Kudos to Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ive and everyone else at Apple.

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.

What a different world it was. It was all about the software. Or so some people thought.

Who predicted that you would be bigger than Microsoft?

Not many.

But you are. I consider it a magnificent accomplishment, worthy of some applause and respect.

Instead, you get an uproar over death grips and faulty antennas.

Many (most?) iPhone owners don’t mind a little frustration and imperfection.

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 another 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.

Oh, and FaceTime?

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.


Google Opt Out Feature Lets Users Protect Privacy By Moving To Remote Village

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.

My kids and I made a video in which 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 and nasty email messages 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. At all. I have absolutely no desire to do such a thing. Perhaps she was thinking of someone else. I left a response to that effect.

Then the commenter insisted and referred to remarks I made in a video* well over a year ago in which I had griped about a radio broadcast not sufficiently acknowledging 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 my new position 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 strongly encouraged my sisters and me to “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.

But, back to that video.

It was the host’s apparent, in my opinion, lack of respect for stay-at-home moms in a radio broadcast last year that set me off because she didn’t seem to respect my situation. Add to that the many looks, lifted noses, snide comments, and disrespectful eye rolls I’ve endured over the years (and an unreasonably long and frustrating visit to Costco on that particular day) and you have an impromptu, unscripted, once in a lifetime-and-never-again-since monologue, which appeared only briefly and has long since been removed. I have nothing personal against the host (and mentioned that in the video).

More importantly, I have nothing against working moms. On the contrary, I have great respect, if not a bit of envy, for them and very much enjoyed being one myself.

In the video, I asked her to respect and value stay-at-home moms. In fact, the video was intended to be an impassioned plea for that respect. Its sentiments do not mean that I disrespect people who are working moms. Again, I was a working mom, my mom and my mother-in-law were working moms, my sister and sisters-in-law are working moms.

I am against disrespect of women — all women.

When someone says, “LeBron James should get more respect” that doesn’t mean she’s saying, “Kobe Bryant stinks.” Just because someone passionately defends one position does not mean she is attacking another.

In the video I also said, “I have worked hard to continue to value my friends’ choices, those who did decide to stay in the workplace…I am not judging them. Everybody has to do what they have to do.”

And finally, “I’m just asking you…to have a little more tolerance, understanding and respect…for stay-at-home moms.”

I have heard people disdainfully say, “Oh, well, she’s just a stay-at-home mom” as if I’m less than other women.

And that’s just wrong. We all deserve respect.**

Frankly, I have the most respect for women who find themselves in a position where they don’t really have a choice at all – those who have to work.

My mom was a woman like that, God rest her soul. My dad died when I was a teen and left her a working mom with three kids. I adored and deeply respected my mother.

And I also respect women who stay at home with their kids.

The problem is this ongoing war between women full of displaced anger that leads nowhere. I think people who judge and criticize either category of women simply for being in those categories are mad at the wrong people. We all do the best we can and deal with the challenges we face.

I mean, what comes from evaluating who is the bigger victim? Or who has greater value?

All women have value and deserve respect.

Instead, we should focus on finding ways to adequately support parents. Unless a woman has extended family living nearby or adequate daycare, she’s left with no real choice. We should work together to find ways to provide enough support for all parents to empower them to make real choices that are right for their families.

The point is that I hope that moms, indeed all parents, can work together and stop this divisiveness.

And that’s the bottom line.

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and now…

back to…

Today’s Mantra: Ignore the haters and don’t feed the trolls.

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Endnote:

I promised on the OWN Show site that I would include a bit about how someone might deal with this on a show.

Well, first of all, let’s put an end to the destructive Mommy Wars and focus on finding a solution. Bring in experts, perhaps policymakers who can affect change, nonprofit leaders who work on family/work life issues, and others interested in finding solutions.

There are systemic problems in society that prevent women from having real choices. Some women stay at home with their children because they lack choices. Some women stay in the workforce because they lack choices. If women don’t have choice, can they be truly liberated?

Some women can’t afford daycare or have difficulty finding adequate childcare. As Claire Shipman and Katty Kay found in their book, “Womenomics,” if women had adequate support and flexibility, they could continue their careers. When I met the authors, I told them that if some of the tools they suggest in their book had been available back when I was a working mom, I might have been able to continue my beloved career.

Attaching labels, engaging in finger pointing and displaying misplaced anger are destructive and hurtful actions. Frankly, I am more than some label. I am a well-educated woman who is doing the best she can with the hand she was dealt. And I’d say that’s true of most, if not all, women.

Why not find the commonality?

We’re all mothers.

So we should focus on supporting each other. In this case we could talk about freedom of choice.  Focus on improving the opportunity for choices for women in the workplace, by using all this energy that’s effectively wasted in shouting matches and “She said…she said…” battles and, instead, establishing something like “Freedom for Mothers,” a feminist woman’s movement.

The Shipman/Kay book would be a terrific springboard or at least a good starting point.

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*The video appeared well over a year ago on this blog for a very brief period of time and has long since been removed. It appeared only as a video post, with no written words, and the headline, “Memo to Jean Chatzky: Stay-at-Home Moms Have Value Too.” It received six positive comments and no negative comments.

**Anyone who knows me or has followed my blog and/or read a majority of my 246+ posts would know that I believe that.

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Updated with coverage of the oil spill!

Check it out:

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.

And, yeah, they’re on Facebook, 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.

This fact becomes especially important if you have teen drivers.

April 30 is National No-Phone Zone Day, declared to raise awareness about the dangers of using a phone while driving.

I’m on board and signed the pledge. Will you?

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…

Then I heard about an initiative launched by The Pearson Foundation and Penguin Young Readers Group called We Give Books, and I was excited to learn more.

What a wonderful idea! Read a book. Give a book.

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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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.

Congratulations, crocodile Andy!

You’re a great player and a heckuva nice guy. Here’s hoping you get some well-deserved Grand Slam titles!!

Just watch:



Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

and this:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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.

Take a moment to check out this video:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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.

You may have heard of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, the movie that came out Friday, February 12, 2010.

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.

We just disagree.

Go see The Lightning Thief.

Let us know what you think.

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