Beth Arnold: Letter From Paris: A Very Joyeux Christmas

Christmas Eve is finally here, and what have I brought to you from Paris?

I come bearing the star of our brilliant tree Bébé-Marie, the Christmas Monkey.

Photo by Beth Arnold

Every year Bébé-Marie crawls out of your liquor cabinet and swings through your trees to shake things up. She likes toe-tapping jazz and Cajun music not to mention a good party, and, oh, how she loves to dance! Bébé-Marie crowns our tree resplendently, overseeing her subjects that include Mexican tin Day of the Dead decorations, sparkly balls, golden bows, and our newest acqusitions, brightly colored (and wiggly) fishing lures. They take on a special glow beneath her skirt.

Photo by Beth Arnold

If you're lucky, Bébé-Marie might just swing into your house to liven up your Christmas! To entice her, leave mincemeat cookies and a glass of old rum next to some rocking CDs.

Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday Season filled with peace, love, and joy. Blessings to all. Have a very Joyeux Christmas!

Beth Arnold lives and writes in Paris. To see more of her work, go to www.betharnold.com.

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Happy Christmas by Jessica Simpson

Category DVD Blu-Ray, Shopping | Monday, December 20th, 2010

Happy Christmas

Jessica Simpson’s star has only continued to brighten during her 10+ year career as she has become an icon in music, fashion and entertainment. With the release of her second Christmas album, ‘Happy Christmas’, she lends her unforgettable vocal talent to the most beloved Christmas classics creating versions that will warm the heart and home during the cold winter season. Features duets with Willie Nelson and John Britt! [Primary Wave]

• Audio CD (November 22, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Primary Wave Records
• ASIN: B0046W16BA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download

Biography

Jessica Simpson has taken the music, fashion and entertainment industries by storm. A talented artist with universal appeal, she has become an international star and media darling.

Born and raised outside of Dallas, Texas, Jessica began her performing career by sharing the stage with famous gospel acts such as Kirk Franklin, God’s Property and Ce Ce Winans.

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Keyword: Christmas, Christmas Toys, Happy, Happy Christmas, Jessica Simpson

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 Digital Camera Best Deals Christmas Gift Ideas

Category Camera, Photo & Video, Shopping | Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Panasonic Lumix DMC

The flat body and compact size of the DMC-FP1 allow it to fit nicely into a small handbag. Built of high-quality aluminum, the DMC-FP1 also brings a wide range of colors to the series. The new lens cover both protects the lens from scratches or dusts and serves as the camera’s power switch, making it fast and easy to slip the camera out of a pocket or a bag and turn on the power.

Lumix DMC-FP1 Highlights

4x Optical Zoom / Up to 7.8x Extra Optical Zoom
The DMC-FP1 has a 4x optical zoom (35mm camera equivalent: 35-140mm) and 7.8x Extra Optical Zoom (35mm camera equivalent: 273mm). Adding the Extra Optical Zoom to the 4x digital zoom extends the total zooming power to a maximum of 31.3x.

Sonic Speed AF
The Sonic Speed AF system in the DMC-FP1 has a maximum speed of approx. 0.33 second for auto focusing*. It includes numerous re-engineering enhancements, including a higher-speed actuator, optimized algorithms and parallel software processing. The result is fast and accurate AF performance. You can quickly get moving subjects in focus, such as when you’re shooting sports scenes.
_{* Using the 1-area AF, at the wide-end.}

HD Movie Recording
The DMC-FP1 can record motion images in high-definition (1,280 x 720 pixels at 30 fps in Motion JPEG format). The pixel mixed readout method enables bright motion-image recording even in low-light settings. The DMC-FP1 can also record full-size motion images in WVGA (848 x 480 pixels at 30 fps) or standard motion images in VGA (640 x 480 pixels at 30 fps) and QVGA (320 x 240 pixels at 30 fps).

Venus Engine IV
The image-processing engine, Venus Engine IV, uses advanced signal processing to give you beautiful images even when the sensitivity is high. Multi-task signal processing is employed for all images to enable high-speed, high-performance shooting. Venus Engine IV also effectively raises the precision of various functions, such as MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) and Intelligent ISO Control. Along with its extremely high performance, Venus Engine IV reduces power consumption thanks to a number of energy efficiency improvements.

Extended Battery Life
The energy-saving Venus Engine IV image-processing engine and the efficient, rechargeable lithium-ion battery which has been slimmed down to fit into thinner camera bodies work together to extend the shooting time of the DMC-FP1. This lets users take approx. 300 shots on a single battery charge*.
_{* Based on the CIPA standard.}

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Keyword: Beautiful Images, Christmas Gift Ideas, Compact Size, Digital Camera, Dusts, Fp1, Fps, Image Processing, Lens Cover, Light Settings, Maximum Speed, Motion Image, Motion Images, Motion Jpeg, New Lens, Panasonic Lumix, Panasonic Lumix Dmc, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1, Parallel Software, Power Switch, Quality Aluminum, Shooting Sports, Sonic Speed

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Deals on Cyber Monday Gift Idea for Christmas

Category World | Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

Cyber Monday smart phone

As Thanksgiving is just around the corner and Christmas is only months away, many American families begin to think of ideas for Christmas gifts for their loved ones. That to fight a strong economy in recent years, there will probably be the case that many Americans are trying to reduce and save money in every possible way. Through the use of Cyber Monday deals and sales for many American families could end up saving hundreds of dollars for devices gadgetsbuy as Christmas gifts look.

In the search for the best mobile phone as a Christmas gift idea is very important to realize that these devices will be created for specific reasons. It would be a good decision to take a step back and think about why the phone would be the person that you can get it to be used. For those who want to surf the Internet, and then use that may be useful as an Apple iPhone is a phone or watch one of many Android phones in context.These two operating systems, users can not only download the applications, but can also surf the Internet and almost everything else, most phones can.

If a mobile phone to search for a person who wants to call only text, and then you do not need one of these smartphone more and more popular than almost anything can be done. There are many very cheap mobile phones text messages are also available. Some phones can be free if they signed a two-yearContract. By simply ask a few questions you will probably be able to understand what kind of phone is right for your specific situation.

Before a final decision when it comes to a mobile phone in 2010 is a good idea for both sales and Cyber Monday deals seem to be available on Monday after Thanksgiving. This is a day to save the many technology companies, large discounts, which in turn help people a lot of money, so that if Christmas has to offerto acquire. Almost all the major online retailers offer discounts on that day, but sold out quickly in terms of principle, so be sure to select the object and ordered it earlier in the day. This is something that needs to be an American tradition in recent years, and can help you save money.

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Bruce Kluger & David Slavin: Christmas Crisis: Santa Laid Off!

"Hi, I'm Santa Claus. No, not some smelly saucehead ringing a bell for the Salvation Army: I'm the Real McKringle. You know, red suit, white beard, massive butt. Guess what? I got FIRED by the mega-corporation that bought my Workshop. So for the first time in 970 years, it seems I've got some time on my hands now. Time to 'spend with my family.' Time to try out some new careers. Time to blog."

Day 9: Dressed to Kill...Myself
Went to Best Buy for a job interview. Thought I had it, too, until they told me I had to wear one of those god-awful blue polo shirts. I told them I'm a winter -- I look good in reds, whites, blacks, that kind of thing. I told them I had my own suit, too, but the asshats wouldn't budge. You be the judge. I think I look like Papa Smurf.

Day 13: Shoot. Me. Now.

Day 15: Crash Test Dummy
Mrs. Claus said I should get a job driving a cab. Can I drive? Yes. A sleigh. Pulled by flying reindeer. In the middle of the night. That doesn't mean I can drive a Crown Vic in the middle of rush hour! But I gave it a shot. (Note to self: check life insurance policy--she's probably upped my coverage again.)

NOW ON SALE!

Twas the Night Before Christmas: 21st Century Edition (Andrews McMeel)
By Bruce Kluger and David Slavin
TwasTheBook Website
TwasTheBook on Facebook
TwasTheBook on Twitter
Sacked Santa (Santa's Unemployment Blog, on Tumblr)

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