>> the united nations is nearly doubling peacekeeping forces in south sudan as the violence and death toll rises. pope francis cell bris his first christmas as pontiff and is about to deliver his sermon. >> target's credit and debit scanedal. >> some of the youngest hurricane sandy survivors get a special christmas gift to replace some of what they lost in the storm.

>> good morning, merry christmas. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm david shuster. >> members of the taliban claimed responsibility for an attack in israel. it included another strike in the city. no one was injured in a strike and embassy officials say all american staff have been accounted for. a pair of explosions in baghdad left 24 people dead. 20 were killed when a car bomb exploded near a church celebrating christmas mass. 47 people wounded. officials say the church was a tart. a second target at a bus terminal in the same part of town killed four, injuring a

dozen more. >> we have a lot of pictures coming from from st. peters's square where a christmas message is being delivered. the pope appeared on the balcony. you are listening to the trum petters. let's listen in for a few moments. >>. >> image of the pope reminds us when he was elected. pope francis, the belonged italian state. it was known for his radical poverty and evan gellical spirit. pope francis is known for his attention and love for the poor and his defound devotion to the

virgin mary. >> we will keep you posted on developments. quite a pageantry at the square in the pageant. we'll have updates and provide clips of the pope throughout the day. >> christians from around the world travelled to bethlehem to celebrate christmas at the place where jesus was born. >> nick, what is the mood like in bethlehem? is there concerns for safety? >> there are no security concerns for safety or last night as politicians, palestinians gathered. i left the church of nat isty, where it's believed jesus was gosh. people here are celebrating. thanking jesus for the sacrif e

sacrific sacrifices. they are here to mark the day. they are free to calm here. a lot of children are coming in, a lot of children are here. it's giving people in this town hope for piece: the palestinians are in peace negotiations. there's a lot of people here that say the progress is positive. we are renovating. more people feel like they can come here. we are feeling safe. the mood is positive. >> tell us about the church of nativity. the renovations that are going on. >> this is extraordinary. some of the church is 1500 years old and it has been neglected. the roof, a beautiful wooden cedar roof has not been touched no 500 years. we had a huge snow storm, and

you could see the water running down the sides of the walls, through the roof, into the ground, and that causes a lot of damage. it's been happening for years. the palestine authority convinced the u.n. to call this a unesco world heritage sites. that has given them money, the palestinians raised some. they'll fix the roof, go to the motorcycle aics. the vast majority are muslims. there's 2-3%. there's a lot of pride in the fact that jesus was born here. they call him a palestine son. at this point they hope the church can berenovated. for the next 1,000 years people will come here and they hope that peace will come to this land. >> the church is controlled by three different religious

orders. how does that complicate things where you are. >> they do not get along. these are the catholic monks, amenian monks and the creek orthodox. they are famous stories of the monks brawling on the floor of the church. what happens is the palestinians had to diplomatically talk to the catholics, the monks, and say this is for your benefits as well as ours. it took them months. they agreed, this is when the renovation started. this is a four or five year renovation. the first step is the roof and motorcycle -- hmosa -- mosaics. >> nick in beth le hem. on the right of the screen was

pope francis preaching his christmas message, which is about love and forgiveness. we'll keep you posted on what is happening at the vatican. >> hundreds of thousands in the united states wake up this morning without lights and heat after an ice storm knocked out power across much of the north-eastern united states. it could be until sunday before the lights come on. forecasters say more snow is expected to fall through the weekend with temperatures dipping to well below freezing. the storm is blamed for 14 deaths in the north-east since sunday. and a severe winter storm left parts of england under water. thousands of people there without power, after rains caused landslides, fallen trees. five died, and the storm battered western europe. travellers trying to get away for the holidays faced cancelled trains and delays from spain to france. let's find out if there'll be

christmas travel appearance. >> well, as far as falling precipitation, we are in the clear. that front cleared out, taking all the wet weather along with it. we are watching for additional snow to fall as the clipper system moves through. it's bringing the snow across. much of the nation innocentlying a rain and snow free holiday. looking good. you still will encounter the slick spots on the roadways. getting from minnesota. it will be windy. we don't have wind chill advisories in place. we do have winter storm warnings across parts of nearby areas of wisconsin. where we could see an additional 3-5 inches of snow. chicago, a few snow flakes were

flying, not expecting to see much. just enough to get you in the feeling of a christmas day. 23 degrees on thursday. we'll keep it cold. slightly above as we get into the next couple of days. much of the northern tear on the inner mountain west to have a white christmas, you have to have one inch of snow on the ground. no snow across the deep south. >> we are concerned with flooding. it'sed freezing temperatures that you wake up here. at least until the 9 o'clock hour. that cold air made its way into the deep south. it will be a bright beautiful day. getting out here, no worries, looking nice, but you can use moisture, this could be the driest year on record.

no rain and forecasts. temperatures staying on the warm side and staying nice. >> metrologist. target shoppers have a reason to worry. more than 40 million customers who have debit and credit card accounts ston. now they are receiving scam. official announcements will be placed on the website. the former n.s.a. contractor, edward snowden is delivering an all ternive speech. >> end mass surveillance and remind the government how we feel, asking is cheaper than spying. edward snowden recorded the message from russia when he was granted temporary asylum in

august. >> this sort of mocking of the queen's message for people in the united states - explain what that is about, and the theme of the message. the theme of edward snowden's message centres arn privacy or the lack therefore, and we are expecting at least part of it to be in reference to the british author, george orwell and his book. a powerful government into private lives. and edward snowden will be making anaing anies into that. his addresses the main one being the queen's address. we expect to here both of those and edward snowden in five hours time. >> thank you phil ittner, we appreciate it. >> an attack on police headquarters in mansoura left 14

dead and spajed riots in the city. two powerful explosions ripped through the headquarters. a third bomb failed to detonate. a group active in the sinai peninsula claimed responsibility. writers have been attacking shops and businesses. egypt's former prime minister is under arrest. this man served under mohamed morsi and is facing a year in prison. the company was originally owned by the egyptian government. the united nations has voted to double as peacekeeping troops. 1300 troops are headed to the region. u.n. relief workers say there's

evidence of killings along ethnic lines. one mass grave was found there. it erupted after a power struggle between south sudan. >> santa under attack. in washington d.c. - the nation's capital. arrangemently someone doesn't like st. nick handing out toys for children and a search is under way to find a grinch armed with a pellet gun. syria's refugee children share their wishes for this christmas. plus, the meaning of christmas is changing from americans to a day of significance to a cultural institution. we are looking live at the vatican where pope francis is giving his first christmas message to crowds at st. peter's square. he's offering a blessing.

he was standing at the balcony where he was announced as the pope earlier this year. [ speaking foreign language ] >> god is full of love. for him the praise and glory forever. god is peace. let us ask him to help us be peace makers in our life, in our families.

>> good morning everybody. welcome back to al jazeera. i'm david shuster. next, how the culture of christmas is changing in america. first, a look at what temperatures we'll see across the states. meteorologist eboni deon is here. >> we'll see chilly conditions sticking around much of the country. there's a few spots where we can find warmth, to the south-west where we are sitting at 51. miami at 73 degrees. we have a lot of teens and 20s,

falling down across the north-east. so that has dropped temperatures down into the 20s. you fact in the wind and you make it field coder, especially heading to northern way. the wind chills drop as much as 20, 25 degrees below zero. it feels like minus 18. 10 degrees. that's what it feels likement they feel like temperatures remain coal. it's not as cold as it has been. feels like 12 degrees. it's a little warmer. >> eboni deon our meteorologist here at al jazeera america. >> same-sex couples can continue to marry in utah for now. a federal appeals court in denver denied a request to halt same-sex marriages. the utah attorney-general's

office will ask the united states supreme court to place same-sex marriage on hold while the legal battle continues. nearly 700 gay couples have been granted marriage licences since the band was lifted last week. utah is the 18th state to legalize same text marriage. >> a californian judge organised the teenager be taken off life support. it came after a doctor testified that jahi mcmath is braindead. she suffered complications during a tonsilectony and was declared braindead. >> giving aatoys for tots was dangerous for santa. a man dressed as santa claus was given questions to needy children when shot by a pellet

gun. >> merry... aghh. >> the shooting happened while santa was interviewed by a local station covering the event. the grinch was fired from a nearby window. santa was tape to hospital. >> nine in 10 people celebrate christmas for religious reasons. for a growing number of young people the reason the season was changing is something else. many see it as a cultural holiday. others are fighting to keep the christ in christmas. ? tis the season of giving, shopping and dodging crowds to visit family and girlfriends. >> i'm noelle. i'm big on christmas, and just everything about it. >> polls show for around half of americans who celebrate

christmas, it's about faith. >> i'm an elder in the church. i'm from the press bet earian church. i'll be at church for most of the day. >> for most, it's a cultural holiday. >> christmas is secular. i don't think it's too much of a religious holiday. mostly family, day off. >> adults under age 30 are less likely to attend christmas religious services. a number in line with research shows that a growing percentage of americans don't identify with reliagions. the president of american atheists seek the real number of americans as cultural rather than religious is higher. this group put up a billboard in manhattan say she don't need religion. doing it productive, fun, festive. >> but for shoppers at this christian gift shop on long

island the seen is about jesus cyst. owner sar aryan said customers brought 600 magnets. three times more than last year. >> they want people to understand what it's all about. >> from nativity scenes, to calendars and books. they share the same message, that christmas is about more than santa claus and vacation, it's about the religious meaning of the holiday. >> as i get older it's not commercialism, it's about faith and the birth of jesus. >> as the face of america changes, so does the approach to christmas. with increasing numbers of americans viewing it as a shared cultural experience outside of church. >> the study found that age played a factor in how people

celebrated. 70% say they attended religious services when children, but it dwindled to a little over a half by the time they were adults. >> in sport you rarely see three individuals vying for the same spot, yet share a friendly bomb. as jessica taff tells us three goal keepers from the u.s. national team are more than happy to share the spotlight. >> these three women have been camped out since early september with the rest of the u.s. national team, outside of boston, prepping for the upcoming winter olympics in russia. each brings something different to the table. >> what is it that makes jessie a good goalie. >> she gets scored op and you see her gig lipping. and for me sometimes you can get frustrated in the net and practice if you have a rough

day. she's giggling and immediately can bring anybody out of a funk. these players are on my team. they are good. way to go. >> i think bree has the widest butterfly. if you score, i would not go low ever. it's a wall. it can be serious. being a goalie i would use the word forget the. you'll get bouncers against you. the biggest thing is to forget it. ladies of all the positions you could possibly play in hockey the three of you chose of one with an 80 mile our puck coming out of your face. why does it go back to the siblings and brothers. i would say i was forced into that position. >> you want to play, it ensures

they are protective. >> it definitely shaped who we are. >> i was the only girl. you work hard to prove it. it makes you better, more competitive. >> you would think having three goalies in the same team, would create tension among the team-mates. instead for jessie, molly and bree. they say it brought them closer. >> we are always together. it would have been closed. we went on a team vacation. we are always together on the beach. i don't know whether there was no one wanting to hang out with us. that's when we started being friends. it's the chemistry carrying over to the eyes. the goalies usually are not this close. we have been together for

five years. we get along well. genuinely like hanging out with each other. since the debut of women's hockey in 1998 only the americans and canadians won gold making the rivalry between the two intense. >> you are training to be the best in the world. we look forward to that opportunity. it's a dog fight. those are the games you want to win. >> the last time out the americans had to settle for silver. meaning avenging the loss has been years in the making. it's hard to win silver. bronze you end on a high note. there's a lot of disappointment. for me it took a couple of days. when i got back there's people waiting at the gate. it wasn't the first time.

i hit home, winning a silver medal. >> what would it many to win gold? >> hard work paid off. we had different goals and successors that we can have throughout the process. that would be something social to walk away with the gold medal. >> a fantasy train display is entertaining visitors to the nation's capital. it's running through the u.s. it's quite a site to see. al jazeera spoke with the garden's directive director. she narrates the story of the section. >> these structures are one of a kind. there are no other structures like them, because they are made with plant parts. many are gathered from the woods, things like the acorn

caps from okay tree, and the trend rils from grape vines, and leaves from the forest floor. these are gathered and used to make amazing structures. we have been going the exhibit for over six years and have a regular following. this year the theme is world fairs. many people have been to world fairs. for example, we have the globe which was shown as the 1964 world fair. then we have the barr toldy fountain. it was on exhibit in the philadelphia in 1876. people are so happily surprised when they see what can be done with plant parts. and it reaches all ages, even though people might say, "it's for the children." that's not

true. it gives people a place to come where we are not selling anything or not - we are not a shopping mall, we are nothing like that. we are really here for the people. to make them excited about the holiday season, and also inspired about the importance of plans in our lives. >> what's on their wishlist. you'll hear from them coming up. how some young girls would risk their lives to get an education and a chance to get a career not to grow up >>. housing prices are bouncing back. what that could mean for the real estate market in the united states in 2014. we look at the holiday spirit in brooklyn. they are feeling all lit up for the holidays. christmas day ceremonies

continue at the batt gan. pope francis gave his first sermon at st. peter's square. we'll keep you posted on al jazeera america.

>> welcome back everybody. i'm shooust receiver, and these are the stop -- david shuster, and these are the top stories of the hour. a short time ago pope francis delivered this first christmas message. he called for dialogue to end the conflict in sudan. and said that everywhere should be personal peace makers, and there's a shot of st. peter's

square. the blessing and ceremony is over. people are hanging out in st. peter's square and taking in the pope's first christmas blessing since taking - since becoming pope in march. it was a blessing where he talking about everyone being personal peace makers and doing what they can individually to end wars. >> a series of rocket blasts hit the u.s. embassy in kabul. the taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks which comes as many foreigners in the capital marked christmas day. no americans were injured. the united nations voted to double the peacekeeping troops. more than 1300 troops were headed to the region. u.n. relief workers say there were evidence of killings. the clashes erupted between the president and vice president. we have a report on the

spiralling violence forcing many victims to look for treatment in a military hospital. >> most injuries in the military hospital are from gunshot wounds. the people were hurt when fighting in juba was at its worst. treating patients is a change. the other thang is closing things. most of them, they are unaware and leave everything behind. >> the president soldiers recaptured the town of bor. there's resistance in some areas. fighting continues in unity. it's not known how many soldiers tore civilians died. >> most people are shot in juba.

they are not just soldiers, they are women and children. >> there are reports that mass graves have been found in jooub ape. >> they found a mass grave. we'd be ready to investigate. i have not heard about it. we have heard about this. some criminal targeted some people. people have died. >> more u.n. soldiers coming to south sudan could help aide workers reach the vulnerable faster. >> we need more troops sent here. >> hopefully if we have a wound and access to children and women that we cannot reach now. >> tens of thousands of civilians are hiding. many hope there'll be a peaceful resolution to the conflict, so they can go home. >> i don't knowing us with mosh

on the humanitarian crisis is cynthia league. she joins us from nairobi kenya. >> what is the latest information you have on how many people are pouring in to u.n. camps in the south sudan. >> sinth the clashes of december 15th, we know tens of thousands have fled for their safety. there are concerns that many have not made it. we know people are scared. >> there are aid workers in south sudan. what has life been like for them? are they targeted tore do they have a difficult time doing what brought them to south sudan. >> what is exceptional about the situation. the situation changes quickly. 10 days ago there were the first clabs in juba, and then quickly spreading to other parts of the

country. so for the aid response, it is difficult to continue to adjust to this continuing changing situation. however, we, as the international community of the red cross have a presence in several places in the country where fighting is taking place, and we continue to monitor the situation, doing our best to keep up with the situation on the ground. >> how easy or difficult has it been for folks with the red cross to get around and provide eyed and relief. >> with the situation being to volatile, we say that it's not possible to work under our normal circumstances. but we do have - maintain our ongoing contact with different parties, and are able to make security assessment. >> we adjust ourselves the best we can on a situation that rapidly ewolves.

>> 7,000 peacekeepers are in south sudan. how much of a difference do you see that making. would that be enough to provide some protection for aid workers, the red cross and others that were trying to help. >> as a neutral humanitarian actor. of course, we maintain a dialogue with them, and how they work and try to coordinate with them like we do with others on the ground. >> what we welcome is if any of these measures would make a difference in the situation for the people and improve a little their situation. >> we are seeing pictures of some of the supplies that seem to be stacked up. is it a problem in terms of hunger and whatnot or the violence that is causing people to have difficulties. >> well, we, as i said earlier, we know that there are tens of thousands of people that are fleeing for safety.

we know that there are some people that we haven't been able to identify or locating yet. trying to find ways to help them can be challenging. however, there's already been a first provision of tarpaulins to provide shelter. it's hot in the daytime and cold in the evening. people, when they left their homes, they left with almost nothing or nothing at call. there's the concern about families, that when they left, they are separated, there's unaccompanied children and when they reached the places we are talking about a situation where they leave everything. we are concerned by the people, who have been wounded. we know there are more situation

out there who cannot reach medical care. the red cross supported local hospitals in boosting their capacity to deal with a large ipp flux of wounded people. we provided medical supplies and also medical staff at the moment, performing surgeries in juba, bentiu, and two other areas that have been affected by violence. so sh - and continuing to send specialists such as medical specialists and water specialists and supplies on the way. >> cynthia lee with the committee of the red cross. thanks for joining us, we appreciate it. >> israeli air strikes on gaza left one dead. the victim was a 3-year-old girl who lived in a refugee camp. it came after an israeli civilian were shot dead.

no one claimed responsibility for killing the man, the first to die in the gaza frontier in more than a year. weapons, manufacturing facility and a rocket launcher were among the targets of tuesday's air stricts. the rations released its latest numbers from refugees in syria. 2.2 million syrians left of the country. 553,000 left in turkey. 559,000 fled to jordan, and 894,000 across the border into lebanon. some syrian children are getting a chance to act like kids. i explained the reasons behind this unlikely christmas celebration. >> these children from syria are reciting the christmas wishes, and they don't include new toys.

>> santa, i want my old clothes back they sing. i want my old toys and to go back home. in the freezing cold of lebanon's bekaa valley, in a makeshift refugee camp, in a makeshift school of tents, a safe zone for these children. almost 500 children come here to get an education, and even some food. a nongovernmental organization from lebanon called beyond uses money created by unicef. they are under tremendous pressure says the director. and the goal is to alleviate some suffering, and give emotional support. >> we can watch buildings destroyed, but to see a generation destroyed is not acceptable. most children here, maria says

it's important. other non-christmas holidays. >> to tech them coexistence. to celebrate the holidays and give a brag from reality. >> last week her mother died during a snow storm. yet she still can sing. alef is four, she's an orphan. most of these children have lost someone. i want to forget the suffering, i want these toys back. 12,000 children receive gifts like these. and maybe what will prove most precious of all a hat to stay warm. ? a. imented

>> hundreds of thousands receive charity. >> united nations says that right now one in five people living in lebanon is a refugee from the war in syria. >> the obama administration said on tuesday it would give four people time to enrol if they show they missed the website. republicans criticised the website and say the move is political, allowing more theme to enrol to increase the numbers and show sug cess. >> officials say the move is commonsense. they say it will prove that people can't affordable care act. >> 2013 marked a turn around for u.s. home owners. prices rise double digits. will 2014 tilt in favour of

buyers. >> the housing recovering picked up steam. home values increased in average. the biggest rise since 2006. >> i never buy historical standards. >> prices came a long way. can they be sustained in 2014. >> the reaction is to pause. and maybe things are overheated. it's 25% off the peak, more room to rup. >> economists don't expect the gains to keep up. >> the federal serve bont buying program can keep mortgage rates at lows. the fed can withdraw stimulus, which may push prices up. the reason for the rise in mortgage rates is the expanding economy. if theons are created. it should stablilize the housing mark.

>> a factor driving up home prices is the tight supply. too many buyers create sellers. >> the only way to really get a genuine increase in inventory. we need to have another 50% increase from the current level to really help relieve the inventory situation. >> real estate experts are hopeful in 2014, but recollection that there could be problems. many see it as a year of transition. higher rates and prices could return the market to a normal level. >> nationwide home prices rose between 5 and 13% depending on the index. white-hot markets in the west saw home prices rise bias much as 25%. >> a holiday mistake, why thousands of ups packages will not arriving in time for

christmas and young storm survivors are getting a shopping spree to help them replace what was lost more than a year ago.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. just ahead how a nonprofit group is spending the holiday replacing items that children lost in a store that wiped out their homes. let's look at where the snow and rain may fall. >> this christmas will be quiet over much of the country. the exception into south florida, where a boundary is tongue up. also into the up ir midwest where we'll welcome snow full thanks to a clipper system and into parts of wisconsin. more snow across parts of

minnesota. >> high pressure dominating across the deep south. sunny skies and showers later in the sky. >> thank you. as we have been reporting the taliban is claiming responsibility this morning for the attack on the u.s. embassy in afghanistan. no one was injured. afghanistan is a dangerous place. especially for women, and as natal forces prepared to leave, many women worried if the games made in educating them would stick. >> it's a place offering more than these girls know. a quality education in real tangible skills. a path away from poverty and early marriage and koords yuveredy and a career. >> since friday the kandahar

institute of modern study has been teaching languages, science, and computer skills, speaking of ambitious. and says their head teach or dangerous. we are a unique school preparing women to go to jobs to go to university and here conservatives are op side to the idea that women come out and play a role in the public. those coming from villages travel in buses. stit based girls have been attacked.

>> we look forward for other girls to come. if they are not coming now, they'll come and their presents will let them get education. after surviving hard liners, it's money problems that will end the studies. >> a favoured subject is computer skills. these glasses are extremely popular. the girls are learning to use the internet and spreadsheets and programs like that. this room in here used to be the most special classroom of the school. here they had a pioneering projects where girls would skype with volunteer teachers in the u.s. those running the school can no longer afford internet at high speed. >> funding from aapproached has dried up as international forces

leave afghanistan the the aid that came with them is disappearing. this month the teachers great to forfeit their salaries. >> unless we get funding, we'll close. all the women you saw the in the classes, that's going to close. >> the girls now have to be charged $1 a day. several hundred dropped out. unable to afford it. >> the lucky ones return to chair conservative lives each day, unsure if the next one will offer so much promise. during the taliban rule from 1996 to 2001, women were barred from education and not allowed to leave home without a male escort. into thousands of gifts will not arrive in time for christmas.

the postage departments say they have been overwhelmed with a large number of presents. >> many americans are revealing lives along -- rebuilding their lives along the eastern sea board. for some residents this is the first christmas back in their homes since the storm. piterica pitzi shows us how one commoo community is lending a helping hand. >> hundreds of families are rebuilding their home. a nonprofit organisition is starting to change that, starting with this store front. >> all december long donations have been carried in. it's for a special group of people. it may be more than a year after

superstorm sandy slaed into new jersey. >> we look down the south line, you can see the devastation. people caught up in the bure okay rahsies of rebuilding. even the people that are back in their homes don't have a lot extra, because they spent is a lot of money on help. they don't know what will happen with flood insurance. >> that's why dennis decided his nonprofit organization where to turn, would give to the police. >> you can have it. pick up more toys. >> he secured a space, stacked shelves and set up stop. sandy families show their f.e.m.a. registration and get coupons to collect toys for free. not exactly. each child gets two toys, up to six per family. they are brand new.

jessica and max have been through a lot. if. >> it's been rough, i can't tell you. >> what happened to your toys in the storm. >> they broke. we had to put them in the base m. >> how many did you leave? >> maybe 101. >> there are more than 3,000 donated days to choose from. >> are there books? >> which should cover the many families that need help. like diane. she says sandy washed away her home. >> to talk about it brings back marsh memories. i'm sorry. >> son after the storm her husband became seriously ill. >> he has post traumatic stress. he took himself off medication, blood pressure went through the

roof. i had to wore about him, and the four kids. something like this to help me give a little extra to my kids means the world. >> frommed to alreadies to teens, there's something -- from toddlers to teen, there's something for every age. >> fellow sandy survivor says her family is back in her home. >> this is nice for a child. it would be heart breaking to lose all this. we had to move away and come back. it's so hard. you go on. >> 10-year-old ghana agrees. >> it's great to be back at my home. >> she went home with two dolls. with max, he landed a baseball bat and a water gun. >> merry christmas. >> a caring community spreading

christmas cheer one toy at a time. >> god bless you all, thank you. >> the group behind the toy store is working with the secret sandy clause project. yes, i said sandy. volunteers dress up as santa claus and deliver gifts to the homes of nearly 500 families affected by hurricane sandy from long island to atlandic city, new jersey. >> superstorm sandy killed 72 people and caused more than $60 billion in damage. al jazeera america continues after this. we are back in 2.5 minutes.

hearing this i'm sure from patients. does big pharma impact the doctors in their decision to not offer alternatives to the pill here? >> i think that there is evidence that if you have interactions with pharmaceutical companies, it does impact -- and there's actually pretty good studies based -- that have looked at physician prescribing patterns and interactions with big pharma. i think one of the luxuries i have is i'm in academic medicine, and we have a policy that we don't interact with pharmaceutical companies. so i hope that gives me a better perspective. and i think a lot of these doctors aren't having these conversations with their patients because i have countless patients who come to me and said they have never

heard of iud's. so i think there is some impact of that. we know there's an impact of that. and it makes it challenging, you know, to -- to have a completely unbiased view even though we as doctors like to think we have an unbiased view, there has been evidence that shows that they do impact us in some ways. so i think it's important for us to go out and educate our providers too. there is no one size fits all birth control, and there are a lot of options that work for women. >> we want to take a closer look, are there unique challenges facing women in minority communities when

>> the united nations is nearly doubling its peace keeping forces in south is a do not as the violence and death toll continue to rise. >> tears for pope francis as he celebrates his first christmas as pontiff and delivers his christmas message and blessing in peters square. target is now giving a new warning to 40 million people whose debit and credit card information was stolen in a hacking scandal. >> some of the young evident hurricane sandy survivors get a special christmas gift to replace some of what they lost

in the storm. >> good morning, everybody. welcome to aljazeera america. i'm david shootster in new york. we begin this morning in afghanistan where two rockets hi the u.s. embassy compound inca pool. the taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the attack.

tensions have caused numerous victims and are threatening peaceful coexistence in that young state. >> pope francis spoke from the central balcony to the delayed of tens of thousands of tourists and pilgrims in the scare below. >> christians around the world have traveled to bethlehem to celebrate christmas as a place jesus was born. nick, what is the mood like there, how was it last night? >> i think last night, this morning, the mood is actually quite positive. as you said, thousands of pilgrims have come here from all over the world. it's the largest turnout in a few years and that's giving a lot of people a little hope

here, a little hope for peace in the future. israeli's and palestinians are in peace negotiations and people in bethlehem hope it bears fruit. people are beginning to feel more comfortable coming to bethlehem. years ago, there was a 39 day siege outside this church. after that, tourism dropped. in the last couple years, it's gun increase in, hotels and restaurants opening. a lot of people here are saying this is a positive development for the future. of course the message here today as it always is is peace. peace today, peace for the future, peace for the holy land. >> you mentioned the difference in tourism compared to a few years ago. is it as easy getting a bethlehem as getting on a bus to go there. is there security making it

difficult to get to the church. >> i was with a palestinian christian family who's house is surrounded on three sides by the israel wall. israel says that keeps her safe. this woman said it feels like prison. there is a huge number of check points and problems for anyone trying to get in here, unless you're western. we can easily come through these check points. if you're palestinian living in gaza, you need to apply to the israeli government to be able to come here and even in the west bank itself, two or three percent of the people are christian and want to come to bethlehem and celebrate this day. some have to go through a dozen check points to get here. they, too, feel they are pilgrims just like the americans and europeans that come here. they too come here and pray for peace. at midnight mass, we heard that

message ring loud and clear. he said for all people, israeli's palestinians, syrians and jordanians, we pray for peace and for a peaceful solution to the middle east conflict hopefully next year. >> back in the united states, hundreds of thousands of people are waking up without lights and heat. days after a snowy winter storm slammed states in central and northeastern united states, officials say it could be until sunday before power is fully restored. forecasters say more snow is expected to fall through the weekend with temperatures dipping to well below freezing. the storm so far is blamed for 14 deaths in the region. >> brazilian president is pledging emergency dollars in emergency funds after record setting floods destroyed cities and killed dozens of people. thousands have been forced to flee. some cities were left without

power, many roads and bridges were washed out. the rains are said to be the worst in nearly a century. >> let's find if there will be any travel problems in the united states. >> we're on the quiet side of things, but weather did cause big disruptions throughout the u.k. that wiped out travel by train and air. this was the travel board for canceled flights in london the midwest, we are watching our next area of low pressure bringing additional snow he

showers. we have a winter weather advisory in michigan. they could get as much as eight inches of snowfall. definitely a nice sight for the christmas holiday across the south, but we are devoid of snow. it's a very cold start to the day. we had temperatures down into the 20's and third's, so freezing conditions still in place. we could use the moisture across the southwest. it's going to be a beautiful day to visit family and friends, but we do need the rainfall. we are lacking it here across areas of california. unfortunately, it looks like that could make it. with that lack of rain, we could see this year being the dryest on record and in addition to the

dry in place, we do have that critical fire threat today. it doesn't look like we'll see any help from mother nature but it's going to stay warm, lots of sunshine to enjoy, too. >> target shoppers may have a new reason to worry today. more than 40 million customers's debit and credit card accounts identity's were tollen. some are receiving scam emails. the company said all official announcements will be on its website. the data breach is under investigation. >> queen elizabeth ii's christmas message will be broadcast across the kingdom. one channel will air an alternative speech. edward snowden is calling on

governments to end mass spying programs. >> end mass surveillance and remind the government if it really wants to know how we feel, asking is always cheaper than spying. >> he recorded the message from russia where he was granted temporary asylum until august. it seems as if edward snowden is on some sort of a publicity tour here, a big interview to the washington post, now he gets this platform. what's been the reaction where you are? >> well, david, the reaction generally to channel four's alternative address is oftentimes controversial in the past. they've had the iranian president and marge simpson. they tend to put on stuff where the person presenting this alternative address to the nation is seep at culturally

relevant, but the queen's address is a very traditional thing here in britain. families will gather round the television on christmas to listen to her speech and it is seen as something quite sacrosanct. channelle four traditionally or has at least since 1993 when they started this, done as an alternative to the royal family and some do find that slightly controversial here in the traditional sectors of great britain, david. >> phil, when edward snowden gave this enter vow to the washington post last week declared victory, saying mission accomplished for people brought up to date on what the n.s.a. is doing. anything different about what he is saying to the british people today? >> we do have a transcript of what we expect to hear from edward snowden and there's a couple of very particularly interesting things. he talks about privacy at great

length, and says with the technologies that are emerging, that future generations may never know what it is to have personal privacy. he also speaking to the british people mentions of course the british author george other well and his novel 1984 in which he said basically the technologies were even on what we actually had was unthinkable to orwell, this is something that's been obviously put together for a global audience. >> an attack on police headquarters in egypt has killed 14 and sparked riots. two powerful explosions ripped through the police headquarters

and several other buildings. police say a third bomb failed to detonate and was found in a car nearby. an armed group active is claiming responsibility for the bombing. rioters have been attacking shops and,s associated with the muslim brotherhood. >> egypt's prime minister is under arrest. he served under mohamed morsi. he was sentenced to prison for failing to carry out an order. >> the united nations is denying report that a mass grave has been found in south sudan. the agency said tuesday that 34 bodies were scoffed in a town. meanwhile, more than 1300 international troops are headed to the region as south sudan

sinks deeper into confusion and instability from what is happening on the ground. >> in washington, d.c., santa under attack, not too far from the nation's capitol. >> merry christmas. >> somebody didn't like st. nick handing out toys to children and now the search is underway to find the grinch armed with the pellet gun. >> syria's refugee children share their simple wishes for this christmas. >> plus the meaning of christmas is changing for americans from a day of religious significance to just a day to honor the cultural institutions of it. here's the latest live look from brooklyn. there's santa hanging from a tree. watch out for the telephone wire. celebrating christmas in brooklyn. nice set up there.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. up next, how the culture of christmas is changing in america. first, let's get a look at what temperatures we're going to see across the nation today. >> much of the country will need to dress in layers today. it's definitely cold and we're feeling the chill all the way down into the gulf coast into the ha panhandle of florida. the northeast, it's nine degrees in albany, 19 in new york city. 22 in philadelphia. you factor in wind and it feels colder than that, so a very cold christmas day. it looks like we'll get sunshine along with clouds. ten degrees blow average. we'll make it back into the low 40's tuesday. we could see snow and we're

rain-free after. it's milder, temperatures as much as 26 degrees warmer in minneapolis, putting us at 15. yesterday at this time, we were 16 below zero. >> the obama administration said tuesday would give people more time to enroll for health insurance if they can show they missed the deadline because of website problems. republicans have complained, saying the move is political and that it allows people more time to enroll in order to increase the numbers and show success. administration officials say the move is common sense for as a response to heavy website traffic and proves that people want affordable health care. >> there's a common phrase in the tech old in the united states called crowd sourcing. it tends to mean sort of a kickstarter project and provides

health care services through small contributions on line. >> up to 500 people come here for treat every day. people say the hospital has been a god send, its services are free and also refers complicated cases to other hospitals and covers the cost. the hospital doesn't just... >> we have people from all over the far west who come here for the services, even from far flung districts. >> the hospital was built after three medical students in the u.s. saw a dire need for health care services in this region. back in the u.s., they started an n.g.o. and raised funds to start a health center here. over a decade, that has grown into this hospital. now, strangers from around the

world can pick and choose a patient they might want to partially or fully fund for treatment. just like crowd sources for films or projects, anyone can give money on line to a patient needing a life saving operation or even help a mother have a safe delivery. >> we saw this opportunity to improve care, care that we were already providing, but enable us to provide better care in maternal and child health through this program. >> to see what impact crowd funding has had on patients, we went to a village where this 21-year-old is a new mother. her emergency cesarean was performed with money donated by people on line. >> women like her would have had to travel to a neighboring district and the travel time at least 10 hours. for a family like this, the cost of that surgery would have been

back-breaking. >> for her husband, the relief is enormous. >> if it was far, she could have died before getting to the hospital or the baby could have died. >> her daughter is now one-month-old. the couple are grateful for the kindness of strangers who gave them the joy of parenthood. aljazeera, far western nepal. >> one half of the peel in nepal live in positivity. >> it's tough sometimes to figure out which car model will get you the best performance for the money that you spend. con sommer reports has just released its annual list of best and worst cars for your money. they rank hundreds of vehicles for gas mileage and overall cost. toyota's newest prius cost of

ownership is just 44 cents per mile. number two, a honda. rounding out the bottom, the nissan s.u.v. that will run you a steep $1.20 per mile. next is the only luxury car on the list, the b.m.w.750l.i. see dan and the jeep wrangler comes in as third worst. >> sellers finally have the advantage in the 2013 housing market because housing prices rose and a lot of folks had multiple bids on their homes. as the fed increases bond buying, will buyers get the upper hand in 2014? we have the story. >> the housing rove picked up steam in 2013. home values increased in average about 11% across the country, the biggest yearly rise since 2006. >> it's a shockingly high number by historical standards. >> prices have come a long way,

but can they be sustained in 2014. >> you're initial reaction is to pause and think thinks overheating, but ruffle still 25% off the peak, so a lot more room to run. >> congress doesn't expect the blistering pace we saw in 2000 highway. the bond buying program has fueled much of the housing recovery keeping mortgage rates at all time lows. the fed will begin with drawing its stimulus in january. that may push rates up and cause prices to moderate. >> the reason for the rise in the mortgage rate is the expanding economy and job creation. as long as the jobs are being created, even though mortgage rates are rising, that should stabilize the housing market. >> too many buyers have been choicing too few sellers creating bidding wars and inflating prices. >> the only way to get a genuine increase in inventory is for new

home construction to take place. we need a 50% increase from the current level to really help relieve the inventory situation. >> real estate experts are hopeful about 2014 but recognize there could be problems. many see it as a year of transition. they say higher interest rates and prices could actually return the market to a normal level. aljazeera, new york. >> home prices rose the most in the west where home prices increased up to 25% as mortgage rates had all time lows in 2013. >> same-sex couples can continue to marry in utah at least for now. a federal appeals court in denver tuesday denied utah's request to halt same-sex marriages until the appeal is over. the supreme court will be asked to place same-sex marriage on hold while the legal battle continues. nearly 700 gay couples have been

granted licenses since the ban was lifted last week. utah is the 18th state to legalize same-sex marriage. >> a judge in california has ruled that a teen must come off life support but ruled she may stay on while the parents appeal. the girl sufficient complications from a tonsilectomy and was declared brain dead three days later. >> a toy give away turned ugly christmas eve in the nation's capitol. the big man playing santa claus in a charity event to give away toys to needy children was shot with a pellet gun. >> oh, yes. merry -- ahh! ahh! ahh! >> the santa shooting happened while he was being interviewed

by a television station. the naughty girl or boy shot st. nick from a nearby window. the man playing st. nick was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for minor injuries and released. volunteers continued to deliver santa's toys. >> a recent poll found nine in 10 americans say they celebrate christmas for religious reasons but for a growing number of young people, the meaning of christmas is changing. a lot of younger people see it as a cultural holiday while older folks want to keep the christ in christmas. >> it is the season of giving, shopping and dodging crowds to visit family and friends. >> my name's noel, so i'm big on christmas and just everything about it. >> polls show that for around half of americans that celebrate christmas, it's about safe.

>> i'm an elder in the church. tomorrow, i'll be most of the day at church. >> for one third of christmas celebrators, it's a different holiday. >> christmas is secular at this point. i don't think it's too much of a religious holiday anymore. mostly family, day off. >> adults under 30 are less likely to attended christmas religious services, another showing a number of americans don't identify with any religion. the number of people who see christmas at cultural and not religious is much higher. >> do charity, something productive. do something fun, festive, you will have a better season. >> for shoppers at this christian gift shop, the season is largely about jesus christ.

owners say customers bought 600 of these magnets this year, three times more than last year. >> they want people to understand what it's all about, and that's a good way of letting them know to keep christ in christmas. >> from nativity scenes to decorations, calendars and books, these gifts share that christmas is more than about santa claus andvasion. it's about the religious meaning of the holiday. >> as i get older, it's not the commercialism anymore, the presents and toys. it's become more about faith and about the birth of jesus. >> as the face of america changes, so does the approach to christmas. with increasing numbers of americans viewing it as a shared cultural experience outside of church. aljazeera, new york. >> the study found age can change how people celebrate the christmas holiday. 70% of the people surveyed say they attended mass as a child

but as away adult the figure fell to 50%. >> thousands of syrian children are spending this christmas in refugee camps. aljazeera spoke to these children about their basically necessities that they're wishing for this holiday season and tell but that. how some girls are risking their lives to get an education and the chance to have a career when they grow up. >> how many toys did you get? >> maybe one. >> how children who survived super storm sandy are getting a chance to rebuild more than one year later. share the same message that christmas is about more than

just santa clause and vacations for shoppers here it's about the religious meaning of the holiday. >> as i get older it's not the commercialism anymore and the presents and the toys it's become more about faith and the birth of jesus. >> reporter: but as the face of america changes, so does the approach to christmas. with increasing numbers of americans viewing it as a shared cultural experience outside of church. roxanne, a al jazerra, new york. coming up a holiday mistake, why thousands of u.p.s. packages will not arrive in time for christmas. all aboard a holiday exhibit in the nation's capitol. an inside look at the fantasy train display at the u.s. bow botanical gardens, plus christians all over the world are celebrating christmas, how the holiday revel recipients changes in different cultures

>> welcome back everybody. these are our top stories at

this hour. pope francis has marked his first christmas at the vatican, leading mass last night. today, he delivered his first christmas message calling for an end to fighting in the middle east and africa and said everybody should be a personal peacemaker. >> a series of rocket blasts have hit the u.s. embassy in kabul. the taliban is claiming responsibility for the attacks, but nobody was injured in the attacks. >> the united nations is sending 5,000 troops to the south sudan as the country sinks into deeper instability. the death toll from the past 10 days of the violence is likely in the thousands. we report now on the spiraling violence that has forced many victims to look for treatment in a military hospital. >> most injuries in this military hospital are from gunshot wounds. these people were hurt when

fighting in south sudan's capitol juba was at its worst. the city is now relatively quiet but treatings patients is a challenge. >> the challenge we are having is sending... these patients were caught unaware and left everything behind. >> government soldiers have now recaptured the town. that there is still resistance in some areas. fighting continues in unity and upper states. it's not known how many soldiers and civilian have died offer been injured. >> most people were shot here in juba, but there are a few others elsewhere. it's not just soldiers we're seeing, there are women and children in here, too. >> there are reports that mass graves have been found in the capitol juba.

>> inouye ba, if they have found a mass grave, we will investigate. i have not heard about it. we heard about deaths. some criminal targeted some people. people have died. >> more u.n. soldiers coming to south sudan could help aid workers reach the vulnerable area, especially the children. >> hopefully if we have access to some of these children and women, but we cannot reach them now. >> many hope there is a peaceful resolution to the conflict so they can go home. >> israeli air strikes on gaza left one dead. the victim was a 3-year-old girl who lived in a refugee camp. the air strikes came after an israeli civilian was shot dead on the gaza border.

no one has claimed responsibility for killing that man who was the first to die on oh the gaza front tour in nearly a year. >> the united nations released its latest numbers on refugees from syria. more than 2.2 million have left the country. more than 553,000 syrian refugees now in turkey, 569,000 have fled to door dan and 889,000 have crossed into lebanon. some syrian children who have fled to lebanon are getting a chance to act like kids at least for today. we explain the reasons behind this unlikely christmas celebration. >> these children from syria are reciting their christmas wishes and they don't include new toys. santa, i want my old clothes

back, they sing. i want my old toys and to go back home. in the breezing code of lebanon in a makeshift refugee camp, in a makeshift school of tents, a safe zone for these children. almost 500 students come here to get an education, some psychological support and even some food. a non-governmental organization from lebanon uses money donated by unicef to try to create a safe haven for these children. they are under tremendous pressure says the arms director and the goal is to alleviate some of their suffering and give them some emotional support. that. >> we can watch buildings destroyed, neighborhood's wiped but to see a whole generation destroyed is not acceptable. >> although most children are muslims, maria said it's

important to celebrate christmas like they celebrate other holidays. to teach them coexistence, celebrate each other's halladay, to give them a break from their reality. last year, she lost her father to the war in syria and last week, her mother died during a snowstorm that hit lebanon, yet she still can sing. >> she is only four, and is an orphan, as well. most of these children have lost something or someone. >> i want to forget the suffering. i want my toys back, this girl sings. that 12,000 children across lebanon received gifts like these, dolls and cars and maybe what will prove most precious of all, hats to stay warm. >> hundreds of thousands of syrian children are dependent on charity for their basic needs. on this day, they got much more

in the spirit of christmas. >> the united nations now says that one in five people living in lebanon is a refugee from the war in syria. back in the united states, a lawyer for an i understandian diplomat arrested and strip searched is accusing u.s. authorities of mishandle that investigation. the diplomat's attorney said the agent who drew up the charges made a key error which led to the arrest. india's can as you will general was arrested two weeks ago in new yorkty. the incident has drawn angry responses from officials in india. >> the taliban is claiming responsibility for the attack on the u.s. embassy in afghanistan. it's a reminder that afghanistan remains a dangerous place. it's especially dangerous for women as nato forces prosecutor that to leave the country. many worry that the gains made in education will not stick in the future. aljazeera's jane ferguson takes

us to a school in kandahar city that was long considered a success and is now facing closure. >> it's a place offering more than these girls know, a quality education in real tangible skills, a path away from positivity and early marriage and towards university and a career. since 2002, the modern stud has been teaching women languages, like management and computer skills. that they are skills that speak of ambition which in the heart of tallle ban country is remarkable. >> we are a unique school, preparing women to go to jobs. our school is preparing women to go to universities. our school is preparing women to take part. here the conservatives are opposite to the idea that women

come out and play a role in the public. >> the journey to schoolle is risky for these young women. those culling from village travel in custody trucks. even buses for city based girls have been attacked. that few here believe they will stop arriving. >> we look for many other girls to come and still, they are coming. they will come. if they are not coming now, they will come, and they will -- their parents will left them to get education. >> after surviving conservative hardliners for so long, it is money problems that will likely end these girls' studies. >> one of the girls favorite subjects are computer skills. there are plenty of computers in this school. these classes are extremely popular. these girls are learning to use the internet and spreadsheets and various programs for future employment. this room in here used to be the

most special classroom of the school. here they had a pioneering project where girls would keep on line with volunteer teachers in the sufficient. those running the school now say that they can no longer afford internet at that high speed and have had to cancel the project. >> funding from abroad has dried up. as international forces leave afghanistan, much of the aid that came with them is disappearing. this month, the teachers have agreed to forfeit their salaries, but that won't close the gap. >> today you saw the classes, that's going to close. >> he now has to charge the girls a dollar a day. self hundred have dropped out, unable to afford it. the lucky ones still here return to their conservative lives each day. onshore, the next one would offer so much patrols.

aljazeera, can't home run, afghanistan. >> during the taliban rule from 1996 to 2001, women were barred from education and they were not allowed to leave their house without a male he is score. >> meet texas longhorn snapper nate boyer. we have more on his incredible journey. >> a few years out of high school, san francisco native nate boyer found himself in a similar situation to quite a few young people today, till looking for a sense of purpose and fulfillment. after failed stints at college and acting, boyer boarded a plane to africa with hopes of doing relief work in sudan. >> a lot of it was the view in third world countries, a view of

americans where i kind of thought previously that maybe they were jealous of us or hated us for whatever reason, because sometimes the media portrays it that way, but meeting those people and seeing how generous they are and how much they he still live up to our ideals and country, i knew i was lucky, but just how lucky, i think and inspired to do something more. >> and do something more he did. the idea first came to boyer in high school and later reaffirmed following 9/11. he enlisted in the army, joining a very he willle heat section of our nation's special forces, the green berets. >> it's not that you don't feel fear you. kind of embrace it and are excited by it in some way. >> did you have many close calls? >> yes, sir. i'm very fortunate. i never was hit with anything major or anything like that, but i've had buddies that, you know, aren't here, and very well could have been me. i was just lucky.

>> for his full time service ended, he was thinking about his future and that's when he decided at the ripe old age of 29 that he wanted to play college football, despite never having played the sport at any level prior. he went to the internet looking for as much information as he could absorb. armed with his new knowledge, he till needed a team. >> i've been to austin before a couple of times and i love austin. university of texas is a great school. i knew i wanted to go to a great school, a public school. i'm prom california, but austin is similar to california, first of all and texas provided so much support for veterans. >> he made the most of his support, utilizing his military conditioning background to pass and around much younger prospects. his dire, passion and commitment made quite the impression on coach brown, who gave him a spot on the team, first object defense before he settled into

his current position as the team's long snapper. >> i definitely learned that despite lack of intelligence or athleticism or lack of anything, that you can't really control how hard you work, and you know, when you got your mind tuck on something and you're determined to do it, if you put yourself out there and aren't afraid to fail, you can do anything, literally. looking at it at that time as my age, being 29 before i came back to college and tried to play football, i neve would have thought anybody could do that, let alone myself. you're too old, you don't know the sport, you don't know how to do that. i was a special forces guy, so the gift i have is resilience. i was able to just come to the realization that i would just keep working at it and give everything i have and i can do

anything. >> that's a wrap for sports this hour. >> coming up, a holiday mistake. why thousands of u.p.s. packages will not arrive in time for christmas. >> young storm survivors are getting a toy shopping spree to help them replace what they lost more than a year ago. >> the only bear species living in south america is threatened. biologists are trying to protect them. we will tell you about that ahead.

consider this: the news of the

>> a program is empleamented to teach them. these bears are the only species found here. biologists believe they could disappear in 20 years if deforestation continues. >> biologists say the habitat is being destroyed by mining and road development. >> thousands of gifts will not arrive in time for christmas.

the u.p.s. has been overwhelmed by an unexpectedly large number of packages this year. flight delays have added to the delays. workers will sort through items to be delivered possibly by thursday. >> a lot of maps are still rebuilding lives along the eastern seaboard where hurricane sandy devastated coastal communities in new york and new jersey. for many, this is the first christmas back in their homes sips the storm. one community is offering a helping happened this holiday season. >> so many families hit hard are still struggling to make ends meet. last year, christmas time came and went without much celebration. this year, one non-profit organization is determined to change that starting with this storefront. >> all december long, donations have been carried in by the dozens. all this stuff is for a special

group of people in need. it may be more than a year after secretary of state slammed into new jersey and new york but families are still suffering. >> we take a walk down stanton island, you can see devastation down there. there's people caught in the bureaucracies of rebuilding, 200 families still living in hotels. even people back in their homes don't have a lot extra, because they spent a lot of money on rent while they were away. they don't know what's going to happen with the flood insurance. they don't have a lot to give to oh kids this year. >> which is why dennis decided his non-profit organization where to turn would give to the kids. >> it's yourself. you can have it. go pick up two more toys off the shelves. >> he secured a space, stacked shelves and set up shop. here, sand yea families come in, show their fema registration and get coupons to get any toy for free. well, not exactly.

each child gets two toys, up to six per family, but they're all brand new. >> awesome. >> this girl and her brother have been through a lot this year. >> very rough. i can't even begin to tell you. >> what happened to all your toys in the storm? >> they got -- they broke. we had to fix our basement. >> how many toys did you lose? >> maybe 101. >> 101? >> there are more than 3,000 donated toys to choose from here. >> are there any books here? >> which should can you have the many families who need help. >> my son loves to read. >> sandy washed away her home. >> to talk about it brings back too many harsh memories. that's why i don't talk about it. i'm sorry. >> soon after the storm, her husband became seriously ilia he had post traumatic stress. he was on medication, blood

pressure went through the roof and he'd never had a health issue ever. it was at the point where i had to worry about him and i have four kids to worry about. something like this to help me, at least give a little extra to my kids meant the world. >> from toddler to teens, free play station games, movie tickets. >> that is terrific. >> fellow sandy survivor says her family is back in their home this christmas. >> they had to most of away and we had to come back. it still hurts. >> 10-year-old gee anna agrees. she heads home with two brand new dolls. as for little max, the rocking horse did not go back with him,

but he landed a baseball bat and water gun. >> a caring community spreading christmas cheer one toy at a time. >> the group behind this toy store is also working with the secret sandy clause project. yes, i said sandy. volunteers dress up as santa claus and deliver gifts straight to the homes of nearly 500 families affected by hurricane sandy from long island new york to atlanta city, new jersey. stanton island, new york. >> secretary of state left a wide path of destruction on the east coast causing more than $60 billion in damage. how exactly does santa get ready for his big night in washington, d.c. based on our earlier story, it depends where santa is going and what he or she is doing. along the river, mr. clause and

the reindeer took part in the 28 annual santa ski on the potomac. this is before the big day. hundreds turned out to watch santa shred the water, which was happily above freezing so when santa had a take the plunge, it wasn't that cold. >> a fantasy train display is entertaining visitors this holiday season. it is running through the botanical garden. we spoke with the executive director. she narrates the story of this year's holiday exhibition. >> these structures are one of a kind. there are no other like them, because they're made with plant parts. many of these are gathered from the woods, things like the acorns from oak trees and tendrils from vines and leaves from the forest floor.

these are gathered and used to make these amazing structures. >> we've been doing this holiday exhibit for over six years. this year, the scene is world fairs. many people have been to world fair. >> we had the fountain, which actually is a part of the garden and it was on exhibit in philadelphia in 1876. people are so happily surprised when they see what can be done with plant parts. i really reaches all ages, even though people might say oh, it's for the children. that's no the true. i feel that it's a gift to the nation. it gives people a place to come where we're not selling anything, we're not a shopping

mall, we're nothing like that. we're really here for the people to make them, you know, excited about holiday season, but also inspired about the importance of the plants in our lives. >> let's get a look at where the snow and rain may fall across the united states today. ebony is here. >> making last minute travel plans to get to your destination, much of the country will stay quiet and dry, watching low pressure bringing know to areas that are already going to see a white christmas. we are watching out for a few showers across florida. >> aljazeera america news continues in about two and a half minutes. we'll be back with your top head loins and a full hour of news straight ahead. thanks for watching.

>> it could be until sunday until power is fully restored.

temperatures are dipping to well below freezing. the storm is so far blamed for 14 deaths in the region. let's bring in meteorologist ebony deon to found if there will be any christmas travel problems today. >> there could be especially across the great lakes where we have pressure rotating through helping kick up snow showers here especially in the western areas of michigan where we're see that go snow come down right now and it's also reducing advice bile. we're talking about slippery roads, snow showers and of course, it's going to be a little tough to see at tiles. our winter weather advisory has come to an end. we're going to keep it up just a little longer and western areas of muskegon. we could see up to four inches of snow. into the u.p. of michigan, that's where we could say maybe upwards to 10 inches of snow. take it easy if you have any travel plans in that area.

chicago not expecting to see a whole lot of snow, but one to two inches, it's definitely going to stay on the code side. temperatures will warm up closer to the weekend, near the freezing mark. many are enjoying a white christmas, but thanks to the warmth in the eastern u.s., we don't have the snow on the ground. it's definitely cold. the cold air has made its way into parts of florida. that is where we are waking up to temperatures in the 20's and 30. it's going to stay quiet, warm and dry, but the winds are going to pick up later in the day across the southwest. this is an area that could really use a little bit in the way of rain. we're not going to see it around los angeles into san diego. unfortunately, with the gusty winds, the dry conditions, we're watching out for that critical fire threat today. conditions ripe for fires to start and spread fairly quickly, so something to watch out for along los angeles. aside from that, it will be a beautiful christmas day in the

southwest. >> target shoppers may have a new reason to worry today. 40 million customers who had their card accounts stolen are now some receiving scam emails. the company says all official announcements will soon be posted on its website. in the meantime, the data breach is under investigation. >> in just a few hours, queen elizabeth ii will have her traditional christmas message broadcast. at the same time, one british channel 4 will air an alternative speech. edward snowden is giving a special christmas message, asking people to realize that privacy is important. >> we have sensors in our paces that track us everywhere we go. think about what this means for the privacy of the average person. a child born today will grow up with no conception of privacy at

all. >> snowden recorded the emergency from russia where he was granted temporary asylum in august. we are joined from london by phil ittner. i understand it's not unusual for channel four to broadcast another message than the queen's, but any reaction to giving the platform to snowden? >> channel 4 has a history of putting on people that they ref to as culturally relevant and occasionally that has been controversial, most neatably when they put on the president of iran. they also put honorary flippant, silly personalities, as well, like marge simpson, or some other comedians. it varies. certainly today having edward snowden on is going to cause some controversy here in britain. many people are actually opposed to the very nature of an alternative address. those, of course, who are very

strong supporters of the royal family. we will have to see what both of these features will have. we expect prom the queen good wishes and news, most notably the arrival of prince george. from edward snowden, we will hear much you about the issue of privacy. we he know from the transcript that's been put out that he even references the british author, george orwell in his vision of privacy being smashed by big government in his novel "1984". >> i seems snowden is on a publicity blitz. he used a phrase used by george w. bush, mission accomplished about in forming the american public of what the n.s.a. were doing. what anecdotes is he putting in this speech or presentation today that will bring particularly true with british

residents? >> well, you know, europeans and britains included have been very concerned about the n.s.a. spying story throughout the year, most notably of course german citizens very concerned, because the chancellor angela merkel had her phone tapped into. turned a phrase we expect, talk about privacy, at the beginning there, edward snowden say that go children born today may grow up in a world where they have no concept of privacy. he's talked an awful lot or he will speak an awful lot and again we're getting this from the transcript that's been prereleased, about the just sheer level of technology and the access into a person's life that can be snooped upon basically at ease, because we all walk around with these tracking devices in our phones and g.p.s. and things like that.

so this message, very strong from snowden to consider during the holiday period. he says consider privacy in the future. >> full, thanks for that report. >> the united nations says that thousands of people have been killed in south sudan and that u.n. as a result will double its peace keeping troops in the country. clashes erupted after a power struggle between the president and former vice president. the president's army says that they have recaptured a town. >> it's very, very quiet, there are hardly any people here. occasionally, we hear sporadic gunfire. there are dead bodies on the streets. some lock like they have been here for days, decomposing. the government took back the town tuesday, saying they are now in control. some wonder where have the rebels gone to.

the stench of death is literally everywhere. some bodies have been burned. we have no idea what happened. people are still scared. thousands are still staying at the u.n. compound. they are no sure where the rebels have gone to. the army say they are pushed into the bush. some say they have taken off the uniforms and been to into the civilian population. the average person wants the fighting to end, saying they want peace. we know the former vice president wants to sit down and talk to the president but still has conditions, one being he wants all those arrested for this coup plat released from prison. >> u.n. officials say 80,000 have been forced from their homes and many seeking shelter at u.n. bases. >> coming up, we will shift gears and talk about santa in the united states, a very light and funny story, depending on your view about santa under attack in washington, d.c.

>> merry christmas! >> somebody didn't like st. nick handing out toys to children in southeast d.c. the search is underway to find the grinch armed with a pellet gun. >> children share simple wishes for this christmas. >> the meaning of christmas is changing for americans from a day of religious significance to just a cultural institution. >> here we have a live look again a the some decorations in brooklyn. you can see all the angels with their trumpets and christmas lights and candy canes and a giant nutcracker. more after this.

>> good morning, welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm david shuster. up next, how the culture of christmas is changing in america. first let's look at temperatures across the nation today.

ebony. >> it's a cold one especially across parts of the deep south. we are not used to temperatures we are seeing this morning. it's definitely colder than what we would typically see. 25 in birmingham and atlanta. definitely feeling that chill in the air. heading out across parts of the they've, it's even colder there. that is where we are seeing our temperatures into the teens and 20's, but feeling more like single digits and teens thanks to winds picking up. that will be with us throughout the day. we are watching out for a weak frontal boundary moving in thursday. we will warm slightly in advance of that around new york city. it's going to bring us a little snow, but not expecting accumulations. forty's, then 30's later in the week. >> if you missed the deadline for enrolling in the affordable care act, the obama addition is

considering a special enrollment period if websites kept you out and you can prove it. are yous say the move is a political attempt to increase enrollment numbers in order to show some success. obama administration officials say this is a common sense response to heavy website traffic. the administration says this all proves that a lot of people are looking to enroll. >> most of the time when we think of the phrase crowd sourcing in high tech or businesses on line, we think of it as a kickstarter project to help people with films and gadgets. crowd sourcing is being used to provide essential health services through cries on loin. we report. >> at the community hospital in they pap, up to 500 people come for treatment every day. people here say the hospital has been a god-send, services free and also refers complicated

cases to other hospitals and covers the cost. >> the hospital doesn't just cater to locals. >> we have people from all over the far west who come here for the services, even from far flung districts. >> the hospital was built after three medical students i don't mean the u.s. saw a dire need for health care services in this region. back in the sufficient, they started an n.g.o. and raised funds to oh he a health center here. over a decade, that has grown into this hospital. now, strangers from around the world can pick and choose a patient they might want to partially or fully fund for treatment. just like crowd sourcing for films or projects, anyone can give money on line to a patient needing a life-saving operation or help a mother have a safe delivery. >> we saw that as an opportunity to improve care, care we were

already providing, but enable us to provide better care in maternal and child health through this program. >> to see what impact crowd funding has had on patients, we went to the village where this 21-year-old is a new mother. her emergency cesarian was performed by money donated from stainingers on line. >> just a few years ago, there were no facilities here for a cesarian. women traveled to a neighboring district. for a family, the cost would have been huge. >> for a husband, the relief is enormous. >> if it was far, she could have died before getting to the hospital or the baby could have died. >> their daughter is now one-month-old. the couple is grateful for the kindness of strangers. aljazeera, be far western nepal.

>> according that to the united nations, they pap is one of the least developed countries. >> it is hard to be old st. nick stills. the man playing santa class was ready to give away presents, but was topped because he was shot by a pellet gun. that. >> whoa, yes, merry -- ahh! ahh! ahh! >> the naughty girl or boy apparently fired from a nearby window. the man was taken to a nearby hospital for minor injuries and released while volunteers went on to deliver santa's toys. >> a recent poll found nine in 10 americans celebrate christmas for religious reasons, but for a growing number of young people, the meaning of christmas is changing.

as roxanne in a reports, a lot of younger people see it as a cultural holiday while others want to keep the christ in christmas. >> tis the season of giving, shopping, and dodging crowd to say visit family and friends. >> my name's noel, so i'm big on christmas, and just everything about it. >> polls show that for around half of americans who celebrate christmas, it's about faith. >> i'm an elder in the church, so tomorrow i'll be most of the day at church. >> for many, it's a cultural holiday. >> christmas is kind of secular at this point, right? i don't think it's too much of a religious holiday anymore, mostly just family, day off. >> duties under age 30 are less likely to attend christmas services. another research shows a growing percentage of young americans don't identify with any

religion. the president of american atheists think the real number of americans who see christmas as cultural is higher. this billboard shows people don't need row lidgeen to enjoy christmas. >> do charity, something fun, something festive. you will have a better season. >> for shoppers at this christian gift shop, the season is largely about jesus christ. the owner said 600 of these magnets were purchased this year, three times more than last year. >> they want people to understand what it's all about and that's a good way to keep christ in christmas. >> cram in a active scenes to calendars and books, it shares the message that christmas is more than just about shopping, it's about the religious meaning of the holiday.

>> it's not about the presents and toys, it's become more about faith and the birth of jesus. >> as the face of america changes, so does the approach to christmas with increasing numbers of americans viewing it as a shared cultural experience outside of church. aljazeera, new york. >> the study found that age can change how people celebrate christmas. 70% of those surveyed say they attended mass as a child but that fell to 50% for adults. >> jim abbot played in the major leagues for 10 years, he pitched a no-hitter and won a gold medal for team u.s.a. that he considers giving back to be his greatest achievement in life. jessica taft with more. >> when jim abbot pitched a new-hitter against the cleveland

incidentens, he did more than just cement himself in baseball history. the yankees pitcher born without his right hand became an inspiration for those who thought having a disability meant they couldn't go after their dreams. >> i don't know if i can put into words all that baseball has meant to me on a number of different levels. it just provides a wonderful message to people, that it doesn't matter how you do it, it matters if you can do it. >> 20 years later, joe rogers, a senior hockey player at notre dame looks back on that no hitter and the message. he was born without the use of his right hand. when rogers met his idol, there was an instant connection. >> when i was 16, i was invited to an awards banquet where he was receiving a lifetime achievement award. it was crazy to see my childhood idol right before my eyes. i shook his hand and talked you with him for a while.

seemed like i was the only person in the room even though we were surrounded by lots of other people. >> even though it's presented certain challenges, maybe there's some good that can come from it. more often than not, it's been the stories of meeting young people like joe and others around the country who said wow, if you can play baseball, i can be an ice hockey goalie. >> that's exactly what joe rogers did. he played hockey. not once did his parents tell him he couldn't play because of his disability. in fact, they pushed him to play the sport that was in his family's blood. >> my dad played, my uncles played, my grandpa code. my great grandpa used to have the river in the back yard plowed off so his kids and grandkids could play. i was under two years old when i put on my first pair of skates. i could hardly walk and i was on the ice learning to skate. >> while he had toover come the challenges of feeding, rogers

had to find ways to hold a hockey stick and secured glove. when wrapping it in tape wasn't enough, he found a way to customize his own after becoming a goalie. >> tell me how this glove differs. >> basically objecten on the inside, i've got a couple extra straps placed and extra padding underneath to thicken it up, so my happened has more pressure on that it. basically, i slide my hand in, crank down this strap here, this one here, and then the rest is the same as any other glove. >> i've got a lot of surprised faces at the end of the game when they go to get a handshake and never realized who they were playing against. >> for joe rogers, being able to see someone play professional baseball shows that if you dream big, anything is possible. he's trying to pay that message forward to young hockey players. >> do you feel like you're the

jim abbot for hockey now. >> that a way, david! i like to take the situation i'm with and hopefully can help someone along the way. jim was great to me, so i definitely want to pass that along to anyone. >> good job, anthony! >> it's been seven years since their first meeting and now jim abbot is impressed by what joe rogers has been able to accomplish. >> when i heard he was an ice hockey goalie, obviously that is something that you think would take two happened and a lot of dexterity, and i was just amazed by it. he just has a kind heart and real giving person. it's been nice to see everything that he's done. >> whether rogers ever makes it to the pros like abbot doesn't matter. he's proof it's not the destination, it's oh the journey and his is one that will continue long after his days in the ice are over, when a young athlete pays his message forward. in south bend, indiana, jessica

staff, aljazeera. >> that's it for sports this hour. >> as 2013 comes to a close, what's on your list to win an kass scar in 2014 from american hustle to 12 years, what movie will be the critical favorite on hollywood's biggest night? >> thousands of syrian children are spending this christmas in refugee camps. aljazeera spent some time with them and you don't want to miss this particular story. plus, how some young girls are risking their lives just to get an education in afghanistan and the chance to have a career when they grow up.

>> welcome back, everybody. i'm david shuster. some syrian children are getting

a chance to act like kids at least for a few days. we explain the reasons behind this unlikely christmas celebration. >> these children from syria are reciting christmas wishes, and they don't include new toys. santa, i want my old clothes back, they sing. i want my old toys and to go back home. in the freezing cold in lebanon, in a makeshift refugee camp, a makeshift school of tents, a safe zone for students. 500 students come here to get an education, psychological support and even some food. a non-governmental organization from lebanon uses money donated by unicef to try to create a safe haven for these children. they are under tremendous

pressure says the director. the goal is to alleviate some of their suffering and give them some emotional support. we can watch buildings destroyed, neighborhoods wiped, but to see a whole generation destroyed is no the acceptable. >> although most chirp that here are muslims, maria says it's important to celebrate christmas like they celebrate other non-christian holidays. to teach them coexistence, celebrate each other's holidays, give them a break from their reality. >> last year, she lost her father to the war in syria and last week, her mother died during a snowstorm that hit lebanon, yet she still can sing. she is only four and an orphan, as well. most of these children have lost something or someone.

>> i want to forget the suffering. i want my toys back, this girl sings. 12,000 children across lebanon received gifts like these, dolls and cars, and maybe what will prove most precious of all, hats to day warm. >> hundreds of thousands of syrian children are dependent on charity for their basic needs. on this day, they got more for christmas. >> the united nations right now says that one in five people living in lebanon is a refugee drop the war in syria. >> israeli war strikes on gaza have left one person dead, aljazeera has learned that the victim was a 3-year-old girl who lived in a refugee camp. the air strikes came after an israeli civilian was shot dead on the gaza border. no one claimed responsibility for killing the man, who was the first to die on the gaza frontier in more than a year.

a weapons manufacturing facility and rocket launcher were among the targets of tuesday's air strikes. >> an attack on police headquarters in the egyptian city has killed at least 14 people and sparked riots at the city. two powerful explosions relationshipped through the police headquarters and several other buildings tuesday. that police say a third bomb failed to detonate and was found in a car nearby. an armed group whiff is active in the sinai peninsula is claiming responsibility for the bombings. despite that climb, rioters have attacked shops and businesses associated with the muslim brotherhood. >> egypt's prime minister is under arrest. he served under eastern's president mothers as i and now is facing a year in prison to fail to core out a court ruling for a text tile company. it was originally sold by the government but sold off by the

administration of president mubarak. >> the taliban is claiming responsibility for the attack on the u.s. embassy today. afghanistan remains a very dangerous place especially for women. as nato forces prepare to leave the country, many women worry about the gains in education and whether they will stick for the future. we take you to a school in kandahar that has long been considered a success and is now face i can closure. >> it's a place offering more than these girls know, a quality education in real tangible skills, a path, away from post and early marriage and towards university and a career. since 2002, the kandahar institute of modern study has been teaching young women subjects like languages, science, management and computer skills. >> they are skills that speak of ambition which is remarkable in the heart of taliban country.

it is dangerous. >> we are a unique school. our school is preparing women to go to jobs. our school is preparing women to go to universities. our school is preparing women to take part here the conservatives opposite to the idea that women come out and play a role in the public. >> the upknee to school is risky for these young women. those coming from villages travel in custody trucks. even buses where city-based girls have been attacked, few here believe they will top arriving. >> we look forward for many other girls to come and still they are coming, they will come. if they are not cull nothing, they will come, and their parents will let them get education. >> after surviving conservative

hardliners, it's money problems that will likely end these girls' studies. >> one of the girls' favorite subject by far are computer skills. there are plenty of computers in this school. these classes are extremely popular. the girls are learning the internet and spreadsheets for future employment. this room in here used to be the most special classroom of the school. here, they had a my nearing project where girls would skype on line with volunteer teachers in the u. those running the school now say that they can no longer afford internet at that high speed and that they've had to cancel the project. >> funding bottom abroad has dried up as international forces leave afghanistan. much of the aid that came with them is disappearing. this month, the teachers have forfeited their salaries, but that won't fill the gap. >> we are going to close, all these women today you saw in the classes, that's going to close.

>> he now has to charge the girls a dollar a day. several hundred ever dropped out, unable to afford it. the lucky ones still here return to their conservative lives each day, unsure if the next one will offer so much promise. that aljazeera, kandahar, afghanistan. >> during the taliban rule from 1996 outwon, women were barred from education and not allowed to leave their house without a mail escort. >> a lawyer arrested in new york in accusing authorities of mishandling an investigation of an indian consul general. she was arrested two weeks ago in new york. the incident has drawn angry responses from india. >> there is an economic boom in

mayan mar thanks to foreign investment. this is driving up housing prices and forcing some out of the market. >> it's different, but they are getting used to it. there is no running water or electricity here. >> life is harsh here. we have communal toilets, but they are not enough. also, we have bamboo houses not enough to resist heavy rains and strong winds. >> they've had to move here to the outskirts because they could no longer afford rent in the city. the families say an increase of 37% became too much of a financial burden. their neighbors have similar stories, driven out of the city by high rental prices. they now live on land owned by a monastery in small bamboo huts they had to build themselves. >> this is very much driven by

fill an topic spirit. when we saw the homeless, we wanted to provide house i can to them. >> the new neighborhood is an hour's drive, so the monastery runs a cool to help ease travel costs for the families. >> this township has been around for less than three years and has gob from house in 70 families to around 2,000, with another 2,000 on the way to in lift. the monastery is planning to buy another plot of land for a separate community. >> an easing of sanctions and political and economic reforce have resulted in a sudden in flow of foreign investment. it will be sometime before supply can catch up with demand. it's not just residential, but office space highly south after. >> it's a complete turnaround in terms of demand. everyone is interested in

myanmar and a lot of companies are starting to take space and that's going to continue for the next three, four, five, six years. >> for property owners, the boom times look set to continue. she's on the lookout to invest in more properties. >> i'm not worried about a bubble in housing price, because there's not much space left in town. >> for the poor, the sudden surge in property prices has been difficult. it's an indication of how economic progress in myanmar appears to benefit only a few. aljazeera. >> property prices are about three times as high as in bangkok and five times that in cambodia's capitol. >> as any new car buyer would know, it is tough to figure out which model will get you the best performance for your buck. consumer report released its list of best cars for your

money, ranking performance and reliability to gas mileage and overall cost. here's their top three picks, toyota's newest prius four hybrid, 44 cents per mile followed by the compact honda fit and sky on xv. rounding out the worst, nissan s.u.v. the seep brainler unlimited sahara. the 86th academy awards presentation is more than two months away. that hasn't stopped movie lovers from making oscar predictions, including bill why man. he joins us this morning. thanks for getting up to sale. how many films have you seen that are in oscar contention?

>> 50 to 100 i'd say. those films were probably all in context, but we'll only see several score get nominations. >> as far as those several score, how would you rate those compared to other years no. >> in terms of quality, it was a great year for movies, i think. it's an incredibly diverse year. you had gravity, "nebraska," musical drama 12 years of slave. a lot of really agree directors are really at the top of their form right now. i think we're going to look back. it's hard to tell exactly, but the last really great year i remember is 2001. it's up there with that. >> starting for best picture, "12 years as a slave," let's take a quick look. >> saw you talking.

tell me. >> i cannot speak of what did not occur. >> i said come here. >> i brought her back just like you said. >> 12 years a slave. that what sets it apart from other movies about slavery? >> it is a dramatic experience that is non-parallelled. people haven't seen a film that hits with quite so much force number one. number two, it makes us look back at a historical period in america through new eyes, which cinema at its best can do. it makes us look back at movie making. gone with the wind is only one that portrayed this time in our history through a much different lens. it's really hard to look at those films the same way after you've seen this film. >> a folk singer on a journey, what makes this one of your

favoriteness. >> it's a very control film. it is a meditation on art, commercialalty, star damn, if you go into that movie without knowing what it's about and think about the implications, it really sinks in and tase there, and there's a lot of artists out there who become famous and a lot who don't and it makes you look at that with a great deal of power. >> the movie american hustle is described as mostly true. tell us about this particular one. >> that's the one i mentioned before, but that's a fun night at the movies. it's crazy, the 1970's, there's a blasting sound track. the film making is very kin nettic. the performances, there is a lot of acting in this movie. this is a movie that jumps out at the screen, sort of a really

great, fun, lovely look back at 1970 said criminality, i guess you would say. >> your top film of the year is gravity. i saw that and i sort of loved the special effects, but thought the plot needed some sort of twist or different ending. tell me why it stood out for you. >> technologically, this is a visionary movie. this is what we're going to see movies like in the future. this is something you could not experience anywhere but in a movie theater, preferably in a large screen format. why was the movie called gravity when it's about not having gravity. the last scenes make you understand what gravity is and to me, there was something life affirming, it made me feel alive. it made all my acceptses come alive at the very end. i thought as a film-going

experience, this was the movie of the year. >> all right. i can buy that. you've convinced me. bill why man is going to stick around. coming up on the other side of this break, we'll talk about which actors have a chance of walking away with top honors. >> a holiday mistake, thousands of u.p.s. packages will not arrive in time for christmas. >> i'm tracking the snow. the chance of rain and cold temperatures on this christmas holiday. i'll have the details on what to expect as you head out. was -- prince william was dating kate middleton. >> ross shimabuku is here with sport. >> dennis rodman is in north

korea to train basketball players for an upcoming player. he wants everyone to know he's not a joke. this is the same guy who dressed up in a wedding gown and will rite a book with his bff, kim jong un. the 52-year-old rodman, who never shies away from the spotlight arrived in north korea

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. that just ahead, aljazeera's culture critic predicts which actors will get an oscar nomination for their work this year. first a look at where the rain and snow may fall today. >> the snow is coming down on areas that really don't need any additional snow to make it a white christmas, but yet we are getting it, thanks to a disturbance rolling through the great lakes. snow in wisconsin just a bit of

a break. we're starting to see a few more snow showers on the backside of that. our main system is bringing heavy snow into the northern areas of michigan where we continue from one up to five everyones of know. locally heavy amounts of snow there. not really expected to see much of snow in the northeast. overnight tonight, western and central areas of pennsylvania could see a few snow flurries fly. no know is expected here, but it is cold. where we have just the tail end of that frontal boundary, expect late day showers around miami and coastal sprinkles. we have the moisture into texas and houston could see a shower. >> back with us to dissect the front runners for the 2014 oscar nominations is bill wyman.

in the best actor category, your top choice is bruce dern. >> let me take you home. >> going to lincoln, if it's the last thing i do. i don't care what you people think. >> he has been out of sight for sometime both in black and white and color. >> he's had a great career. the academy has a very large actor's contingent. bruce dern has been around for a long time. this is one of those career-capping performances the academy is known for occasionally acknowledging. on the other hand, it's very, very tough competition this year. you have robber redford in a movie, he's the only person in the movie, where he's the only actor in the movie. he's expected to get a nomination. leonardo decap free yo in wolf

of wall street should get a nomination. >> the extraordinary i didn't know credibly difficult wrenching draining performance in that film is assured of a nomination and odds on to win. anyone who see that is movie is going to come away convinced that is a pretty epic performance. >> how about cate blanchett, as a woman on the verbal of a nervous breakdown in woody allen's blue jasmine. >> i want to go back to school. i want to get my degree and become, you know, something substantial. i cannot do just some mindless job. >> she won a best supporting act stress in 2005. what are her chance of winning best actress category in 2014. >> this is very early on. as time goes on, the golden globes and all the other awards are given, people narrow their chance. we should say a lot of this is

people talking out of their hats, but it seems like that is the female performance of the year. there's a lot of competition, meryl streep, maybe even amy adams from the american hustle. this is a really interesting role. there's a lot of jiffian lee from a street car named desire. there's a sub text in the movie where it's woody allen getting back at mia farrow, a woman who also portrayed her husband. there's a lot of department and sub text in that. it's a very enjoyable performance. the category loves cate blanchett. >> any dark horses? >> it's one of those really great years. there's a lot of black actresses and actors who might be up for movies like 12 years a slave and oprah winfrey in the butler. i'm a big amy adams fan. she can appear in disney movies and dramas, and shows she can hold her own in an oscar caliber

movie. there's a favorite i have "20 feet from tar dom," a documentary about bamup singers. it's made by well known industry people at least in hollywood and that should get a nomination. it would be two years in a row for music-themed documentaries, because searching for sugar man was the winner last year. >> a lot of folks are going to go to the movies during the holiday. what movies that have just come out or about to cull out should we see? >> "american hustle" opens today. the other big movie, the last one that i haven't seen yet is "the secret life of walter mitty." i just noticed this morning it got a very look warm review in the times so maybe that's not going to be the big oscar movie some predicted. "saving mr. banks" is a nice

disney movie for the back story to mary pop that pins. >> bill, thanks for joining us this morning. we really appreciate it. >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas to you. >> nasa astronauts radar the cooling system. it lasted more than seven hours. the space walk is different from the movie gravity, but still go see the movie and you can enjoy the movie and space walks like this one. nasa originally thought this particular space walk, they would need three different tries to fix the space walk with the refrigerator sized cooling system. the pump broke down, forcing the space station to stop some science experiments which they can now resume. >> the post office is trying to offset losses for the new year, increasing the price of first class mail stamps, going up to

49 cents a stamp. the u.s. postal service has struggled for years as people opt for electronic mail and palms. it hopes to recoup $2.8 billion in losses prom the increase in first class mail stamps. >> thousands of gifts will not rave in time for christmas. u.p.s. has been overwhelmed with an unexpectedly large number of packages. severe weather in dallas added to delays both in terms of the flights and planes. there will be no deliveries today. workers will sort through items throughout the night to be delivered to really. aljazeera news continues at the top of the hour with the top stories in just two and a half minutes. america. >> stories that impact the world, affect the nation and touch your life. >> i'm back. i'm not going anywhere this time. >> primetime news: weeknights at 8 and 11 eastern. only on al jazeera america.