Don’t be upset all you graphic designers out there. I have a point to this.

I picked up a nice little book called The Non-Designer’s Design Book by Robin Williams (no, not the actor).

A basic and fundamental thing I learned from it, is that

graphic design is nothing but CRAP!

That is…

Contrast – If two things are supposed to be different, make them drastically different.

Repitition – To keep things looking like they’re all part of the same thing, repeat certain elements.

Alignment – Everything on a page should be aligned with something else.

Proximity – Make things that are similar in topic closer together.

I’m still reading through it (almost done). It features many, many visual examples to see. The above information is basically the first half of the book (but it goes into more detail), and the second half deals with type (as in the styles of type and what goes with what), but also includes different things like the theory of color, designing specific things (like newsletters, business cards, etc.). The author, Robin Williams, has many other books out there. I hope that my next read on this subject will be her book The Non-Designer’s Type Book, InshaAllah.

As regards to my thoughts on the book, I definitely recommend it to any Islamic worker that’s in the business of Da’wah. It gives a very good, basic awareness of design elements so that your next Masjid lecture’s flyer looks a little better than a white page made with NotePad.

Too many valuable programs have been undiscovered by attendees due to the lack of Ihsaan in the marketing. When it comes to Da’wah, you always go for the absolute best.

An example of this would be during the Hijrah of the Prophet (sallalahu ‘alayhi wasallam), when he went from Makkah to Madinah; with him he took Abu Bakr and a guide he’d hired. The guide was the best of all the guides he could find, and he was non-Muslim. The Prophet knew that this would be the most important journey in his life, and so he accordingly hired the absolute best based on that importance.

So, in Da’wah we must always do things in the best of manners. After all, you are spreading the best of deens (religions).

Any other helpful design tips or recommended resources? Have any thoughts? Leave a comment, why don’t ya?

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People start at one and then they

add, add, add

People mess that up and then they’re

sad, sad, sad

Mistakes that roll these planets?

never have, have, have.

Baby we’re not sorry so we

just. don’t. stop.

We actually have limits before we

reach. the. top.

We’re saved, honey, don’t close your eyes

and forget-get-get

When we’re blind, we’re behind a veil

we’re upset-set-set

Focus now and see the clouds

that rain, hail, snow

Don’t be that way. Don’t fall away.

hold what, you, know.

The place we’ll go. What is in store. Who

we’ll. be. with.

Baby it’s all awesome, true, and

not, a, myth.

Have I mentioned how much I hate not-busy season at LJB? There’s literally nothing to do, and it kills me.  Well, I suppose that completely true–I do have work to do, but it’s just calling on Authorizations and financial statements.  If I sat down and did it with no distractions, it would take an hour or two tops each day.  But I’m supposed to be calling and emailing the same people every single day, so I try to stretch each round of calling out to a couple days.  Not only does this frequency annoy the clients, but it annoys me because they avoid my calls, ignore my emails, or tell me the same lies over and over again.

During our two busy seasons (filing the applications and then preparing for the hearings) I check facebook and go online maybe two or three times a day, maybe.  But when it’s slow like this, I’m rarely offline.  I can’t help it.  If my work was intellectually stimulating, or at least necessary, I would have it done in a snap.  This is just harassing the same people for months, knowing that most of them won’t send it back until a year or so later…..  Sigh….is it January 15th yet?

We learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so, you learn to love by loving. All those who think in any other way deceive themselves.

~ Saint Francis De Sales

As we all know, change can be difficult.  But to my surprise, I discovered how healthy and beautiful doing one regular thing every day could be.  By introducing a small addition to the morning routine, or a daily or weekly class, or an exercise, or a regular meeting with friends, establishing a consistent pattern makes it easy to act.  And when an activity becomes habitual, it is no longer difficult.  Repetitive action can make it easier to make positive changes in your life.

So, next time you dabble with the idea of joining a knitting group to finally make those homemade holiday gifts, a book club to stimulate the mind, or new yoga studio to nourish your body and spirit, make a commitment to yourself not to go just once.  It’s the second time that’s the hardest.

I’ve taken two PUA-related workshops: a David Deida one with Shannon in LA, and the Authentic Man Program here in SF.  A major theme of both of them was Presence, also known as Mindfulness: being intensely focused on the present moment, on what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell, in the environment around you and within yourself.  That sounds like a lot, but what it leaves out is crucial – the past and the future, stories about what has happened or what could happen, fantasy, imagination, and prediction.  All your resources are instead focused on what you and those you are interacting with are feeling in the moment.

Arden Leigh writes (from the female perspective) about the importance of Presence for seduction in Say What’s True:

Staying in the moment is so key to seduction that you simply have to make it a habit of your everyday existence.  Learn to say what is true about the other person with you, in almost any situation.  I had a job interview once where my potential employer was late for our meeting by almost an hour, and when he arrived in a frazzle I said to him, “You seem a little stressed out, have you been having a long day?”  Weeks and months after I was hired he still reacted positively to seeing me, because in a situation where I was supposed to be nervous and self-conscious, I instead showed that I cared about how he was doing.  You really just can’t go wrong with observing people and saying what’s true about their inner state.

And finally, learning to observe and state what is true, even if it’s something really simple, will make all your approaches so much easier.  James once was winging for a friend and opened a girl for him by saying to her, “How come you’re having a beer instead of drinking a cosmo like your friends are?  You must be the rebel of the group.”  It was a perfect approach because it wasn’t canned — and for the record, James’s friend is still dating the girl.

So get out of your head and start looking at the person across from you.  Don’t go on a first date and spend the whole time looking upwards at the invisible talking points you have in your head of things you think this guy has to know about you — look at him and observe.  Sure, you can talk about yourself, it’s expected on some level — but stay keyed in to the other person and don’t lose that focus.  Discern his reactions.  Tailor accordingly.  Practice until you get the reaction you want.  This is so important I can’t stress it enough.

If this sounds good, but you aren’t sure how to go about increasing your ability to be present and observe, don’t worry – there are lots of ways to learn.  I got a lot out of Echart Tolle’s bestseller The Power Of Now, particularly the audiobook version.  I also liked Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Wherever You Go There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life.  The Authentic Man Program has a training program on Presence, I haven’t seen any of their DVD instructional material, but the live workshop was amazing (their website is a bit spammy/sales pitchy, but the instruction is top-notch).

Or, you can just try “Repetition”, an acting exercise Arden describes:

When I was in acting school back in college, we had an entire class for two whole semesters that was based on one exercise — Repetition, created by Sanford Meisner.  I suppose I don’t have to stress how useful our teachers thought this exercise was since they made us take two semesters’ worth of classes on it.  The exercise itself was fairly simple: You would sit across from your partner, look them in the eyes, and say something that was true about them.  They would then say something to you that was true about you (or, if they couldn’t think of something to say in time to keep with the rhythm of the exercise, they could repeat back what you had said about them and you could go back and forth until someone noticed something else true about the other person).  And you would both continue on in this manner.

So it sounded something a little like this:

A.  You’re wearing a blue shirt.
B.  I’m wearing a blue shirt.
A.  You dress well.
B.  I dress well.
A.  You dress well.
B.  You’re being nice.
A.  You’re smiling.
B.  I’m smiling.
A.  You’re happy that I’m being nice.
B.  I’m happy that you’re being nice.
A.  You’re happy that I’m being nice.
B.  You’re laughing.
A.  I’m laughing.
B.  You think something’s funny.

Someday I will hold a Repetition class for people who want to study seduction.  I’m pretty sure no other exercise could be as useful as this is.

Shannon & I tried it last night, it was a lot more engaging than I expected.  If you try it and something interesting comes up, post it in the comments!

Also, I can’t help but use this example briefly poke those silly people who think that game and/or this blog are about manipulation which is in conflict with establishing a deeper connection with your partner.  Seeing and understanding your partner’s feelings in each passing moment is clearly a powerful way to relate to them better.  It also helps manipulation, because observing your partner’s reactions lets you better tailor your responses so that they enjoy the interaction.

You can think of this as evil manipulation, I just think of it as dancing the dance of communication with enough skill to not step on my partner’s feet.  And maybe even, to give such ease and joy that they feel like they are flying, through my skillful understanding and responses.  I think most relationships could use more of that kind of manipulation.

The infinity of growth

The repitition of growth

The symmetry of growth

The multilication of growth

The forms of growth

The order of growth

The infinity of form

The repitition of form

The symmetry of form

The multiplication of form

The growth of form

The order of form

I have.  Some Pastors use this term to define a song that has a lot of repetition, i.e. 7 words repeated 11 times.  This is usually used in a derogatory sense but as you will see, repetition is an important part of our faith and our worship.  Let’s investigate!

How about Psalm 130, written by Israel’s sacred song writer himself, the one after God’s own heart, King David; and inspired by God.  This is actually a 4/26 song because the words “His love endures forever” are repeated 26 times throughout the Psalm (song).

Or, how about Rev 4:8, those angels sure know how to sing a good 7/11 song.  Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”  I guess we would call this a 16/infinity song (or spoken word as the case may be).

I have been a member of a WELS church for 25 years and I rarely miss a worship service.  Therefore, in 25 years I have recited the Lord’s Prayer at least 25 x 52 = 1,300 times.  I have recited the Nicene Creed 650 times and the Apostles creed 650 times as well.  I have sung about the gospel and have heard it preached and expressed in enough different and creative ways to save all the people in China.  I know the Sanctus, Agnus Dei, the Nunc Dimittis and the Benediction by heart as a result of similar repetitions.  These are all good things.  Other examples of repetition used throughout Liturgical worship would be statements like “Amen, Amen, Amen” ,   “The Lord be with you – and also with you”  and “Praise Be to You O Lord”. 

Repetition, particularly in a simple song can be powerful in that people will take it home with them after worship and might find themselves singing it during the week.  Consider adding one of these gems to your worship services.  “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” by Rick Founds is a good example.

Finally, I realize that 7/11 stores might only exist in the North East.  The graphic is an image of a slurpee drink from a 7/11 store in case you were wondering.

Yellow, fuzzy fields.

Dead fields, past fields.

Bones beneath the surface.

The grass moves by artificial wind.

A realm of lifelessness, of spoiled soil.

No noise, a total vacuum.

Until a hollowing gasp scratches the landscape.

Followed by a subtle flash

Followed by an isolated stab of dark colors

With hooves, inside blue suede shoes, it walks.

What, who is that figure who blots out the sunlight?

A hooded nightmare an escaped, tragedy.

It has eyes of marble and a snorkel beak.

Its cowl is an arrow to the pale sky.

It walks like an old home video, black and white.

It was supposed to be contained.

But now it strides this neural plane, deteriorating, dying.

Starving, hoping for an answer.

I am the answer, and I lie just before the window to this horrid sight.

Every day he limps from the small hill in the distance.

To the place where the window stands.

Slowly, in a horribly crippled and jagged fashion

Hissing with those lifeless eyes.

Banging on the window pane.

Scratching, as white noise does.

The glass cracks but it is never penetrated

By the sick horror’s constant offenses,

and it keeps going and sicking and dying for it’s prize.

Until it vanishes with a flash and a screech.

Until next time, when I see his raven face again.

At the top of the vomit hill.

There I was, getting ready for football and the TV was on… An advert came on…

It was for everyone’s favourite daytime companion… Ocean Finance… it had a man with a lightbulb strapped on his head, which would light up whenever he was presented with the wisdom of using Ocean Finance… annoying to say the least right?

But wait…

This got me thinking…

Nobody seems to like Ocean Finance adverts… infact type in Ocean Finance Advert into Google and you are presented with people expressing their hate for them!!

But to somebody Ocean Finance means something… Ocean Finance target home owners… and people who want loans… so who am I to rain on their parade if there are people out there who want their product… but why are they so annoying? And persistent?

It made me remember something Seth Godin highlights… Maybe they are “broken” on purpose… by broken I mean that it means nothing to me so I think it’s rubbish… but to someone it means something…

Maybe Ocean Finance do not care about what I think… they are targetting homeowners and people who want loans… Maybe to them Ocean Finance makes sense!

Let’s make it worse… the advert isn’t just to tell you that Ocean Finance can help you with your financial situation… it is to advertise a new TV channel… a TV channel called OceanFinanceTV… on Sky channel 888… (How do I remember this??!!)

Ocean Finance aren’t happy enough to depress you for 30 seconds every 20minutes of daytime television… no, now you be depressed at your own leisure and choosing pretty much all day!

Why? Who wants to watch hours of corporate propaganda!! Especially about Financial Products…

NOT EVEN AUDI MANAGED TO SUCCEED RUNNING A CORPORATE CHANNEL SHOWING POWERFUL AND DESIRABLE CARS!!

So why do Ocean Finance think that they will do any better? Who will watch this?!

The answer I have come to conclude is…

It doesn’t matter who watches it…

Why?

Because at the end of the day, Ocean Finance are positioning themselves as the number 1… number one in the evoked list in my mindset, so that if I ever need such a product, before even going on my Information Search I will go straight to Ocean Finance… or I will atleast trust Ocean Finance more because I think this is a company who has their own TV channel… they must be doing something right…

They have monopolized my mind when it comes to solution financial products using repetition to implant themselves in my long term memory… completely brainwashed it… and yours too… shall I prove it…

Name me two other companies who advertise similar products as Ocean Finance on daytime TV…

Thought so…

Upon further inspection you find that Ocean Finance are owned by American insurance giant AIG… those of Manchester United shirt sponsor fame…

Which leads me to another question… does Ocean Finance run it’s own TV channel because it is successful and have the resources born out of those successes to do so…

Or is daddy AIG bankrolling this channel to insure Ocean Finance are number one in thew evoked set…

Now there’s food for thought…

Until next time, may peace be upon you all…

*Mohammed Ali

Mohammed Ali | Create your badge

The mind ‘get things’ very very easily. It is made very dumb by
senseless repetition of facts. One has to teach at different levels
all the time and never repeat oneself in exactly the same way.
Social peer pressure comes into play (herd pressure) whenever [creativity]
wants to express itself.

In what ways have you been riding along with the herd? Does LCD syndrome affect you at home or work? How do learn or teach (market?) at different levels to allow creativity to break through your resistances?

Tweet this!

Dynasty Warriors AND a giant robot game… AT THE SAME TIME!?!

And it’s the SEQUEL!?! Where do I sign up?

Pardon the sarcasm, but I couldn’t be less excited about this game.

Regardless, you’ll find the Trophy List inside.

Looking to buy the game? Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2

*Denotes Hidden Trophy

Bronze Trophies

Official Mode: 1 Character
Clear Official Mode using 1 character.

Mission Mode: 1 Character
Clear Mission Mode using 1 character.

Mission Mode: 5 Characters
Clear Mission Mode using 5 characters. 

Mission Mode: 10 Characters
Clear Mission Mode using 10 characters.

All Giant Mobile Armor Destroyed
Destroy all Giant Mobile Armors.

Total Shot Down: 10000
Total Shot Down in Player Record exceeds 10000.

Total Missions: 100
Total Missions in Player Record exceeds 100.

Character Gallery Complete
Complete the Character Gallery.

Mobile Suit Gallery Complete
Complete the Mobile Suit Gallery.

Battle Ship Gallery Complete
Complete the Battle Ship Gallery.

Movie Gallery Complete
Complete the Movie Gallery.

*Love is the Pulse of the Stars
Watch Kamille’s ending movie “Love is the Pulse of the Stars”.

*Achieved 50 Ace points
Will be unlocked after achieving 50 Ace points.

*Achieved 100 Ace points
Will be unlocked after achieving 100 Ace points.

Silver Trophies

Official Mode: All Characters
Clear Official Mode with all characters.

Mission Mode: 15 Characters
Clear Mission Mode using 15 characters.

Pilot Level MAX
Achieve Pilot Level 50 with at least one character.

Total Shot Down: 100000
Total Shot Down in Player Record exceeds 100000.

Total Missions: 200
Total Missions in Player Record exceeds 200.

Skill Complete
Complete all Skills for any one character.

License Complete
Complete all Licenses for any one character.

* Zaku Tank, Lord of Land
View the Terminal Event, [Lord of Land].

*Ball, King of Space
View the Terminal Event, [King of Space].

*Achieved 500 Ace points
Will be unlocked after achieving 500 Ace points.

Gold Trophies

Mission Mode: All Characters
Clear Mission Mode with all characters.

All Missions Cleared
Clear all missions in Mission Mode.

Playable Characters Complete
Acquire all playable characters.

Playable Mobile Suits Complete
Acquire all playable Mobile Suits.

Rank 4 Parts Released
Release Rank 4 part for all the Mobile Suits.

*All Friendship
Achieve “Friendship” with all characters.

Platinum Trophy

100% of Trophies Obtained!
100% of Trophies obtained in Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2.

Nine years ago, five of my girlfriends and I took a trip to Solvang, California for “Golf School.”  We were young, and mostly terrible at golf, and were really using it as an excuse to visit wine country.  But we packed up our Beginner’s golf clubs, and showed up on a course one cool morning in April.

We had the entire cast of characters that weekend.  One Teacher’s Pet.  One Class Clown.  Two Natural Athletes.  One Hard Worker.  And one Exotic Outsider.   To be fair, none of us fit our labels exactly.  But we did manage not to strike anyone with a wayward ball; or hurl divots at the Teacher’s Pet.  We DID manage to learn the basics of how to play golf: the ideal plane of a swing; how to take the club away from the body; the point at which your hands should stop rising, and begin the descent with a club.  We learned how to get out of a sand trap, and how to putt a long putt.

Mostly, we were schooled, just like the brochure promised.  But one of the most important lessons I learned that weekend wasn’t about how to angle a club or position my feet – it was about creating habits.  

To change your swing, our instructor told us, you had to repeat the activity for sixty days.  The exact swing, as we had been taught.  He explained to us that muscle memory needed help; and that to get our bodies to do what our minds wanted, we had to put a club in our hands for sixty days in a row, and repeat the “right” technique.

Now, when I got home, I stuck to this little mantra pretty well.  But it was April, then May. I got distracted.  Twenty days later, and I was pretty sure I had no muscle memory left.  I had stopped practicing, and was working more, playing less.  And I was right.   The beauty of the swing I discovered in Solvang was gone by mid-summer.   

At first, I beat myself up.  “You can’t finish anything.”  “Would it have been so hard to do this for 60 days?”  “Look, you wasted that money!”

But an  interesting thing happened that year.  I fell in love with golf.  And, despite the fact that I wasn’t repeating the stroke, I still got better.  It’s a crazy “sport”, where you ride around in a cart and hit a little white ball.  It’s infuriating, and expensive, and only when I’m unemployed am I any good at it (because I have LOTS of time to practice).  But I’ve found, in the intervening nine years, that even though I wasn’t able to follow the rules of Golf School exactly – to practice for 60 days, to groove the memory, to have “expert” technique - that I’ve still maintained a love for the game. 

Why?  Because I had a foundation to work from.  I understood the mechanics of the sport.  And I discovered that when I did practice – even if it wasn’t daily – that I really liked being outside, and taking out some frustration on a little white ball, and sharing some laughs with some good friends.

The lesson I learned was even more important:  even if you’re not good at creating new habits, or sticking to the “rules” of a sport, doesn’t mean you should STOP playing.  And that lesson has been liberating.  Why?   Because I don’t force myself to be “perfect” at a given sport to play it.  I don’t require that I run 12 minute miles, or always hit a forehand ace.  I’m not afraid to be the slowest runner on a course, or to have to take an extra few minutes to get to the summit of a hike.  I give myself permission to be an imperfect – and diverse - athlete. 

And, just like that toddler you know who doesn’t have a favorite stuffed animal, I find that once I pick up a new sport, I don’t play it EVERY time I have an opportunity.  But I DO have the ABILITY to play it, if I want to.  And just that knowledge opens up many, many doors for me.  If I have a friend who doesn’t play racquetball, but does play golf, we can spend 5 hours outside on a Sunday, (okay, admittedly, riding) on our favorite course.  And when the Chicago weather suddenly blesses me with a sunny day, I throw on my bike gear and go for a long ride on the lakefront.   I get to set my activity to fit MY mood, and that’s pretty darned liberating.

So my thought for today is really just this:  don’t underestimate the power of learning something new, and trying a new sport – even if it’s just once.   Because what I think you’ll find is that, over time, you’ll return to that active endeavor when you need it. 

And you’ll find yourself becoming not just a runner, or a walker, or a golfer – but an athlete.   A Big Girl, or Big Guy, all-around, athlete. 

And we could all use more friends like that.

I have a little 1 year old daughter and she absolutely LOVES to watch Blue’s Clues, so I’ve had the opportunity to watch multitudes of episodes with her.  As a team member who’s job is to teach others…here are a few observations that I’ve made about Blue’s teaching strategies:

• KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid!  They have one main concept for each episode, 3 clues, and their done.
• Repetition – They will repeat their main thought or concept about 30 times in a 30 minute episode.
• Know Your Audience – They don’t try to teach kids to read, or teach them to dress themselves…the show is marketed to kids 2 years and under.  They could fall into the trap of trying to reach a larger group of kids…but something would be lost.
• You can learn a lot from a dummy! – Steve (Blue’s owner, and the host of the show) is always screwing something up.  If they are repeating a nursery rhyme, Steve will get it all jumbled up and then let the kids “straighten him out”.  Often, as teachers we try to come across as all-knowing…when we could be more effective if we played dumb (not too hard for me), and let the students teach us.
• Structure and Predictability – My little girl knows what to expect when she watches Blue’s Clues.  When Steve starts singing “Now, it’s time for so long…” she always waves her little hand at the TV and says “bye bye”.  And whenever she hears “Mail time, mail time, mail time, mail…..time!” she starts to do her silly “Here’s the mail” dance.  Kids especially love structure and predictability, but I think we all have a little bit of that in us.  Why else do you go to the same restaurant and order the same thing over and over?!

I hope these observations open your eyes as much as they have mine.

If you’ve ever seen Anchorman, that was my Ron Burgundy raising the voice to make a question impression.

This object seems pretty legit, do your best impression of British scientists in A Clockwork Orange while your baby plays the role of Alex (minus the rape, breaking and entering, assault and rampant drug use) and strap them in front of a television while they learn to read.

These videos combine audio and video to introduce words to children…recommended for children between the ages of 3 months and 5 years. Although, if your child has problems speaking and reading at 5, you may need to look into a more professional approach.

New mothers everywhere are rejoicing for a few minutes of quiet.

These videos are genius in their simplicity.  In an ideal world, parents should sit down with their children and read flash cards and begin the process of repetitive exposure to words, sounds, objects and ideas early and often.  But the reality is that people are lazy or, as many justify to themselves, too “busy”.  Why would they want to sit down for 2 hours a day and read flash cards when there is a DVD that will do it for them?  And the answer is why not, this program is expensive enough that the families who can afford it are probably the same kinds of families who don’t have dinner or will probably miss a good percentage of their kid’s little league soccer games. (props to me for finding a sport that could allow the sex of the child to remain nuetral)

We’re a lazy people.  And now, it would seem that we don’t even have to teach our kids how to speak.  If only there could be a baby Tony Robbins that could help these kids cope with the impending disappointments and get their lives on track earlier…

I digress.

Your Baby Can Read seems too good to be true, but when you think about it, I would venture to guess that these children in the infomercial have been exposed to the program for quite some time…parents are going to expect their little Tommy and Suzy to be reading Hunter S. by age 5 and frankly I would say that Cat in the Hat would be a little more reasonable.  In America, as lazy as we are, we are equally impatient…there will be plenty of disappointment in the time frame involved and will dissuade parents from continuing in the program once they think they aren’t getting the results they want.

But at the end of the day, these videos are repetitive and repetition is key with vocabulary and learning to read.  So while I disagree with a lot of things that will come from this program, it is SO tough to argue with the benefits, so I have no choice but to recommend this program but would like to offer this word of advice…

Family is all we have in this life…they come in many different sizes and shapes, but they are ours.  Be careful with how you treat your children, they are always watching you.  Spend time with them, have dinner and talk to them.  Don’t rely on a DVD to raise your kid.  Please?

This product has immense potential, and was definitely worth staying up until 4AM, which I did, to see it.

I was just sending a friend an email when I suddenly noticed how much I use the words “so” and “really” in my less formal writing!  I use “so” to help express a variety of feelings.  I love my husband “sooooooooooooooooooo” much!  When I add the extra “o’s” then it’s serious business!  I so have to buy that coat–it was soooo cute! 

Really helps me emphasis the message I am trying to convey.  I am really very tired today.  Really really helps me get my point across.  What words do you overuse?

…studies have shown that a new idea must be repeated an average of twenty-nine times to create a neural “pathway” or “bridge,” which means it is then a part of our thinking…I have read other studies that said new ideas have to be heard an average of four times just to be retained and thirty times or more to become a belief which changes our thinking…..The renewing of our mind is a much slower, more tedious matter than many want to consider. This is why the Bible itself is so redundant, repeating many lessons over and over. This is also why successful athletes go through the same drills and workouts over and over for the entire time they remain successful athletes in their sport…..I am saying this to encourage you – when you read something you have read before or heard somewhere else, do not skip over it – pray over it. Let it sink in a little deeper. Ask the Lord to water the seed, and He will – over and over. This is required if your are going to be doers of the Word, bearing fruit, and accomplishing the purpose for which you are now on this earth.

Rick Joyner

(from The Apostolic Ministry)

…studies have shown that a new idea must be repeated an average of twenty-nine times to create a neural “pathway” or “bridge,” which means it is then a part of our thinking…I have read other studies that said new ideas have to be heard an average of four times just to be retained and thirty times or more to become a belief which changes our thinking…..The renewing of our mind is a much slower, more tedious matter than many want to consider. This is why the Bible itself is so redundant, repeating many lessons over and over. This is also why successful athletes go through the same drills and workouts over and over for the entire time they remain successful athletes in their sport…..I am saying this to encourage you – when you read something you have read before or heard somewhere else, do not skip over it – pray over it. Let it sink in a little deeper. Ask the Lord to water the seed, and He will – over and over. This is required if your are going to be doers of the Word, bearing fruit, and accomplishing the purpose for which you are now on this earth.

Rick Joyner

(from The Apostolic Ministry)

“And he could have had a Cadillac, if the school had taught him right”

Bones (2008)

A two light setup was used on Monday for this photo inspired by Richard Avedon, and Jake Rajewsky. Two lights were necessary to eliminate shadows.

This is the original photo that inspired it by Richard Avedon.

Epistrophe

Not to be confused with apostrophe, of course! 

I just love the way that this word can mean two such very different things:

Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=epistrophe

Wow. I’ve been ignoring the blog for far too long, and I sit to write today feeling more skeptical than ever. When did everything around us start to contradict itself? When did parents start siding with their children when they got in trouble at school instead of immediately telling the kids they were also in trouble at home? And when did doing something wrong suddenly become acceptable just because you could get away with it or fool someone into thinking you hadn’t done anything wrong?

Although we make every effort to keep DynamicMediaRelations free of political discussion or opinions, some intriguing articles hit the Web today that demand we talk about the election in light of an awful problem that has taken hold of not only politics but corporate messaging in general: As the consumer news media continues to evolve into a mouthpiece for consistently repetitive organizations of all sizes, shapes and colors, communicators have thrown ethics out the window all because they can … because deception works … because if you say something enough, people will eventually believe it to be true.

With that, I will climb off my soap box, but not before sharing a couple pieces of required reading for all communications and messaging professionals. Please keep the ethics of our profession in mind. Please don’t join the ranks of those seeking the best results at any cost who will do whatever it takes to get their story told in their messages.

So with no further adeau, don’t miss these wonderful reminders of our need to not abuse the power of the pedastal:

• “Shading — or ignoring — truth on the campaign trail“
  The Los Angeles Times, September 14, 2008
• “John McCain’s Journey From Maverick to Liar“
  U.S. News & World Report, September 15, 2008

Remember, being the media’s only source of information on a particular organization or topic in no way gives us the right to spout lies! In fact, we have a responsibility to protect the integrity and respect of our industry as a whole (at least what’s left of it).