Stuart Aken's Blog, page 273

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

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Taboo/Permitted:
Taboo: verb - to place under a literal taboo; todebar or forbid by influence; to place under a social ban; to ostracize orboycott; to award a sacred status to something, thereby restricting its use; toprohibit.
Permitt(ed): verb - to allow; to give permission; to consentto a person doing or experiencing something.
'In many religions, theeating of certain foods is taboo. These restrictions stem mostly from ancientobservations of health risks associated with the consumption of the foods, butmodern methods of cooking, along with other safeguards, now render the taboosirrelevant. However, the religious organisations concerned, having built theprohibitions into the very structure of their dogma, find themselves incapableof admitting the truth and freeing up their adherents to sample foods that arenow known to be safe to eat.'
'Long before Nataliediscovered that nude swimming was permitted in the private pool, she'd abandonedher costume and taken to the waters in her skin to enjoy the delights of skinnydipping.'
1777 - Kiritimati, alsocalled Christmas Island, was discovered by James Cook, who therefore decided toname it after the celebratory day of his chosen moral leader.
1939 - World War II: PopePius XII made a Christmas Eve appeal for peace. The war had been under way foronly a few months, so perhaps the world in general, having convenientlyforgotten the mass death and destruction of the previous world war, wasn't yetready to gang together to defeat the evil that was Nazi aggression led by themadman, Hitler.
2011 - It's Christmas Eve,and the occasion for joy, celebration and merriment the world over for allthose who live in a state formed or dominated by Christian beliefs. As anagnostic, I no longer follow the man who became unwittingly responsible forthis once wonderful celebration of goodwill and peace. It doesn't prevent meenjoying the ideas held within that celebration, however. Much as I detest theabsolute commercialism that's now replaced any form of spiritual awareness forthe mass of the population, I still enjoy the idea of giving. And my past, as aonce active member of the Church of England, catches up with me to make meenjoy the music and spiritual richness of the occasion. So, I wish allpeace-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 Odd Definitions (SODs): Politician

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I thought I'd add a little darkhumour and devise some definitions of my own. Since I generally rely on theShorter Oxford English Dictionary (SOED) to inspire my 'real' definitions forthe Daily Word Spot, I thought I'd use the acronym SOD for my own odd definitions.Here's the first of what will become an irregular series.
Politician: noun - unreliable representative of thepeople; a corrupt official; opinionated orator; self-obsessed child; blinkeredfollower of party dogma; greasy pole climber; a person with their snout in thetrough; demagogue; someone with ideas fixed by reference to a dubious past; aperson suffering retarded development and needing undue attention from a largepool of otherwise insignificant strangers; an immature seeker of attention.
As is evident from mydefinition, I have huge admiration for politicians as a class of individuals. Afterall, they have, over the years, managed to persuade large numbers of peoplethat they act in the interests of their constituents, whilst ensuring thattheir own goals are given priority. They've achieved that most unusual feat of foolingmost of the people most of the time: in this case, mostly a reflection of theweariness and indifference of the voting population. In a democracy,politicians are supposed to represent the views of those whose region theyserve. In reality, of course, they invariably either bow to pressure from theirparty machine and thereby distort or delete their personal election promises,or they put forward their own views regardless of any conflict these may havewith those of the people they're supposed to represent.So, a pretty worthy bunchof reprobates, thoroughly deserving of our continued support. They'llundoubtedly maintain their positions of power and influence and use them togain greater rewards for themselves and those they favour, whilst the rest ofus lie back and let them trample over us, thereby receiving the respect andtreatment we deserve.So, I say, well done politicians.May you all receive the rewards you so richly deserve.What say you?
1672 - Giovanni Cassinidiscovered Rhea, one of the many satellites of Saturn.
1922 - BBC Radio begandaily newscasts in the UK, starting a tradition that has grown over the yearsto inform, educate and, sometimes, irritate the hell out of the listeners.

Are Traditions and Customs Really Worth Keeping?

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Such a question willinevitably promote discussion, debate and perhaps some outrage at the meresuggestion. But, before I say my piece and invite your comments andcontributions, perhaps I should define the terms, so that we all know what we'rediscussing:
Tradition is defined asbelief, custom, etc., passed along from generation to generation by non-writtenmeans; those beliefs, collectively; established and accepted practice orcustom; principles held and generally followed by a branch of the arts, adoptedfrom and handed down through experience and practice; doctrine regarded as possessingdivine authority with no written evidence; the spoken messages of Christ andthe apostles, passed on by word of mouth through generations; words and actionsof Muhammad not incorporated in the Qur'an but transmitted orally before beingrecorded.
Custom is held to behabitual or common practice; a usual way of behaving; usage, fashion or habit; establishedusage which, because it has continued for a long time, has taken on the forceof a law or right.
The world is overrun withexamples of custom and tradition; many are religious in origin, others stemfrom early ignorance of certain realities, yet others have developed asresponses to threats from outside the boundaries set by those groups practicingthem. We, mostly, take such things for granted and promote their continuancewithout much thought for either their origins or their real social effects. So,is any harm done by such continuation? Is it possible that some customs andtraditions are not good things?
Let's look at some of themost popular and widespread. Christmas is almost on us. This celebration of thebirth of a notable prophet, a figure responsible for the formation of one ofthe world's great religions, is touted as a demonstration of love, generosityand general goodwill to all men. Peace and harmony are tied into the verymeaning of this tradition. So, can it be seen in any way as other than a goodthing?Well, the timing of theceremony, as most people are aware, is way off if it is an actual commemorationof the prophet's birth, since it's believed he was actually born in the summermonths. So, the first aspect I question is the lack of honesty in the dating.Of course, it's well known that the old Pagan ceremony that was traditionallyheld at the mid-winter point long before Christianity came on the scene, washijacked by the church in order to allow the celebrants to more readily acceptthe new religion. So, the timing of the celebration immediately takes on thenature of a con-trick, something devised to make more palatable a set ofbeliefs that were at variance with those of the people it was invented toconvert. Such trickery is hardly the way to promote a doctrine that purports tohave truth at its heart, I think.
In Islam, the position ofthe woman is traditionally that of subordinate; traditionally, though notaccording to the holy book of the faith. The Qur'an states quite clearly thatmen and women are of equal value and worth. However, the later commentaries,supposedly recorded as the words and actions of the prophet, Mohammed, are opento interpretation that women are rightly considered subordinate to men. Suchdowngrading of the gender would fit in well with the beliefs of a man broughtup in a brothel, of course. And they fit in well with the traditions of aculture which has regarded women as goods and chattels since the beginning ofrecorded history. One has only to look at the ethnic communities where Islamfirst developed and note the custom of awarding their leaders numerous wivesand concubines to see that the male attitude to the position of women in suchsocieties was less than generous. The Islamic belief that men who are martyredin the cause (whatever that cause may be determined to be) will be rewarded byan eternity in paradise served by anything up to 72 virgin maidens, indicatesthat women are seen as the playthings and servants of men. No such rewardawaits those women who sacrifice themselves to the cause, however. And,clearly, the fate of the 72 virgin maidens is hardly something to be relished. So,I question the custom and tradition held so dear by the sects of this religionin this regard.
The tradition of regardingpork as unclean, elevated to quasi-legal status in certain communities, stemsfrom early observations that pig meat can cause many illnesses. Of course, withmodern farming techniques and the knowledge that such meat must be well-cookedto avoid the problems, the risk has been reduced to similar proportions asthose of eating any other meat. But it's noteworthy that the ban on eating porkremains. It's been enshrined into the culture of those communities and is upheldas something positive simply on the grounds that it is customary, traditional.Another example of the religious authorities being unwilling to accept that thebasis for their laws might actually be questionable.
In certain parts of theMiddle East and Africa it's customary for young women to be circumcised. This,of course, is a euphemism for brutal damage to the victims genitalia. Thecustom, carried out without anaesthetic, involves the removal of the clitorisand, frequently, the stitching together of the labia minor to prevent penetration.This tradition, often continued and encouraged by the mothers of the victims,is designed entirely to serve the men of the communities. The thought behind itis that women will not 'stray' if there is little pleasure for them in the sexact. The victim's stitched labia are cut open once the woman marries so thather husband may penetrate her, regardless of any pain she may suffer. Thiscustom is defended by those within the community on the grounds that it is along held tradition. And, of course, it the combination of the status oftradition with subliminal brain-washing that allows the mothers to continue toperpetrate this violence on their daughters.
I could go on. There aremany examples of similar customs and traditions: wife burning at the death of ahusband, the disfiguring of women who refuse a suitor's advances, the killingof daughters who 'dishonour' a family by refusing to marry the chosen husband.All, of course, with serious consequences for those affected. There are also lessercustoms and traditions that do more subtle harm. The custom of the Abrahamicreligions in their elevation of commerce to the level of some sort of divinelyinspired activity, for example, has allowed business to proceed without anyreal concern about its effects on those who are less well off. And the customof giving at Christmas, whilst producing some very real generosity of spirit aswell as actual charity, has caused many millions to put themselves into debt inorder to avoid being thought either mean or too poor to give as much as theirneighbours.
So, to return to myquestion: is it possible that some customs and traditions are not good things? Ithink you'll know my answer, but I'm interested to learn yours. Are you willingto get involved in the discussion here? It's easy enough to make a commentbelow.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot (Antonyms): Rabble/Aristocracy

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Rabble/Aristocracy
Rabble: noun - a crowd of disorderly people, amob; people imagined as comprising a mob; the lowest class of people, commoners.
Aristocracy: noun - a ruling body of members of the nobility;the class to which these rulers belong; a patrician or privileged class ofpeople; the best examples of a quality or skill; a privileged or elite group.
'Recent riots in Londonwere caused by a rabble of opportunists in search of thrills and free booty,rather than by any group of real protestors.'
'Most of the aristocracyin the UK are descendants of robber barons who helped various unworthy monarchsto maintain their power over the populace. The social contract was supposed tobe a deal in which the powerful protected the general population in return forfood and some small reward. Of course, it quickly degenerated into an excuse toexploit those with lesser means and take advantage of their ignorance andpowerlessness; it remains so today, of course.'
A question for you toponder: When they cure ham, what disease does it have?
1882 - The first string ofChristmas tree lights was created by Thomas Edison, starting a tradition thathas grown into the excess of today, with hundreds of millions of cheap illuminationsdecorating the interiors and exteriors of millions of homes and publicbuildings to little purpose.
1941 - Winston Churchillarrived in Washington for a wartime conference. Of course, it's unlikely the USwould have joined the battle without the rude behaviour of the Japanese indestroying their fleet in Pearl Harbour only days before. Perhaps we, in UK andEurope, should applaud the Japanese for involving the US in a war that mightotherwise have resulted in a very different world for all of us?

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Quarterdeck

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Quarterdeck: noun - originally, this was a small decklocated above the half-deck and covering about a quarter of a vessel. Thesedays, however, it's used for that part of a ship's upper deck near the stern, andusually reserved for officers or privileged passengers; the officers of a shipor the navy.
'Shirley winked withlittle subtlety at the steward who brought her glass of champagne, and invitedhim to join her on the quarterdeck a little after midnight, where, she assuredhim, she would make it worth his while.'
In the UK, today isgenerally considered the shortest day of the year and a cause of much joy thatimprovements are now on their way. Though, sometimes it is the 22nd that'sconsidered so. The night between 21st and 22nd December is the longest.Certainly, following this day, the hours of daylight increase until themid-summer point, when the whole thing begins its decline again. The Christian world,borrowing the wisdom of the preceding pagans, placed Christmas at this time ofyear to capitalise on the potential of associating the birth of their prophetwith the ending of the declining season and the hope of better things to come.A wise decision for those early leaders wishing to increase their following ina very uncertain world.
1835 - HMS Beagle sailedinto the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, on Darwin's historic voyage of discovery.
1914 - The firstfeature-length silent film comedy, "Tillie's Punctured Romance" was released,featuring Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand & Charles Chaplin. Chaplin, ofcourse, went on to become one of the cinema's icons over the following years.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot (Antonyms): Pacific/Belligerent

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Pacific/Belligerent
Pacific: adjective - making, or tending to makepeace, resulting in reconciliation; appeasing, conciliatory, calming; of a peacefulcharacter, peaceable; characterized by calm or peace, tranquil.
Belligerent: adjective - waging war regularly, asrecognized by law; aggressively hostile, pugnacious; pertaining to abelligerent.
'In the world, whilst thegeneral perception of Switzerland and Norway tends to the pacific, many nationsview the USA as belligerent, due to its chosen stance as policeman of theglobe.'
'Jenny stepped lightlybetween the boys, her gentle touch on each of their arms, a pacific influenceon what had promised to be an ugly conflict over her charms.'
'Always ready for a fight,Tony was known as a bully in the streets and feared because of his belligerentnature and readiness to use his fists or any available weapon to get his ownway.'
1669 - The first jurytrial was held in Delaware, resulting in Marcus Jacobson being condemned forinsurrection and suffering a sentence of flogging, branding & slavery.
1920 - Bob Hope became anAmerican citizen, creating the 'loss' of a great comedian to the British butextending his talents to the wider world in the process.

Are You On The List?

Avril Field-Taylor is a talented lady, who,I am pleased to say, shares a writing group with me. A writer of crime fiction, historical crime fiction, Sherlock Holmes stories and much else, she isalso a very accomplished singer. In celebration of Christmas, she devised thefollowing ditty, based on the song, Behold,the Lord High Executioner, from the Mikado, sung by Ko-Ko. It scans evenbetter when sung to that tune.
Avril'sChristmas offering to her Hornsea Writer colleagues – with apologies to Gilbert& Sullivan.  When the Orange Fiction prize requiresauthors to be found,I've got a little list, I've got a littlelist,Of the stalwart Hornsea Writers who onkeyboards daily poundAnd to whom all life is grist, to whom alllife is grist.
There's Karen's Granny Beamish who canreally mess your mindBy making you eat sprouts or somethingequally unkind.While notforgetting Georgie, the dog whisperer supreme And her gorgeous cohort, Matt, who's everythinking woman's dreamShe's adefinite contender and she's not to be dismissedSo just put her on the list, yes just puther on the list.
There's Linda's Torc of Moonlight, sodiverse and quite complexWhosecharacters are damaged but they're always up for sexThey interact and squabble as theirfeelings they conveyWith sultry scenes of passion so hot under theduvet.Oh yes, Linda is a writing force, on thatwe must insist,So she's going on the list, yes, she'sgoing on the list.
Then we've Madeleine's romances that willreally touch your soulIn far flungplaces round the world from Europe to the poleHer settings are so well drawn, to ourchairs she keeps us gluedAnd ne'er byword or gesture are her people ever lewdSo for sweetness and decorum, we need oneromanticistAnd she's going on the list, yes she'sgoing on the list.
And Penny'sAnnie Raymond books are never ever dullThe stories alltake place near here in Holderness and HullThe pace grows bit by bit until the tensionis extremeAnd if someone interrupted you, you'd verylikely scream. She's a master storyteller and her plotsall have a twist,So for that, she's on the list, yes forthat she's on the list.
Not forgettingStuart Aken, who can write with white hot heatComplete anovel in a month, you know that's no mean featHis imagination knows no bounds andsometimes shocks occurEnsuing mental visions make us all winceand go urrr.But there's nodenying Stuart is a writing alchemistSo we'll add him to the list, yes we'll addhim to the list.

An interview with Avril, the writer ofthese lyrics, can be accessed by clicking here.And an interview with Karen can be read byclicking here.My interview with Linda will be found byclicking here.To read the interview with Madeleine, clickhere.For the interview with Penny, click here.And, for an interview with Stuart (yes, Iknow, that's me), click here.
Okay, so there's no picture of me, but, hell - the site's mine and I'm all over the place already!
My thanks to Avril for permission to use her piece of festive fun.
A very Merry Christmas and a staggeringly successful New Year to all of you .

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Onomatopoeia

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Onomatopoeia: noun - the shaping of a word byimitation of the sound connected with the thing or action denominated; a wordformed this way; in Rhetoric - the use of naturally suggestive language foreffect.
Here's a list of some thatcome to mind. There are more, but I'll let you discover those for yourselves.
Ah, baa, bang, beep, belch,boo, buzz, cheep, chirp, clang, clap, cluck, clunk, crunch, fizz, giggle, growl,gurgle, hiccup, hiss, honk, hum, jangle, meow, moo, murmur, neigh, oink, ouch, phew,piss, ping, plop, purr, quack, rattle, roar, screech, shush, sizzle, slap, sniff,splash, squelch, thud, thump, tinkle, twang, ugh, vroom, whack, wham, whip, whizz, zap,zoom, etc….
'The tinkle of thefountain was interrupted by the plop and splash of the coins Christina tossedinto the pool, making her giggle with delight but causing grumpy Godfrey growlwith dismay at the waste.'
'In the golden fields ofcorn, the cattle meowed and the crows purred; flying overhead, the hissingbears collided with zooming pigs causing them to neigh in annoyance, as, alongthe horizon, a long line of lions oinked and buzzed as they devoured the janglingflowers.'What do you mean, that'snonsense?
1154 - Henry II wascrowned King of England.
1910 - 1st city ordinancerequiring white and black residential areas was made in Baltimore. It would beyears before such discrimination was first recognised for the injustice it was,and then made illegal. Of course, there remain idiots who still consider racialseparation to be a good thing; but such ignorance and fear simply identifies theseunfortunates as either stupid or ill-informed.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot (Antonyms): Nab/Release

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Nab/Release
Nab: verb - catch and take someone into custody; apprehend, arrest; snatchor seize something; steal.
Release: verb - liberate; free from physicalrestraint or imprisonment; let go of.
'Noreen left her place inthe check-out queue to step outside and nab the man she'd watched steal a canof Coke from the supermarket shelves.'
'Keep an eye out for thebarman, whilst I nab some beer from the pump.'
'When the allies marchedinto the town, they were able to release the prisoners of war who'd been heldin camps for so long.'
'I want you to releasethat cash into my custody, where I'll make damned good use of it.'
1621 - the Englishparliament unanimously accepted Protestation, and the roots for conflict were formallyplanted. In parts of the UK that conflict remains and provides certain ill-informedfools with a motive for indiscriminate killing.
1960 - A General Meetingof the UN condemned apartheid. In backward parts of the world, such prejudiceremains, allowing the ignorant and afraid to blame all misfortune on those whofail to appear to be like them.

A Fun Day on the Road

I don't normally use thisspace to promote personal matters, but yesterday deserves mention, if for noother reason than to thank those who helped in my moment of need.
The day began to unravel atthe not particularly early time of 08:45, when I left home to collect Kate, mydaughter, from her university in Preston; a journey of some 114 miles. Iexpected to meet a bit of bad weather on the way, as I had to cross the spineof England, the Pennines, and those wonders of modern inaccuracy, the weatherforecasters, had predicted snow for somewhere in these odd islands of ours. But the car was wellprepared for emergencies, since I've often travelled in adverse weatherconditions.Following a long, slowcircuit of York, caused by millions on the hunt Xmas gifts, the first hint thatsomething might not be quite right was a brief flash of red from the dashboardas I entered Knaresborough, some 50 or so miles from home. I couldn't decide whetheror not I'd imagined it. A pause for a natural break in a car park (well,actually, I made use a public convenience), a sandwich and a check of the mapto remind me how to get to the university residence block, made all appear fine.So, intrepid traveller that I am, off I went again. Another 12 miles oftrouble free motoring found me descending the steepish hill overlooking picturesqueFewston Reservoir. Here, I was flashed again. This time more substantially. Adefinite warning and one not to be taken lightly, since ahead rose the isolatedand rather high Greenhow Hill; not a place to be driving a dickey car inwinter. Fortunately, the red light took up permanent residence at this pointand, as I was conveniently passing a curve of the old road that had been turnedinto a lay-by, I swiftly turned into it. For a few moments, I sat in thestationary car watching the light and listening to the radio click on and offin a slightly sinister fashion, whilst the clock display changed by the second,suggesting I was in some sort of Dr Who time-warp. Not a mechanic, Inevertheless recognised that this was not a good sign. The car was clearlyobjecting to something and it might not be a good idea to force it furtherwithout some of the attention it seemed to desire.I insure my car withDirect Line (a good company that provides comprehensive cover for reasonablepremiums - and has the advantage of allowing my daughter, as a named driver, tobuild up her own no-claims bonus) and they are involved with the breakdown service,Green Flag, which I'd joined as a result. So, I called the emergency number andwas connected with a man who clearly knew the geography of the region where Iwas located. So much more reassuring than the usual Asian call centre, wherethey try to help but haven't a clue whether Driffield is a town or some sort ofobscure agricultural reference.The man organised a pickup and told me it would be with me within the hour. I sent a text message (yes,despite my advanced years, I can thumb the keys with the best of them) to Kateto let her know I'd be delayed. Quick as a flash, she was on the phone to makesure I'd still be able to rescue her from threatening isolation on campus.Alas, I was unable to provide such reassurance at this point.I had my camera with me,so took a little stroll and a few pictures, before retiring to the now cold carto await mechanical help. The recovery vehicle arrived just before certain delicateparts of my anatomy became permanently detached from my person. He swiftlydiagnosed the problem as a dead alternator. It seemed I had alternatives; a towback home (leaving Kate isolated), a tow to Preston (leaving the pair of usisolated with a buggered car), or he could phone a friend and arrange a fix. Ithought the latter the most attractive and he made said call. We travelled toGargrave, a small town not far from Settle, where I once lived, and more orless on the way to my final destination. The guy who runs ADLMotors on the small industrial estate on Eshton Road was out on a job. But hischarming receptionist took control, handed me a key to a loan car (whichhappened to be the same model as my own) and said they'd have the car fixed formy return. No fuss, no unnecessary questions. Off I went. Snow filled the sky andcoated the road with slush as I approached Preston, where I made 798 hillstarts as I joined a queue of traffic trying to enter the town; though Godalone knows what would make the place so popular. Fortunately, my memory hadn'tdeserted me completely and I made only one false turning, into a university carpark - the wrong one, but soon found the right one. Another text and Kate wasthere like magic in minutes.Packing, sorting andtransportation from room to car achieved, we set off back to Gargrave. Thistime, the traffic seemed determined to join us on the way out of Preston. Icould understand their desire to leave the place but wished they'd chosen a bettertime to become fans of my leadership. Though, to be fair, I was more a followerthan a leader at this time.Eventually, we left behindthe hordes and found ourselves on a less crowded road until we found thecompletely deserted track that led to Gargrave. Arriving only minutes after thespare part had been delivered, we left the borrowed car, full of Kate'sbelongings (mostly the gift of dirty washing for her mother to cure), and wentin search of food for Kate, since she'd had no lunch and it was now around16:30.The local Co-op (Good withfood), provided us with a couple of warm snacks and some flavoured water. Ialso picked up a copy of The Silence of the Lambs, by Thomas Harris, for a quidfrom a charity bin; a nice touch of serendipity.Back at the garage, ourcar was ready to collect. We transferred the goods from borrowed to owned car,paid the bill, and set off for home, eternally grateful to the lovely folk fromthe breakdown service and the garage, who'd all been so charming and helpful.All went swimmingly, withme driving, until we reached a roundabout just outside Knaresborough. Here, theA59 leads to York and every motorist in the country had decided to travel thatroute with us. I sneaked in behind a Mini that was clinging to the tale of afairly new Audi, and many more trailed behind us. It soon became evident thatthe driver of the Audi was either drunk, dim-witted or demented. Here he was,driving a car with the power to eat up tarmac at over 100 miles an hour butdetermined never to exceed 30 mph. The A59 isn't a road with many places toovertake, especially when the oncoming traffic is a more or less unbrokenchain. Eventually, the Mini pulled off onto a side road and I was stuck behindthe dithering Audi. A brief break in the oncoming traffic gave hope and Igrasped it, overtaking and driving about seven miles at the permitted speedlimit of 60 mph. Some 3 miles from York, wehit the end of the queue approaching the city. That was fun. It took us over anhour to travel up to and round the ring road. And such wonderful scenery onshow under the black night sky, to keep us occupied. (for those who don't knowthe area, York sits on a flat, featureless plain and the ring road is banal andboring).At last, we reached thebridge to take us from the A64, up and over to join the A166, which eventuallyreaches the seaside resort town of Bridlington. A short way along this stretch,I pulled into a lay-by next to a petrol station and Kate assumed the drivingseat. She took us, fast and safe, the last miles home, so we arrived in time tounpack the car just before the evening meal was ready. Good timing by Valerie,my adorable wife, and a great end to a somewhat wearing day. But it was worth theeffort to get Kate home for the holidays.