January 2024
32 articles published this month.
-
The Economy & Investing
Newsom’s Magnificently Stupid Plan to Fill His State’s $68 Billion Budget Hole
Newsom’s Magnificently Stupid Plan to Fill His State’s $68 Billion Budget Hole Governor Newsom and California Democrats are once again “pioneering” an economic idea that is bound to fail. I don’t know what…
Read full post -
Worth Reading
Einstein in Time and Space
A Life in 99 Particles By Samuel Graydon 368 pages Published Dec. 14, 2023 I’ve read a few books about Einstein before. No genuine biographies, but books that promised to help me understand a bit about his…
Read full post -
Worth Watching
Forgotten Love
Directed by Michal Gazda Produced by Netflix Released Sept. 27, 2023 Watch Time: 2 hrs. 20 min. Forgotten Love is Neflix’s adaptation of a 1992 classic Polish melodrama – the third adaptation of the Polish…
Read full post -
News & Views
Conspiracy Watch
Conspiracy Watch What Really Happened to George Floyd? Three years after George Floyd died lying on the ground, face down, under the knee of Officer Derek Chauvin, some surprising and, for some, inconvenient…
Read full post -
Fun and/or Interesting
Three Unexpected Trends Taking Over The Internet
Quick Bites: A Rabbit Hole You Probably Don’t Want to Go Down… A Survival Tactic You Probably Don’t Need to Know… Tap, Tap, Tappety-Tap! * A new YouTube rabbit hole: People recording themselves getting fired!…
Read full post -
Quiz of the Week
Classic Movie Soundtracks
This is clearly not my area of expertise. I got seven out of 15 correct on this quiz. And of the seven, four were guesses!
Read full post -
Readers Write
From BK
“Mark…You are getting more political these days. I like it!” My Response: Western Civilization is definitely on the downslope. One can ignore some of it, and even laugh about some of it, but there’s never been…
Read full post -
Postscript
News from Rancho Santana
This is an owner update I just received from the Rancho Santana team. It’s not meant for the public. But that makes it better in that it gives you a sense of the quality of the resort, the kindness of our…
Read full post -
SPECIAL ISSUE
The Hamas-Israel Conflict
This is a supplement to my regular weekly blog. I am publishing it separately because I know that the interest level of readers varies – from mild to intense – depending on the topic. So when I am especially…
Read full post -
Notes From My Journal
Things I’ve Been Thinking About Lately — January 15, 2024
White Privilege, Intersectionality, Critical Race Theory, Identity Politics… How Academia’s Dumbest Ideas Became So Popular I had just finished a chapter of a book I’m writing in which, among other things, I…
Read full post -
The Economy & Investing
2023 Was a Pretty Good Year for the Global Economy, but…
2023 Was a Pretty Good Year for the Global Economy, but… Despite widespread global inflation, geopolitical problems, and the economic after-effects of COVID and the lockdowns, the global economy in 2023 did a…
Read full post -
News & Views
Election Watch
Election Watch Trump Must Be Reading This Blog Donald Trump must be reading my blog, because he’s just predicted that Biden won’t be running against him in the 2024 election. In a recent interview with…
Read full post -
Fun and/or Interesting
Quick Bites: Hot Stuff… Dumb Stuff… and an “Impossible” Challenge Smashed
Quick Bites: Hot Stuff… Dumb Stuff… and an “Impossible” Challenge Smashed McDonald’s Under Attack! You may have seen video clips of McDonald’s customers being harassed by pro-Palestinian protestors. It’s…
Read full post -
Quiz of the Week
How much do you know about the Vikings?
I scored only 12 out of 20 on this quiz, but I found the ones I didn’t know fascinating. The Vikings contributed more to British and American civilization that most people realize, including some of our best…
Read full post -
Postscript
Another two thumbs up for Rancho Santana!
This rave review from Men’s Journal provides a good summary of all the adventures that can be enjoyed there.
Read full post -
Notes From My Journal
I Am 17 and I Don’t Know Where to Go with My Life
“I Am 17 and I Don’t Know Where to Go with My Life” I frequently get requests from my readers asking for advice, and I do my best to answer their questions and get them pointed in the right direction…
Read full post -
The Economy & Investing
Chart of the Week — January 8, 2024
Chart of the Week One of the numbskull ideas that have always been part of political discussions is that the ups and downs of the economy and/or the financial markets are responses to the legislative or…
Read full post -
News & Views
Two Takes on Dems’ Efforts to Keep Trump Off the Ballots
Two Takes on Dems’ Efforts to Keep Trump Off the Ballots Republican Senator Eric Schmitt calls the Colorado Supreme Court ruling to remove Trump from the state primary ballot “one of the most dangerous court…
Read full post -
Worth Reading
Can the US Fight Three Major Wars Simultaneously?
Can the US Fight Three Major Wars Simultaneously? Read Time: 8 minutes Michael Snyder believes that 2024 will be a “year of war.” In the Jan. 1 issue of his blog, he says, “In recent years our military has…
Read full post -
Inside Paradise Palms Botanical & Sculpture Gardens
Painting in Paradise — January 8, 2024
Painting in Paradise They call themselves plein air (i.e., outdoor) painters, a term that came into prominence during the early decades of the 20th century. It referred to the Impressionist painters who worked…
Read full post -
Fun and/or Interesting
Quick Bites: UFOs?… Airborne Criminal… Just When You Thought Sports Couldn’t Get Crazier… a Powerful Motown Cover
Quick Bites: UFOs?… Airborne Criminal… Just When You Thought Sports Couldn’t Get Crazier… a Powerful Motown Cover * I’m not up on my UFO history… although I do know that the topic has been getting more…
Read full post -
Quiz of the Week
How much do you know about the Supreme Court?
How much do you know about the Supreme Court? I scored 13 out of 21 on this quiz.
Read full post -
Readers Write
Readers Praise Rancho Santana's Community Impact In Nicaragua
From JM, re my comment in the Jan. 2 issue that, according to several reports, women are more likely than men to have love partners before their divorce: “That also happens prior to a marriage. It is a…
Read full post -
Postscript
Small Acts of Kindness Soothe Our Divided Times
At a time like the one we are living through today… with so much division and discord and even antipathy… when almost every piece of news we encounter is laced with emotional tension… where every heartfelt…
Read full post -
Notes From My Journal
Boys Will Be Boys
Boys Will Be Boys I was backing up. I would have fallen over the barbell on the floor behind me had Paulo, my trainer, not stopped me. I asked him, “As a kid, in Brazil, did you ever play that prank where you…
Read full post -
The Economy & Investing
Chart of the Week
Chart of the Week This week, Sean provides a chart on US household spending that shows an uptrend in investment in stocks. The WSJ says it’s because it’s easier than ever to buy stocks. But Sean has a…
Read full post -
News & Views
Health Watch — January 2, 2024
Health Watch More Bad News About Statin Drugs As I’ve told you before, since I began researching statin drugs several years ago, I have yet to find any research indicating that taking them increases lifespan…
Read full post -
Worth Reading
AI Resurrects The Beatles For Digital Immortality
“On the one hand, it’s amazing to think that the artists we love will never die. But on the other hand, it can start to feel like a scene from the movie Weekend at Bernie’s.” In this essay, Andrew Zucker talks…
Read full post -
Fun and/or Interesting
Quick Bites: Something I Don’t Understand... Something I Never Knew... Something Nobody’s Ever Heard Before
Quick Bites: Something I Don’t Understand... Something I Never Knew... Something Nobody’s Ever Heard Before * A Question: What do people mean when they characterize the US as a “wealthy” country? How can a…
Read full post -
Quiz of the Week
How worldly are you?
How worldly are you? I’m not nearly as worldly as I thought. I scored 70% (21 out of 30) on this quiz.
Read full post -
Readers Write
From AS re my bit in the Dec. 22 issue about bad business-management ideas
“In my business, I would choose an Employee of the Month, every month. The staff had to park their cars in a lot away from our building. The reward for being Employee of the Month was to park your car right…
Read full post -
Postscript
Charlie Munger On Earning Trust And Success
“To get what you want, deserve what you want. Trust, success, and admiration are earned.” – Charlie Munger
Read full post