Common household pets aren’t very religious by nature; indeed, I’ve never noticed either of my chihuahuas showing any interest whatsoever in reading my Bible.

But they sure don’t like Satan. In fact, they chased him out of our apartment complex.

The dogs had taken me for my morning walk the other day. They take me outside twice a day, in return for which I feed them, bathe them, give them lots of scratching and allow them to sleep as much as they want.

They’d stopped for a moment to inspect their markings on the nearest telephone pole when I heard Satan sneaking up behind me.

“Satan!” a man’s voice bellowed from a nearby apartment door. “You leave those little dogs alone!”

As I turned, I saw Satan for the first time in my life — a full-grown German Shepherd (y’all don’t believe those stories you hear about him having horns and such). He loped across the parking lot, eager to work wickedness.

Smedley hit him first, launching all four pounds of pure chihuahua fury at Satan’s chest. After bouncing off the 100-pound monster the first time, he found a tooth hold on Satan’s back.

Rusty attacked from the rear, getting the shepherd’s leg in his jaws and gnawing away like it was a rib bone. When I think about it now, it was kinda funny, watching that big dog shaking his leg with its five-pound attachment.

Jerry Falwell never did a better job. Satan started running.

Smedley and Rusty fell off before the big’un had gone too far, and they chased him halfway across the vacant field adjacent to our apartments before the big devil’s longer legs enabled him to pull away. The man from the apartment who’d called him earlier rushed by, mumbling apologies, and we saw them disappear around the corner.

Smedley (that’s Lieutenant Colonel Smedley D. Butler) and Rusty (Sergeant Major Russell J. Chihooiehooie) normally don’t like each other all that much, near as I can tell, but the Houston Rockets never displayed the kind of teamwork those two showed when fighting Satan.

I guess I should’ve expected it of Rusty; several years ago he put 137 stitches in a Doberman after the attack dog had foolishly wandered into my brother’s yard and started chasing around my 4-year-old niece. Age may have made him a tad slower and his teeth less sharp, but he can still scrap with the best of ‘em — even when it means gumming ‘em to death.

Smedley, however, surprised me. He’s always been a coward — you know, the chihuahua who hides under the couch until the band of kids wanders by, jumping out to nip the last one in line and then diving back under the couch.

I named him for a two-time Medal of Honor winner and had heretofore regretted that somewhat.

I told my preacher about the incident and he got a big kick out of it, and even worked it into his sermon the other day. He still won’t let me bring ‘em to church, though; he says he doesn’t trust ‘em with all that nice wood around.

Satan stays away from us now. I talked with the man he rooms with later, and he told me he’d run almost three blocks before Satan finally let him catch up. “Those little dogs scared him to death,” he said.

Personally, I think they just put the fear of God into him.

It is Wendell’s first time with the 5th Way team at their gym. Let’s see what happens through Wendell’s eyes.

Addison: “Wendell, since this is your first time here I would like for you to just go around the gym observing what everyone is doing, then come to me last.”

Wendell: “Okay, Addison.”

Addison: “Alright, everyone have a great workout and I will see you in the dining area for refreshments afterwards.”

Wendell: Boy, this is so exciting. I can’t wait to see this! Hhhhmmmm… I think I will start with Zhi and work my way from there. There he is. Wow, Zhi is doing some kind of Tai Chi form. He is so graceful, so captivating to watch. I could sit here all day just watching him.

Splash!

Ah, someone must be in the pool swimming. I will check it out. Oh my goodness, Waneta is naked in the pool!!! How embarrassing. (His face is turning red) I better get out of here before she catches me looking at her. I have to say she does seem to be in very good shape for her age though. Whew!

“Ooooosh…. Eeeyiii!!!”

What was that? Oh, Naruto and Catharsis are doing some kind of martial art. Wow, they are great…I can see why Naruto is in charge of security for the team. (laughing) Even when he is doing martial arts, Catharsis is a character! Well, I better move on and see what Kailoken is up to.

Hhhhmmmm…why Kailoken is just sitting there looking at the weights. “Sorry to disturb you Kailoken but are you not working out today?”

Kailoken: “Good timing on your part there. Would you please remove 20 pounds of weight off that bar for me?”

Wendell: “Why sure I will. Are you doing bench presses?”

Kailoken: “Actually, I am lifting the weight with my mind. It seemed a little heavy so I asked you to remove the extra weight.”

Wendell: (rolling his eyes) “Well, I will let you get back to your workout there. Talk with you later.” That Kailoken is a real nutcase. You never know what he is going to do. Okay, well, that leaves Addison… I better get on over there.

Addison: “Wendell, I see you have made the rounds already. As you can see I am in the middle of my aerobic workout. This Nordic Track gives a great workout. Why don’t you take about 25 minutes, get a good workout on your own and meet up with the rest of us later?”

Wendell: “Will do, Addison.”

— The team is forming up in the dining area—

Wendell: “Hello, everyone.” “Greetings” “Namaste” “Welcome” “As salaam alikum” “Aho”

Catharsis: “Did you get yourself a good workout there, Wendell?”

Wendell: “Yes, I did some yoga…it was quite peaceful and relaxing.”

Addison: “That is great; I highly recommend many forms of yoga. Go ahead and grab yourself some refreshment and join us around the table here… Now that Wendell is settled let’s see what you have observed today. Feel free to comment on and question everyone at the table on what he or she was doing for a workout. Everyone feel free to join in at any time.”

Wendell: “Since I started watching Zhi first, I would like to ask what form of Tai Chi you were doing? I mean, it looked so fluid whatever it was.”

Zhi: “Ah, very good. I was doing The Eight Treasures. It is a very ancient form of energy enhancement exercise, and is said to be at least six thousand years old. With this exercise I tone, strengthen, and stretch to maintain my good health and prevent disease.”

Wendell: “Can anyone do it? It looked so easy the way you were going through the motions.”

Catharsis: “Don’t let your perceptions fool you kid, Zhi has been doing those forms since he was a child. I would not be surprised if his parents started him off doing the moves while he was still in the womb! Heck, he probably even helped his mom do the flying dragon by lifting her off the ground a few inches with his movement from within.”

Zhi: “Ah, that’s a very interesting idea. The great thing about The Eight Treasures is that anyone at any fitness level can do them.”

Wendell: “I would like to learn that if you would teach me. And I would like to learn what Naruto was doing too. What kind of martial arts were you and Catharsis doing?”

Naruto: “It is called Ju Jutsu. I began learning this as a child in my homeland of Japan. With this form not only do you get a great workout, you can properly defend yourself and others.”

Addison: “I suggest that you start with one discipline and work at it until you have a solid grounding and then move on to another with the consultation of your instructors. Zhi would you be willing to take Wendell on as a student?”

Zhi: “I would be much honored to have new student. Wendell and I can talk about it later.”

Catharsis: “You know what’s scary to many people when they think of physical fitness? They think they will get hurt doing it. ‘I am not going to go running, what if I step on a rusty nail, what if a rabid chipmunk gets a hold of me?!’”

Addison: “Yes, people have fears about practically everything in life. Some people fear they will hurt themselves just getting out of bed in the morning. However, there are people that do hurt themselves while performing various types of physical exercise. These injuries are usually due to overdoing something or using a wrong technique.”

Catharsis: “Or, they beat each other to a pulp ‘playing’ rugby, football, etc.”

Naruto: “If people pay attention and have good instructor, then no problem. Staying physically fit is very important. Even the blessed Buddha say so.”

Waneta: “While many of my people have followed the white man into gluttony and physical laziness, physical fitness has been important to us for centuries. We like to run, swim, dance and play outdoor games.” Wendell’s face starts to turn red.

Catharsis: “Is something the matter there kid? You didn’t happen to catch Waneta swimming in the buff did you?” (laughing)

Wendell: “I, uh, yes. I am sorry Waneta for seeing you like that, I mean for invading your privacy.”

Waneta: “Boy, being naked is a natural thing and I am not ashamed of it. Just wait until you see me swimming in the moonlight!” Wendell’s face turns even redder and he looks down and away.

Addison: “Try not to let it bother you Wendell, we are all one happy family here. Many things you have been taught by society do not hold up as being true here. What did you observe Kailoken doing?”

Wendell: “Well, I did not observe him doing anything but sitting there. He did say he was lifting weights with his mind though.”

Catharsis: “That is great, how much did you manage to lift this time?”

Kailoken: “I managed to lift 200 pounds. I was taking it easy so as not to strain my mind.”

Addison: “What do you make of that Wendell?”

Wendell: “Well, uh…. I am not sure.”

Addison: “As is typical of my wonderful associate here, Kailoken was making a point that one can actually run through exercises using one’s mind alone. And, as most of us here know, when it is real to the mind, it affects the body as well. Many athletes actually use this technique to help perfect their performance. This is something that people who are bed-ridden and otherwise not able to do physical fitness that well can utilize to get some physical benefit. Those that are really out of shape can perhaps start imagining that they are doing the actual exercise within their minds and then move on to the real thing from there.”

Wendell: “That is very very interesting. I never thought of that before.”

Catharsis: “You know what I find weird about physical fitness? People who need it the most are the most resistant to doing it. It is like they fall into some black hole of atrophy and cannot break free. ‘Help me! Help me! Get me out of here, somebody!’”

Addison: “Yes, many people just do not seem to be able to break that inertia to begin getting started to a healthier state of being. That is why I suggest just gentle movement to start with. Walking, mental exercise, Tai Chi, Chi Gong, Hatha Yoga, and swimming can all be good forms of gentle movement for most people at any age. 1.5 miles of walking has been shown to be as good as 1 mile of running, for instance.” “Okay, Zhi and Wendell can talk about Tai Chi instruction. May you all have a spiritually productive day. Love and Light to you.”

“Namaste” “Later, Addison” “Peace to you my friend” “I will catch up with you later, Addison”…

Ever had one of those funny questions about life? Then please read on. When it comes to funny questions and thoughts about life, every time I think I’ve seen them all I find one I’ve never seen before or come up with more of my own. The following are some of the ones I’ve discovered or written however, I know there’s more because thats, well… life. So, if you find while reading these funny questions and thoughts about life make you smile, pass them along. All right, let’s get started!

Funny Questions about life – Group 1 Why does Hawaiian pizza also contain Canadian Bacon? Grape Nuts cereal. No grapes – no nuts. Huh? What’s the difference between regular ketchup and fancy ketchup? Do Dutch people always split the bill? If you use Miracle Whip on Wonder Bread, do you have to use Heavenly Ham?

Funny Questions about life – Group 2 Is there ever a day that mattresses aren’t on sale? They make bullet proof vests, why not bullet proof pants? Why are oriental rug stores always going out of business? Is there any difference between partly cloudy and partly sunny?

Funny Questions about life – Group 3 If it only takes one match to start a forrest fire, why on earth does it take me a whole box of matches and a can of lighter fluid to light my grill? When they ship those styrofoam peanuts, what do they pack them in? How do you know when pickles or sour cream has gone bad?

Funny Questions about life – Group 4 How does one know when their bagpipes need tuning? Allstate Insurance has a disclaimer that reads: not available in all states. What? If Donkey Kong’s main character is a monkey, why isn’t it called Monkey Kong? Why does the word lisp have an “s” in it?

Funny Questions about life – Group 5 How come you never read the headline, “Psychic Wins Lottery”? The next time someone says, “Now I’ve seen everything”, ask them if they’ve ever seen a UPS truck parked in a parking space. Has anyone ever really seen a Jolly Rancher? If you get a club soda stain, how do you remove it?

Funny Questions about life – Group 6 Has anyone (besides Donald Trump’s wife) ever been fooled by a comb over? Is it really possible to change the direction of a bowling ball by waving your hands? There’s senior citizens, so why aren’t there junior citizens?

Funny Questions about life – Group 7 They say laughter is the best medicine – so who came up with the phrase, “I died laughing”? Why do doctors leave the room when your getting dressed? After all, they’ve already seen you naked. What’s wrong with the United States? They only have two choices for President, but fifty for Miss America. Any reason they nail down the lid of a coffin? When butterflies get upset or nervous, what do they get in their stomachs?

Funny Questions about life – Group 8 Where do they put price stickers on non-stick pans? If it’s called lipstick, why is it always coming off? When they sing, “Take me out to the ball game” they’re already there. Why? Who’s idea was it to make the word abbreviation so long?

Yes, these are just a few of the Funny Questions about life that try men’s -and women’s souls. And there’s a ton more funny questions about life not listed here. Some of them come to me during the course of a day. For example, why does every shampoo bottle say, lather, rinse, repeat? I’m sorry, did I miss my head entirely the first time or do you just want to sell more shampoo? If you have or have thought up any funny questions of life yourself, feel free to send them along and thanks for wasting a few minutes of your life pondering these funny questions of life. Now get out there and do something good. Like figuring out what people in China call their good plates…

We have all heard of the “Way of the Warrior” and the “Way of the Buddha,” and we live the “Way of the Professional,” the “Way of the Academic,” the “Way of the Spouse,” the “Way of the Parent,” etc. But for those looking for an easier and more fun path to a happier, healthier life, the “Way of the Comedian” could be the way to go. To those who avoid comedic opportunities in an effort to preserve a reputation as a serious professional, Wittgenstein said, “Never stay up on the barren heights of cleverness, but come down into the green valleys of silliness.” Widely regarded as the greatest philosopher of the 20th century, he speaks words of wisdom.

Some famous individuals who shared this perspective are quoted below:

A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life.
–William Arthur Ward

You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it.
–Bill Cosby

There is no defense against adverse fortune which is so effectual as an habitual sense of humor.
–Thomas W. Higginson

The more I live, the more I think that humor is the saving sense.
–Jacob August Riis

Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.
–Francis Bacon

If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide.
–Mohandas Gandhi

Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.
–Mark Twain

A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.
–Henry Ward Beecher

There have been very few shows which have been able to hold their own like Family Guy against a wave of controversies that has been hurled towards them ever since the show’s inception.

An animated take on the modern American family of today, the lead character of the show features Peter Griffin- a fat, lazy, unintuitive husband with an average job who goes more by the heart than his head. Presented in stark contrast is his wife Lois- the attractive, logically thinking wife representing the fantasy of all American males. They have two kids Chris and Meg who different two shades of teenage cravings and the talking dog Brian is the source of illuminating wisdom in the house full of madcap mishaps.

However, the star laurels of Family Guy rest on one and one person alone. Stewie Griffin plays an one year old homoerotic baby who dreams of world domination and plans to kill his mother. His dialogues are laced with layered intelligence and sarcastic humor at its pinnacle making him come in direct comparison to other legendary animated kids like Bart and Lisa from the Simpsons and Eric Cartman from the equally controversial South Park.

What sets the show apart is its approach to modern day life that dabbles in between scathing social commentary and unrelated pop culture gags culminating in a laugh riot parodying modern sensibilities. It night lack character depth like the Simpsons or the intellectual wit of South Park, but has a loyal fan following of its own making it the only TV show to come back after being cancelled by FOX.

Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the show has often come under a line of fire for a number of issues. Peter Griffin has been labeled as a Homer Simpson clone by most Simpson loyalists while several have complained about the irrelevant nature of cut away pop culture shots without any context to the plot.

The biggest issue however lies in the Family Guy vs. Sarah Palin debate that takes the effect of such shows on modern society on a much deeper context. Sarah Palin, the former Governor of Alaska and 2008 vice presidential candidate took on the writers of Family Guy by calling them “heartless jerks” for their portrayal of a girl with Down Syndrome in one of the episodes.

The controversial episode shows Chris wooing a girl called Ellen with the syndrome who replies during a dinner date that her father is an accountant and her mother is the former governor of Alaska, a subtle jab towards Palin herself whose youngest son Trig has Downs Syndrome.

The Family Guy vs. Sarah Palin controversy sparked a huge debate on the portrayal of disability on television and the limit of the “offend everyone” principles such shows are aimed at. Seth MacFarlane commented saying he was proud of the character Ellen who was headstrong and dynamic despite the Syndrome and Andrea Fay Friedman, the women with Down syndrome who voiced the character said she did not find it an insult to have the disease unlike Palin who carried Trig around for sympathy and votes.

Palin and her daughter Bristol launched a verbal tirade against the show making it one of the biggest television controversies in the history of Family Guy and American sitcoms.

To us adults, losing a tooth is scary. The mind cannot stay away from toothless witches, beggars, and the overwhelming dental costs. We hopefully try to protect our teeth from any kind of fall. But for kids, there is even more at stake. Three seemingly insurmountable questions are: how will the tooth come out, how will the tooth fairy get it, and how will money be received for the sacrifice of the tooth?

Our daughter Lailee had a wiggly tooth, and in every mirror, in every spare moment, she was amazed at how it wiggled. Why not, kids and movement, they are a team. The roadblock came with the apple…and the carrots…and whatever else is healthy to eat—which leaves the squishy stuff like ice cream, pudding, and jello. Lailee knew that with crunchy food swallowing whole was not the way to lose a tooth. Well, for sure, how many adults do get “squeamish” about swallowing the potential bones in canned salmon croquettes and loafs? Then there’s peanut butter sandwiches, but you might as well go to a dentist and get it pulled, or use the string and door fable.

Days went by and fears began to mount about would the tooth really come out, or was that a joke, and will the tooth fairy really come, or was that a joke. We decided to keep both ideas in the same trench, for now.

The upcoming tooth event prompted a lot of contemplation and learning. The value of a tooth to a tooth fairy seems to have gone up these days with everything else. How does the good fairy know if that potential tooth will bring in $1, or more? This is truly a ponderous decision to make…thinking about the succession of teeth (are there 25 or 32), and the total expenditures, or collections—whichever side you are on. We decided ahead of time to low ball at $2.00 just to be over the cheep $1.00 mark.

For Lailee, there was an insistence on preplanning. This was a good use of cause and effect as to how the pillow on top of the tooth will manage to protect the tooth but not prevent the fairy from finding it and leaving the treasure. Lailee decided, ahead of time, that she will provide a clean pillow case– so the fairy will smile, a nightlight– so there will be no mistaking as to who lost the tooth, and a gift beside the bed of (not candy or cookies) a wind up toy to make sure the fairy will be in a good mood for giving.

One day Lailee came home with a gap and a wail. The tooth was a goner. It bounced onto the playground at recess and now there was no evidence for the fairy. This was a tragedy…but as the sunny day provided a beam of light streaming through the glass door, and revealing an orange seed on the floor–a bit battered by the cats–miraculously, we knew we had a good tooth substitute. It will work, it will be fine, and we tried to convince her—to no avail.

Our luck, and to her credit, Lailee decided a last resort was to write a note to explain herself to the tooth fairy, and leave it under the pillow. Later during the night we retrieved the note that said: Dear Tooth Fairy. I am sorry this is a seed. My friend Justin knocked out my tooth at recess, and I couldn’t find it. Please leave the money.

With that we had to leave her a calling card back, complete with picture, which read, “Hey Lailee, no Sweat, saw it all happen and we’re cool” T.F. and $7.00—one for each year of her precious candor. It always pays to be honest.

The Democrats in Congress and Obama are so intent on being right about health care that they got it passed even if it means many of them not being re-elected because of it. So, finally, at least some good might come of this.

Nancy Pelosi said recently about the health care bill, “We have to pass this bill so that you can find out what’s in it.” And Obama said the other day, “I haven’t read the bill yet, but we need to pass it.” This kind of makes you think Congress and Obama are like the Forrest Gumps of politicians saying, “Obamacare is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get.”

When Nancy Pelosi became the Speaker of the House she said that this would be the most ethical Congress ever. But associating Congress with ethics is like associating Al Gore with charisma. There is actually an Ethics Committee in Congress and I’m assuming they are on the lookout for anyone there being ethical. So far they’ve found no one.

But a congressman trying to find ethics it’s pretty much like a caveman trying to discover fire. It’s something you’ve never seen before so you really don’t know what it looks like. It compares to Tiger Wood discovering fidelity or Lady Gaga finding normalcy.

From many of the actions that Congress takes you’d think their collective IQs would have a hard time topping summer temperatures in Alaska. It makes you want to propose a reality show to the networks about Congress – Are You Smarter than Sandpaper? But the fact is that many of them are really intelligent people but when the mold was made for those people they forgot to provide space for that thing we talked about earlier in the article – ethics (but on Nancy Pelosi instead of ethics they put botox.)

Intelligence without ethics is how you get “brilliant” pieces of work like a stimulus package to spend your way of debt.

Let’s just listen in on an interview with a Congressman that never made it to air (because the “ethics” committee wouldn’t allow it):

Interviewer: What do you think is the biggest problem we face today, healthcare or unemployment?

Congressman: Neither one, it’s being re-elected.

Interviewer: How is that a problem for the citizens of the United States?

Congressman: Oh, I didn’t know we were talking about them. I thought we were talking about me. In that case I think the biggest problem is either steroid in sports or replacing the BCS system with a playoff in college football.

Interviewer: Why would those things be important to Congress?

Congressman: Well, first of all, Miss smarty pants interviewer, they are subjects where it makes Congress looks like we really care about something and so it makes us look good. And second it’s something we can’t really get in trouble for. Even though a lot of us take steroids and really, any type of drug you could imagine, legal or illegal, we aren’t professional athletes, so it takes the limelight off of us and puts it somewhere else.

Interviewer: But how do those things fall under your jurisdiction?

Congressman: I guess you aren’t listening. I already said it makes us look good and that is our biggest jurisdiction.

At that time a couple of Secret Service agent swept in and carted the interviewer off, never to be heard from again.

And with that said, it would be nice if we could just get rid of these guys by “unfriending” them in our Facebook accounts but at least we can vote them out in the next election.

Didn’t the world seem a lot better during Saturday morning cartoons? There was no school, no troubles and no homework worries as cartoon humor entertained us for hours. All it took was the favorite show, a bowl of corn flakes and a never ending smile. Somehow, the tradition faded in time but if you still like cartoons, you are in luck.

There are so many new options that you would be left confused. You can now enjoy cartoons on television shows, morning newspapers and the internet. Whenever you are lonely or sad, turn on your favorite cartoon and roll away in laughter. Remember that your responsibilities increase as you grow old, but the child inside you does not die. You can always bring that back by reading the morning Garfield strip or checking out the new SpongeBob show.

The comic strip in the newspapers was a favorite for most people as they grew up. What started out as a small strip has grown into a variety of world famous cartoons. You can probably remember Archies and Garfield. Now you can choose between a variety of cartoon strips from Calvin and Hobbes to The Wizard Of Id. If that is not enough, you can also catch your cartoons as television shows on morning channels. What can be better than bugs bunny outsmarting the hunter or the road runner defeating his smart enemies. You would laugh and laugh until you have tears in your eyes. From getting hit with anvils to blasting each other with cannons, it’s a dream world of fun and laughter.

Cartoons have some of the funniest jokes and the wittiest punch lines. You can laugh at anything and anyone in cartoons. You could even make one yourself. Remember the bully who troubles you at school? Why not draw him as a fat slug and show him falling under a piano. That can surely bring a big grin to your face. Cartoon humor has been growing constantly.

If you are bored of the repeats on television, switch on your computer and log onto any cartoon site. You will hold your stomach, crying out in laughter as you see the funny range of cartoons. One year old talking babies or a family of idiots, all of them can make you laugh for hours. Books and movies, people and places, things and thoughts, all come alive with cartoons.

If you love cartoons, there is always something that you have never seen before. Starting from Mickey and the Disney Gang to Pokemon and SpongeBob, all are genius shows. If you feel you have watched them all, you can always watch exclusive clips or unreleased extras on the net. There is never a dull moment with the huge collection of cartoon pages and websites that is sure to make anyone laugh with pure fun. A bundle of laughs and memories of joy, cartoons keep being a part of our lives. It is up to you to enjoy the world of cartoon humor and always keep the laughs alive when you are feeling down.

And now I would like you to take a peek at some really funny stuff by going to this Kid-Friendly Website A top line resource on clean humor for young families with lots of things for kids to do.

In the old days, well old days to you but not such old days to me, certain actors and actresses would become so popular that they would go on seemingly forever in films, until they were not able to do the job any longer or died. Some of these people were Henry Fonda, John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and others. This was said to be attributed to their great skill at acting. We would watch one of their movies and say things like, wow he still has it. That was a complement which meant he still was a great actor. These names were so powerful that when they would appear on a movie marquee, many people would rush to see the movie, just because a certain person was in it. I guess you would have to say that this was the golden age of movies. Then something very profound happened. Television started to become popular. With television however, it was much harder to attain this type of status, although in the beginning a few did like Milton Berle and Jack Benny, two comedians. Then it happened, one person came on to the scene in the sixties and his fame is still with us to day.

William Shatner was not an actor that you would put into the class of a Fonda, Taylor, or Bogart. He never claimed that he was. He began his acting career in 1950. He was born in 1931 and kept his real name which is very unusual. His full name is William Alan Shatner and as most people know, he was born in Canada. His grandfather was Wolf Schattner and anglicized the family name to Shatner. Shatner was raised in the conservative Jewish religion. When I said that Shatner was not in the class of Fonda and others, this was not to say that he was not a good actor. He was trained as a classical Shakespearean actor and appeared in the Stratford Festival of Canada in Stratford, Ontario. There is something about Shatner’s personality that seems to make us like to watch him. I don’t know the man since I have never met him, but he does come across like a very likeable person. I remember watching him recently on an interview show that he had on cable and he interviewed Leonard Nimoy. Icouldn’t pull myself away from it. Does Shatner have some power over us that we are not aware of?

There are still a few of us around that remember the Howdy Doody Show. It was a very early tv show for children that featured a marionette as Howdy Doody. Shatner played Ranger Bob in the Canadian Version. Shatner did have some experience in the movies and was in the movie, The Brothers Karamazov. He played the younger brother. The film featured many big names of the time such as Yul Brynner, Lee J. Cobb, Richard Basehart, Albert Salmi, Maria Schell, Clare Bloom and others. Although Shatner made many movies other than Star Trek, I do not believe that is where his popularity arose from. It came initially from television. He made at least a couple of the original Twilight Zones, which are constantly being shown on television. He also did many voices, but when he became the fearless Captain Kirk of the star ship Enterprise, his career was really born. As strange as it seems, he probably didn’t know it at the time, because the series was canceled after about 90 + episodes, but enjoyed and still enjoys constant re-runs.

Millions of people have grown up watching Shatner perform some hammy acting at times in the series, but there was that something that he had that made every episode enjoyable. The show began to have a life of its own. Star Trek conventions began to appear everywhere and suddenly everything Star Trek became collectable. Kirk (William Shatner) started to appear in small plastic statue form in all different Star Trek toys. People did not seem to be able to get enough of him. Then came the Star Trek movies. Shatner seemed to have perfected his acting ability to the point where it was even more enjoyable in the films than it had been on the tv screen. The first movie was Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Actually it wasn’t very good. The next film however was considered one of the best and that was Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The other films featuring the original cast were Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, StarTrek VI: The Undiscovered Country. The last Star Trek film that Shatner was to appear in was Star Trek: Generations.

We were all at a point now where we needed to see Shatner again. It had been some time since he had appeared on television. Before I get into that I have to tell you that Shatner received or was nominated for numerous awards for his acting. Here is a list of them:

2005 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television – Winner

1999 Emmy: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series – Nominee

2004 Emmy: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series – Winner

2005 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – Winner

2006 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – Nominee

2007 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – Nominee

2008 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television – Nominee

2008 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – Nominee

2009 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – Nominee

Shatner was featured in several television series. They were the $10,000 Pyramid, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Battle of the Network Stars, Dr. Kildare, T.J. Hooker, The Defenders, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn and the Practice. He also has been the guest star on shows over 260 times and growing. He has appeared in over 52 movies as either an actor or voice. To this we have to add that he produced some shows and directed some episodes of shows.

At 79 years old, as of the writing of this article, Shatner is not finished yet and currently has a new show to fulfill our need to see him, it is called Shatner’s Raw Nerve and appears on the Bio channel. It is basically an interview show where a guest comes on and is asked interesting questions by Shatner. It may not be the same as watching Shatner fight a lizard looking alien using only whatever is at hand, but he is getting a little long in the tooth for that. I guess we will just have to satisfy our Shatner needs without the action that used to accompany them. An old Shatner is better than no Shatner at all.

There are so many elements today in our lives that make things more and more hectic by the day, and there hardly seems to be any respite from the constantly mounting pressures and tough competition to stay ahead of everybody, plan for the future, etc. However, this has also led to rising stress-related issues, blood pressure, etc. While one cannot simply sit at home to avoid all this, a bit of humour has always helped in bringing cheer to ones day.

Yes, it is true. Just one good joke in a day can actually relieve a high amount of stress, and make your hormones come to their normal levels despite all the anxiety and pressures of the professional life. Think of it this way, has not there been a day when you were told a joke by a friend or relative on the phone or via SMS, and you kept on thinking about the same throughout the day, and had a great, stress-free working experience. You might also have spread the cheer by telling the joke to your colleagues, thereby also brightening their day and bringing some laughter in their lives. Is not this proof enough of what a great joke can do to your entire day?

Presently, there are many sources from where one can get funny jokes, with the best one being the internet. Clearly, there are quite a few of those who like to share their humorous side online, which is visible from the great compilation of jokes that are available online. There are many kinds of redhead jokes, lawyer jokes, doctor jokes, and so on, giving you ample variety in terms of choosing the kind of laugh you want to have according to your taste.

But one thing that must be kept in mind is that these jokes are completely in the spirit of humour, and should be taken sportingly, and not personally. Remember, it takes only 7 muscles to smile, and 32 to frown, and the former always gets a better reaction from the other person.