John Hamill, owner of Hamill Christmas Tree Farm in Roanoke, left, bales trees with Justin Goad on Friday, Dec. 6, 2019. Hamill says he did not plant less trees during the recession, so the tree shortage is not affecting his farm. (Heather Rousseau/The Roanoke Times via AP) less John Hamill, owner of Hamill Christmas Tree Farm in Roanoke, left, bales trees with Justin Goad on Friday, Dec. 6, 2019. Hamill says he did not plant less trees during the recession, so the tree shortage is not ... more Photo: Heather Rousseau, AP Photo: Heather Rousseau, AP Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Image 1 of 4 John Hamill, owner of Hamill Christmas Tree Farm in Roanoke, left, bales trees with Justin Goad on Friday, Dec. 6, 2019. Hamill says he did not plant less trees during the recession, so the tree shortage … [Read more...] about Recession prompts Christmas tree shortage a decade later
Artificial 9 ft christmas tree sale
Manitowoc celebrates history of aluminum Christmas trees
In This Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019 photo, Barb Bundy-Jost, an enthusiast and collector of vintage holiday trees, shares insight about the unique antiques at the Manitowoc, Wis., Public Library, featuring items tied to the city's aluminum manufacturing past includes artifacts related to the production of aluminum Christmas trees in the 1960's. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP) less In This Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019 photo, Barb Bundy-Jost, an enthusiast and collector of vintage holiday trees, shares insight about the unique antiques at the Manitowoc, Wis., Public Library, featuring items ... more Photo: John Hart, AP Photo: John Hart, AP Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Image 1 of 5 In This Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019 photo, Barb Bundy-Jost, an enthusiast and collector of vintage holiday trees, … [Read more...] about Manitowoc celebrates history of aluminum Christmas trees
Feeling flush, Venezuelans are snapping up $100 Christmas trees
Driving down the highway, it caught my eye: a car with a fir tree lashed to the roof. Then I saw another. And another. Real evergreens? Really. Even though one can cost $100, more than 12 times the official monthly minimum wage. People are lining up to buy them. They're flocking to malls for presents and pop-up shops for tinsel. Street vendors are selling hallacas, a favorite holiday conglomeration of cornmeal, beef, pork, chicken, raisins, capers and olives wrapped in banana leaves. Christmas is back in Caracas, after a fashion. The Nicolas Maduro regime, angling to keep the wheels of what's left of the economy turning, eased price controls and import restrictions and now stores are actually stocked with goods. Remittances from the Venezuelan diaspora - 4 million strong and growing - keep pouring in, mostly in U.S. dollars, and the government is turning a blind eye to their use. It's widespread, and really greasing those wheels. Caraquenos with side hustles, tutoring or sewing … [Read more...] about Feeling flush, Venezuelans are snapping up $100 Christmas trees
Opinion: As an ER doctor, I saw how often guns kill. Don’t put them under your Christmas tree
During my emergency medicine internship in the Midwest, one of my first patients was a 4-year-old boy with a gunshot wound. The bullet came from his father’s .357 magnum, which the youngster had found. As he played with the gun, he accidentally shot himself in the upper thigh. The bullet’s kinetic energy was so powerful in his tiny body, that despite being shot in the leg, many of the boy’s internal abdominal organs were traumatized.He died as we frantically tried to save his life.When that boy’s father bought his gun, I suspect that he never, ever imagined the devastating personal loss that would result from that decision. By all accounts, he was a responsible father. Responsible or not, his son is dead.In the throes of the current holiday shopping season, I often hear radio ads promoting guns as an ideal gift. They make owning a gun sound so benign, so American, so patriotic. Advertisement I have worked in both inner-city and small-town emergency rooms. I … [Read more...] about Opinion: As an ER doctor, I saw how often guns kill. Don’t put them under your Christmas tree
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Arnold Host Annual ‘Miracle On 1st Street’ Christmas Toy Giveaway
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Two “Arnolds” brought some presents and Christmas joy to inner-city kids at the Hollenbeck Youth Center Saturday at the 38th Annual “Miracle on 1st Street” Christmas Toy Giveaway. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his friend and “True Lies” co-star Tom Arnold hosted the event, which is the city’s largest toy giveaway for inner-city kids providing nearly 10,000 toys. New Terminator Gabriel Luna, founder Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles police, Congressman Gomez, Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, and Councilman Gil Cedillo were among those helping distribute gifts. “Their eyes light up and they walk in, and some of them even walk in with blankets and they’re just ecstatic,” one volunteer said. “They’re ear-to-ear grins.” For some kids, the event is the only gift they will receive in the holiday season. The Hollenbeck Youth Center’s parking lot was transformed into a Winter Wonderland with … [Read more...] about Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Arnold Host Annual ‘Miracle On 1st Street’ Christmas Toy Giveaway