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THE MAGICAL PULL OF THE POOL
FROM THE DESK OF
Bob Norton
Many of you know that I read a lot of books. I get most of my book recommendations from mentors, friends, and other entrepreneurs. Recently, I attended a mastermind group and the book “The Black Swan”was mentioned. I purchased it and just finished reading it. Wow! This book is written by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, who built his career as a currency trader. Over time, he realized the statistical models used by most financial and economic experts are flawed. Their models ignore rare, critical events, which Taleb named “black swans.” His book discusses his observation and argues that mainstream forecasting methods are erroneous. You’ll have to read the book to find out why. His solution to reduce the risk of a black swan is to add redundancy to your life. Have multiple streams of income. Build large cash reserves earning moderate interest for unexpected events. Invest smaller portions of your wealth into opportunities with high payoffs. Don’t follow the crowd because they are listening to the guys who are wrong.
H ow to T ake the E xperience up a N otch
It’s no secret kids love water. When the summer heat waves peak, kids in bright bathing suits charge through sprinklers, shoot down hose-powered Slip N’ Slides, and take turns perfecting their cannonballs at the neighborhood pool. This affinity for water is particularly powerful when they’re small; the single word“pool”can inspire them to eat broccoli or even clean up their rooms. But what makes the water so alluring? Susan Brown, an assistant director and parent educator at Commonwealth Parenting, has a theory. “I like to think of children’s fingers as if there are little brains on the tip of each finger,” Brown wrote in an article for Community Idea Stations. “When these little brains get stimulated through play, neurons begin to fire. This firing of neurons excites the brain, causing it to grow bigger, stronger, and more facile, setting the brain up for higher levels of cognition. One of the simplest ways to provide sensory play is through water activities.” In other words, kids love water because splashing around in it is literally helping their brains grow. For busy parents, this is a blessing: Letting the kids loose at the pool under the eye of an experienced lifeguard can be an ideal way to keep the summer fun rolling for kids and adults alike. Follow the tips below to enrich the pool experience for your kids and get those neurons firing.
I highly recommend this book.
-Bob Norton
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SPLASHTASTIC POOL TOYS
The Art of Stargazing Helping Humans Slow Down and Look Up If your kids are old enough for regular pool visits, it’s a good bet you already have a pile of perpetually damp inner tubes and pool noodles in your garage. Still, if you want to cement your “cool parent” status, try upping your pool toy game. The options are endless: Sea-SawWater Rockers, Boat House Floating Habitats, under- water diving sticks, and many others. Stop by your local big box store or visit Amazon.com to browse the bounty. Once you’re fully stocked with pool toys, the next step is to make swim time competitive. Water sports equipment, like floating basketball hoops and volleyball nets, can keep kids occu- pied for hours, and brave parents can even snag waterborne trampolines or Starfighter Super Squirters — inflatable command posts that seat one kid each, complete with squirt guns — which are perfect for aquatic squirt gun battles. Just be sure to keep your distance from the pool, or else you’re likely to get soaked, too. GAMES FOR ALL OCCASIONS
only is swimming together an excellent bond- ing experience, but it’s also the perfect way to cool off and stay in shape for the summer.
MAKE IT A PARTY
If you’re lucky enough to have a backyard or neighborhood pool, all it takes is a pack of brats on the grill, a huge bowl of sliced watermelon, and a few neighbors in attendance to turn a sim- ple pool visit into a summer extravaganza. Let your kids invite their friends, offer up some s’mo- res, and you’re guaranteed extra“cool”points.
TAKE TO THE ROAD
In the mind of an 8-year-old, the only thing better than a trip to the pool is a vacation to the beach or trip to the waterpark. While this option requires more investment than buying a handful of pool toys, it comes with significant upsides: Beaches and waterparks cater to all age groups, and the memories you make will last for years to come.
JOIN THE FUN
The younger your kids are, the more they’ll want you to jump in the pool with them. Not
Modern humans are stuck in a routine of expected and constant industriousness. But with all this rushing, people often drag themselves home at night with no energy left to enjoy the most splendid show nature has to offer: the wondrous night sky. Most people go through life looking straight ahead, but if they would stop and peer skyward, they’d bear witness to a massive, unexplored frontier made up of the moon in all its phases, burning stars sailing through the sky, constellations with epic origin stories, and meteor showers bright enough to warrant sunglasses. If you’re looking for a hobby to help you slow down and appreciate the world around you, stargazing is a great option. Here are some tips to get you started. EXTRA SET OF EYES While novice stargazers often want to immediately throw their money at a new telescope, astronomy experts recommend starting with binoculars instead. You’ll need to identify several anchor planets or constellations to help you navigate the sky before using a telescope. UTILIZE ASSETS Put your phone to good use by downloading apps like Stellarium, Starwalk, and Google Sky Map. Each of these apps offers a unique benefit for aspiring stargazers. For example, Starwalk lets you point your phone at the sky to see stars, constellations, and planets in real time based on your location. MARK YOUR CALENDAR In 1972, beloved singer-songwriter John Denver wrote about a meteor shower he witnessed during a camping trip in Colorado. He describes the scene by singing, “I’ve seen it raining fire in the sky.”The “fire” he recounted was actually the Perseids meteor shower, the most recognized shower on Earth. This astrological wonder takes place every year from July 17 to Aug. 24. During this time, viewers should be able to see shooting stars associated with the Perseids, but the shower reaches its maximum rate of activity on Aug. 12–13 this year. Grab some friends and family, and head outdoors to put your newfound stargazing knowledge to work. THE HIGHER, THE BETTER If you’re a city dweller, meander a little way out of town or try to find a tall building to keep the light pollution to a minimum.
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What’s Next for Marvel Movies?
“Guardians”movie provided some clues about the plot and possible main villain. Though details are slim, “Vol. 3” is sure to be another rollicking ride through the cosmos. 3 MARVEL MOVIES TO WATCH OUT FOR
For the past 10 years, Marvel movies have delighted families and comic book nerds alike with their memorable characters, incredible action scenes, and sprawling, interconnected storylines. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is the story of the Avengers so far, told through 23 movies. Even though this year marked the end of a massive arc that Marvel Studios dubbed “The Infinity Saga,” there are still more movies coming out that will feature everyone’s favorite heroes. Here are a few films coming up next in the MCU. International assassin Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson, was the first female member of the Avengers and made her debut appearance in “Iron Man 2.” She never got her own movie, but Marvel announced recently that a Black Widow movie is officially in the works for the next phase of Marvel movies. Besides the fact that they’ve started filming, there’s not much information about it yet. But for many excited fans, this movie has been a long time coming. A BLACK WIDOW SOLO MOVIE
‘BLACK PANTHER 2’
“Black Panther”was immensely popular (it earned nearly $700 billion domestically), and its success removed all doubt that there would be a sequel. Audiences
will journey back to Wakanda and see the newest adventures of King T’Challa and crew, although not much is known about the plot or the release date as of now. But you can rest assured that the creative minds behind the sequel are taking their time to make it as good as the first. The future storyline of the MCU is up in the air, but, if the previous movies are any indicator, families, fans, and audiences everywhere have a lot to look forward to.
‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3’
Star-Lord, Rocket, Groot, and the gang are all back in the third installment of this smash-hit franchise. Without getting into too much detail, “Avengers: Endgame” and the post-credits scene of the second
Take a Break!
Inspired by Food &Wine Magazine
Senegalese Lamb Skewers
Ingredients
For the lamb: •
For the onions: •
2 lbs trimmed leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 tbsp peanut oil, plus more for grilling
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
•
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
•
•
1/2 tbsp agave nectar
•
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
•
Salt and black pepper, to taste
•
Salt and white pepper, to taste
Equipment •
Bamboo skewers
Directions
1. In a bowl, coat lamb with 1 tbsp oil and generously season with salt and pepper. 2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, and agave nectar. Toss in onions and season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium and oil the grates. 4. Thread lamb on skewers and grill for 6–8 minutes. 5. Serve alongside onions.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of Bob PAGE 1 Becoming the Cool Pool Parent PAGE 1 The Art of Stargazing PAGE 2 The Next Phase of Marvel Movies PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 Senegalese Lamb Skewers PAGE 3 How to Best Protect Yourself From Scam Calls PAGE 4 Two of the most common scams are phone scams and robocalls. These calls are incredibly annoying and can trick you out of valuable infor- mation if you’re not careful. While it might seem like these scams are inescapable, there are some precautions you can take to avoid their traps. GIVE THEM THE SILENT TREATMENT. One thing you can do to avoid these fraudulent, time-wasting calls is to simply hang up. If possi- ble, it is best to not answer at all. It’s always good to have a list of numbers you can reference, so you never have to guess who is calling. Think of it as going one step beyond caller ID. In some cases, answering and then hanging up can actually do more harm than good. Answering the phone gives the scammers confirmation that the number works and that they should try again. Once your number is confirmed as active, it often gets put on an “active number” list that can then be sold to
RING, RING — IT’S A ROBOT
What You Can Do to Protect Yourself From Phone Scams and Robocalls
other scammers who market in these types of phone numbers. If you can’t verify who is calling without picking up, don’t answer. Let it go to voicemail. If it’s important, the person will leave a legitimate message and you can respond afterward. PUT UP SOME DETERRENTS. You can even go a step further and block the calls. Many phone service providers offer call-blocking options, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. You can sign up for this service in-store or on your service provider’s website. Each service costs about $4 per month. There are also a number of call-block- ing apps available on Android and Apple devices, but if you subscribe to a blocking service through your phone provider, these apps are unnecessary.
Call.gov). While the Do Not Call program can help cut back on calls, this list is largely ignored by scammers. If you’re getting a ridiculous number of robocalls every day, signing up can offer you some brief respite. Thankfully, Congress is already attempting to fix this problem by making it harder for scammers to call you. But until they are able to pass tough, effective legislation, it is up to us as consumers to remain vigilant and do what we can to keep our personal and financial data safe and secure.
Finally, you can sign up for the Federal Trade Commission’s “Do Not Call” program (DoNot-
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