Friday December 09, 2005

Holidays

• Anti-Corruption Day [1]
• Calendar of saints: Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin : optional memorial
• Peter Fourier, founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame
• Also see December 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); specifically the conception of Saint Anne
• Scandinavia (specifically Sweden): Anna's Day. Recognizes everyone named Anna, and marks the day to start the preparation process of the lutefisk to be consumed on Christmas Eve.
• Tanzania - Independence Day (of Tanganyika from Britain, 1961)
• See more

Events

• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe comes out to theatres. Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media
• Viacom's Paramount Pictures agrees to buy the DreamWorks SKG company founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen for $1.6 billion. (NY Times)
• The Groups for the 2006 FIFA World Cup to be held in Germany are finalized. (BBC) Both Group C and Group E have been dubbed "groups of death". (SI), (Globe&Mail), (ChicagoTribune)
• The Bush administration summons Canadian ambassador Frank McKenna, and is expected to formally lodge a complaint after Prime Minister Paul Martin's criticism on December 7 of the United States at the Montreal conference on climate change. U.S.-Canada relations are already a major issue in the upcoming Canadian federal election. (CBC)
• Reports emerge of an alleged massacre of protesting farmers and fishermen in Dongzhou, Guangdong, China by police forces. The protesters are believed to be upset with government plans to build a new power plant in the area and infill part of the bay. The death toll, pegged at 20, is the worst act of violence by Chinese security forces since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. The town is reportedly still sealed off by government forces. (IHT) (BBC)
• The wedding day of Lorna Ramiso Cantre and Cliff Simonne Rivero Velasco at the Transfiguration Chapel Caleruega, Philippines.
• The last London Routemaster double-decker bus makes its final journey on route 159 before being withdrawn from general service. (BBC)
• See more

Famous Deaths

• Gyorgy Sandor

  Hungarian pianist (Born 1912).

• Robert Sheckley

  United States -- Sci-fi author (10th...

Top #5 songs in the USA

1. Chris Brown - Run It!
2. Kanye West - Gold Digger
3. The Black Eyed Peas - My Humps
4. D4L - Laffy Taffy
5. Young Jeezy - Soul Survivor

Top #5 songs in the UK

1. Madonna - Hung Up
2. The Pussycat Dolls - StickWitU
3. Westlife - You Raise Me Up
4. The Black Eyed Peas - My Humps
5. Nizlopi - JCB Song

Top #5 R&B songs

1. Dem Franchize Boyz Featuring Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat & Bow Wow - I Think They Like Me
2. Chris Brown - Run It!
3. Ray J - One Wish
4. Twista Featuring Trey Songz - Girl Tonite
5. Alicia Keys - Unbreakable

Top #5 Latin songs

1. Daddy Yankee - Rompe
2. Cristian Castro - Amor Eterno
3. Aventura Featuring Don Omar - Ella Y Yo
4. Shakira Featuring Alejandro Sanz - La Tortura
5. Wisin & Yandel - Rakata

Jupiler League

• Germinal - Lokeren : 2 - 1

Bundesliga 2

• Ahlen - Dresden : 0 - 0
• Erzgebirge Aue - Paderborn : 1 - 0
• Hansa Rostock - Greuther Furth : 1 - 2

Championship

• Stoke - Leicester : 3 - 2

Serie B

• Verona - Mantova : 2 - 2

Stock Markets

• ExxonMobil XOM: opens at $59.24
• Apple AAPL: opens at $74.21
• Microsoft MSFT: opens at $27.71
• General Electric GE: opens at $35.43
• International Business Machines IBM: opens at $86.80

Exchange Rates

• 1 USD = 120.59 JPY
• 1 USD = 1.157 CAD
• 1 USD = 1.3021 CHF
• 1 USD = 8.076 CNY
• 1 EUR = 142.52 JPY