Author Archive
Snakes alive!
I’m not going to say which gaggle of personable snake oil salesmen sprang to mind when my niece read out this joke from our Christmas crackers this year. (It’s true.) Poisonality. Bwahaha! Who? Take a guess.
Watch what you’re doing …
Larry Norman‘s name came up on one of my friends’ Facebook walls last night … I loved what this musician gave as his gifts — and his influence. He was a cool cat with great intelligence and, it seemed to me, a sense of mission and virtue. He was a gutsy individualist, a trailblazer as […]
There’s consequences to that action …
As I see it, Gabrielle Giffords (‘whom the authorities called the target of the attack‘) is a victim of the partisan climate of hate engendered by political differences and the hateful abuse by some Republican ‘leaders’ of their opponents (‘The Left’) as enemies — like, in war! Some use that rhetoric and emotional energy for electoral […]
Learning how smart our elders can be …
“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned.” — Mark Twain That’s true. And funny. And then there are times when it seems the old […]
Not exactly a whodunnit
‘Dispersing lies’ — that’s what I’ve been accused of doing, by ‘expert in lying‘, spruiker Dean Letfus. His detail-free allegation (by broadcast email and on his blog) comes with bonus faulty logic and an extra smear topping: that I am allegedly doing this (‘dispersing lies’) as ‘a competitor’ — which is kind of an understated […]
Adam – a movie about Asperger syndrome
I recommend you watch Adam, a terrific film about the struggles of someone with Asperger syndrome. What a lovely, moving, poignant story! See this movie if you have anyone in your life who you think could possibly have Asperger’s tendencies. It will help you empathise (is this my word for 2011?) with their journey and […]
What does your ‘opinion’ reveal about you?
People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character. — Ralph Waldo Emerson Everyone is entitled to my opinion. — attributed to pop singer Madonna Now, there’s a powerful pair of thoughts. Expressing one’s ‘opinion of the world’ through writing is, by its very nature, the result […]
In their shoes …
I was surprised recently when someone whom I know is in financial trouble himself emailed me with news of another person’s financial and personal struggles. He said he thought I’d be ‘interested’, as the person and I had previously had some negative interchanges. What the hell? Truly, it struck me as ghoulish, almost akin to […]
Fallen hero?
There’s a particular kind of anger and outrage sparked when you feel someone has shafted you financially. I’ve been reflecting on the strength of feeling expressed by some commenters in the thread ‘Is this how Shaun Stenning handles a request for a refund?‘ and the public and private reversal of fortunes experienced by some former […]
Happy Christmas
Happy Christmas to all readers and contributors at thePaepae.com My wish for you is that you get the chance to re-connect with family and loved ones. Whatever your religious or spiritual beliefs, may you get the time and opportunity for some positive reflection … and I hope that you take it! I’m going to be […]
Sometimes it seems pretty obvious
In my in-box … an obvious scam… … why would anyone respond? (But I guess it only takes a small percentage …) PT Barnum: “There’s a sucker born every minute.”
It’s raining Memphis!
… Memphis properties, that is. ‘Distressed’ or ‘bargain’ properties. Cheap cheap cheap!! A little while ago in ‘Safe investing means doing your homework‘ I mentioned that some members of the United Federation of Property Spruikers have moved onto shifting US properties to Kiwis and Australians. The exact commission structure (i.e. what’s in it for them) […]
Nice-looking bike!
This caught my eye in Howick yesterday … Nice! It’s a Suzuki Boulevard M109R Limited Edition … I didn’t see the word ‘Suzuki’ on it anywhere … which made me think about the power of branding … and my friend Mark’s latest ‘low cost’ mode of transport (well, compared to his Range Rover): What statements […]
When listing achievements, always use the third person …
One of my heroes was Peter McWilliams who taught me so much about life in general, and publishing in particular (along with my pal Roger Steele, on both counts). In 1991, Peter McWilliams published a terrifically practical and instructive book on publishing — Self-Publishing, Self-Taught … which he sold for US$95 — and that price point […]
Is narcissism the new normal?
I love the irony in this news. Apparently an upcoming revision of the psychiatric diagnostic standards manual, the DSM-V, has removed the narcissistic personality disorder from its roster… does that mean it has become so pervasive that it’s no longer thought of as pathological? Is narcissism the new normal? Well, maybe it is. Certainly it […]
