Brian O'Connell

You've got front row seats and a backstage pass to the best new comedy show in town.When you look at the all-time great communicators, they all used comedy to some extent. With over two billion followers, it is not a stretch to imagine Jesus using stand-up comedy as a way to share his message with his platform.We're not making fun of the Bible. We're finding humor in the Bible.You're invited as Jesus Christ takes the stage

The Personals reveals how classified ads are not just a few commercial lines of text in print or online – they can be a treasure trove of fascinating human stories; stories of love, loss, loneliness, redemption and hope. Some people do Sudoku, others watch Netflix. Brian O’Connell loves the classified ads. In an era of spin doctors and press releases, celebrities and social influencers, the classified ads can open a door into the lives of ordinary people with extraordinary stories. What draws Brian to the classified ads are the intriguing human stories he finds there, the unexpected twists and turns, the personalities, the curious objects and the range of human experience waiting to be discovered. The Personals is a diverse collection of compelling stories about the people and the lives behind the small ads.

Some life-altering moments happen in a flash, an impulse decision. Others are presented to us by the universe, fate, or God. Late at night on a winding road near Hinckley, Ohio, PJ O'Connell made a decision that would impact his friends for years to come, and change the lives of his mother, sister, and father forever. Turning grief and rage into acceptance and understanding is never easy. Unlike "widow" or "orphan," there are no words for a parent who has lost a child, and entrance to this terrible club is something no one requests. But life and death moments do not discriminate. "This is the story of how my son helped me become a better man."

The time has passed when learning was identified purely as a process involving the ability to store and recall knowledge and facts, and the competence to produce them when required. These abilities still seriously concern the potential teacher and this book duly examines them, but the ‘whys’ and the ‘hows’ of learning and teaching are now considered as important as the implanting of facts for regurgitation at exam time.Some children learn more quickly than others, some can remember facts more easily, and a teacher must ask several fundamental questions in order to understand the factors at work in this learning process. Where is knowledge stored? Why do we remember some facts and forget others? When are we learning new facts and when are we remembering and adapting knowledge to see it in a new light? To help answer these and many other questions a number of learning situations, typical in most schools, are examined, the processes at work in the classrooms are examined and then they are both related to different theories of learning.The examination of a series of learning processes should not necessarily involve a choice between them, and a feature of this volume is its lack of partiality towards any particular teaching method, although the teacher and student will draw their own conclusions.

The time has passed when learning was identified purely as a process involving the ability to store and recall knowledge and facts, and the competence to produce them when required. These abilities still seriously concern the potential teacher and this book duly examines them, but the ‘whys’ and the ‘hows’ of learning and teaching are now considered as important as the implanting of facts for regurgitation at exam time.Some children learn more quickly than others, some can remember facts more easily, and a teacher must ask several fundamental questions in order to understand the factors at work in this learning process. Where is knowledge stored? Why do we remember some facts and forget others? When are we learning new facts and when are we remembering and adapting knowledge to see it in a new light? To help answer these and many other questions a number of learning situations, typical in most schools, are examined, the processes at work in the classrooms are examined and then they are both related to different theories of learning.The examination of a series of learning processes should not necessarily involve a choice between them, and a feature of this volume is its lack of partiality towards any particular teaching method, although the teacher and student will draw their own conclusions.

Praise for CNBC CREATING WEALTH The rapidly growing influence of the individual investor and the stunning evolution of technology are two of the most remarkable developments in the history of the financial world. In CNBC Creating Wealth, we help you take advantage of these fundamental changes to Wall Street and take charge of your own investing. "Learning how the market works requires some discipline and homework on everyone’s part. This book is an indispensable guide that explains how to profit by choosing the right investments and avoiding the riskier ones." –Terry Savage author of The Savage Truth on Money "CNBC Creating Wealth is an excellent resource for investors of all ages–with or without market experience." –Bambi Holzer Senior Vice President—Investments and Retirement Plan Consultant with PaineWebber From the Foreword "Successful investors understand what makes stock prices go up and down. That’s where information comes in. . . . This book is designed to figure out what is important so you can separate useful information from useless noise." –Bill Griffeth CNBC Anchor and host of Power Lunch

This career guide lays a blueprint for career success in the often frustrating corporate workplace climate. It seeks to show readers how to leverage the corporate infrastructure and culture to their advantage and presents strategies for surviving in the workforce to be successful. Topics include the value of a mentor (and what to do if he/she is fired), the advantages of studying your company and its history, and the downside of lying, scheming and backstabbing to keep your job. The author also identifies seven types of "corporate survivors" who have mastered corporate culture, so that readers can discover which model best suits their own personalities.

Making money on Wall Street isn’t as difficult as it once was. The rapidly growing influence of the individual investor and the stunning evolution of technology are two of the most remarkable developments in the history of the financial world. In CNBC Creating Wealth, we help you take advantage of these fundamental changes to Wall Street and take charge of your own investing. "Learning how the market works requires some discipline and homework on everyone’s part. This book is an indispensable guide that explains how to profit by choosing the right investments and avoiding the riskier ones." –Terry Savage author of The Savage Truth on Money "CNBC Creating Wealth is an excellent resource for investors of all ages–with or without market experience."–Bambi Holzer Senior Vice President—Investments and Retirement Plan Consultant with PaineWebber

"Global warming is the greatest problem of our time. Unfortunately, the debate is marred by prejudice, misinformation and bigotry. But here is an original and timely book that sets out exactly what are the real problems.... So if you really want to save the planet, read this book." Maggie Pagano, Assistant Editor, Financial News

Edward Gibbon said of the ancient Athenians, "when the freedom they wished for most was freedom from responsibility, then Athens ceased to be free."America is the longest-lived democracy in the history of the world, but there are signs that our own extraordinary system faces a similar peril. A vibrant civil society, characterized by active citizen participation, is essential to a strong democracy, argues Brian O'Connell, and in his new book he offers a citizen's guide to this concept of civil society -- what it is, how it functions, its limitations and potential, and most importantly, what individuals can do to nurture and support it. It is designed to provide practical understanding and foster action among community and national leaders, including mayors, civic leaders, school boards, public administrators, independent sector leaders, scholars, and teachers.Civil Society explores the idea and the reality of citizen participation, including government's essential responsibility to preserve the freedoms that allow and encourage it. It also traces the contemporary weakening of this tradition as a result of indifference, selfishness, loss of confidence in government, governmental limits on citizen participation, the influence of special interests on elected officials, separation between the haves and have nots, intolerance and incivility.Founding president of INDEPENDENT SECTOR and first chairman of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Brian O'Connell draws on his extensive practical experience of civil society to outline concrete actions that can improve the prospects of an enduring democracy, including:- increasing the role of education in preparing students for the rights and responsibilities of citizenship;- reorienting public administrators towards a greater receptivity of citizen involvement;- expanding research into and conducting regular evaluations of the state of civil society itself;- developing a concerted effort to share and apply what we already know about passing on to future generations the nation's traditions of service and generosity.In Civil Society, Brian O'Connell has created a practical handbook for elected officials, community leaders, and ordinary citizens who seek to nurture and expand this crucial dimension of a democratic society.

"If you, a regular Joe like me, are not a movie star or an overpaid professional baseball player or a lottery winner or a high-powered executive, what are your chances of becoming a millionaire? Better than you think--much better. And you don't have to strike oil to do it. The secret? It's not glamorous, but it is simple, and almost foolproof, because the math is in your favor. It's my story, and the story of others who are quietly amassing 401(k) fortunes--and the simple plan to make your story my story. " A surefire plan for financial independence--through bull and bear markets. Knute Iwaszko--by turns a chemist, a salesman, and an innkeeper--made a million dollars without robbing a bank, without an inheritance, and without a Silicon Valley startup. He made it in a reliable but thoroughly new-fashioned way: by maximizing the potential of his 401(k) plan--and now he's going to tell millions of people how they, too, can become millionaires. This book will thoroughly explain the ins and outs of how 401(k) plans work, including tax benefits, contribution requirements and limits, withdrawal limitations, and risk management--and then fully describes "Knute's Unbeatable, Unbreak-able Rules for Making It to a Million" a foolproof formula that gives readers a step-by-step regimen for maximizing the potential of their 401(k) plans. With simple, accessible language and clear, detailed steps for financial success, The 401(k) Millionaire is required reading for anyone who wants to make the most of his or her money. "If you follow my five simple rules for 401(k) investing, there's no doubt in my mind that you can end up a 401(k) millionaire, too. Allow me to demonstrate how it's done . . ." 401(k) millionaire Knute Iwaszko's practical, surefire plan for financial success includes such topics as: How I Became a 401(k) Millionaire The 401(k): Your Personal Money Machine The Perils of Procrastination Maxing Out: More Money for You--and Less for Uncle Sam Learning the Ropes: Your Inner Savvy Investor Be Aggressive: Your Retirement Depends on It Knute's Recipe for Success

A detailed account of how and why the diverse groups of INDEPENDENT SECTOR came together, what it has taken to keep them together, and what they have been able to achieve through collaboration.