Monday, February 21, 2022, Delray Beach, Florida


Notes From My Journal

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So, You Haven’t Been to Rancho Santana Yet?

Here’s What You Are Missing…

I’ve spent most of my career in what I think of as “the idea business” – writing and publishing books, newsletters, and now blogs and podcasts on such far ranging subjects as investing, natural health, entrepreneurship, marketing, literature, and history.

But on the side, I’ve done other things, including all sorts of real estate projects. I’ve been a partner and/or investor in single-family houses, apartments, hotels and motels, housing developments in the US and abroad, warehouses, and other commercial properties.

But there is one project I take special pride in: Rancho Santana.

Rancho Santana began nearly 25 years ago. At that time, we were (still are) publishing a monthly newsletter called International Living (IL). It provided information and advice on living and retiring overseas, and had a substantial (1 million+) readership.

Every year, IL would publish a series of “Best” awards. There were several categories, including “Best Value.” And year after year, Nicaragua (of all places) was at or near the top of the list because of its natural beauty, friendly population, and dirt-cheap property values.

So, one day (for reasons I’ll explain some other time), the principals of the business impulsively decided that it would be a great idea to buy some property near a beach in Nicaragua and sell off lots to our subscribers.

Despite publishing IL for many years, we knew only a bit about developing property overseas, and even less about Nicaragua. But we were young and foolish and our ignorance wasn’t going to stop us. To make a long and sometimes insane story short, we plowed through the obstacles and somehow made it happen.

Today, Rancho Santana is an award-winning, five-star luxury resort and residential community tucked into nearly 3,000 acres of rolling hills touching down on five beautiful beaches. We have three excellent restaurants, an art gallery, a game room, a cigar room, and miles of hiking, bike riding, and horseback riding trails. There is also an amazing spa, a yoga platform overlooking the ocean, and much more.

Here are some of the recent awards we’ve won:

* The Best Family Hotel for 2021 – Kiwi Collection’s 2021 Hotel Awards

* Top Resort Hotels of the World 2021 –  Travel + Leisure’s 500

* Top 10 Resorts in Central America 2020 – Travel + Leisure

* Top 5 Resorts in Central America 2020 –  Condé Nast Traveler

* Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2019 – The World’s Best Hotels and Resorts for Families

If you’d like to consider a visit, check out Rancho Santana’s website here.

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News & Views

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China and the Digital Yen
Last  June , I talked about why I believe the US is eventually going to have a digital dollar. And on Feb. 3, I noted that the Fed had taken the first step. But as I had said in the July 2 issue,  China is way ahead of us.

In a recent edition of Investment News, Stephen Leeb had this to say about the way it is playing out:

“China will be launching its own blockchain digital currency de facto backed by gold – referred to as the digital yuan. Cryptocurrency is not a big market in China and their political leaders don’t want it to be, says Dr. Stephen Lee. ‘The digital yuan will be widely adopted within China and Bitcoin is a threat to their own digital currency.’”

And this from Bloomberg:

“China is competing for more than just medals at the Winter Olympics in Beijing this month. It’s also quietly trying to define the future of money. Although attendees can pay vendors for food and souvenirs with a Visa or cash, they also have the option of holding up a phone, scanning a barcode, and paying with the ‘e-CNY,’ or electronic yuan, one of the only so-called central bank digital currencies offered by a major economy.”

 

Crimes You Can Now Commit in NYC

I had high hopes that Eric Adams, a former “tough on crime” police chief, might improve things in NYC when he was elected mayor in November. But as I said in the Jan. 19 issue,  he then  did several things that concerned me, including appointing Brendan McGuire as attorney general. And now he’s announced that he’s backing Alvin Bragg, the city’s newly elected “progressive” district attorney.

Like McGuire, Bragg is one of the new breed of lawyers committed to changing the law by refusing to prosecute certain crimes. And since stepping into his office, he has made quick work of changing the way criminals are treated.

Starting soon (if it hasn’t already started), here are some things you will be able to do in NYC without fear of prosecution: Trespassing, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration, engaging in prostitution, stealing from a retail store, or stealing from a private residence, so long as you restrict your stealing to the garage, basement, or attic. Also, committing  first-degree robbery with a gun, so long as you don’t shoot anyone with in.

You can also commit any of the following crimes without having to worry about spending a night in jail, because you’ll be bailed out for free:  carjacking,, witness tampering, domestic violence, arson, bribery, kidnapping, larceny, child sex, criminal possession of a firearm, child endangerment, and elder abuse.

When the DA won’t prosecute certain crimes, the police have no incentive to arrest people for committing them. So, crime goes up, as it has in Chicago, San Francisco, Baltimore, Los Angeles, and so many other cities.

And watch out for this: Although crimes will be rising New York, arrests for all of the above will start heading down because cops will feel it’s not worth it to take the risk. And when arrests for those crimes go down in raw numbers, the rogue prosecutors brag, in circular reasoning, that the “data” proves their approach works!

 

Remembering P.J. O’Rourke 

P.J. O’Rourke died last week. I read several good eulogies about him. But I thought that this one, sent by JS, was particularly enjoyable. Click here to read it.

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Notes From My Journal

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What I Believe: About Civilization

As Steven Pinker proved convincingly in Enlightenment Now, the world has been getting more civilized almost non-stop for hundreds of years. And that means, in terms of population percentages, greater wealth, higher education, better health, longer lifespans, less poverty, less crime, and less danger generally.

All of that is ostensibly good. But there is a side to it that is rarely talked about: When life becomes easier and safer, people become less tenacious because they fear less and expect more. In other words, in making the world a better place to live, civilization makes the world’s denizens weaker.

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Fun and/or Interesting

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Interesting; Obesity by Country 

In the Feb. 7 issue, I referred you to a video about obesity. Following are some facts about obesity that I’ve found since then. Not necessarily surprising, but nonetheless edifying:

* About 30% of the populations of the US, Canada, Australia, and Great Britain are obese.

* The populations of Germany, Belgium, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands are less fat, with 20% of the population measuring as obese.

* In Japan, obesity is rare. Less than 4% of the population is obese.

 

Math Challenge: Check This Out 

A fun look at a fascinating but complex math concept – using information theory to solve Wordle. (Watch, via YouTube.)

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Recommended Places

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Monaco City, Monaco 
Monaco, a tiny city-state on the French Riviera, is best known for yachts, billionaires, glamorous casinos, and the Grand Prix. But it’s also a treasure trove of history, archeology, culture, and art.

What I like about it:

* The winding cobblestone streets lined with old stone buildings and gardens.

* The history. Its fortress-like location has been inhabited since the Paleolithic, and it was an important port for ancient Greece.

* The Rampe de la Major – a scenic route that brings you to the Gateway to the Rock, an imposing 15th-century entrance just steps from the palace.

What I don’t  like so much:

Monaco is small (smaller than Central Park). So, there is a limit to what you can do there. I’ve been there twice and enjoyed it both times. But since I’m not a Grand Prix fan, I have no burning desire to go back.

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Arts & Letters

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Le Violin, the photograph above, which was taken by Man Ray of his muse Kiki de Montparnasse in 1924, is expected to fetch between $5 million and $7 million at auction next month. If it sells in that range, it will be the most expensive photograph ever sold.

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A Word to the Wise

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* A word I just recently came upon for the first time: comminatory 

Comminatory means threatening, punitive, or vengeful. Example from The Arrow of Gold by Joseph Conrad: “I suspected something comminatory in his yellow, emaciated countenance, but I believe now he was simply startled by my youth.”

* A word that is not synonymous with whoopee: woopie 

An acronym for Well-Off Older Person. Woopie is used informally to refer to affluent retirees that pursue an active lifestyle. Example from Black in the Saddle Again by Arthur Black: “Woopies don’t want their oldness rubbed in their face.”

* A word I knew but forgot: skycap 

A porter at an airport. Coined in the 1940s when air travel started to become popular, “skycap” was modeled on “redcap,” a nickname for the baggage carriers at railroad stations that wore red caps.

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Readers Write

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Re my comments about identity theory in the Feb. 11 issue:

“Mark, I recently read a fascinating book that addresses the question of gender fluidity and trans people – as well as several other woke issues – called The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray.  It’s quite good.” – AG

From LinkedIn:

“First & foremost I need to thank you because you’ve had a profound impact on my life and career. I became a copywriter because if your writing in Early to Rise. Your articles & books have shaped a lot of my thinking about my own businesses.

“For example, you once wrote about taking a one-step-over approach to creating new products or businesses. That concept applied to networking conferences & business ecosystems allowed me to… create a network of 8-10 annual & semi-annual events….

“There are dozens of your ideas I can name with similar impact. So, thank you. You’ve been a profoundly positive influence in my life and my family and I owe you a deep debt of gratitude.”

 

Re my Feb. 11 review of the Clive Davis documentary:

“I liked your piece on Clive Davis. I worked at Arista back in the 80s [and] I met him a few times. Also met Whitney Houston and many others whose records I was flogging. Had a fantastic time, loved it. Arista went from around $25-30M in sales to over $100M in a couple of years on Whitney’s massive success…. Lots of fun, great memories. Feels like another entire lifetime now.” – TS

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