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1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant. 

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. 

3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep. 

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.' 

5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy. 

6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007. 

7. Make time to practice meditation, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6. 

9. Dream more while you are awake. 

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants. 

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day. 

13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk, your mind and let new and flowing energy into your life. 

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, OR issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your [b]
energy in the positive present moment. [/b]

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra [b]
class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. [/b]

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card. 

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. 

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present. 

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?' 

26. Forgive everyone for everything. 

27. What other people think of you is none of your business. 

28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 

29. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch. 

30. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. 

31. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 

32. The best is yet to come. 

33. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 

34. Do the right thing! 

35. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!!!) 

36. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________. 

37. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed. 

38. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the [b] most of it and enjoy the ride. [/b]

E-mails are circulating, falsely claiming the UK has banned schools from teaching pupils about the Holocaust.

The suggestion is that this was done by the government to avoid offending some Muslim communities.

The source of the rumour may be a report that some history teachers were uncomfortable with sensitive subjects.

In fact the government has reaffirmed that in England, teaching children about the Holocaust is compulsory, and it is not banned elsewhere in the UK.

A number of people have contacted the BBC News website querying e-mails they have been sent.

One example is headed "In Memoriam".

It says: "Recently this week, UK removed The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it 'offended' the Moslem [sic] population which claims it never occurred."

It adds: "This is a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how easily each country is giving into it."

'Emotive'

The report that may have given rise to the alarm was commissioned by England's Department for Education and Skills from the Historical Association, which promotes the study and teaching of history.

It said: "Teachers and schools avoid emotive and controversial history for a variety of reasons, some of which are well-intentioned.

"Staff may wish to avoid causing offence or appearing insensitive to individuals or groups in their classes.

"In particular settings, teachers of history are unwilling to challenge highly contentious or charged versions of history in which pupils are steeped at home, in their community or in a place of worship."

'Holocaust denial'

The report gave as an example a history department in "a northern city" which "recently avoided selecting the Holocaust as a topic for GCSE coursework for fear of confronting anti-Semitic sentiment and Holocaust denial among some Muslim pupils".

The government said there was scope for schools to make their own decisions on what to teach within England's national curriculum.

But a spokesman for England's Department for Education and Skills added: "Teaching of the Holocaust is already compulsory in schools at Key Stage 3 .

"It will remain so in the new KS3 curriculum from September 2008."

He said Education Secretary Alan Johnson himself had stressed this.

There are separate national curriculums in Wales and in Northern Ireland, and 5-14 Guidelines in Scotland.

In those, Holocaust teaching is not compulsory but schools may teach it if they wish and this has not changed recently.

In Northern Ireland, for example, the Holocaust is given as an example of some of the things pupils "should" study.

THE ABOVE WAS COPIED FROM [a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6563429.stm"] Holocaust 'ban' e-mail confusion ARTICLE

I am copying and pasting an email I got just now. I havn't changed a word:

Subject:: Never Forget-- With pictures

Careful... some graphic photos. But very important to read the words!

U.S.soldier surveys a German concentration camp

It is a matter of history that when Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, found the victims of the death camps, he ordered all possible photographs to be taken, and for the German people from surrounding villages to be ushered through the camps and even made to bury the dead.

He did this because he said in words to this effect: 'Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses - because somewhere down the track of history some b*stard will get up and say that this never happened'

'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing'

Edmund Burke

This week, the UK removed The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it 'offended' the Muslim population which claims it never occurred.

This is a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how easily each country is giving in to it.

These photos were taken inGermanyby James Emison Chanslor, an Army Master Sergeant who served in World War II from 1942 until 1945.

Source: Photos courtesy of John Michael Chanslor.

It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended.

This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the

six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated with people looking the other way!

Now, more than ever, with Iran, among others, claiming the Holocaust to be 'a myth,' it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets.

This e-mail is intended to reach 40 million people worldwide!

Be a link in the memorial chain and help distribute this around the world.

Don't just delete this. It will only take a minute to pass this along.

AND THAT'S WHAT SUGAR DOES TO MY 6 YEARS OLD SON...

ברכות לחג האביב
הכל פורח מסביב
הגיע פסח ואיתו השרב
השמש זורחת באור צהבהב
השמים כחולים ואין אף ענן
הגיע הרגע
הגיע הזמן
לאחל לכולכם חג שופע שמחה,
לכם ולכל המשפחה!

It's actually very nice to have it all together, although it takes longer to arrange all (i am looking for my brain... can anyone help me...?), and getting presents for both Hanukka and Christmas is very confusing - especially with the cards, but i think that this year i haven't made mistakes (or lets hope so...).

so - whenever people complaint about the hastle involved in preparing to Christmas - i always smile and... feel real good about myself!

tonight the house is going to be FULL of lights - being the last day of Hanukka we're going to light all the HANUKIYA's we have (6 of them) so that means 54 candels (oh! my brain is still working!) and next to it there's the Christmas Tree and the lights and all - so that'll be great! and dineer is on the BBQ + guest and presents! and then we're going to do almost all the same on Christmas eve!

FUN !!!!!

I haven't been in Minti for a long time, simply because i was so busy building my new web site store. Finally it's been published last week and you can all go and visit at: www.horseart4me.com I would love to hear your comments (good and bad) about this web site.

HANUKKA STARTED LAST NIGHT (HANUKKA EVE) AND WE ALL CELEBRATED IT

Claude, Gilad, Ondria (Gilad’s sister who came to celebrate with us) and myself. I took few photos, but I forgot to take the photos of the dinner table (probably because food finished so fast…).  We light the candles,

,

open Hanukkah presents, played with the draidels and had a huge feast! Hanukkah is an 8 days holiday, so I will add more photos in the days to come! Explanation about Hanukkah is below. As always – Minti’s are more than welcome to join us!   HAPPY HANUKKA ALL!

Hanukka explanation    

Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, is a celebration of the victory of the Maccabees and the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple. It also mainly to commemorates the miracle of the oil that burned for 8 days   This year Hanukkah starts on 15 Dec 2006 and ends on 22 Dec 2006.   On Dec 15 we light one candle – so we have two candles on the CHANUKIYA (the one we light and the one we light with that is called “SHAMASH”. On the second night (Dec 16) we light 2 candles so we have 3 candles on the CHANUKIYA. And so on. On the last eighth night (Dec 22) there are going to be 9 candles.  

The Story of Chanukah

Every year between the end of November and the end of December, Jewish people around the world celebrate the holiday of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights. The holiday celebrates the events which took place over 2,300 years ago in the land of Judea, which is now Israel:  

Long ago in the land of Judea there was a Syrian king, Antiochus. The king ordered the Jewish people to reject their God, their religion, their customs and their beliefs and to worship the Greek gods. There were some who did as they were told, but many refused. One who refused was Judah Maccabee Judah and his four brothers formed an army and chose as their name the word "Maccabee", which means hammer. After three years of fighting, the Maccabees were finally successful in driving the Syrians out of Israel and reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem. The Maccabees wanted to clean the building and to remove the hated Greek symbols and statues. On the 25th day of the month of Kislev, the job was finished and the temple was rededicated When Judah and his followers finished cleaning the temple, they wanted to light the eternal light, known as the N'er Tamid, which is present in every Jewish house of worship. Once lit, the oil lamp should never be extinguished Only a tiny jug of oil was found with only enough for a single day. The oil lamp was filled and lit. Then a miracle occurred as the tiny amount of oil stayed lit not for one day, but for eight days Jews celebrate Chanukah to mark the victory over the Syrians and the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple. The Festival of the Lights, Chanukah, lasts for eight days to commemorate the miracle of the oil.

The word Chanukah means "rededication"    

In Chanukah we give and receive gifts, decorate the house, entertain friends and family, eat special foods, and light the holiday menorah /CHANUKIYA  

One of the best-known symbols of Chanukah is the Draydel. A draydel is a four-sided top with a Hebrew letter on each side. The four letters are:
SHIN, HEY, GIMEL, NUN

These letters mean "A Great Miracle Happened there.” In Israel the dreidel is a bit different in that - the letters mean " A Miracle Happened HERE!"    

FOOD - It is traditional to eat fried foods on Chanukah because of the significance of oil to the holiday. Doughnuts and LATKES (similar to “hush-browns” made of shredded potatoes and fried as a small “pancake”).

Dinner was made on the BBQ, we drank wine and had lots of fun.

This morning - Cereal was eaten also in the Sukka! This is almost like camping - eating outside, hearing the birds! GREAT! I love this holiday, although every holiday is companied by lots of sadness that i can't be with my family and friends in Israel (haven't seen them since 1999 - TOO LONG!)

Claude, Gilad and me built the Sukka (see photos) and decorated it and now it's all ready for us to celebrate!

And... This invitation to Minti's is for real - if you happen to be on central coast in the next week (from now until next weekend) please feel free to call me (0425241478) and come enjoy the Sukka!

HAPPY SUKKOT TO ALL!

Sukkot - Explanation:

Sukkot Sukkoth begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishri.

This year Sukkot starts on Friday night, October 6, 2006. This festive goes for 7 days.

Historical meaning: The festive of Sukkot, is named for the Sukkah (Hut, Arbour, thatched booth) that Moses and the Israelis lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years before they reached the Promised Land.

These huts were made of branches and were easy to assemble, take apart, and carry as the Israelites wandered through the desert.

Sukkot completes the biblical trilogy began with Passover and Shavuot. This cycle begins with the fleeing of the people of Israel from Egypt (Passover), continues with Moses receiving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai (Shavuot), and concludes as the Israelites wander the desert living in huts and awaiting their entrance into the Promised Land (Sukkot). Sukkot is the third and final celebration in this Exodus from Egypt.

The Sukkah

The focal point of the festival is the Sukkah. These huts are constructed as temporary shelters and the roof is covered with branches.

This special roof’s name is SCHACH – It is a very important part of a Sukkah. The roof must not be totally closed in, but must allow the sky to show through. Inside the hut are hung fruits and vegetables, including apples, grapes, corn, and pomegranates.

One of the festive traditions is to make paper decorations and hang them in the Sukkah.  

What do we do in the Sukkah? The families eat their meals in the huts under the evening sky. Depending on climate and location, it is a tradition to sleep in the Sukkah as well for the 7 days of the festive.

Another important part of the Sukkot observation is hospitality. It is important to share your meals with others and to have as many guests as possible in the Sukkah. In fact this sharing is so important that the festive is also know as Chag Ha'asif, Festival of the Ingathering.

All of a sudden, Gilad ask me: “if we don’t have food at all – can we die?”

I said “yes. When there’s no food at all, we die”.

So then he stopped eating, and I could see the “thinking-wheels” in his head turning. After a long silence, he looks at me, with this serious expression of "discovery" on his face, and say:

“and if we don’t have toys – we also die!”

I guess, for children – toys are as essential as food…

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We were 8 people at the table – 4 adults and 4 “shrunk adults”.

For me the Jewish festive times are very difficult, because I can’t celebrate them with my friends and family from Israel. So it’s great to have in my house friends that although are not Jewish, they help me and my son to celebrate!

My husband, as always, is probably the most open-minded person in regards to all that, and this is why our son enjoys both worlds – the Christian tradition and the Jewish one.

For the New Year Eve dinner I made Honey-soy chicken (food needs to be sweet by tradition so we’ll have a sweet year) and everybody loved it (but me – I DON’T LIKE HONEY…!). There was also a HUGE fish, lots of salads, wine and most important – lots of love, laughs and fun!

We exchanged presents and New Year cards!

May you all have a SHANA TOVA VEMETUKA (a good and sweet year!)!