Five Things — November 2020
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Dear friends,
I hope this letter finds you well and safe.
This will be my last newsletter before Christmas, so I want to take this moment to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas.
Also, if you are looking for the perfect Christmas gift, Portugal Jewels has created a Christmas Gift Guide that might help you, just click here. Let me know if you need help or additional recommendations.
If you enjoy reading this newsletter, please recommend it to a friend who might also like it. Just send her/him this website www.alexnewsletter.com
Thank you for your time,
Alex
#1 Can you win in defeat?
Can you win in defeat? It really depends on your definition of winning, but John McCain did an amazing job on his 2008 concession speech after the US Presidential race against Obama. This video went viral in 2008 and again this year after Trump’s reactions to the election results.
It is worth watching and especially how the crowd reacts along with the speech.
Video (YouTube, 5 min)
#2 The Vow: a crazy documentary about the cult NXIVUM
The Vow is a documentary revolving around the cult NXIVM and its leader Keith Raniere.
NXIVM was presented as an American multi-level marketing company that offered personal and professional development seminars. It had in its ranks Hollywood actresses, millionaires, and politicians. However, inside this company, there was a secret society in which women were branded and forced into sexual slavery. In October 2020, the leader Keith Raniere was sentenced to 120 years in prison.
What I love about this documentary is that they have real footage since the beginning of the cult (circa 1998), as one person who left was documenting the life of Keith Raniere and the rise of NXIVM. You will understand the modus operandi of cults and other manipulative organizations, and how “normal” people can be persuaded in.
Trailer (YouTube, 2min)
Link (HBO, 9 episodes)
#3 Best guide to handle the pandemic
This is a small article from the latest McKinsey newsletter that left me inspired and more optimistic about the future. It provides a guide on how to process the emotions of the pandemic and bounce back strong — you can apply it personally and to your businesses. The main bullets are, in order:
- Grief period
- Business context
- Sense of urgency
- Responsive leadership
- Bouncing back
Article (McKinsey Shortlist, 3 min)
#4 iPhone vs Toilet
Robert Gordon is an American economist and one of the world’s leading experts on long-term economic growth.
“In this TED Talk “The death of innovation, the end of growth” (from 2013 but still very relevant), Gordon argues that today’s innovations are nowhere near as life-changing as the five great inventions that fueled the world’s growth between 1870 and 1970 — the internal combustion engine, urban sanitation, electricity, modern communication, and pharmaceuticals. He underlines this point by inviting readers to choose between owning one of today’s ubiquitous technologies — the iPhone — and one of the nineteenth century’s great inventions, the flushing toilet.”
A key measure of rising prosperity is productivity growth — this metric has not performed as well since the 1970s in the US as it did in the period 1870 to 1970.
Ted Talk (Youtube, 12 min)
#5 Crokinole: a great game for confinement
I am not a big fan of traditional board games but always liked dexterity board games. These are games where the physical/dexterity component plays an important role as strategy or luck (the most popular is probably Jenga).
By most rankings, Crokinole is the most entertaining dexterity board game. It was invented in Canada in the late 19th century and has a cult following all around the world. If I had to describe it, it is a mix between curling and marble games.
What I like about the game:
- Very easy to learn and to start playing;
- You can play 2 to 4 players and in teams (great for family and friends);
- Each game take 3–5 minutes;
- The board in wood looks good
- Each shot is so satisfying — you have to try yourself.
If you are interested, you can check an in-depth review and how to play crokinole here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMKzeg78peg
You usually need to buy these boards online from sellers outside Portugal. However, there is one person who builds and sells custom ones in OLX. I bought mine there.
Buy it here (OLX, 175€)
Review and How to Play (YouTube, 19min)
If you enjoyed reading this newsletter, please recommend it to a friend who might also like it. Just send her/him this website www.alexnewsletter.com
