Last week, the New York Times published an article on two New York City schools’ attempt to teach character. The schools identified a list of strengths most likely to predict happiness and life achievement: zest, grit, self-control, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism and curiosity.
So, what do you believe constitutes “good character?” Bonus question: how does one build character?
Image from psd’s flickr.
Ripped from today’s headlines: Cats acting weird! Dogs gone bonkers! Parakeets not acting right! When will this end? Who can decipher why they do what they do? Cesar Milan is at a loss for words!
OK, seriously. Pets. We’ve got ’em. They do weird things. What are the weirdest things yours do?
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As in, stuff you’ve asked people to send you via emails automatically every day or week.
Word-a-Day aka Wordsmith, been getting this one for years, since before the interwebs were invented, no, really. Definitions, etymology, examples of usage that are often quite snotty/amusing. Its founder, Anu Garg, is the pleasant gentleman pictured to the left.
A booksellers’ listserv. Several rare-books catalogues. A couple of auction houses that do book-auctions. Weekly book reviews from the New York Times. Publishers Weekly news, a daily service. News-alerts from the Economist. I got the Guardian’s fashion articles for a while, but then decided I didn’t like people telling me what to wear. Continue reading
I have become increasingly obsessed with Star Trek: The Next Generation lately. It’s because I married a Dork-American. My husband adores all things Star Trek (and Star Wars, and Battledork Gallectica, and Game of Dorks, but that’s not what we’re talking about here). Thus began my exposure. And my attraction to certain characters, which only intensified when I had the pleasure of seeing Patrick Stewart on Broadway in MacBeth a few years ago. Continue reading
One of the weird things about the Internet is that we talk so much but hear so little. The Internet has adopted text, photos, video, but never really audio. And audio matters. Without it, we miss the accent, emphasis and intonation through which so much information is passed when talking. There’s no missing sarcasm in person, but often there’s no spotting sarcasm on the Internet.
In the interests of enhancing communication among Crasstalkers, especially for the estimated 20% of the population said to be auditory learners, the question of the day is this: What celebrity do you most sound like? Continue reading
Michelle Bachmann, David Wu, Joe Wilson, Anthony Weiner, Allen West; the list goes on and on. Our elected delegates have a knack for making us look bad and wishing we were from another state. We all have one, a representative for our state, riding, constituency, etc., that defies logic, reason, and common sense on a regular basis and makes us cringe. Today’s Question of the day: Which of your national representatives make you facepalm?
Mine is pictured here, Virgina Foxx from Banner Elk, NC. Continue reading
We’ve all had a dirty job or two, haven’t we? We had to get through high school and college working a series of demeaning and often unsanitary part time jobs. Today’s Question: What is the dirtiest job you’ve ever done? Continue reading
A cold drink on a hot day is heaven. Whether you drop frozen berries in your glass of pinot gris, keep ice-cold beer close at hand, or cool your liver with a steady stream of gin and tonics, everyone has a summer drink. Today’s question of the day: What is your favorite summer libation?
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It’s hot as hell out there! At least for those of us who live in changeable climates. Continue reading
The radio is one of the most important inventions of the 19th century. It transformed the way we communicate and opened a world of potential in entertainment. Y’all seem like a public and talk radio crowd. Today’s QOTD: What are your favorite radio programs? Continue reading