High Hopes. Laverne. Shirley. Frank.

Who of us has never felt sad or depressed? Well, whenever you are feeling challenged like that, think of the ant who has High Hopes.

So any time your feelin’ low stead of lettin’ go
Just remember that ant

What ant, you may ask. Well, the ant about which Laverne and Shirley sing. That’s what ant.

Frank Sinatra sings an excellent rendition with children. Give a listen:

Click on more to read all the lyrics for High Hopes.

Wife Beating. A Rule Of Thumb.

Recently, I was the recipient of a mass forwarded e-mail that was entitled “Interesting facts.”
That e-mail had many alleged facts in it, the following of which was one:

In the 1400′s a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have “the rule of thumb”

Now, I ask you, is that “interesting fact” true or false?

Here are some web pages for you to read up about that one:

• From The Straight Dope -
  Does “rule of thumb” refer to an old law permitting wife beating?
• From The Phrase Finder -
  Rule of thumb
• From About.com, Desktop Publishing -
  Rule of Thumb
• From WikiAnswers.com -
  In the 1400′s a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb Hence we have the rule of thumb? Answer:

Deepak Chopra. Not Chopsticks.

There are no chopsticks today; nor, is there any of this other Chopsticks, either.

Nope. And, that’s not the straight dope. And, for sure, Deepak Chopra is no dope.

Confused yet? No, not Confucius.

Oh, all right! Let me get to the nitty-gritty.

Deepak Chopra, MD, is one of the best known and widely respected leaders in the field of mind/body medicine in the world today.

Clicking onto the embedded link that follows will allow you to read the rest of that very brief Deepak Chopra biography at EnlightenNext magazine.

An excerpt from an article found at the Skeptic’s Dictionary reads:

Chopra claims that perfect health is a matter of choice and that he can identify your dosha and its state of balance or imbalance simply by taking your pulse. He claims that allergies are usually caused by poor digestion.

Click onto the following embedded link in order that you may read the entire SkepticDictionary Deepak Chopra article.

Are you interested in more about Deepak Chopra? If so, explore the following:
Deepak Chopra website
The Chopra Center website
News about Deepak Chopra

Remember When?

Remember when grown-ups seemed glamorous?
When people said “thank you” and “please”?
When Moms called their kids in for supper at dusk?
You played hide-and-seek and climbed trees?

Remember when “downtown” seemed so far away?
You caught lightning bugs in a jar?
When drugstores had fountains, most kids had a bike, and you had a wish for each star?

Remember when no one had pedigreed dogs?
You read comic books by the ton?
You bought penny candy?
You drank chocolate milk?
Expected each day to be fun?

If these things bring a smile to your face whenever they’re heard or they’re told,
it means you were lucky to have such good times …
(It also means YOU’RE kinda OLD!)

I love this message that was on the Hallmark birthday card given me last November by my cousin, who is like a sister to me, Alyce, and her husband and my good friend, Stewart.

The Prayer for the State of Israel – ‘התפילה לשלום המדינה’

(Uploaded onto YouTube by aviko770 on Feb 6, 2012)

החזן הראשי לצה”ל סא”ל שי אברמסון בביצוע מרגש וסוחף ל’תפילה לשלום מדינת ישראל’
בליווי המקהלה והתזמורת הפילהרמונית אס.אפ.ווי בניצוחו של ד”ר מרדכי סובול
מילים: מן התפילה, לחן: סול זים, ילד סולן: מיכה שחט
עיבוד והפקה מוסיקאלית: אופיר סובול
טכנאי קול ומיקס: זהר זלץ
הוקלט באולפני “אשל” – תל אביב – יוני 2011
צילום ועריכה: ענף קשרי חוץ ודוברות – אגף הטכנולוגיה והלוגיסטיקה בצה”ל

The Prayer For the State of Israel – IDF Chief Cantor Ltc. Shai Abramson
Accompanied by the S.F.Y. Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir, Conducted by Dr. Mordechai Sobol
Composer: Sol Zim, Child Soloist: Micha Schachat
Arrangement & Music Production: Ofir Sobol, Engineering & Mix: Zohar Zaltz

Speaking Danish. Taler Dansk.

Learning to read and write Danish is one thing. Learning to speak Danish is another.
At lære at læse og skrive dansk er én ting. At lære at tale dansk er en anden.

I have found some websites that will help you to learn how to do just that. Speak Danish. Take a look and give a listen to the following internet sites:
Jeg har fundet nogle hjemmesider, som vil hjælpe dig med at lære at gøre netop det. Taler dansk. Tag et kig og give en lytter til følgende internetsider:

loecsen.com-
Free Online Danish Language Courses, Start learning useful Danish phrases,
Online free lessons (player Flash)
Gratis Online danskundervisning, Start med at lære nyttige danske sætninger,
Online gratis lektioner (afspiller Flash)

mylanguages.org-
Danish Phrases with Audio, Danish Phrases with Sound
Danske sætninger med lydfiler, Danske sætninger med lyd

speakdanish.dk-
Teach yourself Danish – a language course with audio
Lær dig selv dansk – et sprogkursus med lydfiler

speakdanish.dk-
Danish Phrases with Audio, Danish phrasebook
Danske sætninger med lydfiler, dansk parlør

omniglot.com-
Useful Danish phrases
Nyttige danske sætninger

This is About the Parapsychology Foundation

The following is from the web page “About the Parapsychology Foundation” -

The Parapsychology Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation which provides a worldwide forum supporting the scientific investigation of psychic phenomena. The Foundation gives grants, publishes pamphlets, monographs, conference proceedings and the International Journal of Parapsychology, hosts the Perspectives Lecture Series, conducts the Outreach Program, maintains the Eileen J. Garrett Library with its collection of more than 12,000 volumes and 100 periodicals on parapsychology and related topics, and is proud of its quality paperback imprint, Helix Press.

If this is something that interests you, then click on over to explore the website of Parapsychology Foundation, Inc.