Friday's Laugh . . . And Then Some!

Bambi, a blond in her fourth year as a UCLA freshman,
sat in her U.S. government class.  The professor asked
Bambi if she knew what Roe vs. Wade was about.
Bambi pondered the question then finally said, "That was
the decision George Washington had to make before he
crossed the Delaware."

Laugh Like There's No Tomorrow: Over 2,000 jokes from the Internet

From our upcoming book compiled by Richard L. Weaver II
Laugh is setup with just over 4 jokes a day, all 365 days, and can be read in any order!
Expected Release Date: Fall 2010

Examining the paranormal helps us understand how the world works

There are many paranormal and supernatural claims.  Psychics, astrologers, alien abductions, alternative medicines, ghosts, and life after death are just a few of them.  But when people have personal experiences with any of these, those occurrences offer them a powerful and persuasive reason to believe in them, especially if they can’t explain them. 

“The need to believe in phony wonders,” writes The Reverend Canon William V. Rauscher, “sometimes exceeds not only logic but, seemingly, even sanity.” 

Many people have had psychic experiences or episodes with things that science cannot explain.  Whether it is extrasensory perception (ESP), haunted houses, ghosts of the spirits of dead people, telepathy, clairvoyance, astrology, communicating mentally with someone who has died, witches, reincarnation, or channeling, seventy-five percent of Americans profess at least one paranormal belief according to a recent Gallup survey.  The most popular is extrasensory perception, mentioned by 41%, followed closely by a belief in haunted houses (37%).  Only 27% of Americans, according to the same survey, believe in none of these. 

The poll showed no statistically significant differences in beliefs among people by age, gender, education, race, and region of the country; however, Christians are a little more likely to hold some paranormal beliefs than non-Christians (75% versus 66% respectively), but both groups show a sizeable majority with such beliefs. 

The main question is why do people believe in the paranormal?  The first obvious answer, given above, is that so many people have had personal paranormal experiences.  A second obvious reason has to do with magical thinking.  For example, if an athlete wears a certain piece of clothing and wins a game, magical thinking has to do with believing that that certain piece of clothing will bring him or her luck in winning future games.  Actually, this belief is based on the fallacy post hoc, ergo propter hoc or “after this, therefore because of this” and is a form of superstition.

The third answer to the question of why so many people believe in the paranormal and supernatural is captured in the expression, “true-believer syndrome,” which was coined in a book of the same name by M. Lamar Keene.  Keene describes a cognitive disorder characterized by believing in the reality of paranormal or supernatural events even after one has been presented overwhelming evidence that an event was fraudulently staged.  Keene writes, “How can an otherwise sane individual become so enamored of a fantasy, an imposture, that even after it’s exposed in the bright light of day he still clings to it—indeed, clings to it all the harder?” 

For many people, the will to believe at times overrides the ability to think critically about the evidence for and against a belief.   

Yet another explanation, described by Eric Hoffer in his book The True Believer, is that the person’s belief in the paranormal or supernatural satisfies an emotional need that is stronger than the need for the truth.  He writes, “This passionate attachment is the essence of his blind devotion and religiosity, and he sees in it the source of all virtue and strength....He easily sees himself as the supporter and defender of the holy cause to which he clings.  And he is ready to sacrifice his life.” 

There may be no single answer to the question of why so many people believe in the paranormal and supernatural, but Michael Shermer, in his book, Why People Believe in Weird Things (W.H. Freeman & Company, 1998), offers readers twenty-five fallacies that lead us to believe weird things.  In Shermer’s opinion, “most believers in miracles, monsters, and mysteries are not hoaxers, flimflam artists, or lunatics.  Most are normal people whose normal thinking has gone wrong in some way.” 

Some of the ways that people’s thinking has gone wrong are first, accepting anecdotes as proof.  Stories do not make science unless they are supported by a great deal of corroborative evidence from other sources or by physical proof of some sort.  Ten anecdotes are no better than one, and a hundred anecdotes are not better than ten.  The problem with anecdotes is that they are told by fallible human storytellers. 

Another way that people’s thinking goes wrong is accepting a belief based on the trappings of science.  Scientific language and jargon means nothing without evidence, experimental testing, and corroboration.  Because science has such a powerful mystique in our society, those who wish to gain respectability often gain it by looking and sounding “scientific.” 

“If you want to do science,” Shermer writes, “you have to learn to play the game of science.  This involves getting to know the scientists in your field, exchanging data and ideas with colleagues informally, and formally presenting results in conference papers, peer-reviewed journals, books, and the like.” 

Another way that people’s thinking goes wrong is not understanding that the burden of proof falls on the one making an extraordinary new claim.  They are the ones who have to prove to the experts and community at large that their belief has more validity than the one almost everyone else accepts. 

Scientific and critical thinking does not come naturally.  It takes training, experience, and effort.  In his book, Logic for the Millions (Philosophical Library, 1947), Alfred Mander said, “Thinking is skilled work.  It is not true that we are naturally endowed with the ability to think clearly and logically—without learning how, or without practicing.  People with untrained minds should no more expect to think clearly and logically than people who have never learned and never practiced can expect to find themselves good carpenters, golfers, bridge players, or pianists” (p. vii).

The paranormal is bunk; however, the key for skeptics and critical thinkers is to try to understand how others have gone wrong and how science is subject to social control and cultural influences so they can improve their understanding of how the world works. 

----- 

There is a wonderful essay, “The Paranormal” by Remi which is well worth a read.  The example used in the final paragraph is especially relevant. 

At the website, LiveScience, the essay there, under the topic, “Culture,” called, “Monsters, Ghosts and Gods: Why We Believe,” by Robert Roy Britt, LiveScience Managing Editor, is informative and worthwhile.  Britt says, “The bottom line, according to several interviews with people who study these things: People want to believe, and most simply can't help it.”  There is a great deal of information in this essay, but it seems to boil down to one essential element: “‘Many people quite simply just want to believe,’ said Brian Cronk, a professor of psychology at Missouri Western State University. ‘The human brain is always trying to determine why things happen, and when the reason is not clear, we tend to make up some pretty bizarre explanations.’ 

----- 

Copyright June, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.

   

y #221 - Listen well.

SMOERs: Words of Wisdom

"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant." --Robert McCloskey

Day #221 - Listen well.

SMOERs: Self-Motivation, Optimism, Encouragement Rules! - Daily Reminders for Outstanding Living
An everyday guide full of quotations to uplift your spirits.
Free 30-Day sample: smoers.com

Day #191 - Set high standards.

SMOERs: Words of Wisdom

"Let us be about setting high standards for life, love, creativity, and wisdom.  If our expectations in these areas are low, we are not likely to experience wellness.  Setting high standards makes every day and every decade worth looking forward to."  ---Greg Anderson

Day #191 - Set high standards.

SMOERs: Self-Motivation, Optimism, Encouragement Rules! - Daily Reminders for Outstanding Living
An everyday guide full of quotations to uplift your spirits.
Free 30-Day sample: smoers.com

It's a Special Delivery - How to Make a Viral Video

And Then Some Publishing News
-----
It's a Special Delivery! 


Illustrator Anthony Weaver and author Lynne Hall have put together a coaching video on How to Make a Viral Video, based on the K.I.S.S. Theory (Keep it simple... stupid). Instead of a technical approach explaining camera types, lenses, programs used to produce videos, this is a fun look at being in front of the camera and getting used to the bright lights shining on you.  Anthony and Lynne show you how they shot their video, including the end result!


Having trouble viewing the video? Click here to see How to Make a Viral Video on YouTube.






Have you seen Part 1 of Anthony Weaver's interview of author Edgar E. Willis about his memoir, Civilian In an Ill-Fitting Uniform: A Memoir of World War II? In Part 1 of the interview Anthony asks Edgar about his inspiration for the book, the reason for the title, and why he decided to include his life before and after his service. See part one of the interview here.


Part 2 of the interview will be released next week, Tuesday June 22, 2010, in the And Then Some Publishing News post.


Go to EdgarEWillis.com where you can find more books and videos by Edgar E. Willis including his series, How to be Funny on Purpose.

Thursday's And Then Some Essay preview:

Thursday’s essay is called, “Examining the paranormal helps us understand how the world works."  There are many paranormal and supernatural claims.  Psychics, astrologers, alien abductions, alternative medicines, ghosts, and life after death are just a few of them.  But when people have personal experiences with any of these, those occurrences offer them a powerful and persuasive reason to believe in them, especially if they can’t explain them.  In this essay I examine their "reasons for believing."  It is a delightful essay that offers a closer examination. 

Examining the paranormal helps us understand how the world works
by Richard L. Weaver II

Excerpt:
Many people have had psychic experiences or episodes with things that science cannot explain.  Whether it is extrasensory perception (ESP), haunted houses, ghosts of the spirits of dead people, telepathy, clairvoyance, astrology, communicating mentally with someone who has died, witches, reincarnation, or channeling, seventy-five percent of Americans profess at least one paranormal belief according to a recent Gallup survey.  The most popular is extrasensory perception, mentioned by 41%, followed closely by a belief in haunted houses (37%).  Only 27% of Americans, according to the same survey, believe in none of these.

---

And Then Some Works!

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience

Book Club... And Then Some!


The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience    

by Carmine Gallo


Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

This Just as television stations admit their affiliation prior to any review or evaluation they make of a show or product that is produced by their parent company, I have to confess that I am a McGraw-Hill author, and this is a McGraw-Hill product; however, I did not know that until I opened the book to its title page.  (I confess, tongue-securely-placed-in-cheek, that it will be impossible for me to give this book a fair, impartial, and totally honest review!)  Am I biased by my 24-year history of working with McGraw-Hill?  Yes.  Am I biased by my excellent relationships established with the editors who have worked with me throughout this period of time?  Yes. ----but, I am going to continue none-the-less.

Anyone who knows my background knows that I have written more than a half-dozen different college textbooks on the subject of public communication, and my most recent textbook, Communicating Effectively (McGraw-Hill, 2009) (with Saundra Hybels) is currently going into its tenth edition. Half this textbook is devoted to public speaking; it is the section I always wrote even when Hybels was alive (she died in 1999).  My small (Elements of Style-like) book, Public Speaking Rules: All you need for a GREAT speech! (And Then Some Publishing, 2008), available from Amazon.com , covers all the essential information speakers need.  All this to say, is it any wonder I would be interested in this book by Carmine Gallo?

If you are an experienced speaker or you have read a great deal about public speaking, you are unlikely to find anything new in this book; however, if you want to remind yourself about what it takes to be a great speaker or you just want to polish and hone your skills, then this is just the book.  It is informative, specific, comprehensive, well-written, and complete with wonderful, engaging examples.

Gallo has structured her book much like one of Steve Jobs’ presentations.  That is, she has kept her chapters brief (“Obey the Ten-Minute Rule”—Intermission 1), includes brief summaries at the end of every chapter (“Director’s Notes”), offers short segments within chapters, provides tables, bullet-pointed lists, includes numbers of additional examples (“Share the Stage”—Act II, Scene 11), injects pictures of Jobs at work, begins every chapter with a summary quotation, and furnishes additional quotations, explanations, and stories set aside by brackets (much as my “Consider This” sections in Communicating Effectively).  There are a sufficient number of things going on that Gallo effectively grabs a reader’s attention, and rivets it to the printed page.

Gallo writes about the passion that drove her to write this book: “The purpose of this book is to help you capture that passion [the passion that drives us] and turn it into a story so mesmerizing that people will want to help you achieve your vision” (p. xvii).  She added, “Do not let your ideas die because you failed to present them in a way that sparked the imagination of your listeners.  Use Jobs’s techniques to reach the hearts and minds of everyone you hope to influence” (p. xvii).

If you want a great book on presentational skills, you can’t do better than this one!


This book is both available from Amazon.com: The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience

Friday's Laugh . . . And Then Some!

 Little Emily, the minister's daughter, ran into the house,
crying as though her heart would break.
"What's wrong, dear?" asked the pastor.
"My doll!  Billy broke it!" she sobbed.
"How did he break it, Emily?"
"I hit him over the head with it."

Laugh Like There's No Tomorrow: Over 2,000 jokes from the Internet

From our upcoming book compiled by Richard L. Weaver II
Laugh is setup with just over 4 jokes a day, all 365 days, and can be read in any order!
Expected Release Date: Fall 2010

Human limitations and then some!

Have you ever walked by a stockade-type fence, found a knothole in it, then looked at what’s taking place on the other side of the fence through that peephole?  Much of our lives are framed by that example.  That is, we obtain information about the world we live in through a very small antennae, mounted upon a tiny pedestal, and often pointed in a well-defined, carefully selected direction.  And yet, despite these limitations, the way we view the world is dependent upon the information obtained through this single, small, and somewhat insignificant antennae. 

Through my many years of writing and teaching about public speaking, one of my goals has always been to impress upon students the limitations of much of their personal experience.  A personal experience, although powerful in its ability to hold the attention of listeners (and this must be acknowledged), is rendered nearly meaningless in its ability to prove a point or as evidence to support a conclusion.  For that, the opinions of credible people supported by facts and statistics are not just important but necessary. 

Why is a student’s personal experience meaningless?  Often, it is for the same reasons that one person’s point of view—eyewitness testimony—can matter so little in a court of law.  In a court of law it counts for little and is often contradicted by other eyewitness testimony.   

It is, however, what we do with the information that comes through our minuscule antennae that causes many of the problems.  Most information comes to us in a random, unstructured manner.  We must do something with it—modify it!—to make sense of it.  First, we must determine relationships: how does the new information relate to other information we are receiving and to information we already have?  Look out the window where you are sitting right now.  Can you view nature as if there were no structure?  Our world, for us to understand it, requires organization, and when we get random, unstructured information from our world, as we do every waking moment, we organize it by perceiving relationships—relationships we form. 

How do we organize the information from our meager antennae?   First, because information often comes in small pieces, we try to put it into a larger context so that we can understand the pieces better.  This is a process called enlarging in which we look for a frame of reference for the message or messages—a frame of reference from our perspective. 

You can understand the process of enlarging, for example, when you notice a nonverbal expression emitted by someone with whom you are having a conversation.  Suddenly, you detect an expression of sadness or grief.  Immediately you start observing the whole nonverbal picture —the facial expressions, gestures, body movements, and vocal tones of the person sending the message—and trying to place the expression you have observed into that picture.  The fewer the pieces of information you have received, the more enlargement must take place. 

The second way we have of organizing the information we get from our very modest antennae is simplifying.  Just as we search for a relationship between pieces of information and a larger framework into which we can place those pieces, we also look for ways to simplify complex or confusing stimuli.  Complex stimuli are those we have difficulty understanding.  We simplify information by finding patterns, an order (derived from all that we know or observe) that will help us make sense of the message. 

For example, if you drive into a gas station to get directions, you might hear the attendant say something like, “You go up here to your first stoplight and turn left on Broadview.  At your next light turn right.  Then just after you pass Wiley High School, turn right, and the street you are looking for will be your next left.”  As a simplifying response you might reply, “So, it’s a left, two rights, and a left.”  We look for order in stimuli that will help us remember the essential information.  It is an order established by our brain from our experiences. 

Stereotyping, the process of assigning a fixed label or category to things or people we encounter, is one method we have of simplifying information.  All human beings employ stereotypes to deal with the tremendous flow of events around them.   

The third method of organizing information from your diminutive antennae is closing.  It is the process of filling in gaps between pieces of information.  Although we think in unified wholes, we get information in separate scraps; thus, we must put information together to make it complete rather than fragmented.  It is like filling in the pieces of a puzzle we are missing. 

We probably engage in closing (or closure) more often than we realize.  For example, how often have you completed a sentence for the person you were talking to?  The more you get to know people, the better you know how they think, and the more often you will think ahead and close their thoughts—or think for them.  Very close friends can say a great deal to each other with few words; without realizing it, they may depend on closure for their messages to get through.  Just remember, however, we are the ones filling in the gaps. 

Another example of closing is when you overhear others talking but are able to pick up only fragments of their conversation.  From the fragments you fill in the rest of the conversation.  Have you ever sat in a bus station, airport, or next to a busy sidewalk and made up stories about the people you observed around you?  From a minimum of cues you put together a fairly complete story, making sense of the available information by closure.  Though it may make sense to you, it is unlikely to be correct.  It is a figment of your imagination, but if you were to act, you would respond based on what you think or you believe or you feel. 

Then, when you add proximity and role to the mix of enlarging, simplifying, and closing, you begin to see why a single personal example may be wildly inappropriate, inaccurate, or simply, unjustified.  Proximity is simply your nearness to the event with respect to where you are located, the time that the event takes place, or your relationship to the event or people in it.  If you are a distance away, it is early morning and you are barely awake, and you have no relationship to the people involved, your viewpoint is likely to be distorted.  And your role relates to your expectations, needs, attitudes, and beliefs about the situation; your role restricts how you perceive situations whether it is a job role, family role, sex role, friendship role, or any of a number of others. 

When people are offering a single, personal viewpoint of anything, it really caries very little meaning beyond what it is.  It is an instance, anecdote, or singular example.  In general, when it comes to viewing things, people are untrained, untaught, unschooled, unskilled, unpracticed, uninitiated, ill-equipped, ill-prepared, unqualified, nonprofessional, and inexperienced.  They see what they see and nothing more.  Much as you need to respect their point of view, and their willingness to share it, in the larger scheme of things, it is one more example of our human limitations---and then some!

----- 


At the website Cycleback.com there is a terrific essay that discusses perception entitled, “Movement Perception and Misperception,” by David Rudd Cycleback.  Cycleback ends his first paragraph saying, “The human uses its complex mental template to make the final perception, or judgment of what is going on. The template was formed by experience, knowledge, genetic tendencies, physiological abilities (your visual template is literally blind to the ultraviolet light that birds see, and the infrared light snakes see), personal bias, aesthetics, etc. Often the final interpretation, or perception, is a correct representation of what is being viewed. Sometimes the perception is off.” 

At the Scientific American website, there is a terrific essay, “Limits of Perception,” by editor in chief, Mariette DiChristina.  She begins her essay with a quotation by Arthur Schopenhauer, Studies in Pessimism : “Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.”  DiChristina goes on to discuss the interference of “noise” in the brain’s functioning.  It is easy to conclude that all perceptions are affected by “noise,” and it is “noise” that, in part, limits our ability to perceive accurately.

-----

Copyright June, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.

Day #189 - Do it now.

SMOERs: Words of Wisdom

"What you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Courage has genius, power, and magic in it;
Only engage, and then the mind grows heated.
Begin it, and the work will be completed."
                                                        ---Anonymous

Day #189 - Do it now.

SMOERs: Self-Motivation, Optimism, Encouragement Rules! - Daily Reminders for Outstanding Living
An everyday guide full of quotations to uplift your spirits.
Free 30-Day sample: smoers.com

New Edgar E Willis video series and Thursday Essay Preview

And Then Some Publishing News
-----
I want to start by saying thank you to the person who bought SMOERs: Self-Motivation, Optimism, Encouragement, Rules - Daily reminders for outstanding living. You've helped get
June 2010 started off on the right path and your purchase donates $4.00 to Susan G. Komen - For the Cure to breast cancer.

If that wasn't exciting enough And Then Some Publishing has a new video series on the way! Last week, Anthony Weaver interviewed 96-year-old Edgar E. Willis who is the retired Emeritus Professor of Communication at the University of Michigan. We discuss his World War II memoir, Civilian in an Ill-fitting Uniform. This interview is a four part series discussing his time before, during, and after the war. In Part 1 of the interview I ask Edgar about his inspiration for the book, the reason for the title, and why he decided to include his life before and after his service.

You will really enjoy this video series and including Edgar reading from his book in Part 2!

And Then Some Publishing will be releasing Part 1 of the interview by the end of this week and will devote an extra And Then Some News post, including the video as soon as it's released.

-----

Find great book reviews every Monday: Book Club... And Then Some!

-----

Thursday's And Then Some Essay preview:

Thursday’s essay is called, “Human limitations and then some." This essay offers an accurate and relevant perspective on personal experience and the value of a personal point of view.  It helps give you what you need to know about how much you know and how much you understand.

Human limitations and then some
by Richard L. Weaver II

Excerpt:
Have you ever walked by a stockade-type fence, found a knothole in it, then looked at what’s taking place on the other side of the fence through that peephole?  A great deal of our lives is framed by that example.  That is, we obtain information about the world we live in through a very small antennae, mounted upon a tiny pedestal, and often pointed in a well-defined, carefully selected direction.  And yet, despite these limitations, the way we view the world is dependent upon the information obtained through this single, small, and somewhat insignificant antennae.  Knowing this puts all that we know and all that we think we know in proper perspective—and then some!

---

And Then Some Works!

The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, Who Killed Change? Solving the Mystery of Leading People Through Change

Book Club... And Then Some!



The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything    

by Ken Robinson with Lou Aronica


Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

This book is truly motivating, and it is because of a combination of reasons.  It is like “the perfect storm” of stimulus packages.  First, the writers offer an engaging, friendly, compelling writing style that makes reading easy and comfortable.  Second, their choices for examples are wonderful.  Whether you know the people or not—and you will know most of them—they describe each experience so well that you quickly identify with them.  

The third reason in this motivational “perfect storm” is their selection of “elements” to discuss.  For example, they discuss “thinking differently,” “creativity,” being “in the zone,” “connecting with people who share your passion and desire, and “developing the proper attitude,” among the elements offered.  And they discus the challenges, too, such as those that come from within, from a lack of confidence, or from fear of failure.  

There is no step-by-step procedure or “formula for success,” but serious readers do not need these pop psyche crutches or aids.  (Of course, some do!)  

What you get from Robinson and Aronica are a wide and broad variety of examples, and their examples offer the same wide and broad level of application or experience.  You read, identify, absorb, and learn—then you apply the ideas creatively and independently on your own in the contexts with which you are most familiar.  This is both the beauty and the force of this book.  It’s the power of example and then, “we need to aim high and be determined to succeed” (p. 21). 


Who Killed Change?  Solving the Mystery of Leading People Through Change

by Ken Blanchard, John Britt, Judd Hoekstra, and Pat Zigarmi


Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.



This is another book in the long line of fables used to identify and solve important and complex real-world business problems.  It is, like Blanchard’s many other books, well-written, brief, and easy-to-read (like a children’s story).  

From the many positive reviews of the book, it is clear that it accurately and precisely, as one reviewer put it, “focuses on the key information that one needs to consider when planning or salvaging a change initiative.”  

It seems to prove—once again—that the quick, practical, personal, and memorable read is likely the most important way to focus on major business issues.  More than just getting readers to think about managing change, there are many ideas here, too, that thrust effective managing to the fore in readers’ minds.  

The book is about a murder mystery with thirteen suspects, and the authors lead readers through an interview with each of the suspects.  Why each of them is a culprit is carefully explained.  How companies can attack the various issues is well presented, too.  If you’re interested in how to change organizational environments—and you are looking for a very simplified explanation—this is a good place to start.  There is no doubt it! 

These books are both available from Amazon.com: The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything and  Who Killed Change?  Solving the Mystery of Leading People Through Change. 

Friday's Laugh . . . And Then Some!

A man woke up in a hospital after a serious
accident.  He shouted, "Doctor, doctor, I can't feel my
legs!"  The doctor replied, "I know you can't---I've cut
off your arms!"

Laugh Like There's No Tomorrow: Over 2,000 jokes from the Internet

From our upcoming book compiled by Richard L. Weaver II
Laugh is setup with just over 4 jokes a day, all 365 days, and can be read in any order!
Expected Release Date: Fall 2010

Cleanse your mind of these thoughts

There are many thoughts that are unnecessary and just take up space in our brains, space that could be better utilized for productive positive thoughts, dealing with everyday problems, planning for the future, and contemplating all the past good memories.  It wasn’t until I read the wonderful book by Thomas Kida, Don’t believe everything you think: The 6 basic mistakes we make in thinking (Prometheus Books, 2006), and a book by Damian Thompson called Counterknowledge (W.W. Norton & Company, 2008), that I began thinking about this topic.   

I want to acknowledge my indebtedness to Kida and Thompson for these thoughts and for their support.  I have borrowed heavily from these books, and I have avoided quotation marks for ease of reading—but, be clear about this, these are their thoughts, not mine. 

The first big time waster is any beliefs you may have in fortunetellers, palm readers, and astrologers.  The last “big name” to give credence to astrology, of course, was Nancy Reagan, who consulted an astrologist whenever deciding President Reagan’s schedule.  Beliefs in any of these is pure nonsense. 

One trap that we fall into is believing in stories rather than in statistics.  I am continually telling people that when you hear of an accident, shooting, robbery, baby’s death, or any other extraordinary event, there often follows a law, ruling, or mandate  designed specifically to prevent other similar accidents, shootings, robberies, or deaths.  So, you have one incident that makes the news—an anecdote—and people scurry to prevent other similar instances when, often, these examples are rare, exceptional, or unique.  A teenager holds up a small grocery store, and suddenly you have a curfew in the neighborhood designed to keep teenagers at home after dark.  Another good example is when you hear of a recall of a certain model because of problems incurred by a small number of people, and you avoid purchasing any car made by that company. 

The second area where we can cleanse our mind is in any intention we may have regarding talking with the dead, facilitated communication, therapeutic touch, and dowsing (a technique in which an individual holds an object, like a Y-shaped tree branch and walks around the land in search of water.  When the branch twitches, it’s taken as a sign that water is below.)  A belief in any of these is ludicrous as well, and yet bright, capable, highly trained people hold extraordinary beliefs such as these that have little or no credible supporting evidence. 

A third area where a significant number of people believe in something where there is little or no credible evidence to support their beliefs, and the beliefs are contradicted by hard evidence, is that there is such a thing as extrasensory perception, that houses can be haunted, that people are sometimes possessed by the devil, that there is such a thing as telepathy—or communication between minds without the five senses—that extraterrestrial beings have visited the earth, that there is such a thing as clairvoyance—or perceiving things not present to the senses—and that reincarnation exists. 

Another area where you can cleanse your mind is any beliefs you have in graphology— analyzing a person’s handwriting to determine what kind of person he or she is.  Research shows that graphology is totally useless, but you may have been denied a job if a graphologist said your handwriting indicated you are untrustworthy. 

A fourth area where cleansing can take place is support of a large number of commonly held beliefs.  For example, that humans use only 10 percent of their brains, the blind develop supersensitive hearing, crime and drugs are out of control in the United States, low self-esteem is a cause of aggression, religious people are more altruistic than less religious people, opposites attract, or if you’re happy in your job, you will be more productive.  There is no research to support these ideas. 

Also, you can cleanse your mind by removing beliefs you may have in such topics as Atlantis, bigfoot, UFOs, Bible prophecy, psychic powers, religious images or patterns seen in unrelated objects, near-death experiences, miracle diets, creationism, paranormal phenomena, or the existence of ghosts.  Anytime you hear a comment from someone who has witnessed an event —whatever it is—and says, “I knew right away it was a ghost/miracle/fairy/or whatever, because there is no other way to explain it,” you can rest assured that the claim is bogus, and the speaker is naive.  As I said earlier in this essay, we love stories.  A discussion of the contribution the media make in fostering beliefs in the weird and bizarre would offer material for a whole book. 

There are a number of other beliefs, too, that you can discard.  Breast implants cause serious disease.  It isn’t true now, and it never was true.  All anecdotal evidence.  Levitation is not supported by evidence.  Not a single death or serious injury has occurred from kids eating Halloween candy received from strangers.  No poisoned candy or apples containing razor blades.  Classified under pseudoscience is a whole range of activities related to parapsychology (some mentioned previously) such as extrasensory perception, telepathy (reading other’s minds), clairvoyance (perceiving things not present to the senses), and precognition (seeing the future).  None of it exists; none of it is true. 

How can you deal with falsehoods, fabrications, half truths, and lies?  Kida has some suggestions, and they fall under the heading, “Think like a scientist.”  First, keep an open mind, and be skeptical of any unsubstantiated claims.  Second, make sure a claim or belief can be tested.  Third, evaluate the quality of the evidence for a belief.  Fourth, try to falsify a claim or belief (e.g., look for disconfirming evidence).  Fifth, consider alternative explanations (even chance or coincidence).  Sixth, other things being equal, choose the claim or belief that is the simplest explanation for the phenomenon.  Seventh, choose the claim or belief that doesn’t conflict with well-established knowledge.  And, eighth, proportion your belief to the amount of evidence for or against that belief. 

No, there is no way to totally cleanse your mind, of course, and we will always be guilty of holding some false beliefs.  Sometimes it’s just fun to consider ideas you know are clearly false or outrageous.  Sometimes they just make you feel good.  Sometimes, too, you just wonder how in the world someone could believe something like that?  At least you know now that there are about 30 beliefs you never have to think about again.  It’s a start to a cleansed mind! 

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Nick Arizza, a medical doctor, has written a delightful essay entitled, “All your problems are based in false beliefs at ezinearticles.com, in which he discusses all the cleansing that can occur when you are freed of your false beliefs: “a feeling of lightening (i.e. a sense of buoyancy and an inner sense of radiance), feelings of relief, feelings of joy and contentment, feelings of self confidence, self esteem and self confidence, feelings of grounded ness and feelings of being more present in one's physical body than ever before.” Now that’s cleansing!

At trans4mind.com, Peter Shepherd has written an essay on “False beliefs,” in which his main thesis is: “Just recognizing your own particular false beliefs is the first and most important step toward letting go of them, to de-programming yourself. Next you need to re-evaluate your deeply-held belief and see if you'd like to revise it.”  Shepherd offers a number of suggestions for cleansing your mind.

A third essay, this one by Julie Jordan Scott, a Life Purpose coach, writer, and speaker, at the website topachievement.com, in an essay entitled, “Taking Action to Eliminate False Beliefs,” takes a similar tack as the two authors above, and after a number of recommendations for dealing with false beliefs, she concludes: “Choose today to eliminate false thinking from your mind's vocabulary. When you "hear" your thoughts walking that path of inertia, take the power away from them. Say STOP! Replace this false belief with a Truth. Take action on truth. Watch the amazing course that flow unfold before you.” 

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Copyright May, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC

Day #188 - Never let floors become ceilings.

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"No one ever attains very eminent success by simply doing what is required of him; it is the amount and excellence of what is over and above the required, that determines the greatness of ultimate distinction." ---Charles Francis Adams

Day #188 - Never let floors become ceilings. 

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Find a Cure support progress and How to be Funny Part 4

And Then Some Publishing News

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In April 2010 we started our support of Susan G. Komen - Find a Cure. That month $1.00 of every And Then Some Publishing, LLC book sold through Amazon.com went to help find a cure. Our goal was $500 which turned out to be quite optimistic. We only donated $9.00.

In May 2010 we raised the stakes. And Then Some Publishing, LLC believes we have some pretty darn good books and we want to get them into your hands. The pot was sweetened. Now we would only profit about $1.00 a book sold through Amazon.com and the rest would support Susan G. Komen - Find a Cure! Our goal was still a bit optimistic at $500. We donated $7.00.

That's just $16.00 for breast cancer research over two months. Even though we didn't reach our goals, we believe in And Then Some! We're going to keep trying...

Our goal for June 2010 is $500. And Then Some Publishing, LLC is staying with the May 2010 formula. We only profit about $1.00 a book and the rest would support Susan G. Komen - Find a Cure!

Click here for a list of how much support from each book sold through Amazon.com goes to Susan G. Komen. Also, check the AndThenSomePublishing.com donation progress report throughout the month. Share this report on Facebook and help us spread the word!

On June 1, 2010, sometime today,  Edgar E. Willis will release Part 4 of 5 of his video series, How to be Funny on Purpose: An Anatomy of Humor. Filmed in 1995, his video breaks down humor and helps bring an understanding of why we laugh at jokes and what makes a joke funny. Check out Part 4 of Edgar's video series How to be Funny... at EdgarEWillis.com.

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Find out more about what And Then Some Publishing has to offer:

See more book reviews every Monday: Book Club... And Then Some!

Thursday's And Then Some Essay preview:

Thursday’s essay is called, “Cleanse your mind of these thoughts."  We all carry around a number of false beliefs---sometimes a whole lot of them!  This essay, based on the writing of two authors, Thomas Kida and Damian Thompson, writing in two separate books, identifies 30 thoughts that "are unnecessary and just take up space in our brains, space that could be better utilized for productive positive thoughts, dealing with everyday problems, planning for the future, and contemplating all the past good memories." 

Cleanse your mind of these thoughts
by Richard L. Weaver II

Excerpt:
No, there is no way to totally cleanse your mind, of course, and we will always be guilty of holding some false beliefs.  Sometimes it’s just fun to consider ideas you know are clearly false or outrageous.  Sometimes they just make you feel good.  Sometimes, too, you just wonder how in the world someone could believe something like that?  At least you know now that there are about 30 beliefs you never have to think about again.  It’s a start to a cleansed mind!

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