Good TV should never be confused with reality. 

But we confuse the two all the time. 

Cops may be the worst on this one.

Believe it or not, when I was ”on the job” I personally saw other detectives do TV-style interrogations on actual suspects. 

They yelled.  They intimidated.  On more than one occasion I heard a fellow officer say, ”Do you know what they do to punks like you in the joint?”  And they expected a guy to confess after hearing this? 

The last homicide case I worked as a detective was the double murder of an elderly couple.  They’d been together constantly for 55 years—and were still together in death on side-by-side tables for their Saturday afternoon autopsies.  While we waited (more…)

So I heard James Arness died today. 

Sure, I watched Gunsmoke some when I was kid.  Did it mean anything to me?  I don’t know.

My wife would tell you that I’m a terminal nostalgic, though—sometimes she’s right. 

Anyway, I Googled James Arness this afternoon, and some- thing strange began to develop… 

It starts with the post I gave you a few days ago:  The one about Blackbeard and the celebrities who drop their birth names in favor of better branding?

Well, it turns out that James Arness’ younger brother was Peter Graves.  I never knew it:  The guy on Mission Impossible (the real one, the TV show that ran ‘67-’73) was Marshal Dillon’s brother.  But instead of using his birth name of Arness, brother Peter  (more…)

Lesson No. 1:  Imagination is ALWAYS grander than reality.

You and I couldn’t see last week’s raid on Bin Laden’s cottage, so the photo you see here was all we had, a seed planted in each of us that we instantly germinated into a mental movie of what these officials ostensibly were watching.

The intensity of the room was palpable, this photo had an eerie energy to it that’s seldom seen in a still image, and it was generated solely by  (more…)

So a few weeks ago I happened to be in Memphis taking care of some minor business matters, and finding myself with a little spare time decided to take in a bit of the International Blues Challenge that just happened to be in full swing on Beale Street.

I’m no stranger to Memphis, or Beale Street, for that matter.  It’s one of a kind, the only block in the United States where you can see kids flipping down the street for dollar bills, buy a black cat bone, and eat catfish without starting the car again.

And what better place to find the next great bluesman?  If there’s a specific location in America that could be considered (more…)

Are you a deep thinker?  Or a fast thinker?  

Me, I think deep—but not always so fast. 

It’s one of my shortcomings that I’ve known about for a while, but one I don’t give much thought. 

In fact, I’d almost forgotten about it until Chuck Berry put me on the spot during one of his recent performances. 

Thanks to some strange connections, I ended up (more…)

(Note on the book:  Click on the Cover Image at the top of the page to get your copy of the new edition…)

The book business is a weird business for sure, and it’s cloaked in a lot myth as well. 

Want to hear the hard truths about book publishing that no one ever tells you?

1 - Writing a book isn’t the same as selling a book; for the author, getting a book to market is about 1 part writing… and 9 parts marketing!   

2 - No matter who the writer happens to be—famous or unknown—publishers don’t sell books… the author does! 

3 - Most  most books don’t turn a profit, and even fewer make it to a second printing!

When we dive into the unknown we never know if we’ll beat the odds… or raise a bad statistic a little higher.  So I feel fortunate that Conquering Deception© has sold out through 5 printings.  (If you have a copy:  Thanks!)   

So to celebrate the 6th printing just released, here’s a deal…

~~ Offer Ended ~~ 

It’s always been strange to me that Christmas and movies seem to go hand-in-hand.  But a lot of others things that have nothing to do with Christmas have been paired up with it too, right?  

Anyway, I’m sort of particular about the movies I watch around Christmas.  It’s sort of like pairing wine with food; sometimes to get the combination with the best mojo, you have to be willing to go against common theories. 

Whether you’re snowed in, have the week off and can’t find anything to do, or are just trying to get away from family, I wanted to give you (in no particular order) my pick of the 5 best movies to watch Christmas week.   

(Be warned:  You’ll need Netflix for some of these, Blockbuster can’t handle this order…)

1–You Only Live Twice - Even stranger than movies and Christmas going hand-in-hand, is (more…)

Just a quick thanks to those of you who tuned in this morning to my ”appearance” on the The Mike McConnell Show on WLW 700 in Cincinnati and via the internet.  Mike’s got a great handle on the deception game, and he asked some very insightful questions, ones you might be interested in hearing answered yourself.

So if you missed the interview, here’s the podcast:  Mike McConnell Show interview 

Oh, and I told listeners I’d have a video up soon that will demonstrate (inarguably) that nose gestures are real, meaningful… and easy to spot, of course.  That video is coming soon, and it’s short:  Just 30 seconds!

Anyway, hope you enjoy the interview!

-jef

Last month I gave you a post that touched on the subject of duality, and I’ve gotten several emails from readers about it in the meantime. 

Some didn’t fully understand it—others were fascinated by it.

One of those who wrote gave me a perfect example of duality in conversation, and I thought you might enjoy it. 

Why Men Don’t Write Advice Columns…

Dear Walter:

I hope you can help me here.  The other day I set off for work, leaving my husband in the house watching the TV as usual.  I hadn’t driven more than a mile down the road when the engine conked out and the car shuddered to a halt. I walked back home to get my husband’s help.  When I got home I couldn’t believe my eyes.  He was alone in (more…)