Wednesday, May 28, 2014

WHAT'S NEW AND WONDERFUL?




Time Magazine, managed by Nancy Gibbs, whom I admire for her down-to-earth, realistic connection with current trends, devoted an issue to "new ideas."

I figured Nancy was telling us what new doings were important, and wonderfully significant. 

What Nancy Gibbs discussed, is listed here, in bold letters.

MAKE FUN OF EVERYTHING,
(Hmm... well, people pay attention when you  poke major issues -- it suggests that you're very sophisticated, and blasé, so of course Em is paying attention.)

PUT THE SEX BACK IN SEX ED
(Gee, aren't  kids learning everything from movies and pop songs?)

SWEEP OUR DIRTY RIVERS CLEAN
(Sure, after we fix roads, bridges, and do something about plastic bags.)

DIVERSIFY CORPORATE AMERICA 
(Okay, that's the "hire females" talk that we've heard before, but maybe a little louder than last year.) 

COOK WITH THE WHOLE FARM 
(We're venturing into new [old] basic foods to eat healthier and eat less junk food [note "maybe" -- I'm making a blasé comment -- this farm food trend seemed boring.)

LET KIDS RUN WILD ON LINE
(Kids are doing it anyway -- giving them permission just makes parents feel more successful parentally.)

TELL REAL STORIES WITH VIDEO GAMES 
(Eek -- scary trend -- vid games are amusing compared to much of the unspeakably uglier, more violent real tales of today.)

STOP SENDING AID TO DICTATORS
(Yes, instead of promoting tyrants, help the down-trodden, but gee, can the President do that -- doesn't the do-nothing Congress have to  approve?)

TAKE YOUR EARS ON VACATION
("Time" says we will be visiting new places, like undersea where we can hear whales songs, or the Mohave Desert and hear -- what? -- sand shifting? Are there crickets?)

BRING THE DOCTOR WITH YOU
(Yay, it's an Em idea -- get the gizmos that track your vitals and bring them, wear them like a necklace or a bracelet, whenever you visit the Doc.) 

Since none of this grabbed me, I visited Forbes Magazine.

Forbes gave specifics on How to Pick a Money Making Idea and Build It. Click the link -- it's talk that says "pick something that nobody else is doing and promote it a way nobody else is doing."

(Would it be blasé to say thanks for nothing, Forbes?)

Hey Nancy Gibbs, I thnk all these trends -- except for Make Fun of Everything -- are  because everything is over-advertised, promoted, and sold to us. And we are surviving by thinking privately -- not listening, nodding, or taking advice -- just being who or whatever we are, and doing whatever feel llike doing.

Advice from Em, Nancy Gibbs: That BE WHO YOU ARE -- is a very big, very current trend.   

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

That advice sounds like "Readers Digest:" risk averse journalism!
Anywho, here is something cool and new, inexpensive, and that EVERYONE can use:
http://www.thetileapp.com/?utm_source=AdWords&utm_medium=CPC&mkwid=suBtFcK7P&pcrid=31364380494&pkw=never%20lose%20anything&pmt=p&pdv=c
John Twomey @Chomskyrocks

Carola said...

I like the point about taking your ears on vacation. I love to listen to birds wherever I go, and my hearing is good enough to hear them all. I love to eavesdrop on people. I fell in love with Vancouver BC, when I got on a tour boat and they were playing Mozart instead of the usual Muzak.

Gary Alan Henson said...

Wonderful article, Em!

Here's one I'd add. A couple of times a year, when the kids are on break or just you and your mate, decide to 'get lost today'.

Get up early in the morning, pick a random little town not too far away, say 1 or 2 hours at most, and drive there.

Stop at any interesting places along the way. Shake hands with people. Ask them about this neck of the woods; where's a good breakfast place; is there a town square; is it a good place to live...

Keep a journal with pictures and souvenirs.

It makes 'discovery' fun!

Aquileana said...

Short and to the point ...
great advice dear Emily, thanks for sharing.
Best wishes to you, Aquileana :)

Sonnycole said...

Enrich your mind and your life, with these insightful trinkets..Love the answer to Sweep Rivers Clean..it is just as I see it.
We the people so love window dressings, to hide the dirty window glass.

Cara Lopez Lee said...

Hahaha..."Thanks for nothing, Forbes" sounds about right to me on that bit of advice. However, I interviewed him once and he seemed pleasant and smart, flying in the face of Elwood P. Dowd's saying, "You can either be oh-so-smart or oh-so-pleasant. I prefer pleasant."