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Shortbread


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Not to be confused with Shortcake.



Fully cooked shortbread rounds on a baking sheet.Shortbread is a type of unleavened biscuit (cookie) which is traditionally made from one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three parts oatmeal flour. The use of plain white (wheat) flour is common today, and other ingredients like ground rice or cornflour are sometimes added to alter the texture.



Shortbread is so named because of its crumbly texture (from an old meaning of the word short). The cause of this texture is its high fat content, provided by the butter. The short or crumbly texture is a result of the fact that the fat inhibits the formation of long protein (gluten) strands. The related word "shortening" refers to any fat that may be added to produce a short (crumbly) texture.[1]



Shortbread is different from shortcake, which can be similar to shortbread, but which can be made using vegetable fat instead of butter and always uses a chemical leavening agent such as baking powder, which gives it a different texture.



Shortbread biscuits are often associated with normal egg-based biscuits, but they hold their shape under pressure, making them ideal for packed meals.



Contents [hide]

1 Baking procedure

2 Shapes

3 Cultural associations

4 History of shortbread

5 References



[edit] Baking procedure

Shortbread is baked at a low temperature to avoid browning. When cooked, it is nearly white, or a light golden brown. It may be sprinkled with more sugar while cooling. It may even be crumbly before cooled, but will become firmer after cooling.



[edit] Shapes



Shortbread fingersShortbread is traditionally formed into one of three shapes: one large circle, which is divided into segments as soon as it is taken out of the oven (petticoat tails, named from the French petits cotés, a pointed biscuit eaten with wine[2]); individual round biscuits (shortbread rounds); or a thick (¾" or 2 cm) oblong slab cut into fingers.



The stiff dough retains its shape well during cooking. The biscuits are often patterned, usually with the tines of a fork before cooking or with a springerle-type cookie mold. Shortbread is also sometimes shaped in hearts and other shapes for special occasions. The classic Girl Scout cookie "Trefoils" are shortbread in the shape of the Girl Scout trefoil logo.



[edit] Cultural associations

Shortbread is generally associated with and originated in Scotland, but due to its popularity it is also made in the remainder of the United Kingdom, and other countries like Denmark, Ireland and Sweden. In the latter a popular recipe of it is called drömmar, literally meaning dreams. The Scottish version is the best-known, and Walkers Shortbread Ltd is Scotland's largest food exporter.[3]



Shortbread was chosen as the United Kingdom's representative for Café Europe during the 2006 Austrian presidency of the European Union.



Scottish chef John Quigley, of Glasgow's Red Onion, describes shortbread as "the jewel in the crown" of Scottish baking.[4]



[edit] History of shortbread

Shortbread is a classic Scottish dessert that consists of three basic ingredients: flour, sugar, and butter. This dessert resulted from medieval biscuit bread, which was a twice baked, enriched bread roll dusted with sugar and spices and hardened into a soft and sweetened biscuit called a Rusk. Eventually, yeast from the original Rusk recipe was replaced by butter, which was becoming more of a staple in the British Isles. Despite the fact that shortbread was prepared during much of the 12th century, the refinement of shortbread was actually accredited to Mary, Queen of Scots, in the 16th century. The name of one of the most famous and most traditional forms of shortbread, petticoat tails, were named by Queen Mary. This type of shortbread was baked, cut into triangular wedges, flavored with caraway seeds. Shortbread was expensive and reserved as a luxury for special occasions such as Christmas, Hogmanay (Scottish New Year’s Eve), and weddings. In Shetland, it is traditional to break a decorated shortbread cake over the head of a new bride on the entrance of her new house.[

Recipes
http://www.quick-easy-recipes.com/shortbread_cookie_recipes.html

do you go to work?

Mohandas Dewese (born August 8, 1962), better known as Kool Moe Dee, is an American Hip Hop MC prominent in the late 1970s through the early 1990s. He was born in Manhattan, New York. He was one of the first rappers to earn a Grammy Award and was the first rapper to perform at the Grammys.




Contents [hide]

1 Early career

2 Solo career

3 Feud with LL Cool J

4 Other appearances

5 2009 Comeback

6 Acting career

7 Discography

8 Appears On

9 References

10 External links



[edit] Early career

In the late 1970s, Kool Moe Dee met Special K, DJ Easy Lee, and LA Sunshine to form the influential old school hip hop group the Treacherous Three on Enjoy Records. It was with The Treacherous Three in 1981 that Kool Moe Dee performed his freestyle on-stage roast of old school party rapper Busy Bee Starski, a performance frequently cited as a pivotal moment in the development of the battle rap.[1] Kool Moe Dee attended Norman Thomas High School on 33rd and Park Avenue in New York City and was known as a quiet eccentric young man always holding a pen and a pad ready to write his rhymes. In 1981, they moved to Sugar Hill Records along with another Enjoy Records act Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The Treacherous Three became well known for their singles Feel the Heart Beat and Whip It. They were featured in the 1984 breakdance cult-movie Beat Street performing the song Xmas Rap with Doug E. Fresh but disbanded shortly afterwards.



[edit] Solo career

In 1985 the Treacherous Three disbanded with each member pursuing solo careers. After leaving the group he attended college in NY and received a degree in communications. In 1986, Kool Moe Dee went solo, releasing a self-titled album, which ranked 83 on Billboard. He co-operated with the young producer Teddy Riley which contributed greatly to the New Jack Swing movement that would gain popularity in the years to follow. Kool Moe Dee released his second album, How Ya Like Me Now which was his most successful album commercially, achieving platinum status. He then went on to release his third album, Knowledge Is King in 1989, which went Gold. The single from this album, "I Go To Work" is considered by some to be the pinnacle of his work, with high speed delivery and superior lyrical content. He was chosen in 1990 to appear on Quincy Jones' album Back on the Block along with fellow rappers Melle Mel, Big Daddy Kane and Ice T. The album gained considerable critical and financial success and winning the 1991 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. In 1991 the release of his album Funke, Funke Wisdom signaled his downfall and eventual decline. Moe Dee himself has stated that this was his worst album(1). He induced his release from Jive Records in 1992. After a two year lay off he released his greatest hits album which gained some of his former success and acclaim. In 1994 his album Interlude was released and failed to gain Moe Dee much of his former success on the mid 80's. In 1993 he re-united with his fellow ex members of the Treacherous Three to release the album Old School Flava on DJ EasyLee's record label Ichiban. His last commercial release was the single Love Love/What You Wanna Do which was released onSpoiled Brat Entertainment inc'.



[edit] Feud with LL Cool J

Main article: LL Cool J vs. Kool Moe Dee feud

Kool Moe Dee is perhaps most well known for his long running rivalry with fellow New York rapper LL Cool J. He, among other rappers such as MC Shan, claimed that LL had stolen their rap styles. He also felt that LL was disrespecting the reigning MCs at the time, himself, Melle Mel and Grandmaster Caz by proclaiming that he was the greatest without paying due respects to those who came before him. He challenged LL on his platinum selling album How Ya Like Me Now on the single of the same name. He also took a shot at LL by appearing on the album cover with a jeep in the background with the wheel crushing one of LL's trademark red Kangol hats. The feud continued on with both MCs proclaiming themselves the victor.



[edit] Other appearances

Kool Moe Dee appeared on Will Smith's #1 pop hit "Wild Wild West" from Smith's 1999 motion picture, Wild Wild West, on which he re-performs the chorus to his 1988 single also named "Wild Wild West".



In 2003 he authored a book called There's a God on the Mic (ISBN 1-56025-533-1), which breaks down his 50 favorite MCs in terms of originality, concepts, versatility, vocabulary, substance, flow, flavor, freestyle, vocal presence, live performance, poetic value, body of work, industry impact, social impact, longevity, lyrics and battle skills, where he ranked himself as number #5, ahead of MCs such as The GZA, and Tupac (ironically, he placed LL Cool J at #7, despite the past beef that the two had, even referring to him as an "unbreakable master").



In 2007 he appeared on the remix of Nas' "Where are They Now", with fellow old-school artists. On his Myspace page he has released some new tracks and a video to accompany one of the songs. He also appeared on the Ice T track "Fight Club" and re-recorded several of his more popular songs.



In 2008 he took the job of hosting a new Hip Hop talk show called SpitFire with Kool Mo Dee. The show contains discussion on issues relating to both Hip Hop culture and general issues that affect the world. Each show has a different panel of guests, including Xzibit, Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz, DMC, and many others. The show is broadcast on www.iamhiphop.com.



[edit] 2009 Comeback

In a recent interview with houseofhiphop.nl, Kool Moe Dee stated that he would be releasing a new album in 2009.[2] He has also confirmed that he is releasing a new album in an interview with Davey D on 9 October where he stated that he has "cracked what should be expected from a 40 plus MC".[3]



[edit] Acting career

Kool Moe Dee had a brief cameo appearance in the movie Wild Style and appeared in the film Beat Street with the Treacherous Three and Doug E. Fresh. Since then, he has appeared in a total of 17 Movies and TV shows as an actor and 21 as himself. He also had a role as a bartender in Crossroads with Britney Spears.



[edit] Discography

Year Title Sales[4] Chart positions[5]

Billboard 200 Top R&B/Hip hop albums

1986 Kool Moe Dee 83 23

1987 How Ya Like Me Now Platinum 35 4

1989 Knowledge Is King Gold 25 2

1991 Funke, Funke Wisdom – 72 19

1993 Greatest Hits – – –

1994 Interlude – – –

1995 Jive Collection Vol. 2 – – –

2010 TBA – – –



[edit] Appears On

The Isley Brothers "Come Together" on the album Spend the Night (Warner Bros - 1988)

Quincy Jones w/ Melle Mel & Big Daddy Kane & Ice-T "Back On the Block" from the album Back on the Block (Qwest Records - 1989)

Quincy Jones w/ Ice T, Big Daddy Kane "Jazz Corner of the World" from the album Back on the Block (Qwest Records - 1989)

Stop the Violence Movement "Self Destruction" (Jive/ RCA Records - 1989)

HEAL w/ various artists Civilization Vs. Technology (Elektra - 1991)

Zebrahead "Good Time" from the album Zebrahead Soundtrack (Ruffhouse - 1992)

CB4 w/ Daddy-O & Hi-C "Rapper's Delight" CB4 Soundtrack (MCA - 1993)

Regina Belle "Tango In Paris" from the album Passion (Columbia - 1993)

Babydol "I Want You Back" (Miracle - 1993)

"Keep It Real" from the album Raiders Of the Lost Art (Scotti Bros - 1994)

w/ Treacherous Three "Raiders Of the Lost Art" from the album Raiders Of the Lost Art (Scotti Bros - 1994)

Animaniacs Hip-Opera Christmas (Rhino - 1997)

The Spinners "I'll Be Around" from the album At Their Best (Intersound - 1999)

"I Go To Work" from the album Bad Boy Bill's Vocal Mix" (Jive - 1999)

Will Smith w/ Dru Hill "Wild Wild West" from the album Willenium (Columbia - 1999)

Pablo "Next Level" (Howlin - 2003)

Nas w/ various artists "Where Are They Now (80's Remix)" (Ill Will Records - 2007)

Ice-T "Darc Fight Club" EP also features "Revolution" 2009

[edit] References

1.^ A Bridge Between Two Eras: Kool Moe Dee as the Sole Survivor

2.^ http://www.houseofhiphop.nl/?action=VIEW_MORE&ID=147

3.^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw-qqWNU8Og

4.^ "RIAA certification". RIAA. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Kool%20Moe%20De&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 2007-11-18.

5.^ "Albums chart history". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p58. Retrieved 2007-11-18.

[edit] External links

Link to Kool Moe Dee's book "There's A God On The Mic" on Amazon

Discogs entry

Lyrics transcriptions from OHHLA.com

IMDB Beat Street entry

SpitFire with Kool Moe Dee, a new talk show only on IAMHIPHOP.com

"Kool Moe Dee (aka: Dr Media) Leads Industry Therapy" NYU Stern video

Persondata

Name Kool Moe Dee

Alternative names

Short description

Date of birth 1962-08-08

Place of birth

Date of death

Place of death

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kool_Moe_Dee"

Categories: African American rappers
Rappers from New York City
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nfs pro street

Cheat: Make Money


If you want to make lots of money easily, try the following multi-step technique. Keep in mind that this can be repeated over and over again for as much money as you want.



•1.) Start up the game and load your career profile.

•2.) Head to the in-game cheats menu, and insert the UNLOCKALLTHINGS cheat.

•3.) With the bonus unlocked, go ahead and save your career.

•4.) Reload your career and head to the garage. The code should have unlocked several new, expensive cars.

•5.) Sell the bonus cars you received for a quick $90,000+.



V Raptor V47Cheat: Cheat List

Insert the following passwords into the in-game codes menu for the desired result.



•1MA9X99 - Receive $2,000

•1MI9K7E1 - Receive $10,000

•CASHMONEY - Receive $10,000

•CASTROLSYNTEC - Unlock Castrol Syntec Vinyl

•COKEZERO - Unlock Coke Zero Golf GTI

•ENERGIZERLITHIUM - Unlock bonus vinyls

•HORSEPOWER - Unlock Chevelle SS

•ITSABOUTYOU - Unlock Audi TT

•L1IS97A1 - Receive $8,000

•LEIPZIG - Unlock Progressive Bonus Vinyl

•MITSUBISHIGOFAR - Unlock Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

•REGGAME - Receive $10,000

•SAFETYNET - Receive five Repair Tokens

•UNLOCKALLTHINGS - Unlock Nissan 240 SX, Pontiac GTO, Chevy Cobalt SS, and Dodge Viper SRT 10

•W2IOLL01 - Receive $4,000

•WORLDSLONGESTLASTING - Unlock Dodge Viper SRT10

•ZEROZEROZERO - Unlock Coke Zero Golf GTI

midnight club LA PS3 and cheats

Midnight Club: Los Angeles (often shortened to Midnight Club: L.A. or MCLA) is the fourth video game in the Midnight Club series of racing video games, not including Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix. It was officially announced for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on May 16, 2008 by Rockstar Games. The game was developed by Rockstar San Diego. The game features 43 cars and 3 motorcycles.[2] The open world map of Los Angeles is confirmed to be the size of all three cities from the previous installment combined.[3][4] It has also been confirmed by several sources that each car has a polygon count of roughly 100,000.[5] After several delays, Midnight Club: Los Angeles was released on October 21, 2008 in North America and on October 24, 2008 in the PAL region.




Contents [hide]

1 Plot

2 Gameplay

3 Online features

4 Social Club

5 Reception

6 Updates, expansion, and downloadable content

7 Los Angeles landmarks

8 Complete Edition

9 Midnight Club: L.A. Remix

10 References

11 External links

[edit] Plot



The main character of Midnight Club: Los AngelesA man from the East Coast moves to Los Angeles. The character, known only as "Player", takes a major role in the game. In the intro of the game, he is on the phone with the, unknown at the time, Los Angeles City Champ, Booke, telling him to meet at a fast-food restaurant named Carney's Express Limited. He hooks the protagonist character up with three cars, one to pick, in the beginning of the game: a 1998 Nissan 240SX, 1983 Volkswagen Golf GTI, or 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco.



Once you have built up enough of a reputation, you gain the ability to become Champ of the City and of each car type. The first one that is offered is becoming City Champ. At a point in the game, Karol calls telling you about Booke being back as City Champ. When you go talk to Booke, he tells you to race regional opponents to see if you can race against him. After you beat them, Booke calls saying he is impressed, and to meet him at the Standard Hotel for a race which ends up being the City Champ race vs. Booke and one of the final races on Career mode. When you win, not only do you become City Champ, but other championship races open. Once you win against the lesser opponents, the Champs of all five vehicle classes in the game challenge you. The characters are Oswaldo, Julian, Lester, Pete, Marcel.



After you become City Champ, Karol calls and has a proposition. He asks you to get $1 million dollars to help co-own his two garages with him for his business. In return, he lets you have anything in the garages for free. This proposition also affects Doc's South Central garage although the game does not mention it.



After the character has completed 100% in LA in the PSP version, an unknown man somehow has reached his cell number, and calls saying that he wants to meet him at the Los Angeles International Airport on "his flight to Tokyo" then the character says "You talking about the Mid Night Club?" After the call, the Tokyo career and map can be accessed in Midnight Club: L.A Remix.



[edit] Gameplay



The main character in a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.The game is set in the city of Los Angeles, again providing the option to completely free-roam (in an open world environment larger than all the three cities combined from the previous game, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition). New additions are a 24 hour day-to-night cycle, weather effects and traffic with licensed vehicles, adding a realistic aspect to the game. After races, if any damage is inflicted upon the vehicle, the player doesn't necessarily have to drive back to the garage for a full repair, but instead can choose the Quick Fix option through which old, junkyard-esque parts will be added to the car. To get the nice look back, the player must actually drive back to repair their vehicle at a garage or at a gas station, so totaling the car is only possible within a single race or event. With the RAGE system being used for this game, traffic levels fluctuate throughout the day, with heavy traffic in the morning and afternoon, and little traffic at night. Motorcycles are again part of the game, including the Ducati 999R and the hyper sport bike, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14. Convertible cars, customizable interiors, in-game photo mode, and customizable exotics are all new additions.



The game is said to be the longest of the 4, with more than 10 different types of races including series races, tournaments, pink slip races, and even freeway races, there is always plenty to do. You even have options. For each race you must drive to the start line or racer which adds to why the game takes so long to beat. The races also have different difficulties. Easy, medium, hard, and hardest. The difficulties are color-coded with green being easy, yellow being medium, orange being hard, and red being hardest. Each difficulty race has greater rewards than the latter.



The Special Abilities options have also been brought into the game (a returning feature from the previous installment), which include EMP, when activated will disable the electronics of every vehicle around the player; Agro, when activated will make the player's vehicle indestructible giving him the ability to plow through traffic without slowing the car down; Roar, when activated will send out a sound wave moving traffic out of the player's way for a clear and straight path through the streets; Zone, when activated will slow down time allowing the player to get between that tough gap in the traffic or letting you get around that sharp corner without losing too much speed. The previous installment had limited which type of car could get that special ability, but all cars in this game can now have any one of the special abilities, that the player chooses. The abilities can also be changed at any time the player feels.



Police return but are no longer scripted to a specific race; they will chase the player no matter where the player is and the longer the player runs from them, the higher the fine will be if the character is arrested.[6] Developers placed great emphasis on the elimination of load screens, stating that the player can literally jump from career mode to an online race in under ten seconds. The new dynamic weather system has been reported to alter the gameplay experience, making the vehicle more prone to sliding in the rain.



[edit] Online features

Online play supports 16 players at once and a number of new modes will be introduced including, Keep Away where the player must hold the flag as long as he can and Stockpile in which there are numerous flags to be captured. New online power-ups mentioned include Mirror (will reflect any power-up fired at the player back to the person who fired it), Agro (will act the same as the offline special ability, increasing the players vehicle weight and enabling them to crash through other vehicles without taking damage or slowing down), and Random (gives the player a random power-up). A new aspect entitled "Rate My Ride" is also to be introduced, where the players can go online to view vehicles that other players have created.[7]



PlayStation Network trophies are also included, with a total of 46 trophies to be won.[8]



[edit] Social Club

Main article: Rockstar Games Social Club

Midnight Club: Los Angeles is a part of Rockstar's Social Club and includes features that track the stats of the player's driving and potentially award them with various in-game content such as hydraulics, TIS rims, and the Audi R8.[9] In order to obtain these rewards, players must fulfill certain requirements to achieve their C-License, their B-License, and A-License. Once each license is acquired, a new reward is obtained. Players can also view their in-game Rate A Ride vehicle's rating, rate other player's vehicles, view their statistics and compare them with other players, view online leaderboards, and upload and share in-game photos. The Social Club also hosts Online Tournaments that award prizes to winning entrants.



[edit] Reception

[hide] Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator Score

GameRankings 83/100 [10]

Metacritic 82/100 [11]

Review scores

Publication Score

1UP.com A-

Famitsu 33/40

Game Informer 9/10

GamePro 4/5

GameSpot 7.5/10

GameSpy 4.5/5

GameTrailers 8.7/10

IGN 8.5/10

Official PlayStation Magazine (UK) 9/10

PSM 9/10

PSM3 9.3/10



Midnight Club: Los Angeles received generally favorable reviews from critics. Most reviews praise the game's detailed depiction of Los Angeles, great amount of depth and multiplayer options, consistent frame-rate, stylish presentation, and varied soundtrack. The areas that were criticized included the clichéd characters, slow texture loading when players start up the game and unbalanced difficulty.[12]



Game Informer magazine editor Matt Helgeson gave it a 9/10, praising the game by saying "Midnight Club: Los Angeles is just what the doctor ordered: a fun, fast racing experience with enough content to keep you playing for months." They also praised the virtual recreation of the map of Los Angeles by saying, "The cityscape is amazing. The level of detail and the sheer amount of roadway to tear up seems limitless..." Editor Andrew Reiner in his Second Opinion also gave it a 9/10 saying, "In Midnight Club: Los Angeles, developer Rockstar San Diego transforms the bumper-to-bumper crawl of Los Angeles' street life into a roaring blur of rubber and metal, making this unlikely venue for one of video games' most enjoyable circuits."[13]



IGN gave it 8.5/10 and an Editor's Choice Award by saying, "Midnight Club: Los Angeles is a great racing experience with a few mars on its paint job. The cars handle fantastically, the city is nearly perfect, the GPS stuff is awesome and customizing your ride is great." They also address the difficulty by saying, "...but don't expect an easy time on the streets."[14]



GameSpy gave the game a 4.5/5 and an Editor's Choice Award, praising the game by saying, "The original open-world street racer leaves the competition in the dust." They also said, "And speed is the name of the game. MCLA's sense of velocity is breathtaking. The graphics are practically photorealistic..." They also addressed the difficulty by saying, "Single-player learning curve can be a bit steep." In conclusion they said, "...there's much more than enough game here to justify the price tag. If you invest the time in tricking out your ride and mastering the more challenging difficulty levels, you'll be rewarded with an adrenaline rush that you won't find anywhere else."[15]



[edit] Updates, expansion, and downloadable content

Since its release the game has had multiple updates and downloadable content releases.



The first update released on December 9, 2008 included improved AI balance to better adjust to players skill level, the cops are improved, and the Xbox 360 got additional leaderboard support for tournaments on Rockstar Social Club. Also part of the update was an additional online game mode called "Modes", where the user could choose to go to a lobby to play various race and flag modes instead of just one specific mode, aside from cruise mode.[16]



The most recent update is entitled the South Central Upgrade And Content Pack, and it includes a whole new area of the map, South Central LA, about a third of the size of the current map, for free. Players are also able to purchase the pack which includes new character competitions, races, music and cars available in a single complete package. New vehicles include various cars and, for the first time in the game, SUVs. The content was originally scheduled to release on March 12, but delayed to March 19 with no comment from Rockstar.[17] Problems occurred on March 19, when trying to release it on Xbox Live and delayed for a second time. It was also stated that additional car packs will be released in the future, but on March 27 Rockstar accidentally put the vehicle packs on Xbox Live. They were removed from the marketplace later that day and anybody who was downloading it at that time was asked to stop. On January 14, 2009, the content pack was accidentally released on the Xbox Live Marketplace during its testing and approval phase by Microsoft. It was then removed and anyone who was able to obtain it was asked to delete it because it may cause unforeseen problems with achievements and save data, according to a Xbox Live Marketplace staff member. On March 23, there was an event posting on Xbox Live Events for Midnight Club: Los Angeles South Central scheduled for March 29, but later that day it was removed from the events section. Rockstar then put a new post up on the Midnight Club: Los Angeles website on March 30 saying that the event was to be on April 4. On March 27, both the South Central Expansion and Premium Pack were released on the Xbox Live Marketplace for download. On 23 April the second vehicle pack was released on Xbox Live and PSN which included 4 new vehicles 2008 Cadillac XLR V, 2008 Lancer Evolution X and an extra motorcycle (the new fastest one on the game), the 2008 Ducati 1098 R. An area of particular interest is a phone message the player receives if all cars, including the DLC cars, have been acquired. The message says "more high performance cars coming soon". This message can be displayed when a player continually enters and exits any garage. On October 22, Rockstar released a free "police car pack" on the PlayStation Network. This gives the players the ability to race using 5 different types of police vehicles and gives players the ability to avoid the police while cruising or racing.[18] On October 10, the police car pack was released on the Xbox 360 marketplace. However, the police will pursue the player if they are caught street racing.Strangely though,if the player turns on the siren while street racing,the police won't pursue the player.



[edit] Los Angeles landmarks

The game is a compacted, but not necessarily street-accurate depiction of Los Angeles, but it features a lot of Los Angeles landmarks which include:



Capitol Records Tower

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Griffith Observatory

Hollywood Sign

Getty Center

Los Angeles City Hall

Grauman's Chinese Theatre

Santa Monica Third Street Promenade

Santa Monica Place

Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica City Hall

Chateau Marmont Hotel

La Brea Tar Pits

Watts Towers

Carney's restaurant

Pink's Hot Dogs restaurant

Standard Hotel

Fox Village Theater

U.S. Bank Tower

Aon Center

Gas Company Tower

Millennium Biltmore Hotel

AT&T Center

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Westin Bonaventure Hotel

Crossroads of the World

Los Angeles California Temple

Staples Center (titled "Sports Center" in the game)

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Pershing Square

Rodeo Drive

Beverly Wilshire Hotel

Los Angeles River Basin

Los Angeles Convention Center

Fox Plaza (aka Die Hard building)

The Roxy nightclub

Viper Room nightclub

The Beverly Hills Hotel

Beverly Hills Civic Center

Paramount Studios

UCLA campus

University of Southern California campus

Exposition Park

The Forum

Baldwin Hills Oil Field

Los Angeles International Airport (from a distance)

Whisky a Go Go nightclub

MacArthur Park

Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza

Ventura Boulevard

Los Angeles Public Library

Aerospace Museum of California

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art

Pantages Theater

Roosevelt Hotel

Union Station

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (titled "South Central Coliseum" in the game)

[edit] Complete Edition



The Midnight Club: Los Angeles Complete Edition cover art in EuropeOn October 12, 2009, Rockstar Games released the Midnight Club: Los Angeles - Complete Edition as a PlayStation 3 Greatest Hit / Platinum and a Xbox 360 Platinum Hit.[19] This version of the game includes the main game and all of the previously available downloadable content on the disc.



Included in the Complete Edition:



Core game

South Central

Map Expansion

Premium Upgrade

Vehicle Pack #1

Vehicle Pack #2

Police Car Pack

More Licensed Music

New Vinyl Packages

[edit] Midnight Club: L.A. Remix



Logo for the PSP versionMidnight Club: L.A. Remix is a portable version of Midnight Club: Los Angeles, which was announced by Rockstar Games on April 21, 2008 for PlayStation Portable. The game was released on October 21, 2008 in North America and on October 24, 2008 in the PAL region.[20]



The game features only a portion of Los Angeles, using the same map from Midnight Club II. Making up for this, the game features another playable city, Tokyo, which uses the same map from Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix. Unlike the console version, the police do not chase the player in "Cruise" mode. However, the player can get caught after running from the police for a long period of time, and eventually getting boxed in, and getting no fine. Also unlike the console version, Midnight Club: L.A. Remix does not feature cut scenes. Also,the cars in the game have been split up meaning that one half of the cars can be used in Los Angeles while the other half can be used in Tokyo, the bikes aren't split as all three can be used in Los Angeles and Tokyo.



[edit] References

1.^ a b [1]

2.^ "Full Cars List". Midnight Club Los Angeles. http://www.rockstargames.com/midnightclubLA/cars/.

3.^ "GC 2007: Midnight Club: Los Angeles Preview". IGN. http://ps3.ign.com/articles/814/814933p1.html.

4.^ "Midnight Club: Los Angeles Review". IGN. http://ps3.ign.com/articles/921/921784p1.html.

5.^ "Now in broad daylight and looking very, very cool". HEXUS.gaming. http://gaming.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=9706.

6.^ "Midnight Club Los Angeles Hands On". http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=203314.

7.^ "Midnight Club Los Angeles Online". http://previews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/2124/Midnight-Club-Los-Angeles/p3/.

8.^ "Trophies: Midnight Club: Los Angeles". Joystiq. http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/09/30/trophies-midnight-club-los-angeles.html.

9.^ "ROCKSTAR GAMES SOCIAL CLUB". Rockstar Games. http://socialclub.rockstargames.com.

10.^ "GameRankings: Midnight Club: Los Angeles". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/939534.asp. Retrieved 2008-11-10.

11.^ "MetaCritic: Midnight Club: Los Angeles". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/midnightclublosangeles?q=Midnight%20Club%20Los%20Angeles. Retrieved 2008-11-10.

12.^ "Midnight Club: Los Angeles review (PS3/X360)". Boomtown. http://ps2.boomtown.net/en_uk/articles/art.view.php?id=16971.

13.^ Matt Helgeson. "Back To The Streets". Game Informer. http://gameinformer.com/games/midnight_club_los_angeles/b/xbox360/archive/2009/09/23/review.aspx. Retrieved 2009-02-05.

14.^ Chris Roper. "IGN: Midnight Club: Los Angeles Review". IGN. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/921/921813p1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-05.

15.^ "GameSpy: Midnight Club: Los Angeles Review". GameSpy. http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/midnight-club-los-angeles/921988p1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-05.

16.^ "Midnight Club: Los Angeles Update arrives". Gaming Nexus. http://www.gamingnexus.com/FullNews/Midnight-Club-Los-Angeles-Update-arrives/Item10857.aspx.

17.^ "Midnight Club: Los Angeles South Central Delayed". http://xbox.joystiq.com/2009/03/11/midnight-clubs-south-central-dlc-delayed-a-week/. Retrieved 2009-03-13.

18.^ "Midnight Club LA Police Car Pack (free via PSN)". Gaming Nexus. http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=racing&thread.id=223689.

19.^ http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/18/amazon-lists-midnight-club-los-angeles-complete-edition-for-p

20.^ "Rockstar Games announces release date for Midnight Club: Los Angeles on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system along with Midnight Club: L.A. Remix for the PSP". Take-Two Interactive. http://ir.take2games.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=305565.

•Cheat mode


Find the indicated numbers of hidden Rockstar barrels (collectables) to unlock the corresponding cheat option. Note: Enabling a cheat will stop your progress in Career mode and disable the earning of money and reputation from races.



Unlimited Nitro: 10 barrels

Never Damage Out: 20 barrels

Unlimited Special Abilities: 30 barrels

Top Down View: 40 barrels

No Police: 50 barrels

No Fines: 60 barrels



•Infinite money

Successfully complete Career mode.



•Karol Garage partner mission

Get the "Idol" rank (33,500 Reputation) to unlock the Karol Garage partner mission.



•Hydraulics and air bags

To unlock hydraulics and air bags, you must join the Rockstar Social Club, link to your online profile, then complete four of the twelve "Driving Test" achievements listed on the website. Doing so will unlock hydraulics/air bags for your online profile, even if you completely restart the game. If you already have four of the achievements completed, just joining the Rockstar Social Club and linking your online profile will unlock the hydraulics and air bags.



•Vehicle groups

Reach the indicated rank to unlock the corresponding vehicle group:



Group 2: Get the "Student Driver" rank (2,000 Reputation).

Group 3: Get the "Racer" rank (8,060 Reputation).

Group 4: Get the "Champion" rank (16,500 Reputation).



•Performance upgrades

Reach the indicated rank to unlock the corresponding performance upgrade:



Level 1 Performance upgrades for Group 1 vehicles: Get the "Navigator" rank (800 Reputation).

Level 1 Performance upgrades for Group 2 vehicles: Get the "Driver" rank (5,600 Reputation).

Level 1 Performance upgrades for Group 3 vehicles: Get the "Elite Racer" rank (13,700 Reputation).

Level 1 Performance upgrades for Group 4 vehicles: Get the "Savant" rank (22,760 Reputation).

Level 2 Performance upgrades for Group 1 vehicles: Get the "Rookie" rank (3,610 Reputation).

Level 2 Performance upgrades for Group 2 vehicles: Get the "Veteran" rank (10,760 Reputation).

Level 2 Performance upgrades for Group 3 vehicles: Get the "Legend" rank (19,540 Reputation).

Level 2 Performance upgrades for Group 4 vehicles: Get the "Hero" rank (26,160 Reputation).



•Custom items

Participate in the indicated number of races for a specific vehicle class to unlock the corresponding item that can be customized for that particular class (Tuners, Muscles, Luxury, Exotics, or Superbikes):



Blowers: 45 races

Car headlights: 36 races

Car spoilers: 18 races

Car stereos: 27 races

Exhausts: 45 races

Front bumpers: 9 races

Front seats: 27 races

Hoods: 36 races

Intercoolers: 45 races

Motorcycle bowls: 36 races

Motorcycle tails: 18 races

Motorcycle tanks: 27 races

Post gauges: 27 races

Rear bumpers: 18 races

Skirts: 9 races

Steering wheels: 27 races

Taillights: 36 races

Widebody kits: 45 races



•Easy rank and money

Go to Arcade mode, and set the AI to "Easy", traffic to "None", and disable power-ups. To earn money, make sure you do not finish in last place.



•Getting rid of police

Use the following trick to get rid of the police when doing a race. Finish the race, and enable the "No Police" cheat, then turn it off again. The police will disappear, and it will not have any effect on what you do afterward.



•Catching freeway racer

When you see a red target far away on the map, enable the "No Damage" and "Unlimited Nitro" cheats to reach them quickly. Then, turn off both cheats once you are about to race him to keep your reputation and money intact.



•Trophies

Successfully complete one of the following tasks to get a trophy:



Streaker (Bronze): Win 5 races in a row offline.

Neither Bird nor Plane (Bronze): Travel 1020 feet in a single jump.

Wanted Man (Bronze): Pull over while the police are in 'pull over' mode, then drive away during the ticketing cutscene.

Out On Bail (Bronze): Evade the police successfully when they are in pursuit.

The Basics (Bronze): Complete one of the missions you receive in the mission log.

Paparazzi (Bronze): Save 16 photos to your photo album.

What's a Speed Limit? (Bronze): Win 15 dynamic freeway races.

Saving Los Angeles (Bronze): Enter the Race Editor, create a race, and then save it.

Where in the World? (Bronze): Find half of the collectables in Los Angeles.

Winning With Less (Bronze): Win 10 races on a motorcycle.

Hear me Roar! (Bronze): Unlock Level 3 Roar.

Anger Management (Bronze): Unlock Level 3 Agro.

Zoning Out (Bronze): Unlock Level 3 Zone.

Go on Green (Bronze): Win 15 Red Light Races.

Uncle Time (Bronze): Finish the first mission for each of the 4 time trials.

Father Time (Bronze): Completely unlock a time trial by completing all 3 missions.

Getting Off the Bench (Bronze): Enter an online cruise and join a proposed race.

Who Made This? (Bronze): Enter a Race Editor Race online.

Turn in the Work (Bronze): Submit a vehicle to Rate My Ride.

Everyone's a Critic (Bronze): Rate 25 rides online.

Crossing the Line (Bronze): Finish 50 races online.

Mild Dedication (Bronze): In Goal Attack, complete every goal for one race.

Jordan Jumpman (Bronze): Spend more than 10 minutes in the air. Brought to you by jordan brand.

Set To Stun (Bronze): Unlock Level 3 EMP.

T-Mobile myFaves (Bronze): Join an online game with 5 of your friends. Stay Connected with MyFaves from T-Mobile.

Unicycle (Silver): Drive a cumulative total of 50 miles while doing a wheelie on a motorcycle.

Just Get A Motorcycle (Silver): In a car, drive a cumulative total of 50 miles on 2 wheels.

Destroyer of Worlds (Silver): Successfully destroy 15 opponent vehicles using the Payback vehicle at the Beaches garage.

Here for a Pickup (Silver): Successfully deliver 15 vehicles out of the Hollywood garage.

Competitive Glory (Silver): Win each of the 4 tournaments at least one time.

In the Lap of… (Silver): Beat the Luxury Champ.

Name that Tuner (Silver): Beat the Tuner Champ.

World's Strongest (Silver): Beat the Muscle Champ.

Two Wheels of Fury (Silver): Beat the Motorcycle Champ.

How Exotic (Silver): Beat the Exotic Champ.

Have Car, Will Travel (Silver): Drive a total of 5,000 miles, including any miles driven online or offline.

Rags To Riches (Silver): Have $1 million dollars in the bank while playing in Los Angeles.

The Winner (Silver): Win 180 offline races.

Waldo's Still Missing (Silver): Find all the collectables in Los Angeles.

It's How You Play The Game (Silver): Finish 300 offline races. Winning is not required.

Retire the Master (Silver): Beat the City Champ.

Master Thief (Silver): Steal 80 flags while playing Capture the Flag or other battle matches.

Postman (Silver): Deliver 100 flags in Capture the Flag or other battle matches.

Ranking Up (Silver): Win 20 Tiered Matches online.

True Dedication (Gold): All Goal attacks must be unlocked and every goal for every race completed.

The Completist! (Platinum): Unlock the Platinum trophy by unlocking all other trophies.

Midnight Club 3 info and cheats

Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition is a racing game, developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games, and is the third game in the Midnight Club series. Like previous installments in the series, the game is an arcade-style racer and focuses on wild, high-speed racing, rather than realistic physics and driving characteristics. The name derived from a partnership between Rockstar and DUB Magazine, which features heavily in the game in the form of DUB-sponsored races and DUB-customized vehicles as prizes.



Players race through open world recreations of San Diego, Atlanta, and Detroit listening to 103 licensed music tracks that include hip-hop, rock, and more. The game features a number of graphical enhancements over previous installments, such as "speed smear", enhanced lighting effects, and the inclusion of flying road debris and particles coming into view after the player crashes into certain objects, or travels across particular stretches of road. There is also the ability to customize a player's vehicle. Other than modifying the external looks, the car's/truck's performance can also be improved, except for those in the 'A' Class of the game. However, Class A motorbikes' performance can be improved.

The game is currently not compatible with the Xbox 360.



Contents [hide]

1 Plot

1.1 San Diego

1.2 Atlanta

1.3 Detroit

2 Gameplay

3 Online mode

4 Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix

5 Reception

6 References

7 External links



[edit] Plot

[edit] San Diego

The player starts out in San Diego, by meeting Oscar, the mechanic of Six-One-Nine Customs, the most sophisticated tuning garage in San Diego, who will guide the player through the game. As the player advance by winning races, new body parts, paint jobs, customization options, and cars are unlocked.



The player begins with a choice of six cars: a 1964 Chevrolet Impala, a 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, a 2004 Dodge Neon SRT4, a 2004 Mitsubishi Eclipse, a Volkswagen Golf R32, or a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta (Remix added the option of a Scion tC). Additional cars can be won or bought as the game progresses.



There are 7 types of cars: Tuners, Luxury Sedans, SUVs/Trucks, Exotics, Muscle Cars, Sport Bikes, and Choppers. As the game continues, different clubs that drive a specific type of car will invite the player to race with them: American Royalty Car Club (Muscle Cars), Big Playas (SUVs/Trucks), By Invitation Only (Exotics), Chopper of America Bike Club (Choppers), Luxury Rollers (Luxury Cars), Original Riders (Racing Bikes) and Unbeatable Street Racers (Tuner Cars). If the player beats them, they unlock a special ability for that class. Tuners, Sport Bikes, Exotics, the Lexus SC430 and the Mercedes Benz SL500 get "Zone" (which essentially slows down time, allowing for more precise handling at high speed), Trucks/SUVs and Luxury Cars (except for the Lexus SC430 and Mercedes Benz SL500) get "Agro" (which makes the vehicle temporarily unstoppable, allowing it to plow through traffic and other obstables more easily), and Muscle Cars and Choppers get "Roar" (the only offensive ability, it launches a sonic wave that blows away anything in its path including traffic, opponents, and police vehicles).



Also, as the player progresses, he unlocks the other 2 available cities: Atlanta & the Motor City - Detroit (Remix also has Tokyo, which was directly copied from the Tokyo in Midnight Club 2).



After the player defeats all the starting racers early in the game, he ends up back at Six-One-Nine (one of three garages where vehicles can be customized), and Oscar tells him to meet his friend Phil in town, who is racing the player for his chopper. After the player wins, Oscar appears again, this time with the news that the American Royalty Car Club has challenged him. After the player beats them, the Luxury Rollers Car Club challenge him. After defeating the club, the player ends up back at Six-One-Nine and witnesses Oscar playfully arguing with a guy named Vince. Oscar mentions that he's been "Hearing a lot of crap about you", meaning that the player has been built a reputation as skilled driver. Oscar introduces the player to Vince, his Detroit counterpart, and says that there are some big time races in Atlanta that the player may be interested in, so he tells him to go to the shipping company (which is used to get from city to city) to make the trip.



[edit] Atlanta

The player arrives in a rather nice looking garage in Atlanta called "Apone Team Racing". The owner, Apone, introduces himself, but is distracted by his most prized procession: A 1964 Chevrolet Impala (the obsession over which apparently cost the man his marriage) that he customized and is constantly tinkering with. After that, the player exits, and a few racers challenge him. A tournament is also going on, and the prize is a "DUB'D-Out" 2004 Cadillac Escalade EXT. After defeating some racers and completing the tournament, the player ends up at Apone Team Racing, and Apone tells him that a street bike club called the Original Riders has challenged him. After that, the player races more individual drivers, and upon defeating them, Apone informs the player that an SUV club called the Big Players has challenged him. After completing tournaments and defeating all racers, Apone is back with more news: there are some serious races down in Detroit next week and he thinks it's a good idea for the player to check it out.



[edit] Detroit

The player arrives in Detroit and sees a familiar face, Vince. Remembering him, he welcomes the player to town and his shop. He later points to a Lamborghini Murciélago and says it's the prize to whatever car club turns out the best street racer. Some returning faces from Atlanta come to Detroit, including Roy and Angel, who are plot-affected racers but they are never seen or mentioned. The player races them a couple of times, as wells as the car clubs. Early in the player's Detroit career, a tournament is held and a 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline (as Oscar describes it "Just the car to win in Detroit!") is the prize. Upon defeating the racers, the player scores a challenge from the By Invitation Only Exotic Car Club. Defeating them unlocks "Zone" for Exotics and a Chrysler ME Four Twelve. At this point, the player races all drivers twice, and upon defeating them, is crowned the victor of the U.S. Champion Series. Afterwards, the player returns to Vince's and is rewarded the Lamborghini Murcielago from before. Vince says "It should be driven with respect and not by some San Diego swinger who thinks he's something.



[edit] Gameplay

There are five types of racing in the game.



In the Ordered Race, the player must race against multiple other racers, and drive through a sprint course marked by checkpoints, represented by Yellow/Orange flares and eventually reach the finishing line (that being a Red flare).



Circuits are similar, except the player must complete a certain number of laps on a circuit run. In Unordered races, there are Checkpoints scattered throughout the town, but they can be collected in any order before getting to the finish. This means the player must find the best order to collect the checkpoints.



Unordered Races are essentially the same as the Ordered Races, except that (as the name implies), the checkpoints do not need to be passed in order. It is up to the player to figure out the quickest route.



In the Autocross Races, the track is stripped of traffic, pedestrians, and police, and the streets are blocked in with barriers, meaning that the environment is less open that with other race types. The player must then complete the laps in the quickest time possible, having to beat a set time.



Track events are the same as Autocross, but the player competes against other racers inside the barricaded track instead of against the clock. This can mean racer-crowded, compact streets and the car will probably take more damage than a normal race as it will usually bump into the walls more than in open environment.



Players can also create their own races in the Race Editor where the player places down checkpoints within the city. Players can create either a circuit or sprint and can change the racing conditions such as traffic, weather, etc.



Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition is the first game in the series to include car modification - visual & under the hood. By winning races, the player unlocks new cars and options to customize them with. These options include enhancing the performance, adding vinyls and new paint jobs, and physically modifying the car, by changing parts such as wheels, bumpers, spoilers, neons, hoods, and engine components.



[edit] Online mode

The game includes an Online mode, where players can race with other players from all around the world. There are also many clubs available to join, but players can also start and manage their own.



Most offline modes are available for play online, while in online mode it's possible to chat in-game, including a cruise mode, capture the flag, circuit racing, ordered racing, unordered racing, tag, paint and autocross. Tracks created via the Race Editor offline can be used Online.



[edit] Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix



Cover art for Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition RemixMidnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix is an update to Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition. It is available as a Greatest Hits release on PlayStation 2 and a Platinum Hits release on Xbox. It was released on March 13, 2006.



The game features all of the cities, vehicles, and music from Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition. This version of the game also allows the player to import the Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition data on their Memory Card to Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition REMIX to make up for lost progress, thus saving the player from starting all over again. The following features were added in REMIX:



24 new vehicles (including some from brands not in the original version, such as GMC, Infiniti, Pagani, and Scion).

Tokyo, as a new city, which is a slightly updated version of the Tokyo city from Midnight Club II.

More licensed music.

More races and battle maps.

You're able to make your own races in all cities, including Tokyo.


CHEATS

Password Effect 

dfens     Special move Agro

getheadl      Bunny ears

roadtrip      Unlock all cities

ontheroad       No damage

allin      Special move Zone

R04r       Special move Roar

getheadj      Yelloew Smile

getheadk      Pumpkin Heads

haveyouseenthisboy      chrome body

trythisathome      flaming head

getheadm      snowman head

getheadn      skull head

crosscountry      All cities unlocked in arcade mode

urbansprawl       Faster pedestrians/All cities in arcade mode

hyperagro      Increase car mass in arcade mode

Get Ready For Christmas

• 12 days of Christmas

It is said that the traditional Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written as a secret teaching tool to instruct children in the meaning of the Christian faith. From 1558 to 1829 Roman Catholics in England were, apparently, forbidden from openly practicing their religion. So, this carol was devised to get the message across without upsetting the Protestants. Here is the broken code, thanks to this contribution from Guyneitha.

• History of Advent - origins & trivia

It cannot be determined with any degree of certainty when the celebration of Advent was first introduced into the Church. The preparation for the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord was not held before the feast itself existed.

One of the earliest references to Christmas being celebrated on December 25 appeared in Antioch in the middle of the second century. At that time, Christians were still persecuted. An official determination was made in the fourth century, when the Roman emperor Constantine embraced Christianity, thereby ensuring the legality of Christmas celebrations. The Council of Tours in 567 established the period of Advent as a time of fasting before Christmas. They also proclaimed the twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany a sacred, festive season.

According to present usage [1910], Advent is a period beginning with the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and embracing four Sundays. The first Sunday may be as early as November 27th, and then Advent has twenty-eight days, or as late as December 3rd, giving the season only twenty-one days.

The popular idea that the four weeks of Advent symbolize the four thousand years of darkness in which the world was enveloped before the coming of Christ finds no confirmation in the Liturgy.

The familiar carol "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" belongs to the Advent season since it celebrates the expectation of Christ's coming rather than His actual birth.

•  Christmas carols - origins & trivia

 

The early Christmas music compositions are regarded as chants and hymns. The original carols referred to a circle dance which did not have any singing - that came later. As the church struggled against the influences of pagan customs, the singing of carols was barred from sacred services. However, outside the church, Nativity carols were written and became popular. Nearly all were simple folk songs created by people from the countryside.

Saint Francis of Assisi is credited with bringing carols into the formal worship of the church during a Christmas Midnight Mass in a cave in Greccio, in the province of Umbria in 1223. It's said that the music sung that night was more akin to what we know as carols than to hymns. Carols enjoyed further development and popularity when they were used in the mystery plays of the Middle Ages.

Wandering minstrels traveled from hamlet to castle, performing carols in the distant past. In later years, villages had their own bands of waits.

Waits were originally watchmen who patrolled the streets and byways of the old walled cities keeping guard against fire and singing out the hours of the night. During the holiday season, they would include some carols for the people along the way, although some folks complained that they would rather get a good nights sleep than have somebody singing under their window. Eventually the term was used to describe groups of musicians who sang and played for various civic events during the Christmas season.

Today, a look at a small-town newspaper lists dozens of caroling events, not just on Christmas Eve, but throughout the holiday.

• Christmas trees - origins & trivia 
  
  
  Long before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning for people in the winter. Just as people today decorate their homes during the festive season with pine, spruce, and fir trees, ancient peoples hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows. In many countries it was believed that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  In the Northern hemisphere, the shortest day and longest night of the year falls on December 21 or December 22 and is called the winter solstice. Many ancient people believed that the sun was a god and that winter came every year because the sun god had become sick and weak. They celebrated the solstice because it meant that at last the sun god would begin to get well. Evergreen boughs reminded them of all the green plants that would grow again when the sun god was strong and summer would return.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The ancient Egyptians worshipped a god called Ra, who had the head of a hawk and wore the sun as a blazing disk in his crown. At the solstice, when Ra began to recover from the illness, the Egyptians filled their homes with green palm rushes which symbolized for them the triumph of life over death.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Early Romans marked the solstice with a feast called the Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. The Romans knew that the solstice meant that soon farms and orchards would be green and fruitful. To mark the occasion, they decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  In Northern Europe the mysterious Druids, the priests of the ancient Celts, also decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life. The fierce Vikings in Scandinavia thought that evergreens were the special plant of the sun god, Balder.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce. It is a widely held belief that Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant reformer, first added lighted candles to a tree. Walking toward his home one winter evening, composing a sermon, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Most 19th-century Americans found Christmas trees an oddity. The first record of one being on display was in the 1830s by the German settlers of Pennsylvania, although trees had been a tradition in many German homes much earlier. The Pennsylvania German settlements had community trees as early as 1747. But, as late as the 1840s Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  It is not surprising that, like many other festive Christmas customs, the tree was adopted so late in America. To the New England Puritans, Christmas was sacred. The pilgrims’s second governor, William Bradford, wrote that he tried hard to stamp out “pagan mockery” of the observance, penalizing any frivolity. The influential Oliver Cromwell preached against “the heathen traditions” of Christmas carols, decorated trees, and any joyful expression that desecrated “that sacred event.” In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other than a church service) a penal offense; people were fined for hanging decorations. That stern solemnity continued until the 19th century, when the influx of German and Irish immigrants undermined the Puritan legacy.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  In 1846, the popular royals, Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert, were sketched in the Illustrated London News standing with their children around a Christmas tree. Unlike the previous royal family, Victoria was very popular with her subjects, and what was done at court immediately became fashionable—not only in Britain, but with fashion-conscious East Coast American Society. The Christmas tree had arrived.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  By the 1890s Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and Christmas tree popularity was on the rise around the U.S. It was noted that Europeans used small trees about four feet in height, while Americans liked their Christmas trees to reach from floor to ceiling.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The early 20th century saw Americans decorating their trees mainly with homemade ornaments, while the German-American sect continued to use apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies. Popcorn joined in after being dyed bright colors and interlaced with berries and nuts. Electricity brought about Christmas lights, making it possible for Christmas trees to glow for days on end. With this, Christmas trees began to appear in town squares across the country and having a Christmas tree in the home became an American tradition.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • Christmas tree trivia
  
  
  
  
  · Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States since about 1850.
  
  
  
  
  · In 1979, the National Christmas Tree was not lighted except for the top ornament. This was done in honor of the American hostages in Iran.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  · Between 1887-1933 a fishing schooner called the Christmas Ship would tie up at the Clark Street bridge and sell spruce trees from Michigan to Chicagoans.
  
  
  
  
  · The tallest living Christmas tree is believed to be the 122-foot, 91-year-old Douglas fir in the town of Woodinville, Washington.
  
  
  
  
  · The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree tradition began in 1933.
  
  
  
  
  · Franklin Pierce, the 14th president, brought the Christmas tree tradition to the White House.
  
  
  
  
  · In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge started the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony now held
  
  
  
  
  ·every year on the White House lawn.
  
  
  
  
  · Since 1966, the National Christmas Tree Association has given a Christmas tree to the President and first family.
  
  
  
  
  · Most Christmas trees are cut weeks before they get to a retail outlet.
  
  
  
  
  · In 1912, the first community Christmas tree in the United States was erected in New York City.
  
  
  
  
  · Christmas trees generally take 6-8 years to mature.
  
  
  
  
  · Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states including Hawaii and Alaska.
  
  
  
  
  · 100,000 people are employed in the Christmas tree industry.
  
  
  
  
  · 98 percent of all Christmas trees are grown on farms.
  
  
  
  
  · More than 1,000,000 acres of land have been planted with Christmas trees.
  
  
  
  
  · 77 million Christmas trees are planted each year.
  
  
  
  
  · On average, over 2,000 Christmas trees are planted per acre.
  
  
  
  
  · You should never burn your Christmas tree in the fireplace. It can contribute to creosote buildup.
  
  
  
  
  · Other types of trees such as cherry and hawthorns were used as Christmas trees in the past.
  
  
  · Thomas Edison’s assistants came up with the idea of electric lights for christmas trees.                                                                                                                                                                                   
  
  
  · In 1963, the National Christmas Tree was not lit until December 22nd because of a national 30-day
  
  
  ·period of mourning following the assassination of President Kennedy.
  
  
  
  · Teddy Roosevelt banned the Christmas tree from the White House for environmental reasons.
  
  
  
  · In the first week, a tree in your home will consume as much as a quart of water per day.
  
  
  
  · Tinsel was once banned by the government. Tinsel contained lead at one time, now it’s made of plastic.
  
  
  
  · In 1984, the National Christmas Tree was lit on December 13th with temperatures in the 70s, making it one of the warmest tree lightings in history.
  
  
  
  · 34 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced each year and 95 percent are shipped or sold directly from Christmas tree farms.
  
    
  
  · California, Oregon, Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina are the top
  
  
  
  ·Christmas tree producing states.
  
  
  
  · The best selling trees are Scotch Pine, Douglas Fir, Fraser Fir, Balsam Fir, and White Pine.
  
  
  
  
  • 'Merry Christmas' around the world - origins & trivia
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Andorra (AD) Bon Nadal
  
  
  United Arab Emirates (AE) I'd miilad said oua sana saida
  
  
  Afghanistan (AF) De Christmas akhtar de bakhtawar au newai kal de mubarak sha
  
  
  Antigua and Barbuda (AG) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Anguilla (AI) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Albania (AL) Gézuar Krishlindjet
  
  
  Armenia (AM) Shnorhavor Sourp Dzunount
  
  
  Netherlands Antilles (AN) Bon Pasco, Bon Anja
  
  
  Angola (AO) Boas Festas
  
  
  Argentina (AR) ¡Feliz Navidad!
  
  
  American Samoa (AS) Ia Manuia Le Kilisimasi
  
  
  Austria (AT) Frohe Weihnachten
  
  
  Australia (AU) Happy Christmas
  
  
  Aruba (AW) Bon Pasco, Bon Anja
  
  
  Azerbaijan (AZ) Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun
  
  
  Bosnia and Herzegowina (BA) Sretan Bozic
  
  
  Barbados (BB) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Bangladesh (BD) Shuvo Baro Din
  
  
  Belgium (BE) Zalig Kerstfeest
  
  
  Burkina Faso (BF) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Bulgaria (BG) Vessela Koleda
  
  
  Bahrain (BH) Mboni Chrismen
  
  
  Burundi (BI) Noeli Nziza, Joyeux Noel,
  
  
  Benin (BJ) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Bermuda (BM) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Brunei Darussalam (BN) Selamat Hari Natal
  
  
  Bolivia (BO) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Brazil (BR) Feliz Natal
  
  
  Bahamas (BS) Happy Christmas
  
  
  Bhutan (BT) krist Yesu Ko Shuva Janma Utsav Ko Upalaxhma Hardik Shuva
  
  
  Bouvet Island (BV) remove
  
  
  Botswana (BW) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Belarus (BY) Winshuyu sa Svyatkami
  
  
  Belize (BZ) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Canada (CA) Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Cocos (Keeling) Islands (CC) Merry Christmas, Selamat Hari Natal
  
  
  Congo (CD) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Central African Republic (CF) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Congo (CG) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Switzerland (CH) Fröhlichi Wiehnacht, Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Cote D'ivoire (CI) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Cook Islands (CK) Merry Christmas, Kia orana e kia manuia rava i teia Kiritime
  
  
  Chile (CL) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Cameroon (CM) Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel
  
  
  China (CN) Sheng Tan Kuai Loh
  
  
  Colombia (CO) Feliz Navidad para todos
  
  
  Costa Rica (CR) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Cuba (CU) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Cape Verde (CV) Boas Festas
  
  
  Christmas Island (CX) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Cyprus (CY) Eftihismena Christougenna, Noeliniz kutlu olsun ve yeni yili
  
  
  Czech Republic (CZ) Vesele Vanoce
  
  
  Germany (DE) Frohliche Weihnachten
  
  
  Djibouti (DJ) Joyeux Noel, Mboni Chrismen
  
  
  Denmark (DK) Glaedelig Jul
  
  
  Dominica (DM) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Dominican Republic (DO) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Algeria (DZ) Mboni Chrismen
  
  
  Ecuador (EC) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Estonia (EE) Haid Joule, Rôômsaid Jôule
  
  
  Egypt (EG) Mboni Chrismen
  
  
  Eritrea (ER) Melkam Yelidet Beaal, Poket Kristmet
  
  
  Spain (ES) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Ethiopia (ET) Melkam Yelidet Beaal, Poket Kristmet, Merry Christmas
  
  
  Finland (FI) Hauskaa Joulua
  
  
  Fiji (FJ) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Falkland Islands (Malvinas) (FK) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Federated States of Mirconesia (FM) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Faroe Islands (FO) Gledhilig jol
  
  
  France (FR) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Gabon (GA) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  United Kingdom (GB) Happy Christmas, Nadolig Llawen (Wales)
  
  
  Grenada (GD) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Georgia (GE) Gilotsavt Krist'es Shobas
  
  
  French Guiana (GF) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Ghana (GH) Afishapa
  
  
  Gibraltar (GI) Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Greenland (GL) Glædelig Jul, Juullimi Ukiortaassamilu Pilluarit
  
  
  Gambia (GM) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Guinea (GN) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Guadeloupe (GP) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Equatorial Guinea (GQ) Joyeux Noel, Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Greece (GR) Eftihismena Christougenna
  
  
  Guatemala (GT) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Guam (GU) Merry Christmas, Felis Pasgua
  
  
  Guinea-bissau (GW) Boas Festas
  
  
  Guyana (GY) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Hong Kong (HK) Sing dan fiy loc, Merry Christmas
  
  
  Honduras (HN) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Haiti (HT) Jwaye Nwel
  
  
  Hungary (HU) Boldog Karácsonyt
  
  
  Indonesia (ID) Salamet Hari Natal
  
  
  Ireland (IE) Nollaig Shona dhuit
  
  
  Israel (IL) Mo'adim Lesimkha
  
  
  India (IN) Shub Christu Jayanti
  
  
  British Indian Ocean Territory (IO) Happy Christmas
  
  
  Iraq (IQ) Idah Saidan Wasanah Jadidah
  
  
  Islamic Republic of Iran (IR) Christmas Mobarrak
  
  
  Iceland (IS) Gleðileg Jól
  
  
  Italy (IT) Buon Natale
  
  
  Jamaica (JM) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Jordan (JO) Mboni Chrismen, Merry Christmas
  
  
  Japan (JP) Merii Kurisumasu
  
  
  Kenya (KE) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Kyrgyzstan (KG) Hristos Razdajetsja
  
  
  Kiribati (KI) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Comoros (KM) Joyeux Noel, Mboni Chrismen
  
  
  Saint Kitts and Nevis (KN) Happy Christmas
  
  
  Korea (KP) Sung Tan Chuk Ha
  
  
  Republic of Korea (KR) Sungtan Chukha
  
  
  Kuwait (KW) Mboni Chrismen, Merry Christmas
  
  
  Cayman Islands (KY) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Kazakhstan (KZ) Hristos Razdajetsja, Rozdjestvom Hristovim
  
  
  Lebanon (LB) Milad Majeed
  
  
  Saint Lucia (LC) Happy Christmas
  
  
  Liechtenstein (LI) Frohliche Weihnachten
  
  
  Sri Lanka (LK) Subha nath thalak Vewa
  
  
  Liberia (LR) Happy Christmas
  
  
  Lesotho (LS) Happy Christmas
  
  
  Lithuania (LT) Laimingu Kaledu
  
  
  Luxembourg (LU) Schéi Krëschtdeeg
  
  
  Latvia (LV) Priecigus ziemassvetkus!
  
  
  Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (LY) Mboni Chrismen, Buon Natale, Happy Christmas
  
  
  Morocco (MA) Mboni Chrismen
  
  
  Monaco (MC) Festusu Natale
  
  
  Republic of Moldova (MD) Craciun fericit si un An Nou fericit!
  
  
  Madagascar (MG) Joyeux Noel, Arahaba tratry ny Krismasy
  
  
  Marshall islands (MH) Monono ilo raaneoan Nejin
  
  
  Macedonia (MK) Streken Bozhik
  
  
  Mali (ML) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Macau (MO) Boas Festas, Sing dan fiy loc
  
  
  Northern Mariana Islands (MP) Filis Pasgua, Merry Christmas
  
  
  Martinique (MQ) Joyeux Noel, --
  
  
  Montserrat (MS) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Malta (MT) Il-Milied it-Tajjeb
  
  
  Mauritius (MU) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Malawi (MW) Merry Christmas, Moni Wa Chikondwelero Cha X'mas
  
  
  Mexico (MX) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Malaysia (MY) Selamat Hari Krimas
  
  
  Mozambique (MZ) Boas Festas
  
  
  Namibia (NA) Geseende Kersfees
  
  
  New Caledonia (NC) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Niger (NE) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Norfolk Island (NF) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Nigeria (NG) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Nicaragua (NI) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Netherlands (NL) Prettige Kerstdagen
  
  
  Norway (NO) Gledelig Jul
  
  
  Nepal (NP) krist Yesu Ko Shuva Janma Utsav Ko Upalaxhma Hardik Shuva
  
  
  New zealand (NZ) Happy Christmas
  
  
  Oman (OM) Mboni Chrismen
  
  
  Panama (PA) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Peru (PE) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  French Polynesia (PF) Joyeux Noel, La ora i te Noera
  
  
  Papua New Guinea (PG) Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas
  
  
  Philippines (PH) Maligayang Pasko
  
  
  Pakistan (PK) Bara Din Mubarrak Ho
  
  
  Poland (PL) Wesolych Swiat
  
  
  St. Pierre and Miquelon (PM) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Pitcairn (PN) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Puerto Rico (PR) Feliz Navidad, Felices Pascuas, Felicidades
  
  
  Portugal (PT) Boas Festas
  
  
  Palau (PW) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Paraguay (PY) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Qatar (QA) Mboni Chrismen
  
  
  Reunion (RE) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Romania (RO) Sarbatori vesele
  
  
  Russian Federation (RU) Hristos Razdajetsja, Rozdjestvom Hristovim
  
  
  Rwanda (RW) Noheli Nziza
  
  
  Saudi Arabia (SA) Mboni Chrismen
  
  
  Seychelles (SC) Happy Christmas, Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Sudan (SD) Wilujeng Natal
  
  
  Sweden (SE) God Jul
  
  
  Singapore (SG) Sheng Tan Kuai Loh
  
  
  St. Helena (SH) Happy Christmas
  
  
  Slovenia (SI) Srecen Bozic
  
  
  Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (SJ) Hristos Razdajetsja, Gledelig Jul
  
  
  Slovakia (Slovak Republic) (SK) Vesele Vianoce
  
  
  Sierra Leone (SL) Happy Christmas
  
  
  San Marino (SM) Buon Natale
  
  
  Senegal (SN) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Suriname (SR) Zalig Kersfeest, Wang swietie Kresnetie
  
  
  Sao Tome and Principe (ST) Boas Festas
  
  
  El Salvador (SV) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Syrian Arab Republic (SY) Mboni Chrismen
  
  
  Swaziland (SZ) Happy Christmas
  
  
  Turks and Caicos Islands (TC) Happy Christmas
  
  
  Chad (TD) Joyeux Noel, Mboni Chrismen
  
  
  Togo (TG) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Thailand (TH) Ewadee Pe-e Mai
  
  
  Tokelau (TK) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Tunisia (TN) Mboni Chrismen
  
  
  Tonga (TO) Kilisimasi Fiefia
  
  
  Turkey (TR) Mutlu Noeller
  
  
  Trinidad and Tobago (TT) Happy Christmas
  
  
  Taiwan (TW) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
  
  
  Tanzania (TZ) Krismas Njema Na Heri Za Mwaka Mpya, Happy Christmas
  
  
  Ukraine (UA) Veseloho Vam Rizdva
  
  
  Uganda (UG) Webale Krismasi
  
  
  United States (US) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Uruguay (UY) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Saint Vincent and The Grenadines (VC) Happy Christmas
  
  
  Venezuela (VE) Feliz Navidad
  
  
  Virgin islands (U.S.) (VI) Merry Christmas
  
  
  Viet Nam (VN) Chuc mung Giang Sinh
  
  
  Vanuatu (VU) Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Wallis and Futuna Islands (WF) Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Samoa (WS) Ia Manuia Le Kilisimasi
  
  
  Yemen (YE) Mboni Chrismen
  
  
  Mayotte (YT) Krismas Njema Na Heri Za Mwaka Mpya, Joyeux Noel
  
  
  Yugoslavia (YU) Cestitamo Bozic
  
  
  South Africa (ZA) Geseënde Kersfees, Happy Christmas
  
  
  Zambia (ZM) Happy Christmas
  
  
  Zimbabwe (ZW) Happy Christmas
  
  
  
  
  
  • Snacks for Santa - origins & trivia
    
    
     
    
    
     COOKIES
    
    
    Do you know that the most popular cookie kids leave for Santa is the Oreo? Maybe that's because over 9.1 billion of them are sold each year. There is no exact date recorded, but the idea of leaving cookies for Santa started sometime in the 193s. Naughty kids use them to bribe Santa at the last minute and nice kids use them as a way of thanking him for all his hard work on Christmas Eve.
  
  http://www.thehistoryofchristmas.com/