Articles from 2019

McDonald's Serves 68 Million Customers Daily Worldwide — September 22, 2019

In 2018, McDonald’s generated almost $6 billion of net income serving around 68 million customers per day.

Cathay

Ezra Pound was one of my favorite poets in college and even in graduate school. I loved his imagist poems and “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” and was awed by “The Cantos.” But the poems that broke my heart were the 15…

An email from NA

I’ve been reading your [essays] for a good while now. Not all of it applies to me, but I read it all nonetheless. I’ve always been confident in my capabilities and those of my fabulous husband,… 18 months ago…

Why The Dvorak Keyboard Never Replaced QWERTY

The Dvorak keyboard is much faster than the QWERTY keyboard, but never caught on. This videoexplains why.

Kill Your Inner John Bolton” by Caitlin Johnstone

“We each have a miniature John Bolton,” Caitlin Johnstone says, writing in Taki’s Magazine. And he’s “living rent-free inside our heads, ruining our peace and promoting world domination at every opportunity.”…

purview (noun)

Purview (PUR-vyoo) is the range or limit of authority, competence, responsibility, concern, or intentions. As used by Uzodinma Iweala: “Around the world, our cities are not the idealized open, accessible, and…

Good News from Abundance Insider: Scientists Reverse Aging in Rat Stem Cells

A team of researchers at the University of Cambridge… has uncovered a potential mechanism for reversing a loss of function in brain stem cells. The discovery centers on oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs)…

Vince Lombardi On Football's Violent Nature

“Football isn’t a contact sport. It’s a collision sport. Dancing is a contact sport.” – Vince Lombardi

Michael Chabon

Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces by Michael Chabon Most of these essays were published elsewhere. They are reminiscences of Chabon’s experiences with his children and about his efforts to navigate the uncharted…

Iceland's Strongest Men Train With Minnesota Vikings — September 20, 2019

Iceland is a small country with a small population, but among them are some of the strongest men in the world. Here's a little clip of these big guys with the Minnesota Vikings.

Decades Of Anti-Poverty Efforts Have Failed

Every politician, college professor, social warrior, and NYT columnist today is concerned about wealth and income disparity. The general view is that there is a lot of it. Globally, but also within the good…

Michael Masterson On Human Hierarchy And Inequality

“Homo sapiens instinctively abhor equality and create hierarchies in every possible way at every possible opportunity.” – Michael Masterson

redoubtable (adjective)

Redoubtable (rih-DOW-tuh-bul) means formidable, fearsome. As used by James Gleick: “Encyclopedias are finished. All encyclopedias combined, including the redoubtable Britannica, have already been surpassed by…

Dolphins Sleep With Half Their Brain Awake

Dolphins can put one side of their brain to sleep while the other side does the thinking.

Kurt Vonnegut

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut This is one of two novels by Kurt Vonnegut that I read recently for my book club (The Mules). It would probably be indexed under “science fiction,” but it reads as a somewhat…

Panama Canal: Engineering Marvel Behind Global Trade

A fascinating short documentary on how the Panama Canal works and how critical it is to the global economy...

Twenty Years Of Jiu Jitsu, Basic Mistakes Overlooked

Even when I’m traveling, I try to get in some sort of Jiu Jitsu practice. When I was in New York a few weeks ago, I took two lessons from Paul Schreiner, one of Marcelo Garcia’s instructors and a great student…

Michael Masterson On Expert Overconfidence

“The biggest mistake experts make are beginner mistakes.” – Michael Masterson

denigrate (verb)

To denigrate (DEN-ih-grate) is to belittle, disparage; criticize in a derogatory way. As I used it today: “Looking back on conversations that went south, I can usually spot a freshman communications error…

Stephen King's Lifelong Fear Of The Dark

Stephen King is afraid of the dark. He sleeps with a nightlight.

An email from KP

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all your writings, and as I’ve told you in person, I KNOW (stronger than “believe”) that Ready, Fire, Aim is the best business book there is on small/medium-sized business and marketing…

Flash Fiction from The New Yorker: “The Weight” by Anne Enright

Flash Fiction from The New Yorker: “The Weight” by Anne Enright

Learning To Speak Across The Aisle — September 15, 2019

We do need to learn how to speak across the aisle. I thought this was a refreshing and hopeful idea from a media person...

Looking Back on Robert Mugabe’s Career

Last week, Robert Mugabe, the long-time leader of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) died. He was 95. Looking Back on Robert Mugabe’s Career: How to Bankrupt a Country and Keep It Poor for 40 Years In 1975, I was…

laudable (adjective)

Laudable (LAW-duh-bul), usually applied to an action, idea, or goal, means deserving of praise and commendation. As I used it today: “I remember thinking that Mugabe’s vision for Zimbabwe was laudable. Along…

Germaine de Staël on the Nature of Wit

“Wit consists in seeing the resemblance of things that differ and the difference in things that are alike.” – Germaine de Staël

Solar Energy Could Power The Entire World

Every five days, the sun provides the Earth with as much energy as all proven supplies of fossil fuels. We need to capture only one 6,000th of that to meet the energy needs of the entire planet.

Fare Warning” in Taki’s Magazine

The Human Brain's Intricate Animated Architecture

An amazingly detailed animation of the human brain...

The Charity Tax Deduction Myth Explained

My brother-in-law is an experienced businessman. Intelligent guy, college-educated, etc. We were talking about Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, and he said something like: “Well, those guys give money to charity…

Word of the Day: Sixty

Sixty-five percent of America’s millionaires have at least three income streams.

Mark Twain On Questioning The Majority

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it’s time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain

motley (adjective)

Motley (MAHT-lee) describes something that is incongruously varied in appearance or character. As used by Robert E. Howard in The People of the Black Circle: “Along that gorge rode a motley throng – bearded…

The latest issue of AWAI’s Barefoot Writer — September 11, 2019

In this issue: * “Mind-Blowing Writing Projects That Protect Forests, Rebuild After Disasters, Save Lives… and Pay Your Bills” * “Prague, Paris, and the Dutch Romance That Launched My Writer’s Life” * “The…

Learning To Speak Across The Aisle

We do need to learn how to speak across the aisle. I thought this was a refreshing and hopeful idea from a media person...

Growers, Tenders, Givers, And Takers

The most important factor in the success of your business is people. And that makes the most important decisions you make about people – whom you hire, whom you fire, and what you ask them to do. Some people…

Michael Masterson On Confronting Our Strengths And Weaknesses

“The two greatest truths we must face are our strengths and weaknesses.” – Michael Masterson

impetus (noun)

Impetus (IM-puh-tus) is a driving force; the incentive or stimulus to make something happen or happen more quickly. As used by Max Carver: “Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking…

Solar Power Finally Beats Grid Electricity On Cost

The cost of solar energy today is cheap – $3 per watt – and getting cheaper. Over a lifetime of use, it’s now cheaper than buying it from the grid.

The latest issue of Independent Healing — September 9, 2019

“The Great Vegetarian Con” LINK The meatless movement is peddling bogus science. Giving up animal foods won’t make you healthier or help the environment.

An email from IJ

I just love getting your “stuff” in my e-mail…. I read it every time, as 90% of the time it is of relevance and value to me on some level. Having just re-launched a business at the age of 61, I gain great…

The Sprint Remains The Best Track Event

Another good one! My favorite is the sprint.

About AZ…

AZ and I have a friendship that is at least partly about our common career paths. We met after K and I had moved to South Florida. I was beginning a new job as editor of a newsletter publishing company. He had…

Michael Masterson On Finding Meaning In Ordinary Moments

“Life is a continuum of moments. Some are disappointing. Some are gratifying. Most are neither and thus invisible. A well-lived life consists in accepting moments of disappointment and gratification, but most…

fecund (adjective)

Fecund (FEK-und) means fertile, productive. As used by Sue Hubbell: “You have to take springtime on its own terms in the Ozarks: There is no other way. It can’t be predicted. It is unsteady, full of promise, a…

India's Moon Mission Costs Less Than The Avengers

In July, India launched its first moon-bound spacecraft. Chandrayaan-2, a 142-foot rocket, cost $141 million, less than half the cost of “The Avengers” movie.

The Big Business of Scavenging in Postindustrial America

The US produces more garbage per capita than any other nation in the world. In this article from The New York Times, Jake Halpern explains how scrappers are turning that waste into a $32 billion business. LINK

A Refreshingly Unfiltered Take On Marriage

A refreshingly un-PC view of marital relations...

Principles of Wealth #29

There are proven ways to safely achieve a higher-than-average ROI for certain asset classes under certain conditions. One can, for example, safely double the ROIs on income-producing real estate by using bank…

solecism (noun)

A solecism (SAHL-siz’m) is a minor grammatical error – a word or phrase that is used incorrectly or in a non-standard way. Examples: between you and me… whom shall I say is calling… the woman, she is here… he…