Gradually, I've become only more convinced that gaffes made by politicians and celebrities -- from Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande to Donald Trump -- are planned for one sole purpose: to garner as much publicity as they can possibly get. The conventional wisdom in Hollywood and the political arena seems to be that any attention is better than no attention. We are assailed by so much information on a daily basis -- advertisements, videos, social media content -- that these people figure the only way to grab our attention is to stir up a little drama and controversy. It's well-documented that the stories that garner the highest ratings are those that tend toward the negative. There's something about murders, sex scandals, and celebrities throwing shade at each other that keeps many people coming back for more. Thus, it comes as no surprise that Donald Trump's surging in the polls following controversial remarks he made about Mexicans, or that the doughnut shop where...

I think we'd all agree that certain topics and people get far too much news coverage these days. In this post, I'd like for everyone to list a few things you feel should be toned down. Here are a few that come to mind: The Kardashians, especially Kim Kardashian and Caitlyn Jenner Bill Cosby Donald Trump Murders and crime in general Riots Race issues What do all these have in common?  They're negative and thus more likely to garner higher ratings. Is it any surprise the news outlets are all over them? Here are a few topics I would love for the media to focus on more: Humanitarian efforts Charities Pets People who have overcome long odds to become successful in their careers Families Other "feel-good" topics Which stories are you tired of, and which ones would you love to see in the headlines more often? Please check out prior posts by clicking here: How to Understand People

Today's quote comes from Winston Churchill (1874-1965), who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A prolific writer, artist, and historian, he won the Nobel Price in Literature and was made an honorary citizen of the United States. "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth  has a chance to put its pants on." - Winston Churchill What I feel Churchill was trying to say is that lies spread like wildfire, and even if the truth later surfaces, it isn't easy to undo the damage at that point. It reminds me of kids I went to school with who would spread rumors about their peers that were later discovered to be flat-out lies. Whether it was that one kid slept with another or that someone cheated on an exam, they had no basis in reality and often were started to undermine the target for a specific reason (they disliked or envied the person, etc.). We've also seen this play out in the media with poli...