Author Archives: JohnMatel

Cervisiam tene, hoc specta

Posted on June 3, 2019 by JohnMatel

Any story that begins, “I was having a few beers …” may not seem promising, but I am going with a version of “in vino veritas” here. So, I was having a beer while waiting for Chrissy. I don’t mind … Continue reading →

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Can people change?

Posted on June 2, 2019 by JohnMatel

My Story Worth question for this week. Do you believe people can change? Yes. Absolutely yes. This is one of the few things or which I am certain. We cannot help but change. Much of the way we think we … Continue reading →

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Freeman tree farm visit

Posted on May 31, 2019 by JohnMatel

You can never win the battle against brush & brambles, but you can hold them at bay and try to establish competing system that you think are more appropriate Open pinelands In my pinelands, I have two options of appropriate, … Continue reading →

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Wide ranging

Posted on May 30, 2019 by JohnMatel

“Range” is a good title for this wide-ranging book. The subtitle is also descriptive – why generalists triumph in a specialized world. I want this to be true, not sure that it is. Everybody purports to value the generalists as … Continue reading →

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Prosperity paradox

Posted on May 29, 2019 by JohnMatel

Prosperity is a process, not a place. Having money is important to prosperity, but not enough to ensure it. There are people and countries with lots of money that are not prosperous. The key not to have wealth but to … Continue reading →

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The Marshall Plan

Posted on May 27, 2019 by JohnMatel

I would have been a socialist back in 1946. Who could have believed that we could have done so remarkably well with the free market, with “capitalism?” The world was really in sorry shape right after the world’s greatest and … Continue reading →

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My birthday 64 years old

Posted on May 24, 2019 by JohnMatel

Rituals are important, even little ones. Since I was 40 years old, I have been doing the bar flip on my birthday. That is now 24 years. The other pictures are from lunch. Chrissy & I went to Blackfinn. I … Continue reading →

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Did you consider other careers?

Posted on May 23, 2019 by JohnMatel

Story Worth – Did you consider other careers? How did you choose? Little boy dreams I wanted to be a paleontologist. I was maybe five years old. Most boys like dinosaurs. I loved dinosaurs. I could spell that word before … Continue reading →

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Asian carp

Posted on May 22, 2019 by JohnMatel

They jump right out of the water People are familiar with Asian carp because they leap spectacularly out of the water, sometimes causing injury to boaters and water skiers. Absent that, most people are unaware of the big changes in … Continue reading →

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How America has changed in my lifetime

Posted on May 21, 2019 by JohnMatel

My story worth – How has the country changed in your lifetime? The surprising success of a fundamentally lazy man I thought of writing a book about my life’s experience. I didn’t get very far, but I came up with … Continue reading →

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