Yahoo!7 Answers Australia

Photo by carl.lacey2.

For many of us, our Mum’s have played a large part of who we are today. From a young age, they nurture and guide us, despite the occasional blue, they do it with the best thing of all – unconditional love.

On Yahoo!7, we encourage you to share what matters to you and with our latest example of How Good Grows on Yahoo!, we are asking you to share some of your Mum’s best advice.

• What’s the best advice your mum has given you?

You can also share your thoughts at howgoodgrows.safely.yahoo.com, and see what people around the world are saying. Then keep coming back to the site to see other women who’ve made their mark.

Join us in sharing what’s important to you. Spread the word, and watch How Good Grows on Yahoo!.

Kate
Community Manager

Photo by Wedding Paraphernalia.

Planning a wedding is not easy for most, myself included.

From my personal experiences thus far in organising my own wedding for later this year, it requires the following: military genius, diplomacy, haggling and sheer luck!

Not all of us are blessed with the options and resources available to William and Kate, so how do we amongst the common people manage it? It’s time to share your tips and help all future brides out:

• What are some tips or advice on planning a successful wedding?

And in honour of the Royal Wedding on Yahoo!7 Answers, the best answer will be awarded 100 bonus points!

So get sharing!

Kate
Community Manager

Photo by The British Monarchy.

Cue “Here Comes the Bride”: The wedding season will be here before you know it and what better way to start than the wedding of the decade. This week, as the world watches Prince William and Kate Middleton say “I do,” we invite you to Yahoo! Answers Royal Wedding Week.

As Prince William and Kate walk down the aisle this Friday, on April 29th, we’d like to hear your stories, secrets, and tips from your special day or upcoming nuptials.

To celebrate the most anticipated wedding, we’ll ask three questions this week and encourage you to share your moments and/or dreams. In addition, we’ll award the winning answers 100 bonus points.

The first question is about a moment that no one will ever forget…

Question:  How did your significant other propose to you?

Royal wedding photos
To see pictures of the royal family, please visit our Flickr page here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishmonarchy/

And much more
If you can’t get enough of all the Royal Wedding hype, check out our Yahoo!7 Royal Wedding Page for more details and information including the schedule of events for the big day!

Check back on Wednesday and Friday for our second and third wedding question!

Thanks for reading,
Yahoo!7 Answers Team

Photo by kiwinz.

This coming Monday, the 25th of April, is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand.

This day originally commemorated the landing of allied troops at Gallipoli during the First World War, but now serves a day to recognise all those who have served our two countries.

Over the next week, we will be hearing a lot about “the ANZAC Spirit”. We’d like to know a bit more about it:

• What is the ANZAC Spirit and how have you seen this displayed recently?

What do you think the ANZAC Spirit is? If you’ve seen an example of this spirit lately, let us know by leaving a comment below!

Kate
Community Manager

Photo by tibbygirl.

It’s another year to celebrate the wearing of the green and the remotest drop of Irish blood in your veins – St Patrick’s Day!

This day is generally observed the world over in some form, be it by attending mass, drinking green beer or wearing something green to work or school. You can read a little here about how my family observe the day.

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th, which marks the feast day of St. Patrick in the Catholic faith and interestingly, is also the anniversary of his death in the 5th century. And you know what? St. Patrick himself wasn’t even Irish, he was born in Scotland and then captured as a youth by raiders from Britain and taken to Ireland, which adds to the general appeal of not just the Irish marking the holiday. You can read a little bit about the origins behind St. Patrick’s Day on the question I asked last year.

So no matter your heritage, don a bit of green and celebrate along with us – Happy St. Patrick’s Day all!

Kate
Community Manager

Photo by Sarah Korf.

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent for many Christian religions, including those of Roman Catholic faith. It falls immediately after Shrove Tuesday, better known as Pancake Day.

What exactly is Ash Wednesday?

There appear to be several ideas about the day… According to top contributor, 4Wheels, “Ash Wednesday is the first day of the fast. You give up something you enjoy for 40 days and 40 nights. It lasts until Easter.” And LOL! that was so like not funny, states that “Ash wednesday is the beginning of Lent. Which is the 40 days before easter. This is a religious celebration. When you go to church they will use palms from the last palm sunday and burn them. Then they use the ashes and make a sign of the cross on your forehead.”

nicola278 goes into a bit more detail… ” Lent is a special time when we prepare for Good Friday and Easter. We prepare by paying more attention than usual to our lives as Christians. Shrove Tuesday is a day when people used to eat and celebrate a bit before starting Lent. During lent we often give something up such as candy or television. We do this for 2 reasons: a) this helps strengthen our willpower for when we really need to say no to temptation. Just like throwing a basketball or doing math, saying no is something we get better at with practice. Saying no to a chocolate bar or our favourite TV show is hard but it helps us prepare for when we are faced with even greater temptation (perhaps in our teenage years.) Reason 2) Just as Jesus sacrificed his life for us, we make a small sacrifice to be a bit like him, to show how we appreciate his sacrifice.” You can read more of nicola278‘s answer here.

What are the ashes for?

First we should know what they are made of, Fancy You thinks they from “the leaves of a palm tree… I always thought they were the left over Blessed Palms from Palm Sunday.”

solarius is able to provide us a more indepth answer:

The ashes are a symbol of repentance and sorrow for one’s sins. They are made from the burned palms from the previous Palm Sunday. In the Old Testament, repentant people wore sackcloth and sat in ashes (or smudged themselves with ashes). It is also symbolic of one’s mortality.

Edit: Most people wash the ashes off right after the service, although I know some people who wear them all day. My mother always wore them until one minute after midnight on Thursday (in other words, until Ash Wednesday was truly over).

What about fasting and not eating meat?

Check out the following:

• Are you allowed to drink water while fasting on Ash Wednesday?
• Can I eat fish during Ash Wednesday?
• Can we eat chicken on ash Wednesday?
• Can I eat meat on ash wednesday?

Well there you have it, we now know a bit more about a significant event in many people’s faiths!

Are you giving up anything for Lent? If so, let us know by leaving a comment below!

Kate
Community Manager

When you share your thoughts on Yahoo!7, you have the potential to reach more than half a billion people around the globe. Together, you can share stories, exchange ideas, and even change the world, but it’s important to know how to share safely online.

As our latest example of How Good Grows on Yahoo!, we’re encouraging you to share what matters to you, safely. We’ll be posting questions over the next few months to give you the opportunity to share your answers with the Yahoo!7 community.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, join us in kicking off the program by telling the world about a woman (across the globe, across the room, or across the ages) who amazes you.  Share your thoughts at howgoodgrows.safely.yahoo.com, and see what people around the world are saying. Then keep coming back to the site to see other women who’ve made their mark.

• Which woman do you admire the most and why?

International Women’s Day is just one opportunity you’ll have to share safely. Keep your eyes open for more opportunities to share:

• Mother’s Day (May 8th)
• International Children’s Day (June 1st)

Join us in sharing what’s important to you. Spread the word, and watch How Good Grows on Yahoo!.

-Yahoo! for Good Team

Last year on Yahoo!7 Answers, we celebrated the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel aka “Dr. Seuss”!

He was born way back in 1904, but by the time of his death in 1991 he had written over sixty books and captured the imaginations of countless generations of adults and children alike.

The words, the pictures, the outlandish ideas and tongue twisters created an amazing world for children of all ages.

In honour of his birthday, we’d like to know the following:

• What is your favourite verse from a Dr. Seuss book and why?

Did you have a favourite Dr. Seuss book growing up? Leave a comment below!

Kate
Community Manager

Photo by jennifrog.

Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature’s gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history’s page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.

In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross
We’ll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who’ve come across the seas
We’ve boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia Fair.

In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.

Australian National Anthem – Peter Dodds McCormic, 1878.

The above will be heard clear across Australia tomorrow, as Australia celebrates Australia Day.

Australia Day is held on January 26th as Australia’s national day, which originally signified the day the First Fleet arrived and hoisted the Union Jack on the shores of Sydney Cove in 1788 but has come to mean so much more. Regardless of the day’s historical connections, it is a day to celebrate the beauty and grace of our country and all the many cultures that go into making Australia one of the best places to be in the world.

• What will you be doing for Australia Day in 2011 and why?

I’d love to know what you’ll be doing tomorrow. I hope it’s somewhere cool, it’s supposed to be a scorcher!Answer on the question above or leave a comment below!

Kate
Community Manager

To celebrate the start of 2011, the community shared their inspirations by answering this question: What will you do to make 2011 special? and submitted their most inspirational photos to our Flickr group ‘Inspiration 2011.’

Now it’s time to show the best answer and a few other contributions that we really loved. Keep reading and see what the community is planning to do to make this year special!

Best Answer

The most inspirational answer came from Lise M who not only touched us with her answer, but also shows that despite her circumstances, she still has a plan and has a lot to look forward to this year.

I’m doing a 365 photo diary for my children and grandchildren. I have a terminal illness and so far have lived much longer than anyone expected. Now I want to document everyday of this new decade in pictures. I take at least one picture of something about my life every day, and then write about that day. Lord willing I will make it all the way through this New Year – if not, I will be with my Savior and that’s okay too. Happy 2011 everyone!

Great Contributions

We had over 2,000 answers and though we can only pick ONE best answer, we felt these answers were just as great. Definitely worth reading!

By Mr. Green:
I’m planning on looking to the new year with a better outlook. Last year was OK, but I want this year to be better. I plan on being more outgoing, meeting more new people by joining interest groups and just enjoying life. I think I haven’t taken enough time to smell the roses. So I plan on being less serious this year, and hopefully making new and better friendships. But I have to get over my fears and just do it! Here’s to another year!

By Jackie Huggins:
I will live life as I have been with the same good lifestyle and strive for the same happiness I have in life. I will start school in a few weeks, which is long overdue, and I will get the best grades I possibly can. I will love my three kids until they’re sick of me and I will try to be a better wife. I’m sure that would be the only change I would make! Life is so very great so I will be happy with what I was given.

By Kenny D:
This summer we have a month long vacation planned to visit Stuttgart, Germany and Vienna, Austria. We will visit our daughter, granddaughter, and son-in-law in Stuttgart  for the last 20 days in June, and then travel by rented car to Vienna, Austria and spend the last 7 days of our vacation in Vienna. We will be staying at the Grand Hotel in Vienna and have tickets to attend the Vienna Mozart Orchestra concert at the Vienna State Opera on the night before we fly home on July 7. Our daughter married a German national while she was stationed at Ramstein Air Base and she decided to stay in Germany when she separated from the Air Force. Our last visit was 4 years ago and at that time they was living in Kaiserslautern, but have since moved to Stuttgart after the birth of our granddaughter Emily.

By Tabby:
I aspire to do more for wildlife charities so the beautiful animals and birds in our world are safer from vandals. Then people can have beautiful places to exercise and enjoy the wildlife. I want to make notelets with my photographs of wildlife and sell them to help raise funds, and knit animal hats for kids to buy at Fayre’s. Also to learn more about animals and help on a practical level, too.

By Pink Sherbet Photography:
Paying off ALL our credit card debt by December 2011 so we can buy our first home in 2012 when my husband retires from the military after 24 years of service! Starting with the highest interest cards first, making extra large payments on those and minimum on the others. Once the highest interest card is paid in full, I start on the next highest, making my way down the list. Pinching every penny this year, clipping and using coupons and putting every extra dollar I can toward paying off the debt in 12 months!

By Veronica Barrera:
I’m a girl who loves writing, music, painting, drawing, and taking photos. For a long time I’ve wanted to put these favorites to work but because I’m my own worst critic, I never got around to it. This year is going to be different.

This year:
-I plan to do a painting/drawing
-write some stories and enter them in contests
-get back on the violin and piano
-write a song
-make a series of photography portfolios

This year, 2011, I plan to show off my creative side! Here’s to an awesome and prosperous year! Happy 2011

By rossislx:
Having been through many challenging years as a single Dad I have gotten to a new level, what the biggest accomplishment is my children are all (almost) adults. My youngest is a senior in High School and will be moving on. I am deeply satisfied with their achievements and the direction they are going. It’s been approximately 12 years single parenting. As those of you who know, it’s a huge challenge and effort raise kids. I have had to put aside much of the “me” throughout these years, therefore I am extremely excited about the new prospects that will be available when the time comes. I have a lot of unwinding to do. I have high hopes for finding my life and the things I enjoyed for so many years prior to my role in my family. I am hoping that things will spring back and the old adventurous and enthusiastic guy returns, So I am really excited about being a part of my boys transition into college and feeling rested more focused and less distracted.

Thanks to everyone who participated!