Today, February 22 in New Zealand (February 21 in the United States), is a day of reflection for my family. On this date in 2011, Christchurch, New Zealand was hit by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that destroyed dozens of major buildings, including a number of treasured landmarks. The reason the effects of the quake were […]
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February 19 marks the start of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, which lasted through the end of March 1945. In this fascinating article, Dr. Paul Kengor sits down with Bill Young—a 90-year-old vet who fought for 37 days at Iwo Jima—to help remember all those who sacrificed so much for our […]
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I finally got around to seeing American Sniper last weekend, and it certainly gave me a lot to think about. First and foremost, it was a grim reminder that since the beginning of recorded history, the most significant and consistent phenomenon about mankind is his penchant for war. The greatest loss of life in America […]
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Motivational speakers and authors have long insisted that it’s possible to exert a great deal of control over your destiny by maintaining a positive mental attitude. Even though problems are an integral part of life, they believe that the key to success is how you react to those problems. So, are they right? Or is […]
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With the stock market at an all-time high, a bonanza of cheap gasoline, and unemployment at 5.8 percent, there is increased optimism about the U.S. economy. Yet challenges abound, both from the inside and abroad. Participation in the labor force remains at the lowest levels since the late 1970s, with over 6 million less people […]
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When I was about twenty years old, I excelled at two things: naiveté and gullibility. It never occurred to me that making money had anything to do with creating value in the marketplace, so it was quite natural for me to gravitate toward gambling. I loved horse racing, and went through a period where I […]
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A friend recently told me that he never worries about negative input from others because he has such a positive outlook on life that he doesn’t believe negative talk has any effect on him. Maybe so, but in my view it’s still a good idea to avoid negative people, particularly those who are critical of […]
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Having watched the DVD version of the three Atlas Shrugged movies, I think of how effective communication is such an important aspect of selling. Selling, in this case, not just a product or service, but a philosophy. The film adaptation of Ayn Rand’s famed magnum opus (apologies to those who consider that to be The Fountainhead) is […]
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The facts notwithstanding, I believe that a majority of people unthinkingly delude themselves about their mortality — meaning that they act as though they believe they are immortal. Of course, they don’t consciously admit it, at least not to others. I’ve known more than one person who acted as though he believed he will be […]
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Today is Muhammad Ali’s seventy-third birthday, and it’s yet another reminder that it’s more important to be loyal to your principles than to be popular. Truth and popularity, in fact, are all too often at odds with one another. In comparing his own life to that of Socrates in his book The Consolations of Philosophy, […]
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