April 2019
77 articles published this month.
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Notes From My Journal
This Is Why I Can’t Stop Teaching/Writing
I met TR maybe 10 years ago. He came to the only seminar I ever gave on entrepreneurship. It was expensive – 10 or 25 grand for three days. (Can’t remember.) It was designed for people that were already in…
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Worth Reading
Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump
A shamefully delicious exposé on Donald Trump’s longstanding reputation for cheating at golf. Having heard the rumor for many years, sportswriter Rick Reilly spoke with golf professionals and celebrities who…
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Worth Quoting
Lee Trevino On Lightning And Golf's Hardest Club
“If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron. Not even God can hit a 1-iron.” – Lee Trevino
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A Word to the Wise
Bamboozle (verb)
Bamboozle (verb) – To bamboozle (bam-BOO-zuhl) is to deceive by trickery, deception, flattery, etc. As used by Walter Lippman: “Successful politicians are insecure and intimidated men. They advance politically…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Jiffy: A Surprisingly Real Unit Of Time
A “jiffy” is an actual unit of time – 1/100thof a second.
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Fun and/or Interesting
Bruce Lee's Incredible One-Inch Punch Explained
If you are a Bruce Lee fan (and who isn't?), you'll like this...
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
The Chicken Entrepreneur Approach I Used to Become a Valued Partner in Dozens of Multimillion-dollar Companies
I write a lot about entrepreneurship and real estate investing. And since I’ve started a bunch of multimillion-dollar companies and own dozens of properties, I feel confident to talk about what I’ve learned…
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A Word to the Wise
Crapulous (adjective)
Crapulous (adjective) – Crapulous (KRAP-yuh-lus) means intemperate; marked by gross excess in drinking or eating. As used by Jack Kerouac: “Oh little Cody Pomeray if there had been some way to send a cry to…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Why Men Wildly Overestimate Their Penis Size
90% of men exaggerate the size of their penis. Less than 1/100thof 1% percent understate it.
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Worth Quoting
Jim Rohn On Effort And Personal Growth
“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better.” – Jim Rohn
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Worth Reading
Bill Bonner’s Diary — April 28, 2019
Bill Bonner’s Diary.- A good essay about the “Trump boom” that we’ve heard so much about …LINK
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Fun and/or Interesting
Bobbie Gentry's Masterpiece Deserves A Second Listen
1967, when "Ode to Billy Joe" was at the top of the charts, I liked it but never really appreciated it. Now I see it as a remarkable artistic accomplishment… It’s a narrative and a very compelling one. And…
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Notes From My Journal
Okay, I May Go Broke – but That’s Fine With Me
We were talking about buying another building to accommodate a growing employee base. NM made the case for it, but BW was reluctant. He suggested we wait six months to give the stock market time to crash…
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A Word to the Wise
Evince (verb)
Evince (verb) – To evince (ih-VINS) is to show clearly; prove. As used by Samuel Adams: “Let us awaken then, and evince a different spirit, a spirit that shall inspire the people with confidence in themselves…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Nassim Taleb's Antifragility Secures Four Million Dollar Deal
The sales of Nassim Taleb’s first two books garnered an advance of $4 million for the follow-up book on antifragility.
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Worth Quoting
George Meredith On Life's Uncertain Truths
“Ah, what a dusty answer gets the soul when hot for certainties in this our life!” – George Meredith
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Worth Reading
Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space
The inside story of the detection of gravitational waves using the most sensitive scientific instrument ever made – the “LIGO.” The machine was designed to detect infinitesimally small sounds (vibrations)…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Is The Twist Better Than Pulp Fiction's Dance?
Twisting the Night Away video with this intro: Twisting... better than Travolta and Thurman?
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
The “Extreme Poverty Problem”: Hans Rosling Explodes Yet Another Myth
Answer this: In the last 20 years, the percentage of the world population living in extreme poverty has: Almost doubled? Remained about the same? Dropped by two-thirds? The correct answer is C. The number of…
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A Word to the Wise
Sequester (verb)
Sequester (verb) – To sequester (sih-KWES-ter) is to segregate; set apart. As used by Paul Dini: “To overcome any form of adversity, to not give up, to not give up on yourself, your dreams, to not sequester…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Los Angeles' Surprisingly Long Original Spanish Name
The original name of Los Angeles was El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río Porciúncula (The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of the Porciúncula River).
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Worth Quoting
Charles Peguy on Imagining Poverty
“Short of genius, a rich man cannot imagine poverty.” Charles Peguy
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Worth Watching
The Spy Who Fell to Earth Explores Murky Cold War Espionage
The Spy Who Fell to Earth (Netflix) I’ve made it a point to stay relatively uneducated about global politics. (So much of what you read is bullshit or propaganda, and the rest will rile you up about problems…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Greatest Boogie-Woogie Performance Ever
I've never heard boogie-woogie played better than this...
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Notes From My Journal
Ruminations of a Traveling Man
K and I have lived in or traveled to a shitload of countries. (I should buy a map and put pins in it.) In terms of cost and benefit, there are only three ways to travel: Budget Immersion Style, Group Discount…
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A Word to the Wise
Ubiquitous (adjective)
Ubiquitous (adjective) – Ubiquitous (yoo-BIK-wih-tus) means existing or being everywhere, especially at the same time. As I used it today: “Note to people worried about the end of American culture. It won’t…
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Fun and/or Interesting
10 Interesting Facts About Chile
Chile’s Atacama Desert, at 7,500 feet above sea level, is the world’s driest place. It is also the world’s oldest desert. A few truly “groundbreaking” statistics: Chile has 2,300 volcanoes (many of them…
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Worth Quoting
Pablo Neruda on Rain and Urban Suffering
“In what language does rain fall over tormented cities?” – Pablo Neruda
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Worth Reading
Reading Neruda In Spanish Reveals Poetry's True Beauty
I’ve been reading two books while in Chile: A Short History of Chile by Sergio Villalobos and Los Versos del Capitan (The Captain’s Verses)by Pablo Neruda. The first one, at 204 pages, is the perfect length…
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Fun and/or Interesting
A Few Photos From Our Trip
Photo #1: Valparaiso Photo #2: The Atacama Desert Photo #3: The Atacama Desert Photo #4: The Central Market in Santiago
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Worth Reading
The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in “Healthy” Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain by Dr. Steven R Gundry M.D
Human beings are, and always have been, omnivorous. They thrive on natural products – meats and plants. Some meats – from animals that have been kept in pens and shot up with hormones and other chemicals – are…
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A Word to the Wise
Impedimenta (noun)
Impedimenta (noun) – Impedimenta (im-ped-uh-MEN-tuh) is baggage of any kind that impedes progress. As used by David Roberts: “When you sling a saddle atop a llama’s back, just after he’s rolled in the dirt to…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Crash Dieting And Hair Loss Connection
Your hair falls out faster if you are on a crash diet.
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Worth Quoting
Word of the Day: Character
“Character – the willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life – is the source from which self-respect springs.” – Joan Didion
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Career Advantages of Taking a Dump on Joan Didion
“The Career Advantages of Taking a Dump on Joan Didion” LINK
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Notes From My Journal
Binge Out!
The language police have struck again. According to Dictionary.com, I’m not allowed to describe my bouts of overeating chocolate kisses or over-watching Netflix as “binging.” The dictionary opines: “When most…
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A Word to the Wise
Word of the Day: Linguaphile
Linguaphile (noun) – A linguaphile (LING-wuh-file) is a language and word lover. As used by Judith Strauss: “I never met a linguaphile I didn’t like.”
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Fun and/or Interesting
Justice Surges As Merriam-Webster's Most Searched Word
Justice was voted “Word of the Year” by the Merriam-Webster online dictionary in 2018. The publisher said the word was looked up on its website 74% more in 2018 than in 2017.
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Worth Quoting
John Steinbeck On The Proliferation Of Ideas
“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them and pretty soon you have a dozen.” – John Steinbeck
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Worth Reading
The Barefoot Writer
The latest issue of The Barefoot Writer Including: * Retainers, Jelly-Bean-Sized Projects, and Combo-Writing Payouts Await * The Hot Debate Among Writers Who Want It All * 7 Tips to Make Readers Love You
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Fun and/or Interesting
Do Students Really Prefer Socialism?
Do Students Really Prefer Socialism?.- I’ve read polls that suggest as many as 50% of US college students favor Socialism over Capitalism. That is not entirely surprising. When I was in college (1969 to 1973)…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
A Brief Answer to a Surprise Question: The 3 Cornerstones of Career Success
After my speech, I found myself surrounded by a cluster of people wanting to say hello or ask a question. This surprised me because these were employees, not readers. Like matriculated students attending…
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A Word to the Wise
Alexander Graham Bell's Vision For Vocal Telegraph Communication
Viva voce (adverb) –(vye-vuh VOH-see) means by word of mouth; orally rather than in writing. As used by Alexander Graham Bell: “Grand telegraphic discover today… Transmitted vocal sounds for the first time……
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Fun and/or Interesting
McDonald's Serves 68 Million Customers Daily Worldwide
In 2018, McDonald’s generated almost $6 billion of net income serving around 68 million customers per day.
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Worth Quoting
Joshua Waitzkin On Success And Resilience
“The moment we believe that success is determined by an ingrained level of ability as opposed to resilience and hard work, we will be brittle in the face of adversity.” – Joshua Waitzkin
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Worth Reading
The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro
Twenty-five years after the biggest art heist in history, Claire Roth, an artist who makes a living painting reproductions, is given a chance to make a lot of money by reproducing a painting by Degas that was…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Woman At Eighty Defies All Expectations
I’ve watched this twice and I cannot believe that this woman is 80 years old…You won’t believe it either.
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Notes From My Journal
Thoughts on Jefe’s Death
I wrote about the death of our dog Jefe (left) last week. I said that he gave us so many gifts – so many moments of laughter and love – during his lifetime. Thinking about it since then, it occurred to me that…
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A Word to the Wise
Evenfall (noun)
Evenfall (noun) – Evenfall (EE-vuhn fawl) is twilight; dusk. As used by George Allan England in Darkness and Dawn: “Haze drew its veils across the world, and the air grew brown with evenfall.”
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Fun and/or Interesting
Dogs As Human Companions Since Prehistoric Times
Homo sapiens have had dogs as pets since prehistoric times.
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