Articles from 2023
694 articles · browse by month or scroll through the year.
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Postscript
Mindless Entertainment As The Perfect Work Stress Relief
I was tangled up in seemingly insoluble work problems, and feeling the stress of them, when I decided to take a distraction break. These stupid AGT acts were just the sort of mindless amusement that I needed…
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Worth Considering
The COVID Response. What We Got Wrong — January 20, 2023
Part VII: The Accuracy of the Count The topic for today is about accuracy. The accuracy of the count for the number of people that have been hospitalized and died from COVID since the pandemic began. This is…
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Worth Watching
Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street
Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street A four-part Netflix docuseries Released Jan. 4, 2023 Directed by Joe Berlinger Starring Joseph Scotto and Ginger O’Toole According to some financial historians, Bernie Madoff…
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Worth Reading
George Saunders on How and Why to “Freakify” Your Work
George Saunders is among my favorite short story writers. I’ve mentioned him and his books several times in past blog posts. Recently, strolling through the Literary Hub website, I found a conversation between…
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Notes From My Journal
Is This Crazy? Or Am I?
Language Police “Wokerize” Another Phrase! In January, following the lead of the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work, Michigan’s Dept. of Health and Human Services banned the use of the…
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A Word to the Wise
Bowdlerize
(BOHD-ler-ize) describes the early 19th century policy of some publishers to modify or delete passages of books that they considered to be objectionable, particularly for children. The term comes from Thomas…
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Worth Quoting
Michael Masterson On Language Control And Human Freedom
“When you police words, you regulate language. When you regulate language, you control thought. When you control thought, you rule behavior. When you rule behavior, you destroy freedom. When you destroy…
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Fun and/or Interesting
A Surprise Discovery!
Paleontologists Paul Sereno and Dan Vidal were walking between dig sites in the Sahara when they stumbled upon something in the sand. After a closer look, they realized it was a fossil: a femur from a dinosaur…
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Readers Write
Re my comments in last Friday’s issue about the correlation between wealth and happiness
“I attended a religious retreat years ago, given by a priest who had spent more than 30 years in the jungles of Brazil. Among the poorest people on Earth, he claimed. Yet, he told us, they were the happiest…
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Postscript
Australian Man Halts Traffic To Rescue Stranded Koala
From Australia: Here’s something you don’t see every day – a man stopping traffic to help a koala cross a busy highway. Watch the video here.
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Notes From My Journal
Making a Stranger’s Day
Click here for a video clip about a passenger helping out an Uber driver in trouble. When I watched it, it reminded me of a similar experience I had several years ago. Here’s my story… I was getting a haircut…
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The Economy & Investing
Sean’s 100% Guaranteed Market Predictions for 2023
I’ve told you about Sean MacIntyre. He and his partner, Lindsey Hough, are running a personal finance business called DIY Wealth. It used to be called Creating Wealth, and I used to be its guru. Sean is the…
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News & Views
One Way to Thin Down an Overcrowded Population
Tokyo is crowded. Really, really crowded. But with a declining reproduction rate, that shouldn’t be a long-term problem. That’s how I see it. The Japanese government, though – which is comprised of dozens of…
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Worth Reading
Overdeliver
Overdeliver By Brian Kurtz 312 pages Originally published April 2, 2019 Overdeliver is a book about direct response marketing that every entrepreneur and marketing director should read. It was written by Brian…
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Health & Wellness
If You Don’t Have Time to Exercise, Read This
I’ve been making the argument that high-intensity workouts are the secret to gaining substantial health and wellness benefits. And according to new studies, they are also the secret to healthy aging and even…
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A Word to the Wise
Sciolism Versus Ultracrepidarian: A Neighborly Correction
A neighbor and book club friend called me on my use of the word sciolism at the bottom of each of my blog posts: “Were it not for hypocrisy, I’d have no advice to give.” “Were it not for sciolism, I’d have no…
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Readers Write
About My Books — January 17, 2023
From JV: “I have been reading The Pledge, which has been incredibly helpful for me in planning my future. I know it’s not going to be easy, but, for sure, will be worth it. “My problem: There are so some many…
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Postscript
Watch This Prize-Winning Dance Routine
This is pretty great... Watch this prize-winning dance routine here.
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Notes From My Journal
Nicaragua? Yes, Nicaragua!
On Tuesday, I told you about the results of a Gallup poll that listed Nicaragua as the “No. 1 country where people say they are ‘always’ or ‘almost always’ at peace.” Nicaragua? Surprising? At first, yes. I…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Finding Happiness – Even if You Are a Rich American
In his podcast this week, Peter Attia interviewed Bill Perkins, who explained what he learned about happiness and fulfillment when writing his bestseller Die With Zero. Much of Perkins’ thinking is compatible…
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The Economy & Investing
Inflation and the Rise of Monopolies
Bill Bonner predicted the inflation we are experiencing now many times over the past year or two. His prognostication was based on basic economics: He watched how the Fed was trying to engineer the supply and…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Speaking of Inflation…
Last month, Argentina reported year-over-year inflation of 92.4%. As the value of its peso has been decreasing, Sergio Guillermo Diaz, an artist in the city of Salta, has been painting on the banknotes…
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News & Views
The Harsh Truth About Going Vegan
I once read a great book on the vegan/paleo debate called The Vegetarian Myth . It was written by Lierre Keith, a self-described radical feminist and former vegetarian. The Vegetarian Myth covers four aspects…
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A Word to the Wise
soporific
A soporific (suh-puh-RIF-ik) is something – especially a drug – that induces sleep. As an adjective, it refers something that is boring or dull. I used it this way, above: “I subscribe to Grande’s website out…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Vespers for a New Dark Age
Vespers for a New Dark Age K had this on Sonos this morning when I came into the kitchen. I didn’t notice it at first, but then I did. I think it is hauntingly beautiful. It was composed by Missy Mazzoli for…
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Worth Watching
The Pale Blue Eye
The Pale Blue Eye A Netflix original, released Dec. 23, 2022 Based on the novel by Louis Bayard Directed by Scott Cooper Starring Christian Bale and Harry Melling Somebody recommended it. And it was listed as…
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Inside Paradise Palms Botanical & Sculpture Gardens
Nicobar Palm
Binomial name: Bentinckia nicobarica The Nicobar Palm is native to the Nicobar Islands in the Andaman Sea (near Malaysia). With its elegant arching leaves and distinctive pale green crownshaft, it is one of…
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Readers Write
Could I Have Had PTSD?
A friend wrote to say: After my heart surgery, the cardiologist talked to me about PTSD. I didn't think much of it at the time. Last week, I read an article about PTSD in stroke patients. 25% of them get PTSD…
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Postscript
Deaf Child Hears Parents' Voices After Surgery
Watch this deaf kid’s reaction when, after surgery, he hears the voices of his parents for the first time.
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Notes From My Journal
What Is the Country Whose Citizens Are the Most Content?
A friend sent a report on a Gallup poll about the countries that have the happiest people. Well, that’s not precisely right. It wasn’t about happiness. It was about contentment. Many such surveys are based on…
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News & Views
Will Jordan Peterson Lose His License for Wrong-Thinking?
Jordan Peterson, Canada’s best known public intellectual, is being required to submit to “re-education” therapy. The reason? Complaints about incendiary comments he’s been making on social media about, among…
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Worth Reading
Outer Dark
Outer Dark By Cormac McCarthy 256 pages Originally published Sept. 12, 1968 Released in paperback June 29, 1993 This was the January selection for The Mules, my always amusing and superbly insightful reading…
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Health & Wellness
I Keep Reading and Readers Keep Writing
More About Statins… I don’t think there’s anything I’ve written in recent years that has generated a bigger response from readers of this blog than my posts on statin drugs. A few friends who’ve been taking…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Seven Links to Make Your Life a Little Richer
Throughout the year, I collect a treasure trove of little stories I want to share with you. For various reasons, it doesn’t always happen. But the trove continues to grow. So, before I forget about them, here…
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Postscript
Jim Carrey's Unforgettable Tonight Show Debut
The amazing comedic skills of Jim Carrey were evident at the beginning of his career. Click here to watch his debut on national television: The Tonight Show, Nov. 24, 1983.
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Notes From My Journal
My Statin Story Continues…
In the Friday issue, I wrote about the chronic fatigue and bouts of brain fog I've been experiencing since I began taking statins. I met with Dr. B to talk about my concerns. He didn’t seem surprised. He wrote…
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The Economy & Investing
Gold and Silver: Should You Be a Buyer?
I bought a bunch of gold in 2002. Back then, it was selling for about $400 an ounce. Today, an ounce will cost you more than four times that much, as it’s trading at roughly $1,800. That’s a gross profit of…
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Worth Considering
Is the US a Democracy or a Republic?
Why It Matters Last week, I was having a discussion with an acquaintance about how our country has changed over the years. Mostly for the worse, in my opinion. (He was more optimistic.) One bone of contention…
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Worth Reading
The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man
The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man A memoir by Paul Newman Published Oct. 18, 2022 320 pages I don’t know why, but this book was published 14 years after Paul Newman’s death in 2008 at the age of 83…
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Worth Quoting
Paul Newman On Growth Through Solitude
“You only grow when you are alone.” – Paul Newman
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Worth Watching
Bari Weiss On Leaving The New York Times
Bari Weiss On Friday, I introduced you to Bari Weiss, formerly a writer for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and now editor of The Free Press. Click here to watch her tell her story about why…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Listen to understand, not to respond…
Click here to learn about this very good technique for communicating well and deescalating conflict. I’ve heard versions of it many times over the years, and I always have the same reaction: I should do that!…
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Fun and/or Interesting
The Invention of the Zipper
At some time, someone, matched up small pieces of metal, aligned them horizontally, attached a lever, and made the first zipper. Click here to read the whole story.
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Postscript
2022 in Seven Minutes
There are lots of similar video recaps available, but this one from Vox was particularly well done. Click here.
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