Dennis Siciliano-2009 Plymouth Idol

Dennis Michael Siciliano was born on May 17, in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in the Winter Hill area of Somerville. Dennis took an early interest in music, on a dare and at the age of thirteen, he sang his first song, “Locomotive Breath” by Jethro Tull, and was hooked. From there, Dennis was in a number of small bands that performed at parties and school dances.

Verbal Branding: A New Application for Selling and Unified Brand Performance By Stephen Melanson

Marketing to gain new customers is hard enough without competition on nearly every block. Unfortunately, this is typically the circumstance for bankers across Massachusetts. What’s needed in such a competitive environment is the correct branding strategy for differentiation and day-to-day application. No matter how similar banks might seem to the public, each institution has the opportunity to create their own brand that’s practical, powerful, and theirs alone. Verbal branding is redefining the foundation of brands for improved performance. Not only does verbal branding create better differentiation in the marketplace, but it can also immediately improve sales revenue, unify sales and marketing efforts, drive brand density through all communications, and improve internal cultural confidence. Without verbal branding, an organization’s branding strategy is often incomplete. Traditional branding strategies rarely account for spoken dynamics and therefore lose communications density and a front line, brand-oriented selling strategy.

Time for Treats! "Keep your drive alive by giving yourself something pleasurable both before and after workouts. "When you layer rewards around a challenging task, you start to associate enjoyment with that task," says Lois Barth, a well-being coach in New York City. Creating what we at SELF call a "reward sandwich" will help you stay inspired and on track. Check out our spoil-you suggestions; they'll make you want to exercise right now.

Comedienne helps women laugh

There was a lot of laughter at the Purdue North Central Women's Association spring luncheon at PNC on Saturday. East coast comedienne Mary Ellen Rinaldi entertained the audience of nearly 100 with her musings about marriage, parenting, shopping and aging.

"I recently celebrated a 40th birthday," said Rinaldi, with a pronounced Boston accent.... "It was 10 years ago!" "What happened?" Rinaldi asked. "I woke up yesterday and I was 21," she said.

GREENWICH, Connecticut (CNN) -- I saw President Obama laugh last week on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." I saw the president giggle on "60 Minutes."

"You're sitting here. And you are laughing," Steve Kroft said in his interview with the president. "You are laughing about some of these problems. Are people gonna look at this and say, 'I mean, he's sitting there just making jokes about money.' How do you deal with, I mean, explain the ... mood and your laughter," Kroft asked.

Hi, everyone, I'm Lois Barth and I'm honored to be the expert behind the Soul Goals for this year's SELF Challenge. This month, we encourage you to create an Inspiration Board--an idea that speaks to what I know to be true: The imagination is far more effective than willpower alone. As you get started achieving your physical goals with the Challenge, it's important to also think about what is possible for you? As you dream on the page while creating an Inspiration Board, you can reconnect with your vision.

Crowds were wowed by the nationally renowned group Beatlemania Live last Friday night at the JunglePlex. The event was the first of many planned by Loretta LaRoche Productions in collaboration with The Project WOW!, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide a conduit to enrich the region’s culture and serve as a resource to support the arts and entertainment through programs and education.