Archive for September 30, 2016

Women, Hide Your Faces

An investor and entrepreneur who also also teaches entrepreneurship at UC, Santa Barbara, has come up with a way for women to get good jobs in the tech industry: use your initials or a gender-neutral name on applications and profiles. This will hide the fact that you’re female.  In fairness,  John Greathouse apologized later for his statement.  But it points out how rampant gender bias is in some industries.

See Wall Street Journal article.  Click the X in the upper right corner of the ad to get rid of it.  If the Journal won’t let you in, get to it via this other article.

Of course, women poets and writers have had to use this trick since the beginning of time–even JK Rawlings.  Only, though, if they wanted their work to be published and they weren’t a celebrity.

The point is, Greathouse is just reflecting the thoughts, beliefs, and biases of a large number of people.  I think it’s interesting that rather than offering a solution to solve this societal problem, he offered a way to cover it up and continue it.

 

 

It’s Good to Be Selfish

 

Go ahead.  It’s okay to be selfish.  But in a special way.  Some small acts can help others but also result in physical and emotional benefits to you.  Watch this short video and find out how.

 

 

Why Do We Say That?

Today I’d like to look at some terms that don’t make sense to me, ones we use to soften the real meaning (why?)   Yet we all use them.

Pass away:  I’ll accept this one for the sake of loved ones, although most people don’t slowly and gently “pass” into death.

Gentleman’s club:  Come on–it’s a strip joint!  A gentleman, in the old sense of the word–and it IS an old fashioned concept–wouldn’t be caught passing away in such a place.

Assaulted:  This is a blanket term for everything from a mugging to a groping of a woman’s breast to rape.  I don’t like it because it minimizes the violent crime of rape.  Yes, they’ll eventually call a rape a “sexual assault,” which still diminishes the crime.  Rape is rape!

Touched inappropriately:  No, she was groped or had some other physical advance perpetrated on her against her will.  “Touched” sounds so gentle, and “inappropriately” sounds like there’s an appropriate way to do it.

Near miss:  Not really.  The two airplanes nearly collided.  If it was a near miss, they would have crashed into each other.  But barely missing something makes us more comfortable than almost becoming vulture food.

Okay.  I’ll climb off my stack of dictionaries–for now.

 

 

 

 

Who is that Masked Man?

Ever notice how many protesters have their faces covered?  This is true all over the world, including here in the U.S.  Yet we have freedom of speech.  If I’m expressing beliefs and opinions I truly believe in, why don’t I want people to see my face?  If I’m hiding my identity because I’m doing something illegal, like smashing the store windows of people not involved in what I’m protesting against, and if I think that’s the right and moral thing to do, I should stand up to be counted–and let everyone see my face.

I understand the cover-up in countries where the regime will arrest and execute me just for speaking out, but not here in America. Come on, protesters, let’s see your proud, righteous faces as you sling that brick or peacefully carry a sign.

 

 

Sandwich-Savings

Hungry and about to make yourself a sandwich?  Think about this: A simple sandwich takes about 172 gals. of water to make a loaf of bread and lots more for the meat and veggies to go into it.  Save water by using organic lettuce and tomatoes from a sustainable, water-wise garden and make the sandwich open-faced.Leaf 6

[For more easy, money-saving, earth-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/view/7000 or your favorite e-book seller and download to your computer or e-book device. Totally free, with no strings attached.]

I Missed It!

I missed an important day.  Sept. 21 was World Gratitude Day.  I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you faithful readers who put up with my sometimes strange sense of humor, my indignation over people mistreating people, my sentimentality, my celebration of family, my bits of trivia about word origins and Americana–all the stuff I blog about.

So–two days late–thank you!

 

Coupon-Clippers, Unite!

How powerful can a pair of scissors be?  In the hands of coupon-clippers, they can improve the lives of  countless people.  Read about what one woman did, then think about what would happen if many people did this:

A US woman has set herself the goal of feeding 30,000 hungry people using supermarket coupons.

Lauren Puryear, a 29-year-old from New Jersey, said she can feed up to 150 people on $20 (£15) – the equivalent of just 10 pence per person – by combining offers to get the best deal she can.

Ms Puryear said she wanted to reach her 30,000 target by the time she turns 30 next year.

After the death of her grandmother, Ms Puryear started an organisation dedicated to feeding the hungry.

At first she bought food in bulk, either online or from discount grocery chains such as Cosco and BJ’s. But then she realised she could feed many more people if she used coupons.

“I started couponing for food items like spaghetti and meatballs and I was able to get the items for free or for little to no money,” she told New Jersey.com.

READ MORE.

Help for Stressed-Out Teens

Do you have a teenager who is constantly stressed out about friends, school, and life in general?  A recent study looked at what they call a “growth mindset,” something that teens can learn and practice.  It makes a big difference.

Read about the study at “Can a Change in Mindset Help Teens De-Stress.”

 

 

Shine On, Harvest Moon

Have you ever watched a harvest moon rising?  Do you even know what it is?  You just missed it by a few days, Sept. 22.  But you can see short a video of one, with an explanation of what it is, at  http://my.xfinity.com/video/harvest-moon-rises-in-time-lapse-video/767937603948/Comcast/TopVideoClips.

It’s really spectacular!

 

How Eco-Savvy are You?

Think you know a lot about protecting the environment?  Take this short quiz.  You might learn something new.

Quiz: How Eco Savvy are You?