NOTE TO SELF: CHANUKAH CONCERT TAUGHT ME THAT ALL CANDLES CAN CAST A GLOW
BY ELEANOR TYLBOR
As a youngster, Christmas was somewhat of a demoralizing time of the year. Since our family was of the Jewish faith, we celebrated the holiday of Chanukah, which didn't seem to me to be half as exciting as the furor that went along with trimming a tree.
On occasion Chanukah fell during the same period as Christmas and somehow I couldn't work up as much enthusiasm for lighting a candle even if it was colored, as my friends seemed to experience placing ornaments on the branches of their trees.
Even though my parents explained time and time again that Jewish people don't celebrate Christmas, which meant that a tree even a miniature one was out of the question, it was difficult for me to accept. In spite of protestations that we could call it a Chanukah bush, it was obvious that there was no way a fir tree would be part of our celebrations.
Traditionally at Chanukah, children receive gifts of gelt or money and light small colored candles in a menorah (candelabra), one per night for the eight days of the holiday. While that was nice, in my mind it didn't measure up to all the excitement connected to the "other" holiday.
At Hebrew school we always celebrated the various holidays, big and small, and Chanukah was a particular favorite especially since our class, being the eldest students, entertained the residents of a seniors home. Each year the teacher would select eight students to sing and perform as Chanukah candles and competition was fierce for the part of lead candle.
Since I wasn't blessed with a good singing voice – I could barely carry a tune – I knew that my chances were slim at best to play any candle, never mind the lead candle. My biggest rival was Zelig, who had the voice and promise of a future opera singer. Not only did he have the best singing voice, he was also the top student scholastically. Plus he was also the teacher's pet. Whenever games were played for prizes during the holidays, Zelig won everything, which didn't exactly ingratiate him with the other students. Actually, we were all jealous and would have liked nothing better than for his voice to change in the middle of a concert.
Class auditions for candle parts were held a few weeks before the onset of the holiday and the best I could hope for was a minor part and even then, only if the rest of the students had an off day or laryngitis. Each student auditioned for the teacher and as expected, Zelig got the lead role, which irritated me no end.
My resentment was eased somewhat by being assigned the role of a minor candle, probably out of pity more than anything else. Those students not chosen became part of the chorus singing "tra-la-las" at the appropriate time.
Excitement was at a fever pitch when we arrived at the seniors' home, ready to perform for a live audience who were, for the most part, in wheelchairs. They were brought into the auditorium where we were lined up on stage, anxious to perform.
Glancing around the room, many of the seniors appeared half asleep.
"You will be entertained today!" their nurses might have insisted as they wheeled them into the room.
The first students opened the concert and sang well and those who followed performed admirably. Finally, it was my turn. My voice didn't fail me and I felt very proud of my accomplishment.
Zelig opened his mouth and it was like a chorus of angels had entered the room. His voice was strong and melodic and suddenly the seniors perked up, smiles on their faces in obvious appreciation of what they heard. When the last notes of his solo faded away, they all clapped appreciatively.
The musical recital was over and we performed a variety of Israeli dances, moving off the stage to mingle among our audience. Although Israeli dancing was a passion, I was consumed with the memory of the applause and accolades bestowed upon Zelig.
After our presentation and some refreshments, an elderly woman wheeled over to talk to me. She smiled, her trembling hand gently covering mine.
"Thank you," she uttered weakly and breathlessly. "You were all wonderful. How special you are to visit us!"
There was the sudden realization that it wasn't important who the lead candle was or who had the best voice. It was significant to our audience that we had taken the time to come at all.
It wasn't long after our successful performance that Zelig's voice finally broke and he never knew whether he would sing soprano or alto. Tough luck for him. My voice on the other hand, never changed and could always be depended on to sing off-key.
http://holidays.net/chanukah/
For some good Chanukah recipes and recipes for all year round, surf on down here:
http://www.gourmania.com/recipesmlym/mlnym_nofrylatkes.htm
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Mausoleums double as energy source
NOTE TO SELF: NO GRAVE SITUATION HERE
The next time you visit Spain, you might want to take a side-trip to the Santa Coloma de Gramnenet cemetary located outside Barcelona, especially the mausoleum section. Although one can visit the dearly departed if one feels so moved, the real attraction is up on the mausoleum roofs where 462 solar panels have been installed to catch the sun's rays.
The energy produced with the solar panels, equivalent to the yearly consumption of 60 homes, flows into the local energy grid. The entire project is the community's contribution toward fighting global warming. The graveyard was the only viable spot to proceed with its solar energy program.
Read the rest of the story and photos of the solar panels here: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6316047
Actually, this is not such a wild idea. Think about the possibilities of creating projects similar to this in mausoleums throughout the world. The concept might not appeal to all families of the deceased but it something to consider. Perhaps - just a thought - some type of wind power device could be utilized in a similar manner. Anyway, the citizens and the city council of the spanish town are congratulated for doing their part in becoming part of the solution to finding alternative energy sources.
The next time you visit Spain, you might want to take a side-trip to the Santa Coloma de Gramnenet cemetary located outside Barcelona, especially the mausoleum section. Although one can visit the dearly departed if one feels so moved, the real attraction is up on the mausoleum roofs where 462 solar panels have been installed to catch the sun's rays.
The energy produced with the solar panels, equivalent to the yearly consumption of 60 homes, flows into the local energy grid. The entire project is the community's contribution toward fighting global warming. The graveyard was the only viable spot to proceed with its solar energy program.
Read the rest of the story and photos of the solar panels here: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6316047
Actually, this is not such a wild idea. Think about the possibilities of creating projects similar to this in mausoleums throughout the world. The concept might not appeal to all families of the deceased but it something to consider. Perhaps - just a thought - some type of wind power device could be utilized in a similar manner. Anyway, the citizens and the city council of the spanish town are congratulated for doing their part in becoming part of the solution to finding alternative energy sources.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Oh dear - Sarah you-know-who talks turkey
NOTE TO SELF: SOME TURKEY!
Oh my-oh-my...
As Alaska Gov. Sarah "I can see the world from my house" Palin pardoned one (1) turkey as part of the annual Thanksgiving save-a-turkey event, others were being slaughtered on TV in the background.
"As she answered questions Thursday at Triple D Farm & Hatchery outside Wasilla cameras from the Anchorage Daily News and others showed the bloody work of an employee slaughtering birds behind the former Republican vice presidential candidate. On the video, Palin didn’t comment about the slaughter as she answered questions, saying she’s thankful that her son’s Stryker brigade is relatively safe in Iraq and the rest of her family is healthy and happy. She said she’s glad to be back in Alaska.
“This was neat,” she said of the outing. “I was happy to get to be invited to participate in this. For one, you need a little bit of levity in this job, especially with so much that has gone in the last couple of months that has been so political obviously that it’s nice to get out and do something to promote a local business and to just participate in something that isn’t so heavy-handed politics that it invites criticism. Certainly we’ll probably invite criticism for even doing this, too, but at least this was fun.”
Source: http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/11/21/7488496-ap.html
Perhaps Gov. Palin should consider using her brain before commenting on such a neat outing.
Here is a video of the "fun" event: http://community.adn.com/adn/node/134739
Thing is...many of us eat turkey including myself but why-oh-why wasn't she aware what was going on in the background? President Palin? One can only shiver...
Oh my-oh-my...
As Alaska Gov. Sarah "I can see the world from my house" Palin pardoned one (1) turkey as part of the annual Thanksgiving save-a-turkey event, others were being slaughtered on TV in the background.
"As she answered questions Thursday at Triple D Farm & Hatchery outside Wasilla cameras from the Anchorage Daily News and others showed the bloody work of an employee slaughtering birds behind the former Republican vice presidential candidate. On the video, Palin didn’t comment about the slaughter as she answered questions, saying she’s thankful that her son’s Stryker brigade is relatively safe in Iraq and the rest of her family is healthy and happy. She said she’s glad to be back in Alaska.
“This was neat,” she said of the outing. “I was happy to get to be invited to participate in this. For one, you need a little bit of levity in this job, especially with so much that has gone in the last couple of months that has been so political obviously that it’s nice to get out and do something to promote a local business and to just participate in something that isn’t so heavy-handed politics that it invites criticism. Certainly we’ll probably invite criticism for even doing this, too, but at least this was fun.”
Source: http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/11/21/7488496-ap.html
Perhaps Gov. Palin should consider using her brain before commenting on such a neat outing.
Here is a video of the "fun" event: http://community.adn.com/adn/node/134739
Thing is...many of us eat turkey including myself but why-oh-why wasn't she aware what was going on in the background? President Palin? One can only shiver...
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Ignorant radio host rants on about autism
NOTE TO SELF: UNDER WHICH ROCK DO THESE IGNORANT PEOPLE CRAWL OUT FROM?
Sometimes I wonder how some idiotic radio hosts whose tongues flap in the wind, keep their jobs.
This guy who I never heard of before (thank goodness) and definitely will NOT tune into, Michael Savage, opines that autistic children are merely spoiled brats with behavior problems. Watch the CNN video and despair about the sheer stupidity of his comments. For example he is quoted as saying:
“Now the illness du jour is autism. You know what autism is? I’ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out. That’s what autism is.”
According to one media report, parents of autistic kids called for his firing and at least one advertiser yanked its ads from his syndicated show. About 40 parents and grandparents of autistic children protested yesterday outside WOR-AM (710) in New York City, one of the more than 350 radio stations - including WRKO-AM (680) - that airs his program. Another protest is planned for tomorrow at the San Francisco station where his show is broadcast.
Watch the CNN report here:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/07/22/cho.autism.uproar.cnn
More about the motor-mouth here:
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view/2008_07_22_Savage_attack_on_autism:_Some_call_for_firing_of_radio_talk_show_host/srvc=home&position=0
Sometimes I wonder how some idiotic radio hosts whose tongues flap in the wind, keep their jobs.
This guy who I never heard of before (thank goodness) and definitely will NOT tune into, Michael Savage, opines that autistic children are merely spoiled brats with behavior problems. Watch the CNN video and despair about the sheer stupidity of his comments. For example he is quoted as saying:
“Now the illness du jour is autism. You know what autism is? I’ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out. That’s what autism is.”
According to one media report, parents of autistic kids called for his firing and at least one advertiser yanked its ads from his syndicated show. About 40 parents and grandparents of autistic children protested yesterday outside WOR-AM (710) in New York City, one of the more than 350 radio stations - including WRKO-AM (680) - that airs his program. Another protest is planned for tomorrow at the San Francisco station where his show is broadcast.
Watch the CNN report here:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/07/22/cho.autism.uproar.cnn
More about the motor-mouth here:
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view/2008_07_22_Savage_attack_on_autism:_Some_call_for_firing_of_radio_talk_show_host/srvc=home&position=0
Thursday, June 12, 2008
TEACHERS ACCOMPANY STUDENTS HOME ON BUS FOR SAFETY
NOTE TO SELF: SOME TEACHERS GO ON AND ABOVE THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM
It wasn't that long ago that students who walked to and from school playfully jostled each other, while still others took public transportation.
Passing courses aren't the only things students attending schools in London, England, have to worry about these days. Seems that stabbings are becoming more and more frequent and it's not part of their teaching manual or job description, but some teachers are worried enough to personally intervene.
In the wake of concern about the level of knife crime among young people, one London teacher tells of the extraordinary lengths he and his staff go to, to keep their pupils safe.
Headteacher Tom Mannion surveyed the street from his seat on a London bus and pointed to where one of his pupils was stabbed last month.
Read the entire story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7448817.stm
Seems like centuries ago now that teachers main concern was ensuring that their pupils learn the 3 R's. Sad and a sign of the times that they have to turn into bodyguards and it's to their credit that some do.
It wasn't that long ago that students who walked to and from school playfully jostled each other, while still others took public transportation.
Passing courses aren't the only things students attending schools in London, England, have to worry about these days. Seems that stabbings are becoming more and more frequent and it's not part of their teaching manual or job description, but some teachers are worried enough to personally intervene.
In the wake of concern about the level of knife crime among young people, one London teacher tells of the extraordinary lengths he and his staff go to, to keep their pupils safe.
Headteacher Tom Mannion surveyed the street from his seat on a London bus and pointed to where one of his pupils was stabbed last month.
Read the entire story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7448817.stm
Seems like centuries ago now that teachers main concern was ensuring that their pupils learn the 3 R's. Sad and a sign of the times that they have to turn into bodyguards and it's to their credit that some do.
Monday, June 2, 2008
A SIGN OF THE TIMES? NURSERY SCANS PARENTS FINGERPRINTS
NOTE TO SELF: HOW MUCH SECURITY IS TOO MUCH SECURITY?
It's a dangerous world these days with media reports focusing on children who have disappeared seemingly without a trace. This fear was probably one of the main reasons for the daily usage of fingerprint scanners in two nursery schools located in Kent, England, in order to check or verify the identity of parents.
The Springfield Lodge Day Nursery is scanning the prints each time parents drop off their children.
According to the owner of the nursery, the measures were for the "safety and security" of the children, however not everyone sees the move as positive. The charity, Kidscape, which aims to protect children from harm, described the measure as "paranoid and overkill" and gives the wrong message to youngsters.
Kidscape director, Michelle Elliott, provided statistics revealing that in reality of the 11 million children in the UK, on average seven to 10 were abducted and murdered each year.
"But we don't want to give children, particularly young children, the idea that the world is so dangerous that they can't even go to nursery school without being scanned."
Ms Berryman said parents at the nursery were happy with the heightened security measures.
She said it made life a lot easier for parents when dropping off and picking up so that they were not hanging around waiting for their children.
"There is no actual information recorded, only the information that we've already got," she said.
It would be interesting to know how instituting a fingerprint scanner in nursery schools or even kindergarten would go over with North American parents.
Read about Kidscape here: http://www.kidscape.org.uk/
It's a dangerous world these days with media reports focusing on children who have disappeared seemingly without a trace. This fear was probably one of the main reasons for the daily usage of fingerprint scanners in two nursery schools located in Kent, England, in order to check or verify the identity of parents.
The Springfield Lodge Day Nursery is scanning the prints each time parents drop off their children.
According to the owner of the nursery, the measures were for the "safety and security" of the children, however not everyone sees the move as positive. The charity, Kidscape, which aims to protect children from harm, described the measure as "paranoid and overkill" and gives the wrong message to youngsters.
Kidscape director, Michelle Elliott, provided statistics revealing that in reality of the 11 million children in the UK, on average seven to 10 were abducted and murdered each year.
"But we don't want to give children, particularly young children, the idea that the world is so dangerous that they can't even go to nursery school without being scanned."
Ms Berryman said parents at the nursery were happy with the heightened security measures.
She said it made life a lot easier for parents when dropping off and picking up so that they were not hanging around waiting for their children.
"There is no actual information recorded, only the information that we've already got," she said.
It would be interesting to know how instituting a fingerprint scanner in nursery schools or even kindergarten would go over with North American parents.
Read about Kidscape here: http://www.kidscape.org.uk/
Monday, May 19, 2008
Canine lifeguard barred from beach
NOTE TO SELF: WHEN A PERSON IS DROWNING, A LIFEGUARD IS A LIFEGUARD IS...
Britain's only lifeguard dog, Bilbo, who is on guard duty patrolling Sennen in west Cornwall, has lost his job.
His beach duties have been assumed by the RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institution due to a dog ban on the beach. Understandably, Bilbo's owner is barking mad but the Penwith council who decide on these things, is backing the RNLI.
Seems that the canine has been part of the lifeguard team for three years and has been praised for helping to prevent a swimmer experiencing problems. Wearing a special yellow jacket, he can paddle (presumably the dog paddle) out to swimmers in distress, pulling a rescue float with him.
His owner, Steve Jamieson, was informed by the RNLI that a concession which got Bilbo round a beach ban, was no longer acceptable for safety reasons. Bilbo had been allowed to carry out his life guarding duties in the past because he had been carried on an all terrain bike (ATB) when he was not at the lifeguard hut or in the sea.
Now that the RNLI has taken over life guarding duties, it is not allowing him on their ATBs.
Read the rest of this sad dog's tale here in addition to a photo of Bilbo in action: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/7408021.stm
I dunno. To me, this could be personal. It was alright to have the pooch help out for three years and suddenly he's personna non grata? They are offering to allow Bilbo help out in public relations/marketiing work and safety education in schools but still...it was his (Bilbo's) career and now...
Meanwhile in Italy where they obviously see the value in dog rescuers, scores of specially trained dogs have been deployed as lifeguards on Italy's busiest beaches this summer. The dogs, mostly of the Newfoundland or Labrador breeds, are trained to jump out of helicopters and boats and swim to the rescue of struggling swimmers. They are credited with having saved several lives by taking lifebuoys to swimmers and towing them to safety.
Read how Italy values its dog lifeguards here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6924827.stm
You can voice your opinion regarding this issue by contacting the Penwith District Council here:
Penwith District CouncilSt ClarePenzanceCornwallTR18 3QW
Tel: 01736 362341 (0845 672 2124 out of hours emergencies)Fax: 01736 336575
Email: web@penwith.gov.uk
Britain's only lifeguard dog, Bilbo, who is on guard duty patrolling Sennen in west Cornwall, has lost his job.
His beach duties have been assumed by the RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institution due to a dog ban on the beach. Understandably, Bilbo's owner is barking mad but the Penwith council who decide on these things, is backing the RNLI.
Seems that the canine has been part of the lifeguard team for three years and has been praised for helping to prevent a swimmer experiencing problems. Wearing a special yellow jacket, he can paddle (presumably the dog paddle) out to swimmers in distress, pulling a rescue float with him.
His owner, Steve Jamieson, was informed by the RNLI that a concession which got Bilbo round a beach ban, was no longer acceptable for safety reasons. Bilbo had been allowed to carry out his life guarding duties in the past because he had been carried on an all terrain bike (ATB) when he was not at the lifeguard hut or in the sea.
Now that the RNLI has taken over life guarding duties, it is not allowing him on their ATBs.
Read the rest of this sad dog's tale here in addition to a photo of Bilbo in action: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/7408021.stm
I dunno. To me, this could be personal. It was alright to have the pooch help out for three years and suddenly he's personna non grata? They are offering to allow Bilbo help out in public relations/marketiing work and safety education in schools but still...it was his (Bilbo's) career and now...
Meanwhile in Italy where they obviously see the value in dog rescuers, scores of specially trained dogs have been deployed as lifeguards on Italy's busiest beaches this summer. The dogs, mostly of the Newfoundland or Labrador breeds, are trained to jump out of helicopters and boats and swim to the rescue of struggling swimmers. They are credited with having saved several lives by taking lifebuoys to swimmers and towing them to safety.
Read how Italy values its dog lifeguards here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6924827.stm
You can voice your opinion regarding this issue by contacting the Penwith District Council here:
Penwith District CouncilSt ClarePenzanceCornwallTR18 3QW
Tel: 01736 362341 (0845 672 2124 out of hours emergencies)Fax: 01736 336575
Email: web@penwith.gov.uk
Sunday, April 6, 2008
SCHOOL BANS 3 YEAR OLD OVER HAIRCUT
NOTE TO SELF: SINCE WHEN ARE HAIRCUTS PART OF A NURSERY SCHOOL CURRICULUM?
Three year old(!) Tavis Cook has been banned from his Tyneside (UK) nursery school class due to his trendy "tramlines" haircut. His mother, Donna Cook, was informed that the youngster's hair cut broke the rules of Riverside Primary School in North Shields, UK and to keep her son home from school until his hair grows back.
Say what? Since when is a youngster's choice of hair cut part of a curriculum?
North Tyneside Council said it was aware of the matter and was advising Ms Cook on her options. No-one at the school was available for comment (I bet!).
Miss Cook took the youngster to the barber at which point Tavis chose the trendy hairstyle. Less than an hour after dropping the youngster off for nursery class the next morning, she was contacted by phone and requested to come pick him up. According to Tavis's mother, the walls of the barber shop were covered with photos of hair cuts and he choose his "tramline" cut. She had contacted the school and been informed that there was no uniform policy for the nursery or reception year.
When Tavis's mother arrived at school, the young boy was in tears.
A spokesman for North Tyneside Council said that they are aware of this issue and currently advising the parent on the matter.
Uh-huh...
A spokesman from Riverside Primary School said head teacher Dame Mary MacDonald was not available for comment.
Uh-huh...
Judge for yourselves as to the appropriateness of the haircut:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/7331184.stm
Honestly? The boy is a mere 3 years old and I can't see anything wrong with this haircut! True it's 'different' but in no way offensive!
http://www.northtyneside.gov.uk/ed1/index.htm
Writers & Friends
www.jrslater.com/forum
Three year old(!) Tavis Cook has been banned from his Tyneside (UK) nursery school class due to his trendy "tramlines" haircut. His mother, Donna Cook, was informed that the youngster's hair cut broke the rules of Riverside Primary School in North Shields, UK and to keep her son home from school until his hair grows back.
Say what? Since when is a youngster's choice of hair cut part of a curriculum?
North Tyneside Council said it was aware of the matter and was advising Ms Cook on her options. No-one at the school was available for comment (I bet!).
Miss Cook took the youngster to the barber at which point Tavis chose the trendy hairstyle. Less than an hour after dropping the youngster off for nursery class the next morning, she was contacted by phone and requested to come pick him up. According to Tavis's mother, the walls of the barber shop were covered with photos of hair cuts and he choose his "tramline" cut. She had contacted the school and been informed that there was no uniform policy for the nursery or reception year.
When Tavis's mother arrived at school, the young boy was in tears.
A spokesman for North Tyneside Council said that they are aware of this issue and currently advising the parent on the matter.
Uh-huh...
A spokesman from Riverside Primary School said head teacher Dame Mary MacDonald was not available for comment.
Uh-huh...
Judge for yourselves as to the appropriateness of the haircut:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/7331184.stm
Honestly? The boy is a mere 3 years old and I can't see anything wrong with this haircut! True it's 'different' but in no way offensive!
http://www.northtyneside.gov.uk/ed1/index.htm
Writers & Friends
www.jrslater.com/forum
Thursday, April 3, 2008
LAUGH FOR THE HEALTH OF IT
NOTE TO SELF: APRIL IS "NATIONAL HUMOR MONTH"
It seems fitting that National Humor Month takes place in April, a month that arrives with the warmer Spring weather.
National Humor Month was founded in 1976 by best-selling humorist Larry Wilde, Director of The Carmel Institute of Humor. It is designed to heighten public awareness on how the joy and therapeutic value of laughter can improve health, boost morale, increase communication skills and enrich the quality of one's life.
It's virtually impossible to feel sad while laughing so it stands to reason that laughter is good for one's health. A study, which is the first to indicate that laughter may help prevent heart disease, presented at the American Heart Association's 73rd Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, researchers found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.
In the study, researchers compared the humor responses of 300 people. Half of the participants had either suffered a heart attack or had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. The other 150 were healthy, age-matched participants who did not have heart disease.
Participants in the study were asked to complete two questionnaires. One questionnaire had a series of multiple-choice answers to find out how much or how little the participant laughs in certain situations. The second questionnaire used 50 true or false answers to measure anger and hostility.
For example, the questions included the following:
From the multiple-choice section:
If you arrived at a party and found that someone else was wearing a piece of clothing identical to yours, would you (a) not find it particularly amusing (b) be amused but not show it outwardly (c) smile (d) laugh or (e) laugh heartily.
If you were eating in a restaurant with some friends and the waiter accidentally spilled a drink on you, would you (a) not find it particularly amusing (b) be amused but not show it outwardly (c) smile (d) laugh or (e) laugh heartily.
From the true or false section:
I often wonder what hidden reasons another person may have for doing something nice for me. True or False.
I am likely not to talk to people until they speak to me. True or False
People with heart disease were less likely to recognize humor or use it to get out of uncomfortable situations. They generally laughed less, even in positive situations and they displayed more anger and hostility.
(Source:) http://www.umm.edu/news/releases/laughter.htm
There's a great article on the value of laughter geared for children here, that explains the whole process:
http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=287&id=2424
Finally, if you're a pet owner, then you just might have noted that your pet smiles, which could indicate a sense of humor present. In fact, research has been done that confirms this. There's a great article on National Geographic Kids that examines the subject:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/0604/
To your health! Laugh - it's good for you! Meanwhile, if you have some good family-fare jokes to share...post them here.
It seems fitting that National Humor Month takes place in April, a month that arrives with the warmer Spring weather.
National Humor Month was founded in 1976 by best-selling humorist Larry Wilde, Director of The Carmel Institute of Humor. It is designed to heighten public awareness on how the joy and therapeutic value of laughter can improve health, boost morale, increase communication skills and enrich the quality of one's life.
It's virtually impossible to feel sad while laughing so it stands to reason that laughter is good for one's health. A study, which is the first to indicate that laughter may help prevent heart disease, presented at the American Heart Association's 73rd Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, researchers found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.
In the study, researchers compared the humor responses of 300 people. Half of the participants had either suffered a heart attack or had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. The other 150 were healthy, age-matched participants who did not have heart disease.
Participants in the study were asked to complete two questionnaires. One questionnaire had a series of multiple-choice answers to find out how much or how little the participant laughs in certain situations. The second questionnaire used 50 true or false answers to measure anger and hostility.
For example, the questions included the following:
From the multiple-choice section:
If you arrived at a party and found that someone else was wearing a piece of clothing identical to yours, would you (a) not find it particularly amusing (b) be amused but not show it outwardly (c) smile (d) laugh or (e) laugh heartily.
If you were eating in a restaurant with some friends and the waiter accidentally spilled a drink on you, would you (a) not find it particularly amusing (b) be amused but not show it outwardly (c) smile (d) laugh or (e) laugh heartily.
From the true or false section:
I often wonder what hidden reasons another person may have for doing something nice for me. True or False.
I am likely not to talk to people until they speak to me. True or False
People with heart disease were less likely to recognize humor or use it to get out of uncomfortable situations. They generally laughed less, even in positive situations and they displayed more anger and hostility.
(Source:) http://www.umm.edu/news/releases/laughter.htm
There's a great article on the value of laughter geared for children here, that explains the whole process:
http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=287&id=2424
Finally, if you're a pet owner, then you just might have noted that your pet smiles, which could indicate a sense of humor present. In fact, research has been done that confirms this. There's a great article on National Geographic Kids that examines the subject:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/0604/
To your health! Laugh - it's good for you! Meanwhile, if you have some good family-fare jokes to share...post them here.
Monday, February 18, 2008
PENGUIN BOOK BARRED FROM LIBRARY SHELVES: PC GONE AWRY?
NOTE TO SELF: A FAMILY IS A FAMILY IS A FAMILY...SOME PEOPLE SEE SUBVERSIVE PLOTS EVERYWHERE, ESPECIALLY IN LOUDON
Given the fact that this is a place where there is reading matter covering a wide variety of subjects, one parent whose sensitivities were obviously jarred by the prospect of gay penguin parenting, has managed to get a book pulled from the library shelves. Some people see subversive plots at every turn, even within the pages of a children's book.
A children's book about two male penguins that hatch and parent a chick was pulled from library shelves in Loudoun County elementary schools this month after a parent complained that it promoted a gay agenda.
The decision by Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III led many parents and gay rights advocates to rush to the penguins' defence. Many say that the school system should not have allowed one complaint to limit children's literary choices. Some are calling for an overhaul of the book review policy. Besides, many say, what could be wrong with a book about penguins?
"The book is based on a true story . . . of what happens in the animal kingdom," said David Weintraub, director of Equality Loudoun, a gay rights organization. "It's about the joy of being part of a family. These penguins love each other. They take care of each other. The book, "And Tango Makes Three," by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, draws on the real-life story of Roy and Silo, two chinstrap penguins at the Central Park Zoo in New York. It also appears to make a point about tolerance of alternative families.
As the book says, Roy and Silo were "a little bit different" than the boy and girl penguins who noticed each other and became couples. "Wherever Roy went, Silo went too." After they tried to hatch an egg-shaped rock together, a zookeeper gave them a fertilized egg to nurture. Experts say male chinstraps typically share incubation duties with females.The 2005 book, written with simple words and colorful pictures and dedicated "to penguin lovers everywhere," topped the American Library Association's list of banned or challenged books in 2006. Parents challenged the book in Shiloh, Ill., and Charlotte. Administrators in Charlotte initially yanked the book but later restored it, according to news reports.
Read the whole story here:
http://loudounextra.washingtonpost.com/news/2008/feb/16/tango/
Extra Information regarding penguins found on the Sea World site: http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/Penguins/hatching.html:
"Care of the chicks
1 . Chicks require attentive parents for survival. Both parents feed the chick regurgitated food. Adults recognize and feed only their own chicks. Parents are able to identify their young by their chick's distinctive call (Marchant, 1990; Simpson, 1976).
2. Male emperor penguins exhibit a feature unique among penguins. If the chick hatches before the female returns, the male, despite his fasting, is able to produce and secrete a curdlike substance from his esophagus to feed the chick (Marchant, 1990; del Hoyo, et al., 1992) allowing for survival and growth for up to two weeks (Pr6vost and Vilter, 1963-1 Stonehouse, 1975).
Given the fact that this is a place where there is reading matter covering a wide variety of subjects, one parent whose sensitivities were obviously jarred by the prospect of gay penguin parenting, has managed to get a book pulled from the library shelves. Some people see subversive plots at every turn, even within the pages of a children's book.
A children's book about two male penguins that hatch and parent a chick was pulled from library shelves in Loudoun County elementary schools this month after a parent complained that it promoted a gay agenda.
The decision by Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III led many parents and gay rights advocates to rush to the penguins' defence. Many say that the school system should not have allowed one complaint to limit children's literary choices. Some are calling for an overhaul of the book review policy. Besides, many say, what could be wrong with a book about penguins?
"The book is based on a true story . . . of what happens in the animal kingdom," said David Weintraub, director of Equality Loudoun, a gay rights organization. "It's about the joy of being part of a family. These penguins love each other. They take care of each other. The book, "And Tango Makes Three," by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, draws on the real-life story of Roy and Silo, two chinstrap penguins at the Central Park Zoo in New York. It also appears to make a point about tolerance of alternative families.
As the book says, Roy and Silo were "a little bit different" than the boy and girl penguins who noticed each other and became couples. "Wherever Roy went, Silo went too." After they tried to hatch an egg-shaped rock together, a zookeeper gave them a fertilized egg to nurture. Experts say male chinstraps typically share incubation duties with females.The 2005 book, written with simple words and colorful pictures and dedicated "to penguin lovers everywhere," topped the American Library Association's list of banned or challenged books in 2006. Parents challenged the book in Shiloh, Ill., and Charlotte. Administrators in Charlotte initially yanked the book but later restored it, according to news reports.
Read the whole story here:
http://loudounextra.washingtonpost.com/news/2008/feb/16/tango/
Extra Information regarding penguins found on the Sea World site: http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/Penguins/hatching.html:
"Care of the chicks
1 . Chicks require attentive parents for survival. Both parents feed the chick regurgitated food. Adults recognize and feed only their own chicks. Parents are able to identify their young by their chick's distinctive call (Marchant, 1990; Simpson, 1976).
2. Male emperor penguins exhibit a feature unique among penguins. If the chick hatches before the female returns, the male, despite his fasting, is able to produce and secrete a curdlike substance from his esophagus to feed the chick (Marchant, 1990; del Hoyo, et al., 1992) allowing for survival and growth for up to two weeks (Pr6vost and Vilter, 1963-1 Stonehouse, 1975).
Saturday, January 12, 2008
AND A CHILD SHALL SHOW THE WAY
NOTE TO SELF: ONE GENERATION PLANTS THE TREES; ANOTHER GETS THE SHADE
Seems at times that there is a plethora of negative reports and stories focusing on errant youth. It's therefore refreshing to come across a "feel good" story that gives one hope for the future of mankind. It's the kind of story that makes you smile.
Young Jack Davis, aged 11, was perturbed upon learning that Florida restos throw out food due to legal restraints should anyone eating the food become ill or develop food poisoning, since he felt it could be recycled and given to homeless people. He had visited a homeless shelter on school field trips and worried about people going hungry.
Jack's idea was to pass a law that would give restaurant owners' some protection from lawsuits. He got his dad to float the idea to some Florida legislators.
It now seems certain that Jack's idea will become a law.
"If you take away the reason restaurants will not give food -- they will," he said. "And it's kind of it's a win-win situation 'cause the restaurants get to do something good."
When Jack's bill started gaining momentum, he was suddenly big news in Miami.
"When I go to school, people were chanting my name because they saw me on the cover of the Miami Herald," Jack said. "Over the whole day, they were asking me what does the law say. And in some of my classes they clapped as I walked in. If you think there's a problem in the world," he said, "you don't wait for other people to fix it. You have to try to fix it yourself."
Amen to that!
See a photo of Jack here: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/PersonOfWeek/story?id=4123327&page=1
Seems at times that there is a plethora of negative reports and stories focusing on errant youth. It's therefore refreshing to come across a "feel good" story that gives one hope for the future of mankind. It's the kind of story that makes you smile.
Young Jack Davis, aged 11, was perturbed upon learning that Florida restos throw out food due to legal restraints should anyone eating the food become ill or develop food poisoning, since he felt it could be recycled and given to homeless people. He had visited a homeless shelter on school field trips and worried about people going hungry.
Jack's idea was to pass a law that would give restaurant owners' some protection from lawsuits. He got his dad to float the idea to some Florida legislators.
It now seems certain that Jack's idea will become a law.
"If you take away the reason restaurants will not give food -- they will," he said. "And it's kind of it's a win-win situation 'cause the restaurants get to do something good."
When Jack's bill started gaining momentum, he was suddenly big news in Miami.
"When I go to school, people were chanting my name because they saw me on the cover of the Miami Herald," Jack said. "Over the whole day, they were asking me what does the law say. And in some of my classes they clapped as I walked in. If you think there's a problem in the world," he said, "you don't wait for other people to fix it. You have to try to fix it yourself."
Amen to that!
See a photo of Jack here: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/PersonOfWeek/story?id=4123327&page=1
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Ho-hum...patience is the key word for live MusselCam
NOTE TO SELF: MUSSELS ARE NOT THE MOST VISUAL MULLOSKS
One thing for sure is that anybody hoping for some exciting viewing on MusselCam will be disappointed, but then that's the way Mother Nature works. Unbelievable as it may seem MusselCam located in Prince Edward Island, Canada, was named amongst the top 25 most interesting webcams in the world. Hey - now that's an accomplishment!
That lone blue mussel is the only one of two Canadian entries to crack EarthCam's list. A webcam tracking the lighthouse at scenic Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia
(www.peggyscovewebcam.ca/live) is also on the webcam network's list of favourites.
For the uninitiated and according to Wikipedia, "the common name mussel is used for members of several different families of clams or bivalve molluscs, from both saltwater and freshwater habitats."
Visually they aren't anything to look at being round and...round.
The message on the web page says it all: "mussels grow very, very slowly. Please check back often."
Garner Quain, the co-owner of Flex Mussels, which has locations in Charlottetown and Summerside, was surprised to hear his camera made the list.
"I didn't ever think that it would make any kind of Top 10 list, other than the fact that it's so, kind of, notoriously boring," said Quain."There's a few other ones on the internet that are sort of old favourites that have kind of always been running, so it was really kind of an homage to those, so to be included among them is a nice little honour."
Quain said MusselCam gets more than 1,000 hits a day.
Anyway, if you've got a lot of time - and patience - drop by the musselcam site here:
http://www.flexmussels.com/musselcam.html
Let us know if anything exciting happens. Yawn...
One thing for sure is that anybody hoping for some exciting viewing on MusselCam will be disappointed, but then that's the way Mother Nature works. Unbelievable as it may seem MusselCam located in Prince Edward Island, Canada, was named amongst the top 25 most interesting webcams in the world. Hey - now that's an accomplishment!
That lone blue mussel is the only one of two Canadian entries to crack EarthCam's list. A webcam tracking the lighthouse at scenic Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia
(www.peggyscovewebcam.ca/live) is also on the webcam network's list of favourites.
For the uninitiated and according to Wikipedia, "the common name mussel is used for members of several different families of clams or bivalve molluscs, from both saltwater and freshwater habitats."
Visually they aren't anything to look at being round and...round.
The message on the web page says it all: "mussels grow very, very slowly. Please check back often."
Garner Quain, the co-owner of Flex Mussels, which has locations in Charlottetown and Summerside, was surprised to hear his camera made the list.
"I didn't ever think that it would make any kind of Top 10 list, other than the fact that it's so, kind of, notoriously boring," said Quain."There's a few other ones on the internet that are sort of old favourites that have kind of always been running, so it was really kind of an homage to those, so to be included among them is a nice little honour."
Quain said MusselCam gets more than 1,000 hits a day.
Anyway, if you've got a lot of time - and patience - drop by the musselcam site here:
http://www.flexmussels.com/musselcam.html
Let us know if anything exciting happens. Yawn...
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
SCHOOL RELEASES 2008 LIST OF USELESS WORDS
NOTE TO SELF: AS A *WORDSMITH*, *IT IS WHAT IT IS* USING CERTAIN WORDS OR PHRASES
Go figure that someone would create a list subscribing that certain words and phrases are useless. We're talking words that most of us have used over time and now they're - Lake Superior State University - suggests that we find others.
In all there are 19 words or phrases that appear in its List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness.
The school in Michigan's Upper Peninsula released its 33rd list Monday, selecting from about 2,000 nominations. This year's list derives from more than 2,000 nominations received through the university's website, www.lssu.edu/banished. Word-watchers target pet peeves from everyday speech, as well as from the news, education, technology, advertising, politics, sports and more. A committee makes a final cut in late December. The list is released on New Year's Day.
Here is the 2008 list:
PERFECT STORM
WEBINAR
WATERBOARDING
ORGANIC
*WORDSMITH/WORDSMITHING
AUTHOR/AUTHORED
POST 9/11
SURGE
GIVE BACK
BLACK FRIDAY
BLANK
BACK IN THE DAY
RANDOM
SWEET
DECIMATE
EMOTIONAL
POP
*IT IS WHAT IT IS
UNDER THE BUS
If you surf on to the university's site here: http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.php there's a list of who nominated the words i.e. ordinary people who claim they have a pet peeve against one of the above-mentioned words/phrases, and the reasons or rationale behind their distaste for them.
Looking them over can't say that any of them particularly upset me. For me the mere concept of accepting words nominated by...anybody for no good reason, is ludicrous and a reason not to take this seriously. Strikes me that the university is using their annual listing as a ploy to attract potential students.
Go figure that someone would create a list subscribing that certain words and phrases are useless. We're talking words that most of us have used over time and now they're - Lake Superior State University - suggests that we find others.
In all there are 19 words or phrases that appear in its List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness.
The school in Michigan's Upper Peninsula released its 33rd list Monday, selecting from about 2,000 nominations. This year's list derives from more than 2,000 nominations received through the university's website, www.lssu.edu/banished. Word-watchers target pet peeves from everyday speech, as well as from the news, education, technology, advertising, politics, sports and more. A committee makes a final cut in late December. The list is released on New Year's Day.
Here is the 2008 list:
PERFECT STORM
WEBINAR
WATERBOARDING
ORGANIC
*WORDSMITH/WORDSMITHING
AUTHOR/AUTHORED
POST 9/11
SURGE
GIVE BACK
BLACK FRIDAY
BLANK
BACK IN THE DAY
RANDOM
SWEET
DECIMATE
EMOTIONAL
POP
*IT IS WHAT IT IS
UNDER THE BUS
If you surf on to the university's site here: http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.php there's a list of who nominated the words i.e. ordinary people who claim they have a pet peeve against one of the above-mentioned words/phrases, and the reasons or rationale behind their distaste for them.
Looking them over can't say that any of them particularly upset me. For me the mere concept of accepting words nominated by...anybody for no good reason, is ludicrous and a reason not to take this seriously. Strikes me that the university is using their annual listing as a ploy to attract potential students.
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