You’ve seen the ads. A guy standing next to an expensive sports car parked in front of a mansion that probably isn’t his, shouting about “Discover Passive Income Streams” and “The Secrets Billionaires Don’t Want You to Know.” Ridiculous, right? But here’s the thing. Those internet charlatans are nothing compared to the heavyweights of infamy, the fallen titans who’ve mastered the art of turning disgrace into a profitable side gig. Think Bernie Madoff hawking his “official” financial memorabilia or Harvey Weinstein launching a prison inmate fashion line: orange jumpsuits with sequins, diamond-encrusted handcuffs, and “#MeToo” embroidered slippers. It’s as if they’ve taken notes from every outlandish get-rich-quick campaign and decided…
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¡Hola, Bonjour, 你好! Diacritical and Accent Marks Mean International Appeal
In 2025, I’m making it my mission to become a better writer. My first goal? To reach a broader, more diverse audience—people who appreciate sharp humor, thoughtful insights, and a touch of global perspective. To create writing that connects with readers from all walks of life in France, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Turkey, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, New Zealand, Japan, Romania, Moldova, Poland, Lithuania, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Malta, Norway, Denmark, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Vietnam, China, India, Greece, as well as the United States. My first step was to pen an international review of Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Part…
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Who’s Calling the Shots? Getting to Know Your New Cabinet Members
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares for his second term, he has announced a colorful and eclectic team for his administration, with selections as unique as their life stories. From Marco Rubio, the duct-tape visionary as Secretary of State, to Kristi Noem battling Velcro Dependency Syndrome as Secretary of Homeland Security, this cabinet promises a blend of brilliance and unconventional backgrounds. Here are four of his selections. Secretary of State Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, former presidential contender Born on March 23, 1971, in the bustling hamlet of Watermelon Fork, Nebraska, a town boasting the nation’s only drive-thru bowling alley, Marco Rubio entered this world with a sense of destiny. Battling…
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Monkey in a Pink Canoe… Again Why Parents Don’t Try to Explain the Birds and the Bees to Their Kids
Talking about “the birds and the bees” with your kids is the parenting equivalent of assembling IKEA furniture without instructions: frustrating, bewildering, and destined to leave someone in tears. Whether it’s deciding the what, when, or accepting that you’re in way over your head, parents often end up turning a teachable moment into a full-blown train wreck. Inevitably, the result is a muddled conversation that leaves kids with more questions than answers and parents contemplating their life’s choices. But why struggle through this yourself when you can outsource it to ChatGPT? In revisiting my 2017 article, Monkey in a Pink Canoe, I’ve tapped ChatGPT to help lighten the load, by…
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The Great Writing Revival How AI Makes Writing Fun Again
Back in 2018, I penned a blog article titled, “Is There a Book in You?”— a piece brimming with insights about the craft of writing and publishing your first book. While much of it remains as solid as the day it was originally written, over time even the most resilient evergreen articles can start to feel a little… wilted. And let’s face it. Writing and publishing are no cakewalk. The industry has changed dramatically since 2018. Fortunately, the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT offer exciting new ways to “spiff up” your past work. In this article I’ve given my original article a 21st-century makeover using custom ChatGPT prompts. These…
