Cool - Black Ops Funtage

Boxing Day Egg

FOR THE PASTRY:

• 240g plain flour
• 60g Trex or other vegetable shortening
• 60g butter
• 3-5 tablespoons salted iced water - or enough to bind

FORTHE FILLING:

• 500g pancetta or bacon, chopped into small batons
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• Approximately 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 large eggs
• 20cm pie plate

Method

1. Make the pastry by freezing the fats and flour together for 10 minutes, then tip out into the processor and blitz to a flaky rubble. Add enough iced water to bind, then form into 2 discs, cover them with clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/gas mark 6.
3. Cook the pancetta or bacon in a frying pan with the onion, peppering well. Beat the spring onion, parsley and eggs together, and set aside while you roll out the pastry.
4. Using one of the discs, line the dish, leaving an overhang. Roll out the other half to make a lid, and set aside for one moment. Transfer the pancetta and onion mixture to the pastry-lined pie plate and pour over the spring onion, parsley and eggs. With a little cold water, dampen the edges of the pastry case and cover with the rolled-out lid. Cut off excess pastry, and seal and pinch all around the rim. Make a hole in the lid to let out steam, put in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Sit on a wire rack until slightly above room temperature, or eat cold.

Serves: 6 

by:nigela

My New Hot Girlfriend :)

Mohombi - Bumpt Ride

[chorus]
I wanna boom bang bang with your body yo
Were gonna rough it up before we take it slow
Girl lemme rock you rock you like a rodeo
(Its gonna be a bumpy ride)

I wanna boom bang bang with your body yo
Were gonna rough it up before we take it slow
Girl lemme rock you rock you like a rodeo
(Its gonna be a bumpy ride)

I wanna boom bang bang with your body yo
Were gonna rough it up before we take it slow
Girl lemme rock you rock you like a rodeo
(Its gonna be a bumpy ride)

[verse 1]
I wanna pull you over, pull you under
Make your body surrender to mine
Girl you can make me suffer, do whatever
Cuz I know youre one of a kind

Tell me who can love you, nobody
Hold you, nobody
Make your body wind, like me
You will never find someone like me

Who can love you, nobody
Hold you, nobody
Make your body wind, like me
You will never find someone like me

[chorus]
I wanna boom bang bang with your body yo
Were gonna rough it up before we take it slow
Girl lemme rock you rock you like a rodeo
(Its gonna be a bumpy ride)

I wanna boom bang bang with your body yo
Were gonna rough it up before we take it slow
Girl lemme rock you rock you like a rodeo
(Its gonna be a bumpy ride)

[verse 2]
Imma spin you around, push your buttons
Buy you plenty of stuff
Then ill take you down, to the bottom
Work you all the way to the top


Tell me who can love you, nobody
Hold you, nobody
Make your body wind, like me
You will never find someone like me

Who can love you, nobody
Hold you, nobody
Make your body wind, like me
You will never find someone like me

[chorus]
I wanna boom bang bang with your body yo
Were gonna rough it up before we take it slow
Girl lemme rock you rock you like a rodeo
(Its gonna be a bumpy ride)

I wanna boom bang bang with your body yo
Were gonna rough it up before we take it slow
Girl lemme rock you rock you like a rodeo
(Its gonna be a bumpy ride)

I wanna boom bang bang with your body yo
Were gonna rough it up before we take it slow
Girl lemme rock you rock you like a rodeo
(Its gonna be a bumpy ride)

[verse 3]
On top of my love gain and youre gonna get it tonight
Im focused im ready girl im gonna give it to you right

I wanna pull you over, pull you under
Make your body surrender to mine
Girl you can make me suffer, do whatever
Cuz I know youre one of a kind

[chorus]
I wanna boom bang bang with your body yo
Were gonna rough it up before we take it slow
Girl lemme rock you rock you like a rodeo
(Its gonna be a bumpy ride)

I wanna boom bang bang with your body yo
Were gonna rough it up before we take it slow
Girl lemme rock you rock you like a rodeo
(Its gonna be a bumpy ride)

I wanna boom bang bang with your body yo
Were gonna rough it up before we take it slow
Girl lemme rock you rock you like a rodeo
(Its gonna be a bumpy ride)

About Aids

What is AIDS?
AIDS stands for: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
AIDS is a medical condition. A person is diagnosed with AIDS when their immune system is too weak to fight off infections.
Since AIDS was first identified in the early 1980s, an unprecedented number of people have been affected by the global AIDS epidemic. Today, there are an estimated 33.3 million people living with HIV and AIDS worldwide.



What causes AIDS?
AIDS is caused by HIV.
HIV is a virus that gradually attacks immune system cells. As HIV progressively damages these cells, the body becomes more vulnerable to infections, which it will have difficulty in fighting off. It is at the point of very advanced HIV infection that a person is said to have AIDS. It can be years before HIV has damaged the immune system enough for AIDS to develop.

What are the symptoms of AIDS?
A person is diagnosed with AIDS when they have developed an AIDS related condition or symptom, called an opportunistic infection, or an AIDS related cancer. The infections are called ‘opportunistic’ because they take advantage of the opportunity offered by a weakened immune system.

It is possible for someone to be diagnosed with AIDS even if they have not developed an opportunistic infection. AIDS can be diagnosed when the number of immune system cells (CD4 cells) in the blood of an HIV positive person drops below a certain level.

Is there a cure for AIDS?
Worryingly, many people think there is a 'cure' for AIDS - which makes them feel safer, and perhaps take risks that they otherwise wouldn’t. However, there is still no cure for AIDS. The only way to stay safe is to be aware of how HIV is transmitted and how to prevent HIV infection.

How many people have died from AIDS?

Since the first cases of AIDS were identified in 1981, more than 25 million people have died from AIDS. An estimated 1.8 million people died as a result of AIDS in 2009 alone.
Although there is no cure for AIDS, HIV infection can be prevented, and those living with HIV can take antiretroviral drugs to delay the onset of AIDS. However, in many countries across the world access to prevention and treatment services is limited. Global leaders have pledged to work towards universal access to HIV prevention and care, so that millions of deaths can be averted.

How is AIDS treated?
Antiretroviral treatment can prolong the time between HIV infection and the onset of AIDS. Modern combination therapy is highly effective and someone with HIV who is taking treatment could live for the rest of their life without developing AIDS.

An AIDS diagnosis does not necessarily equate to a death sentence. Many people can still benefit from starting antiretroviral therapy even once they have developed an AIDS defining illness. Better treatment and prevention for opportunistic infections have also helped to improve the quality and length of life for those diagnosed with AIDS.

Treating some opportunistic infections is easier than others. Infections such as herpes zoster and candidiasis of the mouth, throat or vagina, can be managed effectively in most environments. On the other hand, more complex infections such as toxoplasmosis, need advanced medical equipment and infrastructure, which are lacking in many resource-poor areas.

It is also important that treatment is provided for AIDS related pain, which is experienced by almost all people in the very advanced stages of HIV infection.


Why do people still develop AIDS today?

Even though antiretroviral treatment can prevent the onset of AIDS in a person living with HIV, many people are still diagnosed with AIDS today. There are four main reasons for this:

• In many resource-poor countries antiretroviral treatment is not widely available. Even in wealthier countries, such as America, many individuals are not covered by health insurance and cannot afford treatment.

• Some people who became infected with HIV in the early years of the epidemic before combination therapy was available, have subsequently developed drug resistance and therefore have limited treatment options.

• Many people are never tested for HIV and only become aware they are infected with the virus once they have developed an AIDS related illness. These people are at a higher risk of mortality, as they tend to respond less well to treatment at this stage.

• Sometimes people taking treatment are unable to adhere to, or tolerate the side effects of drugs.

Caring for a person with AIDS

In the later stages of AIDS, a person will need palliative care and emotional support. In many parts of the world, friends, family and AIDS organisations provide home based care. This is particularly the case in countries with high HIV prevalence and overstretched healthcare systems.

End of life care becomes necessary when a person has reached the very final stages of AIDS. At this stage, preparing for death and open discussion about whether a person is going to die often helps in addressing concerns and ensuring final wishes are followed.

The global AIDS epidemic

Around 2.6 million people became infected with HIV in 2009. Sub-Saharan Africa has been hardest hit by the epidemic; in 2009 over two-thirds of AIDS deaths were in this region.
Parc de l'espoir - AIDS Memorial Park in Montreal, CanadaParc de l'espoir - AIDS Memorial Park in Montreal, Canada

The epidemic has had a devastating impact on societies, economies and infrastructures. In countries most severely affected, life expectancy has been reduced by as much as 20 years. Young adults in their productive years are the most at-risk population, so many countries have faced a slow-down in economic growth and an increase in household poverty. In Asia, HIV and AIDS causes a greater loss of productivity than any other disease. An adult’s most productive years are also their most reproductive and so many of the age group who have died from AIDS have left children behind. In sub-Saharan Africa the AIDS epidemic has orphaned nearly 15 million children.

In recent years, the response to the epidemic has been intensified; in the past ten years in low- and middle-income countries there has been a 6-fold increase in spending for HIV and AIDS. The number of people on antiretroviral treatment has increased, the annual number of AIDS deaths has declined, and the global percentage of people infected with HIV has stabilised.

However, recent achievements should not lead to complacent attitudes. In all parts of the world, people living with HIV still face AIDS related stigma and discrimination, and many people still cannot access sufficient HIV treatment and care. In America and some countries of Western and Central and Eastern Europe, infection rates are rising, indicating that HIV prevention is just as important now as it ever has been. Prevention efforts that have proved to be effective need to be scaled-up and treatment targets reached. Commitments from national governments right down to the community level need to be intensified and subsequently met, so that one day the world might see an end to the global AIDS epidemic

Lady Gaga - Just Dance

I've had a little bit too much

All of the people start to rush (start to rush by)

A dizzy twister dance

Can't find my drink or man

Where are my keys?

I lost my phone

What's goin’ on, on the floor?

I love this record baby but I can't see straight anymore keep it cool What’s the name of this club?

I can't remember but its alright, a-alright

Chorus:

JUST DANCE!

Gonna be okay

Da da doo doot-n

JUST DANCE!

Spin that record babe

Da da doo doot-n

JUST DANCE!

Gonna be okay

D-d-d dance, dance, dance, just

J-J-JUST DANCE!

Wish I could shut my playboy mouth

How'd I turn my shirt inside out (inside out right)

Control your poison babe

Roses have thorns they say,

And we’re all getting’ hosed tonight!

What's goin’ on, on the floor?

I love this record baby but I can't see straight anymore keep it cool What’s the name of this club?

I can't remember but its alright, a-alright

Chorus

When I come through on the dance floor checkin' out that catalogue

Can't believe my eyes so many women without a flaw

And I ain't gonna give it up, steady trying to pick it up like a call

I'm a hit it up beat it up latch on to it until tomorrow yeah

Shorty I can see that you got so much energy

The way you twirlin' up them hips round and round

And there is no reason that at all why you can't leave here with me

In the mean time stay let me watch you break it down and

Chorus

Half psychotic sick hypnotic got my blueprint its symphonic

Half psychotic sick hypnotic got my blueprint electronic

Half psychotic sick hypnotic got my blueprint its symphonic

Half psychotic sick hypnotic got my blueprint electronic

Go! Your your muscle car-ve it out work it, hustle!

Don't Slow! Drive it, clean it lysol, bleed it

Spend the last dough in your pocko!

Chorus

Uchiha Sasuke Profile

Name: Uchiha Sasuke
Age: 13
Birthday: 23 July
Zodiac: Cancer
Rank: Genin
From: Leaf
Teacher: Kakashi
Teammates: Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura
Family: Uchiha Itachi (elder brother)
Favourite technique: Grand Fireball Technique

Background: Sole survivor of the Uchiha clan when his elder brother went on a killing rampage.

The Deal with him: Sasuke was a regular adorable ninja student with big dreams of being an excellent ninja like his elder brother. But after Itachi killed their family and screwed up his mind to "live in an unsightly way", Sasuke became cool, and calls himself an 'avenger', whose purpose in life was to kill his brother. For some obscure reason, that made all the girls at the academy fall in love with him.

Sasuke first started to use his Sharingan when he fought against Haku with Naruto at Wave Country. His pretty eyes and body attracted the liking of Orochimaru, who wishes to take over his body after he became truly strong. To show his admiration, Orochimaru left a cursed seal after delightfully sinking his fangs into Sasuke's neck, which Kakashi sealed, but threatens to unleash everytime Sasuke gets excited in a fight.

After engaging in a precarious fight with Naruto, Sasuke felt inferior as he seemed not to be improving as much as Naruto. Orochimaru took the chance to send the Sound 4 ninjas to convince Sasuke to leave the Leaf village to seek more power from Orochimaru. Thus, Sasuke abandoned Konoha (Sakura's endless whining might have helped him decide to leave in a hurry) and is on his way to the Sound village.

Pearl Harbor Attack

 

What happened at Pearl Harbor ? do you know about it,, 

I think this most important incident at the world..

Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii, was attacked by Japanese torpedo and bomber planes on December 7, 1941, at 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time. The sneak attack sparked outrage in the American populace, news media, government and the world. On December 8, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the American Congress, and the nation, to detail the attack. In that address, the president asked Congress to pass a declaration of war. Congress obliged, voted and passed the U.S. Declaration of War on Japan, on the same day. That was America's formal entry into World War II.

The attack took place on a sunny Sunday morning. A minimal contingent of soldiers was on duty at the time. Most offices on the base were closed and many servicemen were on leave for the weekend. New technology, including the new radar mounted on Opana Point, were in place, manned and functioning at the time of the attack. The incoming Japanese attack planes were detected by the radar and reported, but were mistaken for an incoming group of American planes due from the mainland that morning. While on practice maneuvers outside the harbor that morning, an American destroyer spotted a Japanese submarine attempting to sneak into the harbor. The submarine was fired upon, immediately reported — and ignored.

Pearl Harbor is located on the south coast of Oahu Island. At the time, the naval base was about 22,000 acres in size. The American fleet was under the command of Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and the ground troops were commanded by Lt. General Walter C. Short. Pearl Harbor was the hub of American naval power since King Kalakua gave the right to the U.S. to develop a coal station there in 1887. The harbor had recently been designated as the American Pacific Fleet's new home base because of concern over Japan's increasing aggressiveness. Most of America's military commands of the Pacific Region had headquarters on the base, yet the United States continued its isolationism.

While there were veiled warnings and isolated events of Japanese hostilities in the weeks, days and hours ahead of the attack, no one in command at Pearl Harbor or in Washington, D.C., expected a Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, especially before war was formally declared. Effective cryptography and successful cryptanalysis were in their infancy at the time. Under-funded, under-manned and under-equipped, cryptanalysts had been ordered to concentrate on Japanese diplomatic traffic, rather than naval messages. The nation would have had a much clearer picture of the Japanese military buildup and, with the warning provided by those messages, might have prevented the disaster of Pearl Harbor.

Indeed, on the morning of December 7, the Japanese ambassador in Washington, D.C., had been ordered by his government to destroy all official documents and deliver a 14-page document to Secretary of State Cordell Hull at a specific time that day. After laborious manual decoding and translation, the document was delivered later than the Japanese government had intended. The news of the attack on Pearl Harbor had already reached the White House before the Japanese ambassador arrived at the White House. The world was stunned by the news.

Military leaders of the Axis countries, Germany, Italy and Japan, were hell-bent on world domination by military force. Japan needed natural resources, especially oil, for its planned expansion. The Japanese had successfully invaded Manchuria in 1931 and China in 1937. Japan's antipathy toward America had been seething for a long time. The United States' occupation of the Philippines during the Spanish-American War and America's refusal to acknowledge Japan's authority in occupied China fueled Japanese resentment. Imperial Japan's sphere of interest in the far western Pacific was being threatened by America's incursions into the Pacific at the very point in history when Japan itself was vying for dominance in the region.

Pearl Harbor during attack

It is a myth to maintain that strategists of both nations considered Pearl Harbor too shallow, with an average depth of 45 feet, for an attack by torpedoes dropped from airplanes, which usually required about 75 feet of depth. While it seemed improbable, a Hawaiian Chief of Naval Operations memo states that no harbor is to be considered safe from attack. Sabotage by Japanese agents was considered to be the greater threat. The Japanese had developed the technology, attack strategy and skill to successfully accomplish the impossible. The idea to attack Pearl Harbor had been conceived six months before. The American fleet was perceived as an obstacle to access the oil fields in Java, so the plan was conceived to affect a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor to destroy America's Pacific Fleet. Additional targets included warehouses, docks, airfields and aircraft.

The Japanese had developed a shallow running torpedo that would skim the surface of the water in the harbor after being dropped from a low-flying aircraft. The primary targets were the aircraft carriers and battleships that were among 92 naval vessels at anchor in the harbor. With data gathered and reported by Japanese spies on Oahu and Maui, the Japanese admiralty knew the location and quantity of vessels of each type in the harbor. They had two concerns, the loss of surprise and the whereabouts of two missing American aircraft carriers. The carriers Enterprise and Lexington had previously been dispatched to Wake and Midway islands. Both aircraft carriers were hundreds of miles west of the Hawaiian island chain, at the time of the attack.

About 360 Japanese attack planes had launched at dawn from aircraft carriers in an attack force of about 33 ships, under the command of Vice-Admiral Chuichi Nagumo. The strike force had steamed, under the cover of darkness, to about 275 to 200 miles north of Oahu. Once the bombers sighted the island, they split into two groups. One group proceeded overland at low altitude across the island and the other flew over the water around the island to make an approach from the south. At 7:55 a.m., the first bombs and torpedoes were dropped. After two hours, the U.S. sustained 18 ships sunk or severely damaged, about 170 aircraft destroyed, and there were about 3,700 casualties. Japanese casualties were minimal.

Japanese approach at Pearl Harbor

Later that day, American ships were attacked on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu. Japanese bombers from mainland bases attacked Malaya, Hong Kong, Guam, the Philippine Islands, Wake Island and Midway Island. In the remaining weeks of December 1941, many successive attacks encouraged the Japanese to believe their invincibility.

Several investigations were conducted shortly after the attack. Admiral Kimmel and General Short bore the weight of responsibility imposed by Congress for the extent of the damage caused by the attack. Preparations to defend the base were based upon veiled warnings and vague directives from the White House and the Pentagon. Scouting planes dispatched from Pearl Harbor patrolled the vast ocean expanse around the island chain but had not detected the Japanese fleet heading for the Hawaiian Islands. The early morning radar sightings of the incoming attack force had been misinterpreted. Much of the American fleet was at dock in Pearl Harbor, but not as many key battleships and aircraft carriers were in the harbor as the Japanese had hoped.

Epilogue

What were the Japanese thinking when they concocted their Pearl Harbor plan? Were they not aware that such an act would ignite outrage in the American people and invite retribution? Had the delivery of the 14-page document to Secretary Hull been on time, would it have mitigated the outcome? Japan eventually paid the dearest price for its conduct.

During the weeks and months following the Japanese raid, a great deal of repair work was done by the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, assisted by tenders and ships' crewmen. Those efforts lasted into February 1942. All but two ships were salvaged. Target ship Utah and the battleship Arizona were not returned to service, and their hulls remain in Pearl Harbor to this day. All of the foregoing represented one of history's greatest salvage jobs. Seeing it to completion required that Navy and civilian divers spend about 20,000 hours under water in about 5,000 dives. Long and exhausting efforts were expended in recovering human remains, documents, ammunition and other items from the oil-fouled interiors of ships that had been under water for months. Uncounted hours went into cleaning the ships and otherwise getting them ready for shipyard repair. Much of this work had to be carried out in gas masks, to guard against the ever-present risk of toxic gases, and nearly all of it was extremely dirty.

USS Arizona Memorial

Today the battle-scarred, submerged remains of the battleship USS Arizona rest on the silt of Pearl Harbor, just as they settled on December 7, 1941. The ship was one of many casualties from the deadly attack by the Japanese on that day President Roosevelt called "a date which will live in infamy."

Photographs of the Arizona’s burning bridge, listing mast and superstructure in the aftermath of the Japanese attack, and news of her sinking were published worldwide. The photographs symbolized the destruction of the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and the start of a war that was to take many thousands of American lives. Indelibly impressed into the national memory, the image could be recalled by most Americans when they heard the battle cry, "Remember Pearl Harbor."

More than a million people visit the USS Arizona Memorial each year. They file quietly through the building and toss flower wreaths and leis into the water. They watch the iridescent slick of oil that still leaks, a drop at a time, from ruptured bunkers after more than 60 years at the bottom of the sea, and they read the names of the dead carved in marble on the memorial's walls.

Monkey Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 slices day old bread (I used sprouted ezekial)
• 1/4 cup pumpkin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 2 TBSP milk of choice
• 1 flax egg

Directions:

• Allow flax egg to sit for about 5-10 minutes.  While you’re impatiently waiting, cut your bread in to small cubes.
• Mix remaining ingredients and add to flax egg
• Coat bread cubes into mixture
• Pour mixture into greased ramekein
• Bake (covered with aluminum) for 25 minutes
• Remove aluminum and bake for 5 more minutes
• Top with banana, more maple syrup, and peanut butter. 

Statue of Liberty

Statue Of Liberty :Made in Paris by the French sculptor Bartholdi, in collaboration with Gustave Eiffel (who was responsible for the steel framework), this towering monument to liberty was a gift from France on the centenary of American independence in 1886. Standing at the entrance to New York Harbour, it has welcomed millions of immigrants to the United States ever since.


The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World, a hollow colossus composed of thinly pounded copper sheets over a steel framework, was designed in Paris by the French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi, in collaboration with the French engineer Gustave Eiffel, who was responsible for its frame, intended as a gift from France for the centenary of American independence in 1876. (vi) The symbolic value of the Statue of Liberty lies in two basic factors. The Statue also soon became and has endured as a symbol of the migration of people from many countries into the United States in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries. She endures as a highly potent symbol – inspiring contemplation, debate and protest – of ideals such as liberty, peace, human rights, abolition of slavery, democracy and opportunity.

The Statue of Liberty is a masterpiece of the human creative spirit. The fact that the statue, whose funds were raised by international Statue Of Libertysubscription, was executed in Europe, by a French sculptor, strengthens the symbolic interest of this world-renowned work.

The people of France gave the statue to the people of the United States over 100 years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution.

On 8 September 1937, jurisdiction was enlarged to encompass all of Bedloe's Island and in 1956, the island's name was changed to Liberty Island. On 11 May 1965, Ellis Island was also transferred to the National Park Service and became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.

Christmas time is the ideal time to spend at home with the family and of course the TV set is the center of attention. The Sound of Music and Home Alone have become classics. One name which pops up particularly around Christmas time is David Copperfield; year after year he astonishes audiences with his magical performances.

This year David Copperfield made The Statue of Liberty disappear in front of a life audience, and the show will be broadcasted again at Christmas in his show called “The Magic Of David Copperfield.”

No camera tricks or cut-out were used during the performance, and it is a show every American should have seen. The magical performance is even listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest magical vanishing act in human history.

The Statue Of Liberty on Liberty Island in New York City is a grande neoclassical sculpture by Fredirque Bartoldi and was given to the United States as a gift from the French nation. The Statue of Liberty is the Roman goddess Libertas – the goddess of freedom – In one hand the scripture of the law – the American Declaration of Independence - and in the other the torch with the endless fire of enlightment. The Statue has become and icon for the United States and New York City in particular.

Person shooter like Point Blank

Swimming with one Arm

the world are celebrating Christmas

At Vatican City on Friday night, Catholic worshippers packed pews inside St. Peter's Basilica to hear Pope Benedict XVI deliver Midnight Mass.
Celebrants, both young and old, watched in reverence as the choir serenaded the pontiff during his ceremonial march into the church. He was led into St. Peter's for Christmas Eve services by 30 cardinals, a tradition that was started by Pope John Paul II.

Bells rang out during the Holy Eucharistic, with chimes that could be heard inside the church as well as throughout Vatican City.
In 2009, Midnight Mass was interrupted when 25-year-old Susanna Maiolo jumped a barrier and knocked the pontiff down. She had tried to get to the pontiff on Christmas Eve in 2008, but was detained, Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said.

Christmas Eve Mass was held at 10 p.m last year, so the pope, who was 82 years old at the time, would be well-rested for Christmas Day services.

Thousands converged Friday on Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas in the town where Jesus is believed to have been born, joining the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, and a Roman Catholic archbishop for Midnight Mass.
Twal, the highest-ranking Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, led a procession of priests and believers to the Church of the Nativity for the traditional service.
Pilgrims, many of whom visit the city every year at this time, packed Manger Square outside the church in anticipation of the patriarch's arrival.
"When we come, we are saying not only, yes Jesus, we are here; we are all Christian, we are all brothers," one tourist in the crowd outside the Nativity Church told CNN.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and President Mahmoud Abbas, Muslims, were expected to travel to Bethlehem to attend the Mass.
At least 90,000 tourists are expected to visit the city by the end of the Christmas season, according to Bethlehem Mayor Victor Batarseh.
Many Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem say they regret spending another Christmas in occupied territory. The city is near the high wall that forms part of Israel's West Bank barrier.
In 1948, Christians represented 80% of the Bethlehem's population, that number is now just 35%.
Inside Beijing's Immaculate Conception Cathedral, more than 1,000 Chinese parishioners gathered to say Mass on Friday.
The ceremony was heralded by hymns and Christmas carols, and was led by a young priest who asked the congregation to "pray for the holy father, Pope Benedict XVI, and the Chinese bishops."
It's a stark change from the 1960s and '70s, when religion was suppressed in China. Now, the sights and sounds of Christmas are all around, making it one of the biggest commercial holiday seasons in Chinese cities.
While many Chinese are taking advantage of the lucrative side of the season, others are searching for the meaning of Christmas.
"My parents are Catholic," said 19-year-old Joseph Min. He said many youths are lost in the nation's "wave of social changes," but many are "seeking a kind of religion or philosophy in life."
China has become home to more than 6 million Catholics, according to a report approved at the eighth National Congress of Chinese Catholics in early December, the China Daily said.

Beijing and the Vatican severed diplomatic ties in 1951, but efforts are reportedly under way to reconcile their differences.

by:cnn

Earthquake shakes Puerto Rico

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit Puerto Rico on Friday,which the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti. rattling residents but causing no immediate reports of damage.

U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Randy Baldwin said the tremor was not an aftershock of the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake that killed an estimated 300,000 people and left millions homeless in Haiti. The quake occurred at a depth of 64 miles south-southwest of the capital of San Juan.


It occurred on Christmas Eve just a couple of miles from the central mountain town of Aguas Buenas.

A Federal Aviation Administration official said the international airport in San Juan was open and operating normally.

"It lasted about 30 seconds and felt hard. Some guests did get a little scared," said Venus Nevarez, an employee at the El San Juan Hotel and Casino. She said nothing broke and that all the guests were fine.

NORAD Santa Tracker 2010

If you’re looking to locate Santa, to find out where he is right now – and when he’ll be close to your house – the Santa NORAD tracker 2010 has you covered with his latest location.The North American Aerospace Defense Control (NORAD) can tell you with its Santa Tracker.

NORAD has been tracking Santa's Christmas journey with its official Santa Tracker for 50-plus years, plotting St. Nick's path around the world.


Recently, NORAD partnered with Google to let you track Santa on Google Earth (and in 3D no less!). In fact, NORAD met with Google executives earlier this week to prepare for the annual project.

You can literally watch Santa and his reindeer zoom past 3D landmarks like the Champs Elysees, Taj Mahal, and Empire State Building en route to delivering presents and Christmas cheer.

Miss. State Players Suspended for Fight in Stands

Two Mississippi State players, Renardo Sidney and Elgin Bailey were suspended indefinitely after a fistfight Friday in the stands at the Sheriff Center in Honolulu.

Both players were sent home Friday on separate planes and will at least miss Saturday's game against Hawaii and a game against St. Mary's in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Additionally, after Sidney tweeted ""Haha, keep hating people am loving it...," Scott Stricklin, athletic director at Mississippi State, warned MSU's basketball team to stop posting "inappropriate" messages on the social networking website regarding the altercation. If the guideline is not followed, players were told that they would not be allowed to tweet all together.

Just before a second round game of the Diamond Head Classic -- a game that featured Hawai'i and Utah -- on Thursday night, Sidney and Bailey were caught on tape throwing punches at one another before the altercation was broken up by teammates.
Sidney was escorted out of the arena by ushers. Neither of the players was arrested, according to police.

School administration and coaches of the school were furious.

"The actions that took place in Hawaii were embarrassing to all of us who love Mississippi State," Stricklin said in a statement on Twitter. "This behavior will not be tolerated."

"In my 13 years as a head coach, we've never had anything like this happen before," MSU coach Rick Stansbury said in a statement. "I am very disappointed in the actions of Elgin Bailey and Renardo Sidney and in no way does it reflect the overall picture of our program.

ESPN reported that Bailey had taken a cab back to the team hotel after the fight but Sidney remained in the arena at halftime of the Utah-Hawaii game.

Sidney had just ended a one-game suspension for "conduct detrimental to the team," which forced him to miss MSU's loss to Washington State on Wednesday. Sidney scored 19 points in 19 minutes in MSU's 69-52 win over San Diego earlier Thursday in the tournament at the University of Hawaii.

Sidney sat out the 2009-10 season at MSU as the NCAA reviewed his case concerning possible amateurism violations, for receiving cash benefits while in high school.

Adrienne Nicole Martin died at the home Of August Busch IV

Missouri police are investigating the death of a 27-year-old woman whose body was found last weekend at the home of Anheuser-Bush CEO August Bush IV.

Shortly before 1:15 p.m. Sunday, police were called to Busch’s Frontenac home where they found model Adrienne Nicole Martin dead.

Busch’s attorney told reporters “there is absolutely nothing suspicious about [Martin’s] passing and it’s a tragic and untimely death of a young person.”

Martin, who was a divorced mother of an 8-year-old boy, is believed to have done some modeling for the beer company. Reports say she had been dating Busch IV for several months.


Busch became the CEO of the beer company in 2006, and he was in charge in 2008 when Belgian brewer InBev engineered at $52 billion takeover of the company.

Busch has been an eastern Missouri institution known for its Budweiser and other brands.

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