12Mar 2013 by CJ

Online Reviewers are not always truthful

Information & Education, Life & Living
I recently came across an article entitled “Is that online review a lie?” Reviews have become an important part of consumer’s online purchasing strategy. Be it cars, TV’s or hotels, if we find one negative review after another posted online then something must be wrong with that product or service, right? But somewhere along the line we’ve all forgotten that not EVERYTHING we read online is necessarily true. In fact many critics, who may first appear to be honest, are actually misleading you in an effort to sway public opinion. Bottom Line/Personal (BottomLinePublications.com) recently discovered some startling information regarding online reviewers. It seems that some of the glowing reviews posted online are actually being done by people who work for the business being reviewed, by marketing firms hired for the…
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07Mar 2013 by CJ

Edison knew a thing or two about patience

Information & Education, Life & Living
Many would characterize Thomas Alva Edison as an ingenious inventor – holding 1,093 U.S. patents for such creations as the phonograph and most notably the electric light bulb. The life of an inventor is riddled with disappointments - sometimes requiring dozens, even hundreds of failed attempts before finally attaining success. But Edison refused to let failure define his life’s work. So instead he lived under the simple belief that anything was achievable with a little persistence and effort. He once joked, “I never failed once. It just happened to be a 2,000-step process”. When you think about it, our journey through life differs little from that of an inventor. We all spend our days struggling to create the most desirable and personally satisfying existence possible, oftentimes with mixed results. But…
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08Feb 2013 by CJ

For all the truly “healthy” people

Information & Education, Life & Living
Some of you might be familiar with the very funny Melissa McCarthy – star of the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly. Sadly, this talented young lady has been under attack because of her weight - by critics who have more to say about what she looks like, than her ability as an actress. Take a look: 2013 – Rex Reed, The New York Observer "Melissa McCarthy is a gimmick comedian who has devoted her short career to being obese and obnoxious with equal success." He goes on to say that she’s “a screeching, humongous creep”, “tractor-sized” and a “hippo”. 2010 – a Marie Claire blogger Critizied the show Mike & Molly saying that overweight people shouldn’t be intimate on TV because they gross her out. How either of these two…
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05Feb 2013 by CJ

Not taking time to read things – another breakdown in communication

Information & Education, Life & Living
While I understand that we’re a highly advanced society – technologically and intellectually – I’m not so sure the latter is always as evident as it should be. Case in point – did you ever notice that lately people don’t always take the time to read things? Society has become so familiar with short, to the point text messages that many of us simply will not read things longer than a few sentences. The problem with that is oftentimes we’re missing out on important, relevant information that could answer a question, present us with an opportunity or simply ask us for a courteous response. This leads to a fundamental breakdown in communication, and can easily be avoided if people would just stop and take the time to read things, rather…
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10Jan 2013 by CJ

I’m all for convenience, but at what cost to the environment?

Information & Education, Life & Living
In the almost 12 years that my wife and I have been living in marital bliss, she's gotten me to understand the importance of caring about the environment. Admittedly at first, I was hesitant to fully embrace her earth-saving ways. It’s funny really, so many of us deny our role in destroying the planet for the simple reason that we really have no desire to change the way in which we live – I was just as guilty. But when you sit down and educate yourself on just about anything you knew little about before, you begin to understand how your constant state of denial only adds to a growing problem – especially in the case of the environment. But American’s laziness is often the culprit when it comes to…
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