Carnival of Australia Bloody Christmas Edition

Guilt Trip?

My Christmas Outfit Darlings. Wouldn't I look Special?

Welcome to the SuperWoopdeeDooMega Just Before Christmas Carnival of Australia with the usual mix of the wierd, the interesting, the serious and the down right wacky. A veritable cross section of some of the best Aussie Blogging. This is a bit late and patched together with not too much due care and attention due to our family situation. We are right in the middle of moving. This week has been three days of painting, two days of packing and tomorrow we move and on the twelfth day, we may rest.

I am composing this after having a stand up fight with Optus and finally getting the modem that they sent to us to work at our new house. We have nothing here except a Christmas Tree and some camping chairs, but broadband is up and running and the laptop is humming. Modern technology can be so exasperating, but very bloody useful.

Anyway less of the tedious personal stuff. On with Peace and Love and Goodwill to all Peoples.

With Christmas being a time for kids, Megan has a competition to keep kids safe. Go and win some Christmas Pocket Money. The more who enter the more you can win.

Gavin R. Putland presents Complete solution to vertical fiscal imbalance posted at Gavonomics.

In Australia, as in most federations, only the Federal government may impose customs duties (i.e. tariffs on imports) or excise duties (see s.90 of the Constitution). But whereas most countries understand excises as taxes that counteract tariffs by discriminating against locally produced goods, the High Court of Australia has ruled that excises include all inland taxes on new goods. Consequently the Australian States, unlike their U.S. and Canadian counterparts, cannot impose retail sales taxes.

If the alcohol and food on Christmas Day does not put you to sleep, this might. Important stuff all the same. I can attest to the nasty state taxes having just paid a huge wad to the state in stamp duty on our new home. Was this not one of the taxes that the states were supposed to give up?

Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh have been to Blog Vegas Real life link love in abundance as Suzie schmoozed with the A List Bloggerati including John Cow and Wendy Piersall. Posted at The Abundance Highway.

Based on my own experience, the best thing about Las Vegas was leaving. Such great scenery including the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and Death Valley a short drive away.

Sue Bayliss likes Raymond James, an Irish Aussie. "Eirinn Go Brach" is his heartfelt cry ... posted at Spasmodic Dysphonia.

As always Meg comes up with some useful stuff. This week it how to add a YouTube Video to a WordPress Blog posted at Dipping into the Blogpond. Useful!

Cellobella makes the case why My husband is a woman! posted at SultanaBlog.

Groover loves cooking, can keep a fantastic house, makes the bed like a nurse, disciplines the kids, manages the money and irons beautifully.

Me I am a women only in the cooking department. I am hopeless at all the other womenly attributes.

SimoneM presents Beating the Bored Room: How to Stay Motivated When You Work From Home posted at Outfit Inspirations.

But when the conventional office is replaced with the home office, our roles can be less distinct. If your partner is off work with a cold or visitors arrive from out of town, it can be difficult to justify staying hunched over the laptop with the blinds drawn.

As we are not “at work”, other jobs can also be absorbed into our work day, such as picking up the dry cleaning, doing the grocery shopping or waiting around for the plumber to fix the mysterious leak.

Very interesting. I have done at home consulting a few times and realised that it was not for me. I work part time and could work from home more, but I know that I would get nothing done. There would always be some diversion that I could use to justify not working (like blogging).

And just in time for Christmas, Craig Harper presents Living in Fat City. posted at Motivational Speaker.

If you live in Australia, the US, the UK, Canada or New Zealand, then you live in the same place as me; Fat City. Fat City of course, being more of a collective mindset, and a culture of eating too much and moving too little, than any geographical location, or 'literal' place. And while it's not a literal place, it is very real. If you know what I mean.

Thanks for spoiling the seasonal gorging and grogging Craig! I'm going to be doing it anyway.

Addy discusses a very serious topic in Get Me Through December: Losing a friend to suicide posted at "All That I Am, All That I Ever Was".

I was listening to the radio this morning and for all the "Good Times" associated with Christmas, this is the worst time of the year for depression, sadness and loneliness and some of the more extreme outcomes. If you know someone who is by themselves this Christmas, make an effort to be in contact with them. I can think of three people that I know who have lost family members this year. Even people who have lost them many years ago find this a difficult time. Go on Give Someone a Hug!

Riayn presents a very sad story.What the?? posted at Dancing About Architecture.

This is a devastating story and worth a read. In a previous life I looked after foster kids. To be abandoned again after many years would be too much. It made me think about the Animal Shelters who are overflowing at this time of year. How can humans treat other humans like this. It is bad enough that we abandon animals... Rant over.

Karen is getting all Hamletty on us as she discusses being indifferently honest posted at Miscellaneous Adventures of an Aussie Mum.

Cheer up Karen. I've been there and it is amazing that my wife didn't kick me out. It was a sure sign of depression when I didn't wash the dishes or clean up after the kids. Hope you are feeling better.

Albert Foong has some good advice for those feeling low inPsychology’s unique contribution to your Compassion and Self-Esteem posted at Urban Monk.

As Albert says

One of the biggest myths about self-esteem: someone with high self-esteem feels themselves superior to others.

But that is simply not true: you must have seen it for yourself. Those who feel superior to others hide a shame, a fear, of insecurity.

Amen to that!

Kevin Dayhoff presents a happy story from Yanqui Land, not too far from where I used to live in Maryland, where they haveOperation Christmas Tree. Posted at Kevin Dayhoff - Soundtrack Division of Old Silent Movies.

Mark Simkin from the ABC goes to America to find a good Christmas story.

"He said that Australia has troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and this is a “wonderful Christmas story, mate.” He described how the Australian news will broadcast the story “all across Australia and eastern Asia.”

And the Carnival of Australia! We just got our Christmas Tree from a local tree farm. What a great smell. Now the kids have to decorate it.



Megan suggests that we go and readAustralia Lacks Courage on Climate Change posted at The Body Shop Australia's Values & Campaigns Blog.

This is an interesting campaigning blog and well worth a read. They also need suggestions for a name.

And if you are bored in Brisbane over the holidays, you can go and see some FREE! Christmas Movies at Suncorp Piazza posted at Life in Brisbane - Queensland - Australia.

Anyway have a great holiday season everyone. We will likely be using our new pool and unpacking. Not very exciting, but important. I hope you all have more interesting plans.

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