Articles from 2022
900 articles · browse by month or scroll through the year.
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Postscript
When Helping Strangers Becomes A Political Statement
From JM… In today’s woke culture, doing a group of strangers a simple favor can become a political nightmare.
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Notes From My Journal
What can one person do in a single lifetime?
For the first 50 years of my life, I don’t think I read a single biography or autobiography. But as I stepped hesitatingly into what I optimistically thought of as Part II of my life, I became interested in…
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Fun and/or Interesting
About Noah Webster
Noah Webster was born in Hartford, CT, in 1758. He died in New Haven, CT, in 1843. He had a successful career as a teacher. And a secondary career as a politician. But the great thing he did was his work as a…
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News & Views
Jerome Powell is in trouble
In a recent issue of Bonner Private Research, Bill Bonner wrote about the problems facing Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve: “Inflation has already returned to levels not seen since the 1970s. The Fed…
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Business & Marketing
Startup Gold
I’m not a big fan of using other people’s money (OPM). That’s especially true of starting businesses, which I’ve done a lot of. I prefer to get into businesses that fund their own growth from cash flow. But…
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Arts & Letters
Invisible Art” Goes for $1 Million at Auction
Click here.
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Recommended Places
Cape May, New Jersey
I came across this photo of Cape May, New Jersey. This was not my image of the Jersey shore. I’ve never been Cape May, but it sparked a desire to see it. Cape May bills itself as “the nation’s oldest seaside…
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Worth Quoting
Michael Masterson On Anxiety's Self-Consuming Cycle
“Obsessive introspection is a symptom of anxiety. But it is also a cause. Unless resisted, the two can become a self-consuming cycle.” – Michael Masterson.
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A Word to the Wise
philomath
A philomath (FIL-oh-math) – from the Ancient Greek – is a scholar, a lover of learning. As used by Sydney George Fisher in The True Benjamin Franklin: “There was a rival [to ‘Poor Richard’s Almanack’] of which…
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Postscript
Capturing Vintage Family Moments Through Everyday Photography
Meg Loeks, a photographer, shows you how to frame creative, vintage-styled “everyday” family moments with these she did of her five children. Click here.
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Notes From My Journal
Some Say Liberals and Conservatives Have Different Core Values,
Some Say Liberals and Conservatives Have Different Core Values, and That’s What Separates Them. Is That True? I watched a TED Talk last week that promoted an idea that’s become popular in recent years among a…
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Fun and/or Interesting
How Political Ideology Influences Philanthropy
Many issues seem to divide Democrats and Republicans, and new research has found one more: philanthropy. According to a study I saw in The New York Times (of all places!), red counties, which are…
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News & Views
Toothless: The Real Effect of the Economic Sanctions on Russia
Earlier this month, the Central Bank of Russia raised its benchmark rate from 9.5% to 20% – the highest in almost 20 years. The purpose: defending the ruble against international sanctions, which have knocked…
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Building Wealth
Jack Dorsey's NFT Plummets From Millions To Thousands
What is an NFT really worth? The tweet above was Jack Dorsey’s first NFT. In March 2021, during the early days of the NFT boom, it sold for $2.9 million. Early this month, the owner, Sina Estavi, listed it for…
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Recommended Places
Chateau Marmont
Chateau Marmont is one of our favorite hotels when we’re in LA. It’s well located and provides for a bit of vintage Hollywood charm. The building is stately, large, and beautiful, hidden from the hoi polloi…
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Arts & Letters
Shirley Jackson Strikes Back
If you are a Boomer, you probably remember Shirley Jackson. She was the author of six novels and hundreds of short stories, including “The Lottery,” the fictional tale of an annual ritual that takes place in…
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Worth Quoting
Jack London On True Charity And Sacrifice
“A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.” – Jack London
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A Word to the Wise
Social science
Social science, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a branch of science that deals with the institutions and functioning of human society and with the interpersonal relationships of individuals as members of…
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Postscript
Russell Brand's Charisma And Conversational Brilliance Examined
Russell Brand is a very interesting person. Highly intelligent. Super skillful in conversation – particularly when he is being criticized. And, when the opportunity is there, maniacally funny! ;
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Worth Watching
Margin Call — April 22, 2022
Margin Call Release date (US): Oct. 21, 2011 Written and directed by J.C. Chandor Starring Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, and…
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Worth Reading
Black Conservative Intellectuals in Modern America
Black Conservative Intellectuals in Modern America By Michael L. Ondaatje 232 pages Published Dec. 3, 2009 by Univ. of Pennsylvania Press A few years ago, I saw a videoclip of Candace Owens in a debate. I was…
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Worth Quoting
Thomas Sowell On Academic Ideological Imbalance
“The next time some academics tell you how important diversity is, ask how many conservatives there are in their sociology department.” – Thomas Sowell
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A Word to the Wise
Piaculative
(pie-AK-yuh-luh-tiv) was coined by T.S. Eliot for his poem “Mr. Eliot’s Sunday Morning Service.” Derived from the Latin for “appease, purify, expiate,” it refers to atonement or reparation – e.g., for a sin or…
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Postscript
Sacha Baron Cohen's Fearless Comedy Transcends Modern Sensibilities
Sacha Baron Cohen is a brilliant and brave comedian. (As a comedian, you need to be brave to be brilliant.) I discovered him years ago when he was doing the Ali G show – a TV series that would not be aired…
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Notes From My Journal
How I Fell Into Real Estate Hell
In the late 1970s, I made my first investment in real estate. It was a tidy little one-bedroom in a recently refurbished building on Massachusetts Ave. in Washington, DC. The woman that sold it to us happened…
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News & Views
A Quick Look at the Current Real Estate Market US-Wide
Thanks to a perfect storm of Fed-directed low interest rates, rising crime, and escalating taxes in states like New York, New Jersey, and California, property values in Florida and Texas are surging. Along the…
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Building Wealth
Rental Real Estate 101: What Does “Buying Right” Mean?
I wrote a course on rental real estate investing 10 years ago when I was writing a blog called “Creating Wealth.” Recently, I decided to turn it into a book that recounts my personal experiences and what I’ve…
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Fun and/or Interesting
EVs: Widely Touted; Narrowly Understood
How “green” are electric vehicles? You may be surprised. Click here to watch a short, informative video from Prager U.
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Recommended Places
York, England
The family and I spent some time touring the northern environs of England several years ago. There were lots of interesting and memorable things to see. One of our favorite cities was York, a charming town of…
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Arts & Letters
Letter to June Carter from Johnny Cash, June 23, 1994
“We get old and get used to each other. We think alike. We read each other’s minds. We know what the other wants without asking. Sometimes we irritate each other a little bit. Maybe sometimes take each other…
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A Word to the Wise
Amortization
Amortization – from the Latin for “to kill” – is the process of gradually paying off a loan by making planned, incremental payments. With real estate, this is done with a mortgage. As each payment is made…
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Worth Quoting
Franklin D. Roosevelt On Real Estate Investment Safety
“Real estate cannot be lost or stolen, nor can it be carried away. Purchased with common sense, paid for in full, and managed with reasonable care, it is about the safest investment in the world.” – Franklin D…
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Readers Write
Rental Real Estate Course Generates Half Million Dollar Returns
Re a course I published called Rental Real Estate 101 about 10 years ago. (As I said above, I’m working on turning it into a book.) “I have to thank you for your course in real estate investing. I’ve been…
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Postscript
The Extraordinary Minds That Never Forget
I started watching this last night, thinking I’d spend just a few minutes on it. But it held me for the entire hour. The subject: People who remember every second of their life.
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Notes From My Journal
Responding to Injuries and Insults: Good at One. Bad at the Other
Responding to Injuries and Insults: Good at One. Bad at the Other. “I once met a man who had forgiven an injury. I hope someday to meet a man who has forgiven an insult.” – Samuel Johnson I’ve been told that…
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News & Views
CIA Officers Defend Their Conspiracy Theory
John Sipher is not apologizing for his conduct. He’s proud of it. He was one of 50 former CIA officials that published a letter just before the 2020 election alleging that the New York Poststory about Hunter…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Magical Thinking: Some (Possibly) Surprising Facts About Going Green
I like the idea of safe, renewable energy. So does almost everyone. But I don’t know much about it. (And, be honest. Neither do you.) Because I know so little, I try to refrain from having an opinion about…
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Recommended Places
Brussels Beyond Bureaucracy: Hidden Gems Worth Exploring
Brussels, Belgium In July of 2012, K and I spent a month in Europe on what we called our “B-Trip.” B because the tour consisted of stays in three cities: Brussels, Barcelona, and Berlin. We had been to…
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Worth Quoting
Moliere On Responding To Insults With Dignity
“A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation.” – Moliere
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A Word to the Wise
Petrichor
(PEH-truh-kor) is a pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather. The word was coined by two scientists who needed a name for the phenomenon to use in an article they…
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Worth Considering
Innocence Project Case Worth Following
This is a case I’ve been following from the Innocence Project. Click here.
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Postscript
Mozart's Audacious Challenge To Salieri's Musical Authority
My favorite scene from one of my favorite movies – the young Mozart insulting the great Salieri by playing and then improving on Salieri’s composition… nbsp;
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Notes From My Journal
Will Smith's Performance Shines In King Richard
I wrote today’s review of King Richard before Will Smith had his sad and embarrassing Academy Award moment. What was worse? The slap? His tears in apologizing to everyone but Chris Rock? Or the standing…
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Worth Watching
King Richard
King Richard Release date: Nov. 19, 2021 Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green Starring Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, John Bernthal, and Saniyya Sidney Currently available to rent or buy on various streaming…
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Worth Reading
How to Do Nothing
How to Do Nothing By Jenny Odell 256 pages Published April 9, 2019 by Melville House I’m not sure how I came to read this. It was on my audiobook file. I turned it on accidentally, and then was intrigued by…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Wu Wei: the Chinese Philosophy of Doing Nothing
Wu wei , a core concept of Daoism, is older and more subtle than Jenny Odell’s philosophy, but they are connected. From The School of Life website: “Wu wei means – in Chinese – non-doing or ‘doing nothing.’ It…
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Worth Quoting
Shawn Phillips On The Gym As Spiritual Practice
“From the beginning, what I was connecting with in the gym was a universal energy source. I would just feel it flowing. Even when I was 20 years old, I called the gym my church. When I was there, it wasn’t…
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A Word to the Wise
Bioregionalism
is an environmentalist movement based on the belief that political, cultural, and economic systems are more sustainable and just if they are organized by naturally defined boundaries (e.g., mountain ranges and…
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Readers Write
Re the video in Monday’s P.S. – “Is this woman stupid or just crazy?
“Since [the woman’s actions] seemed so, so extreme, I checked up comments and saw people mentioning that he first sideswiped her and then she hit him. It still doesn’t justify what she did, but indeed she does…
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Postscript
Deaf Singer Achieves Wu Wei Flow State
Listen to this deaf singer, who is in the wu wei zone… Watch it here.
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