Articles from 2020
743 articles · browse by month or scroll through the year.
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A Word to the Wise
longeur (noun)
Longeur (lahn-GUR) is a tedious passage in a book or other work. As I used it today: “As you can surmise from that introduction, I have a lot to say on this subject. And lest you think it’s going to be episode…
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Worth Reading
The latest issue of AWAI’s Barefoot Writer — July 13, 2020
In this issue: * Write About Real-Life “Happy Endings” and Get Paid $1500 to $2000 per Project * Celebrating the “Anti-Goal” Could Bring You Bigger Writing Wins More Often * The Writer’s Freedom Ladder for…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Why Japanese Schools Flip the Teacher Rotation Model
In Japan, teachers move from class to class. Students stay in place.
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Story Behind the Skill in Performance
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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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Why Billionaire Goals Backfire For Entrepreneurs
“I’m not sure this business is for me,” he said. “Why is that?” I asked. I’d been mentoring TJ, the son of one of my partners, for about a year. I was helping him develop a small business that I’d started the…
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Worth Quoting
Jessica Wildfire On The Cost Of Pretending Happiness
“Pretending to be happy is easier than actually being happy. Pretending is more profitable, but also more expensive.” – Jessica Wildfire
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A Word to the Wise
proffer (verb)
To proffer (PRAH-fur) is to offer; to hold out something to someone for acceptance. As I used it today: “He proffered a few unconvincing answers. Finally. he told me the truth.”
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Worth Considering
Relieved To Learn I'm Not A Super-Spreader
Four more on my contact list tested negative. I’m starting to think I’m not the super-spreader that I thought I’d be. One of those that tested negative, an old friend, had been banned from work and relegated…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Rancho Santana Earns Top Ten Central American Resort Ranking
Once again, Rancho Santana made it to Travel & Leisure magazine’s list of the Top 10 Central American resort hotels. To read the article, click here.
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Readers Write
An email from RM
I have been reading and following your advice for a while now…. Thank you for not only the advice, but the honesty in your actions.
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Fun and/or Interesting
Why Cultural Relativism Falls Short
All cultures are not equal... all religions are not fundamentally the same.
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Notes From My Journal
Searching For COVID Facts Beyond Political Spin
“I believe in innovation, and the way you get innovation is you fund research and you learn the basic facts.” – Bill Gates Even Less Positive JM is negative. So are PR, RT, and SC. K is positive. So is PB, my…
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A Word to the Wise
proliferate (verb)
To proliferate (pruh-LIH-fuh-rate) is to multiply; to increase or spread rapidly and excessively. As I used it today: “Viruses don’t extinguish themselves. They proliferate until their basic reproductive rate…
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Fun and/or Interesting
How Coronavirus Spreads Through Your Body
Once you’ve been infected with the coronavirus, it spreads through your body via cell-to cell transmission. This is how it works: The coronavirus contains ribonucleic acid (RNA) surrounded by a protective…
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Worth Watching
Stanford Mathematician Explains COVID-19 Growth Curves
If you are really into the math behind the COVID-19 models, you’ll love this guy (Stanford University’s Michael Levitt). I can’t get enough of him and yet I understand very little of what he’s saying. I ran…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Brother-In-Law Sends Cheerful Surprise
My brother-in-law sent this to cheer me up. It did.
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Notes From My Journal
Not So Positive
“Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings.” – Elie Wiesel In Friday’s blog post, I told you that I had contracted COVID-19 from…
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A Word to the Wise
clarion (adjective)
Clarion (KLARE-ee-un) means loud and clear. As used by Martin Dempsey: “Sometimes we wait for thunderclaps, drumrolls, and clarion calls to alert us to what’s important when, actually, it’s most often the…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Cryptocurrency blackmail scam alert
You can subscribe to “alerts” from the FTC – direct-to-consumer notices about worldwide scams that are being perpetrated digitally. (Subscribe at ftc.gov.) I signed up a while ago. This is the most recent one…
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Worth Reading
Nostalgia And Struggle In Modern Times
“An Uphill Battle” – a nostalgic essay from Taki’s Magazine. To read it, click here.
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Fun and/or Interesting
Inside The Human Brain's Intricate Cellular Architecture
An amazingly detailed animation of the human brain... https://www.facebook.com/ScienceNaturePage/videos/1179056422226614/?t=0
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Notes From My Journal
Getting COVID-19 Changed My Perspective Entirely
“Accept the terrible responsibility of life with eyes wide open.” – Jordan Peterson I’m Positive I’ve written at least a half-dozen essays on the coronavirus and COVID-19 since the beginning of April. I was…
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A Word to the Wise
portentous (adjective)
Portentous (por-TEN-tus) means serious; ominous. As used by Francine Prose: “What makes [Hillary Mantel’s] novels seem at once breezy and substantial is Mantel's knack for leavening her weighty themes with…
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Fun and/or Interesting
American Independence Day Celebrations Around The World
The US isn’t the only country to celebrate the 4th of July. In Britain, Portugal, and Sweden, American military bases host celebrations that are supported by local businesses as a way to boost tourism. And for…
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Worth Reading
Fox 8, a novella
Fox 8 is an illustrated (line drawings by Chelsea Cardinal) story whose protagonist is a talking fox. Saunders is a huge favorite of mine. His stories are emotionally compelling, darkly humorous, and…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Linguistic Genius You Need To Know
If you like language, you will love this guy.
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Notes From My Journal
A Found Poem From OK Cigars Basement
I’ve been writing poems for years. Hundreds and hundreds of them. A small percentage get into print. And most of those, when I reread them after a year or two, are disappointing. This one was not. I like it as…
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Worth Quoting
Robert Frost On Poetry's Perfect Convergence
“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” – Robert Frost
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A Word to the Wise
fugacious (adjective)
Something that’s fugacious (fyoo-GAY-shus) is fleeting; transitory. As used by Hannah More: “Honours and dignities are transient, beauty and riches frail and fugacious.”
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Worth Reading
The latest issue of Independent Healing — July 1, 2020
What medical care is safe during the pandemic? In this issue, you’ll learn about the 8 kinds of medical appointments you may be able to skip until the coronavirus threat passes… and 4 types of care you should…
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Fun and/or Interesting
One-Third Of American Jobs Can Go Remote
According to the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics, one-third of jobs in the US can be done at home.
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Readers Write
An email from FJ
Just wanted to thank you for your book Ready, Fire, Aim. I am only midway through but I’ve already picked up more useful things than I have during my MBA and business degree combined. I am an aspiring…
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Fun and/or Interesting
FTC's Essential Tips For Safe Online Shopping
Good advice from the FTC on shopping online…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Investment Real Estate Outlook for the Rest of 2020 and Beyond
“The most reliable way to forecast the future is to try to understand the present.” – John Naisbitt Investment Real Estate Outlook for the Rest of 2020 and Beyond On Sunday, I briefly answered a question sent…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Why Rental Real Estate Outperforms During Economic Downturns
The Economics of Rental Real Estate Here are some facts about the investment real estate market that you might find interesting: * Rent payments have remained steady, according to the National Multifamily…
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Worth Reading
The Bridge Over the River Kwai
First published in French in 1952, then in English translation in 1954, this is a page-turner about British POWs building a bridge for their Japanese captors in Burma in 1942. (The author – who later wrote…
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A Word to the Wise
hospitality (noun)
Hospitality (hos-pih-TAL-ih-tee) is the cordial and generous welcoming and treatment of guests. Interesting that it comes from the same Latin root as hospital (“hospitalis,” which means “of a guest”). As used…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Art of Equestrian Movement
An amazing display of beauty, strength, flexibility, and grace.
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
The Hidden Costs Of Asking For Favors
“Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors.” – François de la Rochefoucauld The Unpleasant Truth About Asking for Favors I recently intercepted a memo from a partner of mine. It appeared to be a…
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Worth Reading
How Dumb Can Our Experts Be?
A friend tells me that I have to wear a face mask now. Florida, like so many states, has made it mandatory. The reason? The coronavirus is spreading! According to The Washington Post: “Public health officials…
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A Word to the Wise
lethological (adjective)
Lethological (leh-thuh-LAH-juh-kuhl) refers to the inability to remember the exact word you want. Example: “It’s on the tip of my tongue… um… um… Oh, no! I’m having another lethological moment!”
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Fun and/or Interesting
Paul McCartney's Unexpected Celery Crunch On Beach Boys Track
Paul McCartney was recorded munching on celery on the taping of the Beach Boys' song “Vegetables.”
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Fun and/or Interesting
A Video That Exposes Racism's Absurdity
This video says more to me about what is wrong and idiotic about racism than a dozen essays I’ve read… https://youtu.be/-qd2XyGFTzk
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Why It’s Okay to Fall in Love With Your Investible Art
Passion is a popular emotion these days. We are encouraged to be passionate about our careers, our hobbies, and even our ideas. Like most popular ideas, this one is mostly wrong. On the risk/reward scale, it…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Forgotten Avant-Garde Movement That Connected Three Cities
CoBrA was an avant-garde art movement (1948-1951) characterized by spontaneity, experimentation, and primitive images. The name was derived from the cities the CoBrA artists came from: Copenhagen (Co)…
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A Word to the Wise
prescind (verb)
To prescind (prih-SIND) is to withdraw attention. As used by Nicanor G. Tiongson: “Those who subscribe to the theory of art for art’s sake believe that they can prescind from the realities of their society and…
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Worth Watching
Word of the Day: Covid
“COVID-19 Never Grows Exponentially” – a video from Stanford University’s Michael Levitt on "fitting data,” an advanced strategy for machine learning and AI that demonstrates that COVID-19 did not ever grow…
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Readers Write
An email from TS — June 24, 2020
Please keep writing these great essays. I love the investment ideas, but you prove over and over that there’s more to success than just making money.
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Skill Level Required For This
The skill level required to do this is beyond belief...
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Notes From My Journal
How Hormones Shape Our Competitive Instincts
“Testosterone is a rare poison.” – Germaine Greer Do Sex Hormones Determine Our Thoughts? Let’s talk about hormones. I have just come up with a theory. But before I present it, you should know this: It’s well…
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