The word for today is… frenetic (adjective): : marked by fast and energetic, disordered, or anxiety-driven activity Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :In modern use, frenetic can describe a focused and intense effort to meet a deadline, or dancing among a hyped-up crowd, but the word’s Middle English predecessor, frenetik, had
Thomas Adam University of Arkansas Thomas Adam, PhD, is an associate professor of international and global studies in the Department of Political Science at the University of Arkansas. He also serves as associate director of the International and Global Studies Program at the University of Arkansas. Each season, the celebration
Nelson Blackley Nottingham Trent University The “commercialisation” of Christmas has long been a feature of the season. Although there have been significant changes in seasonal shopping habits over the past decade (such as online stores and the introduction to the UK of “Black Friday) the practice of buying gifts, bringing
Katherine Baker mercatornet.com Katherine Baker is a freelance writer who lives in Western Pennsylvania. A couple of years ago there was quite a kerfuffle about the holiday duet, “Baby, its Cold Outside”. This song, from 1944, features a dialogue which some people might describe as a man trying to
The word for today is… cadence (noun): 1a : the beat, time, or measure of rhythmical motion or activity b : a rhythmic sequence or flow of sounds in language c : a regular and repeated pattern of activity 2a : a falling inflection of the voice b : a concluding and usually falling strain
Gareth streetfoodguy.com 1) Christmas Cookies One of the most popular Christmas gifts is a batch of cookies. Cookies are always a welcome addition to any holiday party and they’re easy to transport in a festive tin. The great thing about cookies is that you can make them yourself
goodnewsnetwork.org A Christmas-mad mom has transformed her home into—a real-life gingerbread house. 67-year-old Virginia Hoffman spent ‘hundreds of hours’ festooning her property into a vision from a fairytale. Homemade decorations include candy canes, giant gumdrops, peppermint swirls, huge chocolate and wafer cookies, and an oversized gingerbread man. Interior
Anne Lawrence-Mathers University of Reading The idea of hanging up decorations in the middle of winter is older than Christmas itself. Decorations are mentioned in ancient descriptions of the Roman feast of Saturnalia, which is thought to have originated in the 5th century BC. Some 900 years later, a Christian
An activist, hard left, High Court judge has decided that constitutional conventions separating the judiciary and Parliament don’t matter one iota, as she hands down a criminal friendly judgment: A 501 deportee had several human rights breached by the Government and his treatment was unlawful, the High Court has
The word for today is… subpoena (noun, verb): noun : a writ commanding a person designated in it to appear in court under a penalty for failure verb : to serve or summon with a writ of subpoena Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :If you think you recognize the sub- in subpoena as
Rachel Ehrenberg knowablemagazine.org Rachel Ehrenberg is associate editor at Knowable and a big fan of parasitic plants. Some plants are so entwined with tradition that it’s impossible to think of one without the other. Mistletoe is such a plant. But set aside the kissing custom and you’ll
Nilufar Ahmed Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences, CPsychol, FHEA University of Bristol Snowmen, tables groaning with food and families having a wonderful time together – these are the images that probably pop into your head when you think of Christmas. In reality, feelings of loneliness are amplified for many over Christmas.
The word for today is… transmogrify (noun): : to change or alter greatly and often with grotesque or humorous effect Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :We know that the prefix trans-, meaning “across” or “beyond,” appears in many words that evoke change, such as transform and transpire, but mogrify is a bit
Kelly Allen MAPS FCEDP psychlopaedia.org Dr Kelly Allen MAPS FCEDP is an award-winning educational and developmental psychologist, academic and researcher with experience in early childhood, early intervention, primary school, and secondary school settings. How children and their families benefit psychologically from seasonal traditions Each year at Christmas a theme
Ausma Bernot PhD Candidate, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Griffith University A group of researchers studied 15 months of human mobility movement data taken from 1.5 million people and concluded that just four points in space and time were sufficient to identify 95% of them, even when the
The word for today is… decorous (noun): : marked by propriety and good taste Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :One of the earliest recorded uses of decorous appears in a book titled The Rules of Civility (1673): “It is not decorous to look in the Glass, to comb, brush, or do any
