The year of holiday thrift
Black Friday Turnout: No Miracle on 34th Street
Wal-Mart worker dies in rush; two killed at toy store

Oil prices at near 22-month low
Falling Prices Point To A Struggling Economy
Opec refuses oil production cuts
The Truth Behind Low Oil Prices
Can U.S. Go ‘Green’ Even When Oil Prices Drop?
GM Pondering Brand Cuts

Hopefully, the economy will shape up after January. Sales were meager this Black Friday.

Although falling gas prices appear to be a timely blessing, the ramifications beyond the gas pump worries me. Demand lessened drastically when the price of crude oil shot over $100 a barrel and prices have finally fallen, as a result. But prices will inevitably go up as soon as demand increases or as soon as OPEC decides to slow down production.

The downside of low prices is that the need for alternative fuels seem less urgent. Oh, it’s about damn time that the General Motors considers killing off some of its brands (Saab, Pontiac, Volvo, and Hummer) because it is seriously over-branded. GM doesn’t deserve any money from Congress; it is the company’s fault for producing inefficient cars and failing to capture market shares & consumer interest.

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24 hours of carnage leave 120 dead
Death toll climbs past 150 as city reels from terror attack
Mumbai counts the cost
Pakistan Denies Role In Mumbai Attacks

Barbara Walters | Michelle Obama Interview
New first lady pitches into ‘mommy wars’

Bill O’Reilly | Barack Obama Interview
President 2.0 – How will he use the power of the Web now?
Your Weekly Address from the President-Elect
Obama’s confidence-rating: High, steady
Washington faces overload as millions rush to see president sworn in
First Couple-to-be could be relationship role models for nation, experts say

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• Airless Tires for the Troops
• Microsoft in $20bn Yahoo deal
• A new study in PLoS ONE explores the gendered nature of American voting behavior.
• Born to Run? Little Ones Get Test for Sports Gene & The ACTN3 sports gene test: what can it really tell you?

…He and my mom poured everything they had into me and Craig. It was the greatest gift a child can receive: never doubting for a single minute that you’re loved and cherished and have a place in this world. And thanks to their faith and hard work, we both were able to go on to college.

So I know firsthand from their lives and mine that the American dream endures. And you know, what struck me when I first met Barack was that even though he had this funny name, even though he’d grown up all the way across the continent in Hawaii, his family was so much like mine. He was raised by grandparents who were working class folks just like my parents and by a single mother who struggled to pay the bills, just like we did. Like my family, they scrimped and saved so that he could have opportunities they never had themselves.

And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them and even if you don’t agree with them. And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values and pass them on to the next generation, because we want our children and all children in this nation to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them…

Michelle Obama @ the DNC 2008

[Full transcript of her speech here]

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Michelle Obama is a much better speaker than I could have imagined. I found her speech both sincere and uplifting.