The Wealth of Actions

An old song from the vaults of the esteemed Benjamin Franklin.   ___________________________________________ The Antediluvians Were All Very Sober The Antediluvians were all very sober For they had no Wine, and they brewed no October; All wicked, bad Livers, on Mischief still thinkinga For there can't be good Living where there is not good drinking, Derry Down 'Twas honest old Noah first planted the Vine, And mended his Morals by drinking its Wine; He justly the drinking of Water decried; For he knew that all Mankind, by drinking it, died. Derry Down From this Piece of History's plainly we find That Water's good neither for Body or Mind; That Virtue and Safety in Wine-bibbing's found While all that drink Water deserved to be drowned. Derry down So For Safety and Honesty put the Glass round. __________________________________________     Antediluvians:  Existing before the flood (the Noachian deluge) recorded in Genesis; relating to the times or events before the Noa...

My Process for effective research In order to satisfy my endless curiosity, I try conduct research in an effective and efficient manner.     With the limitations of time, coupled with the modern Library of Alexandria (the internet), my process is as follows: 1. Quick search on Youtube + watching videos. Time spent: 5-20 Minutes 2. Check Goodreads.com and Amazon.com for the best reviewed books on the topics. Read the reviews on both websites, and the quotes page of Goodreads. Time spent: 10-25 Minutes 3. Browse through the Wikipedia page [sometimes this is too dense]. Time spent: 10-15 Minutes 4. Download the books of interest for free on z-library .    This site has 90% of books i've searched for available for free, and the ones which have been removed for copyright reasons are available on their .onion website. You will need to download Tor browser to access these books. I personally prefer ".epub" format as you can change the size and font in "Books" on a...

 "Always set to work without misgivings on the score of imprudence. Fear of failure in the mind of a performer is, for an onlooker, already evidence of failure... Actions are dangerous when there is doubt as to their wisdom; it would be safer to do nothing." BALTHASAR GRACIAN, 1601-1658

1a : look, expression … a countenance which expressed both good humor and intelligence …— Sir Walter Scott b : mental composure … startled, and also somewhat out of countenance.— Arnold Bennett c : calm expression He managed to keep his countenance through the ordeal. 2 : face, visage especially : the face as an indication of mood, emotion, or character The photograph showed his somber countenance. 3 : bearing or expression that offers approval or sanction : moral support … her countenance of their unsafe amusements …— Jane Austen

   "The concerns which fail are those which have scattered their capital, which means that they have scattered their brains also. They have investments in this, or that, or the other, here, there and everywhere.  Don't put all your eggs in one basket is all wrong. I tell you, put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket. Look round you and take notice; men who do that do not often fail. It is easy to watch and carry the one basket. It is trying to carry too many baskets that breaks most eggs in this country. He who carries three baskets must put one on his head, which is not apt to tumble and trip him up. One fault of the American business man is a lack of concentration" - Andrew Carnagie

"It is difficult to rob a weaker man if he has strong friends prepared and able to give the robber a hiding." ~1956

 In his writings "The Prince", Niccolo Machiavelli prescribes a remedy for combating flattery in the court. Seeking council in a small group of ministers followed by meditation in private to protect ones self from ruin. "For there is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that by telling you the truth they will not injure you.  But when anyone can tell you the truth, you lose respect. Therefore, a prudent prince should follow a third course, electing wise men for his state and giving only them permission to speak truthfully to him, and only on such matters as he asks them about and not on other subjects.  But he should ask them about everything and should listen to their opinions, and afterwards he should deliberate by himself in his own way.  And in such councils, and with each of his ministers, he should conduct himself in such a way that all will realize that the more freely they speak, the more they will please him.  Ap...

Last night my copy of the "University of Berkshire Hathaway" arrived in the mail. It gives a brief summary of the shareholder meetings conducted by Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger from 1986 - 2017. I was surprised to find that Buffet has been warning about the ills of inflation since 1986! "As long as politicians lack self-restraint, they will print a lot of money at some point." Buffet predicts as early as the 1986 meeting that that America will see "substantial inflation" at "rates we've never seen before" . Buffet's tone reminds me of my Twitter feed, which suggest that a massive Wiemar Republic style hyper-inflation event is right around the corner. To see today's inflation messages emulated in a publication from 34 years ago gave me a valuable perspective that these things play out over time. Like a frog boiling in water. I'm adjusting my present day internet media consumption to 10-20% of my information diet with books and...

 Quote of the Day: Seneca on Reading & Writing “ Reading nourishes the mind and refreshes it when it is wearied with study…  We ought not to confine ourselves either to writing or to reading; the one, continuous writing will cast a gloom over our strength, and exhaust it; the other will make our strength flabby and watery.  It is better to have recourse to them alternatively, and to blend one with the other. so that the fruits of one’s reading may be reduced to concrete form by the pen.”

This medium [Wealth of Actions] is a test or battleground for myself. It is a channel to express my thoughts, theories and ability to communicate them. I have recently become aware of the length of life itself, and how much can be achieved in the later years of life. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Cultivating good habits like writing take time. I write here in pursuit of truth and wisdom. I accept that my views on any one day, post or period may be wrong or misguided. I acknowledge that we must all make mistakes in order to grow and evolve. I have been reading a lot recently, and plan to continue on this path for the decades ahead. It has come to attention that reading and writing should compliment each other, as too much of one puts off the balance between nourishment and cementing the knowledge that has been learned. This is why I am starting to publish. Through the process of penning and editing my thoughts, I first and foremost clarify the thoughts in my own mind, and secondly p...

 Word of the Day Immemorial: 1. Long past, beyond the limit of memory, tradition or recorded history. Time immemorial ~ old "This is the philosophy which has characterized from time immemorial the creeds of primitive tribes."