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Polaris – the North Star – the only star that never moves – that unchangeable guiding light – is forever perched like a hummingbird on the hilt of the sword at the top of the tower at Wizard Academy. Watch all the other stars revolve around it during the night in this 11-second time-lapse video. […]

Yes, Paul ultimately finished the song and it won him the Grammy Awardfor Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. I’ve got the song below cued so you can hear the choice he made. – Indy

Indy I was reading what the Wizard had to say about the pitfalls that can happen when companies follow the siren call of data.  He is absolutely correct.  Data tells the journalistic story of what has happened. History. What occurred. What went right and what went wrong.  Looking at data does not tell us why things happened, what […]

You Saw this Speech in the MMMemo Two Weeks Ago. I sometimes blow off the wizard, but I never blow off Princess Pennie. So when she asked me to put this speech in today’s rabbit hole, I said, “Yes ma’am.” In 1744, when ­Thomas Jefferson was still in diapers, all of North America outside the […]

13 feet tall and 26 feet wide, the White Shaman rock painting has also been mapped by the University of Texas (Below)

The White Shaman symbol showing the 5 springs from Austin to San Antonio has been rotated, but otherwise left unaltered. Don’t you find it interesting that a rock painting this accurate was created 2,000 years ago spanning the 82 miles between Barton Springs and San Pedro Springs, and that it was painted 209 miles away?

457 BC – In the 7th chapter of the Old Testament Book of Ezra, King Artaxerxes of Persia issues a decree to rebuild Jerusalem which results in the rebuilding of that city under Nehemiah. Go west from Jerusalem across the Mediterranean, west across the Atlantic, then halfway across the landmass of North America and you’re in Central Texas. […]

The map below shows how cities in Texas (green dots) sprang up around the the natural springs (blue asterisks) that gush water from underground.

Daniel was a prophet of Israel during the Babylonian captivity about 600 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The book that bears Daniel’s name contains six court tales, followed by four apocalyptic visions. In the second court tale, Daniel becomes the leader of the astrological magi, or wise-ards, of Babylon. Among his apocalyptic visions is […]

I was freshly married to Pennie and barely old enough to see over the dash of a car but I wanted to show her the magical places of my childhood, so we saved up enough money for 3 tanks of gas and made the 200-mile drive from Broken Arrow to Ardmore, Oklahoma. I never knew […]

The Gift of the Magiby O. Henry, written Dec. 10, 1905 One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close […]

My Dad, The Iceman Before the refrigerator there was the icebox. The icebox required ice, of course. You could either buy it yourself at the ice plant or you could have it delivered to your house by the iceman. My Dad was The Iceman. Dad delivered ice to homes and businesses in our town for […]

In 2006, a high school English teacher asked students to write a famous author and ask for advice. Kurt Vonnegut was the only one to respond – and his response is magnificent:  Dear Xavier High School, and Ms. Lockwood, and Messrs Perin, McFeely, Batten, Maurer and Congiusta: I thank you for your friendly letters. You […]

The flag of the State of Oklahoma consists of a traditional buffalo-skin shield with seven eagle feathers on a sky blue field. The shield bears crosses symbolic of stars, as is common in Native American art. The peace pipe is a symbol of peace for Native Americans and the olive branch is a symbol of peace for […]

Sundown in Muskogee was written 18 years ago. It is the imaginary diary of the wizard as a young boy.

A good friend of mine recently wrote, “Underneath all the gloss and confusion about inclusion and diversity, it just seems like the real dividing line is socio-economic and the erosion of family. And as a Catholic, albeit not a very good one, I believe that the erosion of the family system is ultimately the most devastating. It’s at the heart of the unraveling of […]

Sundown in Muskogee

I’m Going to Fly, Vicki Berg! Vicki Berg and I became good friends in 1970 when we were both employees at Shell Oil Company in Tulsa. I’ve always called her by her full name. It just seemed to fit. I think of it as one word. Vickiberg. Vickiberg and I went to real estate school […]

“Unlike Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx is a strong believer in models that forecast the course of an outbreak.” “Dr. Fauci has cautioned that ‘models are only models’ and that real-world outcomes depend on how people respond to calls for changes in behavior — to stay home, for example, or wear masks in public — sacrifices […]

“Unlike Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx is a strong believer in models that forecast the course of an outbreak. Dr. Fauci has cautioned that “models are only models” and that real-world outcomes depend on how people respond to calls for changes in behavior — to stay home, for example, or wear masks in public — sacrifices […]

From the obituary of Congressman John Lewis: “He once described an incident when, as a young man, he was beaten bloody by members of the Ku Klux Klan after attempting to enter a ‘white waiting room.’” “Many years later, in February of ’09, one of the men that had beaten us came to my Capitol […]

From the obituary of Congressman John Lewis:“He once described an incident when, as a young man, he was beaten bloody by members of the Ku Klux Klan after attempting to enter a ‘white waiting room.’” “Many years later, in February of ’09, one of the men that had beaten us came to my Capitol Hill […]

The Thing About Us Okies… I lived in Muskogee, Oklahoma for 3 years before Merle Haggard released his hit song, “I’m Proud to be an Okie from Muskogee.” Even though I was only 12 at the time, I realized Brother Haggard’s song contained more corn than the whole state of Iowa.  I laugh about being […]

“As I age, I think I grow smarter about who I choose to spend time with. If I could go back in time, I believe I would chase after folks who could mentor me on getting wiser and kinder each day. Those people were all around me, but I think they scared me off. I […]

Have you seen the twice-a-month blog of fantastic, free advice published by the Wizard of Ads Partners?

Read “Good Strategy for Sheep, Bad for Business”

If you haven’t already done it, here’s a second chance to review Jon’s book.

Connecting the Dots of Data Every Wall Street investor walks tip-toe on the ice above an ocean of data. Some of them will tell you they are ice-skating on that data, but don’t let them fool you. Misinterpretation of the data is the ever-present danger facing investors AND marketers. Every business owner is a marketer. […]

“Everything about Liechtenstein is ridiculous. For a start it is ridiculously small – barely 1/250th the size of Switzerland, which is itself ridiculously small. Liechtenstein is the last remaining fragment of the Holy Roman Empire, and so obscure that its ruling family didn’t bother to come and see it for 150 years… Liechtenstein’s last military […]

Today is the day to review Jon Spoelstra’s book!

“We’re Part French, You Know“ Having traveled to 33 countries, someone was bound to ask which trip was my favorite. My answer, “My accidental trip to Paris”. Before I moved to Spain, my sister and I traveled to Europe every year for many years. Each year we chose a different European city to fly to; […]

When Harold Met the Schoolboy’s Momma Harold was an Irish bullyWho always got his way,Until he met the Schoolboy’s MommaAnd she blew his ass away. Schoolboy didn’t have a Dad.He worked every day after schoolIn a welding shop full of bitter menWho had broken every rule. Life is hard when you don’t have a name.You […]

The Day I Learned What I Didn’t Know I’m a high-top oilfield rigger,Riskin’ my life for pay,And there ain’t no evenin’ bigger,Than the darkness on pay day. I’m makin’ America Great Again,With black gold from underground,Being proud ain’t a sin,When you know you’re lost, and found. I’m a high-top oilfield rigger,Riskin’ my life for pay,And […]

Broken Hearts and Broken People I’ve seen some good ol’ times,Fueled by beer and halter tops,Jukeboxes with cheap rhymes,And the other shoe when it drops. Thank God for May-o-nnaise,White bread and the KKK,We’ll all see happier days,If we see another day. He was raised on daytime TV,The only sitter she could afford.He looks a lot […]

Once Upon a Time I was freshly married to Pennie and barely old enough to see over the dash of a car but I wanted to show her the magical places of my childhood, so we saved up enough money for 3 tanks of gas and made the 200-mile drive from Broken Arrow to Ardmore, […]