Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:

 
Learn from Shakespeare, study tells doctors ~ Because the Bard apparently had quite a knack for recognizing the connections between various mental distresses and resultant psychosomatic illnesses.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. ~ Hamlet ~
 
America’s Disappearing Restaurant Chains ~ “24/7 Wall St.” lists 10 once-popular eateries including, Bennigan’s, Bakers Square, Big Boy… Big Boy? Say it ain’t so!
According to Technomic, a food industry research firm, “as many American consumers gravitate toward a more contemporary dining experience and more exciting menu options, traditional restaurant chains are losing relevance.”
Wrong conclusion boys. I’d say the trend is evidence of just how hard the recession has hit middle America. The elite’s may be gravitating “toward a more contemporary dining experience,” but the rest of us are eating at home.
 
Anti-Communist Polish Leader Lech Walesa Unveils Reagan Statue in Warsaw ~

The 3.5-meter (11.5-foot) bronze statue depicts a smiling Reagan in a historic moment — as he stood at a podium at Berlin’s Brandenburg gate in 1987 and said the famous words, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

Unlike Americans, the Poles don’t yet take their freedom for granted.
 
Refusal brings reward … and retribution ~ Victoria’s Cake Cottage in Des Moines turns down Lesbian wedding business…and increases sales.
 
Pilgrim lesson: Spreading wealth leads to pooled poverty ~ Collectivism never works…

Governor Bradford wrote that common ownership “was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much employment which would have been to the general benefit and comfort.”

It only creates equal misery for all.