Articles from 2021
442 articles · browse by month or scroll through the year.
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Making New Year’s Resolutions: Is There Any Point?
It’s fashionable these days to discount New Year’s resolutions as artificial and ineffective. “I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions,” one well-known guru and friend of mine wrote this time last year…
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Postscript
Guggenheim's Works & Process Explores Pivotal Dance Moments
Another performance piece to enjoy from Guggenheim’s Works & Process project: “A Chronicle of a Pivot at a Point in Time”
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Notes From My Journal
There is no excuse for this. You will have to forgive me
Once a year, I spend a week in Myrtle Beach with 6 or 8 of my high school friends (Class of 1968). It’s something we enjoy and look forward to. Myrtle Beach is an annual event, but we keep in touch throughout…
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Notes From My Journal
The Unexpected Appeal Of Getting Older
Old Man Humor
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Postscript
Earth's Most Spectacular Wonders From Myrtle Beach
Also from the Myrtle Beach Club: from the ridiculous to the sublime – spectacular images of some of the many things that make the Earth special… Watch it here.
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Notes From My Journal
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
For Your Post-Holiday Watching Pleasure... CONTEMPORARY COMEDIES National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik Starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Randy Quaid, Diane Ladd…
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Postscript
Is This The Best Drumline Routine Ever?
Here
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Notes From My Journal
Your Christmas Gift: two poems to enjoy and share…
Your Christmas Gift: two poems to enjoy and share… The Oxen By Thomas Hardy Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock. “Now they are all on their knees,” An elder said as we sat in a flock By the embers in…
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Raymond Crowe's Mesmerizing Shadow Puppet Art
And here’s a stocking stuffer: Raymond Crowe’s shadow puppets… like nothing you’ve ever seen before.
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
No-Nos for Holiday Office Parties
There are three social environments when it comes to your career. At one end is the formal atmosphere of your professional business life. Here, all eyes are on you… and to succeed, you must conduct yourself…
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Worth Reading
10 Christmas Books
(from Esquire) I am not afraid to say it: I like Christmas movies. I always have. Getting older hasn’t weakened that feeling. Next week, I’m going to give you a list of great holiday films (many of which are…
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Postscript
SNL Spoofs Relentless Holiday Commercial Bombardment
It’s that time of year! Thanks to SNL for this spoof of the endless holiday commercials we’re all being subjected to…
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Notes From My Journal
Bits and Pieces — December 20, 2021
Remembering… Waiting for the Bus Back Home It was very exciting. My godmother, Jean Kerr, had gifted me a course in painting for my 14th birthday. The classes were given on Saturday mornings in Hempstead…
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Fortune Society's Work With Formerly Incarcerated People
KM, a friend, has been working with the Fortune Society for some time. Check out this video. It will show you a slice of what the Fortune Society does.
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
What You Need to Know Right Now About the Metaverse
Part I: Timmy and the Metaverse Timmy agreed to be homeschooled last year, but his parents couldn’t get the 15-year-old to do the work. As a punishment, his father pulled him from his baseball team. Timmy…
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Joe Rogan And Ben Shapiro Debate The Metaverse
Here’s a great conversation on the Metaverse between two of my favorite public intellectuals: Joe Rogan and Ben Shapiro…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
What’s in a Word?
In Elements of Style, authors Strunk and White define the standard for modern English prose. One of their many rules: Avoid fancy words. “Avoid the elaborate, the pretentious, the coy, and the cute,” they say…
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Notes From My Journal
EF and the Car
EF says he needs a new car. The one he has now is getting old, and he’s afraid it will soon be breaking down. EF is one of the four full-time people that maintain Paradise Palms, the botanical garden I’m…
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Postscript
A Finn Struggling With English
A Finn struggling with English…
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Notes From My Journal
Bits and Pieces — December 13, 2021
Nice! Here’s the most recent review of our book, Central American Modernism. It’s from Dr. David Greene, retired head of the art department at North Carolina State University: The publication of this book has…
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Postscript
Perfect Score On Christmas Trivia Quiz
Wow... this is the first little self-test from the Quiz Daily website that I’ve scored a perfect 10 on! I know, I know, it’s an easy one – about Christmas – so I probably shouldn’t feel that good about it. But…
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Worth Watching
Blade Runner
Blade Runner (1982) Based on the book by Phillip K. Dick Available to buy/rent on several streaming services Directed by Ridley Scott Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young A few weeks ago, I…
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Worth Reading
Out of This World
Out of This World By Graham Swift 212 pages Published in 1988 by Viking Penguin I found it among the bookshelves in the family room of our house in Nicaragua. I selected it because it was the size I was…
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Postscript
America's Declining Intelligence: What The Data Shows
America is definitely getting dumber...
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
Culture, Civilization, and Women’s Rights
There was a time in my life when I embraced the notion that, despite differences, all ethnic, religious, and national populations were ethically and morally equal. No one was any better or worse than any other…
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Postscript
Dave Chappelle's Comedy As Ideological Threat
The idealogues are trying to cancel Dave Chappelle. It’s understandable. The one thing that they cannot tolerate is comedy generally and social satire in particular. And when it’s really good – i.e., really…
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Notes From My Journal
My African Wedding
On April 9, 1976, K and I were married. It wasn’t the wedding we had planned. Ours was to be a bucolic event in the French countryside. Instead, we were married – along with 13 other couples – in a hot and…
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Reshma Saujani On Redefining Bravery For Women
A good TED Talk by Reshma Saujani about a feminist theory that makes sense to me:
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Notes From My Journal
Bits and Pieces — December 5, 2021
Networking at Art Basel Art Basel is probably the most important art event in the world these days. If you are even marginally involved in the contemporary art game, getting to one of their several shows each…
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Postscript
Caitlyn Jenner's Courage Redefined Through Gender Transition
Bruce was “Woman of the Year” for having the courage to change his gender identity. This is what real courage is…
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Worth Reading
A Handbook for New Stoics
A Handbook for New Stoics By Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez 336 pages Published May 14, 2019, by The Experiment I’ve read essays by Seneca, discourses by Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations…
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Worth Watching
Shtisel, Seasons 3 & 4
Shtisel, Seasons 3 & 4 Available on Netflix Created and written by Ori Elon and Yehonatan Indursky Starring Doval’e Glickman, Michael Aloni, and Neta Riskin I recommended this TV drama in April. At the time, I…
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Postscript
Forgotten Sixties Dance Gets Modern Artistic Revival
You may not remember the Nitty Gritty – a dance that was popular in the 1960s. Here it is… (The guy in the front makes it into an art form.)
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
In Praise of Useless Information
I have, in the past, argued that though you may need an MBA or other technical degree to be accepted for certain jobs, it’s really a waste of time. As I explained in one essay: “Anything you learn will be…
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Notes From My Journal
A Better High-School Reading List
JM sent me this article from the National Review… and I thought it was great. “In their enthusiasm for children to read the classics,” say the editors, “school curricula often kill love of literature in…
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Postscript
Scientist Interview Reveals Unexpected Research Insights
A fascinating interview with a fascinating scientist….
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Notes From My Journal
Bits and Pieces — November 28, 2021
Inflation: What the latest numbers mean to you You have probably heard the Republicans criticizing the Biden administration for goosing up inflation. And you may not know if it’s true. Or, if it is true, how…
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Postscript
Students' Vaccine Mandate Hypocrisy Exposed
For these students, it’s “my body, my choice” – until it comes to the vaccine mandate…
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Notes From My Journal
Two Poems About War… and Death
Ah! Here’s something! A response to the November 13 issue, where I talked about how much I liked Alan Ginsberg’s poem Howl, and how it had a powerful effect on me when I first read it in my late teens. The…
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Postscript
Hilarious UFC Vlogger Channels Joe Pesci Energy
On a lighter note… BW sent this to me: a video commentary on Khamzat Chimaev, an amazing new UFC fighter. But as great as Khamzat is, the vlogger – whoever he is – is even more entertaining. His comments are…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
What Would You Do?
Equal vs. Equitable, Part I You have two adult children. Alissa and Tony. They are twins. At the time of their birth, you had set up a trust account designated to go to them when they turned 30. They are 29…
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Postscript
A peek inside Paradise Palms Conservatory and Gardens…
A peek inside Paradise Palms Conservatory and Gardens… Coccothrinax alexandri This species of fan palm, with dark green leaves that are silvery on the underside, is endemic to eastern Cuba. It grows on Cuba’s…
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Notes From My Journal
Bits and Pieces — November 20, 2021
Okay, Just Between the Three of Us, I Was Disappointed… It’s happened again. I recently discovered that a rule of grammar I’ve been dutifully obeying all my life has been rescinded. I’m talking about the usage…
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Postscript
Billy Sunshine's Unconventional Birthday Song Request
A friend, “Billy Sunshine,” whose birthday will be celebrated soon, asked his guests to sing “Happy Birthday” this way:
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Worth Watching
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now Originally released in 1979 Now available on various streaming services, including Netflix and Amazon Prime Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Starring Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, and Martin…
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Worth Reading
Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters
Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters By Steven Pinker 432 pages Published Sept. 28, 2021 by Viking His name kept coming up in conversations. Good conversations. “I’ve never read him,” I…
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Postscript
The Karen Who Demanded A Refund For Oxygen
One of my favorite “Karen” videos…
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Notes From My Journal
My Old-World Perspective on Investing
I am a happy member of two discussion groups: The Mules, a book club, which meets monthly, and Whiskey Wednesdays, a sort of old-fashioned conversation salon, that meets weekly. One of the many topics we come…
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From My Work-in-Progress Basket
A Bird in the Hand
My Approach to Building Wealth When I think about investing – whether it is investing my time or my money – I begin by asking myself: What sort of thing is it that I’d be investing in? Is it a business – like…
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Postscript
Backhoe Operator's Impressive Feat Of Precision
At first I thought this was yet another entry for The Darwin Awards. In fact, it’s a demonstration of how adept some people are in managing backhoes.
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