holiday

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Holy Season for Two Faiths Intersects in Jerusalem

Jewish new year coincides with Muslim month of Ramadan in city special to both

(Newser) - This year’s intersection of Jewish new-year holidays and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan—a rarity due to Islam’s changing calendar—is felt particularly keenly in Jerusalem, a sacred city for both religions, Ethan Bronner notes in the New York Times. Night has become “a kind of...

Talk Like a Pirate Today, Matey, Or Walk the Plank!

You know you were waiting for an excuse to get your Jolly Roger on

(Newser) - Ahoy, matey! Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, the Detroit Free Press reports—though the good fortune of falling on a Friday has some wannabe swashbucklers set for a weekend of buccaneering behavior. Initially a joke between two friends, the holiday got national exposure when Dave Barry mentioned...

Stranded Brits Expected Home on Schedule

Up to 85K were overseas when holiday firm went bust

(Newser) - The  sudden collapse of XL Airways left as many as 85,000 passengers marooned in foreign lands, but they're now expected to get home on schedule, or at least only a little late, the Times of London reports. Aviation authorities plan a vast airlift to take home the stranded, but...

Forget US Tourists: Hawaii Lures Euros

State escapes slowdown by casting net wider for visitors

(Newser) - Domestic tourism is slowing down in the US as economic worries mount, but Hawaii appears to be surfing a wave of diversification through the downturn, the Wall Street Journal reports. Numbers of visitors from Canada, Europe, and some East Asian countries are picking up and offsetting a drop in tourists...

NYT 's Friedman: Call Your Mother
 NYT's Friedman: 
 Call Your Mother 
Opinion
May 11, 2008 10:19 AM CDT

NYT's Friedman: Call Your Mother

Columnist breaks from politics for Mother's Day

(Newser) - New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has a piece of policy-free advice for readers today: “Call your mom.” His own died last month, and on his first Mother’s Day without her, he recalls her influence on his own optimism, which can be found “between the lines...

Israel Celebrates, Reflects at 60

'Yes, there are flaws ... but behind the flaws a wonderful country is hidden,' speaker says

(Newser) - Thousands gathered across Israel today for the nation’s 60th Independence Day celebration, the Jerusalem Post reports. At one ceremony, lawmaker Dalia Itzik first remembered the 22,437 Israelis killed in conflict since 1860. "Friends, you are not, and you will never be alone. We will never be able...

Matzo Shortage Plagues Passover in Calif.

Stores sold out before holiday began Saturday, Jews 'at wits' end'

(Newser) - With Passover in full swing, Jews in the San Francisco area are enduring a shortage of matzo, the Chronicle reports. Most grocers were cleaned out Friday or Saturday, the first day of the observance, and with the holiday stretching to the weekend, the observant wonder how they'll manage without the...

Finns May Stop (Working) in the Name of Love

Scandinavian lawmakers consider paid 'erotic' vacation

(Newser) - Finland's citizens will get an extra week of vacation specifically for romance if a proposed bill becomes law, Bloomberg reports. The legislation, which currently has 13 of the 100 required backers, would augment the 25 paid vacation days and 10 public holidays that already put Finns above the EU norm....

Easter Defies Madison Avenue
 Easter Defies Madison Avenue 
Mar 23, 2008 8:00 AM CDT

Easter Defies Madison Avenue

Religious holiday's originis too wild to tame into commercialism

(Newser) - Christmas’ religious meaning is lost in a sea of advertising, parties, and major retail dollars, but Easter has resisted becoming a “consumerist nightmare”—and that’s because its Christian origins demand serious thought, writes James Martin in Slate. While “the Christmas story is easily reduced to pablum,...

Note to Self: Be My Valentine?
Note to Self:
Be My Valentine?
Feb 13, 2008 12:52 PM CST

Note to Self: Be My Valentine?

Millions of Americans buy their favorite person gifts on Feb. 14

(Newser) - Rather than going without that box of Godiva, about 8 million Americans are their own valentines, sending themselves gifts they're guaranteed to like, reports Reuters. Should you receive a valentine offering from a date, beau, or husband, disappointment may follow: There's a big difference between women's wishes and men's purchases....

Joker Sends Holiday Cards From Afterlife

88-year-old pulls one last prank on family and friends

(Newser) - Chet Fitch got the last laugh on family and friends again, this time from beyond the grave. The 88-year-old, who died in the fall, arranged to have 34 Christmas cards sent this year, all marked with a return address of Heaven. "I asked Big Guy if I could sneak...

E-Cards Spread Holiday Cheer, Viruses

Online greeting cards rising in popularity; paper still preferred

(Newser) - Online greeting cards are all the rage this holiday season. They're mostly free, and can feature funny, interactive subjects ranging from elf tossing to reindeer arm wrestling. E-cards are also delivered instantly, an advantage for the forgetful around Christmas. But traditional cards are still the preferred way to spread holiday...

Holiday Cheer Visits the Dead
Holiday Cheer Visits the Dead
Dec 23, 2007 2:12 PM CST

Holiday Cheer Visits the Dead

But cemetery officials aren't crazy about new trend

(Newser) - Across the country, cemeteries are starting to look a lot like front lawns, the New York Times reports. Christmas trees, lights, garlands, and even free-standing Santas surround the dead. “The shopping, the dinners, the parties—you escape all that,” said one decorator. “It’s comforting.” But...

Fruitcake Gets a Facelift
Fruitcake Gets a Facelift
Dec 22, 2007 7:41 PM CST

Fruitcake Gets a Facelift

This maligned holiday tradition is winning converts with less fruit—and more spirits

(Newser) - What's a sinfully rich dessert that’s been around since the Middle Ages—and some say tastes about that old? Fruitcake, capable of producing “ahs!” or ”arghs!” in a single bite, has gotten a makeover. The new recipe: less fruit—especially those compacted bits of garishly...

Starbucks Patrons Spread the Cheer
Starbucks Patrons Spread the Cheer
Dec 21, 2007 5:02 PM CST

Starbucks Patrons Spread the Cheer

Pay-it-forward treat proves contagious at Washington store

(Newser) - In what's being hailed as a true display of holiday goodwill, customers at a Starbucks in Marysville, Wash., have been "paying ahead"—paying for the next car in the drive-through order—in a “chain of cheer” more than 800 lattes long. The Seattle Times reports that the...

Overlooked Christmas Movies
Overlooked Christmas Movies
Dec 15, 2007 10:28 AM CST

Overlooked Christmas Movies

Slate has a list you better watch out for

(Newser) - Slate has come up with a list of overlooked Christmas movies to watch out for. Remember, the Christmas party at Nakatomi Plaza is more naughty than nice.
  1. Die Hard (1988)
  2. Yogi's First Christmas (1984)
  3. All That Heaven Allows (1954)
  4. The Ice Harvest (2005)

Hey, Before You Hit Your Office Holiday Party, Click Here!

Plenty of causes, few cures for hangovers

(Newser) - If the dangers of drunkenness don’t deter you from revelry this holiday season, maybe the agony of a hangover should, Newsweek reports. Some experts call the morning-after malaise “a mini-withdrawal” similar to a recovering alcoholic’s; others say it’s the work of chemicals left over from the...

Take the Turkey Escape Route
Take the Turkey Escape Route
Nov 16, 2007 12:09 PM CST

Take the Turkey Escape Route

For many, a day with the extended family is not something to be thankful for

(Newser) - If a day of cooking, arbitrating between warring family members, and washing dishes doesn't sound like a holiday to you, make it a vacation for the whole family by getting out of town. Forbes Traveler recommends Blackberry Farms in Tennessee, a farmhouse resort whose Thanksgiving festivities include a turkey fry,...

Travelers May Spend Thanksgiving on the Runway

Already-slow industry prepares for the worst Thanksgiving in more than a decade

(Newser) - A 4% increase in holiday passengers will likely cause lengthy delays, the airline industry warned yesterday—bad news for those who miss connections and could wait 3 days for another flight. Though airlines have hired seasonal workers in the first staff expansion since 9/11, some 2.5 million passengers may...

Labor Day Traffic Forecast: Not Quite as Bad

With gas cheaper, 28.9M expected to hit road this weekend

(Newser) - Nearly 29 million people will travel by car during the upcoming Labor Day weekend, AAA reports—slightly fewer than last year, despite lower gas prices. A gallon averages $2.75, down 10 cents from last Labor Day. The overall number of travelers this holiday weekend is expected to go up,...

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