Teenager Does Homework, Mom Smokes Pot With Him

Yahoo! News :" HANOVER, Pa. - A 13-year-old boy told police his mother required him to do his homework first thing when he got off the school bus, then smoked marijuana with him as a reward.

The mother said she had been smoking marijuana with her son since he was 11, usually as a reward, according to court documents.
The police interview came after officers executed a search warrant at the woman's home last weekend and seized marijuana, an array of drug paraphernalia and $600 in cash that she said belonged to a drug dealer, court documents said.
Amanda Lynn Livelsberger, 30, faces charges of marijuana possession, corruption of minors, endangering the welfare of children and possession with intent to distribute drug paraphernalia, police said.

Now this is one stupid mother!! In my eyes, come-on...She in one hand makes her son do his homework, so he can do something with his life and be somebody with a good job. But then she rewards him by frying his brain with a drug that will only kill those brain cells she is making him use, to learn. She has some real problems. I have known people in my past who smoked pot with their teenagers and I was angry when I even heard of it. Least to say we never stayed friends, I do not approve of any drug that endangers the body."

Not a worm at bottom of the rum barrel

Yahoo! News :" Budapest - Hungarian builders who drank their way to the bottom of a huge barrel of rum while renovating a house got a nasty surprise when a pickled corpse tumbled out of the empty barrel.

Workers in Szeged in the south of Hungary tried to move the barrel after they had drained it, only to find it was surprisingly heavy and were shocked when the body of a naked man fell out.

The body of the man had been shipped back from Jamaica 20 years ago by his wife in the barrel of rum in order to avoid the cost and paperwork of an official return.

According to workers said the rum in the 300-liter barrel had a "special taste" so they even decanted a few bottles of the liquor to take home.

The wife has since died and the man was buried in a proper grave."

Vibrator- Why They were invented

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Bathroom Test

" I was going thru my old file folder of things I have held on to over time and found this, read it again and it made me laugh. Now...I ask all of you who are reading this...Which one would you say a normal person would use?

During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director what the criteria is that defines whether a patient should be institutionalized or not. "Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub with water, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup, and a bucket to the patient and ask the patient to empty the water out of the tub."

Okay, here's your test:

1. Would you use the spoon?

2. Would you use the teacup?

3. Would you use the bucket?

"Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would choose the
bucket since it is larger than the teacup or spoon."

Walking to loose weight

"I gained a lot of not wanted weight over the winter...Again!! So I figured with the warm weather here now I would start walking, well been taking both the dogs out with me and walking in 10-15. Walks to give them an outing too. Well this is more of a hassle then its worth with both dogs, so I figured after 5-days of being wrapped and then un-wrapping them from each other and myself with the leash's. Double dog walking was not my bag or not something I am good at, nor is it for my new problem I found I get...Anger/ with a dog...LOL Yup, I'm the crazy women out walking here dogs and yelling and mad as heck because they keep tugging and wrapping me between two walking ropes. Not going to do it anymore, I'm done will now only take them out one at a time till I can get them use to walking on walks with me. But I have been having a lot of back and leg pain since I started walking them, found this article below and wanted to save it here to come back and read till I know how to do them with out reading each time. Feel free to use them also it you think they can help you>>

It's not uncommon for people carrying excess weight who start a walking program to get back pain. As you walk more your muscles will get stronger and the pain will diminish. In the meantime you ought to start to strengthen your abdominal muscles by doing 2-3 sets of crunches every day (strong abdominals help with back pain), and you should also stretch your low back and legs (particularly calves and hamstrings) before and after walking and crunches (you can do just the low back stretches before and after the crunches). Here are stretches for your back: - knee crossover: lie on your back, keep both shoulders on the ground, and pull right knee gently across body with left hand so that it approaches the ground, and then repeat other side. If it hurts, don't do it. -- knee hugs: lie on back and gently pull knees to chest -- knee drops: lie on your back, feet on floor, knees up, drop both knees to one side, then the other side. You can also cross one leg over so the foot is resting on the other knee. Then gently pull the knee down to the floor with the foot. One of the exercises is to bend at the waist and touch my toes, can be done sitting or standing. The pelvic tilt also works great."

IDIOTS IN FOOD SERVICE

A young girl went into Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for "minimal
lettuce." He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg. This was in Kansas City, Missouri

I laughed when I saw this as my daughter got a job working at a Taco Bell where she lives, Well CybillSkye this one for you. Hope you never make this mistake."

Helping Yourself & Others To Heal

Start Healing:" One of the principal ways we can help others to achieve new inner growth is by outgrowing ourselves. To help us understand the wisdom in this new idea we must first consider another equally important idea. A great portion of the way we "see" ourselves -- images of ourselves from which we derive our sense of self -- is actually a provision of our relationships with friends and family. Consider, for instance, that much of the way we measure the value of ourselves is secretly connected to those values we attribute to others close to us. For real-life examples of this pivotal idea we need only look into any close relationship of ours, but for now I'll draw upon the relationship I share with my wife in order to illustrate this particular point.

However I may look upon myself (perhaps as being kind, strong, or whatever the self-picture may be), this self-image is very much connected with an image of my wife that I hold in my mind's eye as being loving and wise herself. After all, I wouldn't take much stock in seeing myself as being worthwhile in her eyes (or those of any other person, for that matter) if I didn't believe that she was worthwhile, too. But the "danger" here -- in this largely unconscious, complex set of relationships shared with those closest to us -- becomes painfully obvious the moment one of these persons exhibits behavior "unbecoming" of them according to our vested idea of what makes them valuable to us. For in this same instant we perceive them as having shifted even slightly right or left of our designated center (for them), it is we who suddenly find ourselves feeling unsettled, angry, or strangely fearful.

At some point in our lives we have all dealt with uncomfortable moments where an unexpected or unwanted change in one near to us brings up some unpleasant reaction in us. Of course we are usually very quick to find fault with this person, but here is the real, invisible story. The reason we fall under the rule of these reaction-driven dark states, and then find ourselves trying to dictate the life direction of the "offending" person, is that something within us feels thrown for a loss. To understand why this is true, consider as deeply as possible the following insight, for it holds special clues to how we can outgrow our own painful condition as well as how we can help others to go higher.

The instant we perceive someone stepping outside "the box" of who we have always known them to be is the same moment in which we begin to fear the loss of who we need them to be in order to maintain our familiar sense of self. And, if we are honest with ourselves, this is the same moment in which we attempt, one way or another -- either through promises or pressures -- to get them back into the box.

In other words -- and please keep in mind that our controlling behavior is unconscious to us, as no conscious person would inhibit the growth of another's being -- something in us does not want this person to change. There is a sensing it will cost us too much -- a great "personal" cost that we will cover in just a moment. The unconscious self that sleeps in us can intuit that allowing such a transformation to take place will demand a similar transformation within us. And the truth be known, this same false nature wants nothing to change other than the deepening crystallization of its own imagined greatness... a greatness that includes its outrageous image of how accepting it is of changes in life and in others!

These findings all point to one key idea. There is one essential ingredient missing in most of our relationships -- one that is definitely required if we wish to continue in our own development and help others to do the same. What is this powerful catalyst that only we can provide for each other? Room in which to grow.

We can help others reach higher by simply agreeing, consciously, to give them space to go through their changes even when these changes may challenge our sense of self and its well-being. As just one simple example of how to help in this way, we must each learn to keep ourselves quiet when the actions of someone close to us start to disturb us. Why is this new kind of self-silence so important for the growth of both parties involved?

To begin with, the disturbance that we feel in these moments is caused by a tremor in us. This is to say that our shaky sense of self is an effect of some picture we have held of this person as it hits the ground and shatters. Apart from our children, whom we must guide through their developing years, we need to learn to leave people alone with their decisions and corresponding actions. There is already a truth, a wisdom that supports this conscious course of action.

We already understand that no action of ours ever goes without its commensurate reward. This eternal principle is best known as karma, the great, inescapable law of cause and effect. This means it is our own nature -- as the backstage parent of what prods us along in life -- that determines what we experience as our life. So too is it with our family and friends... each receives what he or she is -- no more, no less. This truth tells us why we must not only give them room to make the choices that they will, but then leave them alone to realize and experience the unique results of being who they are. How else can they learn and grow beyond themselves?

Understanding these truths mandates that we back off from being secretly on everyone's back, that we give them the inner room they need to grow and discover themselves. The difficulty here is that in order to give others this space they need, we must first make room within ourselves. To state this same idea differently, we must remove ourselves from our habitual inner places of judgments, opinions, and knowing better than anyone else. We have always called this place that must be left behind our "self."

This conscious sacrifice of self -- of who we conceive ourselves to be for the sake of who our friend or loved one is yet to be -- gives new meaning to the beautiful ideal of "laying our life down for our brother." This is how we help others to help themselves go higher... by daring to grow beyond ourselves.

I found this while surfing the net, and felt their is so much truth in what I have just read. I wanted to share with others."

Why Words Hurt

"Jane Goodall is a renowned primatologist best known for conducting a 40-year study of chimpanzee social and family life at Gombe Stream in Tanzania. She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, a leading organization in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats.

I think we are still in a muddle with our language, because once you get words and a spoken language it gets harder to communicate.

Chimps are very quick to have a sudden fight or aggressive episode, but they are equally as good at reconciliation. They make an appeasing gesture--reaching out a hand, crouching, giving little cries of fear or sadness. Then, very often, the aggressor will reach out and pat or reassure--offer an embrace or something like that--and the victim relaxes, and it is over.

When humans get these sudden outbursts of anger, we add words to the mix. And as you have probably experienced, it is much harder to forget a word than it is a slap. Words can be said in bitterness and anger, and often there seems to be an element of truth in the nastiness. And words don't go away, they just echo around. So even if you can make up, the words come back.

How true this is I have found in my own life, how words have effected and shaped my life when someone lashed out in anger at me. Or when I have bangergery and lashed out at them, oh it may of at the time made me feel better or stronger because I felt like I had got the upper hand by hurting someone with words, but now I ask myself at what did it cost me in trust from that person?"

20 Best Excuses for Calling in Sick

" You've heard of the dog who ate homework, but what about the cat who unplugged the alarm clock? These days, people are getting very creative when they don't want to go to work. In CareerBuilder's survey "Out of the Office," more than one-third of U.S. workers say they played hooky from work over the last twelve months. Thirty-five percent of workers admit to calling in sick when they felt well at least once during the last year and one-in-ten said they did so three or more times. Why are they calling in sick? The top three motivators for faking include attending to personal errands and appointments, catching up on sleep and simply relaxing. The reasons also include attending a child's event, bad weather, making plans with friends and going on a job interview. "It's a popular time of year for employees to call in sick," said Rosemary Haefner, Senior Career Advisor for CareerBuilder.com. "However, the number of those who are actually feeling under the weather may not necessarily match up with unscheduled absences. Twenty percent of workers say they called into work because they just didn't feel like going into the office that day. One-in-four workers report they feel sick days are equivalent to extra vacation days and treat them as such." CCH found most employees who fail to show. up for work, however, aren't physically ill, according to the survey. In fact, the study found only 38 percent of unscheduled absences are due to personal illness, while 62 percent are for other reasons, including family issues (23 percent), personal needs (18 percent), stress (11 percent) and entitlement mentality (10 percent).One trend that also may be influencing the higher rate of unscheduled absences is the fact that the number of employers allowing employees to carry over sick time from one year to the next is trending downward and has dropped from more than one-half of companies (51 percent) As a result, employees may be saying, "I'd rather use it than lose it," noted Lori Rosen, J.D., CCH workplace analyst, and author of HR Networking: Work-Life Benefits. But could you get away with saying you had to go to your mother's dog's funeral or that you had brain cancer? Would you believe an employee who had the swine flu, forgot the way to work, or was arrested because of mistaken identity? Think carefully, if you're debating calling in sick, here are some of the most unusual excuses workers gave for missing work. :


* I was sprayed by a skunk.
* I tripped over my dog and was knocked unconscious.
* My bus broke down and was held up by robbers.
* I was arrested as a result of mistaken identity.
* I forgot to come back to work after lunch.
* I couldn't find my shoes.
* I hurt myself bowling.
* I was spit on by a venomous snake.
* I totaled my wife's jeep in a collision with a cow.
* A hitman was looking for me.
* My curlers burned my hair and I had to go to the hairdresser.
* I eloped.
* My brain went to sleep and I couldn't wake it up.
* My cat unplugged my alarm clock.
* I had to be there for my husband's grand jury trial.
* I had to ship my grandmother's bones to India.
* I forgot what day of the week it was.
* Someone slipped drugs in my drink last night.
* A tree fell on my car.
* My monkey died."

Helping Others to Start Heal

" The only way we begin to act as a true force of healing in the lives of others is when, at last, we cease to hurt ourselves "

Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq

A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq. As of Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006, at least 2,199 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq' war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

At least 1,720 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.

The AP count is 10 more than the Defense Department's tally, last updated at 10 a.m. EST Friday. The British military has reported 98 deaths; Italy, 27; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 17; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Slovakia, three; Denmark, El Salvador', Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia one death each.
Since May 1, 2003, when President Bush' name declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 2,060 U.S. military members have died, according to AP's count. That includes at least 1,611 deaths resulting from hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
___
The latest death reported by the military:
• A Marine was killed Saturday by a roadside bomb about 50 miles west of Baghdad.
• A Marine was killed Saturday by a roadside bomb about 35 miles north of Baghdad.
• Three Marines were killed Sunday by small arms attacks in Fallujah.
___
The latest identifications reported by the military:
• No identifications reported.
___
On the Net:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/

Is this what we went over there to get? And when is it time to say no more and bring our people home."

Good Luck In ...2006

"As we all begin to take that ride on the rail of life..I hope you find your path in what you may be looking for" 

Wait For The Big Man

 

To All My Blogger Friends

 

Merry Christmas To All

 

The Ten Net Commandments

" Just a little something to keep in mind, going into the new year.

1. Thou shalt not buy merchandise found in pop-up ads or spam.
2. Thou shalt not post thy email address, phone number, address or social security number to the internet, nor shalt thou post anyone else's.
3. Thou shalt not forget to update thy Windows every second Tuesday.
4. Thou shalt not connect to the internet without installing an antivirus, nor shalt thou begin a scan without checking for updates.
5. Thou shalt not connect to the internet without installing a firewall.
6. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's credit card number, nor his bank routing number, nor his social security number.
7. Thou shalt not enter thy credit card number without seeing the tiny padlock icon on thy status bar.
8. Thou shalt not reply to the email from the Nigerian banker.
9. Thou shalt not forward chain letters to thy friends and family.
10. Thou shalt not use "password" as thy password, nor thy birthday, nor thy children's names "

Christmas is not about the loot

"It was an unusual interview. The woman explained she was writing an article for a national magazine on clever ways to put more joy into the holidays.
So I proceeded to pitch to her one marvelous holiday cost-cutting idea after another. And one after another, my ideas landed with a thud. She didn't like them at all. That's when she made a comment that effectively brought the interview to a screeching halt. She called me a Grinch.
Now she didn't actually come right out and say, "You Grinch!" She suggested my ideas would take all the fun and joy out of the season. She assured me it was nothing personal, but still, she called me a Grinch.

Not being one who can let things go easily I had to find out if what she suggested about me was true. In my zeal to encourage people to take back control of Christmas from the locked jaws of commercialism, had I taken on a striking resemblance to that holiday grump, the Grinch?
I was quite certain I knew where to find out. And sure enough, right there on the shelf between "Horton Hears a Who" and "Hunches in Bunches" I found it....that familiar bright red storybook "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."
"The Grinch hated Christmas. The whole Christmas season! Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason."
The Grinch, an ornery old soul with a heart two sizes too small, detests the holiday celebrations down in Who-ville. He hates the singing, the celebrating....all that noise, noise, noise, noise! So he devises a great Grinchy trick to get rid of Christmas forever. He steals all the presents, the ribbons, the wrappings; the tags, and the tinsel, the trimmings....the trappings! He hauls all the loot to the top of Mount Crumpit, where in a huge fit of glee he proceeds to....you guessed it.... dump it! There! His task is complete. He's taken care of Christmas once and for all. All the noise of the fun, all the joy and the love....even the smallest hint of the season is gone forever.
But what's that sound? It's not sobbing, but singing! The Whos began celebrating with no presents at all. The Grinch couldn't stop it, Christmas came just the same. It came without packages, boxes and bags.
I sat there recalling why I love this story so much. And I admit it, I felt delightfully smug. That writer was way off base. I'm not the Grinch in her story. I didn't steal the joy. Her Grinches are consumerism, overindulgence and overdoing the attitudes that insist Christmas is something we can find in a store, mail-order catalog or the Internet.
If you've noticed the joy of the season is missing from your life, maybe those Grinches are to blame. Maybe it's time to let them know they've lost their power.
Authentic joy comes not from all the outside trappings, but from our hearts; from the story of the birth of a baby who would become the Christian Savior; from that love that can fill our lives with giddy joy. So let the singing begin!


A Merry Christmas To All And A Good-night"

Employer's taking over your personal life too!

" A German company called Laserline has just fired one of its workers for smoking. Private detectives were hired to take pictures of the guy lighting up in his back garden...

Anyone else feeling a chill right now? I wish I could say that I made up that quote for dramatic effect. Unfortunately, that it is a direct quote from an article reporting on the incident. Similar incidents are happening in the US as well. This is a growing trend, one that I feel is far more dangerous to our way of life than terrorists and the Patriot Act combined. If employers are permitted to dictate how workers are to behave in the privacy of their own homes...

Do you hear that? It is Benjamin Franklin rolling over in his grave. I think old Ben was a smoker too.

This company in Germany hired private detectives to spy on employees, then fired a man for smoking in his backyard. A distributor of Miller beer in Racine, Wisconsin was caught on camera drinking a Budweiser, during some local city event. His picture was published in the local newspaper and he was fired that very day. A Budweiser distributor in Colorado fired one of its employees because he was seen drinking a Coors in a bar.

I understand that private employers can do things forbidden to the government. If you go on television and say bad things about your company, do not be surprised to see the contents of your office packed into a cardboard box the next day. However, a line must be drawn somewhere. Companies and corporations are not totalitarian governments, nor should they be allowed to behave as such. We are not discussing spyware, installed on the company computer, catching someone surfing for porn during work hours. These people, while off duty and miles away from company property, were fired for doing things that were entirely legal.

Why is this being permitted? Why are the labor unions not on Capitol Hill raining down fire and brimstone upon the Congress? What's next; NBC firing employees for watching ABC while they are at home? I meant what I said earlier: this trend, if allowed to continue, threatens to destroy our liberties. Companies cannot and should not be allowed to dictate what people do in their own homes. The owners of those beer distributors and the owner of Germany's Laserline should be thrown in prison for what they did. If you are a union worker, you need to speak to your rep about this. The next company that decides to suspend the Constitution in our homes might be your's. The labor unions, all of them, need to march straight up the steps of the Capitol building and demand that companies be ordered out of our homes.

We need to do something about this. Today, it is private detectives snapping photos of you in the back yard. Tomorrow, they will be planting microphones and cameras in your bedroom. Is that the world in which you want to live? "

Real Holiday Shows That Should Be On TV

" Every year, we celebrate our holiday evenings the same way as our holiday feasts: with warmed-over, predictable dishes. Will Linus and Sally finally hook up in that pumpkin field this year? Will Cindy Lou Whoever get to eat her roast beast? Is that traffic cop seriously going to swallow his whistle again at the sight of Frosty crossing the street for the 36th consecutive year? How about, 10 new dishes that we'd love to see on the air someday. They may not be familiar (hell, they may not even be plausible), but one thing's for certain: they're still better than Aunt Connie's fruitcake.

The Trump Who Stole Christmas. For years, he's sat high above the city, peering down on everyone else's celebrations from his gaudy gold penthouse. Now, with the worlds of real estate, television and self-promotion conquered, The Donald launches the world's first reality holiday show. Starting at the beginning of December, Trump splits twenty residents of Whoville into two groups (The Whos and the Who Nots) that scheme to steal trees, wreaths and mistletoe from those less fortunate (which is, basically, everyone). Right before Trump can fire a flunkee who fails to successfully market the newest flavor of Who Hash, however, his hairpiece grows two sizes. Afterward, he continues to possess all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, but this ratings bonanza is more than enough to make the multimillionaire smile. As Trump would say: "It's gonna be huge."

Emmet Otter's Hip-Hop Christmas. From the Jim Henson Company comes this inspirational story of a poverty stricken otter family struggling in the ghetto. When young Emmet, enters an open mike rap contest under the stage name E-Dawg, he uses his skills to try to win himself a turntable. What he doesn't realize, however, is that his sweet mother, is planning on laying down some rhymes of her own. When The Riverbottom Gang, brings on the grooves of their washtub bass, the contest gets heated, but a cameo appearance by MC Elmo brings peace to all, as they collaborate on a Pharrell Williams-produced remix of Barbecue.

It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown! Everyone's favorite squiggly shirted bald kid has already cornered the market on the major holidays, so it only makes sense that the Peanuts empire would roll on like Alexander the Great, conquering the smaller ones as well. Set a few months after the Christmas special, this newly beloved family classic has Charlie and Linus setting out to replant their pathetically thin evergreen tree. After Pigpen makes his contribution by shaking off a fresh layer of top soil, Lucy kneels over to offer her watering can, then cruelly yanks it away from Charlie Brown, sending him flying through the air. And since the various states celebrate Arbor Day on different dates, networks are sure to be intrigued by the possibilities of low-cost repeat airings.

The Cornelius Brothers' Christmas Adventure. When pickax-wielding prospector Yukon Cornelius starts exploring his family roots, he uncovers his most exciting holiday adventure since he helped Rudolph get to the head of Santa's sleigh. Yukon's long-lost brother, "Soul Train" host and all-around hepcat Don Cornelius, is so excited to meet his relative that he tells Yukon about all the gold around the necks and fingers of his performers and dancers. Things get a bit messy when Yukon begins stabbing people on the dance floor, licking his ax and shouting out Nothing! when he discovers that most of it is imitation jewelry. In the immortal words of Don: It's gonna be a stone gas, honey!

Yogi's First Festivus. In a bizarre Groundhog Day series of repetition, Yogi Bear has spent every December of the last quarter-century rediscovering Christmas for the first time. Imagine his excitement, then, when he wakes from this year's hibernation to find that Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss and the rest are instead celebrating Festivus, the Frank Costanza-designed nondenominational holiday for the rest of us. Placing an aluminum pole in the middle of the Jellystone Lodge, Auggie Doggie and Doggie Daddy lead the group in the ceremonial Airing of Grievances and Feats of Strength. At the end of the evening, Cindy Bear wrestles Herman the Hermit to the ground and pins him, earning herself a picnic basket filled with a Big Salad.

Sam Stuffing and the Voyage of the Gravy Boat. After years of having nothing to watch on Thanksgiving Eve but sitcom reruns, TV audiences finally get a program to put them in the mood for Turkey Day. The story begins when Sam, a boy who OD's on stuffing, rests his head on the family table and falls asleep. Dreaming he's been shrunken down to the size of a salt shaker, Sam hops aboard the gravy boat for a sailing adventure around the table. After an avalanche of dinner rolls nearly crushes him, Sam encounters a surly orange potato who gets angry when people call him sweet (I yam what I yam! he barks), has to extract a fallen olive from the hot pumpkin pie volcano and gets caught in the crossfire of the epic, ongoing war between white and dark meat. Sam saves the day by grabbing an enormous carving knife and inflicting a mortal wound to the Evil Green Bean Casserole Monster, who dies while hemorrhaging cranberry sauce.

Dick Clark's Rockin' Epiphany Eve. With ageless ex-DJ Clark having such a blast counting down to each new year, it's only natural that he'd want to do it all over again six days later. Epiphany, the obscure 12th day of Christmas, marks the day the wise men finally got around to forking over their gifts for the baby Jesus. It only seems right, then, that we should celebrate tardy gift givers everywhere, while simultaneously extending our holiday vacations until Jan. 6. Twelve drummers drumming? Sounds like a party to us! Go ahead, Dick, hoist your ball up one more time!

Lost on the Island of Misfit Toys. After a season-and-a-half of running around in the woods, the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 from (Lost) stumble upon a mysterious beach. There, they encounter Charlie-In-The-Box and the Train with Box Wheels, who explain that they are, in fact, on the Island of Misfit Toys. As Rudolph and Santa attempt to uncover the truth about the Hanso Foundation, Libby and Ana Lucia pose their own queries as to what, exactly, is wrong with the normal looking Misfit Girl Doll. Hermey the Elf quickly supplants Jack as the go-to physician for injured island residents, and a dramatic confrontation occurs when Charlie Pace is accused of stealing the dentist's painkiller supplies. In the end, everyone's problems are solved as the Lost crew plays with the toys, while studly King Moonracer offers to return the favor with Evangeline Lilly.

The Star Wars Holiday Special, Episode II: Attack of the Groans. For three decades, geeks have passed around bootleg copies of the 1978 misstep that George Lucas wishes he could make go far, far away. Now, they can once again shell out big bucks to discover that, yes, the idea of celebrating outer space's Lifeday really is that bad. With Episode II, Lucas' prequel to the Special, we see a CGI-enhanced Bea Arthur at age 18, applying for the entry-level job of dishwasher at the Creature Cantina. Lucas continues to plunder his universe by establishing that Chewbacca's father Itchy has a high midichlorian count, that Art Carney is Boba Fett's brother and that Jimmy Smits was the original lead singer for Jefferson Starship.

Frosty vs. Predator. Now that Freddy vs. Jason and Alien vs. Predator have made matchups so hot, it's time to toughen up the so-called jolly, happy soul. The Predator has tremendous strength and the ability to turn invisible, sure, but Frosty can melt himself down to liquid form and then re-assemble himself unscathed! Factor in the Snowman's coal-launching eye sockets and kernal-spitting corncob pipe, and the two engage in an impressive battle to the death. For the show's climactic battle, Frosty slides on his belly at great speeds while the Predator chases after him, attempting to capture the coveted magic hat. Ultimately, however, both combatants are destroyed by a reincarnated, nefarious and thoroughly animated Jimmy Durante."

Santa...Will he be a thing of our past ?

" Disillusioned by a growing list of rules imposed by recruiting agencies and shopping centres to guard against litigation, men who have brought smiles to the faces of thousands of young for decades are reluctantly deciding to call it quits. - They can't hand out candy, they can't pat children on the head because of religious beliefs, they can't put children on their laps unless they get permission from parents and they can't have photographs taken with youngsters unless their hands are in full view.
So frightened have some Santas become of being sued that they are demanding extra helpers to act as witnesses just in case a complaint is made. Santas are even being told not to go around saying 'Ho, ho, ho' because they may frighten children. One Santa said, he walked through a shopping centre in silence because he was worried he'd be fired, if he appeared too jolly. The plight of Santa's highlighted a worrying trend around the world of political correctness gone mad. It is important society find the right balance between political correctness and what some people saw as acceptable behaviour. The ones who did the job because they loved doing it and wanted to keep a child's dream alive are no longer working because of the stupid rules.There are still Santas in stores, but the heart has gone out of them. The rules are getting ridiculous. How can you stop a child running up to you and leaping into your arms? Do you just drop them and say: Sorry, against the rules ? Kids run and cuddle Santa because they love the guy in the red suit. The day will come when Santas would no longer be a part of the Christmas spirit..... Soon, Santa's in shopping centres and public areas would be shielded behind glass screens, away from children. Santa can't even be portrayed as a fat, jolly old fellow any more because it's not politically correct."