Quick Bites 

“Wow, big news!, AS write in a recent email. “They are changing the names of certain species of birds because their names are offensive. I don’t know about you, but I have had many sleepless nights knowing how harmful the birds’ names were to people. Our lawmakers will be grateful to be able to move on from the frivolous problems, like the border, the economy, and all the wars we are trying to get involved in.”

Really, AS? I looked it up. Yes, indeedy. The American Ornithology Society is changing the names of dozens of species whose taxonomy included the proper names of ornithologists that were in some way connected with slavery or, in one case, used the “n” word in his journals. After we “deracinate” this nomenclature problem, we can move on to a personal mission of mine: changing bird names that are offensive because they are sexist or just plain stupid – as with the Blue-Footed Booby…

Click here.

The Marvel franchise is in danger of blowing up their brand. That’s the view of my favorite independent-minded Communist, Freddie deBoer. Here, he writes about the trend of muscling up female leads.

It makes perfect sense. But I don’t think it will happen. Rand Paul is one of perhaps a half-dozen of our representatives in Washington that have a solid, fundamental understanding of economics. His call for an audit should be heeded. Click here.

Quick Bites: Cats vs. Dogs… About the “Shema”… A Debate at the Fed… Smuggling Migrants… Swederland?

Oro, a Golden Retriever K and I occasionally care for, has a very expressive face. He has, in fact, at least a dozen distinct expressions that I can recognize. There is my favorite, his “My god! I’m so happy to see you again!” face, his “You caught me, I’m sorry” face, his “I’m hungry” face, and his, “I’m serious. I’m really hungry!” face. I’ve always thought that one of the reasons dogs are more popular than cats as pets is that cats have only two facial expressions: “I’m furious” and “I’m bored.” Turns out I was wrong. Very wrong. Click here.

I had no idea. After watching the video of the young boy singing the “Shema Yisrael” prayer in the Nov. 7 issue, CM sent in this fascinating background information on it.

Does strong growth fuel inflation? From Nick Timiraos, writing in the WSJ, a good, short, illustrated essay about one of the oldest economic debates. Click here.

Smuggling migrants toward the US is a booming business – and a source of income in areas where high-paying jobs are scarce. Click here.

Sweden makes it clear that it is not, in fact, Switzerland. Click here.

Quick Bites: Abe Lincoln’s Beard… 690 New Words… Gaga!… the Latest from Freddie DeBoer… and WS Merwin’s Garden

Thought to be the last beardless photo of Abraham Lincoln, taken in 1860 

The little girl that changed Abe Lincoln’s mind: On October 15, 1860, Grace Beddel, an 11-year-old girl, having just been shown a photo by her father of presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln, sent him a note, saying that if he was willing to grow some whiskers, she would recommend him to her friends. To her amazement and delight, Lincoln replied. She met him in person a few months later, as he traveled victoriously to Washington, DC, by train. And he now had a beard. Years later, she recalled that he “climbed down and sat down with me on the edge of the station platform and said, ‘Look at my whiskers. I have been growing them for you.’ Then he kissed me. I never saw him again.” (Source: Letters of Note). Click here to read the note that Grace sent to Lincoln.

Words you’ll soon be using? Merriam-Webster recently made 690 additions to its dictionary, some of which I’ve heard before (and even used in this blog). Here are some that are (a) new to me and (b) sound like they will be useful in the future: generative AI, smishing, grammable, meme stock, and edgelord (which I’ve already been called by someone in my family). Click here for details.

Gaga for Gaga! In my 73 years, I’ve spent a total of maybe eight minutes looking at cosmetic advertising. But this morning, having a quick breakfast of eggs and bacon, I doubled that time by watching Lady Gaga sell her cosmetic line. Notice how the camera likes her. Notice how smartly she chooses her words and mentions ideas that appeal to her target audience. Like Madonna, there are about a dozen ways Lady Gaga is brilliant. Click here.

Once again, my favorite Communist making rational sense. One of these days, I’m going to get him to the Cigar Club for a chat. Click here.

WS Merwin was a poet I studied in college. It was only last year that I found out about his garden in Hawaii. Click here for a look at The Merwin Conservancy’s monthly newsletter.

Quick Bites: Young American Minds for Sale… Everyone Can’t Do Everything… Another Example of Inclusive Idiocy… So, You Don’t Believe in Book Banning… How Much Do You Know About Central American Geography?

* Qatar, the same country now protecting Hamas’s senior leaders, has donated billions to American universities. Here’s why.

* Everyone can’t do everything. Notwithstanding warm-hearted notions to the contrary, says Freddie deBoer, it’s not helpful to tell children (or anyone) that you can accomplish anything if you try hard enough. Click here.

* Another example of inclusive idiocy. Some genius at Victoria’s Secret thought it might be a good idea to improve the business by being more inclusive. Sort of the way someone at Bud Light did by making Dylan Mulvaney a spokesperson for a day. The strategy worked about as well as it did with Bud Light. Click here.

* Wait… What? Gov. DeSantis’s executive order allowing school districts to ban books that, among other things, include sexual content that they feel is inappropriate for children has been interpreted by some parents as a tyrannical attack on freedom. But when those same parents get a chance to read the content of the banned books, they usually change their minds. Click here.

* Travel Quiz: Central American Geography. I should have done better than 70%, considering how much time I’ve spent in Nicaragua and the other Central American countries. You can probably beat my score. Give it a try here.

Quick Bites: A Primer on Inflation… Three Ways to Lose Money in 2024… A Heated Debate… Mike Tyson’s Profound Wisdom… The Dark History of the Werewolf

* Doug Casey on the Destruction of the Dollar. From a recent posting on his International Man website:

“Inflation occurs when the creation of currency outruns the creation of real wealth it can bid for… It isn’t caused by price increases; rather, it causes price increases.

“Inflation is not caused by the butcher, the baker, or the auto maker, although they usually get blamed. On the contrary, by producing real wealth, they fight the effects of inflation. Inflation is the work of government alone, since government alone controls the creation of currency.

“In a true free-market society, the only way a person or organization can legitimately obtain wealth is through production. ‘Making money’ is no different from ‘creating wealth,’ and money is nothing but a certificate of production.”

Click here to read more.

* Three Ways to Lose Money in 2024. Garrett Baldwin, one of Agora’s financial analysts that I follow regularly, published a piece on Oct. 24 that I thought was worth passing on to all of my readers that are active investors. Click here.

* David and Goliath: Douglas and Malcolm. I’m a fan of Malcolm Gladwell. And Douglas Murray. They are both smart and articulate. They write well. They speak well. And most importantly, they think well. So, I was excited to come across this debate between them (and two other writers) on whether mainstream journalism has lost its way. Click here.

* Mike Tyson’s Profound Wisdom. Mike Tyson was always an obviously intelligent person. Spend a half-hour looking at interviews with him when he was in his 20s and you will see that. But he was also a troubled person whose ideas about himself and his self-importance nearly ruined his life. But then, something amazing happened. Some experience that changed him. He expresses it beautifully and succinctly in this conversation with Joe Rogan. Click here.

* An Amusing History of the Werewolf. Click here.

Quick Bites: Rethinking Slavery… Reconsidering Virginia Woolf… Child Abuse and the Catholic Church… Joe Rogan’s Secret… Another Insurrection Thwarted

1. The long history of slavery. For most of my life, I thought of slavery as something that began in America, with white people enslaving people of color. It wasn’t until I started reading about slavery in my 40s that I discovered I knew nothing about its history. In this short clip, Candice Owens provides a brief introduction.
2. Dazzled. Bewitched. Enchanted. I’ve never read more than a smattering of Virginia Woolf’s fiction because I decided, in college, that her writing was too “experimental” for me. Yesterday morning, however, I came across this in Letters of Note from Vita Sackville-West, Woolf’s lover, that persuaded me to reconsider.
3. Stephen Fry on child abuse and the Catholic Church. Click here.
4. What’s Joe Rogan’s secret? My theory: His authentic curiosity about such a wide range of topics. The curiosity helps him ask good questions. And the range of his interests is staggering. The combination is what made him the highest paid and most successful interviewer of all time. Here’s an example.
5. Another insurrection?Hundreds of people rushed into the US Capital complex Oct. 18 and remained there, chanting and ranting. For a moment, Capital Police thought it could be Jan. 6 all over again. But when they realized the crowd was there to support the Palestinian terrorists, they reclassified the event as a protest and relaxed. Click here.

Quick Bites: New border scam… “Ebony Alerts” in California… Netflix pop-ups… A sort of sensible trans debate… Test yourself on the history of water sports

1. This is not nice. As you know, I think Biden’s open border policy is a very bad idea in every imaginable respect. But I do feel sorry for some of the poor people that invest all their money and risk their lives because they’ve been conned into thinking they could illegally sneak into Europe or the US. Click here.

2. This is not a joke.Last week, Governor Newsom signed into law the “Ebony Alert,” a special Amber Alert system designed just for missing Blacks. California already has “Feather Alert” for missing Indians. (Again, not a joke). Click here.

3. Trying something new. After having some success with testing 40 pop-up “fan experiences” in 20 cities worldwide, Netflix is planning to launch a new concept called “Netflix House” – a combination of retail, dining, and live experiences. Click here.

4. I can’t get enough of… the completely loony but hugely popular worldwide debate on transgenderism. Usually, my attraction is on par with my interest in watching video clips of “Karens Gone Wild.” But occasionally I find a conversation that – were it not for the subject itself – I think of as interesting and even informative. Click here for one between a gay woman and a gay man.

5. Pop Quiz: Water Sports. I would have said I know absolutely nothing about water sports – but I aced it! Click here.