12-16-2008
Stupid Toy Day
Boston Tea Party Occurred 1773 - American colonists dressed up as Indians and dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston harbor to protest British taxes on tea.
Barney and Barbie Backlash Day
National Chocolate Covered-Anything Day
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Time Magazine has gone list crazy. Today the top 10 fleeting celebrities. Your 15 minutes of fame end now. Joe The Plumber leads the list, and I guarantee you won’t remember some of these already!
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Barney, the first family’s Scottish terrier, is joined by U.S. Olympians Michael Phelps and gymnasts Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson in his final holiday video that was released by the White House yesterday (December 15th). The “Barney Cam” video starts with President Bush, his wife Laura and their two daughters, Jenna and Barbara, reminiscing about their times in the White House before sending Barney off to decorate. Barney then scampers around the White House, giving viewers a look at this year’s red, white and blue-themed holiday decorations. The Olympians make brief cameos, including eight-time gold medal winner Phelps, who says to Barney, “I’m glad the decorations are finally coming together and you’re using my favorite color — gold.” The Barney Cam holiday video was an instant hit when it was first introduced in 2002. See it here.
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A fire on any day seems bad, but a fire on Christmas seems to be the worst. Some 300 Christmas trees caught fire in one recent year, with electrical problems the most common culprit. Here’s how to keep your tree green and your presents safe.
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Former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin figures prominently in the third annual list of the year’s most memorable quotes compiled by Yale Law School associate librarian and legal research lecturer Fred R. Shapiro.
First place went to the quote, “I can see Russia from my house!,” spoken by actress Tina Fey in her satirical portrayal of Palin on Saturday Night Live.
Palin herself came in second for her inability to name newspapers she reads when asked about it by CBS anchor Katie Couric. Interestingly, President-elect Barack Obama, who dominated political headlines this year, isn’t on the list. Shapiro explained to AP that although Obama dominated the year and said memorable things, quote, “quotes from people like Palin were more celebrated and said more about our times than anything Obama said.” The full article and list can be found here.
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