Is Leisure Literacy a Bullying Antidote?

I’m probably not the only one who’s been thinking about bullying this week.

It’s heartbreaking when anyone gets to the point where they have lost heart and hope. It’s even more horrific to think that someone with so much of their life ahead of them sees suicide as their only option.

Such was the case last week with 15-year-old B.C. teenager Amanda Michelle Todd who committed suicide as the result of cyber-bullying. 

Both the cause and her state of mind were clear as the result of a video she had posted on YouTube in September.

In… More Posted on 10-21-12

Can Retail Therapy Move Online?

While on some level I hate to admit it, the truth is I like to shop. I jokingly refer to it as my retail therapy and as my contribution to supporting the local economy. 

A friend of mine recently made me feel better about shopping by suggesting that for me it was primarily a creative outlet. She also pointed out that it wasn’t a problem because I never spent more than I could afford and always managed to find a deal.

As a result, it was surprising to realize that these days I am shopping as much online as… More Posted on 10-14-12

Vulnerability: Birthplace of Innovation, Creativity, and Change

More interesting than one might anticipate, two separate incidents this week left me thinking about research in a very different way.

The first happened as the result of watching a TED talk video by Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston who has spent the past ten years studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. She’s also the author of the bestselling book called Daring Greatly. If you haven’t watched her videos or read her books, know they are well worth the time.

However, it was one of her comments about how she approaches her research that… More Posted on 10-08-12