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Showing posts from January, 2016

A Review of Jonah Berger's Book, Contagious

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Contagious by Jonah Berger attempts to explain the science of why things go viral. http://www.amazon.com/Contagious-Things-Catch-Jonah-Berger/dp/1451686579/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453233688&sr=1-1&keywords=contagious Berger's work takes up where Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point leaves off. http://www.amazon.com/Tipping-Point-Little-Things-Difference/dp/0316346624/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453233916&sr=1-1&keywords=tipping+point Gladwell's book is an overview of how ideas and social behavior go viral, while Berger's work takes an in-depth look at the common characteristics of things that become contagious. Gladwell's and Berger's books compliment each other, and provide helpful tips for getting a product or idea to spread. Contagious outlines six principals that prompt people to share content, opinions and ideas. They can be one or more phenomenon including include social currency,

Fiction from Kenneth Weene

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A Note from Adele:  This story was submitted to my blog by Kenneth Weene, an educator, psychologist, minister and author of several books.  I became associated with Kenneth through his work as a co-host on It Matters Radio http://www.blogtalkradio.com/itmattersradio  Kenneth will be soon be releasing another book called "Times to Try the Soul."  In the meantime, enjoy this piece of "flash fiction." The Terrier and the Bull By Kenneth Weene As he had every Sunday afternoon for fifteen years, Travers Dunworthy searched the Internet for any references to the Blessed Sacredbody Church or the town of Sacredbody, Utah. As leader of the community and bishop of the flock, it was his self-appointed responsibility to make sure no slur would go unanswered, no slight unmet. Fifteen years and not once had there been cause for concern—indeed not even a mention of church or town. Travers had seen to it; the church and the town his grandfather had founded rema

Quirky Polygamist Supports New York Assisted Suicide Bill

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A Review of Jen Sincero's book, You are a Badass

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They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but with a title like You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero, I couldn't resist pronouncing it as my kind of book before I had even read a single sentence. http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Badass-Doubting-Greatness/dp/0762447699/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452026846&sr=1-1&keywords=you+are+a+badass+by+jen+sincero I read a lot of spiritual and self help books, enjoying the different ways authors basically say the same thing. I agree with the premise that our thoughts form our perceptions which in turn form our reality. If you have negative thoughts, you subconsciously call negative people and situations into your life. Some people call this the Law of Attraction. While Jen Sincero doesn't really break any new ground in You are a Badass, she provides something that is typically lacking in self-help books: humor. Since I t

Weight Loss Challenge

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Too bad loosing weight isn't as much fun as gaining it! As is my custom, I went “Hog Wild” over the holiday season. Part of this is due to my insistence on making homemade sweets for practically everyone on the planet. I have a friend who calls this well intentioned gesture bing a “Pusher,” but that's a topic that needs to be explored in a future article. For now, suffice to say I made and ate an alarming number of sugary confections. 2016 brought with it an estimated seven to eight pound weight gain. Gasp! That's a hell of a lot of extra junk in the trunk! There are a plethora of diets out there, but at the end of the day, losing weight boils down to eating less and exercising more. Some people can be extremely disciplined when it comes to food. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them. On the flip side, I'm great about exercising (I have an adrenalin addiction which requires a daily fix). I have a strange habit of feeling depressingly