Notes From My Journal
560 articles filed under Notes From My Journal.
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Notes From My Journal
Acting Matters More Than Directors Do
“Bad actors try to cry, and good actors try not to. Bad actors try to laugh, and good actors try not to.” – Martin Landau It’s Not All About the Director The same is true with making movies. Contrary to what…
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Notes From My Journal
My First Real Boss
My first boss was my mother. She had me working at 6 or 7 years old. But I’m sure I’ll be talking about her in more depth another time. My first real boss? I’m not sure. I got a job at the Rockville Centre Car…
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Notes From My Journal
Modern News Headlines Blur Opinion And Fact
Some say that old-fashioned, objective journalism no longer exists – that major media have abandoned their longstanding commitment to restricting their social, political, and personal views to the editorial…
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Notes From My Journal
The Migrants Are Coming! The Migrants Are Coming!
While watching the inauguration, my brother-in-law said, “Biden wasn’t even in office yet and the Trumpsters were already starting their conspiracy theories about Latino caravans marching towards our southern…
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Notes From My Journal
Everything Isn’t Always About You, Betsy!
January 17, 1983 Dear Betsy; You are sensitive to your own feelings; you indulge yourself in feelings which are always and exhaustingly about your reactions to people and events. You haven’t the faintest idea…
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Notes From My Journal
So… You’re Thinking About a Family Reunion?
“The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works, is the family.” – Lee Iacocca So… You’re Thinking About a Family Reunion? Pre-COVID – for more than 30 years, every other year –…
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Notes From My Journal
Old Men Having Fun
I’ve mentioned my Myrtle Beach Golf Club before. Once a small group of friends, mostly high school buddies, we spend a fun week every year in Myrtle Beach golfing. And our connection continues all year long…
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Notes From My Journal
Why Listicles Lost Their Marketing Power
My longtime friend and colleague Bob Bly wrote a note about the use of listicles (numbered lists) in marketing copy and editorial content. He points out that they can work quite well, for 3 reasons: They are…
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Notes From My Journal
Global Leaders Condemn Big Tech's Trump Ban Decision
Some surprising people have come to Trump’s support after he was banned from Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat, Reddit, and Instagram. * German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Twitter’s ban on Trump…
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Notes From My Journal
Learning from a barefoot movement…
You think you’ve got it all figured out, then you happen upon someone else, halfway across the world, that is one step ahead of you. After watching this TED Talk, I set up a meeting with Bismarck and Michael…
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Notes From My Journal
Why Modern Political Cartoons Lost Their Humor
“Laughter is the closest distance between two people.” – Victor Borge Have You Noticed? Politically Correct Is Not Funny! I’ve been bemoaning the fact that sometime since I stopped subscribing to The New…
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Notes From My Journal
Crazy!
I thought it might be a joke when I first read about it this weekend. We fact-checked it yesterday. It’s not. Happy Tuesday! Today, I wanted to share some very good thoughts on smart investing with you. But…
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Notes From My Journal
Conservative Investing Strategy For Uncertain 2021 Markets
I don’t know Andrey Dashkov, but I know the man he works for: Doug Casey. And when it comes to the larger view, I trust Doug. He’s not just a serious student of investing, he’s a brilliant thinker with a…
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Notes From My Journal
Remembering KH
Tough day yesterday. I want to the funeral of a friend, a young man with a wife and four children. I met him 20 years ago on the mats. We were doing light contact fighting. He landed a light jab squarely on my…
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Notes From My Journal
Oh, boy. The Democrats have done it!
They’ve gained control of the executive office and both houses of Congress. This should be an interesting ride. Will they re-regulate the economy, end fracking, and criminalize gender-specific pronouns? Will…
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Notes From My Journal
I’m doing a final revision of my fourth book of poetry…
I’m doing a final revision of my fourth book of poetry… I’m doing a final revision of my fourth book of poetry. It’s called Now and Then: New and Improved Poems. I am happy with the title. Is it snarky? I’m…
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Notes From My Journal
Building A Tiki Hut At Paradise Palms
The Tiki hut went up today at Paradise Palms. It’s going to serve as a rest area and wet bar for visitors to our gardens when we open later this year. Structures like these have been built by the Seminole…
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Notes From My Journal
Happy New Year!
Here are ten of my favorite New Year quotations that might inspire you: I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” Thomas Jefferson “Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page…
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Notes From My Journal
Ten Timeless Holiday Movies From Hollywood's Golden Age
I meant to recommend a new holiday-themed movie for you this week – but when I looked at what has come out this year, I couldn’t find anything promising. And so, I made a list of my 10 all-time favorites… and…
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Notes From My Journal
Christmas Eve
It’s been our tradition to have an extended family holiday dinner on Christmas Eve at a local fish restaurant. This year, because of COVID, we’re having it at home. To make it special, though, K hired a…
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Notes From My Journal
Letting Go Of Two International Publishing Ventures
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu Another Year of Letting Go 2020 was – for me – a year of letting go. Some things happily. Some not. Some voluntarily. Some not. Today, I’d like…
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Notes From My Journal
Love!
K and I were awakened this morning by a ferocious assault by a small herd of galloping, thumping, tumbling, and shrieking creatures that, after my head cleared, I recognized as our grandchildren. Oh yes, and…
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Notes From My Journal
The Things That Make Life Meaningful
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” – Cicero Typically, we take our biggest blessings – our health, our freedom, our friendships, and the miracle of our very…
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Notes From My Journal
I’m on cloud nine today…
I’m on cloud nine today. As you know, I got the COVID bug about 5 months ago. Since then, I’ve tested negative for the virus twice and positive for antibodies twice. On our way to the Miami airport to fly to…
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Notes From My Journal
Suggestion…
If you enjoy film, fiction, and casual philosophical conversations, I have a suggestion for you and some of your like-minded friends. (This is something I did recently with The Mules, my book club.) First…
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Notes From My Journal
I can’t stop!
When I retired 10 years ago (for the fourth time), I promised myself (and swore to K) that I would desist from starting any new business ventures. I did my best. Since then, I’ve started only about 10 – one…
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Notes From My Journal
I’m Smiling!
For the past few weeks, our family’s charitable foundation in Nicaragua (run by Number Three Son Michael) has been focused almost exclusively on hurricane relief programs. Meanwhile, great progress has been…
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Notes From My Journal
Happy Tuesday!
I’m feeling good right now because I just finished a meeting about moving forward with Rancho Santana: Then and Now. This is a book project I’ve been working on for at least 10 years. The idea was to document…
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Notes From My Journal
Conceptual Art?
Hey there. Happy Monday. I have some thoughts for you today about the way I approach investing in stocks. But before we get to that, I want to show you something I came across in one of the online art…
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Notes From My Journal
A Century Of Global Economic Expansion And Retreat
Today is book and movie review day. And I’m happy to be recommending one of my favorites – a classic in noir film and fiction: The Maltese Falcon. But before we jump into that, I want to pass along a noir…
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Notes From My Journal
Refreshing Creative Wells Beyond Your Comfort Zone
On November 18, I talked about moments that I love. One of them is when my boys call me for advice. AF, one of my brilliant nieces, must have read that, because a few days later she called to “ask for my…
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Notes From My Journal
Returning To Paradise Palms After Time Away
Glad to be back home in Florida. On the way back from the airport I stopped at Paradise Palms & Sculpture Gardens (or the Swamp House, as K once dubbed it) to see how things were doing. I was happy to see that…
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Notes From My Journal
Three Personal Secrets From My Journal
“Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets.” – Arthur Miller 20 Things You Don’t Know About Me (That I May Regret Telling You) I’m not going to tell you all 20 today. I don’t have time and…
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Notes From My Journal
The Aftermath of Hurricane Iota in Limon Uno y Dos
Today, I was planning to show you some footage of a Sumo wrestler that I admire. But when I saw this photo of a man carrying a baby to safety in a tub on her head, I thought I’d make this issue a little photo…
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Notes From My Journal
Yesterday in Managua
I spent yesterday in Managua, visiting Harvest, Rancho Santana’s little gourmet bistro, which I’d never seen before, and also an exhibition of Nicaraguan contemporary art sponsored by The French Cultural…
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Notes From My Journal
Kudos for Our Restaurant!
Two years ago, one of the founding partners here at Rancho Santana pitched the rest of us on opening a gourmet bistro in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, to promote the Rancho Santana brand. Normally I…
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Notes From My Journal
Greetings from Rancho Santana!
I’m writing to you this morning from my little outdoor “writing studio” that sits next to our new pool, which is being filled with water. When it’s done, late this afternoon, I’m going to test it out. I’m…
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Notes From My Journal
The Real Story of Thanksgiving
Tomorrow we will have Thanksgiving dinner at the Club House restaurant, like we’ve been doing for many years. But this year, our children and their families won’t be with us, thanks to You-Know-What-19. Today…
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Notes From My Journal
The Moments I Love
“The most beautiful things are not associated with money; they are memories and moments. If you don’t celebrate those, they can pass you by.” – Alek Wek The Moments I Love Midnight at the Swamp House. Starless…
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Notes From My Journal
A Jolt of Pure Joy!
Look at this – a film of a snowball fight shot in 1897 in Lyon by the Lumière brothers… The Lumière brothers are considered to be pioneers in film. This one spans less than a minute, but it’s a tempest of…
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Notes From My Journal
A Reader Asks: Should I Invest in Bitcoin?
“Anything that is secret, clandestine, loaded with such a supercargo of speculation, misinformation, disinformation and, for that matter, accurate revelations, creates an appetite.” – Charles McCarry A Reader…
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Notes From My Journal
What Happens Next, Regardless Of Who Wins
“Politics is not predictions and politics is not observations. Politics is what we do.” – Paul Wellstone Thoughts on a Too-Close-to-Call Election I’ve never understood how, in a country the size of ours…
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Notes From My Journal
Ten Best Countries To Escape To Now
“We don’t create a fantasy world to escape reality. We create it to be able to stay.” – Lynda Barry Book Your Departure Now! 10 of the Best Places to Escape to Outside of the USA K says she’s leaving the…
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Notes From My Journal
Against All Odds: Denver to LA in a Vintage RV, Part III
“By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.” – Christopher Columbus Against All Odds: Denver to LA in a Vintage RV, Part III I woke up…
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Notes From My Journal
Against All Odds: Denver to LA in a Vintage RV, Part II
“When you go on a road trip, the trip itself is part of the story.” – Steve Rushin Against All Odds: Denver to LA in a Vintage RV, Part II 6:30: A clear and sunny morning. 29 degrees. Praise the Lord! It’s…
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Notes From My Journal
Against All Odds: Denver to LA in a Vintage RV
“An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton Against All Odds: Denver to LA in a Vintage RV The alarm wakes me at 6:30. I check my weather app. It’s 18 degrees – 8 degrees…
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Notes From My Journal
The Big Interrupter
“Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.” – Edgar Allan Poe It’s generally agreed that Trump was uncontrolled in his debate against Biden and that he interrupted Biden constantly…. That’s…
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Notes From My Journal
Baby Boomers' Legacy Of War And Economic Selfishness
“War does not determine who is right – only who is left.” – Bertrand Russell Baby Boomer Narcissism: It’s All About Us, and Our Game Is War On Zoom calls, my colleague Bill Bonner and I sometimes talk briefly…
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Notes From My Journal
6 Cuss Words I’m Trying to Include in My Conversations
“Do not say little in many words but a great deal in a few.” – Pythagoras 6 Cuss Words I’m Trying to Include in My Conversations I must be going through some sort of nostalgia phase. I’m watching old movies…
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Notes From My Journal
What Do You Know about COVID-19?
The US is known to have recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases at 7,241,000. Which country has the next highest? ___ China ___ India ___ Indonesia When talking about the virus, what does the “R number”…
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