Spotify, Apple Music
, Google Play Music, blah blah blah… change the record, can’t you? Stand out from the crowd by using one of these lesser-known jukebox apps to listen to your tunes on your smartphone. In the end you might find you prefer using them to the more well-known alternatives.
Tesla may be willing to stump up a lot of cash to meet brisk demand for the Model 3, but it still can’t do this alone — not when Panasonic is pouring $1.6 billion into the Gigafactory needed to make the electric car’s batteries. Thankfully, the Jap…
Lhakpa Sherpa is the daughter of tea-house owners, and she spent her childhood along a trekking route in an isolated village that hugs the steep slopes of the world’s grandest mountain range, the Himalayas.
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Many commencement speakers at college graduations encourage students to run into life right “out of the gate” — or any number of other metaphors involving hustle.
Not Mo Rocca.
The comic and television personality told the graduating class at Sarah Lawrence College on Friday that it does not all need to happen right away.
Experimenting — and even dawdling — through your post-college years is sometimes the best way to discover the passions that will propel you in life, Rocca argued.
“Many people will tell you – as they told me – that time is of the essence,” Rocca said. “Many people will tell you ruefully that youth is wasted in on the young. Many people will warn you that in an ever more competitive economy the clock is ticking.”
“Well, many people are wrong,” he quipped. “You’ve got time.”
Rocca went on to describe the circuitous route he took to becoming a successful screen presence and writer with some funny anecdotal gems.
After graduating college, Rocca studied Kabuki in Japan, did odd jobs in his hometown outside Washington, D.C., and scored the role of Doody in the Southeast Asia tour of a production of the musical “Grease,” he recalled.
Rocca subsequently got his start in television as a writer for the PBS series “Wishbone,” about a dog that imagines himself taking part in famous literary dramas.
The Emmy Award-winning show has something of a nostalgic cult following among millennials who watched it as pre-teens in the 1990s. And Rocca’s revelation of his little-known work on “Wishbone” almost makes the speech newsworthy in itself.
But that wasn’t his big break. Living in characterless Dallas suburbs during production of “Wishbone” prompted even more soul-searching and sent him on a tour of late 19th and early 20th century presidential residences in the midwest, according to Rocca.
The self-assigned road trip fired Rocca up about American history.
A colorful turn at the Indianapolis residence of our illustrious 29th president, Benjamin Harrison, was apparently especially memorable.
If someone asks you, ‘What are you working on these days?’ It’s OK to say ‘My personal life, because it does require work.
Rocca then parlayed his “passion for the material” into the gig as a correspondent for “The Daily Show” that launched him to national fame.
“There was no grand five-year plan,” Rocca said of his accidental stardom. “Because five-year plans usually don’t work. You know who liked five-year plans? Josef Stalin. Not a great role model.”
Rocca has not forsaken his love of American history for the entertainment world, of course. He applied his comic talents to the subject matter in the 2004 book, All the Presidents’ Pets: The Story of One Reporter Who Refused to Roll Over.
You might have seen Rocca lately on CBS’ “Sunday Morning,” where he is a correspondent, or on his Cooking Channel show, “My Grandmother’s Ravioli.”
The openly gay reporter delivered the first Bible reading at Pope Francis’ mass in Madison Square Garden in New York City in September, in an act activists applauded because of the Catholic Church’s opposition to homosexuality.
Rocca concluded his remarks at Sarah Lawrence with a series of smart and amusing advice for various challenging scenarios that recent college grads — and really all people — are likely to encounter.
“If someone asks you, ‘What are you working on these days?’ It’s OK to say ‘My personal life,’” he said. “Because it does require work.”
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image: created by author
EDITORS: PLEASE USE THIS IMAGE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
I wish I had written this letter in the Fall, when school started. As a teacher, you are the next most important and influential person in my child’s life. As the school year ends, cards and gifts will flow to you with words of gratitude and how teachers change the world one child at a time. I appreciate your endless hours, thankless moments where you are up until midnight preparing for the next day. I am grateful for your ongoing education and creativity in finding ways to make old subjects sound new and fresh. For these things, I am forever grateful.
Teachers are some of the most important people who walk this planet. Since you are so very important in my child’s life, I should have explained that when you exclude my child with life-threatening food allergies during activities and celebrations, the impact goes far beyond the blurry eyes trying to hide tears.
My child’s heart breaks.
My child interprets the exclusion and inconvenience of her health issue as a loud and clear rejection. You are a hero. You bring new adventures, ideas and concepts. Students leave your classroom packed with knowledge and excitement for the next year. My child also leaves feeling deflated and her admiration for you is so strong, she would never tell you how hurtful and painful the year was. Let me explain what exclusion has meant to my family over the years:
How to EXCLUDE a student with life-threatening food allergies
I know managing food allergies in every classroom is not simple with an easy one size fits all solution. I realize there are kids with autism, diabetes and religious beliefs that need to be addressed. This problem is perplexing to all of us, hence, why we are desperate for a cure. As the disease grows, so do the problems. Until a cure is found, we are all affected. I should have asked and helped you to better understand inclusion and what it means to my child. This is my fault and I take responsibility. I don’t expect you to understand the in’s and out’s chronic illness and the effects.
How to INCLUDE a student with life-threatening food allergies
As you can see, you are very special, loved and important in my child’s life, but I failed to teach you how important you are and when you exclude, my child’s heart and spirit breaks. Next year, I promise to have this conversation with you before school starts. It only takes a few moments to include a child by typing an extra sentence or re-phrasing a word and tapping into your intelligence to find great solutions. Thank you again for your endless hours of unsung work and for being special in my child’s life.
Next year, together, we’ll do this right.
Sincerely,
A mother of a child who adores you
visit Gratefulfoodie.com for more food allergy conversation
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OK, let’s be clear. These very phallic lipsticks aren’t really a new thing.
They’ve been around since at least 2013, based on Amazon reviews. But after Instagram user prozac_morris posted a photo of them Thursday and BuzzFeed subsequently wrote about them, the veiny products are rearing their glittery heads all over the Internet.
Which isn’t really surprising. Like, get a load of these photos (sorry).
Judging by those Amazon reviews, the penis lipsticks — made by a company called Mushroom — are actually pretty good quality. The one complaint people seem to have is that they sometimes get squished in transit. And nobody wants a smashed penis.
While they seem like a perfect item for bachelorette parties or similar events, we’re kinda more interested in just whipping these out for everyday use, if only to see the reactions of scandalized passers-by.
But if you’re too afraid of drawing unwanted attention, don’t worry — like any lipstick, we suspect it will lose its shape soon enough. And if it maintains its rigid form for too long, maybe you should call a doctor.
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Body language provides an amazing amount of information on what other people are thinking if you know what to look for. And who hasn’t wanted to read people’s minds at some point?
You already pick up on more body language cues than you’re consciously aware of. UCLA research has shown that only 7% of communication is based on the actual words we say. As for the rest, 38% comes from tone of voice and the remaining 55% comes from body language. Learning how to become aware of and to interpret that 55% can give you a leg up with other people.
When you’re working hard and doing all you can to achieve your goals, anything that can give you an edge is powerful and will streamline your path to success.
TalentSmart has tested more than a million people and found that the upper echelons of top performance are filled with people who are high in emotional intelligence (90% of top performers, to be exact). These people know the power that unspoken signals have in communication, and they monitor body language accordingly.
Next time you’re in a meeting (or even on a date or playing with your kids), watch for these cues:
Crossed arms and legs signal resistance to your ideas. Crossed arms and legs are physical barriers that suggest the other person is not open to what you’re saying. Even if they’re smiling and engaged in a pleasant conversation, their body language tells the story. Gerard I. Nierenberg and Henry H. Calero videotaped more than 2,000 negotiations for a book they wrote on reading body language, and not a single one ended in an agreement when one of the parties had their legs crossed while negotiating. Psychologically, crossed legs or arms signal that a person is mentally, emotionally, and physically blocked off from what’s in front of them. It’s not intentional, which is why it’s so revealing.
Real smiles crinkle the eyes. When it comes to smiling, the mouth can lie but the eyes can’t. Genuine smiles reach the eyes, crinkling the skin to create crow’s feet around them. People often smile to hide what they’re really thinking and feeling, so the next time you want to know if someone’s smile is genuine, look for crinkles at the corners of their eyes. If they aren’t there, that smile is hiding something.
Copying your body language is a good thing. Have you ever been in a meeting with someone and noticed that every time you cross or uncross your legs, they do the same? Or perhaps they lean their head the same way as yours when you’re talking? That’s actually a good sign. Mirroring body language is something we do unconsciously when we feel a bond with the other person. It’s a sign that the conversation is going well and that the other party is receptive to your message. This knowledge can be especially useful when you’re negotiating, because it shows you what the other person is really thinking about the deal.
Posture tells the story. Have you ever seen a person walk into a room, and immediately, you have known that they were the one in charge? That effect is largely about body language, and often includes an erect posture, gestures made with the palms facing down, and open and expansive gestures in general. The brain is hardwired to equate power with the amount of space people take up. Standing up straight with your shoulders back is a power position; it appears to maximize the amount of space you fill. Slouching, on the other hand, is the result of collapsing your form; it appears to take up less space and projects less power. Maintaining good posture commands respect and promotes engagement, whether you’re a leader or not.
Eyes that lie. Most of us probably grew up hearing, “Look me in the eye when you talk to me!” Our parents were operating under the assumption that it’s tough to hold someone’s gaze when you’re lying to them, and they were right to an extent. But that’s such common knowledge that people will often deliberately hold eye contact in an attempt to cover up the fact that they’re lying. The problem is that most of them overcompensate and hold eye contact to the point that it feels uncomfortable. On average, Americans hold eye contact for seven to ten seconds, longer when we’re listening than when we’re talking. If you’re talking with someone whose stare is making you squirm–especially if they’re very still and unblinking–something is up and they might be lying you.
Raised eyebrows signal discomfort. There are three main emotions that make your eyebrows go up: surprise, worry, and fear. Try raising your eyebrows when you’re having a relaxed casual conversation with a friend. It’s hard to do, isn’t it? If somebody who is talking to you raises their eyebrows and the topic isn’t one that would logically cause surprise, worry, or fear, there is something else going on.
Exaggerated nodding signals anxiety about approval. When you’re telling someone something and they nod excessively, this means that they are worried about what you think of them or that you doubt their ability to follow your instructions.
A clenched jaw signals stress. A clenched jaw, a tightened neck, or a furrowed brow are all signs of stress. Regardless of what the person is saying, these are signs of considerable discomfort. The conversation might be delving into something they’re anxious about, or their mind might be elsewhere and they’re focusing on the thing that’s stressing them out. The key is to watch for that mismatch between what the person says and what their tense body language is telling you.
Bringing It All Together
The bottom line is that even if you can’t read a person’s exact thoughts, you can learn a lot from their body language, and that’s especially true when words and body language don’t match.
What other body language clues do you look for? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below, as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.
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For years seen as a losing battle, the push for gun control has become a central conflict of the 2016 presidential election, and part of a broader struggle between competing visions of policing, justice and racism in America.
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military carried out an air strike on Saturday targeting Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a remote area of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, the Pentagon said.
“We are still assessing the results of the strike and will provide more information as it becomes available,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement.
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