Articles from 2019
882 articles · browse by month or scroll through the year.
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Fun and/or Interesting
Worcestershire Sauce Is Basically Anchovy Ketchup
Worcestershire sauce is basically anchovy ketchup.
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Worth Quoting
J.D. Salinger On The Artist's Essential Duty
“The job of the artist is to remind people of what they have chosen to forget.” – J.D. Salinger
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Worth Reading
Who Needs Freedom” in Taki’s Magazine
This is an interesting little essay about a topic no thoughtful person can avoid: the conflict between freedom and regulation. LINK I thought it was interesting because the writer, who seems to have a strongly…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Tess Mohr's Spot-On Marilyn Monroe Impression
Tess Mohr doing a bit of Marilyn Monroe...
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Notes From My Journal
Thousands of autonomous delivery robots are about to descend on US college campuses
I just read an article about a new trend in delivery services on Peter Diamandis’s blog, Abundance Insider. Here’s what he wrote: Thousands of autonomous delivery robots are about to descend on US college…
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A Word to the Wise
salvific (adjective)
Something that’s salvific (sal-VIH-fik) has the intention or power to save or redeem. As used by Michelle Huneven: “For many years now, my source for salvific chicken soup has been the Sanamluang Café on the…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Amazon Fires Threaten World's Critical Oxygen Supply
The Amazon rainforest produces about 20% of the world’s oxygen supply – at least, it used to.
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Worth Quoting
Fay Weldon On False Dichotomies
“Because one cause is bad does not make the opposing cause good.” – Fay Weldon
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Worth Reading
David Cole's Hilarious Takedown Of Political Discourse
“PolitiFukt” – a very funny piece in Taki’s Magazine by the smart and obsessively persistent David Cole. LINK
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Readers Write
An email from PW
“It’s a bold claim… to make someone a millionaire in seven years or less… but Mark Ford (a.k.a. Michael Masterson) shows you exactly how to do it in Seven Years to Seven Figures. “I’ve seen first-hand how he…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Postmodern Jukebox Transforms 2001 Hit Into Sinatra-Era Masterpiece
Postmodern Jukebox takes on Blu Cantrell's 2001 revenge anthem, "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)" back to the time period of the Frank Sinatra tune it samples, with Olivia Kuper Harris channeling Ella Fitzgerald in…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Warren Buffett's Hedge Fund Bet And Market Lessons
In 2007, Warren Buffett made a 10-year, million-dollar bet with Ted Seides, a very successful hedge-fund manager. Seides had claimed that, in that time, hedge funds would outperform the markets. So Buffett…
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Worth Quoting
Warren Buffett On Foolproof Business Models
“I try to buy stock in businesses that are so wonderful that an idiot can run them. Because sooner or later, one will.” – Warren Buffett
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A Word to the Wise
burgeon (verb)
To burgeon (BUR-jun) is to flourish, to grow or develop quickly. As used by Ellis Peters: “Truth, like the burgeoning of a bulb under the soil, however deeply sown, will make its way to the light.”
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Fun and/or Interesting
Barcode Scanners Read The White Bars
not the black ones.
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Worth Reading
5 Photographers Capturing Chinese Youth Culture Today
An interesting article that I found on Artsy.net. LINK
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Fun and/or Interesting
Iceland's Strongest Men Train With Minnesota Vikings
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.
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Notes From My Journal
What 13 Highly Successful People Like Warren Buffett and Donald Trump Read Every Morning”?
I’ll be damned. Most of the most successful entrepreneurs in the USA don’t follow my advice. Judging from this article on Entrepreneur.com, most of the big shots spend the first hour or two of their days…
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Worth Quoting
Michael Masterson On Entertainment And Personal Identity
“Our choices in entertainment – the sort of books we read and the movies we go to – say more about us than we would like to admit.” – Michael Masterson
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A Word to the Wise
synecdoche (noun)
Synecdoche (sih-NEK-duh-kee) is a figure of speech in which the part is used for the whole. A few examples: the head for cattle, wheels for the car, hands for individuals, suits for businessmen.
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Fun and/or Interesting
Daniel Defoe's Secret Life As A Government Spy
Daniel Defoe – poet, novelist, journalist, travel writer, and adventurer – was also (according to some sources), a spy.
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Worth Reading
Tarantino Punches the Damn Dirty Hippies” in Taki’s Magazine
Immediately after watching Tarantino’s latest – “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” – I wasn’t sure what I thought about it. There were parts that I liked and admired, but the plot was weak. It dragged a little…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Typewriter Artist
The Typewriter Artist
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Notes From My Journal
Jeffrey Epstein: What Can We Believe?
I am not big on conspiracy theories. I’m 100% sure Hillary Clinton was not involved in the global pizza parlor/child slavery industry. I’m 50/50 on JFK. But so far, I’m thinking that Jeffrey Epstein did not…
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Worth Quoting
Goethe On The Paradox Of Knowledge
“Doubt grows with knowledge.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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A Word to the Wise
encroach (verb)
To encroach (en-KROHCH) is to advance beyond the usual or proper limits. As used by Pasquier Quesnel: “Zeal is very blind, or badly regulated, when it encroaches upon the rights of others.”
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Fun and/or Interesting
When Signing Petitions Actually Creates Real Change
Change.org is an interesting organization. Subscribe and you will get daily promotions for all sorts of causes. If you want to support any particular one of them, you can sign a petition and/or contribute…
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Worth Reading
The Turps
I found this tattered old book in my library. I knew Damon Runyon as a writer that specialized in loveable crooks. But this is an epistolary story about a very ordinary couple – Joe and Ethel Turp – living in…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Dan Kennedy's Final Letter to His Community
I wouldn’t call Dan Kennedy a friend. We were acquaintances. I knew him by reputation first, then as a fellow speaker at AWAI events, and then as a reader. We had a few conversations. Exchanged a few faxes…
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Notes From My Journal
The Copywriter's Dilemma: Finding Your Own USP
HW writes to ask for help in “coming up with a USP” to market his business. He’s a copywriter for and business coach to small businesses. “It’s funny,” he says, “I routinely help my clients with their USPs…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Examples of Successful USPs
* Anacin’s slogan – “Fast, incredibly fast relief” – was created by Rosser Reeves and his team after learning that the caffeine in Anacin did indeed bring faster relief (to some) than other pain relievers on…
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A Word to the Wise
sedulous (adjective)
Sedulous (SEJ-uh-lus) means diligent, with careful perseverance. As used by President John Tyler: “So far as it depends on the course of this government, our relations of good will and friendship will be…
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Worth Quoting
Michael Masterson On Earning The Right To Criticize
“You earn the right to criticize someone only after you have demonstrated the willingness to help someone.” – Michael Masterson
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Worth Watching
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” (1927)
I first watched this movie, quite by accident, perhaps 15 years ago. It was about two in the morning when I started, and I couldn’t stop watching it. It is a very old black & white film, and is experimental in…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The World's Largest Buildings By Floor Space
Biggest Building
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Notes From My Journal
Women's Wealth And Income Are Rising Faster
A few weeks ago, I gave you good news about the gender income gap. In that essay, I explained how the data have been manipulated in a way that makes it look like the wage gap is a much bigger problem than it…
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A Word to the Wise
voluble (adjective)
Voluble (VOL-yuh-buhl) refers to a ready and continuous flow of words; spoken language that is fluent and glib. As used by Derek Walcott: “You would hear people talking in Barbados in the exact melody as a…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Why Your Fingernails Grow At Different Speeds
Your fingernails do not grow at the same rate. The thumbnail grows the slowest. The nail of the middle finger grows the fastest.
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Worth Quoting
Ralph Waldo Emerson on Anger's Cost to Happiness
“For every minute you are angry you lose 60 seconds of happiness.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Worth Reading
Beyond Meat: It’s Not Just the Meat That’s Fake” in Bill Bonner’s Diary
Have you ever wondered how dumb educated people can be? This essay by Bill Bonner shines a light on the immense stupidity of stock market investors today.
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Readers Write
Reader on Building Wealth From Day One
An email from VA: I wish I had Automatic Wealth for Grads when I was starting out. What makes this book special is its brilliant niche: It performs a true service for anyone starting out… or even starting over…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Performance Art's Hidden Power Beyond Technical Skill
What's interesting about this is that the pleasure of the performance comes as much from the story as from the skill, which says something truthful about performance art.
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Notes From My Journal
Evaluating A Friend's Startup Investment Opportunity
Number One Son recently asked my opinion of a potential investment opportunity – a startup business looking for funding. “These guys are friends of ours from NY,” he told me, “and they’re building a…
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A Word to the Wise
assiduous (adjective) — August 16, 2019
Assiduous (uh-SIJ-oo-us) means constant, unremitting. As I used it today: “This proposal is very well done from an outside perspective. It’s logical. It addresses all the usual subjects. It evinces assiduous…
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Worth Quoting
Toni Morrison On Writing The Book You Want To Read
“I wrote my first novel because I wanted to read it.” – Toni Morrison
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Fun and/or Interesting
Niagara Falls Slowly Retreating Due To Water Erosion
Niagara Falls has receded 7 miles in 10,000 years because of erosion at the base.
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Worth Reading
Bullets From Heaven” in Taki’s Magazine
This article is the best thing I’ve yet read about the recent massacres.
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Fun and/or Interesting
Orcas Encounter Swimmer at New Zealand Beach
Orcas playing with swimmer at Hahei Beach, New Zealand.
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Notes From My Journal
Finding Relevance As An Older Entrepreneur
At my age, 68 (or “in my 69th year,” as K likes to put it), I feel like I’m surrounded by teenagers whenever I find myself in the “real” world of Internet marketing seminars. More to the point, I feel like…
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Worth Quoting
Michael Masterson On Two Types Of Confidence
“There are two types of confidence. Delusionary confidence, which comes from coddling, and genuine confidence, which comes from accomplishment.” – Michael Masterson
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