Christmas Fun Facts - Discover the Christmas Giver Called Christkind!

Five hundred years ago, church reformer, Martin Luther wanted to shift the focus from St Nicholas as the gift bearer back to the Christ child. So in 16th-17th century in Europe, many Protestants changed the gift bringer back to the Christ child known as 'Christkind'. The date of giving gifts also changed from St Nicholas feast day on December 6th, to Christmas Eve December 24th.

The traditional Christmas gift bringer in Germany and most German speaking regions of Europe is 'The Christ-child' also known as 'Christkind'. This now popular gift bringer is depicted in areas of Europe such as Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Croatia, Australia, Southern Brazil, some part of Hispanic America and Slovakia.

The Christkind in Germany is more often depicted as a sprite-like child with angelic wings and blonde hair wearing a white robe. Some presume Christkind to be the incarnation of Jesus as an infant. Often children like to leave a letter on the windowsill for the Chirstkind. Yet, children never see the Christkind. They are encouraged not to peek and try and see the figure arrive for if they do no present will be left. So the tradition is for parents to secretly ring a bell, which children believe the Christkind rings upon departure. Parents will always tell the children that the Christkind disappeared after leaving presents under the tree, just before they entered the room. It is a magical tradition.

There are many writings that suggest the Germans had a hard time getting their mind around the baby Jesus giving gifts so the Christmas gift-giver gradually morphed into a sweet girl. This sweet girl became known as the Christkind. Today, in modern Germany the Christkind is chosen every year in a contest. Usually a teenage girl, dressed in gold that is like a rock star complete with bodyguard, publicist and even her own entourage! The entrance of the modern-day Christkind is often marked by cheering crowds.

However, the appearance and name 'Christkind' changes from region to region. Here are some name variations that can be found for example: Christkindl, Christkindle and Christkindel. Another popular depiction of the Christkind is a fairy-like being with a crown on top of her golden curly long locks, dressed in a glorious gold and white robe. However, within some regions, the golden angelic girl is nowhere to be seen as the traditional 'Weihnachtsmann' or Father Christmas (better known as Santa Claus) is the bearer of gifts.

So depending where you are in Europe, you will see variations of the depiction of the Christkind. However, no matter where you are, this bringer of gifts is depicted bringing much joy and happiness.

Why Modular Office Furniture is in Style

Professionalism and efficiency are the two most important factors that one needs to keep in mind while furnishing his/her office. An office ambience that reflects these two factors can surely impress prospective customers and increase the productivity of employees. Therefore, when buying furniture for your office, make sure that it is able to project this image perfectly. But in order to do so, you do not have to go over your budget. Modular office furniture is the most in style selection of late and quite surprisingly it can be afforded by people with modest budget.

We all have heard about modular furniture, but what is it all about? Well, modular furniture for office consists of desks, tables, chairs, cabinets etc and they are attractive, light weight and easy to move. Moreover, it comes in a plethora of designs and styles and sizes thereby giving you the opportunity to mix and match as per your choice. The main purpose of modular furniture is its mobility. So make sure that when buying modular office furniture, it is of lightweight.

Unlike the earlier times when furniture was made of hardwood, modern furniture is made of laminates, wood veneers etc. This new style of furniture makes furniture cheaper thus affordable by the majority of people. The factor of affordability is accompanied with attractive designs that make modular furniture the first choice of many people. Moreover, the materials like laminates do not require the amount of care and maintenance that wood demands but on the other hand, they are as durable as wood. Even materials like plastic and metal are being used for manufacturing modular office furniture. Instead of going for the traditional boring color schemes, nowadays the designers are opting for vibrant, bright colors for modular furniture.

The modular furniture style is flexible in nature and it has a modern, chic look. The best thing about this variety of furniture is that it is manufactured in such a way that it can easily blend with your existing collection of modular furniture. So if a piece of modular furniture catches your eye, you would not have to change the entire set to fit this item in your office. It is often said that modular office furniture makes the employees content and more productive. This is because the modular furniture provides comfort and an attractive environment which helps to keep the employees happy.

If you are not in the position to buy even the affordable modular furniture pieces, you can opt for the option of buying used items. Used furniture pieces are often sold by retailers and manufactures both online and offline at much cheaper rates than the price of the new versions. Used pieces are even more preferable to those who wish to refurbish their office and cannot afford to spend a lot in the refurbishment. But when considering used furniture items, make sure it is not in a dilapidated condition since using them would be next to impossible. Always try to buy modular office furniture that suits your taste and budget.

There is no benefit in regret later down the road.

Decoding the Tiger Mom

Amy Chua took the world by storm with her bestselling book entitled "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother." But, it seemed that most people misunderstood where she was going with it.

Anyone can be a tiger mom - and Chua certainly details the criteria for such. However, many readers tended to harp on her "unconventional" parenting methods (that even she mentioned did not always work) instead of reading the book and seeing it as one mother's ever-evolving and amazing journey into parenting.

Chua is different than most and similar in many uncanny ways to familial matriarchs coast-to-coast and around the world. Her savvy for motherhood is both refreshing and a bit unnerving. Sure, to the conventional American mind, she may have seemed to be a bit strict, but to her credit, the stern was the only way that she knew how to instill the tools for success in her children. Do I agree with everything that she did? Not, at all. Do I credit her for her bravery in revealing the intimate details? Absolutely.

No parent is perfect, so why judge Chua for methods that she soon found out were not as effective as she thought when employed on her children?

She was forced to learn that both of her children were completely different and while one child may have been more inclined to obey her rules, the other was simply not as compliant. She didn't give up. What she did was what every parent should do - she just re-adjusted her parenting style. For Chua, it was learning the art of compromise that made a positive difference in parenting her children.

There are several techniques that Chua employed which made sense when parenting. The one stands out the most is her use of rote repetition. In order for a child of any age to be successful in school, extra curricular activities, or in life in general, repetition is essential. Continuously doing the same action over and over again will yield positive results. Regardless if that action is through the use of flash cards, singing, dancing or practicing a sport, eventually it will become second nature to a child which will bring about the results that parents so desire. This is how the human brain works.

Parents learn something new everyday as do children. Chua finally came to accept this and began to learn about herself as parent from the actions and re-actions of her children. Everyone makes mistakes - no parent is perfect but it is through those mistakes that parents become better parents.

Take Your Graduate Degree in Mastering Mentalism and Magic Tricks

Magic mentalism is fast catching on and with online resources available that can make you a master mentalist in no time, it is not difficult to sort of graduating in mentalism. You should forget about yourself and focus on the audience who may be friends, relatives or co-workers to whom you are showing your newly learned skills. You have to know the mind of the people you are performing for. Unless their mind is tapped, you would not be able to manipulate them to your advantage.

You should lead them on the way you are headed only by concentrating on them. Keep your feelings on the backburner for a while and feel the pulse of the audience. It would be great magical mentalism if you can tap into their inner consciousness.

It can be learnt the easy way and in no time you can be a graduate in mastering mentalism. There is no harm in tapping into somebody else's mind. Don't we do it always? If you know somebody intimately, can't you figure out what their problems are and how you can solve them? You certainly chip in with your ideas and solutions that can be exactly what they might have thought of. You can be a graduate in mastering mentalism if you can think out of the box and come up with new ideas.

You should never be scared or apprehensive about experimenting and innovating. You should be able to go under the skin and think. You can learn all these easy to follow steps shown by magic gurus who had earlier taught professional magicians the tricks charging them a fortune. And when they decided to offer their ideas online and share the magic tricks with you, they are doing it for a very small price.

Being simple and easy to follow is also the key to being a master mentalist. Gripping the people in front of you has made the likes of Chris Angel and David Blaine. When online mastering mentalism can be understood by a 12 year old, it is easy.

Film Review: Anything Else

I went to see "Anything Else" because I heard an intriguing rumor that Woody Allen had cut all of his own scenes out of the movie. It turns out that not only was he in most of it, there were two of him.

"Anything Else" stars Woody Allen as schoolteacher and part time comedy writer "David Dobel" who, despite participating in two of the lowest paying jobs in the U.S., can afford a vintage Jaguar. He befriends Jason Biggs as "Jerry Falk", a full-time comedy writer who would really rather be writing depressing novels about the pointlessness of existence.

Let's just take a second to look at this "Jerry Falk" character. Somehow by his early twenties he's already divorced, in therapy, and has become a whiny babbling intellectual with a well-paying writing career. Basically, he's Woody Allen, just younger. Oh good, another Woody Allen! Sarcasm!

We're clubbed over the head with how "urban" and "contemporary" this "comedy" is. They walk the streets of New York or eat in fancy restaurants for most of the film. They name-drop as many writers as possible. (Oh yeah, I've read that!) They over-use their thesauruses. They mock the idea of owning a survival kit. They hunt down hard to find records and memorabilia. They're all either actors or writers or singers. They listen to jazz. They're all fake.

The "comedy" part comes in a few clever lines that I couldn't remember if my life depended on it. That speaks to the quality of the jokes folks, not my encroaching senility.

You might be noticing by now that all I've really said about the plot is that Allen befriends Biggs. That's because, frankly, that's all there is. Sure, there's the awkward romance between Biggs and Christina Ricci (the only person in the movie who puts some effort into the performance). Still, it doesn't really go anywhere. He's nuts, she's more nuts, they torture themselves and each other alternately, and nobody's really happy. It would be funny, but there's no hook or plot twist keeping them together, so instead it's just sad and tedious. That's the plot.

A five minute story stretched itself out over almost two hours and bored us to tears. It was painful. Sure, "Gigli" was bad, but at least it was ignorable. "Anything Else" practically DARES you to keep watching as it's moronic pseudo-intellectual neurotics tool around town doing little of significance except irritate the hell out of you.

There were maybe twelve people in the theater, and half of them left. The rest made conversation amongst themselves. Of course, I couldn't because I had to review the thing. I hate you Woody Allen!

I'm only giving "Anything Else" a 0 of 5 Whuffies because I promised myself I wouldn't use negatives in my ratings a long time ago. Don't see it on a bet.

Anything Else - 108 Minutes, or "103 minutes too long"

Directed by Woody Allen

Starring: Woody Allen, Jason Biggs, Stockard Channing, Danny DeVito, Christina Ricci, and apparently a complete hatred for the viewing public.

Motivational Books and Executive Business Book Summaries As Comic Books?

Spiderman, Superman, and Archie. These are the main characters that most people will think of when the subject of comic books is brought up. Assumed a child's medium, comic books are rarely picked up by adults, let alone thought of as a business book for adults. They're "just for kids" or "just for fun," not for a business executive who wants to motivate them self in a limited amount of time... Right?

Wrong!

As busy executives and professionals try to grow their business, they find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. They know that reading is important to their growth, but that reading takes time, and time is scarce. To help change that, executive business books are now being summarized and illustrated into comic book format. An executive business book summary in a comic version is the perfect solution for people on the go who want to get smarter, save time, and have fun in the process. The visual power of comics combined with the text of a business book summary allows readers to comprehend and envision main ideas, messages, and tips quickly. With the combination of mediums shouldering a story line together, authors quite literally are able to put human faces on any given subject, making complex business ideas and techniques easy to understand and remember. Having static images mixed with the business book summary gives comics a sort of visual permanence, as opposed to the fleeting quality of films and live lectures. As most individuals are visual learners, the permanent visual quality of comics increases both understanding and retention of a subject, an obvious advantage for a fast-paced society where time is a valuable asset.

Next time you are rushing around the bookstore, don't just walk by those comic books you see on the stands! Whether for you or as a gift, business book summaries in comic book form are the perfect way to get important reading done while having fun in the process!