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ok.so,if i have some of the previous "symtoms" what can i do to fix them?
By Scott Berkun, April, 2005
We all know someone who's intelligent, but who occasionally defends obviously bad ideas. Why does this happen? How can smart people take up positions that defy any reasonable logic? Having spent many years working with smart people I've cataloged many of the ways this happens, and I have advice on what to do about it. I feel qualified to write this essay as I'm a recovering smart person myself and I've defended several very bad ideas. So if nothing else this essay serves as a kind of personal therapy session. However, I fully suspect you'll get more than just entertainment value ("Look, Scott is more stupid than we thought!") out of what I have to say on this topic.
Success at defending bad ideas
I'm not proud to admit that I have a degree in Logic and Computation from Carnegie Mellon University. Majoring in logic is not the kind of thing that makes people want to talk to you at parties, or read your essays. But one thing I did learn after years of studying advanced logic theory is that proficiency in argument can easily be used to overpower others, even when you are dead wrong. If you learn a few tricks of logic and debate, you can refute the obvious, and defend the ridiculous. If the people you're arguing with aren't as comfortable in the tactics of argument, or aren't as arrogant as you are, they may even give in and agree with you.
The problem with smart people is that they like to be right and sometimes will defend ideas to the death rather than admit they're wrong. This is bad. Worse, if they got away with it when they were young (say, because they were smarter than their parents, their friends, and their parent's friends) they've probably built an ego around being right, and will therefore defend their perfect record of invented righteousness to the death. Smart people often fall into the trap of preferring to be right even if it's based in delusion, or results in them, or their loved ones, becoming miserable. (Somewhere in your town there is a row of graves at the cemetery, called smartypants lane, filled with people who were buried at poorly attended funerals, whose headstones say "Well, at least I was right.")
Until they come face to face with someone who is tenacious enough to dissect their logic, and resilient enough to endure the thinly veiled intellectual abuse they dish out during debate (e.g. "You don't really think that do you?"or "Well if you knew the <insert obscure reference here> rule/law/corollary you wouldn't say such things"), they're never forced to question their ability to defend bad ideas. Opportunities for this are rare: a new boss, a new co-worker, a new spouse. But if their obsessiveness about being right is strong enough, they'll reject those people out of hand before they question their own biases and self-manipulations. It can be easier for smart people who have a habit of defending bad ideas to change jobs, spouses, or cities rather than honestly examine what is at the core of their psyche (and often, their misery).
Short of obtaining a degree in logic, or studying the nuances of debate, remember this one simple rule for defusing those who are skilled at defending bad ideas: Simply because they cannot be proven wrong, does not make them right. Most of the tricks of logic and debate refute questions and attacks, but fail to establish any true justification for a given idea.
For example, just because you can't prove that I'm not the king of France reincarnated doesn't make it so. So when someone tells you "My plan A is the best because no one has explained how it will fail" know that there is a logical gap in this argument. Simply because no one has described how it will fail, doesn't necessarily make it the best plan. It's possible than plans B, C, D and E all have the same quality, or that the reason no one has described how A will fail is that no one has had more than 30 seconds to scrutinize the plan. As we'll discuss later, diffusing bad thinking requires someone (probably you) to construct a healthier framework around the bad thinking that shows it for what it is.
Death by homogeny
The second stop on our tour of commonly defended bad ideas is the seemingly friendly notion of communal thinking. Just because everyone in the room is smart doesn't mean that collectively they will arrive at smart ideas. The power of peer pressure is that it works on our psychology, not our intellect. As social animals we are heavily influenced by how the people around us behave, and the quality of our own internal decision making varies widely depending on the environment we currently are in. (e.g. Try to write a haiku poem while standing in an elevator with 15 opera singers screaming 15 different operas, in 15 different languages, in falsetto, directly at you vs. sitting on a bench in a quiet stretch of open woods).
That said, the more homogeneous a group of people are in their thinking, the narrower the range of ideas that the group will openly consider. The more open minded, creative, and courageous a group is, the wider the pool of ideas they'll be capable of exploring.
Some teams of people look to focus groups, consultancies, and research methods to bring in outside ideas, but this rarely improves the quality of thinking in the group itself. Those outside ideas, however bold or original, are at the mercy of the diversity of thought within the group itself. If the group, as a collective, is only capable of approving B level work, it doesn't matter how many A level ideas you bring to it. Focus groups or other outside sources of information can not give a team, or its leaders, a soul. A bland homogeneous team of people has no real opinions, because it consists of people with same backgrounds, outlooks, and experiences who will only feel comfortable discussing the safe ideas that fit into those constraints.
If you want your smart people to be as smart as possible, seek a diversity of ideas. Find people with different experiences, opinions, backgrounds, weights, heights, races, facial hair styles, colors, past-times, favorite items of clothing, philosophies, and beliefs. Unify them around the results you want, not the means or approaches they are expected to use. It's the only way to guarantee that the best ideas from your smartest people will be received openly by the people around them. On your own, avoid homogenous books, films, music, food, sex, media and people. Actually experience life by going to places you don't usually go, spending time with people you don't usually spend time with. Be in the moment and be open to it. Until recently in human history, life was much less predictable and we were forced to encounter things not always of our own choosing. We are capable of more interesting and creative lives than our modern cultures often provide for us. If you go out of your way to find diverse experiences it will become impossible for you to miss ideas simply because your homogenous outlook filtered them out.
Thinking at the wrong level
At any moment on any project there are an infinite number of levels of problem solving. Part of being a truly smart person is to know which level is the right one at a given time. For example, if you are skidding out of control at 95mph in your broken down Winnebago on an ice covered interstate, when a semi-truck filled with both poorly packaged fireworks and loosely bundled spark plugs slams on its brakes, it's not the right time to discuss with your passengers where y'all would like to stop for dinner. But as ridiculous as this scenario sounds, it happens all the time. People worry about the wrong thing at the wrong time and apply their intelligence in ways that doesn't serve the greater good of whatever they're trying to achieve. Some call this difference in skill wisdom, in that the wise know what to be thinking about, where as the merely intelligent only know how to think. (The de-emphasis of wisdom is an east vs. west dichotomy: eastern philosophy heavily emphasizes deeper wisdom, where as the post enlightenment west, and perhaps particularly America, heavily emphasizes the intellectual flourishes of intelligence).
In the software industry, the common example of thinking at the wrong level is a team of rock star programmers who can make anything, but don't really know what to make: so they tend to build whatever things come to mind, never stopping to find someone who might not be adept at writing code, but can see where the value of their programming skills would be best applied. Other examples include people that always worry about money despite how much they have, people who struggle with relationships but invest their energy only in improving their appearance (instead of in therapy or other emotional exploration), or anyone that wants to solve problem X but only ever seems to do things that solve problem Y.
The primary point is that no amount of intelligence can help an individual who is diligently working at the wrong level of the problem. Someone with wisdom has to tap them on the shoulder and say, "Um, hey. The hole you're digging is very nice, and it is the right size. But you're in the wrong yard."
Killed in the long term by short term thinking
From what we know of evolution it's clear that we are alive because of our inherited ability to think quickly and respond to change. The survival of living creatures, for most of the history of our planet, has been a short term game. Only if you can out-run your predators, and catch your prey, do you have the luxury of worrying about tomorrow.
It follows then that we tend to be better at worrying about and solving short term issues than long term issues. Even when we recognize an important long term issue that we need to plan for, say protecting natural resources or saving for retirement, we're all too easily distracted away from those deep thoughts by immediate things like dinner or sex (important things no doubt, but the driving needs in these pursuits, at least for this half of the species, are short term in nature). Once distracted, we rarely return to the long term issues we were drawn away from.
A common justification for abuse of short term thinking is the fake perspective defense. The wise, but less confident guy says "hey are you sure we should be doing this?" And the smart, confident, but less wise guy says "of course. We did this last time, and the time before that, so why shouldn't we do this again?". This is the fake perspective defense because there's no reason to believe that 2 points of data (e.g. last time plus the time before that) is sufficient to make claims about the future. People say similar things all the time in defense of the free market economy, democracy, and mating strategies. "Well, it's gotten us this far, and it's the best system we have". Well, maybe. But if you were in that broken down Winnebago up to your ankles in gasoline from a leaking tank, smoking a cigarette in each hand, you could say the same thing.
Put simply, the fact that you're not dead yet doesn't mean that the things you've done up until now shouldn't have, by all that is fair in the universe, already killed you. You might just need a few more data points for the law of averages to catch up, and put a permanent end to your short term thinking.
How many data points you need to feel comfortable continuing a behavior is entirely a matter of personal philosophy. The wise and skeptical know that even an infinite number of data points in the past may only have limited bearing on the future. The tricky thing about the future is that it's different than the past. Our data from the past, no matter how big a pile of data it is, may very well be entirely irrelevant. Some find this lack of predictive ability of the future quite frustrating, while others see it as the primary reason to stick around for a few more years.
Anyway, my point is not that Winnebagos or free market economies are bad. Instead I'm saying that short term bits of data are neither reliable nor a wise way to go about making important long term decisions. Intelligent people do this all the time, and since it's so commonly accepted as a rule of thumb (last time + the time before that), it's often accepted in place of actual thinking. Always remember that humans, given our evolution, are very bad at seeing the cumulative effects of behavior, and underestimate how things like compound interest or that one cigarette a day, can in the long term, have surprisingly large impacts despite clearly low short term effects.
How to prevent smart people from defending bad ideas
I spent my freshman year at a small college in NJ called Drew University. I had a fun time, ingested many tasty alcoholic beverages, and went to lots of great parties (the result of which of course was that I basically failed out and had to move back to Queens with my parents. You see, the truth is that this essay is really a public service announcement paid for by my parents – I was a smart person that did some stupid things). But the reason I mention all this is because I learned a great bit of philosophy from many hours of playing pool in the college student center. The lesson is this: Speed kills. I was never very good at pool, but this one guy there was, and whenever we'd play, he'd watch me miss easy shots because I tried to force them in with authority. I chose speed and power over control, and I usually lost. So like pool, when it comes to defusing smart people who are defending bad ideas, you have to find ways to slow things down.
The reason for this is simple. Smart people, or at least those whose brains have good first gears, use their speed in thought to overpower others. They'll jump between assumptions quickly, throwing out jargon, bits of logic, or rules of thumb at a rate of fire fast enough to cause most people to become rattled, and give in. When that doesn't work, the arrogant or the pompous will throw in some belittlement and use whatever snide or manipulative tactics they have at their disposal to further discourage you from dissecting their ideas.
So your best defense starts by breaking an argument down into pieces. When they say "it's obvious we need to execute plan A now." You say, "hold on. You're way ahead of me. For me to follow I need to break this down into pieces." And without waiting for permission, you should go ahead and do so.
First, nothing is obvious. If it were obvious there would be no need to say so. So your first piece is to establish what isn't so obvious. What are the assumptions the other guy is glossing over that are worth spending time on? There may be 3 or 4 different valid assumptions that need to be discussed one at a time before any kind of decision can be considered. Take each one in turn, and lay out the basic questions: what problem are we trying to solve? What alternatives to solving it are there? What are the tradeoffs in each alternative? By breaking it down and asking questions you expose more thinking to light, make it possible for others to ask questions, and make it more difficult for anyone to defend a bad idea.
No one can ever take away your right to think things over, especially if the decision at hand is important. If your mind works best in 3rd or 4th gear, find ways to give yourself the time needed to get there. If when you say " need the afternoon to think this over", they say
"tough. We're deciding now". Ask if the decision is an important one. If they say yes, then you should be completely justified in asking for more time to think it over and ask questions.
Find a sane person people listen to
Some situations require outside help. Instead of taking a person on directly, get a third party that you both respect, and continue the discussion in their presence. This can be a superior, or simply someone smart enough that the other person might possibly concede points to them.
It follows that if your team manager is wise and reasonable, smart people who might ordinarily defend bad ideas will have a hard time doing so. But sadly if your team manager is neither wise nor reasonable, smart, arrogant people may convince others to follow their misguided ways more often than not.
And yet more reasons
I'm sure you have stories of your own follies dealing with smart people defending bad ideas, or where you, yourself, as a smart person, have spent time arguing for things you regretted later. Given the wondrous multitude of ways the universe has granted humans to be smart and dumb at the same time, there are many more reasons why smart people behave in stupid ways. For fun, and as fodder, here's a few more.
If you have some thoughts on this essay, or some more reasons to add, leave a comment:
- Smart people can follow stupid leaders (seeking praise or promotion)
- Smart people may follow their anger into stupid places
- They may be trained or educated into stupidity
- Smart people can inherit bad ideas from their parents under the guise of tradition
- They may simply want something to be true, that can never be
- Check out my related essay, how to detect bullshit.
- Difficult conversations, a book about confronting people in tough situations.
- The argument clinic, Monty Python (If you've never seen it, watch it before reading this script. It's in the 3rd season, disc 9 of the boxed set). Also see the splunge scene in episode 6.
- Games people play, Eric Byrne. A book on transactional analyis: a model for why people behave as they do in certain situations.
- The informed argument, Robert Miller. Textbook style coverage of both proper and unfair argument tactics.
- With good reason, Morris Engel. a short summary of common logic manipulations, explained with a sense of humor (over a dozen cartoons).
- Why smart people can be so stupid, Salon.com
179 Responses to "#40 – Why smart people defend bad ideas"
George |
Rafa |
The problem with smart people is that they like to be right and sometimes will defend ideas to the death rather than admit they're wrong. –> This is so my sister, stubborn.
I grow up watching my parents scold her for always defending her ideas and reject all of of others, so I learn by that.
Even If I didn't agree with others (especially elders)I would avoid saying it by changing the topics or agree with them. This way is easier… Arguing with people who lack common sense is troublesome, most of the time I stuck with my ideas in my head,LOL
Steve Thomas |
I seem to be one of the sole dissenting voices here. There is much irony embedded within your essay, for it leads me to ask "why smart people defend bad ideas?" In your case, here, this is just an absurd idea, and you end up double-backing on yourself a few paragraphs later. You note that smart people love to be right "until they come face to face with someone who is tenacious enough to dissect their logic, and resilient enough to endure the thinly veiled intellectual abuse they dish out during debate […]." Okay, let me get this straight; if another person proved a "smart person" wrong by using logic then the other person is a smart person, so how do we know that the other person isn't simply defending another bad idea.
Look, let's level here. For a guy who claims to hold a degree in logic yours is beyond flawed. Firstly, you create a straw man argument by carefully crafting a purposefully vague notion of "bad idea" without first defining what this bad idea actually is. Secondly, reading through your essay I do not see a man who has been trained in logic, but rather an ideologue who has jumped on the anti-intellectual bandwagon. Moreover, you have it entirely backwards when you say "the wise, but less confident guy says "hey are you sure we should be doing this?" And the smart, confident, but less wise guy says "of course." This is so dumb it actually pisses me off. You have created such a transparent straw man argument that it is laughable, and the fact that so many people have agreed with you confirms the anti-intellectual state of America. Sorry, but the smart person always understands what they don't know and will almost always exercise caution in uncharted territory. Your post is tragic nonsense!
Scott Berkun |
Sorry you didn't like the essay.
It would have been more accurate to have titled the essay "Why *some* smart people defend bad ideas some of the time" or perhaps "Being smart vs. being wise" as clearly by definition being smart doesn't guarantee you will defend bad ideas – instead my point was being smart doesn't guarantee you'll defend good ideas either, which often people assume to be true.
The relevant quote would be:
"The primary point is that no amount of intelligence can help an individual who is diligently working at the wrong level of the problem. Someone with wisdom has to tap them on the shoulder and say, 'Um, hey. The hole you're digging is very nice, and it is the right size. But you're in the wrong yard.'"
You might claim that person is not in fact smart, since a smart person would not work on the wrong problem. Ok. We perhaps have different definitions of smart. Isaac Newton spent much of his life studying alchemy, and seeking the Philosopher's Stone. I'd say he was very smart, but yet also was interested in something improbable, which I'd call a bad idea. And I imagine he'd use his sizable intellect to defend his pursuit of something that is untrue, at least by today's standards of science.
As its 7 years from when the essay was written, if I wrote it again today, I'd talk about cognitive bias, and our well documented flaws in reasoning, but I didn't know about them in a formal sense then.
Steve Thomas |
Hi Scott,
Admittedly I can be brusque so please don't take my comments personally, but we have a real social problem here in America. For some very strange reasons we've become, as a culture, anti-intellectual, and it is one that is beginning to cost us dearly. This is a dangerous state of affairs where our economic viability is beginning to wane. Have you ever traveled abroad? My wife is European and, while there, I am always astonished at the in-depth and mature conversations I am able to have with young people; particularly on topics such as economics, science, history, culture, etc. In America, I typically get "Hey, you socialists keep your government hands of my Social Security." We have become a nation that embraces ignorance and glorifies the easy way out; my most sincere recommendation for you is to help reverse this ugly trend and not to add to it. I have watched one of your videos and you seem to have some good ideas.
Nevertheless, I understand your point when you say "[…] that no amount of intelligence can help an individual who is diligently working at the wrong level of the problem." Notice one thing about your sentence? There is a subtle change: it doesn't single out smart people—and shouldn't—because any person, including us, can work on the wrong level of a problem. My boss calls me the absent-minded professor for I can tell you innumerable things about history and politics, but ask me what I did yesterday… I think your point about Newton is a little flawed too because we are not talking about him being smart or not but rather what is know—this is called evidence. A smart person recognizes evidence and usually will cease working on the wrong level of a problem. Usually, dumb people just keep on digging and believing; despite, in many cases, overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
In other words, don't confuse a lack of evidence with stupidity, but it is stupid to ignore evidence. When the premises of an argument become a little more complex, say, global warming or evolution it is then incumbent on individual citizens to be able to understand the underlying science. My point is this: w can prove beyond any doubt that Newton was wrong about alchemy in as much as we can prove that evolution is a fact, and that the preponderance of the evidence suggests strongly that global warming is indeed caused by human activity. However, people in America are now so poorly educated that they believe things that just aren't true, and when one provides evidence they still reject it. I have come to the conclusion that most people are now unable to distinguish what constitutes evidence. In America, it's just too easy to be dumb. In the end, I suppose my overriding impression of reading your essay was that "wow, he's actually describing what dumb people do; it's too bad he didn't state it as such.
Travis |
Steve, why are you so antagonistic? If you wanted to disagree, why couldn't you simply refute what you needed to and then be done with it. Instead you go out of your way to demean the OP (calling his argument laughable) and say you how the article "pisses me[you) off". The focus of your first paragraph is a refutation of the OPs rhetorical/theoretical situation. It seems your definition of the word "intelligent" is just different from the OPS, but you assume his is the same as yours, and you use that to berate his argument. He is saying that people will defend their previous views, even if they are wrong (not they necessarily are wrong) until someone confronts them about it and dissects their argument. He is just trying to make the point that people have a tendency (even people generally considered smart) to stick to their previous beliefs/ideas/viewpoints.
I want to ask again my first question. Steve, why are you so antagonistic? The way you insert a tone of anger and frustration into your comment makes you seem like you are defending something close and personal to you, like a patriot defending their country. What are you defending? Why are you 'pissed off'? Is there something behind this argument that you feel is being attacked, or do you just get angry as a response to someone questioning your previously-held views?
Thank you and please try to answer me respectfully, without calling my argument laughable or dumb.
Randall Harms |
I don't agree with your use of the word "antagonistic" to describe the style of Steve's argument. It seems to me to be more a passionate expression of a thesis brewing in Steve's mind that the author's essay catalyzed into a clear and coherent logical structure, and that Steve believes dissemination of his identification and defining outline of the problem IS important to the viability of our republic. Your characterization of the bad faith use of smart in a different and "known to be different by Steve" is accurate and illuminating to both arguments and solves some muddiness in both perspectives. However, the remainder of your remarks after the "antagonistic:" label was introduced assumes that characterization is correct and fatal to Steve's argument. I think you applied some instant karma there. Finally, your defensive closing is a wicked trap in that Steve is left with the threat of dismissal of his response if your subjective assessment of his level of respect is negative. Indeed, your response to Steve is an example of the very thing Steve finds troublesome.
Sean Crawford |
Maybe it's just me, and I know I'm only a bystander, but when someone comments disrespectfully to Scott, then I feel disrespected too.
Steve Thomas |
I am not really pissed off although I can understand why you would say that. I am however exceedingly frustrated because everywhere I turn there are people who are deriding intelligent people or the intelligentsia, in general. I am fighting against this vein of anti-intellectualism that has permeated the United States. You say that "it seems your definition of the word "intelligent" is just different from the OPS, but you assume his is the same as yours, and you use that to berate his argument," and I am going to challenge you on this point. Why shouldn't I assume that it has the same definition? Last I checked there is really only one definition for this word. The fact that you seem to think that we can simply redefine words to suit or choosing is actually part of this problem. I admit to the frustration, yes, because everyone wants to jump on the internet to play the intelligent person, yet all the while many of you are berating intelligent people. It doesn't make a lick of sense.
To your last point as to whether "[…] I just get angry as a response to someone questioning your previously-held views?" The answer is a resounding "no" because I was the one doing the questioning. Keep in mind that logic dictates the soundness of our arguments, so perhaps you should look up and understand what constitutes a straw man argument. As I noted, I did not mean any disrespect but it is my prerogative to challenge what I see as nonsense. It is also Scott's prerogative whether he posts it. He did, warts and all, and I think that shows a level of character and honesty on his part.
Mr. Thomas wishes to inform us all that Americans are stupid.
If I understand his argument, he is saying that he disagrees with the essay, because anyone defending a bad idea is by definition not a smart person. And that America is anti-intellectual.
He further adds that Americans are anti-intellectual, and that apparantly is why the OP wrote this essay in the first place.
Finally, Americans are dumb, and Mr. Thomas disapproves of this fact.
Steve |
I really don't know why you took the time to write such drivel. If you are going to respond to something which another wrote then don't you think you should take some time to make it cogent? You didn't understand my point at all so I think you should go back and reread it again. Also, you can read my review on Amazon too. Perhaps that will clarify some points for you. Lastly, the word you seek is "apparently" not "apparently," unless, of course, I am just another "smart" person defending a bad idea like proper spelling…
Jordan Koepnick |
I have to say that for the past couple of hours i have been hooked by the impressive articles on this blog. Keep up the wonderful work.
Elizabeth |
Thank-you Scott! I have been trying to understand my husband and his giftedness for years. I simply am searching for ways to help us live as peacefully as possible, which as you probably know and understand, can be a challenge. Your article gave me what I was looking for – more insight into understanding why he seems to like to argue and a new awareness about how slowing it down could help.
Thank-you very much.
Caitlin |
Thank you so much for writing this! Very thought-provoking.
Joe Smarter than You |
Clearly your not a smar person, or you wouldn't have written this garbage.
David M Linehan |
Joe, bro, I don't want to be the guy that calls out spelling mistakes, but in a post where you are trying to call someone dumb, at least spell "smart" right, or get Google Chrome; it has spell check.
That's how you use commas.
Robert Barnes |
Thumps up for you David: (Linehan). That was awsome, and it was smart!
Robert Barnes |
David Linehan,
I forgot to mention that I would have said it this way:
Joe, bro, I don't want to be the guy that calls out spelling mistakes,
but, in a post where you are trying to call someone dumb, at least
spell "smart" right, or get Google Chrome; it has spell check.
Notice the extra comma?
Fred |
Scott, the opening of your essay confused the crap out of me. I think I might get it, now. By talking about "smart" people, you must mean "sharp-witted, possibly educated dumb people". I guess I usually understand "smart" to mean "quick-to-learn, wise people".
I've found over and over again that the correct response to genuinely smart people when they say something you think is stupid is to stop and understand what they mean by it. More likely it's you (or me) who is failing to see what's really being communicated.
I'd guess this idea is what Steve had in mind as well, when he interpreted your post to be anti-intellectual. I do agree with him that your post's flippancy is somewhat ironic, given your point. Though I also think that the advice you give is sound, if you're truly being confronted by a dumb fast-talker (aka "smart" person), as opposed to an actual smart person.
tammyruger |
I haven't read all the comments so this question may have been addressed, but I'm wondering if Steve's anti-intellectual rant translates into "low information voter." Is this to assume that the special interests that voted Obama a second term are therefore anti-intellectual by choice? If true, this is indeed hideous and resolves the issue of whether this country is headed into a deep abyss never to emerge.
Steve Thomas |
As a person who has engaged in numerous online debates and such I have learned to be much more careful about misinterpreting what others are saying. In looking back, however, my initial response to Scott was overly aggressive and he certainly did not deserve my angry response, so my apologies to him. Actually, Fred hit the nail on the head when he stated that "More likely it's you (or me) who is failing to see what's really being communicated." However, the point being is this: obtuse people are the ones who are more likely to defend bad ideas.
I interpreted his words as being anti-intellectual simply because he wrote that "I'm not proud to admit that I have a degree in Logic and Computation from Carnegie Mellon University." Indeed, this is rather peculiar as if it is somehow embarrassing to have been received higher education and to be taught how to think in a more structured way. Why shouldn't he be proud to admit this? It is a great achievement on his part. I may be wrong but I interpreted Scott's sentence as some sort of an appeal to so-called "common sense." An appeal to common sense is often employed as a logical fallacy and it is often an appeal to right-wing populism; in other words, a rejection of the elites in universities, business and government.
Tammy, in your post you inquired whether "is this to assume that the special interests that voted Obama a second term are therefore anti-intellectual by choice?" It is my opinion that special interests tend to be anti-intellectual by choice. This is why a great swath of the American population rejects evolution in favour of creationism; they claim that anthropogenic climate change is a myth; they maintain the belief that Obama was born in Kenya, etc, etc. I am not suggesting that this is you; however, whether one loves him or hates him is irrelevant, but to reject the overwhelming evidence that Obama is a US citizen is indeed anti-intellectual. However, special interests do not vote but they are, generally speaking, the ones who affect the opinions of those who do vote.
Hughe |
Why most scientists and engineers are so stupid!?
This situation is worse than smart people defend bad ideas. I did not know it has been happening all the time but I was honestly stupid. Then I slowly went through painful period of relearning how to think and how to look at reality with unbiased attitude.
The reason I say this modern science except few fields went to backwards. Especially cosmology in astronomy. Any open-mind individuals who study alternative theories about universe, he/she will understand how the Big Bang theory is rubbish, absurd. Mean while virtually all astronomers stupidly support it like religious fanatics. Then it makes wonder "What's real intelligence?"
Most scientists hardly give second thought or serious question to basic assumptions, i.e. core definitions and terms that serve as foundation of hypothesis. For example, Issac Newton had implicit assumptions on gravity when he invented Newtonian Mechanics 300 years ago. His marvelous achievement has some serious flaws that began to fail some phenomena discovered by other scientists as time passed. But, these real scientists opinion hardly ever embraced in mainstream scientific community for 19th, 20th century.
Issac Newton thought speed of gravity is instantaneous. Its range of force extends up to infinite distance in universe. These assumptions are absurd, non-realistic. So modern cosmology that uses Newton's gravitational theory and theory of Relativity has been busy to patch, create pseudo entities for explaining observed phenomena.
What a exciting time for us to live!
Bill Riedel |
I think it is relatively simple why smart people defend bad ideas. I read two books fairly recently. Neither of these books made much sence alone; however together they led to the following conclusion:
1. We are all brainwashed or have brainwashed ourselves and that is particularily true if one has been brainwashed into a profession. So the first question we must answer is: How brainwashed am I? (Reference – McGinn, Colin 2008, Mindfucking, A Critique of Mental Manipulation, Acumen).
2. What and whose bullshit do I believe? (Reference – Law, Stephen, 2011, Believing Bullshit, How Not to Get Sucked into Intellectual Black Hole, Prometheus Books.
Only after having answered these two questions can one look at issues objectively.
Steve Thomas |
Your thinking is beyond confused, and your writing skills are even worse. Your understanding of science and how it works is as bad as your syntax. I don't think Scott's essay wasn't an invitation to denigrate smart, educated people. Your post is nonsense unless you can prove examples to which you're referring. What assumptions and what, pray tell, makes you think the big bang theory is rubbish? Your ideas are very poorly formed.
Hughe |
I don't spend time to review my writings and fix errors on comments.
It took almost entire life for me to gain power of independent thinking in true sense. Even though I hate conventional scientific theories nowadays, I love science and technologies. The problem is to have balanced idea or opinion about a fact one must have different explanations. The great tragic of collective stupidity in human society is educational system is designed to dumb down humans.
If I give you serious scientific papers and books written by scientists and engineers, will you personally spend your spare time and energy to study alternative theory? For example all text books and journals that public can access on the net or buy in book stores only represent theories and information for mainstream science.
Black Holes do exist. Why? As an average Joe like me believe in as truth because the scientists say so.
Matter can not travel faster than the speed of light. Again asking why returns simple answer "Mr. Einstein say so."
Big Bang theory of universe is absurd and rubbish hypothesis to any individual who really study alternative theories of physics. For instance Big Bang theory assumes our universe is close system that has start and end. How they know our universe is close or open system? To ask this question one has to understand two fundamental approaches for attacking physical problem in sciences: close or open system. Looking at an engine as close system which is completely isolated from external environment probably reasonable. The engine burns fuel and convert part of its energy into mechanical force. Then applying same principal to unimaginably big entity, which is our universe, is simply stupid or intellectual masturbation of bad scientists.
It became scientific fact that Sun's weather change effects Earth's local/global weather. I didn't make this up.
Then, it's just beginning of bigger reality Earth belongs to. Our solar system travels extremely fast in space. Changing conditions of space also affect every thing in solar system. Then there is our galaxy, galaxy cluster, super galaxy cluster, on and on.
All laws in physics built upon basic assumptions of its inventors. In mathematics it calls as Axiom. Public education do not offer any space to discuss possible or inherited flaws of these Axioms. Whether it's a kid in a grade school or student in a college, challenging the teacher' word comes with punishment.
Why do we have to depend on fossil fuels? Because we've been taught energy does not exist in empty space. It only exists inside static matter. To extract energy matter – fossil fuel, oil or Uranium or whatever – has to be destroyed. Exact repetition of stupidity when people was believing in "Sun and all stars revolve around the Earth."
To exercise free will and make own decision one needs to have choices. In science different theories do exist. Do you know who Nicola Tesla was? Nearly seven billions still depend on Tesla's electric power generation and distribution technologies over one hundred years. Nicola Tesla demonstrated how to extract energy in atmosphere even space, which gave a clue alternative perspective how our universe exists. Anyway good signs more and more people are beginning to embrace Tesla's perspective.
Steve Thomas |
Your entire post smacks of typical anti-intellectual conspiracy nonsense. As I said, you do not seem to really understand how science works, and your words seem to confirm this. You stated that "For example all text books and journals that public can access on the net or buy in book stores only represent theories and information for mainstream science." Mainstream science, are you serious here? What, there's non-mainstream science? Let me get this straight; in other words, there's a cover up occurring, right? This is such nonsensical thinking. Science is imperfect but it is the best we have, and it is self-correcting because of its peer-reviewed nature. I wholeheartedly reject your conspiracy position as it lacks any basis in reality.
Next, what you appear to be doing is to confuse issues. Simply because someone cannot tell you why matter cannot accelerate past the speed of light does not mean that it is less true. You appear to be attempting to equate one's faith in science as being the equivalent as one's faith in religion. If so then you are committing the fallacy of equivocation. I do not doubt that there have been examples of certain scientific theories being initially rejected but proved later. Indeed, vindication for these scientists but it proves that science works. Theories and information are altered as new information arises. Most alternative theories are just that—alternative. Simply because something is alternative doesn't mean that it's true. I caution you to be careful as your thinking is bordering on conspiratorial and paranoid…
Ivana |
This essay is describing typical OCD people when they are wrong ;)
Tim |
I follow what is said here, but my friend tries to use rather large words and speak over me. When i argue back, he just gets mad and starts to call me names or say " you mad bro". How do i get out of this situation without creating a fight?
Mike Mellor |
An excellent article. Scott Berkun gently points out in everyday language some of the most common logical errors. I was also reminded that although I think I'm smart I have bad ideas as often as, or maybe more often than, people of less intelligence, and because I think I'm smart, I tend to hang onto those bad ideas long after they should have been discarded.
Bill Redeel |
"Why smart people defend bad ideas" – one word MOKITA. If you look at professor Culbert's book Beyond Bullsh*t: Straight-Talk at Work on page 126 he notes that mokita is a New Guinean word meaning "the truth everyone knows but no one speaks."
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Keyword Relevance for: Engineering
17-3023.03 Electrical Engineering Technicians
|O*NET-SOC Title
|1 match
|Alternate Occupation Titles
|10 matches
|O*NET-SOC Description
|1 match
|6 matches
|Detailed Work Activities
|1 match
O*NET-SOC Title
- Electrical Engineering Technicians
Alternate Occupation Titles
- Engineer
- Engineering Assistant
- Engineering Lab Coordinator
- Engineering Lab Technician
- Engineering Technician
- Electrical Engineer
- Electrical Engineering Technician
- Electronic Engineering Technician
- Equipment Engineering Technician
- Project Engineer
O*NET-SOC Description
- Test or modify developmental or operational electrical machinery or electrical control equipment and circuitry in industrial or commercial plants or laboratories. Usually work under direction of engineers or technologists.
- Assemble electrical and electronic systems and prototypes according to engineering data and knowledge of electrical principles, using hand tools and measuring instruments.
- Collaborate with electrical engineers or other personnel to identify, define, or solve developmental problems.
- Draw or modify diagrams and write engineering specifications to clarify design details and functional criteria of experimental electronics units.
- Evaluate engineering proposals, shop drawings and design comments for sound electrical engineering practice and conformance with established safety and design criteria, and recommend approval or disapproval.
- Provide technical assistance and resolution when electrical or engineering problems are encountered before, during, and after construction.
- Review existing electrical engineering criteria to identify necessary revisions, deletions, or amendments to outdated material.
Detailed Work Activities
- Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.


text:
Unlike the online version of Instant Preview, the mobile version doesn't begin showing results until you've finished typing in the search box. Then, like its online big brother, Google shows a list of options, each with a magnifying glass beside it.
Online, when you click the magnifier, you get a pop-up of the preview. On mobile, when you click on the magnifier, previews of the first few pages load on your phone and you can flip through them to find the one you want. No more clicking back and forth.
What this means for marketers is that now mobile searchers will be judging the books by their covers. When customers see a preview of your front page will it pull them in or will they keep on scrolling until they reach your competitor?


text: LANSING (WKZO) -- A bill requiring unemployed Michigan residents to pass a drug test to continue to receive unemployment benefits is now headed to the state House. The Senate passed the measure 28-10 Thursday, but it does not make drug testing mandatory for those receiving unemployment benefits. Rather, the bill would eliminate those benefits for anyone who fails a drug test ordered as part of applying for a new job.


text:
will.i.am sure gets around: He just released a video for his collaboration with Justin Bieber, and he's also jumped on a remix with Ke$ha.
The video, for the song "#thatPower," uses a clever special effects trick to get around the fact that Justin obviously wasn't available to appear in the clip in person: Justin appears as a hologram.
In the clip, Will drives through a tunnel in a super-futuristic blue car, steps out of the car and places what we'll call a "power cube" on the ground. It generates the Justin hologram, kind of like how R2D2 projected that image of Princess Leia in Star Wars . Holo-Bieb then sings the song's hook, "I'm alive I'm alive I'm alive/And oh, I can fly I can fly I can fly."
For most of the video, though, Will is trailed everywhere he goes by six guys who are dressed exactly like him. They do synchronized choreography in a variety of futuristic-looking locations, as well as on a soundstage where the lyrics of the song flash electronically behind them. Every once in a while, Will puts the "power cube" down and Holo-Bieb appears to sing.
Toward the end of the clip, Will and his lookalikes come face to face on a set of stairs with six other guys who are also dressed identically. Will takes the "power cube" out of a briefcase, there's more synchronized choreography with Will, his lookalikes and the newcomers, and then he holds the power cube over his head: a stream of bright light shoots up into the sky and the clip ends.
As for the Ke$ha collabo, Will appears on a remix of "Crazy Kids," a song from Ke$ha's current album, Warrior . The song will hit all digital music providers on April 30, but you can listen to it on Soundcloud now. Ke$ha's MTV docu-series My Crazy Beautiful Life premieres on April 23.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio


text:
District of Michigan Torts - Injury Cases
Motor Vehicle Cases, Dockets and Filings
Cases filed
Cases 1 - 10 of 127
Noone v. Willard et al
as 1:2014cv00930
Plaintiff: Carolyn Noone
Defendant: Joseph Willard, Marc Kavinsky
Cause Of Action: Diversity-Motor Vehicle
DeVries v. Rupert
as 2:2014cv00165
Plaintiff: Douglas DeVries
Defendant: Kevin Rupert , Carrie Rupert
Cause Of Action: P.I.- Auto Negligence
Weishaar et al v. TerryTown Travel Center, Inc.
as 1:2014cv00811
Defendant: TerryTown Travel Center, Inc.
Plaintiff: Debra Weishaar , Albert Weishaar
Cause Of Action: Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act
Fisher et al v. Ford
as 2:2014cv00147
Defendant: Larry James Ford
Plaintiff: Lori Fisher , David Fisher
Cause Of Action: Diversity-Motor Vehicle
Pena et al. v. Cleveland et al.
as 1:2014cv00737
Plaintiff: Rebecca Gonzalez , Rose Pena , Jennifer Pena
Defendant: Chizek Elevator & Transport, Inc. , Chizek Transport, Inc. , James Cleveland
Cause Of Action: Petition for Removal
McGleish-Riordan v. United States of America
as 1:2014cv00687
Plaintiff: Gwen McGleish-Riordan
Defendant: United States of America
Cause Of Action: Tort Claim
Shulman et al v. Carrigan
as 1:2014cv00317
Defendant: Charles Edward Carrigan
Plaintiff: Ari Shulman
Cause Of Action: Diversity-Wrongful Death
Kaunelis v. Morris et al
as 2:2014cv00007
Defendant: Leann S. Morris, Joseph Y. Mohammed
Plaintiff: Pranciskus S. Kaunelis
Cause Of Action: Diversity-Auto Negligence
Kaunelis v. Morris et al
as 1:2014cv00027
Defendant: Leann S. Morris, Joseph Y. Mohammed, State Farm Insurance
Plaintiff: Pranciskus S. Kaunelis
Cause Of Action: Diversity-Auto Negligence
Allen et al v. Greyhound Lines, Inc.
as 1:2013cv01374
Plaintiff: Lorianne Stevens , Tyrone Allen , Rayvar Williams
Defendant: Greyhound Lines, Inc.
Cause Of Action: Diversity-Personal Injury
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text:
Still photos and posters from the Walt Disney Pictures produced movie Frankenweenie (2012). Pictured below are director Tim Burton and stars Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine OHara, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Robert Capron, and Conchata Ferrell.
We'll update this page with new stills from the Tim Burton directed film Frankenweenie (2012) as soon as they're available from the studio Walt Disney Pictures. Or use the "Film Info" tab to keep track of all the latest news on Frankenweenie (2012) and look for it in theaters 2012-10-05.
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Congratulations to the 2012 regional finalists for the DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Sam's Club®. These seven finalists represent the best in American business. Learn more about our 7 finalists. Congratulations to our 2012 Community Excellence Award winner, Italian Delight of South Boston, VA!
"These small businesses are each a shining example of the power of free enterprise and the opportunities it can create for America's doers and dreamers," said Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber.
"Small businesses are often described as the pulse or backbone of our country, and we admire the drive and initiative that it takes for their owners to be successful," said Rosalind Brewer, president and CEO of Sam's Club.
View the full press release.
2012 Regional Finalists
|Eastern: BoConcept New York
|Great Lakes: CETRA Language Solutions
|Midwest: Heritage Homes
|Northwest: Lakeland Feed and Supply
|Southeast: Virginia Eye Consultants
|Southwest & South Central: Renfro Foods
|Western: Ski Butlers
2012 Blue Ribbon Winners
These 75 small businesses were selected for their innovative business practices and strong contributions to their communities. Check out the Awards blog from FreeEnterprise.com. View the press release.
25 Businesses Named Free Enterprise Honorees
|Atlas Research
Washington, DC
|Connected Logistics
Huntsville, AL
|Consumers Choice Coffee
Louisville, KY
|Engineering & Computer Simulations
Orlando, FL
Irving, TX
|Fireman's Contractors
Fort Worth, TX
|Gloria's Cafe
Los Angeles, CA
|Indus Instruments
Webster, TX
|Intelligent Office
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
|Kerri Miene State Farm Insurance
Irving, TX
|L&M Office Furniture, Inc.
Tulsa, OK
|Leduc Blueberries, LLC
Paw Paw, MI
|Locum Leaders
Alpharetta, GA
|Majesty Title Services, LLC
Tampa, FL
|Seaworthy Marine Supply
Fulton, TX
|Silicon Solar Solutions
Fayetteville, AR
|Smartware Group Inc.
Center Harbor, NH
|Stanley Jones and Associates
Rochester, MN
|SteriTec Products Inc.
Englewood, CO
|STL Business & Technology Solutions
Bloomington, IL
|Studio Four Design
Knoxville, TN
|Swingle Lawn, Tree & Landscape Care
Denver, CO
|The Tomato Head
Knoxville, TN
|Ultimate Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning
St. Paul, MN
|Wright's Markets Inc.
Opelika, AL
Learn more about our 2011 Award Winners
Congratulations to the 2011 DREAM BIG Small Business Award Winner, Red Frog Events! View the 2011 Award Winners and Free Enterprise Honorees.


text:
Winter Concert Series: Doc Walter Trio, Jazz
Friday 12pm @ Old Courthouse Museum
The concert is free, bring your lunch or purchase one at the concert; www.siouxlandmuseums.com
Brian Regan
Friday 8pm @ Washington Pavilion
Stampede Hockey @ Sioux Falls Arena
Friday 7:05pm vs Waterloo Blackhawks ($6 tickets at KELOFM.com!)
Saturday 7:05pm vs Tri-City Storm
Sioux Empire Community Theater Presents: To Kill a Mockingbird
Fri, Sat & Sun @ Orpheum Theater
Friday & Saturday 7pm, Sunday 2pm
2Step Swing & Party
Friday 8pm @ DANCE Ballroom & Studio, Sioux Falls
Two Step dance lesson followed by dance party to practice the dance moves. Always a date night for couples. Individuals or groups of friends and family welcome to join. Cost is $10/person at the door.
Wookiefoot with that 1 Guy
Friday 8pm @ The District
Fall Fish Festival
Saturday 10am @ Sertoma Buttterfly House
Winter Wear Fashion Show at Scheels
Saturday 2pm@ Scheels Sioux Falls
Davis Holiday Fair
Sat 9am to 3pm and Sun 12pm to 4pm @ Davis, SD
Features four stores of antiques, vintage, recycled, handmade, man cave, furniture, home decor and trash to treasure.
5th Annual Pipestone Gun Show
Sat & Sun @ Pipestone County Fairgrounds
Buy, sell or trade; 50 tables of guns and gun related items. Located at the Blue Building at the Pipestone County Fairgrounds.
ZooCub Class: Brown Thanksgiving
Saturday 10am to 10:45am @ Great Plains Zoo
Explore the different colors of animals with a little help from the holidays. This parent and child (under age 2) class will include a variety of learning activities for infants and toddlers, including stories, a simple craft, a zoo exhibit visit and an animal visitor. See a different color each month.
Women's Fashion Swap
Sunday @ Museum of Visual Materials
Trade your gently used articles of clothing for something new for your wardrobe.Trade your gently used articles of clothing for something new for your wardrobe.For information, contact Anna at 605-271-9500; email@example.com.
New Movies:
The Best Man Holiday (R)
When college friends reunite after 15 years over the Christmas holidays, they will discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be ignited. Starring Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Terrence Howard and Nia Long.
Charlie Countryman (R)
Shia LaBeouf stars as a guy falls for a woman (Evan Rachel Wood) who's claimed by a violent crime boss.
Nebraska (R)
Bruce Dern plays an aging, booze-addled father who makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son (Will Forte) in order to claim a million dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.


text:
i was super excited to open my package and when i di i was very dissappointed. when you look at tghe picture you see a big setting in which appears to be the diamond. in reality the setting is actually metal and encases a diamond the size of a pencil point, if that. i was very dissappointed and have no regrets sending it back. $$$ is much too much to pay for this ring set. may $100 at most.
Items must be returned in new or unused condition and contain all original materials included with the shipment.
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A national non-profit group helping uninsured Georgians today.
The "Get Covered America" campaign began in 2013 with the goal to raise public awareness about insurance options under the new Affordable Care Act.
Millions are still uninsured nationally.
The groups says today's event focused on the more than one million still uninsured in Georgia.
According to Families USA, another national non-profit, more than half a million of those are black non-Hispanic Georgians.
Enroll America says today is the largest enrollment summit held in the state of Georgia.
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Art Above the Stacks
Published on Thursday, February 16, 2012 - 6:06pm
Paintings by Lindsay Howell and Anthony Wills, Jr.
The Southeast Library, in cooperation with Giovanni's Art Group of Capitol Hill, presents the exhibition, "Art Above the Stacks," throughout the month of February. Featuring paintings by Washington, D.C. based-artist Lindsay Howell and New York-based artist and actor Anthony "Rev." Wills, Jr., the exhibit is part of the art group's Black History Month celebration. The exhibit is on the main library floor, above the adult books collection, and is available for viewing during regular library hours.


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Enjoy some good one-liners and bits from your favorite late-night comedians.
Jimmy Fallon: President Obama has decided not to sign a bill that would make it difficult for homeowners to fight foreclosure. Why is Obama all of a sudden so sensitive about people being kicked out of their house? Oh yeah, right."
Jay Leno: "President Obama has moved a 12-day tour of India and Asia to right after the November election. I can't imagine why he would want to leave the country right after the midterm election."
Jay Leno: "Obama is going to tour India and Asia. I guess he wants to check up on American jobs."
David Letterman: "Donald Trump is running for president.... I know it's official because today, Trump threw his hair into the ring."


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Bad Piggies review
After playing multiple versions of Angry Birds for years, we finally get to hear the pigs side of the story in Bad Piggies. This game is nothing like Angry Birds, the game developer Rovio is known for. This isn't Rovio's first new game since Angry Birds (Amazing Alex) but it is the first new game based in the Angry Birds universe. Bad Piggies is a puzzle/ vehicle building... Read More


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In 2013
The Town of Portsmouth Rhode Island
Celebrated its 375th Year in 2013
Join us for a Pot Luck Celebration
Saturday April 26, 2014
5-8 PM at Greenvale Vineyards
FOR ALL WHO SUPPORTED THE 375th CELEBRATION
Performance by Abbey Rhode
Beverages Provided
Pot Luck
Bring an Hors D'oeuvres
or a Dessert Item
Let's continue the fun and sense of community we had last year and thank each of the individuals, businesses and groups that made it all possible.
Please RSVP to Greenvale Vineyards
2013 was the 375th anniversary of the Founding of Portsmouth, Rhode Island in 1638. Portsmouth was settled in 1638 by a group of religious dissenters from Boston Colony, including Dr. John Clarke, William Coddington, and Anne Hutchinson. It is named after Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. Roger Williams convinced the settlers that they should go there, instead of settling in New Jersey, where they had first planned on going. It was founded by the signers of the Portsmouth Compact. Its original Indian name was Pocasset. It was officially named Portsmouth on May 12, 1639.
To honor the founding of our town and its subsequent history, the community of Portsmouth conducted a series of public events and observances over the course of the year. In planning for these events, much work was done and many volunteers participated in developing and conducting these civic events. Many friends and neighbors joined to help celebrate Portsmouth's 375th year.
Portsmouth 375th Logo Receives National Award
American Graphic Design and Advertising has awarded an a Award of Distinction for Logos and Trademarks to Roskelly,Inc. for the design of the Portsmouth 375th logo.
American Graphic Design and Advertising has awarded an a Award of Distinction for Logos and Trademarks to Roskelly,Inc. for the design of the Portsmouth 375th logo.
GREAT GIFTS - There is still a limited number of Portsmouth 375th Apparel and other memorabilia available. GO TO OUR MEMORABILIA PAGE for some great items.
Escobar's Corn Maze Honors the 375th (Click Here for large image)
Your 375th Support Benefits the Town History Project
Stone Bridge, Tiverton R.I.
As a legacy of this year's celebration, the majority of the funds collected during the year will go towards a project to collect and catalog historical documents, photographs, maps and more. Donations and proceeds of 375th events and fundraisers will be used invested in technology to help electronically document elements of Portsmouth History. (Click Here for More Info)
Send us Your Pictures or Videos
We would like to make a comprehensive record of this year's events. If you have pictures or videos you would like to contribute, e-mail us at firstname.lastname@example.com or mail to PO Box 921 Portsmouth, RI 02871
Send us Your Pictures or Videos
We would like to make a comprehensive record of this year's events. If you have pictures or videos you would like to contribute, e-mail us at email@example.com or mail to PO Box 921 Portsmouth, RI 02871
Doug Smith, Chair
Gary Gump, Vice Chair
Debra Correia, Secretary
Roberta Stevens, Events Chair
Bob Hamilton, Emil Cipolla, Joan Eline and Lori Clark - Events Assistants
George Wardwell, Parade Chair
Jane Roggero, Fundraising Chair
Dennis Chandler, Finance Chair
Carolyn Magnus, Finance Committee
Rich Talipsky, Publicity/Marketing Chair
Katherine Gagliano, Marketing Assistant
Rich Talipsky,Communications/Technology Chair (Acting)
Dave Croston, School Department Advisor
John Klimm, Town Liaison
All Town Councilors, Town Council Liaison
Jody Sullivan, Business Liaison
Jane Roggero, Business Liaison Assistant
Jim Garman, Historian
Bob Edenbach, Military History Advisor
Gloria Schmidt, Portsmouth Historical Society Liaison
Mike Paglierani, Portsmouth Historical Society Advisor
Nancy Parker Wilson, Historic Preservation Advisor
Carlton Johnson, Veterans/Scouts/CFPIA Advisor
Contact us or Come to One of Our Committee Meetings
Please provide suggestions to the Steering Committee by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com


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Consumer expert Clark Howard's column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Black Friday started on Thanksgiving this year. Is the annual retail salesfest encroaching too far on the American institutions of family and football that usually mark Turkey Day?
Some retailers have been steadily taking Thanksgiving away from employees by starting the sales earlier and earlier over the last couple of years. Kmart was the first to do this several years ago by opening on Thanksgiving. Now others like Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us are following suit.
Target opened stores at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving for Black Friday sales. But they were bested by Sears and Walmart, both of which opened at 8 p.m.
Meanwhile, retailers used to get upset when copies of their Black Friday ads leaked out on the web. Today, however, they strategically leak them to websites like DealNews.com, BlackFriday.info, "new" GottaDeal.com and BFAds.net, among others.
Walmart in particular will be selling 60-inch LED TVs at $599 and a 15.6-inch laptop for $179 this year.
But there's one thing to beware of no matter which store you shop: There will be a lot of "high-low" pricing this shopping season.
With the Christmas shopping season in full swing, we get mesmerized by the word "sale" at retailers of all different kinds. But is that "sale" really a deal or not?
A lot of merchandise sold in the gift departments of stores is brought in specifically to be sale merchandise. It's brought in with an inflated price on it that is then marked off 60 or 70 percent.
That's not a real sale. It will not be bargain priced, though you will see signs everywhere screaming about sales. You have to know the quality and even the brand of what you're buying before you get suckered in.
Find more answers to your consumer questions at Clark's website. And get more savings tips from Clark's previous blog posts.
– Clark Howard — Save More, Spend Less, Avoid Rip-offs — for the Atlanta Bargain Hunter blog
November 29th, 2012
7:35 am
Clark Help me please. HFC 2nd mortgage has been gouging me for the past 9 years. In spite of my attempts to work with this company they refuse to be reasonable. I can not believe this type of consumer gouging is legal. .
November 29th, 2012
9:02 am
[...] From Atlanta Blogs News Source: http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-bargain-hunter/2012/11/29/clark-howard-... ____________________________________________________ [...]
December 2nd, 2012
8:23 pm
This "hi-low" strategy, among retailers, is nothing new. For far too many years, items have been artificially marked up only to be "repackaged" as an X% off sale. These bandwagon events (structured to generate, within the buying public, a quick…buy-the-product-before-the-"sale"- goes- away mentality) are oriented toward the simple-minded idea that if the purchase isn't made immediately, all will be lost.
If you wait until the week following New Years, the product, along with many many more, will appear on store shelves as true sale items.


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If someone asks you whether you've been 'whese-ing' these days, you might be mistaken into thinking that they were inquiring about your health. However, there's another use of the word that has less to do with the state of your health and more to do with your state of your social selfie. Whese is a new, free photo-sharing application for iOS that throws the word 'whese-ing' into our online vocabulary. This simple to use, real-time app is ideal for the serial selfie taker and allows users to share every moment of their lives with their Whese friends. Add a few ... Read more
It's not easy to come up with an original game concept these days. YIX is a new game for iOS that actually manages to come up with something a little bit different to keep us amused. Well, to be honest, you can't really call this entertaining and very social game truly original because it's origins lie in games like Cards Against Humanity and Apples To Apples but, with it's use of animated GIFs rather than cards, it offers a unique take on a fun and often hilarious piece of entertainment that you can play with family and friends. The ... Read more
It must have been my growing up in a household that was stacked with Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes novels that led to my love of a genuinely good 'whodunnit' mystery. I used to love trying to figure out who the dastardly murderer was or who stole the jewels from some stately mansion. Then along came the Cluedo board game and it went to another level. The thought of Mr Mustard bludgeoning someone to death with a hammer in the kitchen still haunts me. Things changed inexorably though when fully interactive games like Myst and, later on, Syberia were unleashed ... Read more
According to recent figures, crime in NYC was actually down last year - except in one area. The theft of iDevices represented close to 30% of all crime to the extent that the NYPD now has its own department that only deals with the theft of Apple products. Many have argued that it would be simple for manufacturers to install a simple 'cut-off' switch that would render the device inoperable if it was established that it has been stolen but there has been much navel gazing when it comes to actually doing anything about it. Apple and their cohorts claim ... Read more
There are heaps of free puzzle games available in the Google Play store. They are massively popular. But here is a new kind of puzzle game that's a little bit different from the others. Rather than playing 'join the dots,' Crazy Dot is a strategy game for Android that is more about using the art of collision to win the points and the game rather than using more complicated gameplay. However, don't get the idea that Crazy Dot is a bash n crash mindless experience. It may seem easy-to-play but this game will prove hard to master and you will ... Read more
One of the great boom industries in the app world over the last few years has been the introduction of cloud storage for your media. Dropbox, Amazon and Google Drive are some that come to mind immediately. So why would you bother to look at another? Well, Streem Drive is a new media storage application that gives you unlimited space to store, stream and share your important movies, photos and music from the cloud for just twenty bucks a month. There is a big difference, however, between Streem Drive and other cloud-based storage apps. Not only does it take up ... Read more
They reckon that all those movie directors like Spielberg, Lucas and Scorsese cut their teeth by making short films with their Super 8 cameras. They would get their friends to act out scenes and amaze their parents and friends at film night when they showed their editing prowess with a finished film that took them ages to make. It makes it all the more impressive when you look at an app like this one. KineMaster is a fabulously fast and responsive video-editing app for Android that gives you a virtual film-editing suite at your fingertips. It is the only app ... Read more
Picture gaming seems to be the thing of the moment. It was only last week that we reviewed an app called ZoomIt! that claimed to be the 'world's first photo sharing game' and here we are with another. PicSo, however, can be far more than just an entertaining game. While it is certainly a lot of fun to play, it can also offer up an educational and informational slant to the photo sharing and gaming concept. This next generation app mixes picture sharing, social networking and games by asking you to include questions, questionnaires and simple quizzes to your photos ... Read more
Here's one for all you news junkies out there like me. ClipWiz is a brand new and rather unique news and entertainment application for iOS that lets you better organize and simplify your video news watching. It takes the concept of the humble TV guide to put all your favorite news channels at your disposal in a timeline and based on your viewing habits. Rather than having to painstakingly search the Internet for the latest news or switch between your favorite channels, ClipWiz lines them all up for you to watch as they happen - and all in one much ... Read more
Do you often take time out during the day to play games like Candy Crush Saga and Angry Birds Go on your Android? If you do then I have an offer that may seem to be too good to be true. Hasoffer is a free games recommendation app for mobile that offers free game downloads, free credits, free wallpaper, free gifts and free gift cards just for playing and sharing the games. And we are talking A grade games here with the developers partnering with titles like the aforementioned Candy Crush and Angry Birds as well as popular puzzle and ... Read more


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Be Still and Know that I Am God
- Friday, December 07, 2001
According to traditional wisdom, the first year of marriage is the roughest. For Steve and me, that wasnt true. Our first year was marital bliss. Years two through seven were the killers.
From the moment I walked off that plane from Nashville and into the arms of my future, everything is a blur. That was February of 1988. The final episode of The Facts of Life was filmed in March, and Steve and I were married on July 9.
Our honeymoon was a good indication of how we spent our first year of married life. We stayed ten days at beautiful Lake Louise in the Canadian mountains. My favorite memory is hiking up the mountain in a soft rain and stumbling upon a tiny cabin where they served hot soup and fresh homemade bread. Steves least favorite memory is of me talking him into an all-day horseback ride through the glacial mountains.
As a girl I had had my own horse, so I was in heaven. Steve, on the other hand, was not an experienced rider. He took quite a beating when his horse chose to trot most of the way down the mountain. One word of advice, girls. Dont suggest a horseback ride on your honeymoon unless your husband knows how to keep from bouncing in the saddle.
As we were packing up to return home, Steve mentioned that he had always dreamed of going to Hawaii on his honeymoon. This was the first Id heard of it, so I said, Then lets go. We flew to L.A., where my mother met us at the airport with two suitcases full of summer clothes. We exchanged them for our bags of winter clothes and boarded a plane for Kauai to experience Honeymoon: Part Two.
What a privileged life we enjoyed that first year! Steve and I both love to travel, so we took advantage of every opportunity. For me, we spent ten days in New England enjoying the fall foliage and ferreting out hidden Bed and Breakfast Inns. For Steve, we made reservations at a resort in Walt Disney World and hit as many theme parks and restaurants as we could in a week. It was a yearlong honeymoon.
Ten months into our marriage we discovered we were pregnant. Surprise! The honeymoon was just about over. It was time to settle down and begin the joyful task of raising a family.
The first thing we did was to sell my condo and buy a house with a big backyard. Although I wasnt working at the time, I was still receiving residuals and income from my investments. I assumed that I would get another job and continue working after the birth of the baby, so we bought a $750,000 house and put an additional $50,000 into it to make it our own.
We proceeded to have three babies within three yearsTucker, Haven, and Clancy. Its hard to get an acting job when youre either pregnant, nursing, in the waiting room of the ob/gyn officeor all three. Needless to say, my days as a working actress were temporarily on hold.
Gone were the days of breezing in to work around nine oclock, grabbing a bagel from the craft services table, and flopping into the make-up chair so someone could do me over. I was now getting up every morning at 5:30 (or 2:00 depending on which getting up youre referring to.) My breakfast was usually whatever was left on the kids plates before I cleared the table. And I had very little energy left to do myself over.
Its inevitable that at some point early on in a marriage you discover that the person you married is not the person you thought you were marrying. We were no exception. I woke up around year two and couldnt recognize the stranger beside me. (Im sure Steve felt the same way, but this is my book, so Im going to tattle on him first.)
Our wedding should have given me a heads-up that Steves personal philosophy is more is more. Steve is a master of details and class, so he planned the whole wedding from beginning to end. Being a church organist, he had attended literally hundreds of weddings. I had been to only one, and I was the flower girl in that one.
Steve knew exactly what he wanted: a string quartet, a harpist, seven groomsmen, ten ushers, professional sound and lighting, and a buffet reception to feed one thousand guests. To this day I run into strangers on the street that say, I was at your wedding. It was beautiful. And they are right; Steve did an extraordinary job.
But it wasnt without cost, $50,000 to be exact. Actually it was without cost. Do you remember in an earlier chapter I talked about the episode involving Natalie that I asked to be written out of? I understood I would not be paid for it considering I didnt work that week.
Youre not going to believe this. Months later, shortly after the wedding, I received a check for that episode to the tune of $55,000, enough to pay for the wedding and the honeymoon! So in a very real sense, my Father paid for my wedding.
The extravagant wedding was my first hint, but my suspicion that Steve appreciated the finer things in life was pretty much confirmed when he made all the reservations for the Hawaiian leg of our honeymoon. I was shocked to discover that he had purchased first class tickets and booked the honeymoon suite at the Sheraton Princeville for a week.
I know how to spend money with the best of them, but by nature Im pretty frugal. I had always flown coach, and I couldnt imagine spending money for two rooms when one was plenty. As you can imagine, money was a source of many an argument in those early years, especially with the downturn of the economy in the early nineties.
During those years, we realized that in order to keep our house we would need to sell off some of my investments. As you may recall, it was not a very good time to try to unload real estate. We couldnt give the property away. But we couldnt keep it either. My expenses and investment responsibilities totaled over $50,000 a month. The church where my husband works is very generous, but you can imagine how much of a dent a pastors salary would make in that amount. And we are all familiar with how well motherhood paysif were only talking money, that is.
We held on as long as we could, but the money dried up, and the only thing left to do was get out as fast as we could. We lost everything except our house, and then we lost that too. It was on the market for over a year, and when we could no longer make the payments, we handed it over to the bank for the amount we owed on it and got ready to move out of our 3,000 square-foot home.
I think youre getting the picture. It wasnt pretty, and it was about to get ugly.
Every newlywed has issues that need to be dealt with before the two can become one. We got to a point in our marriage when we were unable to move forward if we didnt first deal with the past. I knew Steve didnt like change but I hadnt anticipated his unwillingness to even try. They say if youre not growing then you are dying. Our marriage was dying.
I was afraid, but I knew I couldnt run. I had three children under the age of three to raise. More importantly, I wouldve had to deny everything I knew about the Lord and what He expected of me. Divorce wasnt an option, so I just had to survive. Our marriage had come to a standstill and thats exactly what the Lord asked me to do.
Over and over again during those long, dark years I held on to the one thing the Lord continued to whisper to me, Be still and know that I am God. Psalms 46:10
Be still. Given my personality, that was hard to obey. You see, Im a do-er; not a be still-er. It didnt matter. There was nothing I could do but be still.
And know that I am God. He is God whether we know it or not. Nothing about that can changeexcept us. And change me is exactly what He began to do. He started by giving me a gift.
We had given our house back to the bank and had to move. Steve was out of town on business, so it was up to me to find a place for us to live by the end of the month. I bought a paper and spent days looking at homes for lease. Most of the houses that we could afford and that were big enough to sleep the five of us were very rundown. I began to despair of ever finding something clean. All my adult life (and most of my childhood), I had been able to afford just about anything I wanted. Now all I wanted was clean floors for my babies to crawl around on and a window over the kitchen sink so I could keep an eye on them in the backyard.
One day as I walked out the doors of the grocery store, I picked up a nickel-ads paper. In it I came across an ad for a house that was for rent for exactly the amount we had determined we could spend. It was less than a mile from where we lived. That afternoon I made an appointment with the realtor, left the kids with my mom, and went to check it out.
When I walked through the front door, I knew that the rent given in the paper had to have been a misprint. This home had been completely redone. The carpets were brand new, and the kitchen had all new appliances and cabinets. Above the beautiful marble-looking countertop was a huge picture window framing a fuchsia crepe myrtle tree in the backyard.
I wanted this house so badly that I was afraid to even hope that we would qualify to rent it. I knew that it would be next to impossible for the owner of this lovely home to consider our application once he saw the credit information on it.
That evening I picked up Steve at the airport and took him directly to see the house. He had not seen what else was available in our price range and had nothing to compare it to, so I doubt if he fully grasped why I was so overwhelmed. We filled out the application and attached a personal letter of explanation and appeal. The next day we received a call from the realtor informing us that the owner would be willing to meet with us to discuss the possibility of our leasing his house.
He showed up at our house that evening with his girlfriend. When he introduced herwould you believe it?I realized that I had known her since I was twelve years old. She had been a child actress too and had starred in the serial Walt Disney Productions had filmed to air on the New Mickey Mouse Club.
We signed the lease that night.
When we are still, God sure knows how to be God. That rental was half the size of the home we had owned, but I loved it more than any other house Ive ever lived in. Losing everything sure has a way of teaching you how to appreciate the tender gifts that come directly from the Lords hand.
I was already beginning to change, and my heavenly Father was just getting warmed up. The first thing He told me to do was to look for ways throughout the day to thank Steve. This was the complete opposite of my preferred strategy, which was to point out everything he was doing wrong so that he would fix it. Criticizing him in front of other people and soliciting their support for my position strengthened my case that he was a lousy husband and needed to shape up. I was more than willing to show him how he should be doing things.
The Lord was right to tell me to look for ways to thank Steve. I had focused for so long on what he wasnt doing right that I could no longer see the good things about him. You know how youre never aware of how many pregnant women there are until youre pregnant and how you never realize how many minivans are on the road until you get one? Thats what started to happen. Once I began to notice the little things Steve did that blessed our family, I realized that the signs of his love were everywhere.
The next thing the Lord dinged me on was my unrealistic expectations of Steve. From all the books I had read, I knew that the husband was supposed to lead family devotions every day, support his family financially, keep them on a budget, clean up the kitchen after dinner, put the kids to bed at night, tell his wife how sexy she looks in her flannel nightgown, and be able to fix anything unless of course its in a conversation, at which point he must never try to fix anything. It may surprise youI know it did mebut Steve did not measure up.
Isnt it funny how the things you adore most about your fiancé are the things that drive you the craziest in your husband? Steves gift is serving. The Lord has supernaturally anointed him to come alongside Pastor Jack Hayford and facilitate his vision. Before Pastor Jack can think of something he needs, Steve is beside him handing it to him.
This trait is truly a godsend to a dynamic leader. It aint too bad in a dating relationship either; let me tell you, I certainly enjoyed it. Can you believe I began to resent this about him after we got married? I was looking for a leader in our home and I interpreted his servants heart as passivity. He was turning to me to make the decisions and tell him what to do so he could do what he did best, which was to follow orders. I was hoping to find somebody bigger than me to take care of me.
No matter what Steve did, it was never quite good enough to meet my expectationsuntil I lowered them to something a bit more realistic. Then I discovered that he was more than enough for me just the way God made him.
I was finally ready to knock down the wall that had been built between us. I knew there was only one thing strong enough to destroy it: forgiveness. I not only had to forgive him for the disappointment and the pain, but I also had to cancel his debt and stop making him pay. It was time to release the hurt and release him. And thats exactly what happened. Once Steve was convinced that I wasnt going anywhere and that I loved him whether he ever changed or not, he was free to risk changing.
Have you reached a dead end at some point in your life? Theres a brick wall ahead, and you cant turn around and run away. Your only option may be to be still and know that I am God. And in knowing God you will know forgiveness, mercy, patience and deliverance. That is when you will see change in your life, and perhaps in someone elses as well.
Adapted from The Facts of Life © 2001 by Lisa Whelchel. Used by permission of Multnomah Publishers Inc. Excerpt may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of Multnomah Publishers Inc.
To visit Lisa Whelchel's website, click here. To purchase Lisa's books at CBD, click here.
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