http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/tradition/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:36 +0000 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:36 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Our-incredibly-annoying-but-heartfelt-christmas-traditions/ The first thing that got me excited about Christmas was how seamlessly it merged with Halloween. One day the supermarket was full of orange, pumpkinesque loot buckets, and the next day it was filled with every Christmas symbol you can think of made from marshmallow, alongside special edition Toblerones that were tall enough to enter Grade 1. I fancied sucking on a marshmallow Madonna but they seemed to be sold out. Next year, I will be marketing edible, orange snowmen carrying Australian flags and wearing cute little “I Luv U” T-shirts. These will be targeted at those who want to get into the spirit of things from October to February but also want to keep their spending on useless special occasion crap under control. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Chris Harrison) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Our-incredibly-annoying-but-heartfelt-christmas-traditions/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Our-incredibly-annoying-but-heartfelt-christmas-traditions/#item7335 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:36 +0000 In a few weeks’ time, most of us will be sprawled out on the floor, muttering incoherently and licking flecks of gravy from the backs of our hands. But not everyone will get to enjoy the holiday season - from the thousands of unimpressed cats who will spend hours desperately clawing at their “adorable” Santa hats and angel wings, to that one guy who is pretty sure everyone on his gift list wants bath salts for Christmas. These are the people for whom we should spare a thought as we eat, drink and nap our way through a relatively stress-free and rejuvenating festive season. Pray, for instance, for those shopping centre Jolly Red Men, who must patiently listen to the most insufferable of our spawn and force belly laughs while resisting the urge to violently shake every parent in the line who thinks an iPhone is a reasonable gift for a four-year-old. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/spare-a-thought-for-thepathetic-at-christmas/ In a few weeks’ time, most of us will be sprawled out on the floor, muttering incoherently and licking flecks of gravy from the backs of our hands. But not everyone will get to enjoy the holiday season - from the thousands of unimpressed cats who will spend hours desperately clawing at their “adorable” Santa hats and angel wings, to that one guy who is pretty sure everyone on his gift list wants bath salts for Christmas. These are the people for whom we should spare a thought as we eat, drink and nap our way through a relatively stress-free and rejuvenating festive season. Pray, for instance, for those shopping centre Jolly Red Men, who must patiently listen to the most insufferable of our spawn and force belly laughs while resisting the urge to violently shake every parent in the line who thinks an iPhone is a reasonable gift for a four-year-old. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Chris Harrison) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/spare-a-thought-for-thepathetic-at-christmas/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/spare-a-thought-for-thepathetic-at-christmas/#item7320 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:36 +0000 In a few weeks’ time, most of us will be sprawled out on the floor, muttering incoherently and licking flecks of gravy from the backs of our hands. But not everyone will get to enjoy the holiday season - from the thousands of unimpressed cats who will spend hours desperately clawing at their “adorable” Santa hats and angel wings, to that one guy who is pretty sure everyone on his gift list wants bath salts for Christmas. These are the people for whom we should spare a thought as we eat, drink and nap our way through a relatively stress-free and rejuvenating festive season. Pray, for instance, for those shopping centre Jolly Red Men, who must patiently listen to the most insufferable of our spawn and force belly laughs while resisting the urge to violently shake every parent in the line who thinks an iPhone is a reasonable gift for a four-year-old. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Keeping-up-with-the-Kar-Krash-of-a-sham-marriage/ In a move shocking to precisely no one, Kim Kardashian, reality TV queen, perennial gossip magazine cover girl and not much else, announced yesterday that she and her husband of 72 days had filed for divorce. From start to rapid finish Kardashian’s marriage was an exercise in attention and money-seeking. E! paid the couple $15 million for the television rights to their wedding special show, while People magazine coughed up close to $3 million for wedding and engagement related rights. The guests were treated to a $20,000 wedding cake. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Chris Harrison) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Keeping-up-with-the-Kar-Krash-of-a-sham-marriage/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Keeping-up-with-the-Kar-Krash-of-a-sham-marriage/#item7052 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:36 +0000 In a few weeks’ time, most of us will be sprawled out on the floor, muttering incoherently and licking flecks of gravy from the backs of our hands. But not everyone will get to enjoy the holiday season - from the thousands of unimpressed cats who will spend hours desperately clawing at their “adorable” Santa hats and angel wings, to that one guy who is pretty sure everyone on his gift list wants bath salts for Christmas. These are the people for whom we should spare a thought as we eat, drink and nap our way through a relatively stress-free and rejuvenating festive season. Pray, for instance, for those shopping centre Jolly Red Men, who must patiently listen to the most insufferable of our spawn and force belly laughs while resisting the urge to violently shake every parent in the line who thinks an iPhone is a reasonable gift for a four-year-old. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/bridesmaids-the-funniest-mixed-race-buddy-film-ever/ Labels are the problem. Male or female, black or white, comedy or drama, PG-13 or R? In which section of the DVD store will this film end up? How do we market it? To whom should the product placement and the trailers before the film be skewed? It is for these reasons that a gem like Bridesmaids receives qualified approval like “the funniest R-rated female driven comedy of all time”. There’s a glaring missed opportunity, given the ethnicity of one of the film’s leads – surely an enterprising reviewer will dub it “the funniest mixed-race buddy film R-rated female-driven romantic comedy of all time”. Perhaps with an exclamation mark or two for good measure. Bridesmaids stars Kristen Wiig, who co-wrote the film with Annie Mumolo, and a host of other Saturday Night Live alumni. At the time of writing, it has made almost US$125 million in the US alone and is one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Chris Harrison) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/bridesmaids-the-funniest-mixed-race-buddy-film-ever/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/bridesmaids-the-funniest-mixed-race-buddy-film-ever/#item6096 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:36 +0000 In a few weeks’ time, most of us will be sprawled out on the floor, muttering incoherently and licking flecks of gravy from the backs of our hands. But not everyone will get to enjoy the holiday season - from the thousands of unimpressed cats who will spend hours desperately clawing at their “adorable” Santa hats and angel wings, to that one guy who is pretty sure everyone on his gift list wants bath salts for Christmas. These are the people for whom we should spare a thought as we eat, drink and nap our way through a relatively stress-free and rejuvenating festive season. Pray, for instance, for those shopping centre Jolly Red Men, who must patiently listen to the most insufferable of our spawn and force belly laughs while resisting the urge to violently shake every parent in the line who thinks an iPhone is a reasonable gift for a four-year-old. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/is-atheism-beyond-belief/ Brendan Brown writes “Hey God, reveal thyself!” and puts forward his case of “noisy atheism”.  He candidly speaks about the lack of evidence with regard to the divine and light-heartedly takes religion to task for the holes in their belief systems. It’s a given that no evidence is currently available that supports the existence (or non existence) of god. Yet both atheists and theists continue to taunt each other for evidence. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Chris Harrison) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/is-atheism-beyond-belief/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/is-atheism-beyond-belief/#item5819 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:36 +0000 In a few weeks’ time, most of us will be sprawled out on the floor, muttering incoherently and licking flecks of gravy from the backs of our hands. But not everyone will get to enjoy the holiday season - from the thousands of unimpressed cats who will spend hours desperately clawing at their “adorable” Santa hats and angel wings, to that one guy who is pretty sure everyone on his gift list wants bath salts for Christmas. These are the people for whom we should spare a thought as we eat, drink and nap our way through a relatively stress-free and rejuvenating festive season. Pray, for instance, for those shopping centre Jolly Red Men, who must patiently listen to the most insufferable of our spawn and force belly laughs while resisting the urge to violently shake every parent in the line who thinks an iPhone is a reasonable gift for a four-year-old. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dust-off-your-cucumber-sandwiches-its-time-for-a-republic/ It wasn’t hard to get into the pageantry and fun of the royal nuptials. We even made cupcakes with crowns for our token wedding celebration. Our westie mates turned up, resplendent in top hats, medals, even a wedding dress. Food was anything English: Yorkshire pudding, trifle, cucumber sandwiches and a steak and kidney pie. My husband rejoiced in his English connections, while I quoted our Constitution which grants the monarch certain governing powers, even above other governing levels. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Chris Harrison) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dust-off-your-cucumber-sandwiches-its-time-for-a-republic/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dust-off-your-cucumber-sandwiches-its-time-for-a-republic/#item5744 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:36 +0000 In a few weeks’ time, most of us will be sprawled out on the floor, muttering incoherently and licking flecks of gravy from the backs of our hands. But not everyone will get to enjoy the holiday season - from the thousands of unimpressed cats who will spend hours desperately clawing at their “adorable” Santa hats and angel wings, to that one guy who is pretty sure everyone on his gift list wants bath salts for Christmas. These are the people for whom we should spare a thought as we eat, drink and nap our way through a relatively stress-free and rejuvenating festive season. Pray, for instance, for those shopping centre Jolly Red Men, who must patiently listen to the most insufferable of our spawn and force belly laughs while resisting the urge to violently shake every parent in the line who thinks an iPhone is a reasonable gift for a four-year-old. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hit-or-miss-perfect-wedding-guest-guide/ Every time there’s a party, there is someone who misses out. As the attending list on the cruelly public Facebook event grows, so too does their rage. The host, they decide, is either jealous, rude, or trying to sleep with their partner/sister/all of the above. The truth, however, is that quite often the poor, uninvited soul simply doesn’t bring anything to the table. They’re boring, lame, and have a tendency to break furniture and cry after two beers and a packet of Pringles. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Chris Harrison) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hit-or-miss-perfect-wedding-guest-guide/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hit-or-miss-perfect-wedding-guest-guide/#item5706 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:36 +0000 In a few weeks’ time, most of us will be sprawled out on the floor, muttering incoherently and licking flecks of gravy from the backs of our hands. But not everyone will get to enjoy the holiday season - from the thousands of unimpressed cats who will spend hours desperately clawing at their “adorable” Santa hats and angel wings, to that one guy who is pretty sure everyone on his gift list wants bath salts for Christmas. These are the people for whom we should spare a thought as we eat, drink and nap our way through a relatively stress-free and rejuvenating festive season. Pray, for instance, for those shopping centre Jolly Red Men, who must patiently listen to the most insufferable of our spawn and force belly laughs while resisting the urge to violently shake every parent in the line who thinks an iPhone is a reasonable gift for a four-year-old. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Im-sure-glad-Im-not-invited-to-the-royal-wedding/ As the Royal Wedding approaches, details are starting to emerge about the rules and regulations that surround an event of this magnitude.  In the past week information has been trickling through about exactly what is required of guests, beyond the traditional RSVP, and you have to wonder if it’s all actually worth it.  Recipients of an invite were greeted with more than just the time, date and dress code thanks to an accompanying 22 page guide detailing exactly how they should behave at a Royal function. What a buzz kill. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Chris Harrison) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Im-sure-glad-Im-not-invited-to-the-royal-wedding/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Im-sure-glad-Im-not-invited-to-the-royal-wedding/#item5665 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:36 +0000 In a few weeks’ time, most of us will be sprawled out on the floor, muttering incoherently and licking flecks of gravy from the backs of our hands. But not everyone will get to enjoy the holiday season - from the thousands of unimpressed cats who will spend hours desperately clawing at their “adorable” Santa hats and angel wings, to that one guy who is pretty sure everyone on his gift list wants bath salts for Christmas. These are the people for whom we should spare a thought as we eat, drink and nap our way through a relatively stress-free and rejuvenating festive season. Pray, for instance, for those shopping centre Jolly Red Men, who must patiently listen to the most insufferable of our spawn and force belly laughs while resisting the urge to violently shake every parent in the line who thinks an iPhone is a reasonable gift for a four-year-old. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/robbing-your-guests-and-other-modern-wedding-tips/ When former Sydney real estate agent Mary Donaldson married Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik in 2004, one of the couple’s first, big post-honeymoon tasks was to sort through the monster pile of wedding gifts. Apparently their haul included five cars (including a stretch limousine and a Saab convertible), a $200,000 yacht, six bicycles, a row boat, two Harley-Davidson motorcycle jackets, a traditional sealskin outfit from Greenland, 93 ceramic badges, a $3 million crockery set, a handcrafted Iranian rug, a miniature lounge suite for a royal baby, and a 120-kilogram stone swan. In addition to the 37,000 gifts sent by Danish subjects, offerings from Australia included an anthology of Tasmanian love poems (from a writing centre), a stand of trees (from the government) and a hamper of Tim Tams (from Arnott’s). feedback@thepunch.com.au (Chris Harrison) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/robbing-your-guests-and-other-modern-wedding-tips/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/robbing-your-guests-and-other-modern-wedding-tips/#item5680 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:36 +0000 In a few weeks’ time, most of us will be sprawled out on the floor, muttering incoherently and licking flecks of gravy from the backs of our hands. But not everyone will get to enjoy the holiday season - from the thousands of unimpressed cats who will spend hours desperately clawing at their “adorable” Santa hats and angel wings, to that one guy who is pretty sure everyone on his gift list wants bath salts for Christmas. These are the people for whom we should spare a thought as we eat, drink and nap our way through a relatively stress-free and rejuvenating festive season. Pray, for instance, for those shopping centre Jolly Red Men, who must patiently listen to the most insufferable of our spawn and force belly laughs while resisting the urge to violently shake every parent in the line who thinks an iPhone is a reasonable gift for a four-year-old. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/santa-claus-is-completely-out-of-touch/ Such are the lows that society has now sunk to that within the Santa Claus persona, you have an example of almost every type of political incorrectness possible. He embodies everything that is wrong with the world and he must be stopped no matter the cost!  I give you Exhibit A: his leather belt and boots with white fur trim. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Chris Harrison) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/santa-claus-is-completely-out-of-touch/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/santa-claus-is-completely-out-of-touch/#item4760 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:36 +0000 In a few weeks’ time, most of us will be sprawled out on the floor, muttering incoherently and licking flecks of gravy from the backs of our hands. But not everyone will get to enjoy the holiday season - from the thousands of unimpressed cats who will spend hours desperately clawing at their “adorable” Santa hats and angel wings, to that one guy who is pretty sure everyone on his gift list wants bath salts for Christmas. These are the people for whom we should spare a thought as we eat, drink and nap our way through a relatively stress-free and rejuvenating festive season. Pray, for instance, for those shopping centre Jolly Red Men, who must patiently listen to the most insufferable of our spawn and force belly laughs while resisting the urge to violently shake every parent in the line who thinks an iPhone is a reasonable gift for a four-year-old.