Following are excerpts from a variety of contracted articles that I wrote.
The Mandela Effect
(Edited Excerpt: Full Article 1,300 words)
When you remember treasured moments, consider this: what if you are NOT remembering the original event at all? What if, instead, you are remembering the last time you remembered it?
We Remember Memories, Not Events
Scientific studies have shown that memory retrieval is heavily distorted by previous recollections of an event. When we remember something, we really are remembering the last time we remembered it.
The Mandela Effect
Now let’s consider The Mandela Effect. This phenomenon refers to “shared” memories that are factually untrue; that is, many people remember something that never happened. Hundreds, even thousands of people remember Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 1980’s. The problem is that Nelson Mandela, who was jailed in 1962, was released from prison in 1990, then elected President of South Africa in 1994. Mandela died in 2013.
Which is Better to Promote Your New Business:
Pinterest or Instagram?
(Edited Excerpt from a short 300-word article)
For business, Pinterest vs. Instagram is all about demographics. The better you know your potential customers, the better you’ll know which of these might be better for your business.
Pinterest and Instagram have about the same overall share of the online market. However there are two important differences, and each has a huge advantage for certain demographics.
The bottom line is this:
Young people use Instagram, women use Pinterest.
Of course there’s much more to it than that, but that’s the situation in a nutshell. Here are some statistical breakouts:
Instagram dominates young people: about 60% of the young-adult market (ages 18-29) use Instagram. That’s among “online adults,” which in that age range is pretty much everyone. Women also use Instagram more than men do, but by a much slimmer margin.
Pinterest is incredibly popular among women. Almost 3 times as many women as men use Pinterest! Pinterest doesn’t have nearly the age bias that Instagram does – women between the ages of 18 and 64 all used Pinterest. The critical 18-29 demographic does not stand out the way it does with Instagram, for example.
Concert Hall Acoustics
(Edited Excerpt from a short 300-word article)
It sounds like the voice of God booming from above. That’s the effect of a massive dome high overhead in the grand cathedrals of Europe. When the preacher gives a sermon, the dome reflects sound like an echo chamber – right back down on you.
Domes have a fantastic acoustic effect, a wonderful natural reverb. Most concert halls, however, don’t have domed roofs. Concert hall acoustics are designed with a different goal in mind: to reflect natural sound so the concert is clear, with a warm and rich sound.
In the days before computer architecture programs, concert halls were designed more to look good than to sound good. In fact, some of the classic concert halls didn’t sound very good. The sound was muddy, or flat, or had way too much echo.
In modern times, computer design programs have changed everything for concert acoustics. Materials make a big difference too. Modern design technology sculpts the walls for ideal sound, with just the right amount of natural reflection for warmth and a consistent acoustic spectrum.
Even without computer programs to design them, though, there’s still nothing that sounds is amazing is a huge overhead dome in a cathedral 500 years old.
The Psychological Benefits of Bankruptcy
(Edited Excerpt, full article 550 words)
Debt burden is rampant in the U.S. today, as millions of Americans struggle with unmanageable financial liabilities. It can take years to accumulate deep debt – and as the dollar amounts grow, so do the psychological concerns.
Many debtors lose hope. For those overwhelmed by financial and emotional burdens, practical solutions can seem unthinkable. The prospect of bankruptcy relief seems like a last resort – and despite its enormous benefits, it still carries an emotional stigma that has become all but irrelevant today. In the aftermath of the 2008 economic meltdown, tens of thousands have filed bankruptcy and found the freedom to start living a new life.
Dealing with deep debt means pragmatic realities – making payments, juggling funds – and making sacrifices, the tough decisions that must be made month after month.
In struggling with these pragmatic realities, emotional health suffers – and these psychological effects can be hidden, even repressed. Many debtors struggle alone, afraid or ashamed to ask for help. It’s quite common for debtors to become secretive, unwilling to share the truths about their circumstances. This type of situation can led to the debtor feeling trapped – not only by the burden of their financial condition – but by the burden of secrecy.
Breakthrough starts with the awareness that we don’t need to do it alone. It begins with seeking qualified professionals to help with financial recovery. This brings emotional relief as well. Often there is a profound sense of unburdening.
Rebuilding a solid financial foundation also builds emotional stability. Guilt and shame are strongly associated with the debt burden. Those feeling typically disappear entirely once the bankruptcy process is underway.
The bankruptcy solution is life-changing. Years of struggle can be released with this one step. It begins with seeking help from qualified professionals.
Is the Great Barrier Reef Really Dying?
(Edited Excerpt from a short 300-word article)
Yes.
It’s a blunt answer to a blunt question. Some areas of the Great Barrier Reef are already dead, in fact. The portions that are still alive are in grave danger. It’s being caused by a bleaching effect that is the direct result of global warming.
The Great Barrier Reef is a massive coral formation. Coral is an animal, an invertebrate sea creature. They naturally cluster together in colonies. These colonies can grow to tremendous size – the Great Barrier Reef is over 1400 miles long and up to 100 miles wide.
Warmer ocean water temperatures have disturbed the delicate symbiotic relationship between coral and tiny marine algae. Coral rely on this algae for nutrition, and for their spectacular color.
Once the coral lose their color, that a signal that the colony is starving. It’s not the loss of color that threatens the coral, it’s the loss of nutrition. Some scientists speculate that the Great Barrier Reef could be completely dead by 2050. Most of the smaller reefs that make up the great barrier chain have already been damaged.
What can save the Great Barrier Reef? Most scientists are in agreement that humans burning fossil fuels are the primary cause of global warming. Unfortunately, fossil fuel energy is the driver of economic growth. And yes, that could bring about the end of the Great Barrier Reef.
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