Wednesday, December 25, 2019

The beauty of the Christmas season ...


 ‘Merry Christmas,’ ‘Happy Hanukkah,’ ‘Happy Holidays’
The beauty of the Christmas season is that it can remind us of
all the beauty in life that we take for granted: our family, our friends, and our out of this world masterchef skills …
We can’t wait to cook up a storm and then feast like there's no tomorrow!

Wishing you all the best that a holiday could offer. ..

Happy Christmas. Whoever you are. Wherever you are. Whatever your creed, colour, gender, orientation or wealth. You have a right to be. I hope it is good for you.



Christmas cheer spreads from Kings Cross to Bondi Beach


From the Wiggles to beach outings, there were plenty of different Christmas celebrations.



June Rich - Why falling asleep after Christmas lunch is so common



'Twas The Night Before Christmas (Legal Edition)


Twas 6
Check out the original and legal versions of the classic poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas [click on chart to enlarge]:
Twas_the_night_before_christmas_pag
Have you felt that wave of fatigue wash over you after a big meal? It's the postprandial dip — or 'food coma' — and here's what we know about the science of it.






GEORGIA FAMILY ACCIDENTALLY BUYS CHRISTMAS TREE WITH OWL IN ITCountry Rebel 





J.A. DICK. Christmas 2019



The message of Christmas is our New Year’s challenge: to believe and to act on our beliefs. We believe that truth is stronger than fake political rhetoric and falsehood. Being a bully is destructive and demeaning. We are all our neighbours’ brothers and sisters, even when community harmony is difficult to achieve and maintain. Our human climate is threatened. The survival of humanity — everyone’s human dignity and worth are at risk. Yes our ongoing challenge this Christmas and in 2020.


WELL, THAT’S ONE WAY TO PUT IT: Jesus KOs Santa Again This Year
 
Throughout the parables the paradoxical teachings continue: Give to receive. Die to live. Lose to win.” 


London Review of Books rounds off 40th anniversary - The Bookseller: “The London Review of Books has launched a new website, rounding off its 40th anniversary celebrations with a comprehensive overhaul of the paper’s online presence, with its archive freely accessible for a month. The new website launched on Monday (16th December) with the entire LRB archive of almost 17,500 pieces—including writers such as Frank Kermode, Hilary Mantel, Oliver Sacks and Angela Carter—available to read for free until 15th January. The refreshed site makes it easier navigate the archive and find articles, the literary journal said, with a “subjects” search function and curated “best of” lists featuring favourite pieces selected by the LRB editorial team, initially in the areas of Arts & Culture, Biography & Memoir, History & Classics, Literature & Criticism, Philosophy & Law, Politics & Economics, Psychology & Anthropology, and Science & Technology. Contributor pages now include articles about the contributor, as well as all pieces written by them…”

What gifts would wise men bring a newborn infant this Christmas? The list would certainly include shelter, safety, food, family, health, and education; but what about a gift of creative arts? A linked paper by Fancourt and colleagues (doi:10.1136/bmj.l6377) examines data from more than 6000 participants in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) over 14 years, and provides compelling evidence that the arts are a gift we should all value. The authors conclude that “receptive arts engagement could have a protective association with longevity in older adults.”1 Their data show substantial reductions in mortality for participants who engaged in cultural activities at the initial assessment point when adjusted for all identified demographic, socioeconomic, health related, behavioural, and social factors. Cultural activities included going to museums, art galleries, concerts, or the theatre