Articles from 2024
411 articles · browse by month or scroll through the year.
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News & Views
Fake News and Facts About Replacing Fossil Fuels with Renewable Energy
Fake News and Facts About Replacing Fossil Fuels with Renewable Energy In the last 20 years, there has been a much-heralded effort to reduce greenhouse emissions (and, thus, inhibit climate change) by…
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Health & Wellness
Another Impressive Thing About Japan
Another Impressive Thing About Japan A study was just published that answered a question I was about to research as a follow-up to my series on Japanese culture. The question: “Why does it seem that Japanese…
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Worth Reading
Escaping the Madness: Two Hikes into the Wilderness
It’s been a crazy few weeks after three years of drama cooked up by Big Medicine, Big Government, and aided and abetted by Big Media. As a mental dip into a refreshing mountain stream, The Free Press published…
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Worth Watching
Curb Your Enthusiasm
I am not sure whether it’s the result of being in business with more important urgencies or a shortening attention span due to watching social media, but I have been finding it difficult to read one book and…
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The Economy & Investing
Chart of the Week: Presidential Elections and the Stock Market
Chart of the Week: Presidential Elections and the Stock Market How will the election affect the stock market? As Sean points out, there is no reliable correlation, from any number of perspectives, between…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Five Quick Bites — July 30, 2024
Five Quick Bites * Interesting. Thanks to TS for this clip – restored film of Paris during its prime, originally shot by the famous Lumiere brothers, who preserved so many beautiful images of the world at this…
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Quiz of the Week
Space Discoveries
I liked this quiz because it provided some interesting information. (I got 8 of 10.)
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Photo of the Week
An Entry in Smithsonian Magazine’s Annual Photo Contest
Longfin Bannerfish Nibbling at a Jellyfish Near Qaruh Island (Kuwait)
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Readers Write
From AC re my books on marketing
“I am a college student who wants to break into marketing and advertising, and I am a huge fan of your books. I’ve read five of them. My absolute favorite is Great Leads.” Editor’s Note: Readers of this blog…
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Postscript
Rancho Santana in the News
“A Central American Paradise with Surfing, Hiking, and Farm-to-Table Cuisine” Another positive magazine review of our resort in Nicaragua. After 40 years of earning a living by publishing ideas, it gives me…
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SPECIAL ISSUE
What’s Going to Happen?
What’s Going to Happen? Joe Biden has stepped aside, which I’ve been predicting (for various reasons) since forever. But what I did not expect was his endorsement of Kamala Harris. The announcement was…
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Notes From My Journal
I’m Not Gloating, but…
I’m Not Gloating, but… You heard it here first (and again and again). For more than a year, I’ve been predicting that Biden would drop out of the 2024 presidential race in order to allow someone with a better…
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The Economy & Investing
Chart of the Week: Small Caps Rebound?
Chart of the Week: Small Caps Rebound? I’m halfway through a piece I’m writing on what I’m calling “the state of the US economy.” I’m looking at it from the perspective of what I see happening among my friends…
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Worth Considering
For Whom the Bell Tolls
By Ernest Hemingway Originally published in 1940 480 pages After reading The Hemingway Stories, the collection I reviewed on May 13, I pulled an old copy of For Whom the Bells Tolls from my home library, read…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Five Quick Bites — July 22, 2024
* Interesting. One of the things I was writing about while I was in Japan is how incredibly efficient the Japanese are. Here’s a perfect example: an airport that hasn’t lost a single piece of luggage in 30…
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Quiz of the Week
A Musical Puzzle
I played the French horn for three years. And I won second place in a music festival of some kind when I was about nine years old. Therefore, I was very disappointed that I didn’t ace this quiz. In fact, I was…
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Photo of the Week
America’s 20 Most Beautiful Skylines
Pictured above: Chicago’s skyline. See all 20 here.
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Readers Write
From RS re “Lessons Learned” in the July 19 issue
“Happy to report that I’ve been doing my shoelaces right. What unnerved me about the video is that he holds his first loop in his right hand instead of his left, so maybe he’s left-handed?” My Response: Good…
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Postscript
The Mind-Blowing Scale of the Milky Way
This is very cool! I first ran into this guy, who goes by the name Epic Spaceman, in this video, where he explains the scale of the Milky Way by shrinking himself down to the size of an atom.
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Just One Thing
Lessons Learned on This Sojourn to Japan
I have learned so much on this trip. So much about Japan, Japanese culture and history, and the Japanese people that makes me feel a whole lot smarter than I was before. (Which is doubly impressive because…
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Notes From My Journal
Made in Japan
“Made in Japan” After I finished with my business meetings and presentations late Monday, K had us on the train to Takayama, the first of several additional destinations (Hakone, Kyoto, and Naoshima) we have…
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Worth Quoting
Matsuo Bashō On Finding Home In The Journey
“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.” – 17th century haiku master Matsuo Bashō
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News & Views
Just a Few Questions About the Attempted Assassination. That’s All
Just a Few Questions About the Attempted Assassination. That’s All. I know what you are going to say… and you are right. As to this attempted assassination of Trump, I’m a conspiracy theorist. I mean. Really…
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Worth Reading
Eight Quick Bites
Since K and I set off to Japan on June 24, I’ve not read a single book or watched a movie. Now that my speeches and meetings here are done, I’m hoping to get back to writing movie and book reviews. In the…
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The Economy & Investing
American Workers Have Quit Quitting, for Now
American Workers Have Quit Quitting, for Now The job-hopping frenzy of the pandemic years has given way to what some economists are calling the “big stay.” Click here. Home Insurance Keeps Surging Home…
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Worth Watching
A Live Performance by Greenwood Rye
A great bluegrass cover of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” Watch it here.
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Worth Listening
From Letters Live: The hilarious story of Delmore the cat
Woody Harrelson cannot contain himself when reading a letter written by John Cheever to a Josie Herbst, a fellow writer, about the behavior of a cat whom Herbst had foisted on him before moving to another…
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Quiz of the Week
Test Your Knowledge of Common Latin Phrases
Easy! I got 19 out of 20. Click here.
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Photo of the Week
A Fisherman Walking Across the Dry Bed of the Amazon River
In 2023, parts of the Amazon experienced an extreme drought, the worst in over a century. Communities affected by the drought lost access to drinking water, transportation, and other necessities of daily life…
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Postscript
Central American Modernism Continues Gaining Recognition
Central American Modernism, the book that Suzanne Snider and I wrote and published two years ago, is still getting “noticed” by smaller art publications This is from Palm Beach ArtsPaper. Ed. Note: Readers of…
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Just One Thing
Meryl Nass: Why I’m a Fan
Dr. Meryl Nass is a board-certified internist and a biological epidemiologist with more than 40 years of experience in the medical field. Click here to see her very impressive CV. As a reader of this blog, you…
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Notes From My Journal
I Did It!
I Did It! On Saturday, I gave my presentation on “the seven natural laws of wealth building” to an audience of about 1,000 plus another 700 watching the live stream. I won’t grade my performance. Everyone I…
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News & Views
AI And Robotics Will Displace White-Collar Workers Too
Is AI and Robotics Really a Big Thing? Or Is It Just Another Technological Innovation That Will Have Little Impact on Our World? We’ve long accepted the idea that the rapid development of AI and robotics will…
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Worth Quoting
James Clear On Moving Forward With Purpose
“Move towards the next thing, not away from the last thing. Same direction. Completely different energy.” – James Clear
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The Economy & Investing
Chart of the Week: Retail Declines Again
Chart of the Week: Retail Declines Again Before I read Sean’s piece for this week’s issue, I was looking at retail numbers myself. I was wondering why the data was still largely positive when so many of my…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Five Quick Bites — July 9, 2024
Five Quick Bites * Interesting. Elon Musk on the Hamas-Israel confrontation. Click here. * Interesting. Between 2000 and 2024, food experienced an average inflation rate of 2.83% per year. In other words, an…
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Quiz of the Week
Test Your Knowledge of Popular Foreign Phrases
Click here to take this little self-test. (An easy 100% for me on this one!)
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Photo of the Week
Prize Winners from the 24th Annual Hampton Beach Sand Sculpture Classic
First prize of $6,000 went to David Ducharme for this sculpture – “Sofia’s Cradle” – depicting the Greek goddess of wisdom. The cradle beneath her resembles a nest, “a space,” Ducharme explained, “where wisdom…
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Readers Write
From GM re my posts on election fraud and voter interference
“Over the past year or so, when I am engaged in discussions about this very subject and its impact on the 2020 election, I find people very quick to dismiss voter fraud as small in number and insignificant. I…
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Postscript
More From My Social Media Crush Elle Cordova
I haven’t shared Elle Cordova’s videos with you for a while. Click here and here to enjoy two really good ones.
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Just One Thing
Japan: A Culture of Hierarchy and Egalitarianism
I’ve always wanted to be one of those people – those self-improvement influencers – who go to bed very early, wake up very early, and accomplish a full day’s worth of work by the time their colleagues and…
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Notes From My Journal
The Japanese Do It Again!
The Japanese Do It Again! We were in Osaka for a few days, where we were filming some interviews and meeting with the senior executives of the company that publishes my books and essays. Later this week, I’ll…
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Worth Quoting
Albert Camus On Cowardice And Philosophical Rationalization
“Those who lack the courage will always find a philosophy to justify it.” – Albert Camus
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The Economy & Investing
Chart of the Week: It’s Up! It’s Down! What’s Going on with Nvidia?
Chart of the Week: It’s Up! It’s Down! What’s Going on with Nvidia? Thanks to my broker Dominick’s recommendation, I was an early investor in Nvidia, and profited very handsomely from it. From the start, there…
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Fun and/or Interesting
Five Quick Bites — July 3, 2024
Five Quick Bites * Fun. Is Oslo really a city? This brilliant tourism ad features a resident of Oslo describing – in the most hilariously deadpan manner possible – why nobody should visit. * Interesting. Why…
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Quiz of the Week
Test Your Knowledge of World War I
I got eight right on this one. More than I expected. I must have been paying more attention to my world history class than I remembered.
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Photo of the Week
Earthrise” 1968
You’ve no doubt seen this photo before. It was recently included in a New York Times feature titled “25 Photos That Defined the Modern Age.” Here’s the copy that went along with it: On Christmas Eve 1968…
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Readers Write
Re the thoughts I’ve been sharing about my trip to Japan
“Regarding your speech in Tokyo, thanks for being humble and showing vulnerability. Many years ago, I thought that having anxiety for public speaking only happened to me. I remember when Tony Robbins made a…
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Postscript
The Stars Aligned
I haven’t checked to verify this because I want to believe it’s true.
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Just One Thing
Debate Number One: Now What?
Now that the entire world has seen him in vivo, is it possible for anyone to deny the depth of President Biden’s cognitive decline? He looked, as he so often does when he’s not reading a teleprompter…
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