February 2019
69 articles published this month.
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
A Great Myth of Direct Marketing Why You Should Not “Go Easy” on Your Customers
One of the most commonly debated topics in direct marketing is how much and how often one should market to a customer or potential customer. The most common answer is: Enough to make sales but not so much as…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Ancient Mayans Chewed Sapodilla Tree Sap
Chewing gum was “invented” by the Mayans over 300 years ago. They boiled the sap of the Sapodilla tree and chewed it.
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Worth Quoting
Mark Twain On Sharing Joy With Others
“Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy you must have somebody to divide it with.” – Mark Twain
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Worth Reading
Understanding Your Temperament Type For Better Relationships
In Personality Plus, Florence Littauer argues that there are four basic temperaments: Popular Sanguine Perfect Melancholy Powerful Choleric Peaceful Pragmatic She also argues that knowing your temperament and…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Off The Rails Wins Despite Director's Self-Doubt
Damian, the director of Off the Rails, a movie I co-wrote and produced about a time in my life, is winning the argument I had with him. The movie has a good plot, great music, and great cinematography, but I…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Principles of Wealth #26
The financial industry promotes the idea that life insurance is something every sensible person should have. In fact, life insurance makes sense only in certain circumstances. For many people, it is…
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A Word to the Wise
Obdurate (adjective)
Obdurate (adjective) – Obdurate (OB-doo-rit or OB-dyoo-rit) means stubborn, persistent; unmoved by persuasion, pity, or tender feelings. As used by Charles Dickens in Barnaby Rudge: “Mrs. Varden was obdurate…
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Fun and/or Interesting
African Gray Parrots Master Impressive Vocabularies
An African gray parrot can have a vocabulary of 200 words.
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Worth Watching
Explained” (Netflix)
“Explained” (Netflix): A series of short video essays on topics ranging from the world’s water crisis to the gender wage gap to cricket. These 20-minute documentaries are neither comprehensive nor entirely…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Gas Station Karaoke Lifts Spirits On Difficult Morning
It was an uphill kind of morning. Slept only five hours. Needed energy to face the day. The news, as usual, was down-lifting…and then I saw this…Gas Station Karaoke Jam Session...
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A Word to the Wise
William Congreve On Life's Uncertain Joys
“Would anything but a madman complain about uncertainty? Uncertainty and expectation are the joys of life. Security is an insipid thing.” – William Congreve
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Notes From My Journal
I Almost Forgot This Important Truth About Buying Land
Last week, after years of pondering the issue and several weeks of negotiation, we bought the ten-acre lot that is just south of Paradise Palms (my botanical garden in West Delray Beach). You could say it was…
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A Word to the Wise
Repartee (noun)
Repartee (noun) – Repartee (re-per-TEE or re-per-TAY) is a quick, witty reply or a conversation made up of such replies. As used by Louis Theroux: “It’s difficult to describe the weirdness of speaking to a man…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Ancient Japan's Surprisingly Competitive Flatulence Festivals
In ancient Japan, there were public farting contests. Prizes were awarded for both loudest and also longest.
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Worth Quoting
Erich Fromm On Misdirected Desires In Love
“Most people see the problem of love primarily as that of being loved, rather than that of loving, of one’s capacity to love. Hence the problem to them is how to be loved, how to be lovable.” – Erich Fromme
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Worth Watching
Finnish Crime Drama Bordertown Debuts On Netflix
“Bordertown” on Netflix: A brilliant/half-psychic officer at the National Bureau of Investigation in Finland changes locations and jobs when his wife barely survives brain cancer. His new job, leading SECRI…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Fifty Best Family Resorts For Your Next Getaway
Ready for a world-class family vacation? Here, according to Travel and Leisure magazine, are the “top 50 family resorts.” (And, yes, our Rancho Santana made the list!)
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Notes From My Journal
A Morning Prayer for Non-Believers
I was reading about prayer. I don’t remember where. A chapter of some book. Maybe Sapiens. Virtually every religion and creed since the dawn of man, the book avowed, has practiced praying. That may be true…
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A Word to the Wise
Lenitive (adjective or noun)
Lenitive (adjective or noun) – Something that is lenitive (LEN-ih-tiv) softens, soothes, or mitigates; alleviates pain or harshness. As used by Laurence Sterne: “There is one sweet lenitive at least for evils…
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Fun and/or Interesting
How Different Faiths Express Prayer Through Movement
There are physical ways to pray. Some Native Americans dance. Some Sufis whirl. Christians fold their hands and bow their heads. Jews sway and bow. Muslims kneel and prostrate themselves. Quakers keep silent.
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Worth Quoting
Pablo Neruda On The Purpose Of Expression
“All paths lead to the same goal: to convey to others what we are.” – Pablo Neruda
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Worth Reading
James Stone's Budget Solutions Miss The Mark
5 Easy Theses is the promising title of a serious book by a man (James M. Stone) who has academic, government, and business credentials. But it was too dense and difficult to read. I gave up after the first…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Look at This
Look at This: Pace and timing are two critical components of comedy. If this were 15 seconds longer, it might not have worked, but it does... or did... for me.
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
How to Maintain (or Regain) Control of Your Growing Business
If you are in the fortunate position of seeing your business grow to the point where you have more than 50 employees, there’s a good chance the grip you thought you had on it will begin to slip away. There is…
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A Word to the Wise
Degustation (noun)
Degustation (noun) – Degustation (dee-gus-TAY-shun) is the act of tasting or savoring, especially with care or relish. As used by Liane Moriarty in Nine Perfect Strangers: “There would be no alcohol, sugar…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Surprising Origin of the Word News
The word“news” comes from north, east, west, and south – not the plural of new.
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Worth Quoting
James Altucher On Daily Reinvention And Choice
“Every day, you reinvent yourself. You’re always in motion. But you decide every day: forward or backward.” – James Altucher
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Worth Watching
Shtisel” (Netflix)
“Shtisel” (Netflix): An engaging and heartwarming series about the lives of a Haredi family living in Jerusalem’s Geula neighborhood. The show was created by two writers with Haredi roots. It gives you an…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Remarkable Craftsmanship On Display Here
An amazing display of craftsmanship...
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Notes From My Journal
The Stock Market Is Getting Dicey -Here’s What I’m Doing About It
The US stock market gave investors a good scare late last year, with the DOW dropping from a high of 26,562 on September 24 to a low of 22,445 on December 18. The newspapers were full of good reasons. On the…
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A Word to the Wise
Peripeteia (noun)
Peripeteia (noun) – Peripeteia (per-uh-pih-TAYE-uh) is a literary term that refers to a turning point in the plot; an unexpected reversal of fortune. Example: the sudden change in Oedipus Rex’s situation when…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Debt-to-GDP Ratio, Historically
Until 1935, the ratio of debt to GDP was in the teens and 20s. That climbed into the 40s as FDR struggled to battle depression and prepare for WWI. It spiked during the war at 119% and broke below 90% in 1950…
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Worth Quoting
Chinese Proverb On Playing By The Rules
“If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time.” – Chinese Proverb
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Worth Reading
Bill Bonner On America's Deepening Political Divide
What I’m Reading: Bill Bonner on “Do We Have a ‘Liberal Bias’?” It’s true. We are a country sharply divided… on many issues, but none more starkly than Donald Trump.
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Fun and/or Interesting
Quick Pick-Me-Up For A Gloomy Day
Feeling a bit down? Try this!
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Ego, Inspiration, and Achievement
It’s impossible to see the pyramids of Giza, the Colossus of Rhodes, or the Great Wall of China without thinking about the will it must have taken to build these wonders of human creation. They were built…
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A Word to the Wise
Ratiocinate (verb)
Ratiocinate (verb) – To ratiocinate (rash-ee-AH-sih-nate) is to reason, to figure things out. As used by Robert Louis Stevenson: “But I give you warning – Stasie may weep and Henri ratiocinates – it will not…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Cleopatra Lived Closer To The Moon Landing
Cleopatra was born in 69 BCE – closer to the Apollo 11 moon landing (1969) than the time when the pyramids of Giza were built (roughly 2550 to 2490 BCE).
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Worth Quoting
Lao Tzu On Self-Mastery And Inner Strength
“He who overcomes others is strong, but he who overcomes himself is mightier still.” – Lao Tzu.
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Worth Reading
Kerouac's Paris Quest Inspires Loose, Wandering Prose
Satori in Paris by Jack Kerouac is a short, semi-autographical novella about a trip the author took to Paris and Brittany to look into his family’s genealogy. Full, chock full, of interesting (though sometimes…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Teenagers Stumped By Rotary Phone Challenge
Rotary Phone:It's humbling to have to ask a teenager to help you sort out a problem with one of the myriad devices on your iPhone. Here's a video that will make you realize that the kids are not necessarily as…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Are You An Information Addict?
“Let’s have lunch,” DK said in his email. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.” Two days later, we were eating chopped chicken salads at City Oyster on Atlantic Avenue. We talked a bit about family…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Amazon Rainforest Produces Half The World's Oxygen
The Amazon rain forest produces half of the world’s oxygen supply.
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Worth Quoting
Leslie Miklosy On Rejecting Mediocrity
“Mediocrity wants to be your friend. Be unfriendly.” – Leslie Miklosy
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Worth Watching
The Graduate Hits Different After Fifty Years
The first time I saw The Graduate (1967, the year it was made), I was a junior in high school, and I thought it was a great movie. I saw it again about 25 years ago, and was happy to discover that it still…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Black Man Infiltrates the Alt-Right Movement
“A Black Man Goes Undercover in the Alt-Right”:An independent thinker…
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Worth Quoting
Worth Quoting — February 14, 2019
Worth Quoting: “Mediocrity wants to be your friend. Be unfriendly.” – Leslie Miklosy
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A Word to the Wise
Today’s Word: tergiversation (noun)
Today’s Word: tergiversation (noun) –Tergiversation(tur-jih-ver-SAY-shun) is equivocation; the act of being deliberately ambiguous. As used by Tobias Smollett in The Expedition of Humphry Clinker: “I must tell…
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Worth Quoting
Anthony Trollope On The Cost Of Good Writing
“There’s no way of writing well and also of writing easily.”– Anthony Trollope
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Fun and/or Interesting
Ben Franklin's Clever Solution To Eyeglass Frustration
Bifocals were invented by Ben Franklin to end his frustration with constantly having to switch between two pairs of glasses.
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