Articles from 2020
743 articles · browse by month or scroll through the year.
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Worth Watching
Online Business Profits During The Pandemic Crisis
From Rich Schefren: “Online Business Profits Are Up During the Pandemic. Are Yours?” Here From Simon Sinek:“5 Minutes on Why COVID-19 Is an Opportunity” Here From McKinsey.com: “Coronavirus’ business impact…
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Fun and/or Interesting
How Companies Navigate Recessions: Four Strategic Approaches
A Harvard Business Review study 4,700 public companies looked at the three years before, during, and after several recent recessions (including the recession of 90/91). They divided companies’ responses –…
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A Word to the Wise
furlough (noun)
A furlough (FUR-low) is a leave of absence. It usually refers to a leave granted to a member of the armed services, but lately we’ve been hearing it in a different context – employees being furloughed instead…
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Readers Write
An email from AD
I’ve been going through your book in an attempt to create a “course” for some rising superstars at our company. Just want to say thanks for putting that together. It’s an incredible compilation of wisdom. We…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Sports Star Opens Up About COVID-19 Experience
A sports star talks about his experience with COVID-19…
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Notes From My Journal
Coronavirus Statistics: Why The Media Math Doesn't Add Up
“Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable.” – Mark Twain Coronavirus Update: Bad Math, Dumb Reporting, Unthinking Citizens I had planned to publish an essay today about business strategies for…
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A Word to the Wise
morbidity vs. mortality
According to Dictionary.com, “These two nouns are similar in the sense that they are dark and often deal with sickness or death. However, they have distinct meanings within this heavier topic, and they can’t…
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Fun and/or Interesting
How Ferrara Escaped The Seventeenth Century Plague
As the plague ravaged Italy from 1629 to 1631, killing more than 45,000 in Venice alone, the northern Italian town of Ferrara kept it at bay. Critical to the city’s success, records suggest, were border…
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Worth Reading
The latest issue of AWAI’s Barefoot Writer — April 13, 2020
In this issue: * Superhero Writing Job Lets You Rescue Paying Clients in Their Darkest Hour of Need * Master Mental Time-and-Space Travel for Innovative Writing * The Thriving Writer’s Multitiered Safety Net *…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Marsh Family Performs Les Miserables During Lockdown
The Marsh Family goes viral with a lockdown version of “One Day More” from Les Miz… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRoMfg5ZgZU
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Notes From My Journal
Coronavirus Pandemic: Hope and Progress
“Every glittering ounce of [good news] should be cherished and hoarded and worshipped and fondled like a priceless diamond.”– Hunter S. Thompson Coronavirus Pandemic: Hope and Progress Today, we are going to…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Waffle House Index Hits Red During Pandemic Crisis
On March 25, Waffle House declared a “Waffle House Index Red” in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Waffle House Index, an informal metric used by FEMA for nearly a decade, refers to the measure of…
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A Word to the Wise
Words in the News From Dictionary.com
* Sedentation (seh-den-TAY-shun) – defined as “the adoption of a sedentary mode of life” – has been in use since the first half of the 20thcentury… but never the way we’re using it today. * Supplicant…
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Worth Reading
Famous Writers Share Their Favorite Comfort Books
Looking for some comfort books to read? The New York Times asked some well-known writers for suggestions. Here are some of them… * From Celeste Ng: The Princess Bride by William Goldman – “This has always been…
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Fun and/or Interesting
J.B. Smoove's Hilariously Chaotic Coronavirus Meditation Guide
More corona humor: a “relaxing” guided meditation with Curb Your Enthusiasm’s J.B. Smoove on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEoRjS70Vs8
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Notes From My Journal
Coronavirus Update: New Estimates and Answers
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” – John Adams Coronavirus Update: New Estimates…
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A Word to the Wise
Antibiotic” vs. “Antibody” vs. “Antigen”: What’s the difference?
An antibioticis a medicine used to fight bacterial infections. It does not work against viruses. Antibodies are special proteins that the immune system produces in response to antigens. And antigens are…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Pandemic Slang: The New Words We're All Using
The coronavirus has given rise to a host of new slang terms. Here, from Dictionary.com, are some that you may already have added to your vocabulary: * rona – an informal shortening of coronavirus (“Yeah, I…
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Worth Reading
Seven ‘Twilight Zone’ episodes that are eerily timely during the coronavirus pandemic
Click here to read this thought-provoking article from The Washington Post.
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Fun and/or Interesting
Bill Gates's Prescient Warnings About Pandemic Risk
Click here to watch Bill Gates’s chilling warnings to Trump – before the coronavirus outbreak hit.
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Notes From My Journal
When I’m Going to Get Back Into Stocks
“Every step of life shows much caution is required.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe When I’m Going to Get Back Into Stocks The Dow has fallen. A reader asks: Is it time to get back into stocks? I’m not an…
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A Word to the Wise
protean (adjective)
Protean (PROH-dee-un) refers to the ability to change frequently or easily. As used by Paul Johnson: “Indeed it is the protean ability of Western civilization to be self-critical and self-correcting – not only…
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Worth Reading
did you know? — April 6, 2020
“Why Italy?” Click here to read an explanation that I’ve never heard before.
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Worth Watching
Nassim Taleb Corrects The Black Swan Misconception
I referred to the coronavirus as a “black swan” event in my March 25 essay. In this video, Nassim Taleb, who invented the term, corrects me. Check it out here.
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Fun and/or Interesting
DIY Mask Making: A Simple Video Guide
A really cool and easy way to make a mask…Video
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Notes From My Journal
Protect Yourself From Corona Scams (and All Scams, for That Matter)
“A scam is a scam. A fraud is a fraud.” – Emily Thornberry Protect Yourself From Corona Scams (and All Scams, for That Matter) Those damn scammers. On Wednesday, I listed some of the cyber scams out there…
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A Word to the Wise
quarantine (verb, noun)
To quarantine (KWOR-un-teen) is to place people or animals in isolation to prevent the spread of disease or pests. The term comes from medieval efforts to fight the black death. Read about it here.
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Worth Reading
How Recovered Patients Saved Lives With Borrowed Antibodies
Before there were vaccines, doctors “borrowed” antibodies from recovered patients to save lives. A recent article on History.com explains how the discovery was made and how it’s been used to fight many…
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Worth Watching
Dr. David Price Explains What Face Masks Actually Do
You’ve heard that regular face masks can’t screen the virus. And it’s true. The virus is too small. But you should wear one because, at the very least, they keep you from touching your face. In this video, Dr…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Viral Video Imagines A Butt-Cleaning Robot Future
More viral humor: “Butt-Cleaning Robot – No More Toilet Paper!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQM__8Jn978&feature=youtu.be
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Notes From My Journal
Tough Decisions
“Quick decisions are unsafe decisions.” – Sophocles Tough Decisions Most of my coevals are retired. In the past several weeks, the e-chatting among them has increased. It’s clear that they, like so many…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Remote Work Scams Surge: How To Stay Safe Online
Cyber trickery is raging now that millions of Americans are working remotely. Here are some tips to avoid being duped: * Verify that you’ve got the right person when reaching out to any publicly published help…
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A Word to the Wise
moratorium (noun)
A moratorium (mor-uh-TOR-ee-um) is a temporary suspension of an activity or obligation. As I used it today: “We also have to prepare for the possibility of a rent moratorium. That would be zero income coming…
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Worth Reading
The latest issue of Independent Healing — April 1, 2020
“Your Guide to the Coronavirus Pandemic: How to help yourself and your loved ones during the COVID-19 outbreak” Including: * The single best anti-viral supplement * The secret of people who never seem to catch…
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Readers Write
An email from AS
One of the few things I have to look forward to is your blog. As your dad once said to us, “Keep writing.”
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Fun and/or Interesting
MIT Forum Tackles Diversity While Dodging the Obvious Irony
In what world can you take this seriously? The MIT Enterprise Forum of South Florida recently hosted an online forum titled “The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workforce and Leadership Teams.”…
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Notes From My Journal
Fear Of The Unknown During Crisis Times
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” – H.P. Lovecraft Like so many bloggers, I’ve been reading lots about the coronavirus…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Facts That Informed This Essay
* The seasonal flu kills between 12,000 and 61,000 people a year. * In Italy, about 10% of people known to be infected have died. In Iran and Spain, the case fatality rate is higher than 7%. But in South…
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A Word to the Wise
epidemiology (noun)
Epidemiology (ep-ih-dee-mee-AHL-uh-jee) is the branch of medicine that deals with the incidence, distribution, and possible control of diseases and other factors relating to health.
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Worth Reading
Thinking Critically About Coronavirus News and Information
“Thinking Critically About Coronavirus News and Information” – Good advice from the FTC on protecting yourself against coronavirus scams. Click here to read the article.
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Fun and/or Interesting
Tom Dyson On Gold As Wealth Protection
On Friday, I talked about what might happen in the gold market and explained how I use bullion gold as a wealth management strategy. I referenced ideas from Tom Dyson. Here are his latest thoughts.
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Notes From My Journal
Why Gold Prices Fell During Market Crash
“O Gold! I still prefer thee unto paper, which makes bank credit like a bark of vapour.” – Lord Byron What’s Going On With Gold Prices? When the stock market crashes, gold prices skyrocket. That, at least, is…
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A Word to the Wise
anomaly (noun)
An anomaly (un-NOM-uh-lee) is a deviation from the common rule, type, arrangement, or form. As I used it today: “[If, as Tom Dyson hypothesizes,] ‘it’s the supply and demand in the notional gold market that…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Gold: The Basics
* The price of the metal has increased substantially over the past 50 years. * Its price is driven, like most commodities, by supply and demand. * The lion’s share of the world’s gold is held in the vaults of…
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Worth Watching
An eventful week at the Masaya Volcano
Nicaragua’s Masaya volcano – which we often fly over on our way from Managua to Rancho Santana – was recently featured as part of Good Morning America’s Extraordinary Earth series. You can watch the GMA…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Coming this weekend… “The Week in Review
More viral humor… Coming this weekend… “The Week in Review”
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Notes From My Journal
The Stock Market Collapse, and What We Can Learn About Economics
“Taxes are not paid on profits not made on sales of products never produced by workers not working, truckers not trucking, and buyers not buying. And we are just at the beginning.” – Bill Bonner The Stock…
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Worth Reading
Looking Into the Near Future” – an excerpt from Bill Bonner’s Diary, March 20, 2020
The world of getting and spending is shutting down. Without revenue, neither businesses, or households, or the government will be able to pay their bills. Stocks will rise (“a dead cat bounce,” the old timers…
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A Word to the Wise
Black Swan event (noun)
A Black Swan is an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected of a situation and has potentially severe consequences. Black Swan events are characterized by their extreme rarity, their severe…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Test Your Punctuation Skills With This Quiz
How good are you at punctuation? To try a 10-question test designed for middle-schoolers, click here.
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