THINGS I WISH MY KIDS WOULD ASK ME
Editor’s note: Barry Courter has a 21-year-old son who is a junior in college and a 16-year-old daughter.
Q: Dad, I’ve heard you say “handle your business” a thousand times. What exactly do you mean?
A: Whether we were talking about one of your coaches or a teacher, I wanted you to be the one to approach them with a question or an issue. If you thought you got a bad grade, or should be batting fourth, or if you were going to miss a class or practice, you should be the one to call. If you sit around and wait for someone else to handle your business for you, it won’t get done. Plus, you need to learn how to listen, negotiate and communicate when dealing with people.
— Barry Courter
WORLD CUP FEVER
World Cup time is one of my favorite times of the (every four) years! My friends over at the newly launched Pitch to the Rhino have put together a cool guide of each team’s social media presence: http://pitchtotherhino.com/2010/06/08/your-social-media-gp/. And, if you want to follow the game in real-time on Twitter, they’ve just launched a new website (http://twitter.com/worldcup/) fully dedicated to the beautiful game. — Niala Boodhoo
SCREEN SCENE
NOW SHOWING: “Jonah Hex”
Josh Brolin headlines the big-screen version of the cult comic-book, about a scarred gunslinger with a haunted past and supernatural powers. Set against the backdrop of the Old West, the movie finds the U.S. army grudgingly enlisting Jonah to take on a power-hungry madman (John Malkovich). Megan Fox plays Jonah’s love interest and former Duke of Hazzard Tom Wopat puts in a cameo appearance. — Ethan Alter
MONEY-SAVING TIP
Consolidate TV, Internet and Phone service: Trying to save a few pennies here and there on a different TV, internet and phone plan takes more bills, research, and most importantly, time. If you happened to forget, time is money (Just a reminder if you happened to forget: time is money). Spend it analyzing the more worthwhile stuff like life aeping all three under one bill spares you the hassle and opens up the opportunity of loyalty rewards for being such a dedicated customer. — Joe Dunn, Deals2Buy.com
— McClatchy Newspapers
POP PICKS
LISTEN: “American Slang,” by The Gaslight Anthem (CD)
Gaslight Anthem is in that rare class of bands that a listener can believe in; they are impassioned, launching their way through their music and lyrics with utter sincerity. “American Slang” bristles with energy. Its least nostalgic-tinted tracks — the gently shifting “please stay” argument of “Bring It On” carries the weight of years and emotions invested. — Andrew Gilstrap
PLAY: “Red Dead Redemption” (Xbox 360, PS3)
Rockstar has taken its critique of American culture and applied it to the Western, 1911.This is fitting, as its focus is about how to exist in the cusp of change and between ideas. John Marston is responsible to a family but, in order to protect that family, is forced back into his savage lifestyle. The game is full of such binary therness vs. civilization, savagery vs. domestication, law vs. liberty, reason vs. faith, and pragmatism vs. idealism. The possibility of redemption for Marston through his family (as it is for his nation through its future) is suitably murky and ambiguous. — G. Christopher Williams
— PopMatters.com