Comments on: Holiday Traditions, Old and New http://stresstopower.com/blog/2009/12/25/holiday-traditions-old-and-new/ Stress Hardiness, Optimizing Stress, Being Fully Alive Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:01:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Jean http://stresstopower.com/blog/2009/12/25/holiday-traditions-old-and-new/comment-page-1/#comment-3314 Jean Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:01:15 +0000 http://stresstopower.com/blog/?p=1335#comment-3314 bikehikebabe, I'm amazed that a church would do this...when I showed it to Andy he read it but missed the point that it was the church's attempt to start a dialogue. Apparently it did just that...as the article says, it's "very much a conversation piece in the city." Here's a link to a <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/17/world/main5990468.shtml" rel="nofollow">CBS news article</a> about it. bikehikebabe,
I’m amazed that a church would do this…when I showed it to Andy he read it but missed the point that it was the church’s attempt to start a dialogue. Apparently it did just that…as the article says, it’s “very much a conversation piece in the city.”

Here’s a link to a CBS news article about it.

]]> By: bikehikebabe http://stresstopower.com/blog/2009/12/25/holiday-traditions-old-and-new/comment-page-1/#comment-3313 bikehikebabe Sun, 03 Jan 2010 01:25:52 +0000 http://stresstopower.com/blog/?p=1335#comment-3313    MIRTH & BLASPHEMY (a limerick) Picture out front of Auckland kirk, Seen by some as Devil's work (Some who'd never dream In this way to blaspheme), Has at any rate Prompted some debate  About the Savior's birth And, in some, a little mirth. The Washington Post, 29 December 2009: LETTER FROM NEW ZEALAND Church billboard knocks Santa 'off center stage'. Effort to inspire talk about faith sparks laughs -- and ire. "... a billboard outside St. Matthew-in-the-City, a towering neo-gothic Anglican church on a bustling street in downtown Auckland." "The poster features Mary and Joseph in bed and apparently naked under the sheets. Joseph looks dejected, while Mary gazes toward the heavens." "The caption reads: 'Poor Joseph, God was a hard act to follow.'" "The church insists that the billboard is an attempt to spark a discussion about faith in an increasingly secular nation. Some say it has at least prompted a laugh or two." "'I think it's brilliant,' Lesley Underwood, 60, a customer service representative said in an interview... She called it 'humorous' and 'very much a conversation piece in the city.'" "Many others disagree, saying it is jarring -- if not deeply offensive." "'To make Joseph look like some kind of wimp or inadequate is so derisive and disrespectful, it's beyond belief,' said Lyndsay Freer, a spokeswoman for the Auckland Catholic Diocese. 'To believers, it's blasphemous.'"    MIRTH & BLASPHEMY (a limerick)
Picture out front of Auckland kirk,
Seen by some as Devil’s work
(Some who’d never dream
In this way to blaspheme),
Has at any rate
Prompted some debate 
About the Savior’s birth
And, in some, a little mirth.

The Washington Post, 29 December 2009:
LETTER FROM NEW ZEALAND

Church billboard knocks Santa ‘off center stage’.
Effort to inspire talk about faith sparks laughs — and ire.

“… a billboard outside St. Matthew-in-the-City, a towering neo-gothic Anglican church on a bustling street in downtown Auckland.”

“The poster features Mary and Joseph in bed and apparently naked under the sheets. Joseph looks dejected, while Mary gazes toward the heavens.”

“The caption reads: ‘Poor Joseph, God was a hard act to follow.’”

“The church insists that the billboard is an attempt to spark a discussion about faith in an increasingly secular nation. Some say it has at least prompted a laugh or two.”

“‘I think it’s brilliant,’ Lesley Underwood, 60, a customer service representative said in an interview… She called it ‘humorous’ and ‘very much a conversation piece in the city.’”

“Many others disagree, saying it is jarring — if not deeply offensive.”

“‘To make Joseph look like some kind of wimp or inadequate is so derisive and disrespectful, it’s beyond belief,’ said Lyndsay Freer, a spokeswoman for the Auckland Catholic Diocese. ‘To believers, it’s blasphemous.’”

]]> By: Jean http://stresstopower.com/blog/2009/12/25/holiday-traditions-old-and-new/comment-page-1/#comment-3306 Jean Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:01:50 +0000 http://stresstopower.com/blog/?p=1335#comment-3306 Rummuser, Bless Ranjan! We don't have problems with fire crackers here, but we do have thunderstorms that make some dogs frantic. I can well imagine that your fireworks would be much worse. Rummuser,
Bless Ranjan! We don’t have problems with fire crackers here, but we do have thunderstorms that make some dogs frantic. I can well imagine that your fireworks would be much worse.

]]> By: Rummuser http://stresstopower.com/blog/2009/12/25/holiday-traditions-old-and-new/comment-page-1/#comment-3305 Rummuser Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:13:29 +0000 http://stresstopower.com/blog/?p=1335#comment-3305 There are many holiday traditions in India and Christmas and New Year celebrations are significant ones too. All communities celebrate these two occasions just as they do the others like Diwali, Id etc. I personally stopped celebrating any festival after Ranjan decided that he will not have any thing to do with fire works and crackers that are now widely used during all festivals, not just Diwali. The reason that he took this decision was that when this happened, the dogs everywhere suffered from shock on a non stop basis for the duration of the festivals, running into days. It is not a pretty sight to see or care for dogs when crackers and fireworks go off all around the neighborhood. .-= Rummuser´s last blog ..<a href="http://rummuser.com/?p=2592" rel="nofollow">World Tour On Bicycle By Siddhartha Priya.</a> =-. There are many holiday traditions in India and Christmas and New Year celebrations are significant ones too. All communities celebrate these two occasions just as they do the others like Diwali, Id etc. I personally stopped celebrating any festival after Ranjan decided that he will not have any thing to do with fire works and crackers that are now widely used during all festivals, not just Diwali. The reason that he took this decision was that when this happened, the dogs everywhere suffered from shock on a non stop basis for the duration of the festivals, running into days. It is not a pretty sight to see or care for dogs when crackers and fireworks go off all around the neighborhood.
Rummuser´s last blog ..World Tour On Bicycle By Siddhartha Priya. My ComLuv Profile

]]> By: Jean http://stresstopower.com/blog/2009/12/25/holiday-traditions-old-and-new/comment-page-1/#comment-3304 Jean Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:17:15 +0000 http://stresstopower.com/blog/?p=1335#comment-3304 bikehikebabe, Yes, our little community does select for people who like the outdoors. I know a lot of families who either left the area or moved to Santa Fe and commuted to work. Cathy, Yes, I do love those DVDs and my exercise equipment! I would also read a lot if my eyes would let me. Fortunately Sudoku doesn't seem to bother them and it's good mental exercise (and addictive). And, as you point out, there's the universe of the internet. :) I think it's great that you have good public transportation. It's better here than it used to be, which was zilch. bikehikebabe,
Yes, our little community does select for people who like the outdoors. I know a lot of families who either left the area or moved to Santa Fe and commuted to work.

Cathy,
Yes, I do love those DVDs and my exercise equipment! I would also read a lot if my eyes would let me. Fortunately Sudoku doesn’t seem to bother them and it’s good mental exercise (and addictive). And, as you point out, there’s the universe of the internet. :)

I think it’s great that you have good public transportation. It’s better here than it used to be, which was zilch.

]]> By: Cathy in NZ http://stresstopower.com/blog/2009/12/25/holiday-traditions-old-and-new/comment-page-1/#comment-3303 Cathy in NZ Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:03:51 +0000 http://stresstopower.com/blog/?p=1335#comment-3303 no problems - sorry about the lack of snow :-) .-= Cathy in NZ´s last blog ..<a href="http://cedar51.livejournal.com/15104.html" rel="nofollow">Yah, it's Boxing Day! Box on People :-)</a> =-. no problems – sorry about the lack of snow :-)
Cathy in NZ´s last blog ..Yah, it’s Boxing Day! Box on People :-) My ComLuv Profile

]]> By: bikehikebabe http://stresstopower.com/blog/2009/12/25/holiday-traditions-old-and-new/comment-page-1/#comment-3302 bikehikebabe Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:10:04 +0000 http://stresstopower.com/blog/?p=1335#comment-3302 Cathy in NZ, thanks for taking me on the trip on Christmas. (I read about it on her blog.) Cathy in NZ, thanks for taking me on the trip on Christmas.
(I read about it on her blog.)

]]> By: Cathy in NZ http://stresstopower.com/blog/2009/12/25/holiday-traditions-old-and-new/comment-page-1/#comment-3301 Cathy in NZ Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:19:11 +0000 http://stresstopower.com/blog/?p=1335#comment-3301 the retail shops are only closed Xmas Day...the next day the Boxing Day (3/4days) sales start. however, places like the library, the bank, the Post office, other similar sort of places are closed. some of the smaller retail establishments i.e. bakeries, small other stores (not in Malls) close for maybe up to 3wks. of course, we all know :-) that the Internet doesn't ever close! or for that matter whatever neat software we have on our computers and with the event of DVD attachments and so on there is plenty of entertainment My TV on the other hand is rehashing movies I saw last year, the year before and so on...I don't how many times they have showed Oliver Twist (please Sir, I am still hungry. has been the trailer for days!) .-= Cathy in NZ´s last blog ..<a href="http://cedar51.livejournal.com/15104.html" rel="nofollow">Yah, it's Boxing Day! Box on People :-)</a> =-. the retail shops are only closed Xmas Day…the next day the Boxing Day (3/4days) sales start.

however, places like the library, the bank, the Post office, other similar sort of places are closed.

some of the smaller retail establishments i.e. bakeries, small other stores (not in Malls) close for maybe up to 3wks.

of course, we all know :-) that the Internet doesn’t ever close! or for that matter whatever neat software we have on our computers and with the event of DVD attachments and so on there is plenty of entertainment

My TV on the other hand is rehashing movies I saw last year, the year before and so on…I don’t how many times they have showed Oliver Twist (please Sir, I am still hungry. has been the trailer for days!)
Cathy in NZ´s last blog ..Yah, it’s Boxing Day! Box on People :-) My ComLuv Profile

]]> By: bikehikebabe http://stresstopower.com/blog/2009/12/25/holiday-traditions-old-and-new/comment-page-1/#comment-3300 bikehikebabe Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:12:26 +0000 http://stresstopower.com/blog/?p=1335#comment-3300 Yes, Cathy in NZ. In our small town if the library & grocery store are closed, where do you go for recreation? Someone once asked me, "If you don't play bridge, what do you do? "We play tennis, bicycle (road bike or mountain bike), hike, backpack, dance, kayak or raft, ice-skate, snowshoe, ski downhill or cross country eat & sleep." Yes, Cathy in NZ. In our small town if the library & grocery store are closed, where do you go for recreation?

Someone once asked me, “If you don’t play bridge, what do you do?
“We play tennis, bicycle (road bike or mountain bike), hike, backpack, dance, kayak or raft, ice-skate, snowshoe, ski downhill or cross country eat & sleep.”

]]> By: Jean http://stresstopower.com/blog/2009/12/25/holiday-traditions-old-and-new/comment-page-1/#comment-3299 Jean Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:10:35 +0000 http://stresstopower.com/blog/?p=1335#comment-3299 Cathy, The neat thing where you are is that things are open. Here most businesses close up, some for the whole weekend. That makes it hard for people without families. Some people can get very depressed during the holidays. Does that happen in NZ too? I imagine it's not so bad when the sun is out and it's not so dark and dreary. Cathy,
The neat thing where you are is that things are open. Here most businesses close up, some for the whole weekend. That makes it hard for people without families. Some people can get very depressed during the holidays. Does that happen in NZ too? I imagine it’s not so bad when the sun is out and it’s not so dark and dreary.

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