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Today’s letter is about how to go back in time. A lot of us remember 2009 as a pretty tough economy. The whole world was in bad shape. Major banks had failed, panic had set in, governments were spending money hand over fist, and debts were rising fast. It was pretty brutal. But
Over fifteen centuries ago, according to an ancient Sanskrit legend, a mythical Hindu priest named Sissa was ordered to invent a new board game to entertain the king of Taligana. Sissa labored over the task for quite some time, but he eventually brought the King a military strategy game with a 64-square board
Like most kids, I wanted to be an astronaut when I was little. Then a fireman. Then a pirate. Then a movie star. My parents were pretty traditional so they hoped I would grow up to become a doctor. This is pretty typical; after all, parents just want their kids to be financially
If you’ve ever been on a road trip through Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Indiana, you’ve probably driven past a billboard advertising Amish furniture, quilts, or cheese. You may have even driven past a horse and buggy, driven by someone who looks straight out of the 1800s. The Amish are a Christian sect known for
The “green energy” revolution is one of the biggest fantasies of today. For example, they tell us that fossil fuels are going away, that the gasoline powered internal combustion engine is a thing of the past, and that everyone wants to drive an electric vehicle (EV). Clearly, that’s why over 90% of consumers
At a campaign rally earlier this month, President Trump promised that if he is elected, “We will keep the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency. It is currently under major siege. Many countries are leaving the dollar.” What he’s referring to is the extreme privilege that the US has, i.e. that central
Let’s play a game. I’ll give you some recent headlines, and you guess the well-known magazine. Here’s What the ‘Manosphere’ Gets Wrong about Cuckoldry How a Zombie Law Could Ban Abortion Nationwide If Trump Is Reelected Meet the New Autocrats Who Dismantle Democracies from Within Finding Math’s Beauty and Power with Drag Queen
In the 6th century BC, during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon flourished as a center of power, culture, and commerce. We know this because the Babylonians were exceptional record keepers. And they chiseled everything down onto cuneiform tablets, many of which have survived through today. Sadly the tablets aren’t tabloids. They don’t
On October 23, 1944, a formidable US naval fleet sailed past the Philippine island of Leyte with more than 300 battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, and submarines. Their objective was to secure the island’s strategic gulf to support the Allied amphibious invasion (which would ultimately liberate the Philippines from Japanese occupation). Plus they
The Fed Chairman was flush with praise yesterday over the stupendous state of the US economy. The economy is in a “good place”, he told reporters at a press conference after announcing a 50-basis point (0.5%) interest rate cut. The labor market is “strong”. Inflation is “coming down”. They’re “confident” about the future
At some point early in 2011, I received a frantic phone call from a woman who was terrified that then-President Obama was going to “close the borders”. She had apparently been reading some pretty dark forums on the Internet which had convinced her that Obama was going to prevent all US citizens from
This is an anomaly we haven’t seen before. Gold just hit yet another all-time high. But what’s strange is that, if you look at gold’s supply and demand fundamentals, the price should almost be falling. Not rising. I’ll explain— On the supply side, gold production is actually increasing slightly. The largest miner in
The US Department of Transportation clearly has a lot on its plate. America’s infrastructure is not in great shape. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) grades America’s roads, bridges, and public transportation a C- overall. In fact 42% of US bridges are at least 50 years old, and nearly 7.5% are considered
Taylor Swift’s announcement pretty much said it all. After last night’s Presidential debate, the pop star publicly endorsed Kamala Harris because “she is a steady-handed, gifted leader” who fights for “LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body. . .” I really try to keep an open mind and understand
When I was a kid growing up in the 1980s, my father used to go every summer for two weeks of military training as part of his commitment to the US Army Reserve. And whenever he flew home, we would always meet him at the airport. But back then, my mom, sister, and
