice. Materials used by Temple priests had to meet stringent purity guidelines stipulated in detail in the Jewish legal text known as the Mishna, which also mention the use of seals as tokens by pilgrims.

The find, Reich said, is “the first time an indication was brought by archaeology about activities in the Temple Mount – the religious activities of buying and offering and giving to the Temple itself.”

The site where the seal was found is on the route of a main street that ran through ancient Jerusalem just outside the Temple compound.

Aren Maeir of Bar-Ilan University, a biblical archaeologist not connected to the dig, said the seal was special because it “was found right next to the Temple and is similar to what we see described in the Mishna.”

“It’s nice when we can connect an activity recorded in ancient sources with archaeological finds,” he said.

The seal was found in an excavation run by archaeologists from the government’s Israel Antiquities Authority. The dig is under the auspices of a broader dig nearby known as the City of David, where archaeologists are investigating the oldest part of Jerusalem.

The City of David dig, located inside the nearby Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan and funded by a Jewish group affiliated with the settlement movement, is the Holy Land’s highest-profile and most politically controversial excavation.

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First Lady Helps Kids Track Santa

Paul Prayze — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 02:12:09 +0000

HONOLULU — US Santa trackers got some help Saturday from none other than First Lady Michelle Obama, who surprised children by answering calls about Saint Nick’s Christmas Eve round-the-world sleigh ride.

Obama, vacationing in Hawaii with President Barack Obama and their two daughters, was participating for the second straight year in the annual NORAD Tracks Santa program, run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

“It is wonderful to be part of this holiday tradition. I love answering calls from children who were anxious to learn where Santa was and when he would arrive at their home,” the first lady said in a statement.

“I passed on to each child the current location of Santa and reminded them that he would come to their house only after they were in bed sleeping.”

NORAD’s Santa tracking tradition dates back to 1955.

The air command — which monitors the skies over Canada and the United States — makes every effort to locate Saint Nick, using no less than four high-tech systems: radar, satellites, “Santa Cams” and even fighter jets.

Children and the young at heart can track the jolly man in the big red suit online at noradsanta.org, which shows a map of Santa’s current location and provides constant updates in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Chinese.

Norad Santa has also made his way to Facebook, where he has received “likes” from more than 940,000 visitors to his page.

“What has Santa been feeding these Reindeer? They’ve flown, warp-speed, through Balkanabat, Turkmenistan,” Norad posted on Facebook.

As of 0030 GMT Sunday, Santa’s reindeer-pulled sleigh was flying over London. “Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace — Santa is enjoying the sites and a spot of tea,” it said.

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CeCe Winans – Because A Child Is Born [VIDEO]

Elev8 — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 23:20:14 +0000

CeCe Winans delivers a heartfelt modern carol proclaiming the Christmas message. The lyrics say it all: Joybells ringing/ Angels singing All because a child was born/A time of sharing people caring/all because a child was born There in a manger/long ago It was the perfect night/When you came into this world A star shone oh so bright Make sure to visit the special Elev8 Holiday message from Read more..

5 People Santa Hates For Xmas

Paul Prayze — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 22:31:35 +0000

Santa loves the kids, like Trick Daddy, but some people seem to hate children and want to make sure children are unhappy. Some of these people are racist or just don’t care about poor children. Here are five people Santa hates this Christmas.

1. Jerry Sandusky

Santa loves the kids, so subsequently he must hate child molesters. While Jerry Sandusky has yet to be convicted of child molestation, the charges against him are very disturbing. Using a charity that was supposed to help children as a way to molest them is despicable.

2. Newt Gingrich

If it were up to Newt Gingrich, poor kids would be given mops and gloves so they could mop up the bathrooms in their schools. Newt would change the child labor laws so poor kids could be given demeaning jobs and be exploited. Gingrich also believes that poor children have “no work ethic” that doesn’t involve something illegal.

3. Kim Kardashian

Despite what Tyler Perry says, Kim Kardashian is not an excellent role model for young girls. Kim has been accused of using Chinese child labor for her K-Dash line of clothing.

4. Mitch McConnell

Mitch McConnell has voted for tax cuts for the rich consistently, but when it came to voting for working-class Americans to get tax cuts and unemployment at Christmas time, he voted no. It was the American public that forced him to finally cave into President Barack Obama.

5. Ron Paul

In his newsletter, Ron Paul wrote:

If you have ever been robbed by a black teenaged male, you know how unbelievably fleet of foot they can be.

When asked about the statement, he responded:

If you try to catch someone that has stolen a purse from you, there is no chance to catch them.

Paul believes Black children should be tried as adults in court.

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Toys “R” Us Priced Black Doll Higher Than White Version

Paul Prayze — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:37:10 +0000

A Georgia Toys “R” Us is under fire for pricing a Black doll much higher than the white version of the same doll.

Niaira Taylor, the mother of a young black girl who wanted the Baby Alive doll for Christmas, was incensed over the discrepancy. When Taylor tried to purchase the doll, which was the number one item on her daughter Ahzhane’s wish list, the African-American version was priced higher than the same white doll next to it on the store shelf.

Be A Blessing This Christmas

Faith Dixson — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:10:16 +0000

AM1310 THE LIGHT AND THE REED 3 FAMILY FOUNDATION WANTS TO BE A BLESSING TO FAMILIES THIS CHRISTMAS. IF YOU KNOW OF A FAMILY THAT IS IN NEED AND YOU WANT TO BE A BLESSING TO THEM JUST EMAIL US AT 1310BEABLESSING@GMAIL.COM AND TELL US THEIR STORY IN 200 WORDS OR LESS….

THEN LISTEN BEGINNING MONDAY DECEMBER 19^TH FROM 3PM TO 6PM FAITH DIXSON WILL ANNOUNCE A FAMILY’S NAME EACH HOUR TO RECEIVE A BLESSING UP TO 350.00!!!!

THE DEADLINE FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS IS SUNDAY DECEMBER 18TH AT MIDNIGHT

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE REED 3 FAMILY FOUNDATION AND AM1310 THE LIGHT!

Activist Beaten Protesting Blackface Christmas Tradition

Paul Prayze — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:30:18 +0000

An activist was beaten and arrested at a Dutch Christmas celebration after attempting to call attention to the racist depiction of Zwarte Piet, a beloved Santa’s-helper folk character in the Netherlands.

For the last few years, activists have worked to reform or change Zwarte Piet. In 2007, Piet’s face was depicted as multicolored instead of black.

“I am afraid to say — and I know this will not go down well with many Dutch white people — that Black Pete is tainted beyond redemption,” Flavia Dzodan, a South American-born, Amsterdam-based activist said. “There is no redeemable quality in this character in its current incarnation. There is no going around the racist nature of a character that acts as a de facto slave for a white saint, who is portrayed as clumsy and mischievous, who is used as an instrument to instill fear in children who misbehave.”