Look how far you’ve come. People seem to forget your status as the underdog just a decade or two ago.
I remember.
I remember being reluctant to switch from the industry leader, to move from a PC to a (gasp!) Mac. The PC was king. IBM was a player — a blue chip/work-there-for-50-years-get-a-pension-and-a-gold-watch company. In fact, I remember having IBM as a client, touring a facility in Poughkeepsie, New York and marveling at the mainframes.
My guess? The vast majority of iPhone 4 owners (okay, well, at least my husband and I) believe the product is marvelous. Beautiful and efficient. Elegant and powerful.
Yet some critics delight in their schadenfreude over a pseudo furor that’s actually relatively insignificant.
Why?
It leads me to wonder (with some degree of sadness) why people like to knock other peoples’ success. Why they expect (demand?) perfection and then pounce (shine a spotlight on it?) when they discover the slightest flaw.
I believe in a principle of abundance, where people support one other and trumpet the greatest achievements of friends, family members and respected colleagues then support them and encourage them through hard times or whenever they stumble.
So I applaud you, Apple.
And you know what?
The iPhone has improved the quality of my life. I often forget that it’s a phone because that’s the least important part of the device. People who don’t use the iPhone don’t understand that fact. It’s not about the telephone. Even the word, telephone, is so…last millennium.
Now, it’s all about the apps…and the developers’ passions. Not to mention the passion of each and every iPhone owner. Each device is so customized, so specific to each user that it becomes special. Each owner makes it special, depending on his/her own interests, needs and passions.
It’s now. It’s tomorrow. It’s very Jetsons. And it works. Simply. It helped me endure some recent trips away from my family. Heck, it made them feel as if they were right there with me. It affected our quality of life. It brought us immeasurable joy.
So forget about those naysayers, haters and foes.
Congratulations on another extraordinary creation.
Do you find yourself longing for the good old days when privacy concerns never crossed your mind? When you felt confident that information about your family members was known only to people who were actually part of your real life? Well, consider this:
No, seriously though, what do you think about the burgeoning privacy issues? No big deal or the beginning of a world ruled by potentially corrupt mega-corps-as-big-brother(s)? Or something somewhere in between? Heh.
Today’s Mantra: Ignore the haters and don’t feed the trolls.
My kids and I made a video where I talked about how I would love to host a talk show on Oprah’s new network. It was fun – until I started getting comments from a woman who alleged that I trash working moms on this blog (and erroneously suggested that I’ve never been a working mom). Um, no. Not true. Read my blog. Search my blog. That’s not what it’s about. I have absolutely no desire to do such a thing. Perhaps you’re thinking of someone else. I left a response to that effect.
Then the commenter insisted and referred to remarks I made in a video* last year in which I had a specific beef with one person whom I believed had not sufficiently acknowledged the value of stay-at-home moms.
First of all, for those who don’t know, before these years staying home with my kids, I was a dedicated, passionate, working mom who loved her job and career. I felt I was really making a difference in the world and working on things that were important. When I (somewhat reluctantly) hopped off the career track, I garnered little or no respect for the position in which I found myself and cringed at the thought of the label that people disdainfully attached to it, as well as when I heard them say things like “oh, she’s just a stay-at-home mom.”
I was raised by a strong, self sufficient, feminist working mom (whom I adored and respected and to whom I was very close) who drilled into my sister’s and my heads things like, “never depend on a man,” and “always be sure that you can support yourself.” I worked my way through college and law school to ensure that I would always be a career woman determined to remain forever independent. I envisioned nothing else.
The site is “a ten minute, commercial-free daily news program” geared to middle and high-school students.
If you’ve been looking for ways to get your teens interested in the news, I recommend bookmarking the CNN Student News site and showing it to your kids. It’s geared to them, so it’s a bit more hip, clean and concise than the main CNN site.
When I heard Dave Barry’s story about embarrassing his teenage son by picking him up from school in a Wienermobile (true story!), I thought I’d try his advice. He suggested that one of the easiest ways to get attention from teens was to sing. I’d add to that a bit by saying that song choice matters, too.
So here’s what I’ve been trying:
when my kids are screwing around, laughing and wasting time instead of doing their homework, I start to sign a song that I know they really don’t like (e.g., What Do You Want From Me?). It gets their attention much faster than saying expected phrases (like, “Focus, guys.” or “Get back to work now, please.”). Before long, they’re begging me to stop and agreeing to focus on their studies.
Believe me, when they become teens you have to get creative.
Regular readers of this blog know how much I love books. I’ve co-chaired the Book Fairat our kids’ school for several years, taught Junior Great Books (another program I strongly support) and, for a brief time, considered starting anotherblog devoted to books. I love books. I encourage my kids (and others’) to read.
I also promote philanthropy. Each year I believe more strongly that we all need to challenge ourselves to find ways to be more generous and giving.
Wouldn’t it be great to somehow combine reading and giving? Hmm…
So last week, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, when the Pearson Foundation gathered together a group of bloggers, authors* and others to announce the launch of the site, We Give Books, I was happy to attend.
*Including Pulitzer Prize winning author, Dave Barry!
How does it work?
Here’s the gist: We Give Books encourages parents or caregivers to read with their kids and then donate a book to a charity selected by the reader. Read a book, give a book. For every story you read on the site with (or without!) your child, they donate a book! The reader’s only obligation (if you even want to call it that) is to read the online book. Pearson/Penguin then donates the book directly to the charity you and your child selected.
These are some of the folks behind this initiative.
How easy is this?
1) Choose the charity
2) Read a book
3) Click to donate
For every book read on the site, the Pearson Foundation will donate a book to a worthy charity (selected by the reader(s)) of the book(s) from among those listed on the site).
Just give it a try. The site is very easy to navigate. Your youngest kids can participate in turning the pages of the book. In fact, I recommend that you get your kids involved from the start. Tell them a little about the charities, let them choose which one they like most, then let them pick the first book. I bet you’ll read more than a few (and then donate more than a few).
Mark Nieker, President of the Pearson Foundation, believes “We Give Books gives parents an opportunity to read with their children, and its innovation is that it surrounds reading with those important conversations that can start a young person on a life of giving.”
You can still have that special, quality time with your child in your lap, reading a story but now it’s interactive and helps other kids! This site puts an interesting twist on story time in our hi-tech world.
The only thing that I believe could make this even better and more current? If they had an iPad app for it.
I’ll bet it’s just a matter of time.
Visit We Give Books. And let me know what you think.
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Note: I wrote this review as part of a campaign by Mom Central on behalf of We Give Books and received coffee and a gift certificate. But I would have told you about it anyway, because it’s right in our sweet spot and it’s just that good.
Recently, my family and I had the pleasure of enjoying some of the best tennis the world offers at the Sony-Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida.
We saw Rafa Nadal defeat David Forrer then witnessed Andy Roddick take down Benjamin Becker. After those matches, Roddick upset Nadal in this match:
Shortly afterward, we actually met the winner, Andy Roddick. At a time when he could have walked away and snubbed my son, instead, he spoke a few kind words, signed his cap and thanked us for congratulating him on winning. My greatest impression from that chance encounter was that Roddick looked focused and determined yet treated my son with kindness and top-notch manners. After defeating Nadal, the fourth ranked player in the world, Roddick went on to win the entire tournament.
From our perspective, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
Who needs health insurance reform? Anyone who answers that question with anything other than “We do!” should watch the following videos which explain just a bit of the hypocritical, political games being played in Washington. Note that the clips provide proof of the contradictions directly from the speakers’ own mouths. In trials, we used to call that impeaching the witness (an exercise that attacks one’s credibility and effectively renders him untrustworthy).
In the MSM, Rachel Maddow says that she tries to “increase the amount of useful information in the world” and that she’s not trying to “push any particular agenda of any stripe” rather she is trying to make the world “make more sense.” Well, I am glad she does and I hope and pray that people attempt to get the facts rather than believe all the lies and spin being dished out for lobbyists and special interest groups.
And, specifically with respect to health insurance reform, I appreciate Ms. Maddow’s efforts to explain what’s happening on the Hill and how the Democrats should respond.
I am not a proponent of big, bloated bureaucracy (either within the federal government or within private health insurance companies). On the contrary, as a proud hard working former civil servant, I fought hard to ensure accountability, quality and efficiency in our country’s health care system. I saw the waste in the system first hand, so I have reason to support a more efficient government that protects its citizens and rewards hard work. One that inspires its citizens to be the best people they can be, that puts politics aside to achieve goals that are consistent with the founding principles of the country. A government with a brilliant leader who is strong enough to assert firm boundaries in keeping with his family values and to address thorny, controversial, difficult issues head on in a calm and assertive manner. In which its civil servants from the lowliest postal employee to the most senior member of Congress support and assist our president instead of trying to defeat him for their own political gain (or for their largest donors’ political gains).
But, when that’s not possible, perhaps we have to resort to a bit of strong arming. When the government includes factions that seek to undermine sound policies solely to defeat their (perceived) opponent, the majority party should act on behalf of its constituents and do the right thing. Do what those constituents elected the majority to do.
So I agree with Ms. Maddow when she says the Democrats need to stand up to the bullies and refuse to back down. Be a shining example to our children of how to face a bully. Stop playing Mr. Nice Guy who seeks an idealistic but unrealistic bipartisan solution. The perfect or ideal plan is impossible when the other half of that “partisan ship” (so to speak) is determined to sink it.
Let go of the fear and embrace the good enough solution.
Many people have been calling it a Harry Potter knock off. To begin with, the book series is not another Potter. The only comparison one could make is that the main characters are two boys and a girl, and the male protagonist doesn’t fully know about his true powers until he goes somewhere away from home (Camp Half Blood/Hogwarts) to train.
Would Potter ever go to Vegas?!
We both read The Lightning Thief (along with the rest of the books in the series) at a young age and were captivated by how exciting it was. Both of us still consider it the best book we’ve ever read (tied with Stephen Colbert’s I Am America (And So Can You!) and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird). We have also read the Harry Potter books and seen the movies and the Lightning Thief series differs in many ways. The Lightning Thief is a fun way for kids and teens to learn about Greek mythology.
The Lightning Thief brings Greek mythology to the modern world, with the gods and goddesses hidden at the top of the empire state building. Camp Half Blood is the where the demigods gather, the only place they are safe. Demigods are the offspring of a god and mortal, so they are half-human and half-god. Harry Potter, however, is about witchcraft and wizardry. Magic. Contrast that with gods and Greek mythology. Nowhere close to the magic that is described in the Harry Potter series.
Have you seen this promo, where water roars behind Percy?
Percy is the son of Poseidon (god of the seas, which must be noted because the naysayers probably didn’t even know that), not a recently-trained-in-magic Quidditch captain. The people who accused The Lightning Thief of being a cheap knock-off probably didn’t even know that the book was released in 2005, before five of the Harry Potter movies were released. Also, one could make the argument (an inane, ignorant argument) that The Half Blood Prince and Camp Half Blood have something to do with each other. Well, unless Snape’s dad was Zeus or Ares or any other god, they have no connection except for the words “Half Blood.”
Anyway, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series of books was hugely successful, a New York Times #1 Bestseller and given five-star reviews by many, including the writers of this article. The people who criticized The Lightning Thief probably did no (or very little) research and just looked at the ad for the movie while tweeting “Am I the only one that thinks that Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is a total Harry Potter cop-out? #iamnotamused.” (@clawtooth35) or “hilarious: billboards for ‘Percy Jackson and the lightning thief’ don’t even try to hide the fact that it’s a facile Harry Potter ripoff…” (@estherdbrazil) or “the lightning thief dd not lve up 2 my expctations. almost juvenile for my liking. it’s like harry potter with a better looking protagonist.” (@bookletjeff) Uh huh. To quote @pfpaul, “BF#1: “The Lightning Thief looks stupid. It’s exactly like Harry Potter. Different people, same names.” That doesn’t even… “what?!”
Exactly. Different people, same names?! No they don’t…oh, whatever.
