September 2022
63 articles published this month.
-
Notes From My Journal
Hurricane!
It’s been a long time since a strong hurricane passed through this part of Florida. The last one that hit us hard was Irma, a Category 4 storm, in 2017. Ian came and went Tuesday and Wednesday with only a…
Read full post -
Business & Marketing
Checking In on Checking Out
The last time I was in an airport, I selected a coffee and a sandwich at a kiosk, only to discover that there was no one there to check me out. I stood there, puzzled. Then I noticed that the cash register was…
Read full post -
Fun and/or Interesting
How the World Will Look to Your Kids and Grandkids
I’ve always thought that the answer to racism would be miscegenation on a universal scale. Likewise with religious intolerance: Make it a universal law that you can get married only to someone of a different…
Read full post -
A Word to the Wise
Miscegenation
is a fancy word for “interracial marriage.” Now usually considered offensive or pejorative, it is derived from a combination of the Latin miscere (“mix”) and genus (“race”). As I used it above: “I’ve always…
Read full post -
Worth Watching
Sir Subverts The Wealthy Man Poor Woman Romance
Sir Released (France) Dec. 26, 2018 Written, produced, and directed by Rohena Gera Starring Tillotama Shome and Vivek Gomber Available on Netflix During my time in the hospital, I was so distracted that…
Read full post -
Fun and/or Interesting
Julien's Guide To Spain's Greatest Red Wines
From Bonner Private Wine Partnership: Julien talks about the best Spanish reds…
Read full post -
Inside Paradise Palms Botanical & Sculpture Gardens
Exploring The Everglades Palm At Paradise Palms
The conservancy that I’m developing in West Delray Beach, FL, has one of the largest and best-curated palm tree collections in the world, as well as a growing collection of outdoor sculptures, a traditionally…
Read full post -
Readers Write
Readers Celebrate A Beloved Mentor's Return
“I just wanted to say how happy I am to see you get through your recent speed bump in life. I really love your blog and look forward to reading your observations. I’ve learned a lot over the years. Please stay…
Read full post -
Postscript
Why Do Old-Man Jokes Still Make Us Laugh
I have a file marked “Old-Man Jokes.” It’s filled with jokes distributed among various groups of golfing buddies and high school friends. For most of the world, these jokes are groaners. And rightly so…
Read full post -
The Economy & Investing
What We Can Learn from the Bond Rate
Anyone whose financial comfort is dependent to some degree on the US economy (i.e., everyone in the world) should be praying that the Federal Reserve is making the right moves to keep it from slipping off the…
Read full post -
Notes From My Journal
Missing Out
I’m gradually getting back into my various projects, but there was one thing I had to cancel that I regret. I was supposed to be spending this week in El Salvador, presenting, with Suzanne Snider, our book…
Read full post -
Worth Watching
À Bout de Souffle (Breathless)
À Bout de Souffle (Breathless) Release date (US): February 7, 1961 Directed by Jean-Luc Godard Starring Jean Seberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo Available on various streaming services, including Netflix and Amazon…
Read full post -
Fun and/or Interesting
How World War II Transformed French Cinema
Click here for a short explanation of how WWII changed everything, including the way movies were made in France.
Read full post -
Fun and/or Interesting
What Black Americans Really Think About Voter ID Laws
I actually did this… I asked two of my progressively minded friends why they believed voter ID requirements discriminated against African Americans. They both gave me the same answer – the one you see in this…
Read full post -
Readers Write
Breaking Into Direct-Response Copywriting Today
Emails about my surgery keep coming. (I’ll be answering as many as I possibly can personally.) As always, I’m happy to say, I’m also getting requests for my help/advice. Like this one… “Ever since I completed…
Read full post -
Postscript
Who is Chad Powers, and where did he learn to throw like that?
I’ve seen lots of these. A high-level athlete disguises himself as old person and smokes mid-level athletes in a spontaneous competition. But this one is a bit different. Here, you have the high-level athlete…
Read full post -
The Economy & Investing
Should I Build That Apartment Building?
(It’s All About Supply and Demand) I’m back in the office today. I am determined to work diligently. With purpose, but without attachment. I sit down, close my eyes, and think good thoughts. I’m happy to be…
Read full post -
Arts & Letters
Fine Art and the Great Wealth Transfer
I can’t remember where I read it, but over the next two decades something like $70 trillion will be passed down from America’s Baby Boomers to their kids and grandkids. About $40 trillion of that will go to…
Read full post -
Worth Reading
Men Without Women
Men Without Women By Ernest Hemingway 128 pages First published in 1927 Men Without Women is Hemingway’s second short story collection. There are 14 stories in all. Most are short and sparse, more journal…
Read full post -
Fun and/or Interesting
This Week’s Must-Be-Fake News
New York is going to place convicted pot dealers at the front of the legal pot business line. According to the NYT, the state has set up a $200 million fund from which licensees will take out loans to start…
Read full post -
A Word to the Wise
Ontological
relates to the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being. As I used it today: “I read [Men Without Women] while I was in the hospital last week, nodding in and out of consciousness. It was a…
Read full post -
Inside Paradise Palms Botanical & Sculpture Gardens
World-Class Palm Collection Takes Root In Florida
The conservancy that I’m developing in West Delray Beach, FL, is destined to be (if I have anything to say about it) one of the largest and best-curated palm tree collections in the world. It also features a…
Read full post -
Readers Write
Community Rallies Around Mark's Health Journey
“Really appreciated seeing your Friday post. A terrific message that I wish others would embrace. We each need to advocate for ourselves…. Keeping you in our hearts and prayers!” – MB “Talked to SM today… and…
Read full post -
Postscript
Charles III's Vision For A Modern Monarchy
Ever since the NYT turned anti-England, I’ve been pro-monarchy. My stroke prevented me from keeping up with the funeral, and so I missed this short speech by Charles III, the new king. His language is a bit…
Read full post -
Notes From My Journal
All Fixed Up and Ready to Go!
Friday, September 16: My surgery was scheduled for 12:30 pm. At 9:15 am, K came back from her exercise class to say that there had been a scheduling mix-up. I was supposed to report for my surgery in 15…
Read full post -
Fun and/or Interesting
This week’s head scratcher
* This week’s head scratcher: Bank of America is testing a program to help Black and Latino buyers get mortgages. If you qualify (if you have Black or Brown skin), you can get a zero-down, low-interest-rate…
Read full post -
Fun and/or Interesting
It’s Fun! It’s Challenging. But Is It Making You Smarter?
Everyone I know that’s over 50 plays some sort of brain game to keep their thinking strong and their memory clear. I do the NYT crossword, Spelling Bee, and Sudoku. I also play chess and other word and logic…
Read full post -
Arts & Letters
The Art Business Is Still Booming
Both Fine Art and Forgeries! In this age of digital information, you’d think forgeries would be easier to detect. They should be. (And they will be when NFTs come into common use.) But when the art market is…
Read full post -
Worth Considering
The Earth’s Population in Perspective
BJ sent me this. I love these sorts of statistical lists… that put life into perspective. The Earth’s Population in Perspective The population of the Earth is around 7.8 billion. However, if you condense 7.8…
Read full post -
Worth Watching
Starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., and Tommy Lee Jones
Natural Born Killers Starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., and Tommy Lee Jones Directed by Oliver Stone Available on various streaming services, including Netflix and Amazon Prime I…
Read full post -
Worth Quoting
John Milton On Gratitude And Everyday Transcendence
“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.” – John Milton
Read full post -
A Word to the Wise
Palaver
– from the Late Latin parabola (“speech”) – is idle talk; an unimportant discussion that goes on too long. As I used it today: “From his palaver with the nurses and aides after the doctor left, I learned that…
Read full post -
Readers Write
Readers Celebrate Author's Decision To Continue Writing
I’m happy to say that, in addition to many, many good wishes, I’ve been getting lots of positive feedback about my decision to keep going with this blog… “Thrilled to hear you found a better neurologist and…
Read full post -
Postscript
How Modest Openings Create Powerful Artistic Impact
A good deal of the satisfaction we have with aesthetic experience is anticipation – i.e., whether the experience meets or exceeds our expectations. Those expectations are often set by critiques we’ve read or…
Read full post -
Notes From My Journal
A Quick Update
I’m Back! I signed off on Tuesday saying that I might be ending the blog. “Check back with me on Friday,” I said. And here it is Friday… and I’m back! A Quick Update After I wrote that post, they did another…
Read full post -
Postscript
On a lighter note…
For the last several years, much to K’s chagrin, my political and social views have become more conservative. Whenever I voice such an opinion, she dismisses it by insisting that I must have an undetected…
Read full post -
Notes From My Journal
It’s Ironic. And Surprising. And Scary
I finished the edits to Friday’s issue on Thursday afternoon. If you read it, you will remember that the main bit was about aging – how my perspective on getting older has changed throughout my life. I said…
Read full post -
Worth Quoting
Theodore Roosevelt On Taking Action Over Indecision
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Read full post -
Notes From My Journal
Feeling My Age… Finally!
I’ll be in Myrtle Beach for a week in October, a yearly get-together with some life-long friends, playing golf, watching football, talking shit, and reminiscing. We’ll rehash old stories about the halcyon days…
Read full post -
Worth Quoting
Robert Frost On Life's Unexpected Revelations
“The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.” – Robert Frost
Read full post -
Worth Reading
Raylan
Raylan By Elmore Leonard 288 pages Originally published Dec. 26, 2012 by William Morrow Raylan, the second of two books I read this month for the Mules, is, in some ways, better than Hombre, which I reviewed…
Read full post -
Worth Watching
Justified
Justified A 6-part series developed for TV by Graham Yost Starring Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy, and Joelle Carter Available on various streaming services, including Netflix and Amazon Prime The TV series…
Read full post -
Conspiracy Theory of the Week
Canada's Healthcare System Euthanasia Conspiracy Claim
I’m starting a new department: Conspiracy Theory of the Week. Once a week, I’ll give you one or several of the most outlandish conspiracy theories I come across from the right- and the left-leaning media. This…
Read full post -
Inside Paradise Palms Botanical & Sculpture Gardens
Bird Of Paradise Flower Thrives In South Florida
The conservancy that I’m developing in West Delray Beach, FL, is destined to be (if I have anything to say about it) one of the largest and best-curated palm tree collections in the world. It also features a…
Read full post -
Readers Write
Why I keep doing what I do…
“You gave me advice when I was 19 back in 2005 in ETR that changed my life forever. While I was slow and stupid with the implementation, I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. Thank you!” – JH
Read full post -
A Word to the Wise
harrow
A harrow is an agricultural implement – a heavy wooden rake that is dragged over plowed land to break up and smooth the surface. In a figurative sense, we use harrowing to describe something that ravages…
Read full post -
Postscript
Funniest Pet Photos of the Year
In times like these, we need something, anything, to pick up our spirits. So, for your uplifting pleasure, I present Gizmodo’s finalists from this year’s Comedy Pet Photograph awards. Click here.
Read full post -
Notes From My Journal
I’m Bigger. Much Bigger. But He’s Much Better… in More Ways Than One!
I want to introduce you to someone special. He’s someone I love and admire. But first, let’s talk about moi – i.e., my physical fitness routine. I train for fitness twice a week. I do two hours with a trainer…
Read full post -
News & Views
More Crime Ridden Than the US? You Wouldn’t Guess!
I’ve done a lot of writing about the surge of violent crime in the US in recent years. It’s bad. But there is a country in Europe where things are actually worse. Before I saw the report that TS sent me, I…
Read full post -
Fun and/or Interesting
Why Forgetting Your Keys Isn't Dementia
Like many septuagenarians, I sometimes worry that I’m sliding into dementia because my memory seems to be getting worse. I’m forgetting names, where I put my keys, and the titles of movies. Not to worry, says…
Read full post