Wishing you the best in 2007

Let this coming year be better than all the others.

Vow to do some of the things

you've always wanted to do but couldn't find the time.

Call up a forgotten friend.

Drop an old grudge,

and replace it with some pleasant memories.

Vow not to make a promise

you don't think you can keep.

Walk tall, and smile more.

You'll look ten years younger.

Don't be afraid to say, 'I love you'.

Say it again.

They are the sweetest words in the world.
- Ann Landers


Happy New Year!

Tags: New Year, Holiday Greetings, Media by Sistrunk

Computing dangerously

Internet scam artists wreak havoc in 2006

In October alone, more than 90 percent of all e-mail sent online was unsolicited junk mail. The year 2006 will be remembered for the spike in spam and insidious cyber crime, both of which are linked. Computer security professionals are working around the clock in an effort to keep up with cyber thugs, as the Washington Post reports.


Tags: Internet Security, Spam, Cyber Crime, Email, Internet, Technology, Media 101, Media by Sistrunk

Merry Christmas

Remembering the Christmas miracle and the treasure of friendship

Today is the day I remember the prophesy of peace - and the reason for the season of Christmas. It is also a time to be thankful for friends.

A FRIENDSHIP PRAYER

Dear Lord,

Thank you for a special gift,

one that cannot be bought

for any amount of money.

Thank you for a gift wrapped in beauty,

that is wonderful in all seasons and times.

Thank you for a gift that is always near

in times of need

and brings great joy.

Thank you for the gift that sparkles

with freshness every day.

Thank you for my friend.

May I never take this gift for granted.

Amen.

(by John C. Maxwell)

M E R R Y

C H R I S T M A S !

Tags: Christmas, Holiday Greetings, Media by Sistrunk

Pinoy Christmas

Holiday celebrations in the Filipino tradition

I miss is AsianSmiles, one of my dearest online friends. Although she is no longer blogging, she remains on my "A" list when it comes to writing about culture. When I came across her 2005 post, "A Pinoy Christmas," I was instantly intrigued, especially when my Filipina buddy made this declaration:

Allow me to make an unofficial, unstudied but undisputed announcement – Filipinos have the longest Christmas celebration in the world.

Using a bit of humor, AsianSmiles wrote a charming post about holiday tradition. Her post also carried a link to a website with some beautiful Christmas images, such as the Filipino star lantern pictured above. If you're game for a colorful look at Christmas according our Filipino friends, click here.

Tags: Filipino Christmas, Pinoy Christmas, Christmas, Culture, AsianSmiles, Media by Sistrunk

Solving the mysteries of the teen years

Getting inside a kid's head

Have you wondered why the teenage years are often tough on young people - and their parents? Recent research on the adolescent brain offers some eye-opening information.

Here are two reports worth checking out:

Teenage brain 'a work in progress'

The Teenage Brain: A Lesson in Understanding for Parents of Adolescents

If you're really into the science of young brains - if you secretly wonder if your child is an alien - you might want to visit PBS.org to read the Frontline series Inside the Teenage Brain.

Tags: Teenagers, Parenting, Brain, Science, Education, Psychology, Media 101, Media by Sistrunk

Offbeat news

Headlines you might have missed


Man Wears 'Liar' Sign for False Report (Associated Press)

As he marched up and down a busy road wearing a placard proclaiming "I AM A LIAR," Craig Breuwet endured a painfully public punishment for lying to police.

100 Santas Party Too Hard, Spur Call to Police (Canadian Press)

Police were called to a disturbance at Metrotown Mall near Vancouver and found a group of 100 Santas carrying a gasoline container full of "a pungent mix of holiday cheer."

Wrong-Number Santa Cheerfully Fields Calls (Associated Press)

John Dickinson is getting up to 100 calls every day from kids who think they're calling Santa Claus. It's a wrong number, but Dickinson says he doesn't mind. He just plays along.

Baby Shares Same Birth Date as Mom, Dad (Associated Press)

Birthdays at one household will be busy now that all three members of the family - mom, dad and baby - share the same birth date.

Tags: Strange News, Media by Sistrunk

What kind of educator are you?

Here is something for teachers to ponder. Click on the image for a larger view.

Source: TeachingHacks.com

Via: Random Ramblings


Tags: Education, Media 101, Media by Sistrunk

The scoop on instant messaging

Examining the IM "gap"

Technology for instant messaging has been available to the general public for about a decade. A recent survey reveals that teenagers are much more likely to IM than adults.

According to the AP-AOL poll:

Almost three-fourths of adults who do use instant messages still communicate with e-mail more often. Almost three-fourths of teens send instant messages more than e-mail.

More than half of the teens who use instant messages send more than 25 a day, and one in five send more than 100. Three-fourths of adult users send fewer than 25 instant messages a day.

Teen users (30 percent) are almost twice as likely as adults (17 percent) to say they can imagine life without instant messaging.

When keeping up with a friend who is far away, teens are most likely to use instant messaging, while adults turn first to e-mail.

But that doesn't mean that all adults shun instant messaging. To learn more, click here.

Tags: Instant Messaging, IM, Email, Internet, Communication, Technology, Media 101, Media by Sistrunk

Matters of the heart