holiday

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DVD Box Sets of TV Shows Are Pure Evil

Even the best programs will end up seeming superficial

(Newser) - This holiday season, have some pity on your friends and relatives—spare them the DVD box sets of their favorite TV shows. "The DVD box set is the newest and most terrifying form of ritualistic abuse we inflict on one another," writes Grady Hendrix. Not only are we...

Roadside Bomb Strikes Afghan Gov's Convoy

Kandahar official survives attack on holiest Muslim holiday

(Newser) - The governor of Kandahar narrowly escaped death today when a roadside bomb exploded underneath his convoy. Turyalai Wesa was on his way to prayers on the first day of Eid al-Adha, the holiest holiday on the Muslim calendar. Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban, a violent Afghan hotspot, and...

Christian Group Boycotts Gap Over Holiday Ads
 Christian Group 
 Boycotts Gap 
 Over Holiday Ads 
war on christmas
Nov 13, 2009 2:15 PM CST

Christian Group Boycotts Gap Over Holiday Ads

Not enough Christ in Gap's Christmas: AFA

(Newser) - A Christian group has launched a boycott of the Gap over its religion-neutral holiday ads. The American Family Association, already ticked off by last year’s campaign, which wished consumers a “Merry Gap-mas,” hit the roof over this year's “Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah, Go Kwanzaa, Go Solstice....

Dow Up 21 After Rally Loses Steam
 Dow Up 21 After 
 Rally Loses Steam 
MARKETS
Oct 12, 2009 3:18 PM CDT

Dow Up 21 After Rally Loses Steam

Dow hits new 2009 high but falls back amid light volume

(Newser) - The stock indices ended mixed today after strong morning gains lost steam. The Dow hit a new high for 2009, 9931.82, off strong expectations for the third-quarter earnings. But profit-taking traders capitalized on recent gains, pushing the market lower; light trading volume on the Columbus Day holiday amplified their...

States, Employers Un-Discover Columbus Day

It's dropping off the calendar as a holiday in many states

(Newser) - Columbus Day is rapidly sailing off the calendar all over the US. Some 22 states no longer give their workers the day off and many employers have begun "holiday swapping," requiring workers to come in on Columbus Day in return for an extra day off at Christmas or...

Christmas in September Leaves Shoppers Cold

No, you're not crazy, it is still September

(Newser) - Look around your local department store, and you might encounter a ridiculous site: a Christmas display. Yes, retailers are already decking their halls, desperate to get a piece of consumers’ dwindling holiday budgets before their competitors do. Consumers aren't buying it. “You can’t get in the Christmas spirit...

Can't Afford a Hotel? Swap Homes With a Stranger
Can't Afford a Hotel? Swap Homes With a Stranger
glossies
Jul 25, 2009 7:01 PM CDT

Can't Afford a Hotel? Swap Homes With a Stranger

Idea's been around for decades, but recession sparks new interest

(Newser) - The recession is giving new meaning to the phrase “mi casa es su casa.” Instead of springing for pricey hotel rooms and car rentals, thrifty holidaymakers are swapping with strangers for a summer getaway, Time reports. While home exchanges aren’t new—one company has been around since...

How Other Countries Party on Their July 4

(Newser) - Americans chow down on hot dogs and embrace their inner pyromaniac on July 4—but what about everyone else? William Sertl of Gourmet looks at national days from around the globe...and the eats that accompany them.
  • Australia Day (Jan. 26) Beer, grilled fish, shucked oysters, and chipotle pork cheeseburgers
...

Cinco de Mayo Marginalizes Non-Mexican Latinos

(Newser) - Cinco de Mayo has become a very visible celebration in the US, but the Mexican holiday’s prevalence is just one indicator of the marginalization of other Latino immigrants, the AP reports. The Mexican-American population is almost equal to that of all other Latin American immigrants combined, resulting in a...

Pot Holiday Goes Mainstream
 Pot Holiday Goes Mainstream  
Apr 20, 2009 2:38 PM CDT

Pot Holiday Goes Mainstream

Goofy 'holiday' becomes touchstone for legalization advocates

(Newser) - Marijuana enthusiasts will toke up today in celebration of 420, the pot holiday that corresponds to the code for pot consumption across the nation, the Monitor reports. The term 420 was hatched in 1971 by a dozen high school pot smokers who used to meet at 4:20 in the...

Obama Plans First Presidential Seder

Friends and White House staff invited

(Newser) - President Obama is planning to host a Passover seder at the White House for friends and staff tomorrow evening, JTA reports. What appears to be the first-ever presidential seder is scheduled for the second night of the Jewish holiday so guests can celebrate with their families tonight. The event “...

Math Geeks, Unite! It's Pi Day
 Math Geeks, Unite! It's Pi Day 
Mar 14, 2009 8:55 AM CDT

Math Geeks, Unite! It's Pi Day

Today's date matches the digits of the math figure

(Newser) - Circle enthusiasts of America, rejoice: Today is Pi Day, when the digits that make up the date, 3/14, match the first digits of pi, the ratio of a circle’s diameter to its circumference. The particularly passionate can celebrate pi second at 1:59:26, Scientific American reports—when aligned...

Penn Fights for 'Harvey Milk Day'

Holiday would honor activist's birthday

(Newser) - Sean Penn today joined the push to recognize Harvey Milk's birthday in California, Variety reports. State senator Mark Leno is re-introducing a bill seeking a statewide “day of significance” on May 22, the birthday of the gay activist Penn won an Oscar for portraying. Schools would be encouraged to...

Math Geeks Celebrate Square Root Day

Break out your calculator, it's time to party like it's 3x3=09

(Newser) - Odds are you’re not aware of it, but today is a major holiday. Well, major for math teachers and their lucky students. It's Square Root Day, a super-rare, super-goofy holiday that occurs whenever the first two digits of the date—in this case 3/3—can be multiplied to form...

Lay Off, Cupid: Men Need Their Own Holiday

(Newser) - If men had time to catch their collective breath after racing around town to find the right Valentine’s Day gift they would realize they’re getting the short end of Cupid’s arrow, Chuck Cohen rants in the Christian Science Monitor. “The truth is there are more guy-giving...

Don't Expect Diamonds on V-Day

Americans to spend 15% less this year on holiday

(Newser) - This may not be the year you get that Tiffany necklace: Americans plan to cut back on lavish displays of love this Valentine's Day, MSBNC reports. One survey predicts that holiday spending will drop 15%, from, says another survey, about $123 to $103 per person. The plunge comes after nearly...

Subdued Masses Usher in Chinese New Year

But fears for economy temper enthusiasm

(Newser) - Millions worldwide are marking the Chinese New Year with parties, firecrackers, and feasts, the BBC reports. But celebrations of the Lunar New Year, the most important Chinese holiday, were tempered by concerns about the economy in the coming Year of the Ox. In Beijing, many lit incense and prayed for...

It's a Stressful Day—Have You Tried Shouting?

Survey ranks today as most trying of the year

(Newser) - Today is the most stressful day of the year, as back-to-work blues meet the cold weather and economic gloom, the Telegraph reports. And a survey by RNLI found that co-worker behaviors such as noisy eating, sniffing, and talking loudly on the phone rank as the most annoying things to endure...

Dad Charged After Girl Dies on Cold Walk

Children walked miles after truck broke down on Christmas

(Newser) - The father of an 11-year-old girl who died, likely of hypothermia, after trying to walk 10 miles in the snow Christmas Day has been charged with second-degree murder. Robert Aragon banged his head on the defendant's table during the short hearing. Authorities allege the 55-year-old Idaho man let Sage Aragon...

US Phrases That Annoy Brits
 US Phrases That Annoy Brits 
OPINION
Dec 27, 2008 6:50 PM CST

US Phrases That Annoy Brits

"Happy Holidays", and "Have a nice day," irksome Americanisms

(Newser) - Toby Harnden must live among Yanks in his job as a correspondent for the UK's Telegraph, and sometimes American phrases drive him nuts. Here are his worst offenders:
  • Happy holidays (just say Christmas, please)
  • Have a nice day (make it stop)
  • You're welcome (this one's just "Pavlovian" to him)
...

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