References

Television:

• The series Myth Busters
• PBS stations, the various History Channels, the Learning Channel, Discovery Channel and other similar ones.

Books, Authors and a Publisher (in no particular order):

• Steven Covey who wrote The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, The 8th Habit, and others.
• Body for Life, by Bill Phillips who writes an easy, simple and successful way to care for your body. I like suggestions for food control and enjoyment.
• Fight Fat After Forty, by Dr. Pamela Peeke.
• Character is Destiny, The Value of Personal Ethics in Everyday Life by Russell W. Gough, 163 pages. A wonderful book that deals with ethics.
• Steve Chandler, author. I’ve read his Ten Commitments to Your Success. It has common sense and simplicity leaking out of every chapter. I’ve read others and scanned some of his other books and it’s likely any book by Mr. Chandler will be good. His books are available through the usual sources or from the publisher, Robert D. Reed (next listing).
• Robert D. Reed Publishers. Robert Reed has been a publisher for over 40 years, is a fantastic human and a credit to his species. He is an independent publisher who is committed first to his authors, secondly to profit. He prefers to publish books that contribute to the betterment of society and that are simple, shorter and entertaining. Common sense abounds in his books. His website, loveartprint.com will be worth a visit. The Gotta Minute series of books (for: Yoga, One Minute Workouts, ABC’s of Successful Living, ABC’s of Effective Leadership, Sell Your Screenplay, Getting Organized, Abundant Living, Living Lean, How to Look and Feel Great, Getting Organized) are wonderful. He is a friend who I like and respect. If he had to go into hell to deliver some books, I’d go in with him!
• loveartprint.com will show you a wonderful 24” x36” poster that is “An Eye Chart for Healthy Relationships!” I saw this in a newspaper article in early 2005 and had to ask the publisher for permission to include it in my book. Guess what?  Robert Reed is the publisher.
• Stretching: 20th Anniversary Revised Edition by Bob Anderson. A wonderful book for healthful stretching in a common sense format with plenty of drawing. It is in many doctors’ offices.
• Author Gregory Bodenhamer has written two wonderful books: Back in Control: How to Get Your Children to Behave and Parent in Control: Restore Order in Your Home and Create a Loving Relationship with Your Adolescent. I’ve given his books as gifts. He offers many useful ideas, yes, filled with common sense.
• Author Og Mandino has written several stories in parable form that entertain and teach. Some of his titles are: The Greatest Salesman In The World, The Greatest Miracle In The World and A Better Way To Live. There are others, all learnful (full of learning).
• Modern Hydrotherapy for the Massage Therapist by Sinclair, M., Baltimore, Maryland, Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, 2007.  The author is an instructor in hydrotherapy (the use of heat and cold packs, baths, etc. for healing). Lots of common sense here, simple and successful. I was flattered that the author used some of my material in this book.
• The Drinking Water Book: How to Eliminate the Most Harmful Toxins from Your Water by Colin Ingram, available at Amazon.com   Mr. Ingram is a friend. I trust his knowledge, honesty and integrity. If he had to go into hell to do research, I’d go with him. I like and respect him. I waited until his book was published before I made my decision for a water filter in my home.
• Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman. A parable with many lessons with a martial arts flavor. I’ve given many copies as gifts and have read it several times.
  Ø Becoming a Person of Influence …Or 'How to Positively Impact the Lives of Others'.  This book is for leaders and people who are in positions of influence, which is parents, subordinates, supervisors, teachers, etc.  Emphasizes integrity, listening & understanding skills; how to edify, empower and uplift others; communication skills & how to set the example.
• The Winner Within, written by basketball coach Pat Riley, this book uses stories from professional sports (which is big business) to create a game plan for professionals in business.  Chapters address taking on challenges; teamwork; getting along with others; vision; agreeing on goals (covenants); fighting through bad times and challenges; challenging yourself and your team to move onward.
• How to Win Friends & Influence People, This book can be called 'People Skills 101'.  Written in 1936 it is still very valid. Some details in the examples are outdated but the lessons are very current.
• Personality Puzzle, A fantastic book that teaches about the four basic personalities styles. It gives a self-test to identify your own styles and sub-types.
• The On-Purpose Person, or 'Making Your Life Make Sense'.  Focuses on a person's life purpose; vision; dreams; making everyday count; goal-setting; ending chaos; efficiency; effectiveness; choices; proper risk taking.
• Lincoln on Leadership, This book uses the life & philosophies of Abraham Lincoln to create a mentor-like book of guidelines for dealing with people.
• Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements by Lyle McWilliam available from Amazon.com This book is a wonderful resource that makes sense of all the vitamin and mineral supplements on the market, battling to seize our money. A critical review is the absorbability (bioavailability) of a vitamin. It is of little value if our bodies fail to absorb what the pill carries. This book can be technical but you can skip those parts and go straight to the brand ratings. It seems to be a very fair and impartial publication.

Websites:

• realsimple.com The name says it all. It’s a website and a magazine.
• Consumer Reports is associated with Consumer Reports Magazine, listed below. It is fantastic. You can use part of it for free, other areas require a reasonable subscription fee.
• Pioneer Thinking
• The Comparative Guide Series A wonderful site and book that makes common sense and gives sensible advise about many of the nutritional supplements that we spend billions of dollars on each year.
• The Kindness Crew is a wonderful group of young adults who promote kindness and understanding. I support them.
• How Things are Made, a site by Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. You can spend days playing here.
• Freecycle is a national organization, non-profit to link those of us who want to give stuff away and those of us who’d like to have it. I like it.
• Snopes A great site that investigates urban rumors, legends and other things that float in the world of the internet and our minds. Many things we “hear” are false. Check this place out.
• Mayo Clinic This is the website for the well-known Mayo Clinic which is a not for profit facility, located in Minnesota, Florida and Arizona. I’m impressed with the extent yet simplicity of the site.
• National Sleep Foundation The National Sleep Foundation is a wonderful source of sleep information. I get its weekly newsletter by email, which is free.
• Kimberly-Clark, the manufacturer of toilet paper and other paper products has a pleasant and useful site, which is worth visiting.
• HealthJourneys is a fantastic website with many guided imagery CD’s and tapes to help with many of life’s issues and challenges from smoking, stress, cancer, anxiety and many others. I’ve referred many people to it and have given their products as gifts.
• MedFriendly “Where medical information is easy to understand”, from the website, which says it all.
• SelfTalkStore website for “…Dr. Shad Helmstetter is the acknowledged dean of Self-Talk motivation”
• ADH Data Solutions  “Internet, intranet and desktop Custom Data and Information Management
  Solutions where Old Fashioned work ethic, quality, service, integrity, stand behind the work.” This is my brother’s business. We have a lot in common, including honesty, customer service and well, common sense. He gets my reference because he is good, not because he is my brother.

MAGAZINES & OTHER PUBLICATIONS:

• Consumer Reports Magazine. I first saw this in the 60’s when I worked in the school library. It is a month magazine that independently reviews products and services. I strongly support and recommend it. It contains heavy doses of common sense.