It's well established now that the way you put a question often determines not only the answer you'll get, but the type of answer possible. So ... a mechanical answerer, geared to produce the ultimate revelations in reference to anything you want to know, might have unsuspected limitations.

Rube Goldberg's classic 'Foolish Questions' collection.

One of the early church reformers' cries was, 'Always reforming.' Dr. Louis Hill's Seven Foolish Questions: An Exhortation to Today's Church as Taught from the Book of Malachi heeds that cry in dissecting—short of exegesis—the book of Malachi and finding out what it has to say to today's generation. This is a call to the believer and non-believer. Dr. Louis Hill makes the book of Malachi as relevant today as it was in the day it was written. The author analyzes the foolish questions that the post-exilic Hebrews raised and applies them to the current post-modern evangelical church situation. With great insight, Dr. Hill exposes some of the problems of the American evangelical church movement. He gives an urgent call for our need of reformation today. This study of the Book of Malachi is both challenging and refreshing. Dr. Hill's appeal is for us to repent of our foolish ways and return to biblical doctrine that produces biblical behavior. Dr. Hill's message is desperately needed today. I highly recommend it. Dr. Rick Fite, Pastor Grace Presbyterian Church Colorado Springs, CO

Whatever life throws at you, learn to deal with it in a healthier and more rational way. When it comes to destructive emotions and unhelpful behaviours, you are your own worst enemy. Rather than people or situations driving you to depression, distraction or doughnuts, all too often it’s your own unhealthy beliefs and thought habits that hold you back and f**k everything up. But, what can you do about it? Highly Experienced REBT (Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy) psychotherapist Daniel Fryer can stop these thoughts from messing up your life using a simple but effective model. In The Four Thoughts that F**k You Up ... And How to Fix Them he reveals the four unhealthy beliefs that hold you back (Dogmatic Demands, Dramas, I Can’t Copes and Pejorative Put-Downs) and shows you how to replace them with four healthy beliefs (Flexible Preferences, Perspectives, I Can Copes and Unconditional Acceptance) – in as little as six weeks. Yes, you read that right: Just six weeks to a new you. Developed in the mid-fifties by psychotherapist Albert Ellis, REBT is known as the first form of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). Not only is it an effective therapy, but it’s also an excellent philosophy for every day life. With this model, Daniel will help you identify a specific personal challenge and then reframe how you react to it, leading to a calmer, happier you. This approach is especially helpful if you struggle with stress, anxiety, depression, anger or self-doubt, or if you want to improve your relationships with family, colleagues and peers or, simply, yourself. When you free your mind from the thoughts that f**k you up, you’ll never look at anything the same way again. Want to get started?

Negotiate and communicate to get what you want—no matter who’s on the other side of the table! Four great books show you how to negotiate, persuade, influence…get what you want! In How to Get What You Want…Without Having to Ask, best-selling author Richard Templar brings his inimitable blend of originality, imagination, wisdom, and straight talk to the challenges of getting people to say “yes” to you! Templar offers up to 100 clever, simple, pain-free techniques for becoming the kind of person people want to support…helping people say yes…saying just the right thing if you do need to ask! Next, in How to Argue, leading lawyer Jonathan Herring reveals the secrets and subtleties of making your case and winning hearts and minds. Herring covers everything from making your point more crisply to keeping your cool in heated situations. In The Truth About Negotiations, Leigh L. Thompson teaches 53 proven negotiation principles and bite-size, easy-to-use techniques that work. You’ll learn how to prepare within one hour…negotiate with friends, colleagues, and spouses…master the win-win litmus test…become a truly world-class negotiator. Finally, in The Art of Asking: Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers, Terry J. Fadem reveals the core questions that every manager needs to master...shows how to avoid the mistakes business questioners make most often...identifies ten simple rules for asking every question more effectively. You’ll learn how to ask tough questions and take control of tough situations... use questions to promote innovation, drive change, identify hidden problems, and get failing projects back on track! From world-renowned leaders in business negotiation and communication, including Richard Templar, Jonathan Herring, Leigh L. Thompson, and Terry J. Fadem

Ask the Right Questions in the Right Ways...And Get the Answers You Need to Succeed! Discover the core questions that every manager needs to master...how to avoid the mistakes business questioners make most often...ten simple rules for asking every question more effectively. Learn how to ask tough questions and take control of tough situations...use questions to promote innovation, drive change, identify hidden problems, and get failing projects back on track. Ask better questions, get better answers, achieve better results! “Required reading for every leader who wishes to see his or herorganization flourish and career progress.” Garry A. Neil, MD, Corporate Vice President, Johnson & Johnson “Asking, listening, understanding the real meaning of the answers, and taking actions based on facts are really the essence of managing. This book has helped me in connecting the dots in my understanding (and lack thereof) of why things really did not work the way I expected them to.” Pradip Banerjee, PhD, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Xybion; retired partner, Accenture “The framework and techniques provide outstanding ideas for executives to both gain better information and develop the analytical skills of their teams.” Terry Hisey, Vice Chairman and US Life Sciences Leader, Deloitte We’ve all met the corporate inquisitor: the individual whose questions seem primarily intended to terrify the victim. The right goal is to solve the problem--and to build a more effective, collaborative organization where everyone learns from experience, and nobody’s too intimidated to tell the truth. That means asking the right questions in the right ways. This book will teach you how to do precisely that. Terry J. Fadem shows how to choose the right questions and avoid questions that guarantee obvious, useless answers...how to help people give you the information you need...how to use body language to ask questions more effectively...how to ask the innovative or neglected questions that uncover real issues and solutions. You’ll learn how to adopt the attributes of a good questioner...set a goal for every question...use your personal style more effectively...ask tough questions, elicit dissent, react to surprises, overcome evasions, and more. Becoming a better questioner may be the most powerful thing you can do right now to improve your managerial effectiveness--and this book gives you all the insights, tools, and techniques you’ll need to get there. Evaluate your current “questioning” skills... ...then systematically improve them Choose better questions... ...and ask them the right way Ask tough questions more effectively Get at the truth, uncover the real problem, and solve it Master the crucial nonverbal aspects of asking questions Finding your best style and the right body language

A childhood idyll derived from the author's own experience.