Tuesday, December 21, 2004Religious Education Is Often AmusingThis comes from a Catholic elementary school test on the Bible. The following statements were written by children. They have not been retouched nor corrected. (i.e., incorrect spelling has been left in). In the first book of the bible, Guinessis, God got tired of creating the world so he took the... Sign in to see full entry.Monday, December 20, 2004Manipulating Readers ... Are You a Sucker?Consider this headline: Are All Gays Objectionable? Or Only Some of Them? This is a loaded question like the old "When did you quit beating your wife?" It's a question that poses an either/or choice, when there is actually a third choice: "None are objectionable." The headline offered a sucker's... Sign in to see full entry.Friday, December 17, 2004Reading Ability Is Badly Neglected in Public SchoolsHomegirl has an interesting post on reading skills and testing that raises many questions in my mind. The linked story in her post ( here ) raises still more questions, and leads to the conclusion that home-schooling is definitely preferable in its approach to literacy and ongoing learning. Let's... Sign in to see full entry.Thursday, December 16, 2004Long-Distance Gifting: When Christmas Goes Horribly WrongMy former in-laws and my ex-husband are driving me to distraction by giving my children presents. It isn't that I want my kids to get nothing from them; it's just that these people are clueless about what kids like, need, and want, and they are unwilling to listen to suggestions for what would... Sign in to see full entry.Wednesday, December 15, 2004Where Do the Holidays Belong, Anyway?This question came up last Easter, and I want to repost my thoughts as we get deeper into the Christmas season. The holiday thing seems to be getting so out-of-hand, it may be time to give this issue another look. PrincessLucy has raised an interesting and controversial point in her blog Rants of a... Sign in to see full entry.Tuesday, December 14, 2004Why Do Companies Do This?It's the holiday season, and corporate gifts and cards are pouring into the office even as I try to organize the cards and gifts that are going out from our office. Quite frankly, I don't get it. Why are these companies spending money on this stuff? Several of our vendors have sent gifts of food,... Sign in to see full entry.Friday, December 10, 2004How Do You Handle Critiques of Your Work?One of our former bloggers, who I cannot seem to find now, made an excellent point back in March. I posted my comments then, and it seems a good time to remind ourselves while informing new members and fledgling writers of this very important component of success as a writer. "What does Steven... Sign in to see full entry.Thursday, December 9, 2004Talking About IntegrityReal integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not. Oprah Winfrey -------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, I am on a "character kick" this week. I'm disturbed by the increasingly common excuses that people offer ---... Sign in to see full entry.Wednesday, December 8, 2004More on Character DevelopmentThe great moments, when the world cheers, are not the moments that count. The ones that count are when it's just you, and people have stopped believing in you. Those are the moments that define you. Bob Greene ----------------------------------------------------------- How very true. Think of all of... Sign in to see full entry.Tuesday, December 7, 2004On Life After DivorceOne of the saddest aspects of a good marriage gone bad is that there are so many pleasant memories to go with the nightmares. Barbara Cochran Berry With thanks to Celeste for bringing this choice observation to my notice! Sign in to see full entry. |