Wednesday 19 December 2012

11 Rules For The Real World

I saw this list while perusing Facebook’s newsfeed. The article stated that Bill Gates had given a commencement speech to a group of high school graduates and discussed 11 rules for life that you would not learn in school. I dug around a few websites, as I’d not heard of this speech, and found that it is actually from a book called ‘Dumbing Down Our Kids’, by an educator names Charles Sykes.

RULE 1
Life is not fair - get used to it.

RULE 2
The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

RULE 3
You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice president until you earn it.

RULE 4
If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure.

RULE 5
Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping.
They called it Opportunity.

RULE 6
If you mess up, it’s not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.

RULE 7
Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

RULE 8
Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

RULE 9
Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

RULE 10
Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

RULE 11
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.


Well said, Chuck. Well said.

7 Tips For Safer Online Shopping

Online shopping.

It's easy enough to create a list of advantages.

Shopping online is:

1) Quick
2) Easy
3) Convenient
4) No traffic hassles
5) No line ups
6) No parking
7) Frequent deals

...and so on. But as with many things, dangers lurk beyond the shiny surface.

Click here for 7 Tips For Safer Online Shopping

Monday 17 December 2012

12 Items Your Local Food Bank Needs

I hit the grocery store this evening. It was a quick visit, because the place was packed and I wasn’t in the mood for the crowd. I grabbed a couple of things and left before irritation and impatience got the better of me. And then I thought about it. How lucky am I to be able to go into a grocery store and have the freedom to fill a cart with all the food I desire. There are people that would travel miles, on foot, in the worst of weather, and walk through those crowds with immeasurable smiles if they were given this opportunity; one that I take for granted all too often.

Food banks in Newfoundland and Labrador help about 32,000 people a year. 

40% of those availing of these services are children.

Here are the 12 most popular choices for donations to your local food bank. Over the next few days, drop a bag into one of the bins at your local grocery store.

1.       Canned Soup or Stew 
2.       Peanut Butter
3.       Canned Beans
4.       Macaroni and Cheese
5.       Dried Pasta, Noodles and Rice
6.       Pasta Sauce
7.       Canned Meat and Fish
8.       Beans and Legumes
9.       Canned Vegetables and Fruit
10.   Canned/Powdered Milk
11.   Breakfast Cereal
12.   Baking Supplies

26 Moments That Restored Our Faith in Humanity This Year

After an event such as the unspeakable tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut this week, we need reminders of the good that happens every day to combat the evil that seems to permeate our society.

Click here for 26 Moments That Restored Our Faith in Humanity This Year

Monday 10 December 2012

10 Smartphone Habits You Should Avoid

We all know people that demonstrate these habits;  people that we desperately wish would accidentally drop their smartphones in the nearest toilet or pig trough.

If you are one of these people, read the list linked below.

If you are not one of these people, read the list and send it directly to the inbox of everyone you know who demonstrates these habits.

Click here for 10 Smartphone Habits You Should Avoid

Thursday 6 December 2012

10 Christmas Gifts For Her

Here's a list that should be fairly timely, or maybe even desperately needed, this time of year.

The 10 ideas are broken down by the type of person the woman is; whether the special lady loves books, cooking, adventure, travel, fashion, home style, music, is a workaholic, has everything, or even if you're completely broke, you'll likely find an idea that works.

'Tis the season for lists.

Click here for 10 Christmas Gifts For Her...

Tuesday 4 December 2012

8 Things Remarkably Successful People Do

There's some real food for thought here.

This list, from an article on Inc.com, could apply to any of us. Though the website deals primarily with the world of business and entrepreneurship, the ideas are relevant to folks from all walks of life...

Click here to read 8 Things Remarkably Successful People Do

5 Top Choices for the 'Canada Reads' Competition

I absolutely love this competition. I was going to post a list of the Canada Reads choices earlier, when there were 5 selected books for each region. Now, each region is represented by a single book, and the 5 choices are great ones.

For those of you in this neck of the woods, our Atlantic region is represented by Lisa Moore's novel February. I listened to an interview with her on Saturday, on CBC radio's WAM. The book has been sitting restlessly on one of my shelves for several months, but after listening to her, I had to dig it out and put it next on my reading list.

For the full list of Canada Reads choices, click here.

Monday 26 November 2012

7 Traits Kids Need To Succeed

Success is measured by much, much more than an IQ score.

That's the idea behind Paul Tough's new book How Children Succeed—Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character.

The link below is an article that discusses some of the key points in his book, and also features a few videos. If you're like me, you'll probably scan down right away to find the list of traits. I'll save you the 'trouble'.

1. Grit
2. Curiosity
3. Self-control
4. Social intelligence
5. Zest
6. Optimism
7. Gratitude

Quite an array of character traits. Looks to be an interesting read...

Click here for the article

Friday 23 November 2012

8 Talks That Give Bono Hope

I’ve been a fan of TED Talks for a few years. From the website: “TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. The two annual TED conferences, in Long Beach/Palm Springs and Edinburgh, Scotland, bring together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes or less).” (www.ted.com)

I’ve been a fan of Bono even longer. Aside from the music, there’s an energy and passion for giving back that transcends the songs.

This list is comprised of the 8 talks from the TED conference that Bono selected for their powerful ideas. From Bill and Melinda Gates, to Stephen Hawking and Ken Robinson, the ideas are awesome. I’ve shared Ken Robinson’s talk numerous times, through various media. If you only watch one of the 8 great selections, make it that one.
Click here for 8 Talks That Give Bono Hope.

Thursday 22 November 2012

10 Things to Stop Doing Right Now

...if you want to be happier.

I'm guilty of several of these bad habits. Actually, I've probably been guilty of all of them at some point in my life. I have, however, made a conscious effort to stop, or at least reduce the frequency with which these habits creep into my life.

 Sometimes, it's the things we don't do that actually make us happier.

Click here for 10 Things to Stop Doing Right Now.

10 Reasons That Lists Matter

I read through a lot of news sites, and as I scan the headlines of each, I am invariably drawn to the articles that are written in the form of a list. Recently, I thought it might be kind of interesting to create a blog that consisted only of lists... a list of lists of sorts.

 It's always been my belief, right or wrong, that a blog should have a purpose. That being the case, 'The List' will hopefully consist of posts that can have at least some meaningful effect on a person's life, big or small. I'm not big on trivialites - I think they're best suited for small talk over coffee, not Facebook, Twitter or Blog sites.

I'm not sure if this first list fits the 'meaningful' classification, but I thought its content appropriate for the initial post...

Click here for 10 Reasons That Lists Matter