\u27a2 A Wisconsin family was saved from a holiday disaster by an honest man who found their $3,000 in cash on a sidewalk and turned it in to police. The Wausau Police Department reports that a resident walking along a street found a bundle containing the cash, along with some gift envelopes and a bank receipt. The resident turned the package over to the police, who were able to trace the rightful owner. The anonymous man was given a gift certificate for his kindness.<\/p>\n
\u27a2 If you thought the snowstorm in the Northeastern U.S. was bad, you should know there was also a very bad snowstorm in Japan recently. Authorities there said Friday (December 18th) that more than 1,000 people were stranded on a highway there, some for more than 40 hours, by a snowstorm that began late Wednesday (December 16th). Authorities say the traffic jam stretched for more than ten miles. The military handed out food, gas, and blankets as they worked to dig out the vehicles one by one. At least two motorists were hospitalized.<\/p>\n
\u27a2 It\u2019s the go-to excuse for not having your homework done, but this time, it was true. A pair of pups in the Philippines were caught in the act \u2013 of eating their human brother\u2019s homework. In video captured by security cameras, Darren Lamban and his cousin are asleep when a hungry husky creeps into the room \u2014 where his pug pal is snoozing on one of the boy\u2019s chests. The larger dog, named Sam, comes across a few sheets of paper on a desk, drags them to the ground and begins digging in. Soon, Sam and the smaller dog, Mayor, are seen chowing down on what turned out to be the teenagers\u2019 homework.<\/p>\n
\u27a2A huge, nine-pound goldfish was recently discovered in Oak Grove Lake in South Carolina. The Greenville County parks department director Ty Houck told The State he wasn\u2019t sure how long the fish had been in the lake, but guessed it was someone\u2019s pet that they no longer wanted to care for. Given the fish\u2019s large size, it could be very old. Houck says that though most goldfish are tiny, their size can vary greatly and \u201cthey grow to the size of their environment.\u201d Goldfish are not native to South Carolina lakes, but are not considered invasive.<\/p>\n
\u27a2Christopher Walken says he doesn’t have any moral or philosophical objections to modern communications technology he just doesn’t use it. The 77-year-old actor told Stephen Colbert on The Late Show on Monday that he has never owned a computer or sent an email or text message. “Somebody had to come and set this up because I don’t have a cellphone or a computer,” said Walken, who was appearing via Zoom. Technology “just passed me by,” Walken said, per the Hollywood Reporter. “And I never got involved in it because it would be strange to have any 10-year-old be much better at it than I am.”<\/p>\n
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TODAY IS\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2001 [19] Richard Reid unsuccessfully attempts to destroy American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami using explosives hidden in his shoes (due to this attempt, passengers are forced to remove their shoes at security)<\/p>\n _____________________________________________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n 1986\u00a0 George Strait released “Ocean Front Property” which gave him his tenth\u00a0 #1<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>______________________________________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n GOOD NEWS <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n An off-duty lifeguard in New Jersey is a real hero after he took off his prosthetic leg so he could jump into Newark Bay to save the driver of an SUV that had plunged into the water.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Anthony Capuano says he was leaving work recently in Bayonne when he saw a crowd of people running toward the shore. He spotted an SUV sinking in the water about 50 feet off shore, the driver appeared to be trapped inside the vehicle and was yelling out the window.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Capuano says he removed his leg and then jumped in the water and was able to help the 68-year-old driver to shore. He lost his leg when he was struck by a train 11-years-ago.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Police said the driver of the SUV had been pulling over to answer a phone call when he accidentally pressed on the accelerator and the brake at the same time.<\/p>\n __________________________________________________________________________<\/strong>\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n LEARNING ABOUT CHRISTMAS<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Growing up Muslim, Mohammad Hussain has long avoided Christmas shopping, tree-decorating and gatherings during the month of December.<\/p>\n But, like millions of others across the country, he won\u2019t be headed home for the holidays because of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n Instead, he will be with his \u201camazing roommates\u201d in Ottawa and learning what it means to have a \u201cproper Christmas,\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And his tweets, which talk about the holiday have gone viral.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you want to sleep in on a Saturday? Too bad. Go put up some lights inside the house. Oh, you want to sleep in on Sunday? Too bad. Go put up some lights outside the house,\u201d he tweeted.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Observation 2: People have very strong feelings about their Christmas traditions. If someone is insisting that *certain food* is what you have to eat Christmas morning, because that’s their family tradition, DO NOT SUGGEST ALTERNATIVES.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Observation 3: You can buy yourself a gift but you can’t stuff your own stocking. I don’t understand this one but I told my roommate I bought stuff for my stocking and they said that’s not a thing. I don’t care. I bought myself mint chapstick and I will fake surprise.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He poked fun at how his friends were \u201cagonizing over the gifts you must buy\u201d<\/p>\n “You can set this budget as high as you want but the perfect gift will always be $10 too expensive. There is no winning. Just give up,”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hussain, who described himself as a political staffer in Ottawa, says the attention has been overwhelming. He said some of the praise came from people who, like him, didn\u2019t grow up with Christmas and loved his take.<\/p>\n But he\u2019s also enjoyed hearing from others who know firsthand how the holiday is a \u201can absolute affair.\u201d<\/p>\n Scores of people have admitted to doing things Hussain pointed out, including even,<\/p>\n Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He replied saying, \u201cthat about sums it up\u201d before thanking Hussain for sharing his findings.<\/p>\n \u201cSophie and I are sending you and your roommates our best wishes this Christmas, and we\u2019re glad to hear you\u2019re enjoying it all so far,” read Trudeau’s tweet.<\/p>\n ______________________________________________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n BIRTHDAYS <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n [75] Diane Sawyer, news anchor<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [58] Ralph Fiennes (***PRON: Rafe Fines***), actor<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Five Tips for People Who Are Afraid of Needles<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n The vaccine has arrived.\u00a0 And even if you believe the science, a fear of NEEDLES might make you hesitate before you get it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Around 1 in 4 adults are at least somewhat afraid of needles.\u00a0\u00a0(It’s called trypanophobia.)<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 And 7% of us avoid vaccines because of it.\u00a0 So here are five tips from experts on how to get past that fear . . .<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n ____________________________________________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n MORE MILLENNIALS ARE USING END-OF-YEAR VACATION TIME <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Most Americans usually don\u2019t use all of their paid time off, but millennials are actually taking more time off for the 2020 holidays than they did in years past.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Amex Trendex\u2019s December 2020 report found that 20 percent of millennials say they plan on taking more time off from work this month than in previous years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fifty percent of millennials also report planning to take this time off to de-stress after a tough year, but that\u2019s also unique to millennials, as just 31 percent of all adults surveyed said the same.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>________________________________________________________________________<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n TUESDAY DECEMBER 22ND<\/sup> \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n The Premier announced Monday afternoon that, as of 12:01 a.m. on Boxing Day, Ontario will be in lockdown for 28 days in the southern portion of the province, while the north will be in lockdown for 14 days.<\/p>\n This will mean a ban on indoor social gatherings with anyone outside of a person\u2019s household and the closure of non-essential businesses. Fitness centres will close and bars and restaurants will only be allowed to offer take-out and delivery service.<\/p>\n Elementary students will not return to class on January 4. Instead, a week of remote learning is planned before class resumes on January 11. High school students in southern Ontario will learn from home for the entire 28 day lockdown period, returning to class on January 25.<\/p>\n In person shopping at most retail settings will be prohibited during the lockdown. However, businesses will be allowed to continue offering delivery and curb-side pickup service. Big box stores will be limited to 25 per cent capacity for in-store shopping, while supermarkets, grocery stores, and pharmacies will be limited to 50 per cent capacity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That means the jackpot for the next draw TONIGHT will grow to approximately $50 million, and there will also be two Maxmillions prizes of $1 million each up for grabs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A ticket holder in Quebec claimed Saturday night’s nearly $30 million Lotto 649 jackpot.<\/p>\n And the draw’s $1 million guaranteed prize went to a lottery player in the Prairies.<\/p>\n The jackpot for the next Lotto 649 draw TOMORROW will be approximately $5 million.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n CARRIE UNDERWOOD’S CHRISTMAS ALBUM HOLDS FIRM TO TOP OF CHARTS <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Carrie Underwood<\/strong>\u2019s first-ever Christmas album,\u00a0My Gift<\/em>, hangs on to the top spot on the charts this holiday season, following its chart-topping debut across multiple global charts.<\/p>\n Carrie tells us that recording the uplifting songs on this album during one of the most unsettling times in history proved cathartic.\u00a0[“I knew I was going to make this album at the end of last year before we had any idea what this year was going to look like and we started doing this. The spring and the summer, I\u2019m getting to go in and I\u2019m getting to sing these joyful, happy, hopeful songs. It was therapeutic in a way.\u00a0 You can\u2019t be sad singing these songs, and for me to have that gift myself of getting to sing songs that I love and just to sing in general it really was a gift.\u00a0 It was a blessing in 2020.\u00a0 So I hope people get that when they listen to it.”]\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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