It’s a slender volume and small. Lovingly crafted. Kermit the writer published many books but this is the only edition he signed. Every copy, individually, 96 years ago. The wizard has 35 copies. The academy needs to gather up some cash for major projects and events in 2017, so here’s what the wizard feels that you and he should […]

1978’s  “Le Freak” has the distinction of being the best-selling record ever for Atlantic Records company, and the best-selling single for Warner Music Group until it was displaced by Madonna’s “Vogue”.

The MondayMorningMemo about metaphors is called Spaceship Earth. Don Quijote De La Mancha from Rodrigo Bolivar on Vimeo.

A year ago, the wizard challenged Vice-Chancellor Whittington to sing the original lyrics and melody of that happy song you heard on the previous page, but make it anxious and melancholy through pitch, key, tempo, instrumentation and intonation. Click the playbar. The man’s a genius. It’s part of his Bring the Dark album. You should download […]

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Night and Day The Patterns of Peter Horowitz, Painter. Born. 1922, Poland. Immigrated to Israel 1966. Died. 2005 It is often said that writers have a single story within them that they keep trying to tell, over and over. The same can be said, I think, for most artists. Did you notice how Horowitz has Sancho Panza […]

Today in Literature on FaceBook Man of La Mancha opened in New York City in 1965, running for the next five-and-a-half years and earning many awards and accolades — among them, the rarely bestowed, “A Metaphysical Smasheroo!” (from the Life magazine review). The musical started as a 1959 teleplay by Dale Wasserman; when he decided to rework the teleplay […]

STEP ONE: Enter an already crowded category that is in decline. STEP TWO: Completely ignore the trend toward e-commerce. STEP THREE: Give the company a name and a logo that contradict the product. STEP FOUR: Bring the made-to-order food concept of Subway and Chipotle into the donut business. THE RESULT: a mega-success of more than […]

Click the Goals banner to proceed to the next page. Click the image of Chapel Dulcinea to make it bigger. The date is March 7, 2005.

Wizard of Ads partner Morty Silber sent us this video with a note saying, “it has awesome special effects.” I watched it. He was right.

How to Say More in Fewer Words 1. Use Words that have Specific Meanings. “The bug moved along the ground, deciding which way it should go.” “The ant crawled between the blades of grass, peeking left and right at every intersection.” Bug is nonspecific. Ant is specific. “…moved along the ground” is mildly specific, but […]

Quixote’s Choice “A gentleman of fifty, with nothing to do, once invented for himself an occupation. Those about him, in his household and his village, were of the opinion that no such desperate step was necessary. He had an estate, and he was fond of hunting; these, they said, were occupation enough, and he should […]

“Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity. A work of art can hardly be too short, for its climax is its merit. A story can never be too long, for its conclusion is merely to be deplored, like the last halfpenny or the last pipelight. And so, while the increase of the artistic conscience tends […]

These are three of the wizard’s favorite people.  And I’m pretty sure you’re one, too. – Indy Beagle

This was prime-time television 54 years ago…

Your life is a singular journey; a generation is a collective journey. We’re circling an 11,000-degree fireball as it shoots through a limitless vacuum at 52 times the speed of a rifle bullet. If this dirt-covered rock we occupy was the size of a standard schoolroom globe covered with a coat of varnish, the thickness […]

The quote is from the book written by Cervantes in 1605, but the image was created to promote the movie, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote directed by Terry Gilliam. It is recognized as perhaps the most infamous example of development hell in film history, with Gilliam unsuccessfully attempting to make the film a total of 8 times over the span of […]

Gerhardt (Gerard) David was named town painter of Bruges in 1494. His paintings are notable for their softness and ripeness, their masterful treatment of light, and their poetic landscape motifs. Born circa 1460-70, in Oudewater, southern Holland: died Aug. 13, 1523, in Bruges. 6.5 x 9 inches, the painting is expected to bring $25,000 to $35,000 […]

In the interview, Roy speaks of how anxiety, fear and anger escalate as we approach the zenith of a “We” cycle in society and a couple of panelists pooh-pooh the idea. Maybe they were right. Maybe this reaction from a newscaster was all just an act. Maybe there are only a few other people that […]

 

This is the end of the “safe” portion of the rabbit hole. See? I gave you the BeagleSword; that makes this the terminus page. To venture beyond here is to risk becoming irritated, offended or annoyed. I’ve been a mostly good dog up until now, but this is where I become less careful. You have […]

You bought it for 50 cents. You sold it for a dollar. You made 50 cents. What was your percentage of profit? You could say “100 percent” because the 50-cent profit you made is equal to your original investment of 50 cents. But if we look at it from the basis of your selling price, […]

name, for a moment, “home.” Home is an English word virtually impossible to translate into other tongues. No translation catches the associations, the mixture of memory and longing, the sense of security and autonomy and accessibility, the aroma of inclusiveness, of freedom from wariness that cling to the word “home” and are absent from “house” or even […]

Don Cornelius was the creator of the nationally syndicated dance and music show Soul Train, which he hosted from 1971 until 1993. He was known for the phrase with which he closed each episode: “I’m Don Cornelius, and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul!” Altogether, the show had a 35-year run. […]

  8 Most Common Mistakes in Planning a Persuasive Event Where You are Looking to Raise Funds or Sell Something Mistake #1: Mistaking a “Theme” for a Persuasive Messaging Concept If you choose an attractive “theme” for your event, such as a party or ball that would dictate the decor, the entertainment and perhaps what your […]