Articles from 2020
743 articles · browse by month or scroll through the year.
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A Word to the Wise
annus mirabilis (noun)
Annus mirabilis (AH-nus muh-RAH-bih-lus) is a Latin phrase that means miraculous or amazing year. As I used it today: “My record in the years that followed my annus mirabilis was piebald.”
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Worth Considering
Has the Spike Peaked?
You might not know this if you rely on the media for your news and views, but the spike in cases and deaths from COVID-19 seems to have peaked and is heading down. The daily case count peaked on July 17 with…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Keyboard Shortcuts You Probably Don't Know
Do you know these keyboard shortcuts? I knew only two of them. Very useful.
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Fun and/or Interesting
How To Spot A Scam
An FTC video on how to spot a scam…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Six Lessons From A Master Art Collector
“I collect human relationships very much the way others collect fine art.” – Jerzy Kosinski Collecting Art: The Six Lessons I Had to Learn* If done correctly, a first-class art collection will serve as a…
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A Word to the Wise
derivative (adjective)
Something that’s derivative (duh-RIH-vuh-tiv) is not the result of new ideas, but has been developed from or imitates something else. As I used it today: “What is beautiful to the inexperienced eye often looks…
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Fun and/or Interesting
German Refugee Built World's Largest Mexican Art Collection
Bernard Lewin was born in Germany in 1906. In 1938, he fled the Nazis with his wife Edith, immigrated to the United States, and became a US citizen. He tried several professions before becoming an art dealer…
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Worth Watching
The Last Dance
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have watched this, but K recommended it so I gave it a look. I was drawn into it immediately. It was dramatic. And compelling. Bingeable, though I resisted. I’m talking about The Last…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Guggenheim's WPA Virtual Commissions Mesmerize Again
Another mesmerizing video from the Guggenheim’s WPA Virtual Commissions…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
How to Buy Gold Bullion Coins
A Quick Guide for Beginners “We desire gold not for its true value but for the glittering illusion of value it gives.” – Michael Masterson Suddenly, everyone wants to buy gold! I’ve been reading about gold for…
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A Word to the Wise
tyro (noun)
A tyro (TIE-roh) is a beginner or novice. As I used it today: “To answer all the questions I’ve been getting on gold, I’ve put together the following Q&A. It’s meant for tyros, but there may be information…
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Fun and/or Interesting
America's First Gold Rush Happened In North Carolina
North Carolina was the site of the first gold rush in the USA in 1799, 50 years before gold was discovered in California.
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Worth Considering
The Two Worst Ideas of the 20th Century
I’ve been thinking about it. The 20th century was not nearly as great a century as I had somehow assumed. It had its positives. There were some very significant achievements in terms of science and technology…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Tito Ortiz Reveals His Softer Side In Interview
Tito Ortiz had a reputation for being a bad boy in mixed martial arts. He does a good job of changing my view on that in this short interview.
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Korean Family's American Dream In Baltimore
In the mid 1990s, when I began consulting with Agora, the business had its headquarters in a mostly black Baltimore neighborhood. It was about a mile from the inner harbor, where I had an apartment on the…
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A Word to the Wise
filial (adjective)
Filial (FIL-yul) describes something that is due to a parent from a child. As I used it today: “Filial piety is an important element in Buddhism, Korean Confucianism, Taoism, and in Japanese and Vietnamese…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Can You Name These Colors Better Than Most?
How good are you at naming colors? Take this test and find out. (I got only 12 of 18!)
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Worth Reading
Developer Reflects On Nicaragua Resort Community Project
I’ve done a fair number of things in my career that I’m proud of. I’ve also done a few that I’m trying to forget – but developing Rancho Santana, a resort community on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, is not…
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Fun and/or Interesting
George Will's Unexpected Guide To Progressive Politics
“A Progressive’s Guide to Political Correctness” – In this video, George Will helps progressives be more progressive.
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Asian-Americans Rise From Laborers To Success
“When feelings are strong, reason declines and facts get distorted in a miasma of context.” – Michael Masterson Asians in America, Part I: Why Are They So Successful? Let’s take a break from identity politics…
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A Word to the Wise
prebuttal (noun)
A prebuttal (pree-BUD’l) is an argument constructed in anticipation of a criticism. (Coinage of the word has been attributed to Al Gore.) As used by US News & World Report’s Roger Simon: “There’s rebuttal…
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Worth Watching
Hans Rosling's Mesmerizing Data Visualization TED Talk
“The Best Stats You’ve Ever Seen” – Unless you are brain-dead, you will enjoy this TED Talk by Hans Rosling. LINK
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Fun and/or Interesting
Six Nations Define Modern Asian-American Demographics
Six origin groups – Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese – accounted for 85% of all Asian-Americans as of 2015. These groups, together, largely shape the overall demographic…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Harvard's Affirmative Action Case Against Asian Applicants
“Harvard vs. Asians”?
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Update on My Investment Portfolio
Why I’ve Just Sold Most of My Stocks “Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.” – Warren Buffett I’ve just sold about 75% of my stock portfolio. I’ll tell you why… The Economic…
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A Word to the Wise
prognosticate (verb)
To prognosticate (prahg-NAH-stih-kate) is to predict something about the future based on present indications or signs. As I used it today: “Thousands of small and medium businesses, employing millions of…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Who Actually Owns America's Massive National Debt
The US national debt (currently $26 trillion) falls into two categories: intragovernmental holdings and debt held by the public. Foreign entities own about a third of the public debt, while the rest is owned…
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Worth Watching
If We Lose John Locke, We Lose America
John Locke has been a writer on my must-read list since I became interested in history (for the first time) just 20 years ago. This video made me push him up to the top of the list. LINK
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Fun and/or Interesting
Disturbed's Haunting Rendition Of The Sound Of Silence
A great, unique, and disturbing version of “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Injustice in the Oldest Sport in America
“Systemic Breedism” Exposed in the Westminster Dog Show “From the equality of rights springs identity of our highest interests; you cannot subvert your neighbor's rights without striking a dangerous blow at…
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A Word to the Wise
chicanery (noun)
Chicanery (shuh-KAY-nuh-ree) is the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose. As I used it today: "We cannot accept this sort of chicanery. We need to do something serious to end the…
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Fun and/or Interesting
10 Fun Facts about Golden Retrievers
(Source: Bill-Jac) 1. They consistently rank among the top 3 most popular dogs in the US. 2. They make great family dogs. Golden Retrievers are very pack-oriented. They just love hanging out with the people…
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Worth Reading
Sensible advice from James Clear: “How to Automate a Habit and Never Think About It Again
Read this on JamesClear.com
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Band's The Weight Hits Different Now
I'm sure it's my age, but this rendition of The Weight wrecked me... in a good way.
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Hydroxychloroquine and the Politics of the Corona Crisis
“Just trust yourself, then you will know how to live.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe In his earliest speeches about COVID-19, Trump downplayed the threat and up-played the hope that a vaccine or therapeutic…
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Worth Considering
Whom Can You Trust During COVID-19 Confusion
The hydroxychloroquine imbroglio is just one of a dozen confusions that have emerged from the political and media exploitation of the COVID-19 pandemic. In past essays on the subject, we’ve discussed several…
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A Word to the Wise
imbroglio (noun) — July 20, 2020
As I used it today: “The hydroxychloroquine imbroglio is just one of a dozen confusions that have emerged from the political and media exploitation of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
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Fun and/or Interesting
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner
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Fun and/or Interesting
Cold Deserts: More Than Just Hot Sand
A desert is a large, barren expanse of land that gets less than 10 inches of rain per year. We usually think of deserts as being hot and dry – and most of them are. But there are also cold (or polar) deserts…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
The Pareto Principle, Part III
Entropy and the Impossibility of Equality “If you don’t like something change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelou Let’s talk about the Second Law of Thermodynamics… The Second Law…
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A Word to the Wise
righteous (adjective)
Righteous (RITE-chus) means correct or justifiable according to the code of behavior of a particular society. As I used it today: “[If you advocate for a new standard of equality], you will likely feel…
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Worth Reading
How to Bleed in the First Line” by James Altucher
“I like to study first lines,” James writes. “They have to be powerful: a few simple words that compel us to read the next 300 pages. How do the authors do it? How can I do it?” He goes on to give us 12 of his…
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Fun and/or Interesting
FTC Warns Against Digital Consumer Scams
A few weeks ago, I told you how to get consumer “alerts” from FTC scams that are being perpetrated digitally. Here’s more consumer advice from the FTC.
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Fun and/or Interesting
Guggenheim's Works And Process Explores Artistic Creation
Fun stuff from the Guggenheim Museum’s Works and Process project… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRlXCinYO1s&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=WP_Comission_071220
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
The Pareto Principle Applies Everywhere, Even Business
“The way is long if one follows precepts, but short… if one follows patterns.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca The Pareto Principle, Part II: A Universal Law That Even Applies to Business The Pareto Principle would be…
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A Word to the Wise
grok (verb)
To grok (GRAHK) is to understand something profoundly and intuitively. As I used it today: “I don’t remember exactly when I first read about the Pareto Principle, but I’m certain I did not grok it early in my…
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Worth Considering
A graduation gift for these unique times
That was the subject line of a recent email from The New York Times. It was followed by this… “The class of 2020 finds itself in a unique moment – and a gift of The Times can help them understand it. Now more…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Eight Essential Musical Terms Every Listener Should Know
There are 8 musical terms that every music lover should know: andante, largo, crescendo, downbeat, forte/fortissimo, piano/pianissimo, octave, and tonic. Click here for a good explanation of each one.
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Fun and/or Interesting
Cork's Surprising Properties Make Perfect Wine Stoppers
Cork is amazing. It is a natural substance that comes from the bark of a tree. Though it looks porous, it is actually impermeable. It doesn't absorb liquid. (Well, very little.) Cork is also buoyant, meaning…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Pareto Principle, Part I: The Secret of the 1%
“Give me the fruitful error anytime, full of seeds, bursting with its own corrections.” – Vilfredo Pareto It may be the most important idea in economics – but it also applies to science, to sports, and to…
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