December 2019
79 articles published this month.
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Worth Reading
Elections in Colonial America Were Huge, Booze-Fueled Parties” on History.com LINK
“Elections in Colonial America Were Huge, Booze-Fueled Parties” on History.com LINK
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Fun and/or Interesting
Why Modern Art Seems So Bad
Why is Modern Art so Bad?
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
American Teenagers Falling Behind On International Reading Tests
“Books are farms. Reading is harvesting. Talking about what you read is replanting.” – Michael Masterson Just One Thing: American Teenagers Are Getting Dumber Despite decades of effort and billions of dollars…
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A Word to the Wise
trenchant (adjective)
Trenchant (TREN-chunt) means intense, forceful. As used by William Milligan Sloane in The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte: “Bonaparte’s contributions to the discussion were terse and trenchant.”
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Fun and/or Interesting
Hallucinations Can Involve All Five Senses
A hallucination can involve any of the five senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, or touch.
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Worth Reading
How The Country's Goofiest Baseball Team Made Millions” LINK
A very interesting article from Entrepreneur.com about how the owner of a failing minor league baseball team reinvented his business – and, by doing so, saved himself from bankruptcy and created a valuable…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Hard People Decisions Business Leaders Must Navigate
“What to Do When You’re Confused” from BusinessMadeSimple.com Midway through my career I noticed that the hardest choices I had to make always involved people: Closing down an unprofitable division and laying…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
The ABCs of Inventing a Blockbuster Big Idea Campaign
“Thaw with her gentle persuasion is more powerful than Thor with his hammer. The one melts, the other breaks into pieces.” – Henry David Thoreau The ABCs of Inventing a Blockbuster Big Idea Campaign I’ve heard…
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A Word to the Wise
archetype (noun)
An archetype (AR-kuh-tipe) is a very typical example of a person or thing. As I used it today: “There are many ways to write a lead. You can begin with a story or a secret or a prediction or a surprising fact…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Thomas Jefferson's Quiet Brilliance Behind The Revolution
Thomas Jefferson had a speech impediment and was shy to speak. But he was a great writer, and was known as “the pen of the revolution.”
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Worth Reading
The latest issue of AWAI’s Barefoot Writer — December 9, 2019
In this issue: * She wrote her way to beachfront life in Baja * Katie Yeakle and Rebecca Matter share the story behind the creation of Barefoot Writer * The power of one – one big idea * Where all the best…
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Readers Write
An email from DC
I am immensely grateful to you for all I’ve learned from you over the years and for the responsibility you’ve given me in working with your business, your team, and, most importantly, your customers….With deep…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Bureaucracy Gets In The Way Of Baking
All I Want to Do Is Make Cookies...a good and funny bit on excessive regulation.
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
The Big Idea Marketing Concept Explained
“An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself.” – Charles Dickens The Big Idea: The Biggest Misconception in Marketing Is there a marketing concept more misunderstood than…
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A Word to the Wise
rampant (adjective)
When you describe something as rampant (RAM-punt), you mean that it is not only common, it is getting worse in an uncontrolled way. As I used it today: “[Confusion about what is meant by the ‘Big Idea’] is…
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Fun and/or Interesting
How Many Ads Do We Actually See Daily
The average American sees 500 advertisements a day.
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Worth Reading
New Brain Cell Science Keeps Minds Sharp
The latest issue of Independent Healing Forgetful? Worried About Alzheimer’s? In this issue, discover the new science of brain cell creation that allows you to stay mentally sharp for the rest of your life.
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Fun and/or Interesting
Why Adults Need A Kid-To-English Translation App
Do you have trouble relating to little kids? This is funny... and the app is meant to be a joke. But I truly with there was one.
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Notes From My Journal
The Mirror's Flattering Angle On Self-Deception
“O, wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us! It would frae monie a blunder free us, An’ foolish notion.” – Robert Burns When I look at myself in the mirror, it is always from the same…
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A Word to the Wise
hamartia (noun) and anagnorisis (noun)
Two terms from classical Greek tragedy. Hamartia (hah-mar-TEE-uh) is a fatal flaw or mistake that leads to the protagonist’s downfall. Anagnorisis (a-nag-NOR-ih-sis) is the point at which the protagonist…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Why Men's Bodies Give Them Athletic Advantages
On average, men have more testosterone, more strength, less body fat, and more hemoglobin in their blood than women. The last is important because it affects how much oxygen an athlete can use per minute.
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Worth Reading
Individualism vs. Individuality” in Taki's Magazine LINK
“Individualism vs. Individuality” in Taki's Magazine LINK
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Fun and/or Interesting
Good Samaritan Helps Stranger In Need
Another Good Samaritan story...
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Principles of Wealth #35
“Skill and confidence are an unconquered army.” – George Herbert Principles of Wealth #35* With respect to building wealth, there are two kinds of skills: financially valued skills and financially valuable…
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A Word to the Wise
brandish (verb)
To brandish (BRAN-dish) is to wave or flourish something (especially a weapon) in an ostentatious, menacing, or aggressive way. As used by Eric Liu: “The next time someone… brandishes the special status…
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Fun and/or Interesting
How Snakes Hear Without Ears
A snake has no ears but can pick up sound waves with its tongue.
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Worth Reading
How Democrats Would Tax High-Income Professionals (Not Just the Mega-Rich)” in The New York Times LINK
“How Democrats Would Tax High-Income Professionals (Not Just the Mega-Rich)” in The New York Times LINK
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Readers Write
An email from SE
My estimated net worth is in excess of $40 million.... And... I don’t think this would have happened if it wasn’t for you and the faith and confidence you showed me early in my career. Mark, I’m sincerely…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Cats In Therapy: A Hilarious Video
Cats In Therapy...very funny!
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