Decision Making On Money, Love, Work & Health: Why Decisions Errors Are Made

Decision making is something that happens throughout our day but with different degrees of importance, urgency and consequential outcomes.
Your life at this very moment is the result of every decision you have made along the way. There is no doubt how easy life will turn out to be, if we can make good decisions quickly and easily. But we both know that in reality decision making is not that clear cut!
Everyone makes wrong decisions sometimes or bad ones for that. I am sure you can recall moments where you said to yourself, “I wish I didn't make THAT decision”.
How many times have you heard stories about smart people making stupid decisions with their money? This happens all too often and baffles everyone. Have you ever wondered why intelligent, sensible people make such mistakes and rash decisions?

Guidelines, strategies that tell us how to make a decision. Sadly, it doesn’t always produce a correct answer. However, sometimes they are the reasons why people make the wrong decisions.

Given below are such 12 such heuristics, with reference to the book, Changing Minds In Detail. (A slight tilt towards psychology)

1. We Are Too Confident In Our Own Judgments

(Overconfidence barrier)Over confidence is feeling of exaggerated trust in someone or something, which is in decision making process, especially in evaluation of alternatives.

2. Our Moods Bias Our Judgments

(Mood-Congruent Judgment)When we are in a good mood, we see the world in a more friendly light, and our judgments are more positive. Likewise, when we are grumpy we evaluate things around us as being bad.

3. We Value Certain Gains & Try To Avoid Certain Losses

(Prospect Theory)We tend to value a gain, that is certain more than a gain that is less than certain, even when the expected value of each is the same. The opposite is even truer for losses: we will clutch at straws to avoid a certain loss, even if it means taking even greater risks.

4. We Are Reluctant To Pull Out Of An Investment

(Sunk-Cost Effect)We all know that we can reverse the past, and we can’t get back money or time that we already spent. But many people irrationally take sunk costs, time, money, or other resources which have already been spent and can't be recovered, into their decision making.

5. We Pay More Attention To Some Facts, Than Others

(Focusing Effect)When we are making judgments, we tend to weigh attributes and factors unevenly, putting more importance on some aspects and less on others.
This is typically due to factors such as stereotyping and schemas that we use that bring certain factors to mind and downplay others.

6. We Value More Highly The Things We Own

(Endowment Effect)The endowment effect, also known as “status quo bias”, is the phenomenon in which most people would demand a considerably higher price for a product that they own than they would be prepared to pay for it.

7. Agreeing With What Supports Beliefs And Vice Versa

(Disconfirmation bias)When people are faced with evidence for and against their beliefs, they will be more likely to accept the evidence that supports their beliefs with little scrutiny yet criticize and reject that which disconfirms their beliefs.

8. We Only Use Limited Logic In Decisions

(Bounded Rationality)We will try to logically understand things and make sensible choices. However, the world is large and complex, and we do not have the capacity to understand everything. We also have a limited time in which to make decisions.

9. We Prefer A Known Probability To An Unknown One

(Ambiguity Effect)When people make decisions, sometimes they have a good understanding of the probability of something happening whilst other times the situation is ambiguous, whereby the probability of the event is unknown. In such situations, people are more likely to choose the former situation, preferring a known probability over an unknown probability.

10. Recent Events Seem More Likely

(Availability Heuristic)We make a judgment based on what we can remember, rather than complete data. In particular, we use this for judging frequency or likelihood of events. Since we remember recent experiences or reports, then the news has a significant effect on our decisions.

11. We Base Decisions On Available Small Samples

(Biased sampling)When we need to make a decision and when we have very little real information about the subject in question, we will blithely base our decision on that very limited and hence biased sample.
For example, if we go to a restaurant for one meal and then someone asks us what the restaurant is like, we will give an authoritative pronouncement, based on that single experience.

12. Belief We Can Predict Random Events

(Gambler's Fallacy)I toss a coin and it comes down heads. I expect the next coin to be more likely to be tails than heads. It comes down heads. Now I am even more convinced that the subsequent coin will very likely be tails. If I am a betting person, I might double my bet each time, sure that I will walk away a winner.

13. Assuming Success Breeds Success

(Hot Hand Phenomenon)When a person succeeds at something then they are more likely to succeed in subsequent attempts, whereas the truth is that they are still governed by the laws of chanced.
Whilst there is some truth in this in that a person may be particularly fit or their confidence is boosted by an initial success, the 'Hot Hand' phenomenon goes past this where people make assumptions that are statistically inaccurate.

Has your decision making been influenced by the above heuristics? Was the outcome good/bad ?

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Josef Fritzl - Other Cases of Abduction and Imprisonment of Adults and Children

HISTORICAL CASES OF ABDUCTION, IMPRISONMENT, SEXUAL ABUSE & MURDER OF ADULTS AND CHILDREN
By Parents and Strangers
Original Post: 11 June 2008 / Updated 28 August 2009

"History Is A Vast Early Warning System" Norman Cousins
But Only Those With An EDUCATION, Know This.....

Some Aspects of the following Historical Cases are relevant to the Unfolding Story of Jaycee (JC) Lee (Allissa) Dugard. As We already know in the Case of the Abduction of JAYC33 L33 DUGARD, Phillip Garrido Is Using God/Religion/Angels To Manipulate Ignorant Fools and Divert Attention Away From Serious Heinous Sexual Crimes/Perversions. So did Josef "Immaculate Conception" Fritzl and Others. Well Josef's Wife Was called roseMARY.....

I have made reference to 33 above, in place of letters. Refer to my other blog HERE, which contains some examples of 33s in action elsewhere. Page Down.....

An Ordinary Couple To Irresponsible Outsiders Who Trust/Believe Anyone, In The UK
- Fred and RoseMary West's Story Below

A day was going to come when Garrido would Retire, enter the Public Eye with Maximum Media Attention, delivering Fresh Material to Hollywood, similar to the day when Fritzl arrived. Today Fritzl relaxes in a 5* Retirement Home (High Security (Mental) Institution) with maximum protection/security. No Deterrent, No Punishment, Just Maximum Protection. It Makes You Wonder......

There Were Similar Attitudes Towards Sexual Crimes Committed During World War II. They Refused To Prosecute Anyone For Sexual Crimes At Nuremberg. Refer To My Post: 4NAZI GERMANY - 'Forced Prostitution and Rape Cases Not Tried' At The Nuremberg Trials

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JAYCEE (JC) LEE DUGARD
Born 3 May 1980, South Lake Tahoe, California
Disappeared On 10 June 1991, Aged 11

On 10 June 1991, Jaycee Dugard's stepfather Carl Probyn saw two people in a gray sedan, pull up to a bus stop where Jaycee was waiting and abducted her. Her stepfather was initially a suspect in her disappearance, and took several lie-detector tests.

Alleged Abductor:
Phillip Craig Garrido (Born 5 April 1951, Contra Costa County, California, USA)
A registered sex offender who had spent time in Leavenworth Penitentiary following a 1971 conviction for rape)
Address: 1554 Walnut Ave, Antioch, CA

On 25 August 2009, Phillip Garrido brought two girls, ages 11 and 15, to University of California, Berkeley to distribute religious literature. A campus officer spotted the trio and ran a background check. After learning of Garrido's 1971 rape conviction, she contacted his parole officer. At a parole meeting the next day, Garrido brought the two girls in, along with a woman named "Allissa." They turned out to be Jaycee and the two children she had borne in captivity. Garrido and his wife (Nancy Garrido) were arrested on the spot, and Jaycee was turned over to police. On 27 August 2009, the woman was confirmed to be Jaycee Lee.

Law enforcement officers believe that Jaycee Lee Dugard was kept in outdoor sheds or tents in a hidden area behind Phillip Garrido's residence and was used as a sex slave for Garrido and his wife Nancy. Dugard became pregnant several times during captivity, bearing at least two daughters. According to law enforcement, Dugard was in good physical health, but neither Dugard or her daughters had been to school or had seen a doctor in the years since she was abducted.


News is Currently Breaking On This Story So Only A Few Links of Interest, At The Moment
FBI Kidnap File (FBI)
KCRA 3 - Full Video Interview With Phillip Craig Garrido - KCRA (USA)
Garrido kept an internet blog associated with God’s Desire church : Voices Revealed
Kidnap of Jaycee Lee Dugard - Wiki
They Slept In My Arms Every Night! : Sick boasts of kidnapper who held Jaycee Dugard for 18 years and fathered her two children - Daily Mail (UK) - 28 August 2009

***

TIME IS UP!

Common Sense Must Prevail Everyone......... As We All Know, Religions Have Had Ample Time (Centuries and Each Generation) To Invoke Their God Publicly, To Demonstrate To Believers and Non-Believers Alike, that A Superior Being Exists and Even Supports Their Religious Endeavours. No Proof Has Been Forthcoming. Unfortunately history has already proven, beliefs have often been cemented through conformity, coercion/persecution/bloodshed, tax evasion/avoidance strategies and hand outs.

Common Sense Must Prevail Everyone....... As a consequence, nobody should be surprised when they eventually learn about hidden elements within religions and external entities, who have pursued impersonating God and even arousing dark/evil elements through All known Methods to mankind, including the ancient practices of Human Sacrifice and Sacrificial Worship. We can not ignore the fact that these (religious) entities may also be acting on the Assumed Communications of Energies/Dark Forces in their environment, which they believe are relaying messages, through certain Events, People and Objects.

When considering the relevance of a Human Being's judgment in life, one must consider how many facts and how much evidence a person truly gathers and needs before establishing beliefs and passing objective fact based opinions. Unfortunately Religious People do believe Something based on very little/weak evidence. This Adolescent Attitude will naturally prevail in the delivery of judgment/opinions about other issues in their life including people, outside of religion. Into this group of Adolescent Judgers, also falls people who solely pass positive judgment based on appealing physical appearances, sexual attraction, status/wealth and preferred religious identity.

* * *

For The Purpose of Registering Factual Profiles for LEGAL REASONS/ACTIONS (Which I am Involved With Today) and for The Public Records in the UK and Abroad, Of People and Those Connected With Them, Responsible For Making False Missing Person Reports/Statements (including 9/11 - Refer To This Shocking Post : 9/11 World Trade Center Fraudsters, Scam Artists, False Victims; conflict zones, natural disasters, etc), OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE and intentionally delivering/Registering Diversionary Fictitious/Defamatory Profiles for Motives Of Silencing Factual Communications, even pursuing destroying employment, which always had the aim of Ensuring Past Crimes Of The Source(s) and Their Associates, Were not Exposed and Future Crimes (Real Harm, Injury and Death) Would Not Be Stopped, THIS POST PRESENTS INFORMATION, WHICH WAS COMMON KNOWLEDGE IN 1994-1997.

False Missing Person Reporters ALWAYS Have Something Evil/Sinister To Hide. Help These Liars Circulate False Reports and Obstruct Justice, At Future Risk To Your Families and Yourself, Especially When Someone is THEN Actually Harmed and Killed. How Stupid Are You, In Reality?

I Have Nothing to Hide About My Life - Do You?! I naturally would turn down a job with Warner Brothers Film Studios, UK.

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HISTORICAL CASES OF ABDUCTION, IMPRISONMENT,
SEXUAL ABUSE & MURDER OF ADULTS AND CHILDREN
By Parents and Strangers

Paul Martin Andrews (born 1960) is an American rape victim advocate. In 1973 (13 years old) he was kidnapped in his native Virginia and hidden in an underground box by a known sexual predator, Richard Ausley for over a week in 1973. Shackled and left to starve, he was rescued by rabbit hunters eight days later.

Thirty years after his ordeal, he went public with his story and became an activist for bolstering Virginia law with additional funding for continued civil commitments for sex offenders after their criminal sentences end. In this case, Virginia did not get a chance to test its new Civil Commitment for Sexually Violent Predators Act. Ausley's sentence was extended by five years after another victim came forward. Richard Ausley was never committed to a psychiatric facility. Instead, he was sent to a high-security prison for especially disruptive inmates and placed in a cell with a convict who had himself been molested as a child. Shortly afterwards in January 2004, Ausley was murdered in his prison cell. http://www.readthehook.com/stories/2003/01/30/coverStoryBoxedInABoysLost.html

Sabine Dardenne (born 1983) is a Belgian woman who, at the age of twelve, on 28 May 1996, was kidnapped by serial killer Marc Dutroux while on her way to school. Dardenne was one of Dutroux's last two victims. She survived, but four other girls and an alleged accomplice named Bernard Weinstein were found dead on Dutroux's properties. Dardenne and 14-year-old Laetitia Delhez, who had been abducted a couple of days earlier, were rescued on 15 August 1996 by the Belgian police, two days after Dutroux had been arrested. Dutroux admitted to having raped them both and abducting them. Dardenne's ordeal in the basement of Dutroux's house lasted 80 days. On 22 June 2004, Dutroux received the maximum sentence of life imprisonment. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/apr/18/ukcrime.features11

Lydia Gouardo was born on 13 November 1962 in Maisons-Alfort, France. She is a French woman who was imprisoned for 28 years, raped, and tortured by her legal father (he was not her biological father) in their home in Meaux and Coulommes in Seine et Marne. The abuse took place from 1971 to 1999. Lydia gave birth to six children, having been made pregnant by her father. During her imprisonment, she escaped and phoned legal aid, but her father recaptured her in a family residence in Melun. She was finally freed in 1999 when her father died. Her mother was convicted for not reporting crimes she was aware of and also for sexual abuse against one of Lydia's children.

She said while she was tortured by her father, she was not imprisoned - but she was not allowed outside the family home and was often tied up in the attic. She still has scars from her neck to her ankles, mainly burn marks from boiling water or hydrochloric acid. She said she fled their home several times when she was young, but each time was brought back by police. http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1314849,00.html

Natascha Kampusch (born 1988 in Vienna) is an Austrian woman who was abducted at the age of 10 on 2 March 1998, and remained in custody of her kidnapper, Wolfgang Priklopil, for more than eight years, until she escaped on 23 August 2006. Priklopil, having found that the police were after him, killed himself by jumping in front of a suburban train near the Wien Nord station in Vienna. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natascha_Kampusch

Charles “Charlie” Allen Keever (1980 - 27 March 1993) was a 13 year old boy who was murdered on 27 March 1993, in San Diego County, California, along with his friend, 9 year old Jonathan Sellers. The murder of both boys went unsolved for 8 years. In March 2001 a DNA database identified Scott Erskine as a suspect from the DNA found at the time of the murder. Erskine was already in prison for a rape committed six months after the boys murder. In 2003 Erskine went to trial on the charges of two counts of murder with the special allegations of sodomy, oral copulation, child molestation and torture and three counts of special circumstances: torture, sexual assault and multiple murders, he was found guilty. During the penalty phase one juror did not want to give Erskine the death penalty so the judge declared a mistrial for the penalty phase portion of the trial. In April 2004 a new jury was convened and they voted unanimously for a death sentence. On 1 September 2004 a California judge sentenced Erskine to death row and he was sent to San Quentin State Prison. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Charlie_Keever

Sian Kingi was a 12-year-old girl who, in 1987, was abducted, raped and killed in Noosa, Queensland, Australia. Barrie Watts and Valmae Beck, a married couple, were convicted in 1988 of the much-publicised crime and were each sentenced to life imprisonment.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/sians-murder-still-haunts-nation/2008/05/07/1210131039392.html

Polly Hannah Klaas (3 January 1981 - October/November 1993) was an American murder victim whose case gained national attention. At the age of 12, she was kidnapped at knife point from her mother's home during a slumber party in Petaluma, California on 1 October 1993. She was later raped and strangled. Richard Allen Davis was convicted of her murder in 1996 and sentenced to death. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/klaas/1.html

Kimberly Diane Leach, (28 October 1965 – 9 February 1978) was a 12 year old student at Lake City Junior High School, in Lake City, Florida, and the final and youngest known murder victim of Ted Bundy. Bundy was convicted, sentenced to death, and electrocuted by the State of Florida on 24 January 1989 for the murder of Leach. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberly_Leach

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The LINZ SISTERS, Viktoria, Katharina and Elisabeth, are three women who were imprisoned in a cellar for seven years from 1998 to 2005. They were imprisoned there by their mother, and are known as the Linz sisters because the crime took place in Linz, Austria. Their mother gained custody of the children following her divorce, at the age of 53. Afterwards, she suffered a mental breakdown. She withdrew the children, then aged 7, 11 and 13, from schooling, and imprisoned them in a cellar with no running water in near-total darkness. Her husband, a judge, was unable to see the children despite at least nine claims for access going before the courts. Over the period of their incarceration, the children developed an almost unintelligible language based on German. The girls were rescued only when police broke into the house after a neighbour, who had reported his suspicions several times, threatened a local council official with a lawsuit. On being rescued, the children were found to be severely malnourished and unable to tolerate sunlight. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21210531-2703,00.html

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Maria Monaco, 47, was kept prisoner by her family for 18 years in a small town outside Naples, Italy, for having a baby out of wedlock. Her mother Anna Rosa Golino, 80, brother Prisco, 44, a farmer and sister Michelina, 54, a primary school teacher took action after she had an affair with a mystery man and got pregnant. On 13 June 2008, she was rescued by police after an anonymous tip-off. Her brother and sister were taken into custody, accused of detaining her. Police have questioned Maria's 17-year-old son whom they said was living with his grandmother and 'fully aware of the situation'. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1026429/Woman-kept-captive-filthy-bedroom-dungeon-family-having-baby-wedlock.html

Viktor Mokhov kept two Russian girls, Lena and Katya, in an underground cell for 3 1/2 years in Skopin, Russia. Mokhov abducted the two girls in September 2000, when Lena was 14 and Katya 17 years old, from a disco. He locked them into an underground room that he had built previously underneath the garage of his home, where he regularly abused them sexually. The older girl gave birth to two boys in captivity in 2001 and 2003, and was pregnant when she was freed. Mokhov transferred the two boys to an orphanage. During the last months of their imprisonment, Mokhov took the girls occasionally for walks outside their cellar during the night. The girls managed to hide a note inside an audio cassette their captor had lent them. This note was later found by a boarder in the house, and the girls where finally freed by police in 2004. Their captor was arrested and given seventeen years in a labor camp and two more in prison. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article417480.ece

Samuel James "Jimmy" Ryce (26 September 1985 – 11 September 1995) was a child that was abducted, raped and killed by Juan Carlos Chavez in Homestead, Florida, United States. In the fall of 1998, Juan Carlos Chavez was convicted of kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder. Chavez was given the death penalty. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Jimmy_Ryce

Fusako Sano (also known by the pseudonym Sachiko Yamada) is a Japanese woman who was kidnapped at age ten by Nobuyuki Sato, and held in captivity for nine years and two months from November 13, 1990 to January 28, 2000. In Japan, the case is also known as the Niigata girl confinement incident. Sato is currently serving a 14 year prison sentence. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/01/29/world/main154723.shtml

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Elizabeth Ann Smart (born 3 November 1987) is an American woman who was abducted from her Salt Lake City, Utah bedroom on 5 June 2002 at the age of 14. She was found alive nine months later on 12 March 2003 in Sandy, Utah, about 18 miles from her home, in the company of Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Ileen Barzee, who were indicted for her kidnapping but ruled unfit to stand trial. Mitchell was a polygamist who believed it was his religious right to have more than one wife, even by force. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Smart_kidnapping

LEFT Brian David Mitchell and his Wife Wanda Ileen Barzee

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Eleuterio Soria is a 73 year old Argentine man who was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for keeping his daughter in captivity for 11 years and sexually abusing her. He fathered two children with her. Soria's trial revealed that he began abusing his daughter in 1992, when she was 12 years old. The following year she became pregnant by her father, prompting her mother to leave their home in La Matanza, a working-class Buenos Aires district. The family's five other siblings eventually left as well. The daughter, whose name was not released, had a second child by her father in 1997. She did flee on various occasions, but would return home after he threatened their two children — often at gunpoint. She finally escaped for good in 2003 and denounced her father to authorities.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jpJ4kNdpQOa6I-ck_N-h-Ex1omvQD90QC9C01

Colleen Stan is a 20 year old woman who was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by Cameron Hooker in Red Bluff, California in 1977. On 19 May 1977 Hooker kidnapped Colleen Stan a.k.a. "Carol Smith." Cameron's wife, Janice Hooker, assisted in the kidnapping. Stan was held in captivity for the next seven years. During her imprisonment, Colleen was tortured, sexually assaulted, and led to believe that she was being watched by a large organization called "The Company". Hooker had her sign a "slavery contract" supposedly from "The Company". He assigned her a new slave name, "K", causing comparisons to the Story of O. She was also led to believe that members of her family would be harmed if she attempted to escape. She may have experienced Stockholm syndrome. Hooker kept Stan locked in wooden boxes that he had made. One of the boxes was located under the bed that he shared with his wife. Hooker was sentenced to consecutive terms for the sexual assaults, which totaled 60 years. He also received 1 to 25 years for the kidnapping, plus a 5 to 10 year sentence for using a knife in the process. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/psychology/sex_slave/index.html

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GREAT BRITAIN

Frederick West and his wife Rosemary West

Frederick Walter Stephen West better known as Fred West, was an English serial killer. Between 1967 and 1987, he and his wife Rosemary West imprisoned, tortured, raped and murdered at least 12 young women. The majority of the murders occurred between May 1973 and September 1979 at the couple's home in Gloucester.

Rose came from a family where incest was common. Even after the birth of her fourth child Rose's father, Bill Letts, with Fred's approval, would often visit the West's for sex with his daughter. In December 1972 the Wests carried out a sexual assault on 17-year-old Caroline Roberts (then called Owens), and Fred West raped her. But she dropped that claim, and the following month the Wests were fined for assault, but not convicted. Their only known victim after 1979 was their daughter, Heather, who was killed in June 1987 at the age of 16.

In May 1992, West raped his 13-year-old daughter at Cromwell Street and filmed it, and then raped her twice afterwards. She discussed the incident with her brothers and sisters, who told friends at school. On 6 August 1992, the police decided to investigate, eventually leading to Fred West being charged with 12 counts of murder, with Rose as an accomplice. She was also charged with child cruelty, and the remaining children were placed in foster care. Fred confessed, retracted and then re-confessed to the murder of his daughter, denying that Rose was involved. Rose was not arrested until April 1994, initially on sex offences but later charged with murder. Further bodies were found and on 4 March 1994, West admitted that he had carried out nine more murders, including those of his first wife Rena Costello and Ann McFall.

Fred and Rose West were brought before a magistrates court in Gloucester on 30 June 1994. Immediately afterwards, Fred West was re-arrested on suspicion of murdering Ann McFall, whose body was found on 7 June 1994. On the evening of 3 July 1994, he was charged with her murder. On 1 January 1995, Fred West hanged himself while on remand in his cell at Winson Green. His brief funeral was held in Coventry on 29 March 1995. West was cremated with only three people present. Rosemary West was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Known Victims
1967 - Ann McFall (Scottish nanny and Fred's lover. Was eight months pregnant with his child). Body found in "letterbox field" near Much Marcle.
1970 - Rena Costello (Fred's first wife, also Scottish). Body found in "fingerpost field" near Much Marcle.
1972 - Charmaine West, 8 (Rena's eldest child). Body found beneath 25 Midland Road, Gloucester.
1973 - Linda Gough, 21 (seamstress from Gloucester). Body found beneath 25 Cromwell Street.
1973 - Lucy Partington, 21 (university student, from Gotherington, near Cheltenham). Body found beneath 25 Cromwell Street.
1974 - Carol Cooper,15 (schoolgirl from Worcester). Body found beneath 25 Cromwell Street.
1975 - Juanita Mott, 19 (from Newent, Glos) Body found beneath 25 Cromwell Street.
1975 - Shirley Hubbard, 15 (schoolgirl from Worcester). Body found beneath 25 Cromwell St.
1977 - Therese Siegenthaler, 21 (Swiss hitchhiker). Body found beneath 25 Cromwell St.
1977 - Alison Chambers, 17 (originally from Swansea). Body found in garden of 25 Cromwell St.
1978 - Shirley Robinson, 18 (lodger and Fred's lover. Heavily pregnant). Body found in garden of 25 Cromwell St.
1987 - Heather West, 16 (Fred and Rose's eldest daughter). Body found in garden of 25 Cromwell St.

PICTURES： BOTH KILLED - Left Rena Costello (Fred's First Wife) ＆ Right Heather West (Fred & Rose's Eldest Daughter)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary_West / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_West

Film Yourself, It’s The Only Way!

A few weeks ago, I was invited to make a 2 hour presentation at a local university on “How To Develop a Plan to Boost Your Blog’s Profile and Readership Online ”.

I have been blogging for around 3 years and I felt I had good handle, on what to say and how to say it. I did research, prepared, practiced and was ready.

About 2 days before the presentation, I received a call from one of the event organizers. He asked, “Would you mind if we videotape your presentation?” I was flattered. I had never been videotaped before, and I told him that if I received a master copy, I would be happy to let them video me.



Fast forward to the day of the presentation
When the presentation was over, everyone applauded. I thought I did a great job.

Yesterday, I was handed the DVD recording of my talk. Last night, I popped some popcorn, called the cat, inserted the DVD, clicked on the machine, and sat back in my easy chair to watch “me in action”.

After 15 minutes of watching my 2 hour presentation, I was gripping the arm of my chair so hard that I couldn’t remove my fingers. In short, it was bad!
Mostly, there wasn’t anything wrong with the content. It was more to do with my hand gestures, the way I stood … (I could give a list of things here, but I want to save myself from any further embarrassment!)

I watched with pain for the next 1 hour and 45 minutes (even the cat ran away!)….

Then I watched it again! This time, I took notes.

I made a complete list of everything I did wrong, printed it out, and plan on carrying it for every presentation!

The moral of the story is if you don’t film yourself, you’ll never know how good or bad you are.

Recording myself gave me a reality (and a reality check!), and it provided a platform for me to learn and improve. Had my talk not been recorded that day, I would have never known the power of recording, and I would have walked away thinking I did a great job.

If I asked you how good you are, you would probably say, “I am pretty good”. I would respond and say, “Without a videotape, you have no idea”.

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Waiting Time Doesn't Have To Be Wasted Time!

I left work early today so that I could get to my dentist’s appointment on time. I arrived 10 minutes ahead of time, only to find out that the doctor was running an hour and a half behind. Obviously, the staff never bothered to call and tell me the doctor was running so far behind! < Imagine my annoyance, when a load of things I could have done at work flashed through my mind!>

I didn’t have time to go back to office and come back, since the journey itself would have taken another hour. So, my only option was join the others in the waiting room. Most of them were sitting impatiently counting ceiling tiles, except for one lady. She had several small sheets of paper (looked like bills) around her, and she was writing on a checkbook. She seemed wrapped up in what she was doing and didn’t look as if she was bothered by the delay.

I was impressed by HOW she decided to spend her “waiting time”. Even more, I was inspired by her preparation. It was as if, she expected to wait a long time!



Unfortunately, I didn’t have my checkbook with me, to do something similar. However, I dug out my notebook and pen from my handbag, and started drafting this post…

Most of us don't see that waiting time as a cost to us; but it is. Minutes add up to hours and hours to days. As we spend time waiting, we end up wasting days of doing nothing but just waiting.
That’s not the only thing, how your waiting time goes affects your mood and productivity, long after the waiting time is over!

So, my message for you today is..

Realize in advance when you may be forced to wait.

Expect to be delayed; Expect to be waiting => Be Prepared

Some of us are better at dealing with that than others. What about you?
Are you the sort of person who is generally prepared for delays/waiting time?

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Harry Potter Author J.K Rowling: On Turning A Great Story Into A Billion-Dollar Franchise

It all began with one single book; an idea revolving the character of Harry Potter. When the first book hit the shelves, there was much hype around the world. At the time, I didn’t care too much of the book, thinking… it’s yet another children’s novel that delves into the supernatural realm of magic.

Years have passed since that day, and the Harry Potter series continue to be a runaway smash hit. What started out as a children’s book, has got massive attention from adults as well. Yes, my initial perception of Harry Potter books has changed!

Ever wondered how J.K Rowling, a divorced single mother, living in reduced circumstances, became a multi-millionaire within a short space of time?

Here are some lessons we can all learn from her success journey.

1. There Are Fringe Benefits Of Failure!

“Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged,” said Rowling at the Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association. “I was set free [by failure], because my greatest fear had already been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”

2. Make Best Use Of Your “Idle” Time

Did you know that it was during a four-hour train delay between Manchester and London that Rowling first put pen to paper about a young boy attending a school of wizardry? This is a reminder that whether you're stuck on a train, jammed in traffic or sitting alone before a meeting you should use this "idle” time to your benefit.

3. Reject The Rejector!

J.K Rowling’s first submission of Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone to a publishes was rejected. So, was the second one (I bet they must be kicking themselves now!). J.K Rowling, didn’t let negative thoughts get the best of her, when she was rejected. She kept on going. Her perseverance paid of incredibly, as the 3rd publisher accepted the manuscript.

Rejection doesn’t have to mean you’re no good; it can just mean you’re not in the right place at the right time!

4. Believe In Yourself

You have got to have faith in what you do. If you don’t believe in your own thoughts and deeds, no one else will.

Publishers kept turning down the Harry Potter book mainly because "it was too long". If she wanted to get it published, she could have easily reduced the number of pages. She believed that it was necessary and had enough faith in her creation, to persist until it was published.

5. Imagine Yourself As A Winner

In an interview, J.K Rowling was asked if she had any difficulty coping with the obvious changes that success had brought her. She replied, “No” because for 5 yrs she had seen the world through the eyes of her main character, Harry Potter and he was an extremely successful person. Rowling’s adjustment to her new lifestyle was not a problem because she had spend years visualizing success.

Are you a Harry Potter fan?
What do you think contributed to J.K Rowling's success?
Leave a comment. Let's discuss.

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