Book Review: "Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money-That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!"

I know that many people have already read this book, and a great many more have already heard of it. But due to a recent experience in Seattle this last weekend, I thought it prudent to review it anyway.

While walking along the coast in Seattle, a man passed me wearing a fluorescent colored t-shirt that said "TAX THE RICH". He might as well have been walking around carrying a sign that he constantly yelled out loud proclaiming "I am an ignorant, arrogant, lazy slob!" One of the valuable concepts that follows along the message of this phenomenal book is this: "That which you tax, less people will do. While that which you subsidize, more people will do." That poor guy I saw in Seattle basically wanted to work less and make more money and let the people who work hard and make lots of money pay for the streets he drives on and the military that protects his home. (Not to mention that he would have them pay for his health care, his groceries, and his childcare so he can go sip espresso and read the Huffington Post without having to worry about his kids.)

Yet, I digress. The bottom line is this: everyone needs to read this book. People need to understand money and how it works as well as why there are rich people and why there are poor people. Everyone needs to learn that money itself is not an inherently bad thing, as a matter of fact, a lack of money can cause a heck of a lot more problems in a marriage, community, or society than having it in excess. This book is not very long, and it is written so as to be incredibly easy to read and understand; it is not like reading a financial accounting text book. So go get it and read it today, you'll be glad you did.

Book Review: "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think"

I first heard about this book by Brian Wansink in my Health and Nutrition class at school, and upon first hearing of, I dismissed it as nothing more than "another diet book". It was not until later when a couple of students from the class who had read the book reported on it that I began to be intrigued.

Far from being a diet book, "Mindless Eating" examines the psychology of eating. It does not lay out a specific plan or diet to lose weight, but rather it empowers you by teaching you why and how we think about food and eating in general. You can use the knowledge gained from this book to help you want eat more healthy foods, and make yourself want those things that are not good for you less.

The book is written so that a wide variety of case studies are presented, carried out, reviewed, with commentary by the author between and during studies, as well as personal application. Some fascinating experiments undertaken involve how much labeling/packaging, as well as the overall appearance make a difference in people's perception of the taste of certain foods, as well as factors that cause us to eat more of certain foods, even if it does not taste good! For example, did you know that you will most likely eat 33% more m&ms if there are six colors as opposed to four?

If you have any interest in psychology, marketing, or food/eating in general, I believe you will find this book not only fascinating, but empowering as well.

Have It Your Way!

Never, since the days of the great "Willy Wonka Golden Ticket Promotion" has there been such devotion, determination, and united effort to reach a common goal.

It all started about a month ago when Burger King launched the Twilight/Eclipse game promotion. We learned that not only was it possible to win a Vespa, but also $100,000 or a really fun trip for four! This is when my friend Amber suggested that we buy our beverages from BK until the promotion ends. (The stickers you need to win are on the drink cups and the large "fry-pods") At that time Amber had already purchased several drinks and kicked off the game, and later that evening I suggested we return to buy a couple more, because I had an idea.

So off we went, Amber and Lisa in the drive-thru and I went into the store. They bought a couple drinks, and I asked if I could buy a large water cup for 25 cents, when I found out I could, and that the cups he would give me had the stickers, I got three or four of them. My two friends were so impressed with the idea that we decided to go out even later that night and buy as many water cups from as many Burger Kings we could find in the valley!

In the car we went, fortunately Lisa had her GPS so that we could plot a course to as many BK's as was possible. Some would give us the cups with the stickers, others would not, one lady made us pay full soda price just to get the water cups! One guy was sneaky and gave us some of the cups that were defective and didn't have stickers... Well, two can play at that game, so we took them to another BK and complained that they had no stickers on them, so she gave me some new cups with stckers, but the gross part is... She kept the cups without stickers that we had already used, and gave them to Amber when she went through the drive-thru to buy more water cups! Isn't that disgusting? She gave Amber USED cups, and she did not even know we were part of the same group, because I was in the store, not in the car with Amber. Ick.

Overall, we ended up getting TONS of cups, stickers, and instant win prizes though. And since then we have continued to patronize Burger Kings, look through the garbage cans, petition people for their empty cups and frypods, and collect stickers in every way we could. It was quite an adventure, especially the first night.

Unfortunately, the contest ended today. And we are not in possession of a Vespa, $100,000.00, a trip, movie tickets for a year, or even the collectors Eclipse water bottles. But that is not to say we finished empty-handed. We have coupons for free Whoppers, french toast sticks, shakes, sausage biscuits, and probably about 30 cheeseburgers! Not to mention the fact that I stayed really hydrated buying and drinking all of that water, and we had fun anyway.

I close with a sentiment from modern philosopher, Jack Handy:"It's funny that pirates were always going around searching for treasure, and they never realized that the real treasure was the fond memories they were creating."

Book Review: "Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher's Journey through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling"

This is one of the books that I review that I do NOT recommend to everybody. That is not to say that I do not think that it is an extremely informative and fascinating book. John Taylor Gatto hits the nail right on the head when it comes to his conclusions about the world of compulsory schooling, and he of all people should know, he spent 30 years as a teacher in the New York public school system. While there, he would continually notice things that were wrong, and over time as he tried to fix them, he learned that the system was purposefully set up to be broken.

I don't suggest everyone read this book because the content can be quite distressing. My brother Rob who recommended it to me put it best, he said that this book is "The Blue Pill" and for those of you who did not catch or understand the Matrix reference there, it simply means that oftentimes it is easier to remain in ignorance than to know the startling truth. If you are not comfortable with drastically changing your paradigm concerning American Education, in particular the public school system, then this book is not likely for you.

However, if you would rather know how things really work, what the problems are, and how to escape/avoid their effects... This one is for you. One final note: John Taylor Gatto's first book "The Underground History of American Education" is available to read for free from his website, check it out as well. (Note: you will probably need a dictionary, this guy is smart!)

Book Review: "To Him That Believeth"

When it comes to books about the Gospel , there are very few I could recommend more highly that this one. I truly consider this book a staple in Mormon literature, and think it deserves a place on the shelf right next to the Standard Works!

The author, Bro. Frederick Babbel is a wonderful writer, and keeps a very good pace when covering the material. He does not breeze over it so as to leave you confused or wanting for more information, but at the same time does not bury you in repetitive statements and superfluous stories to illustrate an already well established point. Managing to keep it simple enough to understand and deep enough to enlighten, the author provides you with a lot to ponder and much reason to glorify God. When I finished this book, I thought it was like a "greatest hits" album that covered some of the most precious pearls of knowledge I had acquired from a variety of sources. All of this combined with a tone that is in no way condescending or superior, makes for a volume I could describe in two words: "truly edifying."

If you don't have a copy, buy one and read it now; If you do have a copy, go read it again!

Just Desserts

Now it is July, and you know what that means. Wait, you don't? Well, I'll remind you: This month means that the Dessert Fast of June is ended! You may recall that Tosh and I were planning on ending it triumphantly today, but then we realized we wouldn't even be together, so we went camping the night of the 1st instead and had smores that night.

I really must say, the anticipation was the best part, because I could hardly finish mine. I had also been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to eat some junior mints I had been saving for several weeks, and I kid you not: I could hardly eat three of them because they were so sweet it felt like they were burning my mouth! Unfortunately, I am confident in the ability of my taste buds to quickly re-adapt.

My observations following this undertaking are few. I noticed several things of note though... Right when I stopped I broke out horribly, I think because my body was detoxing. After that though, my skin was a lot clearer. There is a noticeable energy difference (increase), but it was not as defined this time as it has been in the past. The only other thing is that I almost got sick twice last month and both times I was able to overcome, so I think my immunity was a lot better. So there you have it.

Anywho, now that I have talked about that and this post is still kind of short, I will close by talking about the camp out Tosh and Katie and I went on... We went up to where I did my triathlon at Rock Cliff campground. We stopped at BIG 5 on the way so Tosh could buy a fishing pole, and I saw that they had inflatable rafts on sale, and I could not resist buying one! So we went up there, claimed our space, had our dinner and then I was anxious to go out on the lake, and even though it was after 11pm, I was able to get Tosh and Katie "on board" with the idea. On the walk to the lake we saw fireflies! That is exciting because I have only ever heard of them and didn't know they even existed in Utah.

On the lake we were considerably squished into my little boat, but had an amazing view of the stars. It was so peaceful and serene, we all loved it. In the morning we went out again, except I was swimming in my wetsuit some of the time. But I did learn that it is a good idea to make sure your fishing pole is secure before you jump out of the boat because Katie may or may not have been holding it, and she may or may not have let go for fear of her life because you jump out in such a was that could have tipped the boat. Either way, my fishing pole (which was really my dad's) may or may not have ended up at the bottom of the lake that day.

Lessons learned from today's post: (also from the experiences that the aforementioned post are based upon) 1. Camping is fun. 2. Sugar is bad. 3. Rafts are fun. 4. Lavender oil in water really doesn't keep bugs away. 5. Fireflies do exist in Utah! 6. "Where the Wild Things Are" is a weird movie. 7. Reheating sticky rice in tin foil on a campfire doesn't work. 8. Don't wear flip-flops and/or shorts camping in a place densely populated with various "itchy-bitey" insects. 9. Fishing poles don't float. and 10. Camping is the one of the only times I can really clear my mind and just think... or not think whatever the case may be.