Dear Mr. Denning, It brings me great satisfaction to serve as a board member of the Redstone Music and Arts Center, and I'm honored that the board has seen fit to recommend me for vice president. However, because my work schedule has become so unpredictable, I must decline the recommendation. I simply don't feel I can give the time and energy that the Music and Arts Center deserves from its vice president. For the time being, then, I look forward to carrying on as a regular board member. Please pass along my regrets to the rest of the board. Sincerely, Jason Becker

When Amy heard her name called, she stood up from her seat and made her way to the stage. Dr. Wilkinson was pinning a gold medal on each of the top five medical graduates. He shook Amy's hand and congratulated her on her accomplishment. Amy felt overwhelmingly thrilled for being mentioned as one of the top five medical graduates of her school. Amy walked back to her seat satisfied with her academic performance and pleased with her success. She just received a special honor. This special recognition would help her to continue fulfilling her life-long dream of becoming a dedicated doctor.

Don't let distractions interrupt your attentive listening to the speaker. You want to send the message that what the speaker is saying is important to you. That message will ring hollow if you answer your cell phone and put the speaker on hold. If your cell phone rings while you are in a conversation, fight the urge to answer. For reasons unknown, most people feel compelled to answer a ringing phone. The fact that your cell phone is ringing doesn't mean you have to answer it. Rarely are phone calls urgent. If no message is left, that is clearly the case. And if a message is left, you can listen to it, usually in a matter of minutes, once your conversation has finished. Even in today's tech-savvy world, answering phone calls during a conversation is disrespectful.

Imagine a tree. Let's suppose this tree represents the tree of life. On this tree there are fruits. In life, our fruits are called our results. So we look at the fruits (our results) and we don't like them; there aren't enough of them, they're too small, or they don't taste good. So what do we tend to do? Most of us put even more attention and focus on the fruits, our results. But what is it that actually creates those particular fruits? It's the seeds and the roots that create those fruits. It's what's under the ground that creates what's above the ground. It's what's invisible that creates what's visible. So what does that mean? It means that if you want to change the fruits, you will first have to change the roots. If you want to change the visible, you must first change the invisible.

One might wonder whether there is any reason to be concerned about overconfidence in students. After all, confidence is often considered a positive trait. Indeed, research suggests that students who are confident about their ability to succeed in school tend to perform better on academic tests than those with less confidence. That said, negative consequences also stem from being too confident in the classroom. Students who are overconfident about their ability to succeed in college end up feeling more disconnected and disillusioned than those with more modest expectations. Overconfidence can also leave students with mistaken impressions that they are fully prepared for tests and no longer need to study. Students who have relatively accurate perceptions regarding their progress in learning tend to use more effective study habits and perform better on tests than do those with more error-prone views of their knowledge.

In the history of sports and in our 'winning is everything' culture, I'm not aware of anyone who ever won every game, or every event, or every championship they competed for. Roger Federer, the great tennis player who some call the greatest of all time, has won a record seventeen Grand Slam titles. Yet, he has competed in more than sixty Grand Slam events. Thus, perhaps the greatest tennis player ever failed more than two-thirds of the time. While we don't think of him as a failure, but rather as a champion, the plain fact is, he failed much more than he succeeded on this measure, and that's generally the way things are for anyone. Failure precedes success. Simply accept that failure is part of the process and get on with it.

The above graph shows the weekly average video viewing time among 18 to 34-year-old users of five different devices in 2014 and 2015. The average video viewing time via TV was more than 1,600 minutes, making it the most used device among the five in 2014 and 2015. TV-connected devices ranked second in both years, followed by PC video. Smartphone video was the least used device with a weekly average video viewing time of less than an hour in 2014 and 2015, respectively. With the exception of TV, the other four devices showed increased viewing time from 2014 to 2015. The viewing time of tablet video in 2014 was higher than half of the amount of the viewing time using tablet video in 2015.

Dorothy West, born on June 2, 1907, is remembered as one of the Harlem Renaissance writers. West's subject matter primarily focused on the life of rich African Americans. Her first novel, The Living Is Easy, published in 1948, received positive responses from critics, but failed to attract a large audience. She wrote her second novel, The Wedding, in 1950, but left it incomplete because she was unable to find a publisher. Jacqueline Onassis took note of the short stories that West had been submitting to the Daily News, the local paper at Martha's Vineyard. Onassis encouraged West to complete her novel and subsequently served as her editor. Her second novel was published in 1995 and was made into a television movie produced by Oprah Winfrey, airing in 1998. West died on August 16, 1998.

《Sunshine Bus Tour》 Sunshine Bus Tour is the easiest way to enjoy Carmel's most popular areas! You can get on and off at any of the 20 stops to explore tourist attractions in Carmel. Operating Hours: • 10 a.m.-4 p.m. • Tue. through Sun., Closed on Mondays Prices: • $20 Adult • $10 Child (under 14) * Admission to attractions is not included. Notice: • Ticket is valid for 24 hours from the first time of use. • Advance booking is required.

《Crocodile Zoo》 Welcome to the world of crocodiles! We have over 100 crocodiles representing more than 15 crocodile species at our zoo. Special Activities: Hold a baby crocodile Feed a crocodile * Due to safety considerations, participants of the activities should be over 16 years old. Operating Hours: Open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed on Christmas Day Admission Fees: Adult (ages 16 and above) $10 Child (ages 3 to 15) $7 * 10% of your admission fee is used for our crocodile conservation work. Note: For security reasons, we do not allow pets inside our facilities.

Improved consumer water consciousness may be the cheapest way to save the most water, but it is not the only way consumers can contribute to water conservation. With technology progressing faster than ever before, there are plenty of devices that consumers can install in their homes to save more. More than 35 models of high-efficiency toilets are on the U.S. market today, some of which use less than 1.3 gallons per flush. Starting at $200, these toilets are affordable and can help the average consumer save hundreds of gallons of water per year. Appliances officially approved as most efficient are tagged with the Energy Star logo to alert the shopper. Washing machines with that rating use 18 to 25 gallons of water per load, compared with older machines that use 40 gallons. High-efficiency dishwashers save even more water. These machines use up to 50 percent less water than older models.

Feeling and emotion are crucial for everyday decision making. The neuroscientist Antonio Damasio studied people who were perfectly normal in every way except for brain injuries that damaged their emotional systems. As a result, they were unable to make decisions or function effectively in the world. While they could describe exactly how they should have been functioning, they couldn't determine where to live, what to eat, and what products to buy and use. This finding contradicts the common belief that decision making is the heart of rational, logical thought. But modern research shows that the affective system provides critical assistance to your decision making by helping you make rapid selections between good and bad, reducing the number of things to be considered.

One time I was at my grandpa Cassil's farm when he was going to pick up a new beagle puppy. My cousin and I went with him to get the puppy, and on the way back to the house, we started talking about what to name him. Grandpa said that we could call him anything we wanted, so we decided to name that dog Blaze. Blaze turned out to be a pretty good dog, and he and I got to be good friends as we grew up. I looked forward to going to Grandpa's each week to see Blaze and run around the farm with him. But one Sunday we went to Grandpa's, and he was gone. Grandpa said a friend of his had liked the dog, and he had given him away. I never saw Blaze again, and I missed him a lot.

People are attracted to individuals and things they cannot readily obtain. In the case with things, people are more attracted to a desired object because it is out of their reach. When the object of desire is finally gained, the attraction for the object rapidly decreases. Christmas presents provide a good example of this phenomenon. Toys children wanted all year long are thrown away several days after they are taken from gift boxes under the tree. The phenomenon also holds true for human interaction, particularly in the early stages of a developing relationship. The common dating rule has scientific merit. An individual should not always make himself or herself readily available to the person they are targeting for a longer-term relationship. A certain level of unavailability will make you more of a mystery and a challenge.

We become more successful when we are happier and more positive. For example, doctors put in a positive mood before making a diagnosis show almost three times more intelligence and creativity than doctors in a neutral state, and they make accurate diagnoses 19 percent faster. Salespeople who are optimistic sell more than those who are pessimistic by 56 percent. Students who are made to feel happy before taking math achievement tests perform much better than their neutral peers. It turns out that our brains are literally programmed to perform at their best not when they are negative or even neutral, but when they are positive.

Questions convey interest, but sometimes the interest they convey is not closely related to what the person is trying to say. Sometimes the distraction is obvious. If you're telling a friend all the unpleasant things you experienced on your vacation, and she interrupts with a lot of questions about where you stayed, you won't feel listened to. At other times people seem to be following but can't help trying to lead. These listeners force their own narrative structures on our experience. Their questions assume that our stories should fit their scripts: Problems should be denied or made to go away; Everyone should be together; Bullies must be confronted. By finishing our sentences, pumping us with questions, and otherwise pushing us to say what they want to hear, controlling listeners violate our right to tell our own stories.

When you are anxious, the perceived threat potential of stimuli related to your anxiety can rise. Thus, things you typically encounter that might not usually trigger fear now do so. For example, if you encounter a snake in the course of a hike, even if no harm comes, anxiety is likely aroused, putting you on alert. If farther along the trail you notice a dark, slender, curved branch on the ground, an object you would normally ignore, you might now momentarily be likely to view it as a snake, triggering a feeling of fear. Similarly, if you live in a place where terror alerts are common, harmless stimuli can become potential threats. In New York City, when the alert level rises, a parcel or paper bag left under an empty subway seat can trigger much concern.

When you look at a map, you may conclude―as commercial airline navigators once did―that the best way to get from Amsterdam to Tokyo is to head in an easterly direction along what is known as the Mediterranean route. But look at a globe instead of a map, and your perspective may change. Rather than heading east on the Mediterranean route, commercial planes going from Amsterdam to Tokyo now fly north! That's right. They take what is known as the 'polar route,' flying over the North Pole to Alaska, and then west to Tokyo―for a savings of roughly 1,500 miles! What is the lesson here? After you've decided on a goal, work hard to accomplish it, but keep looking for ways of achieving the goal more efficiently, perhaps from a different angle. This approach is sometimes known as reframing.

Why does garbage exist in the human system but not more broadly in nature? Nature is a beautiful harmony of systems whereby every system's output is a useful input for other systems. An acorn that falls from a tree is an important input for a squirrel that eats it. The by-product of that delicious meal—the squirrel's poop—is an important input for the microbes that consume it. The output of the microbes—rich humus and soil—is in turn the very material from which a new oak tree may grow. Even the carbon dioxide that the squirrel breathes out is what that tree may breathe in. This cycle is the fundamental reason why life has thrived on our planet for millions of years. It's like the Ouroboros—the ancient symbol depicting a snake or dragon eating its own tail; in a way, nature truly is a constant cycle of consuming itself.

Your personality and sense of responsibility affect not only your relationships with others, your job, and your hobbies, but also your learning abilities and style. Some people are very self-driven. They are more likely to be lifelong learners. Many tend to be independent learners and do not require structured classes with instructors to guide them. Other individuals are peer-oriented and often follow the lead of another in unfamiliar situations. They are more likely to benefit from the assistance of a formal teaching environment. They may be less likely to pursue learning throughout life without direct access to formal learning scenarios or the influence of a friend or spouse.

George Orwell wrote: To see what is in front of your nose needs constant struggle. We are surrounded by opportunities, but often we do not even see them. Professor Richard Wiseman did a dramatic and extreme test of this. He asked a group of volunteers to count the number of times a basketball team passed the ball. As they passed the ball, a man in a gorilla suit walked into the middle of the group, thumped his chest a bit and then walked off. Quite a few volunteers counted correctly, but only 5 out of over 20 volunteers noticed the gorilla. The same applies to our professional lives. We are so focused on keeping score and managing day to day that we do not notice the endless opportunities that are in front of our noses.

Asians and many Native American cultures view silence as an important and appropriate part of social interaction. Speakers from these cultures often use some moments of silence before offering a response to another speaker. Such initial silence conveys the listener's respect for the speaker; it indicates that the listener has heard the speaker's words and is giving them due thought. Silence is viewed as a time to learn, to think about, and to review what the speaker has said. In cultures that prize silence, responding too quickly after speakers have finished their turns is interpreted as having devoted inadequate attention and consideration to speakers' words and thoughts.

Recent experimental evidence for the importance of reputation in facilitating cooperation has come from an analysis of the contributions to an 'honesty box' for drinks in a university departmental coffee room. Bateson and colleagues looked at contributions to the box when images (always posted above the recommended price list) of a pair of eyes were alternated on a weekly basis with images of flowers. The amount of milk consumed turned out to be the best indicator of total consumption, but remarkably almost three times more money was paid per liter in weeks when there were eyes portrayed, compared to when there were flowers portrayed. Of course this experiment was only conducted in one location, but the effect size is impressive and it seems to indicate that individuals do not want to be observed cheating the system.

When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final volume of J. K. Rowling's fantasy series about the adventures of a boy wizard, was released in the United States in 2007, it sold 8.3 million copies in its first 24 hours on sale. Was the last Harry Potter book that good? Perhaps it and the earlier six volumes were genuinely brilliant-despite the fact that eight publishers declined to publish the first volume. But although success is at least partly determined by intrinsic quality, it is also possible that what people come to like depends very much on what they believe others like. In such a world, the explanation for why a particular book becomes a hit may be as simple as this publisher's: It sold well because lots of people bought it. Because social information is now being shared much more widely across virtual and actual borders than in the past, cultural artifacts such as books and movies can now 'snowball' in popularity in ways they could not a century ago, turning cultural commerce into a collection of difficult-to-predict, winner-take-all markets. Tiny differences in performance or product quality translate into vast differences in payoff.

A fourteen-year-old girl named Victoria had always loved to sing. Victoria was smart, studious, and quiet. She often tried out for school musicals, but never for one of the leading roles. The spotlight didn't attract her in quite the same way it did others; she preferred to blend into the chorus. Then she was faced with a serious challenge. The annual school musical at Victoria's school would be held in a few months. Victoria's mother had an important meeting on that day. She promised she would skip the meeting and attend the musical if Victoria landed a leading role. She wanted Victoria to know that she believed in her. She also wanted to see Victoria believe in herself enough to show off her talents. What she said made Victoria fall into a deep thought for a while. Victoria decided to give it a try. The musical, Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, offered a number of great roles. She tried out for the part of Cinderella's fairy godmother. To her surprise, she won the part-and the nerves set in immediately. She would have to sing soprano, which was several notes above her range. And the script called for her to be hanging six feet above the stage at one point! Victoria was determined to concentrate and practice her part everyday. She trained for months to reach new heights with her voice, and to prepare for the moment when all eyes and ears in the audience would focus entirely on her. On the big day, despite her fears, everything went perfectly; Victoria played her role to perfection. With her mother sitting proudly in the audience, Victoria felt proud of herself and delighted to see her mom so happy.