Laughter is the best medicine!

[Deb]

When I was a kid my mother subscribed to the magazine Reader's Digest. As a child, my favorite section was Laughter is the Best Medicine and to this day that phrase sticks in my mind.

Last week Sena thought of adding a topic here about some of the sillier things people are doing to combat the virus. I've been seeing some hysterical memes. I love seeing those because while the virus is real in this reality, we need to lighten up a little and balance out the negative stuff we're bombarded with right now. I'd love if you would contribute, it doesn't have to be related to the virus but that's a bonus since there are some myths and flat out nonsense (such as people being afraid to buy Chinese or Italian food here in the US).

According to Psychology Today:

Laughter, it's said, is the best medicine. And there's lots of evidence that laughter does lots of good things for us.
It reduces pain and allows us to tolerate discomfort.
It reduces blood sugar levels, increasing glucose tolerance in diabetics and nondiabetics alike.

There's a lot more detailed information on the physical (heart) and mental health benefits of laughter in the PT article.

I'll start things off with this video about responsible hand washing.

[jbseth]

Hi Deb,

That's really funny, Deb.  I love it. 

I wonder if that poor guy is still in that restroom somewhere. Maybe someone should go looking for him? 


I too, always liked the Reader Digest magazine when I was growing up (my parents got them regularly) and particularly the "Laughter is the Best Medicine" section.


- jbseth

[Deb]

I wonder if that poor guy is still in that restroom somewhere. Maybe someone should go looking for him?

Here are some funny memes, I just couldn't resist. Then I'll give it a rest, I'm doing seed starts today. I'm really looking forward to getting the garden together in a couple of months. Almost all the snow had melted here and then Thursday we got 12", which made me want to grow something even more.

[chasman]

hey Deb and jbseth,

    I also liked the Laughter is the Best Medicine in RD, as a child.

here are a couple things which have given me a
guffaw and chortle:

[Deb]

Thanks for the Monty Python Fest! I loved all of their movies and used to watch the BBC (?) show back in the day.

OK I know I put this video up here years ago, but it's still a favorite and really makes me happy. Crank up your speakers!

[chasman]

love it.
thank you Deb!!   

[Deb]

OK I've been wanting to share this, wasn't sure how, but apparently you don't have to be logged into Facebook to watch this video. It's about aggressive chickens, and I find it extremely funny. I have chickens and love them. I only had a (possibly transgender, long story) rooster for a short period of time, and he was more gentle and loving than my hens. But roosters can be aggressive and apparently it's all about attitude. @narvik2 ...

Hopefully you all can watch this. You may need to turn on sound (next to time on the player).

https://www.facebook.com/Weed-Whisky-and-Sarcasm-275289419706476/?__tn__=kCH-R&eid=ARCbB5onltKt95xdj06cA5giEuKlCXOlePKPDA4hPC1nxGxWARtKWRzuPR5FlkMDwnXoNihJAXH31_QW&hc_ref=ARRBRv5JDN-OvjmeCu8rdal5o5U6_nx9pdcW3inpvxHvIGzHEDXrJ6ggYBV1GNRMSp4&fref=nf&__xts__[0]=68.ARBptkauNUnI5bHeC00Id6oETPwKawpQ7jTMZdMdEtv9oPBYJa2mOYenphvbBmvpbc36oIQjeJllflG64oBDgrUs6PkSbf_ymgMWoVJ2pdZNbOlab8YilM5FFFbRoyu8JEilnpj35JZLoE0SY2e4d1YeEGqhQheGFGjOue-K-7OPnV4iw71_vmgPb1_zR9anK22NUHh_HI-cz25J7oi_uChOF7gRn_hL98wwuv45-7SL0KyYhRLHMMpzHCj0-q3dzKvpm1cMjaA1LTSy8xEXnC-BiqgbnApAgBZc4_B_4IUN2cBYijK6nU3p-f8rYJKLR5NliMbmPrgzgIekRxUZn7a1EnEVnGgC2Q

[jbseth]

Hi Deb,

Thanks for sharing that Deb, it was really great.  Who needs a watchdog with those chickens around. 

That chicken and duck skirmish was funny too since they both can be pretty aggressive sometimes.

Thanks for sharing that.   

-jbseth

[Deb]

OK I saw this one today and thought it was hysterical. I love how creative people are!

It also struck me funny because I bought a paint by number on Amazon last week, an extremely complex but beautiful design. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered. I felt it would be similar to doing a jigsaw puzzle. I'll probably open the box when it finally arrives, and decide to frame it as is, without the paint.

[Deb]

A pure bread dog.

[jbseth]

Hi Deb,

That’s really creative.

When I first saw the small picture, I couldn’t tell exactly what medium was being used for the horse and the rest of the image on the table. At first I thought that someone was doing a “foodie” thing where they were using ground beef for the horse, light green lettuce for the grass and dark green lettuce for the forest in the background.

Then when I enlarged the image, I saw that the image on the table consisted of the puzzle pieces themselves.  That’s very creative, I love it.


Then that pure “bread” dog. That was really funny.

I guess from this that pure bread dog’s have square shaped heads???  

Thanks for sharing those, Deb.

-jbseth

[Deb]

When I first saw the small picture, I couldn’t tell exactly what medium was being used for the horse and the rest of the image on the table. At first I thought that someone was doing a “foodie” thing where they were using ground beef for the horse, light green lettuce for the grass and dark green lettuce for the forest in the background.

You must be hungry. 

Dog: Other reactions (Facebook) were "in-bread" and "wonder dog" lol. I love dogs.

[jbseth]

I love dogs

Me too. 

- jbseth

[Deb]

Well, so, today I realized I've "got" this social distancing thing nailed.

[Deb]

There are some clever things in this article. https://stubykofsky.com/virus-humor-in-the-great-isolation/

Also came across this the other day. 

[chasman]

thank you Deb.   

[Deb]

And they just keep coming.

[LarryH]

Some Good News (some comedy, mostly heart-warming and inspiring stories and discussion):

[Deb]

Thanks, I enjoyed that! I think he's on to something, hopefully he continues with the show. We need something like that to counter all the bad news.

[Deb]

OK so this is not comedy, but it's fascinating and hypnotic.

[LarryH]

Beautiful

[Deb]

Is it just me, or does this seem like a bad idea? 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/india-newborn-twins-named-corona-covid-virus-200404093616017.html

[Deb]

Tired of what's going on here on planet Earth? Now you too can buy an acre of land on Mars. Starting at $29.95, but Groupon also has a special right now.

Fine print: Transportation not included.

http://www.buymars.com/

[Deb]

OK, again not comedy, but I found this fascinating. Hidden meanings in logos. Some are pretty obvious, some are surprises, but all are the result of clever design. Take a few minutes to forget about corona and enjoy.

https://upbeatnews.com/do-you-know-the-hidden-meanings-in-these-company-logos

[LarryH]

Episode 2 of Some Good News with John Krasinski

[jbseth]

Hi All,

My wife came across this funny one liner today and so I thought that I’d share it here. Someone was commenting upon how much handwashing and such that they are doing now, given this coronavirus situation. Here’s the one-liner.

“My body has been exposed to so much soap and cleansing lately that whenever I pee, it automatically cleans the toilet.”


-jbseth
 

[jbseth]

Hi All,

This isn't funny but I thought that it was very creative.

-jbseth

[Deb]

Chicky boom.

[jbseth]

Hi All,

Enjoy. 

-jbseth

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/julia-louis-dreyfus-coronavirus-stay-home_n_5e9084c2c5b63e73d7e3c0ea

[Deb]

That was hysterical! How is it she never ages?

[Deb]

Episode 2 of Some Good News with John Krasinski

Thank you, I love this guy. As of today, almost 10 million views of this episode, 1.59 subscribers. It restores my faith in humanity, in that they are NOT only interested in negative and sensationalized news.

One thing that's a pet peeve for me is masks. I have seen too many articles, Nextdoor topics and videos on how to make your own mask, or make them for medical professionals. Call me a nerd for my need for facts, but masks made from tee shirts or two layers of cotton fabric or single layer jerseys are pretty much useless. From what I've read, virus particles are so minuscule that real protection from the virus would require something like the N95 mask. So why are nurses telling people to make and donate masks from household fabrics? Using coffee filters? Or the US surgeon general showing people how to make a "face covering" from a cotton bandana? Eeeeeek.

I feel something like this (attachment) would be more effective than any DIY project I've seen so far.

[LarryH]

Call me a nerd for my need for facts, but masks made from tee shirts or two layers of cotton fabric or single layer jerseys are pretty much useless.

Here's a quote from an article on https://www.unknowncountry.com/: “It’s not a decision to try to protect [one] from getting coronavirus,” according to CDC director Robert Redfield. “It’s to help modify spreading. And there is scientific data to show that when you aerosolized virus through a cloth barrier, you have a reduction in the amount of virus that gets through the other side.”

[jbseth]

Call me a nerd for my need for facts, but masks made from tee shirts or two layers of cotton fabric or single layer jerseys are pretty much useless. From what I've read, virus particles are so minuscule that real protection from the virus would require something like the N95 mask.

Hi Deb,

I kind of wonder about that too. My thinking is that maybe these other people are thinking that since the really good masks are in short supply, doing almost anything is better than nothing.

I think that this mask issue is sort of like the reverse of this ping pong ball video, where in the latter part of the video, the one ball thrown in, doesn't hit any other widely spaced mouse traps (which represent the weave of a face mask made from a regular cotton bandana) because the weave of the material is to large to catch many individual very tiny virus particles.

On the other hand, I do think that this video does give us an interesting analogy of the effects of social distancing.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04/10/ohio-coronavirus-video/

-jbseth

[Deb]

“It’s not a decision to try to protect [one] from getting coronavirus,” according to CDC director Robert Redfield. “It’s to help modify spreading. And there is scientific data to show that when you aerosolized virus through a cloth barrier, you have a reduction in the amount of virus that gets through the other side.”

I realize that it will cut down on spray if someone coughs or sneezes, but there are some people who think a cotton or paper mask will prevent them from being exposed to the virus. I've heard people (people that I know) say that "since the virus is not airborne..." and "I brought food to the fire dept today and gave all the FFs a hug. It's ok I was wearing gloves and a paper mask." I'd feel better if the people (in my area) would put up that caveat in your quote when they offer to sell people their homemade masks (@ $10 a pop!). I feel that it's dangerous that they don't, because people may feel the masks will protect them and they might feel safe and follow proper protocols. Not everyone reads the news.

But they don't, and lately I'm finding a lot of people don't understand a lot of things about basic hygiene. Such as people are buying baby wipes for their hands and think they'll be effective for killing the virus. Or some hand sanitizers will kill bacteria, but not viruses, and they don't read labels. Sorry, just me being nerdy.

I've seen a lot of blue gloves all over the place too. People come out of the grocery stores with gloves on and then just throw them on the ground when they get all their goodies in the car. I imagine this all has been really tough on people who work at grocery stores. I'd like to thank them somehow, in a way that does not include hugs.

I put this meme up on another post the other day, but I thought I'd share it here too. It's not funny, but I found it uplifting.

[jbseth]

I've heard people (people that I know) say that "since the virus is not airborne..." and "I brought food to the fire dept today and gave all the FFs a hug. It's ok I was wearing gloves and a paper mask."

Hi Deb, Hi All,

On the other hand Deb, (and please don't take this wrong, I'm being a devils advocate here) maybe their "beliefs" will keep them safe.

Didn't Seth tell Jane and Rob that if they believed that they should go to the doctors, then they should. It being the belief that was really important.


I really like the saying in your attached jpeg file. 


-jbseth

[Deb]

maybe their "beliefs" will keep them safe.

Didn't Seth tell Jane and Rob that if they believed that they should go to the doctors, then they should. It being the belief that was really important.

Yes, you've got a point there. Today I was also thinking of those people who lose their life savings to email and phone scams, especially the naive elderly, who tend to trust and believe what people tell them. I wonder how that fits in with Seth?

I shall design a mask for myself that I believe to be efficient. 

[chasman]

thank you for posting that meme Deb.
very nice. 

[LarryH]

Episode 3:

[chasman]

I will try to amuse and entertain you now.   


I fell asleep last night while reading a Seth book, and eating a certain Tex-Mex delicacy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nachos

and then I dreamed
that I found unpublished Seth books.
3 of them.
a trilogy.
they were called:
The Nacho of Personal Reality
The Nacho of the Psyche
and
The Individual and the Nacho of Mass Events

I was thinking about Seth's concept that everything
has
consciousness.
hmmmmmmm
ok, then I thought about couscous.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couscous

and I noticed how similar the words consciousness and couscous are.
and I thought about how if its true that
everything has consciousness,
then couscous must have consciousness too!!   

next, I wondered what would happen if I took a couscous,
and somehow separated it,
into 2 separate cous's.
what then would be the result?
would each cous have its own individual consciousness?
would they be cous-ins? (owwww, sorry, I just couldn't resist).
but back to the highly serious deep thoughts (thank you Jack Handy). 

does couscous only exist in nature, in pairs?
like the oxygen atom? it exists as O2 molecules.

does one couscous particle ever feel self conscious?
or perhaps self-couscous, instead?

and how much cous could a couscous cous, if a couscous could cous cous?

ah yes, fine thoughts to ponder on this cold spring night.


and last thought for the night (promise).
I fell asleep reading a Seth book and eating a savory dish of Italian origin:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza

and I dreamed about peace.

and I visualized world peace.

and I dreamed about Seth saying man will not end war, by hating war, but by loving peace.

and I dreamed about a peaceful world
where people lived in peace
and ate pizza in peace.
I visualized world pizza too!! 

[LarryH]

Explaining the pandemic to her past self:

[Deb]

OMG Larry that was just perfect! LMAO (really). Great acting and writing. That was so Seth too! Thank you, I'm going to put this one up on FB.

[Deb]

and I dreamed about

Charlie, that was probably the funniest thing I've read in a long time.
I mean, tears in my eyes funny.
Very clever, thank you.

PS I understood it even more after a glass of wine.

[jbseth]

Hi Chasman, Hi All,

I'll have a soda, a side salad, and a couple of slices of the world pizza too. YUM.

- jbseth

[chasman]

thank you so much Deb.
I am so very happy that you liked it.
you are so awesome.   

jbseth, you rock. 
I remember loving a bumper sticker I saw years ago,
that said
visualize whirled peas.
now, I'm visualizing
whirled pizzas too!!

loved the video LarryH.

[Deb]

I thought I'd put this up here, but I guess not after reviewing this thread. More cleverness.

[LarryH]

[Deb]

From Ron Card on Facebook today. @Sena, more education on medicine in America.

A public service announcement from your American doctor, the Medical Mafia, Big Pharma and the health care insurance industry.

Dear valued customer, you simply don't know how much your money and your life savings mean to us.
Please understand our position, and that is that a cured, healthy patient means lost profit for us.

Instead, we've put our heads together, cleverly developing cute-named, lab-created drugs and chemicals with awful harmful side-effects, like death, in order to maintain and long-term manage your doctor-diagnosed and exaggerated disease so we can enjoy job security, while keeping our offices, labs, hospitals and pill factories operating at full capacity.

Why, our colorful and deceptive TV ads effectively suggest that you look for and mentally attract a physical malady so we can treat you.

Again, we enjoy keeping you on the medical treadmill so your money keeps flowing into our pockets. We love your money more that your health.

A sensible, alternative view.

What if, just what if, people started to magically become healthy in growing numbers, becoming healthy because they learned that they create their own reality, their own health reality, done so according to their beliefs, intents, attitudes and expectations, and that they do so, individually, and all together, collectively-speaking, as a healthy mindset and beliefs translates into healthy minds, bodies and spirits.

un-health and disease are not good for the spirit unless it teaches the spirit not to be un-healthy and diseased. -- ron

[T.M.]

Hi All,

Thank you Deb and Ron!

[Deb]

OK, this is pretty funny. I wish I could do something like this. I've been learning Russian for at least 3 years and am nowhere near this.

[T.M.]

Hi All,

Hi Deb,

I've seen that vid. He does really well!!  And surprises quite a few people too!

Okay here's a vid. The guy gets a letter about beavers building dams on his property from the .gov, and his reply. It's hilarious!
Just a bit of cussing, more of a play on words.