Can you tell when someone is lying to you? If not, would you like to learn how? I would. And that’s why I continue to read the works of Vanessa Van Edwards.

Van Edwards is a behavioral investigator, author and body language trainer. She runs Science of People, a human behavior research lab where she studies charisma, influence and power body language. Basically, she is an expert on lying and says we should all pay close attention to the body language of liars. She suggests the following steps:

Step 1: Determine a person’s baseline, which Van Edwards says is how he or she acts when under normal, non-threatening conditions. She says to take note when talking casually to people about topics they would have no reason to lie about. Once you gain an understanding of their cues, she says you can then focus on when they tend to use those gestures. When you see sudden differences in the baseline, she says it might be a sign they are lying.

Step 2: Look for red flags like lip pursing, question inflections, a lack of contractions, a lack of personal pronouns, sudden distancing, or the presence of microexpressions. She explains all in further detail, and, thank goodness, as I didn’t know what lip pursing or microexpressions were. Back to Step 1 for a moment. Van Edwards says to remember these signs are only red flags if they differ from a person’s baseline.

Step 3: Find a cluster of three and don’t take a single red flag as a sure sign of lying. Van Edwards claims most liars leak more than one lying cue in a matter of minutes — or even seconds. Yikes.

I once worked for a guy who said he would always tell me the truth because he wasn’t capable of keeping a bunch of lies straight. I was good with that. Van Edwards says it’s better to assume the truth from people, but you should protect yourself from liars by taking note of the baselines of the people you engage with. Any deviations from this behavior can be a warning. 

I had a business partner many years ago who, in a quite convincing way, would look me in the eyes and nod while he was lying to me. I would find myself nodding back and accepting his stories, at least until I caught on to his tactics.

I have a good friend who can spot liars in seconds, and he says some of them simply can’t see to help themselves. “She would like when the truth would fit better,” he would say. 

How about you? What signs tell you someone is lying? Send me a note and share. Meanwhile, whether you are attempting to call out a liar or, heaven forbid, cover up some lies of your own, use these three steps as a guide. Just don’t purse your lips. 

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

Rush! Hurry! Urgent! And a couple hundred other words to tell us to get moving. The dictionary is full of them, and so are each one of us. But why do we seem to be in such a hurry? 

When I was a young man at my first out-of-college job at The Des Moines Register, I would debate whether to take I-235 or Grand Avenue to work each morning from my apartment in West Des Moines to downtown. That was like debating between a punch in the kidney or a kick in the face. Neither was appealing. And neither was predictable. But what was predicable was that I would wait till the last minute to leave for work and then drive in a panic to avoid being late. It wasn’t a nice way to start the day. I eventually learned that if I left for work 30 minutes earlier, I could avoid the traffic, get to work with a smile on my face, and actually get a head start on my tasks. What a concept! 

I remember having the same debate — and stress — on the way home from work. Cranking out a Red Hot Chili Peppers CD on my car stereo likely didn’t lessen my stress levels. As a young, single guy in an apartment in the early 1990s, what was I in a hurry for? To play a game of darts with my roommates? To get to 7 Flags for a workout? To join friends at Clive After Five?

Many years later, when I first became acquainted with my friend and CITYVIEW columnist Joe Weeg, we met at our office in Des Moines. I joined him in the conference room with my yellow pad and a pen. He immediately started laughing. “I remember rushing from one meeting to another, taking notes on those yellow pads,” he told me. The retired Polk County prosecutor then said, “Now all I rush for is another cup of coffee.”

Retirement certainly helps many people to avoid being in a hurry — but not everyone. I am convinced that some people simply choose to be in hurry. Always.

A Georgian proverb says, “He who is in a hurry always arrives late.” There is a simple truth in that Georgian message. There is also a simple solution that I learned the hard way: start earlier. 

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

Does music create memories? Or do memories create music? Chicken or egg? How about a chicken omelet?

Many of us hear a song, and it brings us back to a certain place or event. A family wedding. A high school prom. A college party. Or, if you are like me, some even younger years. 

I recall being a 7-year-old boy and hearing KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Shake Your Booty” on the radio. I asked my mother and teenage sister what a booty was, and I recall them laughing and telling me it was what a baby wore on its feet. I bought it. 

Any country music (or country western music, as Mom called it) from George Jones, Conway Twitty or Buck Owens brings back memories of their records spinning on Mom’s console stereo in the living room of my childhood home. 

Songs from Foreigner, Foghat and the “Grease” soundtrack remind me of my riding along with my brother Brian in the 1970s in his Monte Carlo while cranking the volume knob on the 8-track stereo. 

Any tunes from Meat Loaf hark back to when we were able to bring music to our fourth-grade class at St. Cecilia’s, and my buddy Jimmy played “Paradise By The Dashboard Light.” Sister Ellen wasn’t as amused as Jimmy was. 

Songs from Elton John, The Captain and Tennille, and ELO conjure memories of hearing them play over the scratchy loudspeaker between announcements (“Please clear the water for the 10-to-3 rest period”) while swimming as a kid at our city pool. 

When I hear music from Def Leppard, The Scorpions or Ozzy Osbourne, I am reminded of our high school wrestling room practices and the cassettes my teammates would play. 

On the other side of the music are the songwriters and their inspiration. Some of my favorite songs are from writers’ personal experiences penned into legendary music. Gordon Lightfoot. Jim Croce. Alan Jackson. John Denver. And many more.

Yes, music — and the memories it produces — can make you smile, laugh, reminisce… and even shake your booty. 

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

Encyclopedias have been around for about 2,000 years, but good luck trying to find a printed edition now. How could something that was so common for generations be essentially non-existent now? As paid-subscription newspaper publishers discovered, selling content for a fee can be difficult when you give most of it away on the internet for free. 

For the younger readers of this newsletter, encyclopedias were like the internet in print — only more accurate. They were valued sources of information from the experts of the day. The printed and bound versions were found in libraries, schools and other educational institutions. They were also found in many homes. 

The encyclopedia salesman was commonly seen walking door to door and selling the benefits of having a full set of these reference materials in your house. At its peak, industry leader Encyclopedia Britannica had about 2,300 employees in the United States and Canada. I remember seeing these well-trained salesmen in our neighborhood as a child. And, yes, I say “salesmen,” as I don’t recall ever seeing females in this profession at the time. 

I asked our office staff if they had encyclopedias in their childhood homes. Those who are 40 or older smiled and nodded. Those 40 or younger looked puzzled. One said she thought they might have had CD-ROMS. 

My mother bought an off-brand used set of encyclopedias for our family in the late 1970s. They were miniature-sized but were still quite helpful with classroom assignments and to settle an occasional argument of facts. Unlike information from the internet, this data was indisputable. 

Prior to the internet, research projects required the use of encyclopedias. I worked at the library during my freshman year in college, and I was amazed how many encyclopedias had pages torn out of them and how many students would become frustrated because they needed that information. The librarians I knew were even-keeled, but this would get them steaming. 

Encyclopedia Britannica quit publishing print editions in 1996. After 244 years, the company decided to go digital. The salesmen were laid off, and the multi-volume sets ended. At the time, the remaining 32-volume editions were retailing for $1,395. Today, an online subscription is $74.95 annually or $8.99 per month. 

You can pay those fees, or, like most people do today, you can roll the dice on the internet for free. 

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading. 

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

My now-predictable comment when I see people older than me on their smart phones is to say to them, “Damn kids and their phones.” It usually prompts a chuckle. Usually.

The truth is that older generations are spending more time on their phones than ever before. Web surfing. Checking email. Texting. And using social media, among other activities. 

Most of them resisted early on, chastising the “kids” who were seemingly glued to their phones 24/7. But this addiction has spread beyond any specific age group. That’s what addictions do. Drinking. Smoking. Drug use. Gambling. None of those are specific to a single generation. 

Older generations have been gradually introduced to the addictions of smart phones. Younger generations have not known a life without them and even had their parents taking their photos with smart phones from day one. 

That may sound concerning to some of you, at least until you realize that many of us spent more time in front of a television than in front of our parents. I have not known a life without a TV, and I spent way too much time as a child with Oscar the Grouch, Scooby Doo, Gilligan, Barney Rubble, Bruiser Brody and Marcia Brady. 

If there is any solace in this truth, it is that I watch very little TV today. Many of you can relate. Unfortunately, the addiction just changed screens.

I have often quoted legendary wrestling coach Al DeLeon, who said, “A little bit of everything is OK. Too much of one thing is bad.” He said that in an age before smart phones, and he was referencing diet choices, but that continues to be some of the best advice ever given. Period. 

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

They are called vanity plates for a reason, or at least that is what the license plates our eyes are drawn to are commonly referred to as. The Iowa Department of Transportation calls them Specialty and Personalized Plates. That sounds less vain. 

From what I can tell, there are about 30 basic options for specialty license plates in the state of Iowa, ranging from the Black Out Design, to Breast Cancer Awareness, to Ducks Unlimited. If you are affiliated with the military, you may want to choose from another 24 military service plates. And if you are a proud alumni, you can select from 31 Iowa college and university options. If those 85 are not specialized enough for you, feel free to file for an assortment of numbers and letters that may tickle your fancy. Some of you remember when we had one option. 

How much do these plates cost? According to the Iowa DOT, the plate fees range from $25 to $60 with annual registration fees.

What can you put on a personalized license plate? Well, it may consist of up to seven characters and numbers and must have at least two characters.

Maybe more importantly, what can’t you put on a personalized license plate? No punctuation marks. No denoting a government agency. No display of characters that are sexual in connotation. No characters suggesting profane, obscene or inflammatory words or phrases, or those contrary to public policy. No characters or words defined in dictionaries as a term of vulgarity, contempt, prejudice, hostility, insult, or racial or ethnic degradation. No characters considered to be offensive. No characters that conflict with the regular license numbering system. No swear words. No references to illegal substances or criminal acts. No foreign words falling in any of these categories. And you cannot use all numbers.

Whew. That’s a lot to consider, and that’s probably why I have never ordered one of these plates. It’s not about vanity, really. If we are being honest, we are all vain, at least to some degree. These license plates are more like a tattoo for our vehicles, only not permanent. I can’t think of anything I am willing to pay for to have inked on my skin or my vehicle, and I certainly don’t want to draw more attention to my driving. Call me boring. Call me cheap. Just don’t call in my license plate number. I prefer to keep some things private. 

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading. 

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707