Articles from 2019
882 articles · browse by month or scroll through the year.
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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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Notes From My Journal
Art and Science, Beauty and Truth, Straining and Relaxation, Aristotle and Plato, Iris Murdoch and Music… in One Lesson
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.” – John Keats Art and Science, Beauty and Truth, Straining and Relaxation, Aristotle and Plato, Iris Murdoch and Music… in…
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A Word to the Wise
transcendent (adjective)
Something that is transcendent (tran-SEN-dunt) is beyond or above the range of normal or merely physical human experience. As I used it today: “[Iris Murdoch] says that you cannot experience [beauty] fully…
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Fun and/or Interesting
How Philadelphia Police Invented Black Friday
The term “Black Friday” was supposed to persuade people to not go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. In 1966, the Philadelphia Police Department started referring to it as Black Friday in hopes that it…
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Worth Reading
The Amber Room: History's Greatest Lost Treasure
“The Amber Room” on History.com LINK A lost masterpiece…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Street Performer Masters The Ancient Ring Dance Art
The Ring Dance I saw someone doing this in San Francisco a few years ago. This performer brings it to an artistic level.
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Notes From My Journal
Is This Very Smart Funny? I Have No Idea…
“From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.” – Dr. Seuss Is This Very Smart Funny? I Have No Idea… There’s funny and there’s very smart funny. That’s what I call it. Maybe it’s not…
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A Word to the Wise
Machiavellian (adjective)
Someone who is Machiavellian (mak-ee-uh-VEL-ee-un) is focused on his own interests – scheming, deceiving, and manipulating others to achieve his goals. The word comes from the 16thcentury Italian philosopher…
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Fun and/or Interesting
What The First Thanksgiving Meal Actually Included
The first Thanksgiving feast in 1621 lasted for three days – and it looked nothing like the “traditional” meal we enjoy. No turkey (which didn’t become popular until the 19thcentury), no corn on the cob (they…
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Worth Reading
Why You Should Check Your Bag When Flying
“The Case for Checking a Bag (and other travel complaints)” on Medium.com Today is expected to be one of the busiest air travel days of the year, with an estimated 2.7 million passengers. Whether or not you’re…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Absurd Economics Of Modern College
A funny but sad look at college education today.
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Notes From My Journal
7 Reasons to Believe Things Are Getting Better
1. Innovations in Prosthetics: People that have above-the-knee leg amputations can now walk more easily, thanks to new technologies developed by researchers from ETH Zurich and the Universities of Belgrade and…
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A Word to the Wise
glom (verb)
To glom (GLOM) onto something is to grab hold of it. As I used it today: “REGN-EB3 is made up of three antibodies that glom onto the [Ebola] virus, preventing it from replicating inside the host’s bodyand…
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Worth Quoting
Michael Masterson On True Character And Adversity
“A person’s character is not determined by how far he moves when the wind is at his back but by how far he leans forward when it is against him.” – Michael Masterson
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Fun and/or Interesting
One In Seven Americans Has Gone Skinny-Dipping
Fifteen percent of Americans have admitted to skinny-dipping.
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Worth Reading
Harriet Tubman's Raid Freed Over Seven Hundred Enslaved People
“How Harriet Tubman Led a Civil War Raid That Freed More Than 700 From Slavery” on History.com LINK
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Readers Write
An email from JT
I wanted to follow up and thank you – for your time and your ongoing support. I have always greatly appreciated our relationship and want you to know that your “lobbying” for me – and to me – means a lot…. I…
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Fun and/or Interesting
What Fits Inside Modern Tiny Packages — November 24, 2019
It's amazing what you can fit into a little package these days.
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Notes From My Journal
A Renewal Notice From Medium.com
In most areas of commerce, subscription services are required to notify their customers about renewal charges before they are done. And even where they aren’t required, notification is a good idea because it…
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Worth Reading
Bob Bly on Changing Careers Later in life
“One of the major keys to happiness is choosing your career wisely and if possible early on in your life. “According to an article in Personality and Social Psychology, a leading cause of regret in older…
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Worth Quoting
Michael Masterson On Choosing Your Own Purpose
“A sense of purpose is a great blessing – one of the few that can be freely chosen by anyone at any time.” – Michael Masterson
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A Word to the Wise
caducity (noun)
Caducity (Kuh-DOO-sih-tee) is the quality of being transitory or perishable. It can be used as a synonym for senility. As used by J.G. Millingen in Curiosities of Medical Experience: “Let us deduct even from…
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