A Baby has more expensive shoes then you....."personalised Christian Dior baby booties"

Christmas has come early! North West is showered with expensive gifts from Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's designer pals

Read more via DailyMail

She's only six months old but North West’s designer wardrobe will soon rival her mother Kim Kardashian's. 

The famous tot – whose father is Kanye West – received a slew of early Christmas presents from world famous designers and Kim took to Instagram and Twitter to share pictures and gushingly thank her benefactors. 

Stella McCartney, Giuseppe Zanotti, Charlotte Olympia and Hermes Paris all sent expensive, and in some cases, custom made, gifts to North.

Kim also shared a picture of a £105 pair of Hermes pink cashmere booties and a £240 knitted cotton baby blanket with the message: 'Thank you Michael Coste and Hermes Paris for the sweet gift for North! (sic).'

Stella McCartney sent three onesies for the youngster, which all retail for more than £60 while Charlotte Olympia, whose adult size Kitty shoes sell for £425, sent a child sized pair for North. 

Kim wrote 'Thank you so much Stella for these adorable clothes for Nori!' and 'Thank you Charlotte for the cutest kitty shoes for North! Xo (sic).'

Kim and Kanye welcomed North, affectionately known as 'Nori', into the world on June 15, and the pampered tot was quickly showered with a whole host of designer gifts.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z - Kanye's best pal - reportedly took along a staggering £5,000 worth of gifts on their first meeting with the little one, including a pair of personalised Christian Dior baby booties and a three-piece sterling silver Elsa Peretti Padova baby set.

These 28 Kids Are Not Sure Who This Santa Claus Guy Is, But He Is Definitely Terrifying

All photo goodness here via consumerist.com

Is Santa real? Kids discuss his existence and more

Look, it's complicated.

Kids of bygone eras might have believed in Santa Claus because it was customary. They might have believed because it's just what you did.

But for kids today, blind faith only goes so far.

Broach the subject of Santa, and it's possible you could have a philosophical argument on your hands. We spoke to kids who pointed to technological advancements as evidence for Santa Claus rather than against (his surveillance now being a simple matter of installation). In one case, a particularly spirited 11-year-old formed an interpretation of Santa Claus that came astonishingly close to quantum physics.

And then others don't believe at all.

It's a question that divides houses and splits classrooms. The best of friends fall on separate sides of a line that goes all the way to the North Pole (or nowhere at all).

One thing is common: Kids aren't afraid to talk about their beliefs and disbeliefs, or those of their siblings and classmates. As 10-year-old Estefani Garcia told us, “Anyone can believe or not believe in Santa Claus.”

It's the why and how that matters here.

more here via Omaha

Xmas Miracle Detroit Edition - No reported murders or shootings for span of 41 hours

DETROIT (AP) - Detroit has a day-and-a-half streak of no reported homicides or non-fatal shootings, police said Tuesday.

The streak started at midnight Monday morning and as of 5:15 p.m. Tuesday was intact.

"For the first time in months the city of Detroit has seen its longest period of non-violence," the department said in a release.

Just weeks ago, three men were shot and killed and six others wounded in a rear gambling room of an east side Detroit barbershop.

A witness told police that the shooter pulled into a rear alley and fired shots into an open rear door of the barbershop on Nov. 6.

The following day, a 23-year-old pregnant woman and a 25-year-old man were shot to death, and a 75-year-old man was critically wounded outside a Detroit home.

The dead woman's baby was delivered by cesarean section, but later died.

Detroit has one of the highest murder and violent crime rates in the country.

But the city's 308 homicides so far this year are 46 fewer than at the same time in 2012, the department said.

The 1,084 non-fatal shootings also are down by 66 over last year.

A more intense focus on fighting crime at the street level has been in place since new Chief James Craig was hired in May.

Craig's police career started in Detroit in 1977. He later served in Los Angeles; Portland, Maine; and Cincinnati, where he had been police chief since 2011.

"As Chief Craig has said on many occasions, one homicide is way too many," police spokesman Sgt. Michael Woody said. "These particular stats are directly correlated to how people are responding to their new police department."

Craig named a new assistant chief in September and revamped the department's command staff.

Several specialized units also have been implemented over the past few months, including the Gang Intelligence Surveillance Transit, Vice Squad and a 24-hour detective desk.

Read more here VIA wxyz.com

Alabama is to blame and Lincoln seems about right for todays arguments

(CNN) -- In 1834, Illinois voted whether to adopt Christmas as a legal holiday. Among those voting "nay" was the young Abraham Lincoln.

In 1834, Lincoln had not yet grown out of his atheist phase, but the young Lincoln's lack of faith in God -- and his lifelong disbelief in the divinity of Christ -- does not explain his vote. In 1834, a vote against Christmas was a safe, even a conventional vote.

Not a single state in the Union closed its offices for Christmas on December 25 in 1834. Lincoln marked his first Christmas as President, in December 1861, by holding a Cabinet meeting in the morning and a dinner party in the evening. The Lincoln family never had a White House tree and sent no Christmas cards.

Nobody was much shocked by these omissions.

The public Christmas as Americans know it today did not take form until late in the 19th century. George Washington issued a proclamation on Thanksgiving, but he never made any statement about Christmas (or Easter for that matter). The first state to recognize Christmas as a holiday was Alabama, in 1836, but the North and especially New England resisted. Not until 1856 did Massachusetts accept Christmas as a holiday. The federal government took until 1870 to follow.

There's debate on the point, but it seems that Benjamin Harrison was the first president to allow a Christmas tree inside the White House in 1889.

The tradition of lighting a tree on the White House grounds commenced with Calvin Coolidge in 1923. Dwight Eisenhower sent the first White House Christmas cards. Eisenhower's cards, however, were always determinedly "seasonal." It waited until John F. Kennedy in 1963 to send a card that depicted a nativity scene.

This late flowering of Christmas observance reflects two facts about Christmas that seldom get much attention in our public debates about the "war on Christmas."

In its first century, the national government practiced a separation of church and state far sharper than anything Americans would accept today.

One example: From its founding in 1775, the federal post office delivered mail on Sundays. As evangelical forms of Christianity spread after 1800, the new denominations demanded an end to this desecration of the Sabbath. Some postmasters took it upon themselves to close operations. In response, Congress voted in 1810 to require all postmasters to work at least one hour on Sunday, on pain of losing their positions.

More Here Via CNN

All Joodlum wants for the holiday is a donation for music!

PLEASE DONATE HERE. MUSIC IS THE BEST GIFT YOU CAN GIVE

Girls Rock! DC serves girls and young women ages eight to 18 from the DC metro area. Our primary program is our weeklong summer camp where girls come together to participate in small-group instrument instruction in electric guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, turntables, digital music or vocals. With no prior musical experience needed, they learn to play instruments, form bands and collaborate to write an original song or DJ set, which they perform at DC's legendary 9:30 Club at the end of the week.

We believe every girl has the power to ROCK! Through our music education and empowerment programs, girls development their self-confidence and self-esteem, cultivate their leadership skills and develop their self-expression as strong individuals and as members of a collaborative community.

It costs $550 for one girl to participate in our programs. We are committed to offering financial aid to at least 50 percent of our participants. In our 2013 camp season, we distributed more than $17,000 in financial aid to two-thirds of our campers, ensuring that money was not barrier to a girl’s ability to rock out.

Our goal of $2,200 will ensure full financial aid for four camp participants. We need your help to reach our goal before the end of 2013! Donate now to support these inspiring girls and young women!

All donations to Girls Rock! DC are tax-deductible and as a thank you, Girls Rock! DC has arranged exclusive free gift cards for its donors. Give a little and get a little this holiday season, while supporting Girls Rock! DC.

Thank you and rock on!!

DONATE HERE

Santa Claus Shot in SE DC....Saved by the Grinch

WASHINGTON (WJLA) - A man in a Santa Claus suit was shot in the back with a pellet gun Tuesday morning at a toy giveaway in Southeast.

According to an ABC7 photographer who was interviewing the victim at the time of the shooting, the man in the Santa suit was struck in his upper back. He was transported to a nearby hospital with the pellet still lodged in his shoulder.

Witnesses report hearing two shots. Police believe they came from a second story window in a nearby building.

"Santa" wanted to continue giving away presents, but paramedics insisted he be transported to the hospital. He is expected to be OK and make a full recovery.

The toy giveaway did go on. A man playing the Grinch stepped in to help.

Read more HERE Via ABC

Video HERE

 

NORAD Tracks Santa's Path on Christmas Eve Because of a Typo

It was 1955, and Christmas was approaching, and Sears had a new idea for a yuletide gimmick. In local newspapers, the department store placed ads ... on behalf of Santa himself.

"HEY, KIDDIES!" the ad read, in a greeting that would seem creepy only in retrospect. "Call me on my private phone and I will talk to you personally any time day or night."

The ads then listed local numbers for area children to call to get some one-on-one Kringle time. Which must have seemed, if you were a kid back then, pretty amazing. A direct line to St. Nick! Kids could, finally, bypass the middlemen that stood between them and their gifts—the Post Office, their parents—and go directly to the source. And, even more directly, to that source's enormous bag of loot. You can almost hear the Ralphie Parker voice-over.

Suddenly, phone calls intended for Santa were being received on a top-secret NORAD line.
More here via The hho

The New Yorker: The Best Books of 2013, Part 1 & 2

The Best Books of 2013, Part 1 HERE

The Best Books of 2013, Part 2 HERE

Via The New Yorker

Come the culture vultures

A global boom in museums is under way

MUSEUMS are enjoying a new golden age. There are at least 55,000 museums across the world, more than double the number 20 years ago. And new ones are being built every day, especially in China, where more than 450 were opened last year. On top of that, people are visiting in record numbers in America, Brazil, Britain, Scandinavia and Asia. In the rich world, demand is driven by a bigger, educated middle class; by city fathers who want to attract tourists; by planners who regard museums as an antidote to urban blight; and by rich philanthropists. In the newly-rich developing world, museums are seen as symbols of cultural sophistication, sources of public education and as places where a young country can present a national narrative. In cities as far flung as Buenos Aires, Mecca and Shanghai, museums will be at the centre of nearly two-dozen new cultural zones due to be built in the next ten years, at a cost of over $250 billion. Read our special report on museums here.

Via economist

Apollo Theatre roof in London's West End 'collapses'

Rescue operation under way as Metropolitan Police reports a number of injuries at London's Apollo Theatre after roof apparently collapses.

A rescue operation is under way after part of a balcony in the Apollo theatre in London's West End is thought to have collapsed during a performance, trapping people inside, according to eyewitnesses.

Police confirmed they were called to the theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue shortly after 8.15pm.

A spokesman said: "There is a report of a collapse in the building itself."

It is believed some people may have been injured in the collapse, which occurred during a performance of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time.

Eyewitnesses said they saw people being escorted out of the building, covered in dust and debris.

More to follow here Via telegraph

If that Duck guy wasn't bad enough, here is another reason

Phil Robertson, the star of Duck Dynasty and a self-described “Bible thumper,” has been forced to fly the coop after making disparaging remarks about gays.

“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men,” Robertson said in an interview with GQ. He went on to add that he thinks being gay is illogical because, well, “It seems like, to me, a vagina—as a man—would be more desirable than a man’s anus.”

Cue the outrage by gay advocacy groups. Cue the announcement of an indefinite suspension by A&E, the network that produces Duck Dynasty. Cue conservative charges of anti-Christian intolerance. So predictable.

But Robertson’s comments aren’t all that shocking. A broad swath of Americans—about 45 percent, according to Pew Research—agree with Robertson that homosexual behavior is “sin,” though they might not have expressed their beliefs in such a brash way. This is especially true of religious Americans, including a large number of Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Mormons, and Muslims.

The presumably informed readers of GQ must be aware that such beliefs exist, and it’s hard to believe they are “shocked” when an outspoken conservative Christian like Phil Robertson espouses them. His comments may be ignorant, offensive, or ineloquent. But they are not all that shocking.

What is shocking are Robertson’s comments about race in the same interview. Buried under the firestorm of media and public outrage over Robertson’s comments on sexuality is his stunning insinuation that blacks were quite happy in the Jim Crow South:

I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I’m with the blacks, because we’re white trash. We’re going across the field .... They’re singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, ‘I tell you what: These doggone white people’—not a word! ... Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues.

Now here is something that’s truly surprising. His recollection is oddly reminiscent of the Song of the South vision of the past, long since abandoned by even fringe historians. I’m reminded of a talk titled “The danger of a single story” that Chimamanda Adichie gave at TEDx in Oxford, England. There is never only a single story about a place or a people that tells the whole truth, she argues. The truth emerges upon hearing many stories, and one story taken alone is at least a partial falsehood.

Read Complete Article HERE Via The Atlantic

Obama Picks Openly Gay Delegates For Winter Olympics In Russia; F*ck You Putin

In an apparent snub to President Vladimir Putin over recent anti-gay legislation passed in Russia, the White House delegation to the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi includes Billie Jean King and another openly gay athlete — and no high-level American officials.

It is a sharp departure from recent Olympics. Michelle Obama led the U.S. delegation to the London Games last year, and Vice President Joe Biden went to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney talks about President Barack Obama's decision to not attend the upcoming Olympics in Russia.

President George W. Bush and then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice led the U.S. delegation to Beijing in 2008, and first lady Laura Bush led the delegation to the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy.

Besides King, the tennis legend, the U.S. delegation to the opening and closing ceremonies in Sochi, the Russian resort hosting the games, will include Caitlin Cahow, an openly gay two-time Olympic hockey medalist.

“I can’t wait to get to Russia to support the American team and to be part of one of the greatest global events of our time,” King said in a statement. “I am equally proud to stand with the members of the LGBT community in support of all athletes who will be competing in Sochi and I hope these Olympic Games will indeed be a watershed moment for the universal acceptance of all people.”

Russia passed a law last year banning “homosexual propaganda” and made it illegal to “spread information about non-traditional sexual behavior” to people under age 18. Foreigners are subject to fines and can be deported.

Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, said that President Barack Obama knows that the delegation “will showcase to the world the best of America — diversity, determination and teamwork.”

Pressed by reporters on whether the president was sending a message, Carney said: “That’s not a message we would wait to send through this manner. We have been very clear. The president has been very clear that he finds it offensive, the anti-LGBT legislation in Russia, for example. We take very clear and strong stands on that issue, as well as the curtailment of civil society in Russia, as well as the harassment of those who protest corruption in Russia.”

Shawn Gaylord, advocacy counsel for the organization Human Rights First, told MSNBC on Wednesday that his group was thrilled to hear about the delegation.

“I think that was done intentionally, done to send a message of equality and respect,” he said. “And I think this delegation will be able to show what it’s like to be integrated into society, to be leaders in society.”

The U.S. delegation includes Janet Napolitano, the former Homeland Security secretary and current president of the University of California. Michael McFaul, the American ambassador to Russia, and William J. Burns, deputy secretary of state, are also in the group.

The United States is also sending Olympic speedskating champions Bonnie Blair and Eric Heiden and 1988 figure skating champion Brian Boitano.

The Sochi Olympics open Feb. 7.

VIA NBC

South Boston in the Holiday Spirit, man assaults neighbor over parking spot

A South Boston man was arrested Wednesday afternoon for allegedly assaulting a 66-year-old neighbor over a parking spot, police said.

According to a police report, the victim told police he arrived home to find Juan Beltran-Rivera parked in a spot on East Eighth Street in South Boston that the victim paid to have shoveled-out earlier in the day.

The victim confronted Beltran-Rivera about the spot, according to the report, and the two began to argue.

Beltran-Rivera, 32, told police that he became intimidated by the victim during the argument and “things got out of hand,” the report said.

Police said Beltran-Rivera punched the victim, temporarily knocking him unconscious. Beltran-Rivera was arrested and charged with assault and battery on a person who has attained an age over 65, the report said.

Responding officers said in the report that the victim had serious cuts on his face, and his left eye was swollen shut. They also observed a pool of blood at the site of the alleged assault, which was 20 feet from the intersection of East Eighth and Mercer streets.

The victim was treated by Boston EMS and transported to Tufts Medical Center, police said, where he was treated for the contusions on his face and a possible broken jaw.

The report did not say whether the victim had marked the spot with a space-saver, and a Boston police spokeswoman said she did not know if one was placed there. City policies allow for space savers—a South Boston winter tradition—to be used to claim a shoveled parking spot for 48 hours after a snow emergency. Tuesday’s storm was not declared a snow emergency.

VIA Boston.com

Santa's Missing an Elf After Being Arrested For Drunk Driving

Clad in a festive costume, a man was arrested in a traffic stop on suspicion of being intoxicated, according to Lafayette police.

Lafayette police said a man, identified as 34-year-old Brandon Touchet, was dressed as "Buddy the Elf" from the popular Christmas movie "Elf" when he was pulled over in a traffic stop about 2:35 a.m. Sunday.  He was pulled over when officers said he was going 60 mph in a 40 mph speed zone.

According to police, Touchet couldn't keep his balance after getting out of his vehicle. Touchet's eyes were bloodshot and his speech was slurred, according to KATC.

Touchet registered as having a blood alcohol level of .124 when he submitted to a breathalyzer test, according to police.

Touchet was charged with operating while intoxicated and excessive speeding. He was released on a $1,500 bond.

Read more here Via WDSU

NFL’s Super Bowl weather plan includes rescheduling game

As the prospect of a cold-weather Super Bowl becomes less abstract and more real, the league could find itself in a real bind if a major winter storm hits New York/New Jersey in early February.

And if on February 2 Parsippany Phil can’t see his shadow because he can’t get out of his burrow because it’s buried under two feet of snow, the league has a plan in place.

According to Gary Myers of the New York Daily News, the NFL is prepared to reschedule the game.

“[I]f it’s necessary due to matters of public safety or there are impracticalities, then rescheduling scenarios have to be considered,” executive V.P. of events Frank Supovitz said Wednesday.  “Saturday would be as early as we would consider at this point.  We have contingencies that take us into Monday and Tuesday.”

As a worst-case, last-ditch plan, the game would be shifted to the following weekend, which also happens to be the first weekend of the Olympics.

“There are postponement scenarios or rescheduling scenarios for 256 regular-season games each year. Same thing for Super Bowls since the beginning of Super Bowls. We’ve had those in place,” Supovitz said, via Myers.  “The fact is we’ve been in cold weather cities before, we’ve been in situations where snow has fallen ahead of the Super Bowl.”

He’s right, but the Super Bowl always has been played in a dome when the Super Bowl has been played in cold-weather cities.  For Super Bowl XLVIII, there’s a chance the same kind of storm that prompted the NFL in December 2010 to move a game between the Vikings and Eagles from Sunday night to Thursday night, prompting former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell to declare that America has become a “nation of wusses.”

That development prompted yours truly to ask the NFL if the blizzard from three years ago would prompt any second-guessing of the decision to play a Super Bowl in the elements in early 2014.

“No,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said at the time.  “We are the ultimate reality show.”

Aiello said Thursday via email that the NFL will make any necessary decisions regarding Super Bowl XLVIII based on the circumstances that may arise.

Still, with hotel prices jacked up and ticket prices already exorbitant, delaying the date of a Super Bowl creates all sorts of inconveniences and expenses for folks who plan to attend.  While a certain amount of “buyer beware” applies to anyone who buys tickets to any open-air event in a place where “four seasons” means something other than a musical group fronted by a small Italian man with a piercing falsetto, attending a Super Bowl entails an extreme investment of financial resources.

The mere possibility that weather could compel a rescheduling of the game suggests that maybe the game shouldn’t have been scheduled for a place where it may need to be rescheduled.

VIA PFT

Everything You Need to Know About PrEP

Conversation around HIV prevention breakthroughs in pill form has permeated brunch tables, newspapers, and doctors’ offices. But even though pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) have been approved as methods to prevent the transmission of HIV through sexual intercourse or intravenous drug use, some of those who could benefit from PrEP and PEP are still not quite sure how they work. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about PrEP.

What is PrEP?

PrEP is administration of an HIV medication, Truvada (the only one approved for this use to date), to people who are HIV-negative but at high risk of getting the virus. The daily, one-pill regimen has been proved to reduce the risk of HIV transmission, but it must be taken consistently. The Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Truvada, manufactured by Gilead, for prevention of HIV transmission in 2012. The drug has been found to prevent HIV transmission among both same-sex and opposite-sex intimate partners. A study released last June found that PrEP also works to prevent HIV transmission for drug users who use contaminated needles.

More here

DC Police Now on Instagram, Enjoy.

Link to follow account here

Daft Punk Performance Confirmed for the 56th Annual Grammy Awards

In what will be their first televised performance since hitting the stage with Kanye West for “Stronger” in 2008, it has been confirmed that Daft Punk will be performing at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards on January 26, 2014. Grammys executive producer Ken Ehrlich told Rolling Stone that “[c]onversations took place over a period of a couple of months, and finally they agreed to be a part of this year’s telecast. Details of the performance are still being worked out, but the idea of having the exclusive television performance by this iconic band is something we’re very, very excited about.” There are no firm details on what their performance will entail, but apparently it will be “a collaborative and celebratory stage performance that honors their multi-nominated music.” I guess the main question we have is: what will they performing? Will they go for the obvious “Get Lucky” (and if so, can we assume Pharrell and Nile Rodgers will be in attendance), or will they throw us a curveball and performing something unexpected from Random Access Memories?

VIA doandroidsdance.com

Jennifer Saunders has confirmed that she will begin work on a feature length film of classic sitcom Absolutely Fabulous in the new year.

While you wait enjoy outtakes .......