A good friend of mine, Chris Fogg, a veteran trainer of using English to communicate, wrote me these simple and intuitive thoughts about why we smile. Have a read and let me know if you have any other ideas on the subject.
Why do we smile? Why is the smile of a young baby so delightful and engaging? Are the smiles of adults different from those of children? A smile is a valuable means of communication, so how can it be used? We smile because we are happy. Children’s smiles are delightful and engaging because they come from innocence – there is no ulterior motive other than to show us that what they can see or hear (taste does not interest us here) is giving them pleasure. We as adults sometimes smile for the same reason – it’s involuntary and natural – but we also do it because we could be using it to encourage someone to do something for us. We may be expecting a gift - we may be encouraging them to open up more and reveal something they seem to want to conceal – and sometimes it’s just because we want the other person to like us. So the smile is important in communication - whether we realize we’re doing it, or not. Chris Fogg
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Frankly, I don’t give a rat’s ass about this overly commercialized commemoration. But it’s hard not to get sucked into another meaningless count down. So, 14 days and counting for both the hopeless and hapless romantics. It won’t be long before we are all inundated with the millions upon millions of euros in a marketing blitz designed to tell us what constitutes romance and coaxing us to spend even more of our hard earned money on flowers, chocolate, and variety of other gifts that show our loved ones “how much” they mean to us. Clearly, I’m not the most romantic guy in the world. Perhaps I need some help. So, I’m looking for some creative ideas. What are you planning on doing this Valentine’s Day? Gift ideas? Romantic escapades? What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done, seen, heard of?
In the meantime, I found this relatively good quality version of the 2010 American romantic comedy called Valentine’s Day starring Jessica Alba, Julia Roberts and Jessica Biel. No idea if it’s any good. You’re on your own. http://www.megavideo.com/?d=OJV0WM70 The past couple days have been, to say the least, very enlightening, not so much for the revelations in the classified internal cables from U.S. embassies and the state department, but rather by the reaction of so many in the journalism world to Wikileaks and its founder Julian Assange. Many well-known media figures around the world have been calling Assange irresponsible, a traitor and a terrorist. Some senior political and opinion leaders in the U.S. and Canada have outright called for his assassination. Tell us what you think by clinking on the "Comments" link above. Is this a freedom of speech and information issue or has Wikileaks gone too far?
Since I got a Facebook account over 3 years ago, I don’t remember exactly when, I continue to get invites from friends, family, former classmates, colleagues and complete strangers on a weekly basis. It’s downright impossible to “ignore” people you know and to “accept” people you don’t. And it’s been some time now that I’ve been warning people about this “social” and “networking” site which, IMHO, is neither. It is nevertheless one hell of a marketing vehicle, perhaps the best since the invention of TV. Now comes a new movie called “The Social Network” about the founding of this Internet phenomenon. For those of you that spend a significant amount of time on social networking sites, Facebook, Twitter, etc. for private or professional reasons, it may be worthwhile learning a little more about what exactly you are doing every time you log in. There are no free meals. The movie should be out in Italy mid-November. In the meantime, here are some interesting articles and links, including the official movie trailer (in English). "Facebook in Privacy Breach," Wall Street Journal online (Oct 18) www.thenation.com/article/155225/antisocial-network www.huffingtonpost.com/jose-antonio-vargas/the-social-network-hollyw_b_747233.html notiziefresche.info/arriva-in-italia-the-social-network-il-film-su-facebook_post-38966/ If you haven't heard of Slavoj Žižek you're in for a surprise, in many senses of the word. He is a professor of philosophy and psychoanalysis at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. This "Animate" version of Žižek's lecture at the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA, London) on November 29, 2009 entitled ‘Against Charity’ investigates the surprising ethical implications of charitable giving. This is a simple and, I would guess, an effective idea to get you smiling. Try it and let me know if it works. There seems to be a few "jumpers" already in Italy.
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