Video of the Day: Congressional Leaders and Obama Preparing for January 1, 2013 in Acapulco

Video of the Day: Conservative women vs. Liberal women

WARNING: THIS VIDEO may not be appropriate for younger viewers.

How To Choose a Bottle Of Champagne

Most of us feel pretty comfortable choosing beer for a special occasion, but when it comes to wine or champaign,  we imagine most of us are tentative and use price as our  guideline.  Have no fear this year—FIJ to the rescue with our guide to how to choose a bottle of champagne.  After a trip to Paris in 2001, my wife and I became hooked on Taittinger Champagne—pricey at around $50/bottle, but to our simple American pallets, it’s the best Champaign we have ever tasted, but the price tag is why we only buy it for special occasions.  Someone gave us a bottle of Dom Perignon Champaign on our wedding day—we weren’t impressed.  All the hype over Dom Perignon is exactly that—hype.  Another favorite of ours is Moet & Chandon; priced in the same range as Taittinger—its an excellent substitute for Taittinger if you are having trouble finding Taittinger.  Sendik's Market carries Taittinger and I have picked it up for under $50 on a couple of occasions.

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• 100 Best Champagnes for 2012
• So what are the top five Champagnes in the world?

Video of the Day: How Much do Americans Know About Christmas?

The O’Reilly Factor's  producer, Jesse Watters finds out!

Reader Questions

We have recently received a number of questions from some of our new readers asking where they can find previous FIJ coverage of a topic or subject we have previously covered.

ANSWER: All articles are organized by category.  Previous coverage by FIJ on a particular category or subject may be accessed by clicking on the category   (i.e.  “Ryan Creek Interceptor” or “Mayor Tom Taylor”) found on the banner below the text of the article you’ve just read.

We hope this helped.

Video of the day: NFL Top 10 Bad Weather Games

As we head into the play-offs, we bring you the “NFL Top 10 Bad Weather Games”

As you may already know, New York and New Jersey will host the very first outdoor, cold- weather Super Bowl New York and New Jersey will host the very first outdoor, cold weather Super Bowl on February 2, 2014.

On February 2, 2014, at MetLife Stadium—it’s football the way  it was intended  to be played—in the  in the open, exposed to whatever winter throws its way.

Video of the Day: Father’s Reaction To Getting A Ticket To THE GAME

Heartwarming: Father’s Reaction To Getting A Ticket To THE GAME.

Charles Durning, Well-Known Character Actor, Dies on Christmas Eve

Durning , the the 89-year-old decorated World War II veteran of D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge.

Durning had an award-winning career which spanned the 20th Century, from the burlesque stage and theater to television and film--playing diverse roles his entire career.

Mayor Taylor’s $31 Million—Field of Dreams Gamble with Tax Payer Dollars

As the City of Franklin—in conclusion with an unelected  government body—MMSD adds a new $461.47 sewer tax to every Franklin  property owner’s 2012 tax bill, whether they are hooked up to the now infamous Ryan Creek Interceptor.   The Franklin common council and especially Mayor Tom Taylor believe “development would follow the pipes”—that’s a $31 million gamble I wouldn’t be willing to make with taxpayer dollars considering predictions of a 2013 recession.  Do the mayor and common council know something that the Wall Street Journal forecast panel—as well at The Wall Street Journal don’t and Forbes’ economists?

Mayor Taylor’s $31 Million Gamble with Tax Payer Dollars

As the City of Franklin in collusion with MMSD adds a new $461.47 sewer tax to every Franklin property owner’s 2012 tax bill, whether they are hooked up to the now infamous Ryan Creek Interceptor.  The common council and especially Mayor Tom Taylor believe “development would follow the pipes”—that’s a $31 million gamble I wouldn’t be willing to make with taxpayer dollars considering predictions of a 2013 recession.  Do the mayor and common council know something that the Wall Street Journal forecast panel—as well at The Wall Street Journal don’t and Forbes’ economists?  Oh and why is the mayor posing in front of the Law Enforcement Center?  Isn't City Hall impressive for  this mayor to be photographed infront of?  Just an observation.

Moments in History - The Fall of the Berlin Wall

Moments in History" is a regular feature here at FIJ—today we present "The Fall of The Berlin Wall."

WHY STUDY HISTORY?

The American Historical Association explains it this way

People live in the present. They plan for and worry about the future. History, however, is the study of the past. Given all the demands that press in from living in the present and anticipating what is yet to come, why bother with what has been? Given all the desirable and available branches of knowledge, why insist—as most American educational programs do—on a good bit of history? And why urge many students to study even more history than they are required to?

Any subject of study needs justification: its advocates must explain why it is worth attention. Most widely accepted subjects—and history is certainly one of them—attract some people who simply like the information and modes of thought involved. But audiences less spontaneously drawn to the subject and more doubtful about why to bother need to know what the purpose is.

Historians do not perform heart transplants, improve highway design, or arrest criminals. In a society that quite correctly expects education to serve useful purposes, the functions of history can seem more difficult to define than those of engineering or medicine. History is in fact very useful, actually indispensable, but the products of historical study are less tangible, sometimes less immediate, than those that stem from some other disciplines. Read more.

The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961 that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin.  On November 9, 1989 under the presidency of George H. W. Bush it was torn down by the people of what was then West Germany.

RELATED MEDIA

• Berlin Wall 1961 - 1989
• Berlin Airlift

The WWI Christmas Truce 1914

This video clip depicts the WWI Christmas truce on the Western Front in 1914 from the film “Oh! What A Lovely War” accompanied by the music Stille Nacht - Silent Night.

RELATED MEDIA

• The Christmas Truce of 1914—actual 1914 WWI film footage (YouTube)
• Belleau Wood: Christmas Truce (song by Garth Brooks)

Merry Christmas!

Libera is an extraordinary all-boy English vocal group directed by Robert Prizeman. Most members come from the parish choir of St. Philip's, Norbury, in South London.

 RELATED

• Visit Libera’s website
• Click to watch more video of Libera on the choir's official YouTube Channel

Father Jonathan Morris' Christmas message

Fr. Jonathan Morris is a Catholic priest of the Roman Rite in the Archdiocese of New York and a news contributor and analyst for the Fox News Channel.

A Soldier’s Silent Night

Christmas eve brings out our perennial salute to those who keep our country safe, protect our freedom and liberty from foreign aggressors and have willingly put their lives at tremendous risk  to those who keep our country safe, protect our freedom and liberty from foreign aggressors and have willingly put their lives at tremendous risk and died for Americans, Europeans Asians and Muslims alike.

We put this video together in February, 2007 and at publishing it has received a respectable 255,067 views.  Here is a brief background story of “A Soldier's Silent Night” and its Wisconsin connection>>

 May "A Soldier's Silent Night" transcend any opinion about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan  or any war, and go deeper to foster an appreciation for the selfless sacrifice and courage of The United States soldier and their families.  MERRY CHRISTMASAND MAY GOD BLESS YOU THIS NIGHT!

Country Stars Holiday Roundup

Fox 411 is your first call for celebrity and entertainment news. Country holiday round-up for 2012 with country music stars sharing favorite holiday traditions, what they're looking forward to in the New Year.  For those of you who may not know, Carrie underwood is married to NHL player Mike Fisher of the Nashville Predators.

Visit Project Imagination

Wreaths Across America: Holiday Tradition Honors Veterans

Bill Whittle: "Turncoat Nation"

One of our favorite conservatives, Bill Whittle, is back again with his takes on Obama and his Chicago-style politics, some of the gangsters in his administration and his campaign team, and a couple of the “usual progressive suspects.”

I could not have said it better myself...  I will say, however, mine would have included a lot more "colorful" language.

RELATED MEDIA

• “How The Obama Administration Threatens Our National Security”(Amazon.com)
• Obama: Two-state solution in Middle East 'more vital than Ever (The Hill)
• Barack Obama's gift for the Queen: an iPod, your Majesty (The Telegraph) 
• The German Invasion of Poland, 1939(You Tube)

Bill Whittle is a regular feature here on FIJ.

Video of the Day: “The Chicago Way”

This video clip is from the Oscar-winning, 1987 film "The Untouchables.”

Romney and Ryan obviously never saw this movie.

Have You Seen our Mama?

We just took a short nap and when we woke up our Mama was nowhere to be found. We’re very cold at night without her to keep us warm and we’re getting hungry, too!  Won’t you help us find our Mama?!