Stuart's Daily Word Spot (Antonyms): Taboo/Permitted

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Taboo/Permitted:

Taboo: verb - to place under a literal taboo; to debar or forbid by influence; to place under a social ban; to ostracize or boycott; to award a sacred status to something, thereby restricting its use; to prohibit.

Permitt(ed): verb - to allow; to give permission; to consent to a person doing or experiencing something.

'In many religions, the eating of certain foods is taboo. These restrictions stem mostly from ancient observations of health risks associated with the consumption of the foods, but modern methods of cooking, along with other safeguards, now render the taboos irrelevant. However, the religious organisations concerned, having built the prohibitions into the very structure of their dogma, find themselves incapable of admitting the truth and freeing up their adherents to sample foods that are now known to be safe to eat.'

'Long before Natalie discovered that nude swimming was permitted in the private pool, she'd abandoned her costume and taken to the waters in her skin to enjoy the delights of skinny dipping.'

1777 - Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, was discovered by James Cook, who therefore decided to name it after the celebratory day of his chosen moral leader.

1939 - World War II: Pope Pius XII made a Christmas Eve appeal for peace. The war had been under way for only a few months, so perhaps the world in general, having conveniently forgotten the mass death and destruction of the previous world war, wasn't yet ready to gang together to defeat the evil that was Nazi aggression led by the madman, Hitler.

2011 - It's Christmas Eve, and the occasion for joy, celebration and merriment the world over for all those who live in a state formed or dominated by Christian beliefs. As an agnostic, I no longer follow the man who became unwittingly responsible for this once wonderful celebration of goodwill and peace. It doesn't prevent me enjoying the ideas held within that celebration, however. Much as I detest the absolute commercialism that's now replaced any form of spiritual awareness for the mass of the population, I still enjoy the idea of giving. And my past, as a once active member of the Church of England, catches up with me to make me enjoy the music and spiritual richness of the occasion.

So, I wish all peace-loving, caring and kind individuals, whatever their faith or philosophy, a very Merry Christmas, and hope they receive those things they most desire.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Kangaroo

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Kangaroo: noun - a herbivorous marsupial mammal of the family Macropodidae, from Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, having small front limbs, powerful hind legs and long feet, which allow it to leap great distances, using its long tail for balance; an Australian representing the nation in sport; in Britain, a parliamentary closure by which some amendments are selected for discussion and others excluded; also used in combinations, such as 'Kangaroo Court', a derogatory term for bad justice.

The word, Kangaroo, is derived from a Guugu Yimithirr word 'gangurru', which refers to grey kangaroos. The story about how the kangaroo got its English name isn't true; it's an urban myth. The story goes that "kangaroo" was an aboriginal word for "I don't understand you." and Captain Cook, exploring the area and coming upon the animal, asked a local what it was called. The local said 'gangurru ', and Cook is supposed to have wrongly assumed it was the name of the creature.

In fact, the aboriginal really was providing the name of the creature, as the linguist, John B. Haviland, has subsequently shown in his research with the Guugu Yimithirr people.

'No matter how they constructed the fences around the vast ranch, there was nothing they could do to exclude the kangaroos.'

'When it became public knowledge that Gordon, a well-known eccentric, had been accused of molesting a small child, the local macho men formed a kangaroo court and decided he must be guilty, so they set fire to his house whilst he was sleeping there.'

11 Nov 2011 - Armistice Day: at 11:11:11:11, in the UK, there will be two minute's silence to commemorate the fallen of many conflicts. No doubt, some numerologist somewhere will make more of this coincidence than it merits, and, in so doing, detract from the main purpose of the event.
For a reading of the evocative and moving 'In Flanders Field' go to  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15691951