A Lighter Note ...
“Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.”
George Carlin
Time for some relief …
These days, it’s good to find time to just kick back and relax, enjoy a few moments of peace and quiet – and just let yourself escape from this crazy noisy world.
Heart-warmers and toe-tappers:
** NEW ** 14 hilarious finalists from the 2025 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. Funny frogs, cheeky gibbons, and annoyed lions. Popular Science. November 6, 2025.
Morricone conducts Morricone: The Mission
(Gabriel’s Oboe). YouTube. 2021.
Take Five. Dave Brubeck Quartet.
The Solar Report / Music of the Week. August 1, 2025.
Watch on YouTube.
Singing for the Animals: Plumes. Music of the Week / The Solari Report. May 2, 2025.
Jacob Collier – Little Blue. YouTube. March 2024.
Al Pacino Teaches the Tango (Full scene).
Scent of a Woman. YouTube.
How cold is it? North Dakota Weather Alert! Stay Inside. YouTube. 2012.
Music on Christmas Eve. O Holy Night [live]. A rare duet, with two unusual key changes. Tommee Profitt, Tauren Wells, and SVRCINA. YouTube. December 2023.
Frederic Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 2
Yuga Wang. YouTube. 2021.
Elisey Mysin [13 years old]. YouTube. July 2024.
Arthur Rubinstein. YouTube. 2014.
Govi [flamenco guitarist]. YouTube.
Passage to Paradise (Album: The High Road). 2016.
One Misconception About 64 Different Animals. Jon Mayer, et al. Mental Floss. July 30, 2024.
Heast as ned. Pater Manuel and band. The Solari Report / Music of the Week. July 12, 2024.
Rumba Flamenco / The Best of “Love In The Time of Covid“.
Jesse Cook. YouTube. 2022.
Bird’s Teardrops. Estas Tonne and Peia Luzzi. YouTube. 2018.
Who’s on First? (full clip). Abbott and Costello. YouTube. 2023.
A Really Deep Duduk Solo by Dmitry Soul. YouTube. December 7, 2024.
Auld Lang Syne (December 26). Crowder. YouTube.
Motion Extraction. Posy. YouTube. December 2, 2023.
Compared to What. Les McCann and Eddie Harris. Legendary jazz performance at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival, Lake Geneva, Switzerland.
Autumn Leaves. Eva Cassidy. YouTube. 2015.
Cellphones: a true view of modern society. Dan Caragea. DailyMotion. 2020.
Keith Jarrett. The Koln Concert (complete – 4 parts). A highly-acclaimed improvised jazz piano solo performance. 1975.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Stand By Me. Music Travel Love. YouTube.
The Dentist (full sketch). The Carol Burnett Show. Tim Conway and Harvey Korman. YouTube.
Tina Turner Live in Amsterdam. YouTube. 2021.
“Peace Train” featuring Yusuf / Cat Stevens. Playing for Change / Song around the World. YouTube. May 2022.
AfroCubism. ‘Al vaiven de mi caretta‘. Cuban guitarist Eliades Ochoa. World Circuit Records. YouTube. 2011.
The 50s: A Pop Culture Tribute. YouTube. A spectacularly fun 10 minutes. You’ll want to watch this twice.
Ama. Exquisite subaquatic photography stretches the limits of mind and body. Julie Gautier. PSYCHE. March 1, 2023.
Agnus Dei. Michael W Smith & Amy Grant. YouTube.
Hallelujah. Helene Fischer. YouTube.
Jigokudani Hot Springs Monkey Park (Snow Monkeys, 2021). YouTube.
Playing For Change / Official website.
Better Than a Hallelujah. Amy Grant. YouTube.
Ashokan Farewell by Jay Ungar. YouTube. 2012.
Hang Massive – 10 Year Celebration Concert. YouTube. March 5, 2022.
Fall On Me – Andrea Bocelli, Matteo Bocelli. YouTube. September 22, 2018.
Four Hammond B3’s playing The Cat. YouTube. January 15, 2007.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps. 2021 Remaster with Prince, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Steve Winwood. YouTube. May 4, 2021.
Mandolin Rain. Bruce Hornsby, The Noisemakers. Live at Town Hall, New York City, 2004.
A Dancing Heart. Sami Yusuf. YouTube. October 21, 2019.
Beyond the Stars / Live. Sami Yusuf, Expo 2020 Dubai. YouTube. November 23, 2021.
Money For Nothing: Dire Straits Live at Knebworth. November 8, 2016.
Tears In Heaven: Eric Clapton (Official Video). July 22, 2010.
The Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time. By Guitar Player Staff. December 25, 2021.
O Holy Night. David Crowder and Abe Parker. YouTube. December 11, 2020.
Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth – Begin the Beguine 1940
Come As You Are. David Crowder. November 18, 2014.
Thanksgiving Song. Mary Chapin Carpenter
Unchained Melody – Austin Brown
Stand By Me – Playing for Change
Only You / New Orleans Street Music – Grandpa Elliott & Oscar Castro
The Evolution of Dance – 1950 – 2019 / Ricardo Walker’s Crew
Rawa Blues Festival 2016 – Keb’ Mo’
Hang Massive – Goa Garden Live Concert. July 2020. Most unusual, most relaxing.
The 6 Best Sites for Calming An Anxious Mind. Katie Rees. MakeUseOf. July 22, 2021. A few examples:
> WeaveSilk
> Take Me To A Useless Website
25 Websites to Learn New Skills, For Free
ISMO (comedian): The Word Ass (new and extended version)
Radio Garden – an interactive global map of live radio stations.
Every green dot represents a city or town; tap on it to tune into the live radio stations from that city or town.
The Creation
In the beginning was the plan
And then came the assumptions
And the assumptions were without form
And the plan was completely without substance
And the darkness was upon the faces of the Workers
And they spake unto their Group Heads, saying:
“It is a crock of shit, and it stinketh.”
And the Group Heads went unto their Managers, and sayeth:
“It is a pail of dung, and none may abide the odour thereof.”
And the Section Heads went to their Managers, and said to them:
“It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong,
Such that none here may abide by it.”
And the Managers went unto their Director, and sayeth unto him:
“It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength.”
And the Directors went unto their Director-General, and sayeth:
“It contains that which aids plant growth, and it is very strong.”
And the Director-General went unto the Assistant Deputy Minister,
And sayeth unto him:
“It promoteth growth, and it is very powerful.”
And the A.D.M. went unto the Deputy Minister, and sayeth unto him:
“This powerful new plan will actively promote the growth and
Efficiency of the Department, and this area in particular.”
And the Deputy Minister looked upon the plan,
And saw that it was good
And the plan became policy.
Morning smile
Sitting by the side of the highway waiting to catch speeding drivers, an OPP police officer sees a car puttering along at 27 kmh.
Says he to himself: “This driver is just as dangerous as a speeder!” So he turns on his lights and pulls the driver over.
Approaching the car, he notices that there are five old ladies, two in the front seat and three in the back … wide-eyed and white as ghosts.
The driver, obviously confused, says to him, “Officer, I don’t understand, I was doing exactly the speed limit! What seems to be the problem?”
“Ma’am”, the officer replies, “You weren’t speeding, but you should know that driving slower than the speed limit can also be a danger to other drivers.”
“Slower than the speed limit? No sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly … twenty-seven kilometres an hour!” … the old woman says a bit proudly. The police officer, trying to contain a chuckle, explains to her that 27 is the highway number, not the speed limit.
A bit embarrassed, the woman grins and thanks the officer for pointing out her error.
“But before I let you go, Ma’am, I have to ask … is everyone in this car OK? These women seem awfully shaken, and they haven’t made a peep this whole time,” the officer asks.
“Oh, they’ll be all right in a minute, officer. We just got off Highway 169.”