June 2020
62 articles published this month.
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Investment Real Estate Outlook for the Rest of 2020 and Beyond
“The most reliable way to forecast the future is to try to understand the present.” – John Naisbitt Investment Real Estate Outlook for the Rest of 2020 and Beyond On Sunday, I briefly answered a question sent…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Why Rental Real Estate Outperforms During Economic Downturns
The Economics of Rental Real Estate Here are some facts about the investment real estate market that you might find interesting: * Rent payments have remained steady, according to the National Multifamily…
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Worth Reading
The Bridge Over the River Kwai
First published in French in 1952, then in English translation in 1954, this is a page-turner about British POWs building a bridge for their Japanese captors in Burma in 1942. (The author – who later wrote…
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A Word to the Wise
hospitality (noun)
Hospitality (hos-pih-TAL-ih-tee) is the cordial and generous welcoming and treatment of guests. Interesting that it comes from the same Latin root as hospital (“hospitalis,” which means “of a guest”). As used…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Art of Equestrian Movement
An amazing display of beauty, strength, flexibility, and grace.
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
The Hidden Costs Of Asking For Favors
“Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors.” – François de la Rochefoucauld The Unpleasant Truth About Asking for Favors I recently intercepted a memo from a partner of mine. It appeared to be a…
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Worth Reading
How Dumb Can Our Experts Be?
A friend tells me that I have to wear a face mask now. Florida, like so many states, has made it mandatory. The reason? The coronavirus is spreading! According to The Washington Post: “Public health officials…
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A Word to the Wise
lethological (adjective)
Lethological (leh-thuh-LAH-juh-kuhl) refers to the inability to remember the exact word you want. Example: “It’s on the tip of my tongue… um… um… Oh, no! I’m having another lethological moment!”
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Fun and/or Interesting
Paul McCartney's Unexpected Celery Crunch On Beach Boys Track
Paul McCartney was recorded munching on celery on the taping of the Beach Boys' song “Vegetables.”
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Fun and/or Interesting
A Video That Exposes Racism's Absurdity
This video says more to me about what is wrong and idiotic about racism than a dozen essays I’ve read… https://youtu.be/-qd2XyGFTzk
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Why It’s Okay to Fall in Love With Your Investible Art
Passion is a popular emotion these days. We are encouraged to be passionate about our careers, our hobbies, and even our ideas. Like most popular ideas, this one is mostly wrong. On the risk/reward scale, it…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Forgotten Avant-Garde Movement That Connected Three Cities
CoBrA was an avant-garde art movement (1948-1951) characterized by spontaneity, experimentation, and primitive images. The name was derived from the cities the CoBrA artists came from: Copenhagen (Co)…
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A Word to the Wise
prescind (verb)
To prescind (prih-SIND) is to withdraw attention. As used by Nicanor G. Tiongson: “Those who subscribe to the theory of art for art’s sake believe that they can prescind from the realities of their society and…
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Worth Watching
Word of the Day: Covid
“COVID-19 Never Grows Exponentially” – a video from Stanford University’s Michael Levitt on "fitting data,” an advanced strategy for machine learning and AI that demonstrates that COVID-19 did not ever grow…
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Readers Write
An email from TS — June 24, 2020
Please keep writing these great essays. I love the investment ideas, but you prove over and over that there’s more to success than just making money.
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Skill Level Required For This
The skill level required to do this is beyond belief...
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Notes From My Journal
How Hormones Shape Our Competitive Instincts
“Testosterone is a rare poison.” – Germaine Greer Do Sex Hormones Determine Our Thoughts? Let’s talk about hormones. I have just come up with a theory. But before I present it, you should know this: It’s well…
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A Word to the Wise
strident (adjective)
Strident (STRY-duhnt) means harsh, insistent; excessively and unpleasantly forceful. As I used it today: “It does seem that an imbalance in the testosterone/estrogen ratio in favor of testosterone stirs up…
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Worth Reading
Tom Dyson on Detroit's Economic Future
A report on Motor City from my colleague Tom Dyson. To read it, click here.
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Fun and/or Interesting
Asymptomatic COVID Carriers Transmit Less Than Symptomatic
“A study on infectivity of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriers” is one of several recently published studies which found that people that have COVID-19 but are asymptomatic are significantly less likely to…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Why Fathers Matter More Than Ever
Yes, fathers matter
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Defining Privilege Beyond The Political Noise
“Tradition has it that whenever a group of people has tasted the lovely fruits of wealth, security, and prestige, it begins to find it more comfortable to believe in the obvious lie and accept that it alone is…
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A Word to the Wise
deference (noun)
Deference (DEF-er-uhns) is humble submission and respect. As I used it today: “The social privileges white Americans enjoyed, [W.E.B. Du Bois] contended, included courtesy and deference, unimpeded admittance…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Hidden History Behind Juneteenth's June 19th Date
From History.com: Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19 that the Union soldiers, led by Major…
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Worth Reading
Words Used by Nabokov Quiz
Vladimir Nabokov is among my favorite writers. Russian born, he wrote in several languages, but his English work astounds me. It is so eloquent and so chock full of wonderful English words that only a Russian…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Befriending Her Shooter: A Moving Story
“Befriending Her Shooter” – a moving story.
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Tribal Dynamics in Business
Note: The following essay is an excerpt from the upcoming new and revised edition of Ready, Fire, Aim. Tribal Dynamics in Business “The person who knows HOW will always have a job. The person who knows WHY…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Venn Diagrams Reveal Hidden Connections Between Ideas
A Venn diagram uses circles to visually represent the relationships between things or concepts. Here are two interesting videos about them: One on how they work… … and one on how to use a Venn diagram to…
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Worth Watching
How Morals Influence If You’re Liberal or Conservative
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A Word to the Wise
proxemics (noun)
Yes, there’s a word for all the social distancing we’ve been doing: proxemics (prahk-SEE-miks). Basically, it’s the study of how people use space when they’re communicating. The term was coined in 1963 by the…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Word of the Day: Balletx
BalletX – “100 Days” by Calii Quann https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxQvb6BJLSo
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Don't Bore Your Interviewer With Corporate Jargon
“Don’t expect others to listen to what you have to say unless what you have to say is interesting to others.” – Michael Masterson If You’re Trying to Impress Me, Don’t Do This He had been strongly recommended…
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A Word to the Wise
feign (verb)
To feign (FAYN) is to represent fictitiously or deceptively; to put on the appearance of . As I used it today: “I opened and shut my desk drawer loudly to feign some sort of activity in my office. ”
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Fun and/or Interesting
Tug Of War's Brief Olympic History
Tug of War was an Olympic sport from 1900 to 1920.
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Worth Reading
The latest issue of AWAI’s Barefoot Writer — June 14, 2020
In this issue: * 15 Ways to Reshape Your Brain and Propel Your Creativity Into the Stratosphere * Become a Google “Influencer” and Reap Near-Infinite Rewards * Are “Shiny, Flying Squirrels” Sabotaging Your…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Homeless Man Delivers Unexpected Wisdom
“Homeless guy spits some truth”
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Fine Art As a Long-Term Investment
“There’s something to be said about the art-industrial complex, the collectors who recognize that your work has some sort of future economic value.” – Kehinde Wiley In 1989, a triptych by Francis Bacon sold…
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A Word to the Wise
acumen (noun)
Acumen (uh-KYOO-mun) is the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions. As I used it today: “Why is it that some art lovers – even those who have… no financial acumen at all – often make gobs of money…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Michael Jordan's Annual Nike Earnings Dwarf Malaysian Factory Workers
Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike each year than all the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.
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Worth Reading
Favorite Essayist Delivers Quick Amusing Read
“Full Bore” – a quick, amusing read by one of my favorite essayists in Taki’s Magazine. Click here.
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Readers Write
A hand-written note
I wanted to tell you what a crazy kick-ass year we had – and to thank you. If I hadn’t met with you in late 2016, I doubt very much I would have ended up [here]. And studying your career & your various…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Doctor Explains COVID-19 And Lockdown Most Clearly
I’ve watched 50+ interviews with doctors and scientists on COVID-19 and the lockdown. This doctor does the best job in explaining the facts in a way that anyone should be able to understand.
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
How Social Media Replaces Deep Reading With Shallow Bytes
The End of Real Knowledge “The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Why Truth May Be Less Important Than We Like to Think
In Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones, James Clear wrote about truth from an evolutionary perspective. He pointed out that for our primate ancestors, understanding the…
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A Word to the Wise
cursory (adjective)
Cursory (KER-suh-ree) describes something that is rapidly and often superficially performed or produced. As I used it today: “When you use search engines and social media to shape your thoughts on topical…
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Worth Reading
How to Change the World by Doing This One Thing Every Day” by James Altucher
A good thought piece. To read it, click here.
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Fun and/or Interesting
Schools of the Future: A Skeptical Look
This short WSJ video reports on what some believe schools will be like in the future. I don’t believe it…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
The End of Intimacy, Trust, and Love
“When I got my first television set, I stopped caring so much about having close relationships.” – Andy Warhol I’ve been thinking about how the world has been coming apart lately. Homo sapiens, as is often…
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Worth Reading
How A Police Station Encounter Changed My Perspective
On Friday, I wrote an essay trying to make sense of the senseless killing of George Floyd. As part of that essay, I told three stories about my personal experience with racism and police brutality. One of…
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A Word to the Wise
anagnorisis (noun)
Anagnorisis (a-nag-NOR-ih-sis) is the point in a play, novel, etc. in which a principal character recognizes or discovers another character’s true identity or the true nature of their own circumstances. As I…
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