Passenger Ignites Explosive on Delta Flight, Al Qaeda Connection Reported  —  A male passenger reportedly linked to terrorist organization al-Qaeda ignited a powdery substance prior to landing on a Delta Airlines flight to Detroit Friday.  The suspect is believed to be Nigerian, Fox News reported.

Tidings of Comfort  —  Indulge me while I tell you a story — a near-future version of Charles Dickens's “A Christmas Carol.”  It begins with sad news: young Timothy Cratchit, a k a Tiny Tim, is sick.  And his treatment will cost far more than his parents can pay out of pocket.

82 Year-Old Pope Benedict Attacked, Knocked Down at Midnight Mass (Video) ...Update: Same Nut Tried to Attack Pope in 2008  —  A crazed woman jumped the barriers at St. Peter's Basilica and attacke 82 year-old Pope Benedict XVI at Midnight Mass knocking him to the floor.

The Sidney Awards  —  Every year, I give out Sidney Awards to the best magazine essays of the year.  In an age of zipless, electronic media, the idea is to celebrate (and provide online links to) long-form articles that have narrative drive and social impact.

Radical Muslim Cleric Said to Survive Airstrike  —  Relatives: Radical Yemeni Cleric Not Harmed in Government Air Raid on Al-Qaeda Meeting  —  A U.S.-born radical cleric is alive and well following reports he may have been killed in a Yemeni airstrike against suspected al-Qaida hideouts, friends and relatives said Friday.

A Hopeful Season's Greetings  —  My mother was a great piano player, and often while I was growing up we gathered around the piano to sing.  At Christmas, we sang from the von Trapp Family song book, a wonderful group of four-part arrangements of old carols.

Obama will ‘recharge’ on Hawaii vacation  —  The first family touched down amid intense security in President Obama's hometown yesterday and settled in for what is expected to be a 10-day vacation in Kailua, with apparent plans to decorate an 8-foot Noble fir Christmas tree last night.

Fannie, Freddie chiefs to get Wall Street-style compensation packages  —  The government announced Thursday that it had approved Wall Street-style, multimillion-dollar compensation packages for top executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two mortgage companies that have become little more than arms of the federal government.

This Christmas, 78% of Americans Identify as Christian  —  Over time, fewer Americans identify as Christian; more have no religious identity  —  PRINCETON, NJ — This Christmas season, 78% of Americans identify with some form of Christian religion, a proportion that has been declining in recent decades.

Watch The Decline: The Media Lowlights Of 2009  —  Climate “scientists” are about as trusted as used-car salesmen or congressmen these days thanks to the beating their profession has taken in the “ClimateGate” scandal.  But give the alarmists their due: They know how to hide the decline.