Have you ever stopped and asked: What if someone -- whether a world-renowned singer or acclaimed dancer -- weren't famous? Would they still leave the same legacy? In a blog post two days ago, I wrote about Jose Fernandez, a promising baseball star who died in a boating accident in Miami Beach on Sunday morning. Two other men on the boat -- both friends of his -- were also killed. The outpouring of grief across South Florida since the accident is unlike anything I've ever seen in baseball -- and in the community as a whole. Jose became something of a celebrity in his hometown and all around baseball, not only for his amazing talent but because of the energy he radiated on and off the field. You'd be hard-pressed not to find him smiling at, hugging, or laughing with someone. The two other men who died in the accident were not ballplayers or anyone famous -- they were just two regular young men whose lives were tragically cut short. Not surprisingly, Jose's frien...

What an eventful couple of days! Oddly enough, Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday this year. Even weirder. I think, is the fact that the Grammys are today -- on a Monday, no less! I suppose the awards show was pushed to today because the top brass at the network feared it would pull low ratings if aired on Valentine's Day. After all, staying holed up at home watching the Grammys hardly makes for a romantic evening, right? And some of us were fortunate enough not to have to work today, which happens to be Presidents Day. What you might not know is that the actual federal holiday is called "Washington's Birthday," after the nation's first president, George Washington. Washington and Abraham Lincoln have birthdays in February, and Presidents Day was coined as a way of honoring all commanders-in-chief. Though most people pay no mind Presidents Day, I can certainly appreciate the occasion given my interest in presidential history. What's more, I think it shou...

Who do you think tops the list of highest-earning musicians in the world? Katy Perry? Beyonce? Rihanna? Think again. It's Taylor Swift. The "Shake It Off" singer has raked in an astounding $317 million this year, thanks to her best-selling album "1989," world tour, and several endorsement deals with mega-brands like Diet Coke and Sony. To put her earnings in perspective, she makes $1 million per day! Earlier this year, she and her DJ boyfriend Calvin Harris were named the world's highest-paid celebrity couple of 2015. And the country-turned-pop star shows no signs of slowing down. She received six American Music Award nominations, including Artist of the Year. The awards show is scheduled for November. Swift is undoubtedly dominating the music industry right now -- and she's only 25 years old. I can only imagine how much money she has left to make and awards to win in her lifetime. Though, I wonder if it's a good thing that she...

A recent study on the psychology of trademarks finds that people perceive brands in the same way as they do faces. Researchers compared the reactions of viewers to 16 renowned brands -- Cola-Cola and Apple among them -- and 18 computer-generated faces. The subjects were asked to evaluate the pictures according to various attributes including trustworthiness and assertiveness. Two basic dimensions dictated how a large proportion of how both trademarks and faces are perceived: (1) Overall assessment, which represents the observer's assessment of how trustworthy brands or people are and how favorable they find them to be, and (2) The impression of strength, which involves acting on the ability to correctly detect intentions -- whether they be good or bad. Most of us can identify with the results of the study. For example, after the BP oil spill that took place a few years ago, resulting in extensive damage to wildlife habitats and fishing and tourism industries, most consumers w...

I know this is largely subjective, but judging from all the media attention these women get, I'd say they are the cream of the crop right now: 1. Kim Kardashian 2. Taylor Swift 3. Beyonce 4. Rihanna 5. Iggy Azalea If I had asked this question a year ago, perhaps Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj would be on the list, but they don't seem to be in the headlines as much in 2015. The same goes for Lorde, whose ubiquitous song "Royals" was one of 2013's biggest hits. I think we can all agree that Kim Kardashian is the undisputed winner, seeing as how she's in virtually every news story that outlets like E! and Cosmopolitan put out. Taylor Swift, for her part, has earned the 2 spot. Her decision to break from country music and go into pop to appeal to a wider audience has paid huge dividends -- her popularity has soared to new heights, as has her net worth. Beyonce and Rihanna are always making the rounds for one reason or another -- whether it's a new so...