Some Stories Before Travelling

Tomorrow I'll be travelling down to Virginia, which is my normal routine this time of year.  Today, naturally, I'll be packing my suitcase and presents for the family, gassing up the vehicle, and generally running around a bit.  So for the time being, let me leave you with some things in the news:

From The Guardian, a story that will make Santa Claus cringe with horror.  (via the New York Post)

From PopZette, one Christmas special could not be made today.

From The Federalist, the Grinch did indeed hate Christmas.

From Media Equalizer, the federal work force has decreased by 11,000 since President Trump took office.  (In the past, reductions in the number of federal employees has simply meant that the work was contracted out to private companies.  In other words, the scope of federal power was not reduced.  Thus, I would not read too much into this development.)

From the Malta Independent, the U.N. Migration Agency reports the totals of migrants crossing the Mediterranean into Europe, and the deaths of those who don't make it.

From DutchNews, the Netherlands will have just three centers where refugees are processed.

From the NL Times, for the first time in years, the number of burglaries in the Netherlands has increased.

From Russia Today, two passenger trains collide in Austria, resulting in over a dozen injuries.

From Voice Of Europe, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban says that western Europeans need to rejection migration.

From Hungary Journal, Orban also says that an attack on Poland is an attack on central Europe.

From Breitbart London, British politician Nigel Farage says that the British will be happy to once against have their old blue pre-E.U. passports.

From The Local FR, French police reopen the case of a British family who were murdered in the Alps five years ago.

From The Local CH, Switzerland opens a humanitarian office in Damascus.

From The Times Of India, a Muslim cleric in Kerala tells doctors to avoid the Red Cross symbol.  (I'm pretty sure that Muslim medical personnel may use the Red Crescent instead.)

From the Express, the E.U. will not accept Catalonia as a member, if the region breaks away from Spain.

From National Review, "the ten best movies of 2017".

From Townhall, the federal government releases immigrant crime data.

From the Washington Examiner, over 30 percent of all federal prisoners are illegal aliens.

From the New York Post, the Australian run-'em-over terrorist explains his motives.

From CNN, the U.N. Security Council adopts new sanctions on North Korea.

And from Page Six, an old friend of Mr. Bill now has her own strain of weed.