Articles from 2022
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Worth Watching
Delicious
Release date (USA): Jan. 14, 2022 Directed by Eric Besnard Starring Gregory Gadebois, Isabelle Carre, and Benjamin Lavernhe Available on various streaming services, including Amazon Prime The Plot France…
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Recommended Places
The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado
On my list for a future Ford/Fitzgerald family reunion… Opened in 1909, and a short trip from Denver, the landmark Colonial Revival building was the inspiration for the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King’s The…
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Worth Quoting
John D. Rockefeller on Perseverance
“I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance.” – John D. Rockefeller
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A Word to the Wise
Burgeon
from the Old French for “to put out buds or sprout” – means to grow or increase rapidly; flourish. As I used it today: “[The term ‘cultural appropriation’] did not catch on until the mid-1980s, when it popped…
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Readers Write
Why I keep doing what I do — July 12, 2022
“THANK YOU for your inspirational books. I have read The Reluctant Entrepreneur, Ready, Fire, Aim (many times), and The Pledge. Yes! You planted the Entrepreneur Bug in me. Can you please help me answer one…
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Postscript
Norm MacDonald's Masterclass In Comic Timing
I was talking to a book-club friend last night about how pace – the speed at which a story is told – is so important in the success of fiction and drama. By sheer coincidence, soon after that discussion…
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Notes From My Journal
In Search of Meaning, Redux
Part II: Worse, Then Good After an evening of anxiety and self-flagellation, I decided that K had the right perspective. My stolen bag and its contents could be replaced. Easily. And the loss of income, though…
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Business & Marketing
Move Over Tesla!
Elon Musk’s Tesla is no longer the king of electric vehicles, according to the July 5 edition of Great Stuff. “That crown now belongs to BYD Motors,” the publication asserted, and Warren Buffett’s Berkshire…
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Worth Considering
Bad Ideas!
Two of the most destructive ideas that took root in the 20th century – communism and psychoanalysis – were cooked up by two highly educated academics. Karl Marx studied law and philosophy at the universities…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Difference Between a Democracy and a Republic
The Difference Between a Democracy and a Republic There’s a lot of talk about “losing our democracy.” From the left and the right. But did you know that our country was established as a republic, a democratic…
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Arts & Letters
Performance Art or Wanton Destruction of Property?
On Monday, July 4, two people from a group calling itself Just Stop Oil went into the National Gallery in London and glued themselves to the frame of John Constable’s The Hay Wain. They also covered the…
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Worth Quoting
Stephen Colbert On Perception Versus Facts
“Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything.” – Stephen Colbert
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A Word to the Wise
palliative
A palliative – from the Latin for “to cloak” – is something that serves to soothe or alleviate pain. As I used it today: “I spent several hours on a strategy for managing my now-reduced cash flow – a Plan A, a…
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Readers Write
Why I keep doing what I do — July 8, 2022
“I’ve been a fan of your books for some time now…. I owe my success in financial copywriting [to what] you gave in your books (Great Leads, Copy Logic, etc.) many years ago.” – TY Re what I said about Carole…
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Postscript
The latest from The Innocence Project…
When I was 17, I spent a week in a jail cell in Victorville, CA. It wasn’t pleasant. The cell was small. The meals were bad and skimpy. The treatment was denigrating. But the worst part was knowing that I…
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Notes From My Journal
In Search of Meaning… Redux
Part I: A Bad Start to a Summer Cruise A friend said I was victimized. I don’t see it that way. The outbound flight that was to take us directly to Athens to begin our three-week European vacation was delayed…
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News & Views
The Unnerving Idea of “Total War” With Russia and China
I’ve been doing business in Russia and China for more than 40 years. During that time, I’ve had nothing but good to very good business experiences. I’ve also had nothing but good experiences with the Russians…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Vigilante Hackers Turn The Tables On Phone Scammers
It’s good to know, I think, that there are computer geniuses out there hacking into and F-ing up telephone scammers that prey on trusting old folks like me. Many of these operations are headquartered in India…
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Worth Considering
Thoughts on Learning Italian
Italian is a fourth language for me. But of the four, it is in one way my favorite. Italian has a tempo and openness to it that is much greater than English and equal to French and Spanish. On top of that, it…
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Worth Quoting
Michael Masterson On Political Tribalism And Empathy
“Conservatives think leftists have no brains. Leftists think conservatives have no heart. I agree with both of them.” – Michael Masterson
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A Word to the Wise
chastise
To chastise – from the Latin for “to correct, set right; to purify” – is to severely criticize or reprimand. As I used it today: “I went back to the hotel, out of hope and empty-handed, and spent the next…
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Readers Write
Why I keep doing what I do — July 5, 2022
“Mark, may I get your opinion? Last night, I had a conversation with my son [who’s in an MBA program]. He’s been offered three CEO positions…. After telling me the money side, I asked him, ‘Which one inspires…
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Postscript
Wokeness Gets Spoofed With Absurdist Humor
A cute spoof of one of the more absurd tenets of Wokeness…
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Notes From My Journal
More About Rome…
On Tuesday, I said that what I like best about Rome is its people, the Romans. And that’s true. But even without them, Rome would still be my favorite city in the world because of its churches. Not the…
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News & Views
The Urban Exodus Continues
For the last several years, there has been a steady outflow of wealth from major US cities. Businesses and wealthy individuals are abandoning their urban homes and relocating to smaller and more…
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Arts & Letters
The Ara Pacis Museum
Every time we are in Rome, K and I stop by the Ara Pacis, a museum built around a 2,000-year-old altar dedicated to the goddess of peace. The altar itself is a never-flagging source of pleasure. Enclosed, as…
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Fun and/or Interesting
American Wine
I never wanted to become an expert on wine. I just wanted to know a little more than my wine snob friends. Recently, I became a customer of my partner’s wine biz: The Bonner Private Wine Partnership. It…
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Worth Quoting
Immanuel Kant On Experience And Knowledge
“It is beyond a doubt that all our knowledge begins with experience.” – Immanuel Kant
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A Word to the Wise
denigrate
To denigrate is to belittle, to treat or represent something as lacking in value or importance. As I used it today: “Before I experienced the churches of Rome, I had a common condescension towards Baroque art…
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Postscript
Carole King's Overlooked Vocal Talent From The Seventies
Carole King had an interesting arc of celebrity. I always assumed it was based on her various relationships with more celebrated artists, like James Taylor and Mick Jagger. But in this clip, you can see how…
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Notes From My Journal
What I Believe: About Tour Guides
In Greece, we had several very good tour guides, including a young Frenchman that had graduated from the Sorbonne in psychology. He went on to work as an art historian for the Louvre, spoke five languages, was…
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News & Views
The Numbers Are Pretty Clear
We are in a bear market. The questions, for investors and retirees on a fixed income: How bad is it? And how long will it last? Three facts from Bonner Private Research: * The average bear market on the S&P…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Drink coffee…and live longer!
Really? Click here.
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Arts & Letters
Go to Hell With Your Money
I’m not ideologically inclined to like Asger Jorn’s school of art. But I have a number of pieces by him in a collection of COBRA art that I inherited through my first failed attempt at the art business. And so…
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Worth Quoting
Herodotus On Wisdom Without Power
“The most hateful human misfortune is for a wise man to have no influence.” – Herodotus
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A Word to the Wise
Lugubrious
– from the Latin for “mourn” – means gloomy, full of sadness or sorrow. As used in a NYT article about this year’s Westminster Dog Show: “Trumpet [the bloodhound that won Best in Show] had little to say. But…
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Readers Write
Re my review of Ted Chiang’s book Exhalation: Stories
“Was really happy to see you’re enjoying Exhalation. Which story was your favorite?” – SC My response: I can’t say I had a favorite. They were all great in the same way. I felt like I was reading a new kind of…
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Postscript
Motorcyclist Sets Cycling Record As Self-Identified Bicyclist
Motorcyclist who identifies as bicyclist sets cycling world record…
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Notes From My Journal
Faking It, Making It: The Changing World of Knock-offs
Cuban cigars are expensive. A Cohiba robusto will set you back more than $25. You can buy them for much less. And lots of people do. Trouble is, they are fake. People like me who have been smoking Cohibas for…
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News & Views
Common Sense Prevails…
In Sports: After smashing national records and winning the NCAA championship, transgender swimmer Lia Thomas announced that she was hoping to compete in the Olympics. Maybe not, said FINA. On Sunday, the…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Last Spix's Macaw Finds Hope Through Captive Breeding
In the mid-1990s, the wild population of the world’s rarest bird, a blue-gray parrot called the Spix’s macaw, dwindled to just one. Two decades later, conservationists are attempting to release Spix’s macaws…
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Recommended Places
Athens, Greece
In Athens, we’ve been staying at the King George Hotel, which is next door to the Grande Bretagne, and just a bit more affordable. But because both are part of the same luxury hotel franchise, we get to use…
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Worth Quoting
Mao Zedong On The Relationship Between Politics And War
“Politics is war without bloodshed; war is politics with bloodshed.” – Mao Zedong
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A Word to the Wise
Ersatz
– from the German for “substitute” – describes something that is a poor imitation of something better. As I used it today: “It used to be easy to spot ersatz Rolexes. Like Cohiba wrappers, their faces bore…
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Postscript
Ricky Gervais's Early Appearance With David Letterman
Ricky Gervais is a sometimes brilliant, often brave comedian. One of the few, along with Dave Chappelle, capable of staying brave and funny in the Orwellian social culture of today. I didn’t know that The…
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News & Views
The Rising “Misery Index
Last week, in an attempt to slow the economy without sending it into a recession, the Fed announced the biggest interest rate hike in 28 years. A recession is still likely. But even if we don’t fully enter…
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Worth Reading
The Immortal King Rao
The Immortal King Rao By Vauhini Vara 384 pages Published May 3, 2022 by W.W. Norton & Co. The Immortal King Rao was The Mules’ book for June. The overriding conclusion was that nobody liked it. And absolutely…
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Worth Quoting
Anton Chekov On The Exhaustion Of Ordinary Life
“Any idiot can face a crisis – it’s day to day living that wears you out.” – Anton Chekov
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Readers Write
Re my comments on gun control legislation
“Forget gun control. Start charging people $10 per bullet.” – AS Why I keep doing what I do: “I’ve come across your video about the power of one and I’m definitely going to implement it in every area of my…
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Postscript
Small Acts Of Kindness Amid Cultural Decline
The world is going broke and culture is degrading faster than living flesh in acid. But there are still small, usually overlooked, acts of individual service and selflessness that remind us of what human…
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