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FAITH RINGGOLD – AMERICAN ARTIST

2/26/2021

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TRIBUTE TO BLACK WOMEN IN THE ARTS
While researching prominent black women artists for this blog, I was delighted to find Faith Ringgold, a quilter who paints stories with textiles. She is also famous for tankas (inspired by Tibetan textile paintings), oil paintings, prints, drawings, masks, sculptures, and original illustrations from the artist’s award-winning book "Tar Beach." She is also an author of children’s books, a teacher and civil rights activist. 
      Image Source: britannica.com/bio-Faith-Ringgold

FAITH RINGGOLD - HER STORY
The youngest of four children, Faith Jones was born in New York in October 1930. She grew up in Harlem during the Great Depression. Surrounded by her loving family, she says she was neither poor nor oppressed.

Ringgold's mother, a fashion designer, and her father, an avid storyteller, raised their daughter in an environment that encouraged her creativity. “Ringgold’s parents made sure their children experienced the vibrant cultural happenings of the Harlem Renaissance. Neighbors included future legends like Duke Ellington and Langston Hughes, and Faith’s childhood friend, Sonny Rollins.” [crockerart.org/faith-ringgold-an-american-artist]

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She knew by the time she was in high school that she wanted to be an artist. She received her degrees in fine arts and education from City College of New York [1955] and a M.A. in fine arts in 1959. She taught art from the mid-1950’s to 1970 in the New York City Schools. When she married her second husband in 1962, she began using the name Ringgold professionally.

THE "AMERICAN PEOPLE SERIES"
In the 1960’s her work reflected her maturing political consciousness. In 1963 she began to create a a body of work entitled the "American People Series," portraying the civil rights movements from a female point of view. She is well known to have said, "I have always wanted to tell my story - or, more to the point, my side of the story."

This series of art works is her story and reflects what was happening around her which she brought to life in oil painting.

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         #3–“Neighbors”                                #2–“For Members Only”                                #?–“Between Friends” 
One of the best-known and perhaps most disturbing is #20 – “Die”. The Museum of Modern Art [MoMA] in New York City acquired the work in 2016 and caused a stir three years later when it placed the painting near Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) in an effort to diversify the presentation of its collection.
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#20 – “Die” [representation of contemporary 1960’s race riots]
During the 1970’s she continued to seek sexual equality and racial integration in the field of art and socially. At the same time, she expanded her art interests to include soft sculptures and masks.

THE STORY QUILTS
Ringgold began to channel her amazing artistic efforts into developing the story quilt, her most famous works, which tell original stories in the context of African American History. The artist is an expert at presenting ugly truths in beautiful ways. There have been times when people have spectacularly missed those layers.
 

The artist turned to quilting out of necessity. She enjoyed sculpting in wood and clay but the dust provoked her asthma, so she started experimenting with “soft sculpture”, combining fabric, painting and narrative. She produced her first such work, Echoes of Harlem, in 1980 in collaboration with her mother, Willi Posey Jones.

“With story quilts, this activist artist—concerned throughout her career with issues of feminism and race—creates a new expression that acknowledges cultural and personal history. Domestic arts—sewing, quilting, weaving—have long been associated with women, and quilting reflects the folk traditions [and the struggles and achievements] of black women.” [https://www.metmuseum.org]         
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                             Tar Beach #2, 1990                                                  Dancing on the Washington Bridge
                   Silkscreen on silk, 
ACA Galleries                                                        
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       The Sunflower Quilting Bees at Arles, 1997                         Museum of Arts and Design   
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       American Collection #4 - Joe Baker’s Banana
           National Museum of Women in the Arts

“Street Story” [1985] shows a Harlem building as a grid of windows. Each of its three panels shows three distinct moments in the story which takes place over a period of ten years. The handwritten text above each window tells the story. 
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The first panel is called “The Accident” introduced the character Graces who narrates the story of ten-year-old A.J. and his grandmother, Ma Teedy, who have witnessed the automobile accident that killed A.J.’s mother and his four brothers.

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The central panel entitled "The Fire," depicting the devastation caused by a fire set inadvertently by A.J.'s drunken father, who dies in the fire.

In the text, A.J. runs away from home after the funeral of his father, and is picked up a few days later for selling narcotics to a policeman. The traumas results of the fire and the problems A.J. experiences continue, one compounding the other, but through it all, Grace notes: "Say what you want 'bout Ma Teedy but she was a real woman … I like her because she a survivor. Always keep herself and her family lookin’ good."


The third panel, "The Homecoming," depicts A.J. as an adult who has fully redeemed himself and become a successful writer and actor, returns to Harlem to bring up his grandmother to California with him. Grace describes her insights: "I knew that boy was special from the day he was born. He was just different, with his badness. Peoples used to talk bout him after his Ma died, then his Pa died and he had to run and hide from the Mafia. That's that kick in the ass the black man gets. But A.J. done made that kick into a kiss. And I just love him cause he ain forget Ma Teedy. An he ain forget where he come from, or who he is."

AUTHOR 
While the series of story quilts was progressing, Ringgold accepted a teaching position In 1987, with the University of California at San Diego in the Visual Arts Department at the University of California, San Diego.

As if she didn’t have enough to keep her busy, in 1990, Ringgold went from story quilts to story books. In 1991 her Tar Beach quilt was adapted into a children’s book with the same name. That book was named a Caldecott Honor Book in 1992. It tells the story of a young Black girl in New York City who dreams about flying.

In addition to autobiographies, Ringgold’ has published 17 books, many of them children’s books including Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky (1992), My Dream of Martin Luther King (1995), Harlem Renaissance Party (2015), and We Came to America ( 2016). Her memoirs, We Flew over the Bridge, were published in 1995.
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In the 21st century she continues to work on quilts and on various commissions. She has now received over 80 awards and honors and 23 Honorary Doctorates.
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Faith Ringgold at 90
Image Credit: By Brooklyn Museum, CC BY 3.0
Image Source:https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83671645


Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Faith-Ringgold
https://gothamtogo.com/take-a-sneak-peek-at-the-new-moma-expansion/
https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/The-American-People-Series--15--Hide-Lit/23D8F6A232BEB538
http://iraaa.museum.hamptonu.edu/page/Faith-Ringgold%2C-Who-I-Am-and-Why
https://glasstire.com/2020/07/03/stars-and-stripes-flags-from-soul-of-a-nation/
https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/The-American-People-Series--15--Hide-Lit/23D8F6A232BEB538
https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/metkids/2019/art-freedom-ringgold-red-star
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/jun/04/faith-ringgold-new-york-artist-serpentine-gallery-london

ttps://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/73456.html#:~:text=Faith%20Ringgold%27s%20%22God%20Bless%20America%22%20is%20an%20expression,can%20be%20applied%20today%20in%20the%20year%202001.


https://www.houldsworth.co.uk/artists/73-faith-ringgold/works/9604-faith-ringgold-american-people-series-16-woman-looking-in-a-1966/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_Ringgold#:~:text=In%201995%2C%20Ringgold%20published%20her%20first%20autobiography%20titled,her%20professional%20career%20and%20accomplishments%20as%20an%20artist.

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WHEN OCEANS COLLIDE

2/19/2021

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A GRANNY MYTH-BUSTER COURSE CORRECTION
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THE MEETING POINT
Not long ago I received an e-mail from a friend containing a link to a video taken from a cruise ship at the point where the Atlantic and Pacific oceans meet.▼
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Text points out that the two colors show the oceans meet, but they do not mix because there is a huge difference in salinity between the clear water that comes from melting glaciers, which is cool and low in salt; while the water from the ocean has a high salt concentration. therefore, the two oceans have different densities, which makes it almost impossible for them to mix.

I found that interesting and the explanation plausible, but I’ve been around the headlands of Cape Horn and the southernmost end of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile. That tip of land marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage and the place where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans merge. The photo below shows the point of land which isn’t, of course, the exact point of confluence. ▼
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Photo taken on the cruise I was on to Antarctica
Image Credit: Joseph Luk
The point of confluence is a tip of land to the left of the man in the white hat, and that marks the northern boundary of the 500 miles wide Drake Passage where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet.

The waters around Cape Horn are particularly hazardous, owing to strong winds and ocean currents. Large waves, strong currents and icebergs have made it notorious as a sailors' graveyard. Sometimes, I have read, this passage is smooth, but the times I went through – once we got beyond that point – it looked and felt more like the photos to the right. ▼
              
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Image Credit: Google Maps                                            Image Source: pinterest.com/pin/272045633713852861/
Image Source: rbelow66south.blogspot.com/
Since I’ve been doing this blog, I’ve learned one thing. Anyone can put anything on the internet. So I looked for other sources to corroborate the video. What I found was nothing. At least nothing to support the location where the photos were taken or the explanation from any credible scientific source.

Oh, the video is real enough, but misleading. I discovered that the video, and others similar, circulate periodically on youtube and gets thousands of views.

COURSE CORRECTION – THE REAL POOP

According to David Mikkelson, writing for snopes.com/fact-check/ in March 2015, “Photographs purportedly showing 'the place where two oceans meet'… have circulated online for several years. Although the images are real, there are several misconceptions about what they actually depict.”
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Image credit: Ken Bruland
Image Source:
snopes.com/fact-check/
The first videos to go viral were taken by Ken Bruland, a professor of ocean sciences at the University of California-Santa Cruz, during a research cruise in 2007. Bruland explained the picture does not depict oceans meeting but sediment-laden waters from glacial rivers emptying into the Gulf of Alaska. This photograph is frequently shared with the claim that it depicts a place where “two oceans meet,” but that is not the case.

Bruland explained that the picture actually captures what occurs when sediment-laden water from glacial rivers empties out into the ocean. “Glacier rivers in the summertime are like buzzsaws eroding away the mountains there,” Bruland said. “In the process, they lift up all this material — they call it glacial flour — that can be carried out.” Once these glacial rivers pour out into the larger body of water, they are moved by ocean currents, east to west and begin to circulate there.lateet.com/gulf-alaska
 
The reason for the strange phenomenon shown in the photo is, in fact, due to the difference of water density, temperature and salinity of the glacial melt water and off shore waters of gulf of Alaska, making it difficult to mix. The temperature and salinity level differences. They do eventually mix. However, their intersecting borders are not static. The border between one type of water and another is always moving, sometimes disappearing completely according to the level of sediment in the water and other factors.

The same video has also been said to show where the Congo River meets the Atlantic Ocean; even the dividing line between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic.” Alexandre Capron observers.france24.com/

The Northern and Southern Patagonian Icefields of Chile certainly have plenty of glaciers, so I imagine that the conditions along the western coast might of Chile replicate the phenomenon photographed by Professor Bruland in Alaska.
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Drake Passage in winter
Image Source: wildfoottravel.com/drake-passage

OCEANS HAVE BORDERS
Historically, there were only four oceans on the earth -- namely Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Arctic -- all of them connected with each other to form a continuous body of water. One would think that since these oceans have existed a lot longer than humans they would be left alone to establish their own borders.
 

They’d done a good job where land formed somewhat permanent boundaries but where they came together, there was confusion and indecision. Humans, in their wisdom, decided the oceans needed help and created the International Hydrographic Organization which identifies the borders of oceans and other large bodies of water, but not seas.
 
In 2002, this august body carved out a new ocean surrounding the least populated body of land at the bottom of the world -- Antarctica -- because the body of water has a unique ecosystem and it impacts global climate. Now called the Southern Ocean, this fifth ocean is fourth largest.

Note that not everyone agrees with these borders. Imagine that! It would be a shocking “first” if they did. 
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          The Pacific Ocean                                    The Atlantic Ocean                                  The Indian Ocean                  
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             The Arctic Ocean                                The Southern Ocean

​YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE

Looking at the maps, one can see how many places in the world the five oceans interface with other large bodies of water not qualified to be oceans. However, there are only a handful of places where one can see an ocean in confluence with another.

The Pacific and the Atlantic meet at Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of South America, and the line extends to the Southern Ocean.

The confluence of the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean is at Southeast Cape, the southernmost point of Tasmania. It takes a lot of effort to go there. You would have to drive from Hobart to the farthest point anyone can drive in Australia, and from there it’s a two to three hours walk. The Border between the two oceans follows the meridian to the Southern Ocean.

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                Image Source: britannica.com/place/Tasmania                                                                   View of South East Cape, Tasmania, Ausatralia                                                                                                                                                                                         Image Credit: Tom Jastram/Shutterstock.com
                                                                                                                                                                   Image Source: amusingplanet.com/2019/ 

The Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean at Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa, 109 miles southeast of Cape Town, South Africa. Many people believe that Cape Point [also The Cape of Good Hope] is the place where the oceans come together. Not so. Cape Agulhas’ meridian (20° E) is the official boundary between the Indian and Atlantic oceans.              
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                        Image Credit: 2016 Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.                                                Cape Agulhas  Faro del Cabo Agulhas.
                               Image Source: britannica.com/place/Cape-Agulhas                               Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org
/AgulhasLighthouse 

You have to be on a ship to experience the meeting of the Atlantic, Pacific, or Indian Oceans with the Southern Ocean, but it is easy to see on the map because there are no other land masses nearby.

The Arctic Ocean’s merging with the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans is complicated to explain because of the land borders. “Generally, the Arctic Ocean overlies the North Pole touching North America in the Western Hemisphere and Scandinavia and Siberia the in Eastern Hemisphere. It joins the Atlantic near Greenland and Iceland and joins the Pacific Ocean at the Bering Strait.” amusingplanet.com/2019/

You can visit the Bering Strait from Nome, Alaska [111 miles] or from Uelen, Siberia. 
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                         Image Source: networthroll.com/bering-strait                                           Nome, Alaska
                                                                                                                                                  
Image Credit: Erin Kirkland
                                                                                                                                                  
Image Source: akonthego.com/theres-no-place-like-nome


TAKE AWAY
Visiting all these places might be fun, just so you could you’d been there, but unless it’s your thing, I only put than Cape Horn and Cape of Good Hope on my bucket list. If you are a real adventurer, you might want to take a fishing boat from Nome to the Strait. It’s pretty brutal, I hear.

Just Sayin’
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Sources:
http://rbelow66south.blogspot.com/2011/12/drake-passage-december-8-10-2011.html
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/merging-oceans/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borders_of_the_oceans
https://observers.france24.com/en/20180925-debunked-oceans-atlantic-pacific-meet-video
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borders_of_the_oceans
http://www.expeditioncruising.com/2015/08/rough-weather-in-drake-passage.html
https://www.wildfoottravel.com/blog/the-drake-passage
https://earth.usc.edu/~stott/Catalina/Oceans.html
http://www.geologypage.com/2017/11/atlantic-pacific-ocean-not-mix.html
https://www.lateet.com/gulf-alaska-two-oceans-meet-not-mix/
https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-68.47,-49.34,658/loc=-66.47,-42.249
https://www.britannica.com/place/Cape-Agulhas
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AgulhasLighthouse.jpg
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-creek-that-connects-the-atlantic-and-pacific-oceans.html
https://networthroll.com/blog1/bering-strait-net-worth/
http://www.findtripinfo.com/south-africa/cape-town/cape-point-two-oceans.html0#:~:text=Sea%20cliffs%20rise%20more%20than%20800%20feet%20abov
https://www.amusingplanet.com/2019/09/where-do-worlds-oceans-meet.html#:~:text=To%20see%20the%20Atlantic%20and%20the%20Pacific%20Ocean,if%20weather%20permits,%20disembarks%20visitors%20on%20the%20headland.
https://answi.blogspot.com/2017/08/why-dont-waters-of-atlantic-and-pacific.html#:~:text=The%20waters%20of%20the%20Atlantic%20Ocean%20and%20the,difference%20is%20also%20a%20reason%20behind%20the%20fact.

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LOOKINGT AT 80 IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR: A Perspective on Decluttering

2/12/2021

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​Some years ago, a friend of mine paid $6,000 to a professional for help decluttering her home. Although she needed to dispose of a lot of stuff, I thought that rather costly. Ten years later, I’m beginning to change my mind. It can be an overwhelming task to take on by yourself.

Have you ever looked around you and realized that every surface in your office is covered with something? How did this happen? Then you look around and see that your office isn’t the only room? Time to declutter. Clutter causes too much stress.

Everyone knows decluttering is not a simple task. But there are a few “need-to-knows” before you begin.


DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HOARDING, CLUTTERING, AND COLLECTING

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Hoarding is a medical condition which leads the individual to save trash as if it were treasure. Hoarding owns the hoarder and doesn’t allow the owner to get rid of any object, no matter how useless, like ten thousand packets of ketchup. The disorder can become so severe that it interferes with a normal lifestyle, like sleeping in a bed or taking a shower.

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Cluttering may be a marker of a hoarding disorder, but it may simply be the result of not cleaning up after one’s self. It is not that the clutterer can’t clean up or throw things away when necessary, and the circumstances do not require any kind of “intervention.”

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Collecting is an organized display of items appreciated by the collector and may serve as a recreational hobby. Collections can become cases of cluttering or hoarding.

his blog only addresses cluttering, and that primarily in relation to seniors.

WHY ARE YOU DECLUTTERING?
This seems like a useless question, but it isn’t. Knowing the reason you are doing something becomes an integral part of the decision making process. Some of the motivations for declutterling may include:
  • Moving to a different house. Larger or smaller? Nearby or far away?
  • Retirement (often goes with downsizing).
  • Making room for an additional household member e.g. Grandmother or new baby.
  • Removing personal items after the death of a spouse or a child who has married.
  • Moving in with a roommate or vice versa.
  • Need more space for new projects.
  • Feel embarrassed to invite friends over.
  • Can’t find anything or just can’t stand looking at the mess anymore; too distracting.

Whatever the reason, focus on it consciously and use it as one of the guides for decision making.


WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START?
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In addition to the “why?” there are some basic guidelines for the decluttering process which can be found in many articles and books. All of them are helpful, but always work with your own preferences, habits and tendencies, rather than against them. As with anything in life, the less you have to force things to work, the easier the process will be! Think about these things before you begin.

  ● First, the ubiquitous reminder that decluttering is neither quick nor easy, and it is not going to be a one-time effort. It will be an ongoing process.

  ● Second, know why you are doing this.

  ● Third, do some thinking and planning in advance. The most prominent reason for clutter is lack of space, and/or lack of organization.
    Think the process through from the beginning. Why do you have so much clutter? Do you have places for everything? Are they located conveniently in relation to their use? Could they be placed in your home more efficiently? Are there physical organizational helps you can use
?
    Think about how you will move those big bags of trash out of the house and to the trash bin. Will you need help? Do you know how and where to donate certain things to selected charities? Can you lift heavy boxes you want to store in the garage? Is there furniture you need to get rid of?

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Spend some time getting the phone numbers of places you want to donate items, and find out if they pick up or you have to deliver the items.

● Fourth, do you need someone else to help you? Do you need professional help? How do you find someone?

Process - The Multibox System
My friend’s professional declutterer brought three big bins and labeled them, Trash, Don’t Know, and Keep. Everything went into one of them.

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Already I disagree. First, I don’t believe in leaving more decisions for later and prolonging the angst. Second, there are more than three categories of items. Consider these instead:

● Trash – no good to anybody and should go to the land fill.

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● Shred – you don’t want to keep these papers [old tax files, maybe] but you don’t want personal information floating about at the dump.

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● Give Away – items that still have good life left in them but you don’t need or have no room for them. Give to friends or relatives, or give to Good Will, Am Vets, and other such charities.
The pitfall with friends and relatives is contacting so and so to see if they want the item, and having to store it until they come for it. A week? Maybe that’s okay. You may still be involved in the decluttering. When I can get around to it? Uh-uh! All you'll be doing is moveing the clutters to another space.

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● Sell – There are many things, particularly clothes, that can be sold to someone who will be glad to have them. It’s an option, but is it a good one for you? Do you want to price those items, place the ads [no big deal these days], package them and run them to the Post Office or UPS?

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● Put In Storage – There are things you will want to keep that you only use periodically, like Christmas or other seasonal decorations. That’s what garages are for [besides cars]: Storage. Be sure to mark the basic content on two sides of each storage box so no matter which way it fits onto a shelf, the content can be seen. This is necessary even with plastic see-thorough boxes. Also, it doesn’t hurt to keep an inventory list of what is in the box.

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● Put Away – Put away the Objects to keep in the room you are cleaning up but also in other rooms.

You may not find items in all these categories in each room, and you will figure out which categories fit each room.

Where To Start
Before you dive in, think about your decluttering goal. Do you want to get rid of visible mess, or do you want to create entirely new household organizational systems to use going forward? Knowing what your end goal [your “Why?”] will help you prioritize tasks.

One approach is starting with the room that is easiest. For example, if you know you need to do an overhaul of your entire wardrobe, don’t tackle your bedroom at the same time. Don’t be over ambitious and take on more than you can do. The theory is that starting small and succeeding empowers you to take on the bigger tasks. For me, starting with small tasks in the worst room [like cleaning off two bookcases in an office] works better. By the time I finish that room, the rest are easier.

GUIDELINES
By now you have considered why you are decluttering, and have decided where to start. You have planned to set aside the time, made arrangements for help, extra trash bins, tools, etc. and contacted people to take things away. Now you’re ready for guidelines!

  ● Set a realistic goal for your daily project.
If you can do it all in one day, you are merely cleaning a messy room thoroughly. Only take on as much as you can do. “Today I am going to clean out two book cases in my office and move one of them into the extra bedroom.”

  ● Reject the “I-might-need-it-someday” temptation
It’s true. You might, but probably not. And the item has no doubt been through the “maybe someday” test more than once. Don’t talk yourself into keeping something you don’t use and haven’t needed to some time.
A friend of mine and her husband have a small apartment. Every year they go through their closet and anything they haven’t worn for a year goes out [excluding tuxedos and ball gowns]. No matter how new it is, what they paid for it, how much they “love” it, etc. If you haven’t worn it in a year, you don’t need it. These are things you may feel better about away if you can find them a good home.

  ● Don’t let your mind guilt you into keeping things.
Many of us keep things we don’t use or even like “because Grandma gave it to me.” Or you spent way too much money and feel guilty every time you see it and don’t use it.
Melissa, writing for simplelionheartlife.com/ writes “It’s important to find ways to work through the guilt so you can focus on only keeping the things that add value to your life.”
Whether or not the item adds value to your life is the key. You may want to keep your Grandma’s gift, not because you like it but because it brings comforting feelings about your grandmother and makes you feel better. Don’t part with those things.

Ditch the item you paid too much for and never use. That can only bring stress to your life every time you see it.
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● Follow through and finish the job
Just deciding what to keep and what to throw out doesn’t count if you don’t finish. You have to clear the bookshelf, and pack the give-away books into a box for the “friends of the library” store. Then you have to see that the box gets there. Now that you’ve cleaned off the bookshelf, don’t leave it in your office to collect more junk. Be sure it gets moved into the extra bedroom.

● Don’t Try to reorganize or clean until you are through decluttering
Even though you should think about reorganization of your worldly goods before you start the process, once you are into it, stay focused on what you are keeping, not what you are getting rid of. And don’t try to organize things, clean, or put things away until the decluttering process is complete. Don’t buy an organization system before you complete the process.
All these things become distractions from the business at hand.

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● Don’t take a Trip down Memory Lane
In my opinion, this is one of the most common distractions from finishing the process. You start looking at pictures or reading something from college and pretty soon you are completely off track and the time is gone. Decide whether or not you are going to keep these, put them in the “Keep” box and get on with it.
​
Another similar trap occurs when decluttering an office and trying to assess with professional information and papers are still timely and worth keeping. You can get into readying every document. I’m a writer and have problems with notes from meetings about writing, procedures for contacting editors, yada, yada, yada. Tons of paper. Then it occurred to me that the publishing business has totally changed in the last twenty years, and none of the material was pertinent any more. I pitched the whole file cabinet.

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● Be Ruthless
Bite the bullet and make the hard decisions. You want to avoid that “I don’t know” box as much as possible. The more times you consider whether or not you want to toss something, the more unsure you’ll become. All those little interferences mentioned above come to haunt you again.

A SENIOR’S PERSPECTIVE ON DECLUTTERING
The reason people are clutterers depends on many factors, and getting old may be one of them. Elder adults have additional challenges to overcome. They've been around long enough to have collected a lot of possessions. The number and kind has, no doubt, been trimmed several, if not many, times over the years, but much of what a senior retains has made the cut more than once.

Despite previous decluttering efforts, elderly adults eventually slow down and it seems to take twice as much time and energy as it used to for any simple task. The day doesn’t go as far, and it’s easy to get behind. It’s not a big deal if the house or certain rooms become a bit cluttered. It’s harder to keep up.

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​● Often when seniors declutter, it is because he or she is moving to the home of a relative who will look after them or moving to retirement or senior housing. They may be going from a house they have occupied for years to a room or two. Downsizing can be a big challenge.

At this point, the elderly person is usually looking for a permanent home for possessions they have been saving to leave to members of the family when they die. If having enough space is an issue, it’s preferable, but not always possible, that Aunt Clara’s Limoges Dinnerware be taken away by the heir, not stored in the senior’s closet or garage.


● Even if the elder adult is are not moving to another location, the individual may still have many possessions that are no longer used or needed cluttering the living space. If the home is cluttered, loose carpets and things underfoot may cause real dangers such as increased fall risk, preventing emergency workers from helping the senior, and unsanitary living conditions. Cluttering can easily morph into hoarding, and it might also be a sign of serious conditions related to Dementia.
​

Too much stuff attracts dust mites that aggravate asthma and allergies. If the senior accumulates combustibles or stacks of boxes in front of doors, the person may be subject to fines from the fire authorities.

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● An important challenge for seniors is remembering where they put things. It’s normal in your elder years to become more forgetful. As people approach old age, certain parts of the brain shrinks, communications between nerve cells may not be as effective, and blood flow to the brain may decrease. Besides, a lifetime of accumulated knowledge and experience requires shuffling through more mental files to find things.
​
Seniors need a specific and unchanging storage spot for everything, particularly medicine and important items. Those locations need to be logical and convenient to the life style.
Once one establishes the habit of putting objects in the same place, if the location is convenient the person has enough triggers to remind them where it is. However, the place for medicine you need to take with lunch should not upstairs in the bathroom, but near where you eat lunch.

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● Elderly adults also acquire physical equipment such as wheel chairs, walkers, devices to help standing up, devices to help reach things from high places, etc. All of these take up space and have to be kept in locations where they can be accessible. A wheel chair does no good in the garage.

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​​● Lifting and reaching shelves which are too high and/or too low may be problems. Dishes may have to go on lower shelves, storage or infrequently used items on top shelves. However, climbing on ladders usually isn’t a good idea for seniors either. These challenges mean there is less useable space on lower shelves and perhaps under counters.

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● Walking and carrying things at the same time may be a problem. That's why location of needed objects makes such a difference.

​
● Seniors have a tendency to over-buy. One reason is economic. Another might be the person is dependent on others to get to the grocery store and doesn’t want to run out.

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​Those on fixed and low incomes are always looking for a bargain, and if you can get three for the price of one, why not? You’re saving money, right?
​  
For toilet paper, yes. But three half-gallons of pepper, maybe not. Even if you use a lot of pepper, by the time you’ve used a half-gallon and need more, you won’t remember where the others are. When you can’t find it – because it is stored in some unusual or hard to reach place -- you buy it again.

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● No one wants their parents’ or grandparents’ stuff.

​TAKE AWAY

In dealing with anyone, the issue of neatness and housekeeping is touchy; with seniors, even more so. It’s great when someone realizes their problem and seeks help. However, If the individual is unaware of the mess or doesn’t care, whomever is helping or trying to intervene needs to be very careful how the situation is handled. There are resources available to assist:
Recources:

There are a number of companies in every state who provide decluttering services.
Also check
•https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/?cmp=KNC-BRD-MC-REALPOSS-TODAY-GOOGLE-SEARCH-CAREGIVING&
• https://hoarding.iocdf.org/
• https://www.napo.net/
• https://savvysenior.org/

Just Sayin'
 
Sources:
https://seniorsafetyadvice.com/decluttering-tips-for-seniors/  **very good article

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/how-aging-brain-affects-thinking#:~:text=Blood%20flow%20in%20the%20brain%20may%20decrease.%20Inflammation%2C,younger%20individuals%20on%20complex%20memory%20or%20learning%20tests


https://simplelifeofalady.com/declutter-quotes/#:~:text=Declutter%20Quotes%20that%20will%20Inspire%20You%20to%20Declutter.,that%20you%20need%20to%20buy%20it)%20More%20itemsServices
​​.
https://www.servicemastersanfrancisco.com/difference-cluttering-collecting-hoarding/#:~:text=A%20person%20with%20hoarding%20issues,on%20the%20everyday%20household%20functioning

https://www.lean-news.com/decluttering-your-workspace-with-5s/
https://www.paulsrubbish.com.au/difference-between-clutter-hoarding/
https://individuals.healthreformquotes.com/aca/essential-benefits/mental/resources/organizing-hoarding-cluttering/
https://www.clutterhoardingcleanup.com/resources/hoarding/difference-between-hoarding-and-clutter
https://medium.com/swlh/the-difference-between-clutter-and-hoarding-d1da8ae7e349
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mess/201509/clutter-vs-hoarding-vs-collecting
https://www.clearwaterliving.com/news-blog/declutter-and-downsize-4-tips-for-older-adults
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/help-for-seniors-who-are-drowning-in-clutter_b_4094093
http://domesticmommyhood.com/10-free-resources-help-clear-clutter-organized-home/

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People Who Walk On Glass Bridges Shouldn't... that's it!

1/29/2021

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Since the beginning the year 2000, humanity and engineering have taken a new step together: Glass bridges and boxes hanging out in space. The newest way to experience beautiful scenery and the wonders of nature and still satisfy the need for an adrenaline rush.

A MESSAGE FROM AMYGDALA
All humans share a tendency to search for new and more complex experiences, and all humans experience fear. While it may feel uncomfortable, fear is your amygdala – a small almond-shaped bundle of neurons in the middle of your brain -- sending
Image Source:                             
you a message that you may be headed for danger.   
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youtube.com/WVriShkwkc&featuree  
Apparently, Thrill Seekers have an unusually high craving for the sensation of new intense experiences, and an insensitive or malfunctioning amygdale. There have always been thrill seekers and risk takers who took on the impossible feats to achieve the exotic new experience. It takes a certain combination of traits and factors to create ultimate thrill seekers like Evel Knievel. For those less driven, we have many extreme sports. Both of these types are likely addicted to adrenaline.

​Then there are the rest of us. We have to resort to roller coasters and the like for the adrenaline rush, or if that is too intense, read a fingernail biting book or see a white-knuckle movie that makes you grip the arms of the seat. In other words, we want to experience the emotions and adrenaline rush without the risk.
​

The operative words being: "without risk".

HANGING OUT IN SPACE
If you can’t fly to space for the ultimate weightless experience, at least you can “hang out in space”. According to engineer Roopinder Tara, “Glass, never the first choice for bridge decks, is nevertheless becoming a thing… Impractical material and impractical bridges, but good entertainment.” Here are a few of the most popular glass bridges.

● Grand Canyon Skywalk
The Americans initiated the trend of walking in space as a tourist attraction with the opening of the Grand Canyon Skywalk in 2007, located at Eagle Point in Arizona near the Colorado River. The Skywalk itself is a bridge shaped liked a horseshoe cantilevered beyond the edge of the west side of the Grand Canyon. The bridge has a glass walkway allowing visitors to look straight down at the vertical drop of 500 to 800 feet.

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 ▲Image source: en.wikipedia.org/Grand_Canyon_Skywalk                                       ▲ Image Source: maverickairlines.com/skywalk-grand-canyon.aspx
The $30 million Skywalk, owned by the Hualapai Indians, is a joint venture between the tribe and David Jin of Las Vegas. Designed by Architect Mark Johnson, the cantilever can bear at least 71 million pounds, withstand winds over 100 miles per hour, and endure an 8.0 earthquake. Capacity is limited to 120 people at a time.

●  Tianmen Mountain Cliffside Glass Walkway
The Chinese, with their penchant for bigger, longer, taller, and more dramatic combined with their superb engineering skills, didn’t wait too long to get on trend with a series of glass walkways and bridges that inspire vertigo.

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The Tianmen Mountain Cliffside Glass Walkway, Hunan, China, was the first in a series to open to the public in November of 2011. It is certainly the most dramatic. This one virtually clings to the vertical cliffs at an altitude of 4,600 feet above the ground … three Empire State Buildings on top of each other. https://earthtripper.com/glass-walkway-4600-feet

These mountains in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, is the location which inspired part of the Avatar movie. There are three glass walkways in this park.
 
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Image credit: Getty Images
Image Source: www.redbull.com/glass-skywalks
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Image Source: boredpanda.com/glass-bridge-tianmen
This portion of the walkway is named the Coiled Dragon Cliff which is only 5.2 feet wide. Still, the walkway is always full of tourists, and most of them 325-foot-long don’t seem to have any fear of heights.

▼This woman is posing herself for a selfie;      ▼The other doesn’t seem too sure of thing.
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          Image Source: boredpanda.com/glass-bridge-tianmen                                             Image Source: weirdasianews.com/2011/glass-bridge

● Dachstein Skywalk
Dachstein Skywalk, Salzburg, Austria, sometimes called the Bridge to Nowhere, is a glass overhang type of structure. Opened in July of 2013, the bridge resides at 8,858 feet in the Alps. Consisting of a glass bottomed viewing platform, a suspension bridge, and the Stairway to Nothingness -- an infeasible looking precipice of 14 steps offers a dramatic view over the Dachstein Glacier.

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                                                                                  Source of Images: nina-travels.com/dachstein-sky-walk

​● Aiguille Du Midi Glass Box
Opened in December, 2013, this glass box in Chamonix, France, hanging at an altitude of 12,600 feet, is claimed to be the closest you can get to Mont Blanc without crampons. This famous needle, which is one of the highest in Chamonix, has been a tourist destination for more than 60 years.

Now, in just 20 minutes -- after a very long wait, tourists report -- the Aiguille du Midi cable car will take you from the centre of Chamonix into the high mountains to the Aiguille du Midi viewing platform.

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Image Credit: B. Delapierre                                                                                                 Image Source:  darkroom.baltimoresun.com/french-alps
Image Source: redbull.com/8-amazing-glass-skywalks

Stepping into the glass box and looking down makes it worth the wait. There is nothing but 1,000 feet of emptiness under your feet looking down at Bossons Glacier, except for the half-inch-thick triple-layered glass which you won’t even see while you float in the air.

● Haohan Qiao Glass Bridge
Located in Pingjiang in Shiniuzhai National Geological Park, China, this suspension bridge is called Haohan Qiao, which means Brave Man’s Bridge. When it opened in 2015, CNN reported that it swayed a bit but assured readers that the glass panes are 25 times stronger than normal glass and encased in a steel framework. When you are almost 600 feet above the ground, and the nothingness beneath you is moving, that fact is small consolation.
Prior to 2015 there was a bridge made of wood stretching 1,000 foot over the chasm between two mountain peaks.
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Image Credit: Geddy Images                                                                                             Images Credit: ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images 
Image Source: redbull.com/amazing-glass-skywalks                                                    
Image Source: latimes.com//la-trb-china-glass-bridge 

●
Columbia Icefield Skywalk
Located in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada, opened in April 2014. Similar to the Grand Canyon overhang, it is also referred to as Glacier Skywalk. The area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

From this U-shaped walkway juts out 100ft from the cliff, giving tourists the thrill of looking straight down 1,000 feet or experiencing the powers of glaciers which formed this part of the Canadian Rockies.
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  ▲ Source of Images: banffjaspercollection.com/columbia-icefield    ▲                                                            Image Credit: GETTY Images ▲
                                                                                                                                                                          Image Source: redbull.com0/amazing-glass-skywalks 


● Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge
The Chinese outdid themselves when they constructed the Zhangjiajie glass bridge between two mountain cliffs in central Hunan province. The longest and highest glass bridge in the world, Zhangjiajie is 1,400 feet long, 20 feet wide, and almost 1,000 feet above the canyon below.

The bridge was opened in August, 2016, with a great amount of hoop-la and media events,”including one where people were encouraged to try and smash the bridge’s glass panels with a sledge hammer, and another where they drove a car across it.”  theguardian.com/2016/worlds-longest-glass-bridge.
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Image Credit: vcg via Getty Images                                                                                                                     Image Credit: Getty Images
image source: huffingtonpost.com/zhangjiajie-grand-canyon                                                   Image Source: redbull.com/amazing-glass-skywalks
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Image Credit: vcg via Getty Images
huffingtonpost.com/zhangjiajie-grand-canyon

Unfortunately, the facility was closed just 13 days after it open to the public. A spokesperson from the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon’s marketing and sales department reported to CNN “We’re overwhelmed by the volume of visitors.”
​

The bridge is made of 99 panels of clear glass, and was designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan to carry 8,000 visitors per day. 

The spokesperson said the demand was ten times that. Officials said on Chinese microblogging site Weibo that while there hadn’t been any damage to the bridge, that it was being closed due to the “urgency to improve and update” the facility.
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It has since been reopened, if you want to put this on your bucket list. If China is too far, there are many other such glass bridges and boxes springing up around the world. There are also plenty of walkways and suspension bridges which will leave you breathless. You can see from the photo below that the bridge doesn’t need to be glass.


Trift Bridge in Switzerland                                                               JUST SAYIN’
Image Source: latimes.com/travel/china-glass-bridge                 □             
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​Sources:
http://forwarddiving.com/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/science-choice/201508/can-you-be-addicted-adrenaline
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-sky-walk-ready-bihars-first-glass-bridge-to-offer-great-view-check-pics/367856
https://www.engineering.com/story/glass-bridges-the-new-thrill-ride
https://triponzy.com/blog/glass-bridges-in-the-world/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/resolution-not-conflict/201402/thrill-seeking-what-parts-your-brain-are-involved
https://www.coursera.org/learn/psychology-of-thrill-seekers
https://www.redbull.com/int-en/8-amazing-glass-skywalks
https://www.redbull.com/int-en/8-amazing-glass-skywalks#:~:text=Check%20out%208%20of%20the%20world%E2%80%99s%20wonderful%20glass,4%20Tianmen%20Mountain.%205%20Ngong%20Ping%20360.
https://www.capbridge.com/explore/
https://www.menarakl.com.my/index.php/attractions/tower-experience/sky-box
https://visitanf.com/kinzua-sky-walk-kinzua-bridge-state-park/
https://www.onetravel.com/going-places/glass-bottomed-spots/
https://www.weirdasianews.com/2011/11/24/glass-bridge-death-offers-tourists-thrills-chinese-mountains/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon_Skywalk
https://www.traveloffpath.com/the-top-5-most-terrifying-glass-bridges-in-the-world/#:~:text=Top%205%20Terrifying%20Glass%20Bridges.%201%201.%20Zhangjiajie,5%205.%20Glacier%20Skywalk%20-%20Jasper%2C%20Canada.%20
https://www.chinaeducationaltours.com/guide/article-glass-bridges-in-china.htm
https://www.redbull.com/ca-en/8-amazing-glass-skywalks
https://www.chinahighlights.com/zhangjiajie/attraction/zhangjiajie-glass-bridge.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/08/dont-look-down-officials-close-chinese-glass-skywalk-pane-shatters
https://www.chinahighlights.com/zhangjiajie/attraction/zhangjiajie-glass-bridge.htm
https://www.sfgate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/The-glass-bridge-across-China-s-Grand-Canyon-is-12861214.php
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/03/worlds-longest-glass-bridge-closes-for-maintenance-two-weeks-after-opening
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/travel/2017-08/03/content_30341367.htm
http://english.sina.com/news/2017-08-02/detail-ifyiswpt4981113.shtml
http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/2013/12/step-into-the-void-french-alps/#1
https://www.boredpanda.com/glass-bridge-tianmen-mountain-zhangjiajie-national-forest-park-hunan-china/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
http://www.nina-travels.com/dachstein-sky-walk-schladming-austria/
https://www.upi.com/News_Photos/Entertainment/Glass-bridge-opens-in-Hunan/fp/9603/
https://www.weirdasianews.com/2011/11/24/glass-bridge-death-offers-tourists-thrills-chinese-mountains/
https://www.altoonamirror.com/life/area-life/2018/04/so-big-so-green-traveling-the-wilds-of-pennsylvania/
https://www.banffjaspercollection.com/attractions/columbia-icefield-skywalk
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/zhangjiajie-grand-canyon-closed_us_57c97c4de4b0a22de09599ca?
https://earthtripper.com/glass-walkway-4600-feet-above-ground-tianmen-mountain/#:~:text=Up%20in%20the%20Tianmen%20Mountain%20there%20is%20a,State%20Buildings%20stacked%20on%20top%20of%20each%20other%21
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ALIEN BEEHIVES: The Bungle Bungle Range

1/22/2021

0 Comments

 
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Image Credit: Philip Schubert / Shutterstock
Image Source: theatlantic.com/photo-trip-bungle-bungles/

BILLINGJAL
Imagine trekking through the Australian outback and suddenly coming upon landforms that appear to be giant alien beehives. Wow! And we thought we had problems with African killer bees. What creature could have built these monumental hives?
 
Not to worry. These are only part of the Bungle Bungle Range in Australia’s Purnululu National Park [pronounced as ‘Boornoolooloo]. The hive-looking rock formations are believed to be the result of erosion of a very ancient meteorite crater. Sediment deposited in the crater 350 to 375 million years ago has slowly eroded from wind and rain, carving out these cones and spires of porous conglomerate rock. Hence, its Aboriginal name Billingjal, which means “Sand Falling Away”.
​
LOCATION: Way Way Out Back
Australia is a big continent. You probably won’t run into Purnululu National Park -- also  known as the Bungles National Park -- by accident.

The park is located in a remote area in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. The nearly 600,000 acre national park is located approximately 190 miles south of Kununurra, with Halls Creek located to the south. The national park is managed by the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation in conjunction with the traditional  Aboriginal owners.
 The black dot in the ▼  upper left is the  park location. .

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By User:Brisbane, User:Martyman - Derivative of File:Northern Territory locator-MJC.png based on
​File:Kimberley_region_of_western_australia.JPG and File:Regions_o
f_western_australia_nine_plus_perth.png., CC BY 3.0,
​ Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org/
HISTORY
The Aboriginal Karjaganujaru people have occupied this area for 20,000 years. They continue to have a strong relationship with the land and know it well. Much of what is known about the ancient people comes from carvings and burial sites within the caverns, boasting how a civilization could exist for so long unknown to the modern world.
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▲  A Dream Time Ceremony                                                                                  ▲Image credit: courtesy Tourism Western Australia▲
Image Source: aboriginal-art-australia.com/aboriginal-dreaming                      Image source: longhorntours.blogspot.com/archive.html

The Karjaganujaru people, sometimes miscalled the Kija, are part of a small language group of Aboriginal Australians in the East Kimberly area. Kija, also spelled Gija and Gidja, is now spoken by only a few hundred people.
​
Other than the Aboriginal owners of the land and some locals, the Bungle Bungle Range and its unique landforms were unknown to the rest of the world until 1982 when film-makers arrived to produce a documentary about Kimberley. The area became a National Park in 1987 and was also declared a World Heritage Site in 2003.


GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Bungle Bungle Range is located on the plains fringing the eastern Kimberley region. Originally, the region consisted of ancient sea beds which over millions of year were covered over by layers of the mineral dolomite. The range is believed to be the eroded remnant of a former impact crater known as the Piccaninny Crater.
                                                     
Image Source: NASA - Satellite imagery taken from NASA World Wind software (by screenshot)
                                                                                                                                                               Image Source: en.wikipedia.org/Piccaninny_crater  
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The beehive shaped landforms, called bungles, are composed of sandstone and conglomerates, which are rocks composed of pebbles and boulders cemented together by finer material. The domes are located on the edge of the range. Areas of new domes are in the making as erosion continues toward the center of the mass.

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Image Credit:  ▲ Jon Connel on Flicker [creative commons]
Image Source  atlasobscura.com/bungle-bungle-range
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Image Credit:▲ Peter Ruckstuhl
Image Source:  en.wikipedia.org/Bungle_Bungle_Range
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▲Image Credit: Nichollas Harrison - Own work May 2016
Image Source: : theatlantic.com/photo-trip-bungle-bungles

Besides the Bungles themselves there are wonderful caverns and streams to explore, although visitors are strictly controlled. There are organized tours, but most of the area is not accessible for wandering around because of the fragile nature of the environment.
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▲Entrance of Echidna Chasm
Image Credit: Philip Schubert / Shutterstock

Image Source: theatlantic.com/photo-trip-bungle-bungles

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Cathedral Gorge
Image Credit:Philip Schubert / Shutterstock  
Image Source: theatlantic.com/photo-trip-bungle-bungles
THE COLORFUL HIGHLIGHT
The most impressive feature of the bungles is the colored striations of material exposed as erosion and wind have carved the bee hives.

The distinct orange-and-black-ringed pattern running all down the surface of the bungles is caused not only by the conglomerate nature of their make-up but from water getting trapped in denser layers, allowing algae to grow and form the darker colorations.

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               Image Credit: Nichollas Harrison - Own work May 2016                                            Image Source: bunglebungleguidedtours.com.au/purnululu
               Image Source: en.wikipedia.org/Bungle_Bungle_Range
The darker stripes in the sedimentary rock have a higher clay content and hold enough moisture to support cyanobacteria which grow on the surface, a few millimeters into the rock. This protects the outer layer and helps prevents erosion.

This protective layer is easily displaced. Allowing tourists to scramble around the bungles unsupervised or hike off the trails would result in damage to the protective layer, speeding up the erosion. 
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        ▲  Source: bunglebungleguidedtours.com.au/purnululu                                        ▲Image Credit: Cultura Rm/Art - Wolfe Stock/Getty Images
                                                                                                                                                 
Image Source: redbull.com/surreal-peaks
Composed of Conglomerate rock is composed of rounded to sub-angular gravel-sized fragments of smaller rock broken off other rocks by physical weathering. Most contain fine grained sand sediments like, silt and clay, cemented together by calcium carbonate, iron oxide, silica, or hardened clay.

Since the lighter layers have less clay, they tend to dry quickly. Cyanobacteria grow there without the moisture, so those area lack the protective coating. Without it, the iron in the sandstone oxidizes, creating the rust colored orange striations. 


Voilà, we have grey and orange stripped bee hives, another marvel of Mother Nature.

ANOTHER INTERESTING PLACE TO PUT ON YOUR BUCKET LIST.
□

Sources:
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2019/10/photo-trip-bungle-bungles/599794/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bungle_Bungle_Range
http://www.worldeasyguides.com/australia/purnululu-national-park/
https://www.australiaunwrapped.com/bungle-bungle-range/
https://www.mindat.org/loc-272710.html
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/bungle-bungle-range
https://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/bungle-bungles-ranges.html
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/pacific/australia/western-australia/
https://www.aboriginal-art-australia.com/aboriginal-art-library/understanding-aboriginal-dreaming-and-the-dreamtime/
https://www.thekimberleyaustralia.com/
https://bluethumb.com.au/lyn-watts/Artwork/aerial-view-of-purnululu-bungle-bungles-east-kimberley
http://longhorntours.blogspot.com/2012_07_01_archive.html
https://www.redbull.com/int-en/10-surreal-peaks

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/bungle-bungle-range#:~:text=These%20Australian%20rock%20formations%20look%20like%20Martian%20beehives,the%20erosion%20of%20a%20very%20ancient%20meteorite%20crater.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1729507-d258795-Reviews-Bungle_Bungle_Range-Purnululu_National_Park_Kimberley_Region_Western_Australia.html

https://www.bunglebungleguidedtours.com.au/about-us/purnululu-national-park-tours/#:~:text=Purnululu%20National%20Park%20Facts%20The%20Bungle%20Bungle%20Range,the%20range%20reaches%20578%20metres%20above%20sea%20level.
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COULD DR. SHELDON COOPER BE WRONG? Eidetic vs. Photographic Memory

1/15/2021

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​My family loves The Big Bang Theory sitcom and have watched every episode multiple times.

I believe I have most of them memorized.
I’m sure Sheldon could tell us precisely how many… he has an eidetic memory he keep reminding his colleagues and viewers.

Does he? Could he be wrong [God forbid]
?

No one can say for sure. Well, they can say it and do, but none of the experts seem to agree. This turns out to be a very contentious question… not about Dr. Cooper, but about the whole phenomenon.

STARTING WITH DEFINITIONS
The very fact that, across the board, there seem to be inconsistencies in dictionary definitions of both terms (eidetic and photographic memory), does not bode well … we’re not discussing an exact science. Some define the terms to be exactly the same; some not quite.
Definition of Eidetic Memory                                                     Definition of  photographic Memory  
Ability to remember things in exact detail. 
Collins Dictionary
​
Ability to remember things in exact detail, as if you can see them
​
Marked by or involving extra-ordinary accurate and vivid recall especially of visual images
Merriam Webster
An unusual ability to remember things completely and exactly as they were seen, read, etc.
​
No exact match found for “Eidetic memory. Did you mean: virtual memory, read-only memory?


Oxford Dictionary
The ability to remember things accurately in great detail after seeing them.
The ability to recall an image from memory with high precision for a brief period after seeing it only once, without using a mnemonic devices.
en.wikipedia.org
​Referring to the ability to recall pages of text or numbers, or similar, in great detail.


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​Do we score one point for Sheldon or not?
 
Apparently Eidetic memory is a real phenomenon, but in relation to images. Dr. Cooper and his writers imply that he can remember everything he ever saw [images and words] and heard. But, sadly, that is not the case. The reader scores three points if he remembers even two of the definitions above.

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​​​EIDETIC MEMORY
Eidetic memory is the ability to see an object soon after you look away, some claim in great detail. For most people, the image lasts mere seconds or less than one second; longer for someone who is eidetic.

One of the difference between ordinary mental imagery and eidetic images is the that the eidetic images are externally projected, experienced as "out there" rather than in the mind. This form of memory is controlled primarily by the posterior parietal cortex of the parietal lobe of the brain, the part that processes visual stimuli and r
etains images.         

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​For most of us, these images are retained only for a few short seconds before being discarded. However, in the case of an eidetic memory “the information is relayed to the short-term memory banks for storage, allowing it to be recalled for days, weeks, or months when it will be discarded or relayed to long-term memory,” according to Nicole
Basley
 writing for betterhelp.com/advice/memory/.   
Image Source: shortform.com/photographic-and-eidetic-memory/
​
Contrary to Beasley’s statement, current scientific consensus says the length of time any memory stays in short-term is 20 to 30 seconds. According to science.howstuffworks.com/ “Short-term memory has a fairly limited capacity; it can hold about seven items for no more than 20 or 30 seconds at a time.” https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/human-memory2.htm

Perhaps individuals with eidetic memory are able to retain memories of images in short term memory for a much longer period of time that the average Joe.

The amount of research in this field is limited and "The Truth" out there may prove to be different some day, but so far eidetic memory is found in 2 to 10% of children from age 6 to twelve, but not in adults.

Author Andres Hudmon suggests that “Children possess far more capacity for eidetic imagery than adults, suggesting that a developmental change (such as acquiring language skills) may disrupt the potential for eidetic imagery.“ psy-minds.com/what-is-eidetic-memory/

​Sheldon loses two points.

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​PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY
Photographic memory is the ability to recall an image for a much longer period. Merriam Webster’s definition: “Photographic Memory: an unusual ability to remember things completely and exactly as they were seen, read, etc.”

The research on this phenomenon is even less than on eidetic memory. The act of remembering everything ever heard, seen, or smelled forever is not possible, according to scientists. Even using a more restrictive definition of time and capacity, there is no scientific evidence to backup the existence of a photographic memory. Only one case of its existence was recorded in scientific literature, and the research has some holes in it.

Even those who do believe photographic memory exists, concede that individuals with photographic memories may not retain memories for a long period. Most photographic memories only last a few months at most, as they are not relayed to long-term memory. [This last claim makes me wonder how they would know that.]
​
It appears that  photographic Memory is still within the realm of science fiction for now.

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HYPERTHYMESIA
Maybe Dr. Cooper’s memory, instead of eidetic, is another case of Hyperthymesia.

Hyperthymesia, called Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, is the condition of possessing an extremely detailed autobiographical memory. People with Hyperthymesia remember an abnormally vast number of their life experiences – some say every day of their lives -- in great detail, as well as public events that are personally significant to them.


There are only 25 people identified with this ability [who are known to science] and one of them is an actress, former Taxi star Marilu Henner. Individuals affected explain their memories as uncontrollable associations when exposed to a trigger; something they see, hear, eat, etc. Once triggered, the memory comes without hesitation or conscious effort.
The condition was not identified, as far as science was concerned, until 2006, by a team of researchers at the University of California who were working with a woman who could recall an impossible number of events in her life, with dates and details. The team discovered that people with hyperthymesia spent an unnaturally long period of time thinking about their past.


Research has shown that although these individuals have remarkable memories about their personal life, they do not demonstrate any unusual powers of memory in other ways. In fact, they often have a poorer than average memory for other information.

TAKE AWAY
We may have a real Dr. Sheldon Cooper with us, nor are we capable, yet, of photographic memories, but never underestimate the power and versatility of the human mind.

Just sayin’.


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Sources:
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_memory#:~:text=From%20Simple%20English%20Wikipedia,%20the%20free%20encyclopedia%20A,somewhat,%20but%20stress%20the%20recall%20of%20visual%20information.

https://brainmanagement.com/the-difference-between-eidetic-memory-and-photographic-memory/#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20difference%20between%20the%20two%20when,would%20be%20the%20visual%20compone

https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/memory/difference-between-eidetic-memory-and-photographic-memory/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eidetic_memory
https://theydiffer.com/difference-between-eidetic-and-photographic-memory/
https://www.semicoop.com/comic/eidetic-memory/

https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/09/23/is-photographic-memory-real-2/#:~:text=So%20in%20the%20end%2C%20photographic%20memory%20is%20real%2C,comment%20on%20this%20post%20and%20talk%20about%20it%21

https://www.magneticmemorymethod.com/eidetic-memory/#:~:text=The%20scientific%20evidence%20in%20support%20of%20eidetic%20memory,had%20it,%20but%20this%20is%20difficult%20to%20prove.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-there-such-a-thing-as/
https://www.shortform.com/blog/difference-between-photographic-and-eidetic-memory/
my.ilstu.edu/~dmmcbri/pics.html

https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/human-memory2.htm
https://psy-minds.com/what-is-eidetic-memory/#:~:text=By%20contrast,%20photographic%20memory%20may%20be%20defined%20as,information%20and%20then%20recite

https://www.godupdates.com/former-taxi-star-marilu-henner-autobiographical-memory/#:~:text=One%20Of%20Twelve%20Marilu%20Henner%20has%20what%E2%80%99s%20called,her%20role%20on%20Taxi,%20which%20aired%20from%201978-1983.

https://www.blogarama.com/arts-and-entertainment-blogs/1282742-fact-everything-blog/20260174-hyperthymesia

http://affinitymagazine.us/2019/01/06/the-real-life-perfect-memory-hyperthymesia/#:~:text=Hyperthymesia%20was%20discovered%20in%202006,%20by%20a%20team,to%20recall%20a%20seemingly-impossible%20number%20of%20personal%20events.
 
 
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WHERE DID I LEAVE MY GLASSES? The Differences Between Natural Aging, Dementia and Alzheimer’s

1/8/2021

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​HOT TOPICS AT THE SENIOR CENTER
In my age group it isn’t unusual to talk about the trials and tribulations of getting old. In fact, one of the worst parts of aging is that the main topic of conversation is our personal health. 

​              Image Source: fayetteville-ar.gov/

That’s important, but there are other things going on in the world.  Every now and then an intellectual conversation would be refreshing. But I digress!

During these conversations it has become apparent to me that many people use interchangeably, and incorrectly, the terms Dementia and Alzheimer’s. I decided to find out the details, primarily so I can correct my contemporaries from a position of knowledge. One of the signs of aging is the diminishing or loss of social “filters”.

Since both the terms Dementia and Alzheimer’s have been around for more than a century, the confusion has no doubt existed a long time as well, presumably because both conditions affect overall memory, cognitive and behavioral aspects of patients.

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DEMENTIA
Dementia is an “umbrella” term applied to a collection of symptoms caused by various conditions. It is a syndrome of decline in mental function and most always is irreversible.

​Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause for dementia, accounting for an estimated 60 to 80 percent. However, the second most common cause is vascular dementia a.k.a. high blood pressure. Other types of dementia include:

     ■ Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
     ■ Frontotemporal dementia
     ■ Huntington’s disease
     ■ Parkinson’s disease
     ■ Alzheimer’s disease
     ■ Normal pressure hydrocephalus
     ■ Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
​

According to an article on the website pediaa.com/, some forms of Dementia can be caused by vitamin deficiencies or drug interactions. Those types, once identified, can be reversed.
Doctors rely on behavioral changes and symptoms to diagnose dementia, including but not limited to, the following:                  Image Source: medium.com/difference-between-alzheimers-dementia ▼  

     ■ Disorientation
     ■ Disorganization
     ■ Language impairment
     ■ A change in communication skills
     ■ Mood and/or Personality Change
     ■ Memory loss
     ■ Changing thinking skills
     ■ Poor judgment and reasoning skills
     ■ Decreased focus and attention
     ■ Problems in spatial skills.
Now, doctors generally agree that irritability, depression, and anxiety can be early signs of oncoming dementia.



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ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Alzheimer’s disease is a slowly progressive and fatal deterioration of the brain. Scientists and the medical profession believe the disease has two offenders: the buildup of two proteins in the brain: amyloid beta, which forms plaques on the brains, and tau which, in excess, causes the neurons in the brain to tangle (NFT).

Amyloid Beta Protein
“Amyloid beta monomers (single peptides which are short chains of amino acids) aggregate into soluble oligomers (small aggregates of peptides), which then combine to form insoluble fibrils (long aggregates of peptides) and plaques.”1 medicalnewstoday.com/articles/
​

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The accumulation and formation of plaques is believed to be due to an imbalance in production and inadequate clearance in the brain. These plagues lead to neuro-degeneration before the initial symptoms are noticeable.


 ◄Image Source: petridishtalk.com/2011/

Tau Protein
Tau is a protein contained within the thread-shaped extension of the nerve cells. In a healthy brain, Tau helps form the necessary structures that transport nutrients within the nerve cells. As part of the disease, these structures crumble into tangles. This prevents the delivery of nutrients to the nerve cells, which then leads to cell death.​

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​Diagram shows two neurons: a healthy cell and a neuron with Alzheimer's disease. Tau hypothesis. Neurofibrillary tangles.

Diagnosis
In the past, the only way to be sure a person had Alzheimer’s was to examine the brain of the deceased patient during an autopsy for the plaques and tangles formed by the disease.

Thanks to advances in medical science, a patient can request a PET scan or cerebrospinal fluid sampling, which can tell with 95% accuracy if tangles and plaques are present.

Unfortunately, since most insurance companies don’t cover either procedure, most people who are candidates as Alzheimer’s patients won’t get the tests. Sad to say, it is still a process of elimination based on symptoms. 
The signs of dementia usually do not appear in a patient until the mid to later stages Alzheimer’s disease, which means the disease has been progressing for a long time.

WHAT ABOUT NORMAL AGING?
I had always heard that Dementia was what happened to the normal brain when a person got old, but according to my research, that is not the case. Except for blood pressure, Dementia is caused by particular diseases as named above. [Maybe high blood pressure is considered a disease, but I’m not getting into that.]
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A hallmark of aging is memory loss, which people tend to associate with both Dementia and Alzheimer’s, but in fact, memory loss does not always accompany those conditions, just as memory problems don’t necessarily indicate dementia.
​
According to the National Institute on Ageing, “Forgetfulness can be a normal part of aging. As people get older, changes occur in all parts of the body, including the brain. As a result, some people may notice that it takes longer to learn new things, they don't remember information as well as they did, or they lose things like their glasses. These usually are signs of mild forgetfulness, not serious memory problems…"
blog.presbyterianhomes.org/age-related-memory-loss-dementia


Normal Aging Memory Loss
■ Making a bad decision

​■ Forgetting what day it is
■Searching for the right word to use during a conversation
■ Forgetting to pay a monthly bill

​■ Losing a commonly used item, like keys or glasses
■Forgetting the name of a recently made  acquaintance
■ Difficulty driving to a new location
■ Typical mood fluctuations consistent with their personality
Signs of Dementia
■ Consistently demonstrating poor decision-making skills
■ Forgetting what season it is
■ Struggling to maintain a conversation

​■ Experiencing problems with managing finances
■ Misplacing things frequently and being unable to locate them within the house
■ Forgetting the name of a close friend or family member
■ Getting lost while driving in familiar places
■ Dramatic mood swings or changes in personality.

​There are numerous lists and charts that attempt to convey the difference, primarily for aging seniors and their family to identify symptoms that warrant medical attention. The following is one of the best.
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Image Credit: Alzheimer’s Team on Facebook.
Image sources: https://cookwithkathy.wordpress.com/2018/07/26/whats-the-difference-between-dementia-and-alzheimers-disease/

https://kateswaffer.com/2014/12/08/dementia-vs-normal-ageing/

GOOD NEWS!
I’m fairly confident that so far I’m just aging normally and, best of all, I’m armed for the next conversation on the topic. And so are you.

Just Say’in!
□

Sources:
1.Querfurth HW, LaFerla FM. Alzheimer’s disease. N Engl J Med. 2010;362(4):329-344
https://medium.com/aginginbeauty/what-is-the-difference-between-alzheimers-disease-and-dementia-84a571b6b50d
blog.presbyterianhomes.org/difference-age-related-memory-loss-dementia

https://pediaa.com/difference-between-dementia-and-alzheimers/


https://www.sinaihealth.ca/news/whats-difference-alzheimers-disease-dementia/


https://cookwithkathy.wordpress.com/2018/07/26/whats-the-difference-between-dementia-and-alzheimers-disease/


https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324425#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20hallmarks%20of%20Alzheimer%E2%80%99s%20disease%20is,protein%20helps%20these%20microtubules%20remain%20straight%20and%20strong.

medicalnewstoday.com/articles/    (Alzheimer's: How do tau tangles grow? (medicalnewstoday.com)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/tau


https://petridishtalk.com/2011/05/30/feed-your-head-a%CE%B2-tau-apoe/


http://www.radiantnursing.com/blog/dementia-evaluation


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV1BqpOyHmM


https://sites.google.com/a/adrcconnections.org/adrc/dementia-friendly/brain-health


The Pathophysiology of Alzheimer's Disease Begins With Amyloid Beta Accumulation in the Brain | Identify Alzheimer's Disease (AD) - Biogen


identifyalz.com/pathophysiology-of-alzheimers-disease.htm


https://www.medpagetoday.org/geriatrics/alzheimersdisease/15322?vpass=1


https://simplyhealth.today/12-signs-dementia/?utm_source=%2Balzheimer&utm_medium=dementiasymptoms&utm_campaign=bing_us&msclkid=16cd62876edd11f6bc553d6a6d329cdd


https://www.aarp.org/health/dementia/info-2018/difference-between-dementia-alzheimers.html?CMP=KNC-DSO-Adobe-Bing-Health-DementiaSpotlight&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Health_Dementia_Research_Exact&utm_term=dementia%20versus%20alzheimer%27s


https://www.catchitearly.com/?cid=PPC-MICROSOFT-Condition_Information_General_Unbranded_Phrase%7ES%7EPH%7EUB%7ENER%7EHCP%7ECON-alzheimer%27s+disease-NA-p57945689409&gclid=662049bb5e841786ed51164938ee45fe&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=662049bb5e841786ed51164938ee45f

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NEW YEAR HUMOR

1/1/2021

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2021 has arrived at least! The year is welcomed with open arms after 2020. It at least brings new hope. Let’s start it out with humor. Laughter is the best medicine.
 

JANUARY FIRST
A short poem by Wm. E. Coombs

The dawn of January 1 sheds cold and lonely light
on evidence of a mighty thurst and revelry by night.
But do we sit and rest our weary frame?
Oh,no!
For we must go to Rose Parade and football game.
Now it’s January 2,
Get up you bum, there’s work to do!


 
TWELVE THINGS TO CONSIDER
Internet wisdom – Author unknown

12 things to consider as we get closer to closing the door on one of the most horrible years of our lifetime.

• The dumbest thing I ever bought was a 2020 planner.
• I was so bored I called Jake from State Farm just to talk to someone. He asked me what I was wearing
• 2019: Stay away from negative people.  2020: Stay away from positive people.
•.The world has turned upside down. Old folks are sneaking out of the house & their kids are yelling at them to stay indoors!
• This morning I saw a neighbor talking to her dog. It was obvious she thought her dog understood her. I came into my house & told my cat. We laughed a lot.
• Every few days try your jeans on just to make sure they fit. Pajamas will have you believe all is well in the kingdom.
• Does anyone know if we can take showers yet or should we just keep washing our hands?
• This virus has done what no woman has been able to do. Cancel sports, shut down all bars & keep men at home!
• I never thought the comment, “I wouldn’t touch him/her with a 6-foot pole” would become a national policy, but here we are!
• I need to practice social-distancing from the refrigerator.
• I hope the weather is good tomorrow for my trip to the Backyard. I’m getting tired of the Living Room.
• Never in a million years could I have imagined I would go up to a bank teller wearing a mask & ask for money.



​READER’S DIGEST NEW YEAR HUMOR
https://www.rd.com/article/new-years-jokes/

Q: What is a New Year’s resolution?
A: Something that goes in one year and out the other.

Q: What do snowmen like to do on New Year’s Eve?
A: Chill out.

Q: What do New Year’s parades have in common with Santa Claus?
A: No one is awake to see either of them. 

Q: Why do you need a jeweler on New Year’s Eve?
A: To ring in the new year.

My New Year’s resolution is to stop hanging out with people who ask me about my New Year’s resolutions.
 
Q: What did the little champagne bottle call his father?
A: Pop!

Q: What’s a cow’s favorite holiday?
A: Moo Year’s Eve.

Q: Where can you find comedians on New Year’s Eve?
A: Waiting for the punchline.

Q: What do farmers give their wives at midnight on New Year’s Eve?
A: Hogs and kisses!

Q: What did the ghost say on January 1st?
A: Happy Boo Year.

Q: What do you call always wanting a date for New Year’s Eve?
A: Social Security.

Q: What’s a digital camera’s New Year’s resolution?
A: 1080p.

Q: Where can you go to practice math on New Year’s Eve?
A: Times Square.

Q: Why should you put your new calendar in the freezer?
A: To start off the new year in a cool way.

Q: What do you tell someone you didn’t see on New Year’s Eve?
A: I haven’t seen you for a year!

Q: What happened to the man who shoplifted a calendar on New Year’s Eve?
A: He got 12 months!

Q: What is corn’s favorite holiday?
A: New EARS Day!

Q: What’s the one group that hates New Year’s Day?
A: The New Year’s Eve clean-up crew.

• Youth is when you’re allowed to stay up for new year’s. Middle age is when you’re forced to.
• An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.
• My grandparents had resolutions like donating more time and money to charities. I’ve decided to make my own coffee once a week.
• I see no need to make more New Year’s resolutions when the ones already on the books aren’t being enforced.
• This New Year’s, I’m going to make a resolution I can keep—no dieting all year long.
• I was going to quit all my bad habits for the new year, but then I remembered that nobody likes a quitter.
• The only “homework” you want your dog to chew up is your list of New Year’s resolutions.
• If you’re enjoying these New Year’s jokes, you’ll want to check out these New Year’s cartoons that are hilariously spot-on.


RESOLUTION 1: LEARN TO MANAGE YOUR TIME.   RESOLUTION #2: GIVE UP GAMBLING
DAVE CARPENTER FOR READER'S DIGEST                           CARTOON RESOURCE/SHUTTERSTOCK
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RESOLUTION #3: DON’T LET OTHERS JUDGE YOU          RESOLUTION #4: GET A HAIRCUT
Barbara Smaller/Everyone’s A Critic/                                                      
MIKE SHAPIRO
Courtesy Princeton Architectural Press         
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RESOLUTION #5: GIVE UP ALL OF THAT PASTA               RESOLUTION #6: STOP SNOOPING
DAN MISDEA                                                                                        DAVE CARPENTER  
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RESOLUTION #7: DOUBLE CHECK ALL EMAILS          RESOLUTION #8: GIVE LESS ADVICE
SUSAN CAMILLERI KONAR FOR READER’S DIGEST                 PHIL WITTE FOR READER’S DIGEST
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RESOLUTION #9: READ MORE                           RESOLUTION #10: IMPROVE YOUR SPELLING
HARLEY SCHWADRON FOR READER’S DIGEST           AN PIRARO/BIZARRO.COM
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RESOLUTION #11: DISCONNECT FROM TECHNOLOGY
LIAM FRANCIS WALSH/THE NEW YORKER COLLECTION


LAUGH, BE HAPPY (but wear a mask, social distance, and wash your hands often) AND HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR AND A BETTER 2021! 
​

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More Christmas Traditions From Around The World

12/18/2020

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Most of us living in the US and Europe know the common Christmas traditions of the western world. Although Christmas is a Christian religious celebration, it's surprising to find it is celebrated throughout the world, sometimes in places we wouldn't expect, and sometimes mixing Christian with local traditions and religions..
"Merry Christmas!"
​
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​EGYPT

Although only 15% of the people are Christians, most of whom belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church, they are not the only Egyptians who celebrate Christmas. It is popular as a secular holiday with other religions there.

● Owing to its secularism and equality, the Christian holidays of Easter and Christmas both are national holidays and festivals in Egypt just like the Islamic holidays.

● Coptic Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January [as it is in Ethopia and some Orthodox Russia Seria].      
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● During Advent, the 43 days before Christmas [November 25 through January 6], Coptic Christians eat a vegan diet, no animal products. It is called "The Holy Nativity Fast".
​
● Baba Noel [Father Christmas] is expected to climb through a window, not come down a chimney. I'm not sure if he rides on a sleigh or a camel.


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▲ Image source: tripadvisor.com/Locationrt-Sharm_El_Sheik0        ▲ Imager Source: egyptianstreets.com/christmas
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▼Image Source: egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/12-2015      ▼ImageSource: theriskfactorblog.wordpress.com/egyptian
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● Al Ghetass commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ which is also talked about in the holy Quran. Celebrated since ancient times in the region which is present-day Egypt. This is a festival celebrated by all of the community of Egypt. The celebration is a grand affair and includes traditional sweets.
“EidMiadl Majid!” [Egyptian Arabic for Glorious Birth Feast]
“Eid almilad” [Arabic]
​

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  CHINA 

In China, only 2.4% of the population is Christian, so it's possible to assume most Chinese don't know much about Christmas. Nevertheless, in large cities [most of them are large by our standards], the holiday has been embraced. Shopping malls and some streets are decorated in traditional themes, including Christmas trees.

● In China, it is called "Sheng Dan Jieh" which means Holy Birth Festival, but the event is celebrated as a generic holiday, not a religious one. Some describe it as more like Valentine’s Day.

● Most of the world's artificial Christmas trees and decorations are produced in China by people who do not know what the items are used for.
  When it comes to light displays, China beats nearly everyone, but New Year is when you see their very best.        
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● A popular Christmas Eve tradition is giving apples. Stores sells them wrapped in colored paper. In Chinese, Christmas eve is called "Ping'an Ye" which means peaceful or quiet evening which was translated from the carol "Silent Night".

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● During Christmas time, the gift shops are full of flowers, chocolates, and Teddy bears.  Restaurants serve “a romantic meal” for two. There is not the family element of the Western Christmas in China.

● Santa is not depicted as riding in a sleigh pulled by reindeer [the Chinese do not find this believable]. In China Santa is always shown with a saxophone in his hand. The heritage of Santa playing the sax is unknown. Also, there Santa’s little helpers are his sisters.

 
“Sheng Dan Kuai Le!” [Mardarin]
“Sen Dan Fai Lok!” [Cantonese]
​

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​  

  AUSTRALIA

​Christmas comes to Australia close to the middle of the summer. While the traditions brought to Australia from England resemble those in North America, with Christmas trees, Santa, presents, singling carols, and eucalyptus wreaths, some of the activities may seem different.
​
● Santas wear the traditional bright red fleecy suits, lined with white fur and big black boots to fight off the northern winter, but you’re likely to see them of surfboards or delivering presents on the beach.
​

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​
​● It is likely to see Santa’s sleigh being pulled by six white boomers rather than eight reindeer. Santa himself may even be a boomer.
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​● Aussies are lunch people and so Christmas Lunch (rather than dinner) is often a picnic on the beach – or at least outdoors -- but instead of turkey of ham, Aussies will be feasting on barbequed prawns (although can find ham and turkey, too). These are relaxed, mostly casual affairs which can include breaks for a spot of cricket or a splash in the backyard pool, a dip in the ocean. Christmas crackers are a must – as is the need to wear of colorful paper crowns and telling of bad-jokes from the goodies found within.
​
● When Australians talk about Christmas Crackers, they don’t mean biscuits – i.e. not Ritz, Saltines, or Cheese-it type crackers – but festive gifts that make a snapping sound when opened to reveal some goodie or present. 
Sometimes known as bon-bons, they are very popular for Christmas celebrations in the UK, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa.
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​​● At Christmas children are on their summer break so long road trips are common.
“Merry Christmas!”

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​REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

Similar to New Zealand and Australia, Christmas is a summer holiday in South Africa, and most of the Christmas traditions are based on Dutch and British heritage from the time the area was settled in beginning in the mid-sixteen hundreds.

The Republic of South Africa has population of 55 million inhabitants of diverse cultures, religions, origins, and languages, of which Bantu-speaking people number 35 million. Only some are originally from that area; others have come from other regions. Some of the major ethnic South Africans include Zulu, Basotho, Venda, Xhosa.

This information isn’t very Christmasy but it explains, in part, why South Africans have traditions from everywhere, and many mixed together. For everyone, however, the Christmas season is nationwide. In some cases the ethnic South Africans have adopted European Christmas traditions of not. When I traveled there, I found that many have simply absorbed those part of the Christian tradition they desire into the traditions and stories of the own cultural  and religious framework.

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This is a long-winded way to say that Christmas in South Africa incorporates the Western European traditions of Christmas and has become an integral part of life.

Beautifully decorated Christmas trees seem to be a universal symbol of the season, and presents
go under the tree. Some children put their stockings out for Santa to fill. Caroling by candlelight events take place on December 24th, church services, and the like. But there are difference, big and small.


● Santa goes by a number of different names, including Sinterklaas (St Nicholas) and Kersvader (Father Christmas) for those who speak Afrikaans (offspring of Dutch dialects, not a combination of Dutch and native languages).

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 ▲ Image Source: sapeople.com/2015/cape-town
►Image Source: idafrica.ng/father-christmas
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● South African Santa doesn’t depend on Reindeer to get around, but has various means of delivering his gifts to children all over such a large country.

The most classic is the sleigh, sometimes pulled through the sky by reindeer, but also by giraffes. Some of the other means are less romantic. But he can always depend of his African helpers.
● Houses and malls sport elaborately decorated trees similar to the northern hemisphere. But South Africa has its own traditional tree as well…the Baobab, also called the Upside Down Tree because the branches resemble root feeding into a trunk stuck in the ground.
​
This unique local tree is perfect for outdoors, but the baobab finds its way into the home in many kinds of decorations.

                                                     ▼ Nelson Mandela Square, Johannesburg
                                                      Image Source:
 catholic.org/news/green/story

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​The mundane indoor tree becomes something special with the native African influence in the decorations. 
● On Christmas Eve, many Africans travel to their villages to celebrate the day with family. Airports and bud stations get crowded. The villages have colorful celebrations many don’t want to miss, including masquerade parties, particularly ones related to the nativity, street singing and music.

● Christmas Day is celebrated with opening presents, going to church, and then with outdoor picnics, similar to New Zealand and Australia. The Christmas feast is the highlight of the whole celebration. Many families gather for a traditional meal much must include braai (barbeque) of roasted meat (sometimes goat), roast turkey, duck or beef, or suckling pigs with yellow rice, raisins and vegetables, salads.

Enticing desserts such as the classic Christmas pudding, mince pies, or a traditional dish called Malva Pudding (or Lekker Pudding). There is plenty of food and people drop in unexpectedly on friends, and are always welcomed. Christmas Crackers are popular.
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● On Christmas day, children in costume go from door to door (like Halloween) in anticipation of gifts or treats. Many families stock up foods, candies, and little gifts to give the children. In some places, the children sing Christmas songs for money.

Image Source: face2faceafrica.com/christmas-africa




Famed as the ‘rainbow nation’, South Africa is home to dozens of different cultures and languages, including 11 official languages. That means there are many different ways to say Merry Christmas. Some of the most common ways include:
‘Geseënde Kersfees’ – Afrikaans
‘UKhisimusi omuhle’ – Zulu
‘Krismesi emnandi’ – Xhosa
‘Le be le keresemese e monate’ – Sotho
■
 
Sources
Update 2020
https://www.expatica.com/za/lifestyle/holidays/christmas-in-south-africa-106730/
https://www.trafalgar.com/real-word/how-christmas-south-africa-celebrated/
https://face2faceafrica.com/article/these-popular-christmas-traditions-are-deeply-rooted-in-african-culture
https://t.cafricawanderlusom/destinations/african-christmas/  -  good site
https://www.portfoliocollection.com/travel-blog/give-me-an-african-christmas
https://www.sa-venues.com/events/southafrica/christmas-day/http://realestate.com.au/lifestyle/7-aussie-christmas-traditions-love/
https://thenet.ng/8-ways-santa-claus-nigeria-different-others-elsewhere/
https://northernnatalnews.co.za/182237/top-5-ways-celebrate-south-african-christmas
https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/south_africa.shtml#:~:text=The%20Christmas%20meal%20is%20either%20turkey%2C%20duck%2C%20roast,recipe.%20People%20also%20like%20to%20pull%20Christmas%20Crackers%21
http://realestate.com.au/lifestyle/7-aussie-christmas-traditions-love/
https://thenet.ng/8-ways-santa-claus-nigeria-different-others-elsewhere/
https://northernnatalnews.co.za/182237/top-5-ways-celebrate-south-african-christmas
https://www.christmascarnivals.com/aroundtheworld/south-africa.html
https://www.portfoliocollection.com/travel-blog/give-me-an-african-christmas
https://www.news24.com/news24/travel/the-best-south-african-christmas-traditions-20151210 
https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/australia.shtml
https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/australia/articles/how-is-christmas-celebrated-in-australia/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_Australia
https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-christmas/christmas-traditions-around-the-world-ga1.htm
https://www.adventuroustrails.com/christmas-in-australia
http://www.worldofchristmas.net/christmas-world/australia.html
https://www.realestate.com.au/lifestyle/7-aussie-christmas-traditions-love/#:~:text=7%20Aussie%20Christmas%20traditions%20we%20all%20love%201,4%20Boxing%20Day%20barbecues.%20...%20More%20items...%20
http://www.worldholidaytraditions.com/en-us/countries/australia.aspx#:~:text=Holiday%20Traditions%20of%20Australia%20%22Merry%20Christmas%22.%20Christmas%20dinner,white%20boomers%2C%20or%20large%20kangaroos%2C%20pull%20Santa%27s%20sleigh.
https://egyptianstreets.com/2017/01/04/why-egyptian-muslims-celebrate-christmas/

Sources 2017 and 20918
http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/merry.htm
http://christmas.lovetoknow.com/chinese-christmas-traditions
http://www.clubpimble.com/fun-pimble/15-countries-that-have-different-names-for-santa-claus
http://www.all-about-india.com/Christmas-In-India.html
http://randomvacay.com/worlds-12-weirdest-christmas-celebrations/
http://www.geishablog.com/uncategorized/celebrating-christmas-in-japan/
http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/beyond-a-traditional-holiday-15-unique-ways-to-celebrate-in-japan
http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/newzealand.shtml
https://www.reference.com/holidays-celebrations/people-south-africa-celebrate-christmas-2ddc577ab1a8d6dc
http://goafrica.about.com/od/peopleandculture/a/christmas.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Itx1nyHbDE

2020 Photos
https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/south_africa.shtml#:~:text=The%20Christmas%20meal%20is%20either%20turkey%2C%20duck%2C%20roast,recipe.%20People%20also%20like%20to%20pull%20Christmas%20Crackers%21
https://www.etsy.com/listing/660479323/ankara-african-ornaments-red-and?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_b-home_and_living-home_decor-ornaments_and_accents-ornaments&utm_custom1=_k_50f9a2f36c0f1970c1c5fd2aefccb7ab_k_&ut
https://www.etsy.com/listing/660479323/ankara-african-ornaments-red-and?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_b-home_and_living-home_decor-ornaments_and_accents-ornaments&utm_custom1=_k_50f9a2f36c0f1970c1c5fd2aefccb7ab_k_&ut
https://face2faceafrica.com/article/these-popular-christmas-traditions-are-deeply-rooted-in-african-culture
https://t.cafricawanderlusom/destinations/african-christmas/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuFr76btbnE
https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/south_africa.shtml#:~:text=The%20Christmas%20meal%20is%20either%20turkey%2C%20duck%2C%20roast,recipe.%20People%20also%20like%20to%20pull%20Christmas%20Crackers%21
https://dutyfool.com/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g297555-d1656739-i87252881-Coral_Sea_Waterworld_Resort-Sharm_El_Sheikh_South_Sinai_Red_Sea_and_Sinai.html
 https://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2015/12/december-25-2015-at-1232am.html





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Christmas Traditions From Around The World

12/12/2020

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Most of us living in the US and Europe know the common Christmas traditions of the western world. Although Christmas is a Christian religious celebration, it's surprising to find it is celebrated throughout the world, sometimes in places we wouldn't expect, and sometimes mixing Christian and local traditions.
"Merry Christmas!"
​
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FRANCE

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● The Nativity scene is familiar throughout the Christian world, but the French are "Creche Crazy." In addition to the usual figures, all sort of other people [called Santons] are present, such as the baker, the street sweeper, the butcher, street vendors, and so on.

● "Father Slapper" exists under several pseudonyms, but in France he is Pére Fouettard, the "Whipping Father" or "Slapping Santa" who travels with St. Nicholas and brings a whip to punish naughty children. Wow! That's a new one on me.
            Father Slapper                                  Leave your shoes on the hearth                   Decorations in Nice, France

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● Instead of leaving a snack of milk and cookies for Santa or hanging up stockings, French children leave their shoes by the fireplace, hoping Pére Noel will fill them with small presents, candy, and nuts.

● Les Treize refers to “the thirteen,” which are 13 different kinds of desserts standard at all French Christmas dinners. The idea behind Les Treize is religious, as the 13 desserts refer to Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles. However, they’re also delicious, ranging from dried grapes and almonds to a delicious cake called pompe à l’huile.

“Joyeux Noel!”
​
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​SWEDEN

● In Sweden the Christmas festivities start with the St. Lucia ceremony on December 13, the Winter Solstice on the old Julian calendar. The youngest girl in each family dresses in white with a red sash and wears a crown of evergreens with tall candles attached to it. Small children now use battery candles, but real ones are used after about 12-years-old.
​

St. Lucia was a young Christian girl who was killed for her faith in 304 AD. There are several stories, but the most popular one is that she brought food to persecuted Christian in Rome hiding in the catacombs. She wore the candles on her head so she would have both hands free to carry the food.
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●  A traditional Christmas dinner in Sweden always includes risgryngrot, a special rice porridge with one almond in it. Traditionally, the person who finds the almond gets to make a wish or is believed to get married the coming year.
“God Jul, and [Och] Ett Gott Nytt Ar!”

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GERMANY

● Advent is an important part of the German celebrating of the season. An Advent Calendar can be a wreath of fir tree branches is decorated with 24 decorated bags or boxes hung from it, each marked with the day and holding a small present.

● An "Advent Kranz" is a ring of fir branches with four candles which are lit at the beginning of each week in Advent.
​        The Advent Calendar                             Advent Wreath                               Krampus

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● Krampus Nacht [Krampus Night] is a sort of German boogey man, who is a sidekick of St Nicholas. He is believed to accompany St Nicholas to teach naughty children a hard lesson. In Southern Bavaria, men in hideous Krampus costumes patrol the streets on St Nicholas Night, and are sometimes invited in by parents of particularly naughty children. Krampus dos not have a standard image, but all of them are ugly.
“Froeh Weihnachten!” or “Froehliche Weihnachten!”

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N
EW ZEALAND

Even though Christmas comes in the summer in the southern hemisphere, the European traditions of the Christmas tree,  snow, Santa Claus, are familiar but have local twists. The native Maori have influenced some of the Christmas traditions.
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  Maori Christmas dancers                 Maori Gingebread Cookies                       New Zealand Santa
● Santa is often seen in parades and at stores wearing jandals [New Zealand flip-flops] and occasionally wears a New Zealand "All Blacks" rugby shirt.

● Children leave out carrots for Santa's reindeer and beer and pineapple for Santa.

● Along with conventional Christmas Trees [with Kiwi birds as toppers instead of an angel or star], the New Zealand Pōhutukawa tree is associated with Christmas. They grow to a large size but small ones can be decorated along with their red flowers. They are often found on Christmas cards.


● Caroling is a Christmas tradition there, but the islands have their own Christmas songs which are set to traditional tunes sung in Maori, and original titles such as A pukeko in a ponga tree.

● The summer holiday break begins on Christmas Eve and lasts until the end of January. Schools are closed throughout January and much of December for New Zealand school holiday, and many families head to the beaches.
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New Zealand Pōhutukawa tree.                      Symbolic of being donw under                              Tradition moved to the beach.
“Meri Kirihimete!" [Maori]
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RUSSIA

The Soviet Union suppressed the practice of Religion in Russia. Since it was banned, Christian people didn’t partake of the religious part of Christmas -- or did so secretly in their homes -- but they ingeniously incorporated many of the traditions into New Year’s celebrations.
​
When the Soviet Union fell in 1991, Russians have increasingly returned to religion, and the number of people celebrating Christmas as a religious holiday continues to grow.

        Saint Petersburg-Church on Spilled Blood                                     Moscow-Red Square-Church of Saint Basil 
        Image Source: 
tripsavvy.com/russia-christmas-traditions               Image source: Denis Sinyakov/ Reuters
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● The Russian Santa Claus is named Ded Moroz, or Father Frost [ Дед Мороз ]. On New Year's Eve, he places presents for children under the New Year tree [as opposed to a Christmas tree]. He is accompanied by Snegurochka [Снегу́рочка], a snow maiden said to be his granddaughter.

He carries a staff; dons a red hat, and he gets around Russia by taking a troika, a vehicle [sleigh] pulled by three horses [no reindeer for the Russians]. He wears a blue, silver, or gold coat lined with white fur and valenki, traditional felt boots made of wool. Unlike Santa, Ded Moroz is tall and thin.

Image Source:
02varvara.wodrpress.com/    Image Source: File:Ded Moroz 72.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
 
▼ Ded Moroz and Snequrochka                  ▼ Exhibition: Russia, Vologda Fair «Russian forest», Ded Moroz
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                                                                           Image Source: /www.pinterest.com/pin/710231803713446882/ ▲
                                                                           Image Credit: © Goodfon.ruCredit

● On Christmas Eve, Russians eat the Nativity Feast; typically meatless and can be made up of twelve dishes to represent the twelve apostles. Lenten bread, dipped in honey and garlic, is shared by all members of the family at this festive gathering. Kutya is a concoction of grains and poppy seeds sweetened with honey; it is served as one of the main dishes of the Christmas feast. Vegetarian-style borscht, or solyanka, is a salty stew that may also be served along with salads, sauerkraut, dried fruit, potatoes, and beans.

● The Christmas day meal may feature a main course of pork, goose, or other meat dish. This is accompanied by a variety of side dishes such as aspic, stuffed pies, and desserts in various forms.
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● Russian Christmastide [Or Svyatki] follows Christmas and is a two-week period closely associated with the pagan traditions of fortune telling and caroling. Svyatki lasts until January 19, when Epiphany is celebrated. This day marks Jesus's baptism, and people honor the occasion by diving into the country's icy rivers and lakes.

● Some Russians exchange Christmas gifts, but most of that is reserved for New Year’s Eve.
“S rozhdyestvom Hristovym!” Congratulations of the birth of Christ!    “с Рождеством w!”.
Resources
http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/merry.htm
http://christmas.lovetoknow.com/chinese-christmas-traditions
http://www.clubpimble.com/fun-pimble/15-countries-that-have-different-names-for-santa-claus
http://www.all-about-india.com/Christmas-In-India.html
http://randomvacay.com/worlds-12-weirdest-christmas-celebrations/
http://www.geishablog.com/uncategorized/celebrating-christmas-in-japan/
http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/beyond-a-traditional-holiday-15-unique-ways-to-celebrate-in-japan
http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/newzealand.shtml
https://www.reference.com/holidays-celebrations/people-south-africa-celebrate-christmas-2ddc577ab1a8d6dc
http://goafrica.about.com/od/peopleandculture/a/christmas.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Itx1nyHbDE

2020 Udate
https://traveltriangle.com/blog/festivals-in-egypt/#:~:text=%2012%20Best%20Festivals%20In%20Egypt%20%201,the%20most%20important%20deity%20for%20the...%20More%20

https://www.1421.consulting/2018/12/christmas-in-china/
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/germany/articles/15-christmas-traditions-only-germans-will-understand/

http://origin-www.trippest.com/china-travel-guide/christmas-in-china/#:~:text=Chinese%20Christmas%20Traditions%20and%20Activities%201%20Decorate%20the,and%20Hong%20Kong.%20...%206%20In%20Taiwan.%20

https://www.tripsavvy.com/russia-christmas-traditions-1502306#:~:text=%20Christmas%20Traditions%20in%20Russia%20%201%20Russian,or%20Father%20Frost.%20On%20New%20Year%27s...%20More%20

https://transferwise.com/us/blog/christmas-traditions-in-russia#:~:text=Important%20festive%20dates%20for%20Russia%3A%20%20%20,Holidays%2C%20%20...%20%201%20more%20rows%20
​

http://origin-www.trippest.com/china-travel-guide/christmas-in-china/

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