thumbs up

.......................

We want to communicate what we think matters and what we feel you might want to pass on to your kids too - whenever they're ready for it. And we want to emphasize this: with Parental Pals you are not communicating under the wings of a large corporation. You are a valued guest within a family environment, hosted by people who personally see to it that it stays like this, not matter how many visitors there are to accommodate. Feel welcome. Stay as a friend.

We’d like to invite you to join us in viewing this 10 minute video clip, it is absolutely worth your time.  

Mr. Pausch’s “Last lecture” has been viewed by and touched millions of people all over the world.
Randy Pausch (1960 - 2008) is telling his story on childhood dreams as his Last Lecture to his students
at Carnegie Mellon University, this is a short version (on Oprah). At the bottom of this page you find
the link to the original talk.
 

Randy Pausch talks about elementary things, simple and straightforward. It would be hard
to disagree - what he says is the very essence of the philosophy of all Parental Pals.
 

In case you are still lacking some good arguments for your kids why learning English
(and other languages for that matter ...) is always an excellent idea, ... try this:
...

So far the idea of teaming up with parents elsewhere has attracted a lot of truly creative thinkers,
which is great!!!  In order to attract some more, we’d like to offer you some decent reading.
This pdf-file is a translation of an article in brand eins, a magazine of outstanding quality:
 “Disturbed”, Wolf Lotter..

A key issue to our thinking in general and to Parental Pals in particular is the internet as such. What is it, what does it do ? Is it good or bad or both ? What will it do for us ? A man who explains in very precise words what we at ParentalPal.Org wholly agree with is Clay Shirky, who teaches at New York University and who wrote a few very insightful books on this topic. This interview is taken from the Elektrischer Reporter, a site we consider a true blessing indeed and which we strongly recommend to anyone who speaks German.
Many interviews, this one included, are conducted in English and have German subtitles. The content warrants the length of 20 minutes, they pass very quickly:
...

Another place well worth looking for ideas to expand your  mind and mental vision is TED.
TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. (This link will tell you more.)
It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds.
Since then its scope has become ever broader. At the annual TED conference at the end of February one of the talks given was by Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor, who had an
opportunity few brain scientists would wish for:
One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke.
As it happened -- as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding -- she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another:
...

From I to We - the Parental Pal philosophy has its health aspects
too, as Dean Ornish, clinical professor at UCSF, points out.
His talk on healing (yes, another great TED talk) is not only enlightening
but also a excellent training session for visitors whose mother tongue
is not English - Mr Ornish talks very fast indeed!

...

Links for more: YouTube has the full version of the “Last lecture” (76 min)
and TED has a whole array of very inspiring people telling about their ideas
worth spreading.

...and don’t ever settle -
keep an open mind and a passionate heart !