Did you know that lies travel on Twitter six times more quickly than truth does? That according to a study at MIT. You can read the article by Robinson Meyer, here. Ok, second question: are you at all surprised? I think it was Mark Twain who said that a lie can travel around the world while truth is still lacing up its shoes. This is not to say that we shouldn’t tweet or keep up with our Twitter feed. It just means that you need to read everything on Twitter, or any social media, or any media at all, with your lie detector hat on. “Trust, but verify,” Ronald Reagan said. Maybe with media it should be, “Verify, twice, and then, maybe, trust.” Oh, and one more little tidbit from the study: fake news is 70% more likely to be re-tweeted than the truth. *sigh* You know what I love about the Bible, among a thousand other things? It’s the truth.
I love spring. Not as much as I love summer, but spring is right up there near the top. If it weren’t for the pollen, and the madness of March weather which cannot seem to make up its mind, spring would be absolutely perfect. I love to see new life blooming, and people moving outdoors after a cold winter, and blue skies and warming temps. I love to run outside, and cannot wait until the days of Spring when I can leave the indoor track and the treadmill behind until next November.
Dave Ramsey is a Christian financial advisor, radio host, teacher, author, and all-around funny guy who knows his stuff. And one thing I am particularly thankful for right now are Dave’s “endorsed local providers.” His ELPs are people in insurance or real estate or other areas who have been thoroughly vetted by Ramsey’s organization. I went online last week and filled out the form, stating that I needed a real estate agent in the city where my deceased younger brother owned a home. I am not making this up: 60 seconds after I hit “send”, I got a call from a real estate agent in that city. He was energetic, friendly, kind, and helpful. Later that day I got a call from the other ELP in that area. The next day I got a call from Dave Ramsey’s staff, asking me how my experience had been with their ELP program. Hey, if you need some help with just about anything related to finances, check out Dave Ramsey’s ELP program.
J. Mark Fox 