Articles from 2019
882 articles · browse by month or scroll through the year.
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A Word to the Wise
assuage (verb)
To assuage (uh-SWAYZH) is to make milder or less severe; to relieve, ease, mitigate. As used by Arthur Schopenhauer: “I’ve never known any trouble that an hour’s reading didn’t assuage.”
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Fun and/or Interesting
Facts about Mean Streets
* Director/co-writer Martin Scorsese based Mean Streets on actual events that he witnessed almost regularly while growing up in New York City’s Little Italy. * The title is a reference to “The Simple Act of…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Cuban Singer's Unexpected Take On American Classic
This is both impressive and also sort of funny... hearing this quintessentially American song sung with a strong Cuban accent.
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
The End Of Privacy Is Here
You are googling your favorite celebrity online and ads keep popping up for Paris hotels. It just so happens that you are going to Paris for a business meeting next month. You did no searches for “Paris hotels…
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A Word to the Wise
aberrant (adjective)
Something that’s aberrant (AB-er-unt) deviates substantially from the accepted standard. As I used it today: “If you are my age, you are worried. You are worrying about exposure. You know what I’m talking…
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Worth Quoting
Catherine Butler On Internet Privacy's Contradiction
“Privacy on the internet. That’s an oxymoron.” - Catherine Butler
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Fun and/or Interesting
Myopia Linked To Higher Intelligence Levels
Myopia (short-sightedness) is associated with higher IQs.
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Worth Reading
The Man Who Invented the Calendar
"BJ Novak was an actor in and one of the writers for the US version of “The Office.” He’s a smart, funny man. I read a book he wrote recently – can’t remember the name. Very good. This little piece, published…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Gunfighter
Just days after writing the above essay, a friend sent me the link to this hilarious short film. Besides poking fun at a cliché of cowboy movies, it actually advances the idea I was writing about – that the…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
When Credit Theft Costs You Future Opportunities
George is stuck between a rock and a hard place. About a year ago, he came out of retirement to work as a consultant for a large hotel complex in my town. He was brought in to rescue the project after the city…
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Worth Reading
The Cruise Ship Nightmare That Ended in a Mutiny” on History.com
An interesting story about a cruise liner that ended its lifetime career of luxury service by treating its customers like chattel.
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Fun and/or Interesting
Vatican City: The World's Tiniest Nation Explained
Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. Its population is 1,000. Its area is 109 acres.
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Readers Write
An email from SR
Although becoming wealthy in America is not an easy task, the steps outlined in Automatic Wealth give the reader a great place to start. All too often, a book is purchased with the hopes of a “magic formula”…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Refusing To Accept The Victim Label
An inspiring TED Talk from a person that refuses to consider himself a victim.
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Notes From My Journal
How Social Connections Shape Life After Sixty
When you get to my age (68), you arrive at crossroads that are different from the ones you encountered before. The choices may be similar. But the decisions you make have more importance because you don’t have…
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Worth Quoting
Close Relationships Buffer Against Aging's Hardships
“Good, close relationships appear to buffer us from the slings and arrows of getting old.” – Dr. Robert Waldinger
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Fun and/or Interesting
Strong Relationships Protect Your Brain And Heart
* In a study of 700 participants with varied incomes, social statuses, and family size, Dr. Robert Waldinger found that brain function declined sooner in those who were less satisfied in their relationships. *…
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A Word to the Wise
gregarious (adjective)
A person who is gregarious (gruh-GARE-ee-us) is fond of company; sociable. As I used it today: “I am rich in friendships. Not because I’m a gregarious person. I’m not. But I do have an irrepressible curiosity…
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Worth Reading
Foreign Automakers Dominate American Car Manufacturing
So much of what we assume to be true is bullshit, and the percentage is higher when it comes to politicized issues. Here’s a good example: “Ford, GM don’t make the most ‘American-made’ car. Here’s who does” on…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Donald Miller's Unexpected Sales Wisdom
Another lesson in smart salesmanship from Donald Miller
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Notes From My Journal
Building Richie Havens A Green Room Overnight
I met Richie Havens in the basement of The Right Track Inn, a bar on Long Island that I was a part of in the early 1970s. It was a bucket of blood when Mike and Al bought it. Mike recruited Steve and me to…
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Worth Quoting
Friedrich Nietzsche on Music's Essential Worth
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
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A Word to the Wise
integrity (noun)
Integrity (in-TEH-grih-tee) is adherence to moral and ethical standards. As used by Dwight David Eisenhower: “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is…
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Worth Reading
Cracking Skulls For A Good Cause
“Cracking Skulls for a Good Cause” in Taki’s Magazine
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Fun and/or Interesting
Ancient Horse Teeth Reveal Secrets Of Early Riding
Fossils of horse teeth worn down by bridles indicate that horses were used as transportation 5,000 years ago. But they were almost certainly ridden without bridles long before that.
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Fun and/or Interesting
AOC's Flawed Tax Math Goes Viral Online
“Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Tax Expert” If this sort of thinking weren’t becoming more commonplace, it would be funny. https://youtu.be/5sMZNcxdoCA
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Notes From My Journal
Ten Surprising Facts About How People Build Wealth
I’m working on a little book that’s tentatively titled New Ideas About BuildingWealth. My thesis is original in the sense that it came from thinking about my own experience and the experience of friends and…
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Worth Reading
Female Soccer Pioneers Banned For Threatening Men's Game
“The Women’s Soccer Outlaws Who Could Beat the Men” From History.com: In the 1920s, a group of female soccer pioneers in England drew huge crowds until they were banned for threatening the popularity of the…
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A Word to the Wise
facultative (adjective)
Facultative (FAK-uhl-tay-tiv) means optional; left to one’s choice. As used by Frederic Austin Ogg in The Governments of Europe: “In some cantons the referendum is obligatory, in others it is ‘facultative,’ or…
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Worth Quoting
Jane Austen On The Incurable Nature Of Selfishness
“Selfishness must always be forgiven, you know, because there is no hope of a cure.” – Jane Austen
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Fun and/or Interesting
How Calorie Counting Started With Weight Gain
Calorie counting was originally devised as a way to gain, not lose, weight.
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Readers Write
An email from LCP
I have read many books about business and goals, growing as a person, and I honestly believe your perspective is the most life changing approach I have ever read. In The Pledge, I love how you give such…
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Fun and/or Interesting
What It Takes to Be a Millionaire
“What It Takes to Be a Millionaire” LINK
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Notes From My Journal
Four Fundamental Ways To Build Wealth
On July 1, I wrote about an idea I’m developing that I hope to make into a small book called something like Building Wealth in 7 Lessons. I suggested that, at base, there are only three ways to make money: by…
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Worth Quoting
Michael Masterson On Prioritizing Life's Goals
“When you put one of your life’s goals above all others, things change. Situations that used to seem complicated are suddenly easy to understand. Decisions that were once difficult are suddenly simple.” –…
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A Word to the Wise
apotheosis (noun)
Apotheosis (uh-poth-ee-OH-sis) is the perfect example of something; a glorified ideal. As used by Katie Baker (“The Queen of the French Kitchen”): “If life has such a thing as an apotheosis, it surely involves…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Military Drones Now Carry Nearly Two Tons
The US military has developed drones that can carry as much as 1,800 pounds of supplies.
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Worth Watching
Dead to Me” (Netflix)
This is a series that I would not have tried, but did on the basis of M and M’s recommendation. It’s the story of two women (played by Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini) who come together in grief and…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Professional Pianists Pranking Crowds In Viral Videos
There must be 10,000 different video genres on YouTube. Here is one I discovered and binged on (a politically incorrect term an online dictionary tells me) last night... professional pianists impersonating…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
The Most Recommended
I saw this little ad in a publication recently: The Most Recommended Path to the Writer’s Life No matter what path you want to take to the writer’s life, knowing how to write persuasively is at the heart of it…
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Worth Quoting
Bill Bernbach On Advertising's True Impact
“Good advertising builds sales. Great advertising builds factories.” – Bill Bernbach
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A Word to the Wise
insuperable (adjective)
Something that is insuperable (in-SOO-puh-ruh-bul) cannot be surmounted or overcome. As used by J.R.R. Tolkien: “The original ‘Hobbit’ was never intended to have a sequel – Bilbo ‘remained very happy to the…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Walmart's Surprising Dominance Across America
In 21 states, Wal-Mart is the single largest employer.
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Worth Reading
Our Last Best Chance: The Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril
From the book jacket: “King Abdullah II was schooled in America and at Sandhurst and heading for a life as a successful career soldier, when his father fell ill and he was unexpectedly named King of Jordan…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Bringing The Dead Back To Life
A particularly good one... I love the idea of bringing the dead back to life!
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Notes From My Journal
Speaking of Speaking to…
“I’d be happy to speak to that topic in a moment,” he said. “I’d be happy if you spoke about it,” I replied. I don’t like this parvenu expression “speak to” when its meaning is “speak about.” It feels…
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Worth Reading
The latest issue of AWAI’s Barefoot Writer
Click HERE to read: * “This Opportunity Treasure Trove for Writers Makes Other Solopreneurs Green With Envy” * “Never Again Hang Your Head in Shame After Hitting ‘Send’” * “Scoring Big in the Niche You’ve…
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A Word to the Wise
parvenu (noun)
A parvenu (PAR-vuh-noo) is someone who has suddenly gained wealth, influence, or celebrity but does not yet have the prestige, dignity, or manner associated with it. As I used it today: “I don’t like this…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Explosive Growth Of Gluten-Free Foods
Sales of gluten-free products went from virtually nothing in 2000 to 18 billion in 2018.
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Worth Quoting
Vince Lombardi On Confidence's Contagious Power
“Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.” – Vince Lombardi
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