Humor can be dangerous. In Stalinist Russia laughing at a joke the regime deemed inappropriate might trigger loss of a job or worse. Today, in the United States, comedians as famous as Jerry Seinfeld no longer perform on college campuses based on the hate-filled reactions hurled at them. Paradoxically, a sense of humor remains high...
Sleep, not hibernate. What happens if you extract a little blood from a hibernating ground squirrel, preserve it till the summer and inject it into another squirrel? That active little mammal with his bushy tail will instantly go into hibernation. We don’t clearly understand if cold weather sets off the chemical changes in squirrel blood...
That may be a bit harsh. Resolutions are fine, but take a lesson from ancient Jewish wisdom and link whatever New Year’s resolution you are making to an action. Anchor your hopes and ideas into reality by taking a step towards your goal. Don’t sleep on it, don’t keep it in your heart, but rather …
It is quite exciting to tell ourselves, “This year is a new chance.” “This year will reveal an improved version of ourselves. Just wait and see how our marriages, families and businesses thrive. It’s an opportunity for a new beginning.” I’m all for looking ahead and upgrading our game. But let’s not be too quick...
I have been known to say that Judaism is my way of life while boating is my religion. After all, some religious observances require a special litugical language, unique clothing and are practiced on certain days. Check, check and check for boating. But even for those of you with other religions, there are many life-metaphors...
Want to lose weight? Me too. And so did 84 female housekeepers in seven different hotels who typically clean fifteen rooms a day. They were measured for physiological health variables affected by exercise and then two Harvard University psychologists informed half the women (untruthfully) that their daily work alone constituted enough exercise to make them...
When I was nine, I saved up every penny to fulfill my yearning for an electric train. Finally, I ran to the hobby store. Arriving home, I set up the circular track. My little engine, pulling two coaches and a caboose, circled endlessly, repeatedly passing the same wooden station and plastic trees I set up...
