Lifestyle

Douglas Eugene Noll – A walk through his publications and their achievements made so far

Published

3 years ago

February 7, 2023

Every author has a different story, but they have one thing in common – they all overcome great obstacles and hardships. Plenty of famous writers had impairments yet found enormous success in their lives. It goes without saying that the best art comes out of the worst adversities. When physical and mental activity is hindered by sickness, creative activity thrives. Many renowned authors, writers, and poets bear witness to this decision. One such example is Doulas Eugene Noll. The author of De-Escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less was born with multiple severe impairments.

His calling is to serve humankind, and he does so on numerous levels. He is a best-selling author, educator, and trainer. He is an accomplished mediator. Noll’s job takes him from international work to assisting people in resolving highly vexing interpersonal and ideological problems.

Noll has penned four books, and his latest book De-Escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less, was a best-seller on amazon and was published in four different languages. It also won the Book Excellence Award in 2017. The book teaches the readers how to calm an angry or upset person of any age while remaining centered and calm. In addition, Noll, in his book, has also highlighted ways to calm oneself down swiftly and efficiently. Noll is a lawyer turned peacemaker born near-blind and with club feet. He is the creator of several online courses that teach his innovative de-escalation skills.

It was in the year 2000 that he realized that the courtroom was not where he belonged. As a result, he embarked on a journey as a peacemaker and mediator after leaving a successful trial practice. Noll has stressed in his book what he has implemented in real life. He has taught in some of California’s most violent men’s and women’s prisons with substantial outcomes. Noll held workshops for groups who wished to bring something positive into their communities.

He named that workshop after his book as De-escalation training workshops, where participants learned how to calm an angry person in 90 seconds or less. The training workshop was a perfect way for churches and faith communities to express one’s religious and spiritual beliefs in a practice that brings peace under challenging situations. Throughout ten weeks, the participants begin to master the skills and change their way of looking at the world through the lens of positivity.

In addition to De-Escalate, Noll has published three other books named Peacemaking: practicing at the intersection of law and human conflict, Sex, politics, & religion at the office: the new competitive advantage, and Elusive peace: how modern diplomatic strategies could better resolve world conflicts. Each book brought an impact of its own and earned recognition.

His journey as a lawyer

In 1977, Noll began his legal career as a clerk for the Honorable George Hopper before being admitted to the California Bar in December of the same year. As an associate, he joined Fullerton, Lang, Richert & Patch, a Fresno law firm located in Fullerton, in 1978. He tried his first legal case in 1978 and went on to practice law as a civil trial lawyer for the next 22 years, working on over 75 trials.

Douglas Noll contributed to the legal profession by assisting students in achieving success via education and teaching. Throughout his career, he worked as an instructor in various positions at numerous institutes. Noll was a member of the American Institute of Mediation’s core faculty and the Straus Institute’s Professional Skills Development program’s summer faculty.

In a nutshell, Noll’s entire life has seen him reinvent himself taking different routes but with the same vision in mind: To bring peace to the communities. He illustrates that being born with impairments is not our choice, but not allowing them on the way to the top is entirely our choice.

His dedication to disclosing the world through a lens of positivity led him to create Prison in Peace, where he transforms murderers into peacemakers. He stresses that the power of mediation cannot be overlooked. Noll is now an award-winning author, teacher, trainer, and skilled mediator.

Lifestyle

Confronting Propaganda: Street Smart Documents Honest Reactions to Gaza Indoctrination Footage

Published

9 hours ago

November 6, 2025

Michelle Langton

Photo Courtesy of: Street Smart

Byline: Michelle Langton

In a recent project, the Street Smart team gathered 20 strangers and presented them with propaganda footage from Gaza that has circulated widely online but remains largely unfamiliar to many audiences. The aim wasn’t to provoke outrage or test media literacy in a classroom setting. It was to capture raw, unfiltered emotional reactions to material that reveals how narratives are formed at the source. The resulting video offers a candid look at how people process shocking content and how their perceptions shift when they see what is rarely shown on mainstream platforms.

The Structure of the Experiment

The format was simple. Participants were seated and shown a series of clips from Gaza, including children’s programming and broadcasts containing intense ideological messaging. No background information was provided, and viewers were not instructed on how to interpret what they were seeing. After watching, they were asked for immediate reactions.

The footage elicited a wide range of emotions. Some viewers were stunned by the content, admitting they had never seen anything like it before. Others expressed disbelief, questioning why this kind of material isn’t more widely discussed. A few were visibly shaken, saying the experience fundamentally altered their understanding of the situation.

By presenting the footage without narration or added commentary, Street Smart allowed participants’ genuine responses to emerge. The experiment revealed how propaganda can affect an entire generation. It can shock, unsettle, and force people to reconsider their assumptions.

Why This Project Matters

Sage Fox and Dorani aligned the purpose of this experiment with Street Smart’s broader mission of challenging prevailing narratives and encouraging critical thought among younger audiences. In an environment where footage spreads rapidly across digital platforms, propaganda can shape public opinion long before context catches up.

By showing the Gaza Indoctrination footage in a controlled setting and recording uncoached responses, the team aimed to expose the emotional and cognitive impact of this type of content.

“The first reaction is often the most revealing, because it shows how powerful images can be without context.”

The Range of Reactions

While each participant brought their own perspective, several themes emerged. Some expressed sympathy with the imagery itself, saying it was emotionally powerful.

One participant said, “It makes me question what I see online every day. How much of it is shaped this way?”

Their comments highlight how propaganda resonates differently depending on prior knowledge and exposure. Many viewers have simply never encountered such footage directly.

Street Smart’s Approach

This project continues a pattern established by Sage Fox & Dorani’s earlier videos. Rather than relying on experts or lengthy analysis, Street Smart focuses on real people and their honest reactions. The approach is simple but effective. Present potent material, listen to what people say, and share those moments with a wider audience.

The Gaza Indoctrination footage experiment fits this model. It doesn’t attempt to draw final conclusions or offer political commentary. Instead, it documents how people respond when they’re exposed to narratives that are usually filtered through intermediaries.

Implications for Media Literacy

Beyond its viral potential, the video raises broader questions about how people interact with powerful imagery online. Propaganda operates on emotional reflexes. As this experiment shows, those reflexes are often unexamined until they’re brought to the surface.

Sage Fox & Dorani hope that projects like this push audiences to think more critically about what they see and share.

“The purpose is not to tell people what to believe. It is to remind them that every image comes from somewhere, and that source matters,” they said.

Next Steps for Street Smart

As Street Smart’s platform grows, Sage Fox & Dorani plan to conduct similar experiments in different contexts. They intend to use their direct, street-level approach to highlight how people react when presented with challenging material.

The Gaza footage project is one piece of a larger mission. The team uses simple methods to shed light on complex issues. By focusing on authentic reactions, they continue to build a unique space in online media that blends cultural investigation with raw human response.

A Window into Unfiltered Thought

“We showed 20 strangers real propaganda footage from Gaza — and filmed their unfiltered reactions” is not a dramatic exposé or academic study. It is a clear, unmediated record of how individuals respond when confronted with material designed to persuade. In that restraint lies its strength.

By documenting these moments, Street Smart shows how awareness can begin with a pause. A brief space between seeing and believing.