Running 26.2 miles while sucking down polluted urban air wasn’t quite difficult enough for some jogging fools competing in the New York City Marathon last week, so a handful of creative folks decided to extend Halloween an extra day and run the race while donning costumes. Photogs spotted clowns, super heroes, Uncle Sam, nuns and even an apparently alive Michael Jackson. Lucky for you, you didn’t have to travel all the way to the Big Apple to check out all the shenanigans because Buzz Feed has collected images of the 25 best costumes at the 2009 NYC marathon. Enjoy (and feel lazy…
Selected by 3rdacts
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Holy Kaw!
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25 wackiest NYC Marathon costumes
6 Nov 2009 | 11:01 pm -
Tech that refuses to die
6 Nov 2009 | 10:26 pmCall them the Jason Vorhees of technology -- gadgets that just won’t die, no matter how many times you kill ‘em with a chain saw. Tech moves fast, -- remember, like 10 years ago you probably had a pager in your pocket -- but why is it that some technology seems completely resistant to kicking the bucket? From cables that remain tangled under your desk to the hipsters’ audio format of choice, vinyl, CNet highlights eight tech items that refuse to meet the Grim Reaper. Even Twitter makes a surprise entry on the list. Check out the full list, including why the sans business… -
How to change
6 Nov 2009 | 10:09 pmWant to change? Then, according to Peter Bregman, just change one thing. In his case he stopped consuming large amounts of sugar. For me, it would be carbohydrates. But the article isn’t really about dieting—it’s about how to become a better business person, so read it and reap. More Lifehacks. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Guess who is a Glamour woman of the year?
6 Nov 2009 | 9:56 pmIt’s going to be a long time before I post about anything in Glamour, but this is a special occasion. The magazine named Google’s Marissa Mayer as one of the women of the year for 2009. Joining her is “refuse to use Bluetooth” Maria Shriver and others. The only reason Matt Cutts didn’t win is that he’s a man—despite the concerted efforts of SEO consultants around the world to game the voting.. More, albeit less glamourous, news about Google. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Generation Y flocking to Twitter
6 Nov 2009 | 9:37 pmIn 18 short months, Facebook has aged seven years. No, Zucks and crew didn’t spend too much time crisping at the tanning salon; new data from Pew says the median age for Facebook users has gone from 26 in May 2008 to 33 today. So, where have the late 20-somethings started hanging out online? Look around and you’ll find them tweeting away. In December 2008, only 20 percent of people in the 25-34 age bracket used Twitter, but now 31 percent can be found DMing and @ replying. Twitter now claims the second youngest users with a median age of 31. Only MySpace has a younger fan base at…
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Entrepreneur.com
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Refranchising: Should You Buy In?
5 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pmConsider these factors before buying a company-owned franchise unit. -
Take Advantage of Electronic Communication
5 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pmTexts and e-mails could be more effective and less invasive for your collections. -
Market With Meaning
5 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pmDon't offer your customers products--offer them solutions, connections and satisfaction. -
The Intersection of Awareness and New Media
5 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pmSocial media and sustainability converge to create consumers who are more knowledgeable than ever. -
The Irony of the Safe Bet
4 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pmMichael Kahan became a successful entrepreneur after walking away from a 10-year career on Wall Street.
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Fast Company: Features
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BlueBeat’s Hank Risan: That’s Not the Beatles, It’s a "Virtual Cover Band"
6 Nov 2009 | 9:30 pmIf you thought that was AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles you streamed for free or downloaded this week for $.25 from BlueBeat.com, it’s an understandable error. The music sounded identical to songs by those artists. But the site’s owner Hank Risan tells Fast Company his catalog of music doesn’t include tracks by the original artists, who, of course, own the publishing rights to their music (many have long resisted posting their music for sale online). His tunes aren’t technically Beatles tracks at all but, rather, "psycho-acoustic simulations" of Beatles songs… -
Mon Dieu! Apple Store Coming the Louvre
6 Nov 2009 | 3:30 pmThere's a price for everything, even in the Louvre: Tomorrow, Apple will be opening up their very first Parisian Apple Store, and it'll sit in the concourse right below I.M. Pei's glass pyramid. According to Bloomberg, this'll be Apple's 277th store, worldwide. It's set to be slightly smaller than the one on Oxford Circus in London. But it's not tiny: The bilevel store will employ 150 people. You can expect the place to be mobbed. The Louvre concourse is one of the most heavily trafficked places in Paris. It links all of the wings of the Louvre, and visitors to the museum have to pass by… -
Winners Announced in the 2009 World Architecture Festival
6 Nov 2009 | 3:00 pm -
Streaming Video? Forget Myka or Roku and Get Windows 7
6 Nov 2009 | 2:45 pmWe already know Netflix users are begging for easier ways to get streaming video to their TVs--Xbox, PS3, Roku, and Blu-ray players apparently aren't simple enough solutions. Instead, more and more people watch TV and film on their computers while fuming because they can't easily get all that content--Hulu, Netflix, Amazon--in one place. The Myka ION aims to bridge that gap as the first gizmo to stream both Hulu and Boxee to big screens (in addition to running full-fledged PC apps, which let you add other streaming services). But it's not cheap. At $379 (more if you add on a wireless card and… -
Lamp Powered by Phone Lines Is a Sneaky Way to Get Around Energy Costs
6 Nov 2009 | 2:30 pmIs hooking up electronics to a phone jack unethical? Maybe, but the RJ11 lamp can at least save some cash. The lamp, which features 8 LED bulbs, gets power from your phone socket instead of the grid or a USB port. It's a sneaky way to skirt around power meters, but it does siphon cash from the local telco. Still, the RJ11 does bring a new use to increasingly-abandoned landline jacks. And while the lamp may be incredibly ugly, the $4.69 product is a worthwhile science experiment at the very least. Before trying to hook up all your electronics to the phone line, think twice: the voltage that…
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NYT: Small Business
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Tool Kit: Helpful Hints From the Printed Page
5 Nov 2009 | 3:24 amSeveral recently published books may help entrepreneurs cope with tough times. -
Practically Speaking: One in Four Businesses Calls the Owner ‘Ma’am’
4 Nov 2009 | 10:37 pmMore than a quarter of all businesses are women-owned, but a high proportion of those are one-woman shops. Organizations are working to help them size up. -
Op-Ed Contributor: Help Small Businesses Hire Again
4 Nov 2009 | 5:14 pmIn order to ensure that the economic recovery becomes a lasting expansion, the government must enact policy to deal with employment, particularly for small businesses. -
In the Shadow of Yankee Stadium, an Off Year
3 Nov 2009 | 10:33 pmBusinesses near the team’s new stadium say they have not shared in the team’s success this season. -
Burden of Safety Law Imperils Small Toymakers
2 Nov 2009 | 1:40 pmThe law requiring safety standards for products used by children is costly for handcrafters and small businesses.
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Forbes.com
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The Perils Of Outsourcing
6 Nov 2009 | 3:44 pmOne entrepreneur's tale of woe--and the valuable lessons learned. -
Are You An Empire Builder?
5 Nov 2009 | 3:00 pmThe answer involves a lot more than having a sound growth strategy. -
Toppers Pizza Wants A Big Slice Of A Small Pie
5 Nov 2009 | 3:00 pmSoused college kids are a great growth market--if you can handle the late nights. -
Your Online Growth Serum
5 Nov 2009 | 3:00 pmIs YouTube a one-off hit maker or a strategic marketing tool? -
Extreme Growth Gambles
5 Nov 2009 | 3:00 pmAggressive strategies--some wise, some worrisome--for dealing with stubbornly flat demand.
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NYT: The New Old Age
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The Bright Side of C.C.R.C.'s
6 Nov 2009 | 6:00 amOne couple's rationale for moving to a C.C.R.C. -
'Mom Always Liked You Best'
3 Nov 2009 | 10:41 amWhy the favored child, not the most qualified, becomes the caregiver. -
Limited Mobility of Another Sort
28 Oct 2009 | 12:28 pmIn a continuing care retirement community, the nursing home is close at hand, but that doesn't make it easy for residents to move there. -
Maybe Grief Isn't So Bad After All
22 Oct 2009 | 9:30 amAn optimistic new book finds that grief is something people cope with "often more easily than they thought possible." -
Easing Tensions in the Nursing Home
19 Oct 2009 | 9:12 amConflicts between family members and nursing home staff may be familiar, but they are not inevitable, researchers say.
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Octogenarian
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To the loyal readers of Octogenarian
25 Oct 2009 | 2:45 pmThis is being written by Mort's wife...About 10 days ago Mort was severely injured while driving his car out of his garage.He's had two back surgeries and has not regained mobility in one of his legs.It will take months of rehab before he's back writing on his beloved blog.I wanted to thank everyone for all of their wonderful comments over the years.They have meant the world to him and you have brought much joy to his later years.My family and I look forward to the day when he can return to working on his blog again. Sybil -
MEMOIR: When Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas rented my old apartment
4 Oct 2009 | 1:00 pmAfter sharing apartments in Washington, D.C. for three years with other young bachelors, I reached a sufficient state of affluence in 1951 to rent my own apartment. My new home was Apartment 233 at 3701 Connecticut Ave., N.W. It was defined as a "studio apartment." It consisted of a single room, a Pullman kitchen, a tiny dressing alcove, and a bathroom.Despite the limited facilities, I was now privileged to live in a brand-new, centrally air-conditioned building that had been advertised as a "luxury" apartment house. I was among its first tenants.As an upscale building, it featured a… -
Isaac Bashevis Singer vs. Marc Chagall
24 Sep 2009 | 12:38 pmIsaac Bashevis Singer, the Nobel laureate in literature who wrote in Yiddish, is my favorite author. In 1975, taking a break from my regular work as a journalist who specialized in business, I wrote profiles about him that were published in the New York Times Magazine and the now-defunct Harper's Bookletter.As I disclosed in my previous blog post, I am now preparing to move from my home in New Jersey, where I have lived for nearly 25 years, to become a year-round resident of Florida. This involves the painful need to explore and discard decades of files no longer needed.Among my discoveries… -
Jimmy Carter: Enemy of peace
9 Sep 2009 | 1:31 pmI don't normally publish material written by others on this blog. I am making an exception here to publicize this article by Israeli journalist Ben-Dror Yemini, which exposes ex-President Jimmy Carter as a phony "peace activist." As an accomplished Israel-basher, Carter continues to feed the Palestinian rejectionism that has prevented the establishment of a genuine and equitable peace in the Middle East.----Are the so-called "peace activists" actually the enemies of peace? The fascinating case of Jimmy Carter requires a special look. Carter recently visited Israel-–one of his many visits… -
MEMOIR: How I almost became a Texan
5 Sep 2009 | 1:05 pmGeorge W. Bush was born in New Haven, Conn. to a patrician family of staid New Englanders. When he was a child, the family moved to Midland, Texas. Their new home town was then a small, bustling oil town that was culturally and socially far removed from their prim, sedate community in Connecticut.I have often wondered how different Bush would have been had his parents not moved to Texas with their children. Would the ex-President's personality have reflected the traditional style of his New England forebears? Or would he still have still turned out to be like the stereotypical, macho,…
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Selling to Seniors
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The Palisades
5 Nov 2009 | 1:26 pmTwo prominent experts in Boomer and senior marketing critique a print ad from The Palisades, an independent, assisted-living and memory-care facility in Colorado Springs. -
Direct Mail Still Works for the 65+ Demographic
5 Nov 2009 | 12:50 pmWith the proliferation of social media and electronic advertising, some marketers who specialize in the senior market feel pressured to abandon their tried-and-true direct-mail advertising in favor of new media. But an expert in senior marketing advises these marketers to resist the pressure because direct mail is still working for this demographic. -
Aging Japanese Need Innovative Products to Aid with Life Skills
5 Nov 2009 | 12:48 pmThe Japanese population already has the highest median age and the longest life expectancy in the world. Yet marketers there largely ignore the "silver market," or shirubā, at a time when this population needs innovative products and technology the most. -
Boomer Women Paying Premiums for High-Quality Beauty Products
5 Nov 2009 | 12:47 pmVibrant Nation recently surveyed the 60,000 women ages 50+ who receive the company's newsletter and visit its website weekly. The topic: how they buy beauty products and services. This survey confirmed that these Boomer women may be the last consumers standing in hard times—59% said that they are willing to pay more for higher-quality ingredients in beauty products, even during the current economic climate. -
Net Surfing Can Help Preserve Brain Function in Older Adults
5 Nov 2009 | 12:45 pmResearchers have found that older adults who started browsing the Web experienced improved brain function after only a few days. The research, which was presented in Chicago recently at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, takes the use-it-or-lose-it concept into the 21st century.
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Learning Later, Living Greater
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2 Nov 2009 | 5:27 am
2 Nov 2009 | 5:27 amA Travel StoryRead my story about how an educational travel program changed my life at http://www.where2nowmag.com It was a lot of fun going back into my old album and putting this story together. It brought back lots of nice memories, and looking at it from my new perspective, I was able to see how it really did change my life. Wow! -
26 Oct 2009 | 7:20 am
26 Oct 2009 | 7:20 amMORE SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS & ONLINE EXPOSURESPEAKING ENGAGEMENTSNovember 19 – Heritage Heights Community, Concord, NH – 2 p.m. TalkNovember 20 – Power Women Magazine Internet Radio – 12 Noon (ET) www.blogtalkradio.com/powerwomenmagNovember 30 – Hillcrest Terrace Community, Manchester, NH – 2:30 p.m. TalkONLINE EXPOSUREBe sure to check outwww.wowzoneradioshow.com/learninglatercom.htmlwww.computersavvyseniors.blogspot.comwww.babyboomerknowledgecenter.comwww.retirementlifematters.comwww.vibrantnation.comFollow me on Twitter and Facebook and become a Fan ofLearning Later, Living… -
9 Oct 2009 | 5:39 am
9 Oct 2009 | 5:39 amMy calendar is filling up with speaking engagements & radio interviews.October 15 – www.where2nowmag.com – InterviewNovember 19 – Heritage Heights Community, Concord, NH – 2 p.m. TalkNovember 20 – Power Women Magazine Internet Radio – 12 Noon (ET) www.blogtalkradio.com/powerwomenmagNovember 30 – Hillcrest Terrace Community, Manchester, NH – 2:30 p.m. TalkFollow me on Twitter and Facebook and become a Fan of Learning Later, Living Greater on Facebook.Spreading the word about the power of lifelong learning in our After-50 years is my passion, and I welcome speaking… -
25 Aug 2009 | 5:40 am
25 Aug 2009 | 5:40 amMy calendar is filling up with speaking engagements & radio interviews. September 15 – Atkinson, NH Library – 6:30 p.m.September 22 – Tewksbury, MA Library – 6:30 p.m.November 20 – Power Women Magazine Internet Radio – 12 Noon (ET) www.blogtalkradio.com/powerwomenmagFollow me on Twitter and Facebook and become a Fan of"Learning Later, Living Greater" on Facebook.Spreading the word about the power of lifelong learning in our After-50 years is my passion, and I welcome speaking engagement requests. I also develop workshops and courses around the concept, benefits and… -
3 Aug 2009 | 5:04 am
3 Aug 2009 | 5:04 amUPCOMING TALKS & INTERVIEWS8/10/09 - Salem, NH Senior Center - 12:30 p.m.9/15/09 - Atkinson, NH Library - 6:30 p.m.9/22/09 - Tewksbury, MA Library - 6:30 p.m.11/20/09 - PowerWomen Magazine Radio Interview- 12 Noon (ET) www.blogtalkradio.com/powerwomenmag.comCheck out my daily postings on Twitter and Facebook and become a Fan of Learning Later, Living Greater on Facebook.You can also find me on: www.computerschoolforseniors.comwww.computersavvyseniors.blogspot.comwww.boomerauthority.ning.comwww.babyboomerknowledgecenter.comwww.growingbolder.comwww.elderhostel.org/ein/intro.asp
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About.com: Senior Living
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Remember Michael Jackson in 1969?
4 Nov 2009 | 12:12 pmWith Michael Jackson's untimely death and the debut of the hit film, This Is It--about preparations for the concert tour he died too soon to make--many people only think of Michael Jackson as an odd but talented adult. We remember Michael Jackson before he became the King of Pop and a controversial figure. It was 40 years ago when Michael Jackson made his public debut as the cute 10-year-old prodigy and lead singer of The Jackson 5 (in August 1969), and when he and his brothers released their first single (in October 1969) and their first album (in December 1969). It doesn't seem like 40… -
CDC Says Older Adults Unlikely to Need Early H1N1 Vaccine
29 Oct 2009 | 10:09 pmThe US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that people age 65 and older do NOT get early doses of the H1N1 vaccine, for two main reasons: Older adults are not in the high risk group for the H1N1 virus (also known as swine flu). The CDC reports that so far in 2009, only 1.3 people out of 100,000 people age 65 or older have contracted the H1N1 virus. There is currently a shortage of the vaccine, and medical and government officials want to make sure there are enough H1N1 vaccine doses for people in high risk groups, including children, pregnant women and people with chronic illnesses. -
Need Help Remembering If You Took Your Pills? Pat Your Head
28 Oct 2009 | 4:04 amHave you ever taken a pill--vitamin or medication--and immediately forgotten that you took it? Me too, and forgetting if you took your pills must be fairly common. Or researchers at Washington University in St. Louis wouldn't have done a study about it. The study revealed that older adults who have to do something every day--like taking a pill, for example--often have no trouble remembering to do it. They just can't remember if they did it. Forgetting can lead to taking another pill--and the dangers of overmedication. Read more...Need Help Remembering If You Took Your Pills? Pat Your Head… -
In National H1N1 Emergency, Don't Forget Your Seasonal Flu Shot
24 Oct 2009 | 2:20 pmPresident Obama has signed a declaration making the H1N1 virus a national emergency. The declaration can make it easier for local governments and health agencies to set up alternate sites to provide the vaccine and treatment for huge numbers of people who are expected to want the vaccine. With all the publicity for H1N1, don't forget about your seasonal flu shot. Read more...In National H1N1 Emergency, Don't Forget Your Seasonal Flu Shot originally appeared on About.com Senior Living on Saturday, October 24th, 2009 at 21:20:47.Permalink | Comment | Email this -
HHS to Create National Resource Center for LGBT Older Adults
22 Oct 2009 | 9:28 amTo address a national need for culturally-sensitive community support and services for lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) adults age 60 and older, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced plans to establish the first national resource center. Read more...HHS to Create National Resource Center for LGBT Older Adults originally appeared on About.com Senior Living on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 16:28:33.Permalink | Comment | Email this
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Senior Living Information Blog
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Memory Walk 09 update
3 Nov 2009 | 7:18 amI received an update on how we did back in September! There were about 5,500 people present on the day of the walk which is amazing and to this day more than $850,000 was raised. Thanks again to everyone who... -
Changes in Senior Living
2 Nov 2009 | 5:53 amWe have also noticed that the market has become even more competitive than every before. I have seen a lot of communities that are spending money on capital investments in order to compete with the brand new communities down the... -
AAHSA Idea House Continued
1 Nov 2009 | 3:40 pmI have some more information on the Idea House that will be at the AAHSA Meeting and Expo next week in Chicago. Before I even get into all the cool technology and design, its work noting that sustainable design features... -
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging "Idea House"
31 Oct 2009 | 6:18 amThe 2009 AAHSA Annual Meeting in Expo this is year is in Chicago at the McCormick Place. This year they are featuring a full scale, 2600 SQFT home which includes and demonstrates cutting edge design and technology from more than... -
The economy and senior living
30 Oct 2009 | 7:38 amSince I brought up the fact that I get asked a lot about how the economy is affecting the senior living industry, I felt I could probably talk more about it here as well. While as a whole, our business...
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Changing Aging
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10 Affordable Places to Retire on the Water
6 Nov 2009 | 10:01 amNot one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes made the list of "Affordable Places on the Water to Retire" by U.S. News and World Report. Here's the magazine's top picks: •Bella Vista, Ark. •Bismarck, N.D. •Cape Coral, Fla. •Dover, Del. •Dubuque, Iowa •Fairhope, Ala. •Lake Jackson, Texas •Loveland, Colo. •Richland, Wash. •Traverse City, Mich. -
Toyota Commercial - Something I've Never Seen
6 Nov 2009 | 8:39 amThe other morning during the TODAY Show (not cheap ad space) an ad ran for the Toyota RAV 4. You know how some commercials portray "real people" or "tell stories?" This ad featured a home care nurse, sharing how she drives a lot for her job. And then it showed her driving in her new Toyota RAV 4 to one of her customer's homes - a senior woman. I've never seen that portrayal in a major TV ad spot. Good job, Toyota. -
Tatoos for all Ages
5 Nov 2009 | 9:21 amPhoto by Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune "Getting a tattoo is just something I've always wanted to do; I've seen so many pretty ones," said Millie Gignac, 89, a former benefits director for Sperry Univac, founder of its retirees club and a volunteer for Dakota County social services and the Minnesota Historical Society. "At my age, I thought I'd better get going. After I got mine, the gal next door got one, too, on her back." Her interest in tattoos might have seemed remarkable even 10 years ago, but no more. Good for Millie. Read more about Millie and… -
Transforming the Aging Experience by Eskaton
28 Oct 2009 | 4:14 pmAging is a movement . . . Eskaton, which provides senior housing and services in Northern California, is Changing Aging in America. For a great resource, we encourage you to download their new vision book: Transforming the Aging Experience. As Todd Murch, their president and CEO wrote to fellow transformationalists: Unique from many other human conditions, aging does not discriminate. It is as inclusive as it is inevitable. So whether received as a conversation starter, a catalyst or an action plan, Eskaton's confidence in publishing "Transforming the Aging… -
Interior Design and Senior Housing Development - What Opportunity for Community Connections
26 Oct 2009 | 12:27 pmThere's a reason not just anyone does interior design in new Ecumen senior housing communities. There is an art and science to the labor of love of design. In this post in Ecumen's senior housing development blog, our interior design team member Jill Schroeder shares insights on going "local" to create better design and community. Our interior design team members add a myriad of very creative, local touches, such as local ranch branding irons incorporated into the stairwells on our recent Idaho project, historic local photos seamlessly integrated throughout our…
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Serene Ambition
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Giving Up 'Giving Up'
5 Nov 2009 | 9:01 pmBy Jim Selman | Bio My partner and I were recently enjoying one of those lazy weekend mornings just chatting about life in general when we got onto the subject of getting older and how we feel about it all. I made the point that my passion and The Eldering Institute® is about transforming our culture’s view of aging and teaching people that we can change how we relate to the future—and, as a consequence, we can have more choices, more possibility and more ‘aliveness’ than what most people can expect as they grow older. Moreover, I reasoned, once people are empowered as they… -
Ageism 2009
1 Nov 2009 | 9:01 pmBy Jim Selman | Bio There is nothing new about ageism, other than the fact that there are increasing numbers of people growing older (which means increasing numbers of examples of age discrimination against older people). The latest statistics from AARP show formal anti-discrimination complaints are up roughly 30% in the workplace. I had some fun with this in my recent blog, proposing we create the National Organization of Pissed-Off Elders (N.O.P.E.). However, it isn’t a laughing matter when we see a potentially tragic problem growing in our society that can be prevented. -
Harold's Story - Part 3
29 Oct 2009 | 9:01 pmBy Stuart J. Whitley | Bio I read somewhere that good decision-making—indeed, good relations—depends upon a virtuous cycle of respect, trust and candour (which takes some time to establish, but which can easily be interrupted). Attitude, after all, is everything. Perhaps that last statement needs a bit of refinement: the ethical attitude is everything. By that I mean the determination of the answer to the age-old question: who is right? Was Harold right to -
Harold's Story - Part 2
28 Oct 2009 | 9:01 pmBy Stuart J. Whitley | Bio Einstein is supposed to have said that the most important decision we ever make is whether the world is a good place or a bad place. I don’t believe that we consciously make that decision—we are taught to believe it, one way or the other, and the most difficult lesson of all to unlearn is that we live in a hostile universe. There are just too many confirmatory events that tend to erode our courage to think differently. Current strategies in -
Harold' Story - Part 1
27 Oct 2009 | 9:01 pmBy Stuart J. Whitley | BioI had lunch with an old friend, a Tlingit elder, Harold, today. I’ve known Harold for nearly a dozen years. And I know him to be a serious, thoughtful man; he’s someone who has taught me many things, not the least of which was the powerful consequence of even the smallest positive intervention in someone’s life. I have seen it in action: Harold is the embodiment of Emerson’s dictum that
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GenBetween
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Will Texting Affect Childrens’ Spelling?
6 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pmAs more and more people (children and adults) use text messaging as a means of communication via their cell phones, will we find that correct spelling becomes obsolete? Image: sxc.hu Many young people use numbers and letters (4 instead of for, u for you) to speed up the process so they often don’t remember the correct spelling. Adults also have developed this trend, and I find myself (as a teacher, author and English minor) doing the same. However, most adults have learned to correctly spell. Many youngsters have not, so they begin to substitute the text spelling into their work at… -
A Potty Question: Using the Potty
6 Nov 2009 | 5:20 pmThis category is full of everything from getting kids ready for school to picking out those summer fun activities. So it shouldn’t surprize you that when someone emailed and asked me:IMG: Elizabeth Ferree My son is 3 years old and refusing use his potty chair. Any recommendations? My first question would be to ask if something has happened between said child and the toilet? I remember my 3 year old reacting the same way just after she learned to use her new potty, only it tried eating her. That’s what she said when she came running out of the bathroom holding her butt in her… -
Why Laughter Really is the Best Medicine
6 Nov 2009 | 7:28 amI swiped this from my sister’s Facebook page. It’s a great feel-good video aptly named “Anti-Depression Video.” I think any parent would dig this. For centuries, people have touted the benefits of laughter. Experts say that a good laugh can reduce stress by relaxing tense muscles and energizing you by sending more oxygen into your bloodstream. It has also been shown to lower blood pressure. Loma Linda University School of Medicine researchers Drs. Lee Berk and Stanley Tan have conducted studies that show laughter lowers serum cortisol levels, increases the amount of activated T… -
Children’s Small Treasures Appreciated
5 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pmDo you have “small treasures” made by children and grandchildren that you’ve saved over the years? Do these take on special significance for you? Pincushion Image: sxc.hu I’ve saved a number of these and find the memories joyful. ONe is a pincushion my daughter made by herself and gave me as a surprise Christmas gift when she was about eight years old. Even though she’s grown with a daughter in college, I still use this and treasure it. My daughter has Christmas ornaments her son and daughter made in art class in elementary school. Each year she puts them… -
Making Christmas Gifts with Children
4 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pmMaking Christmas gifts with your children can be a fun family project and one that creates happy memories, too. Image:sxc.hu It’s not too early to start these projects so you’ll have plenty of time and won’t be rushed in December. When my daughter was small, we were involved in many types of crafts and often made gifts for our holiday giving. (Grandparents, especially, express appreciation for these items…whether they’re really useful or not!) What types of items can you and your youngsters create? This all depends on the age of the children. Woven and…
