When I was a kid growing up in the Soviet Union, it was essentially forbidden to make a better life for yourself. You couldn’t just decide to go back to school, start a business, or switch careers to a thriving new industry. And it didn’t matter how hard you worked-- you were most likely NEVER going to be promoted. All the top jobs in the Soviet … [Read more...]
The Bolsheviks Aren’t Coming. They’re Already Here.
The average Westerner who hasn’t traveled very much believes Moscow to be a cold, bleak, desolate capital city that’s filled with Stalinist-era architecture and a population that lives in utter misery. But the reality of this place is nearly the complete opposite. Moscow is a bright, beautiful, cosmopolitan city. I’ve always found Moscow to … [Read more...]
The Return of The Inquisition
In 279 BC, the vast army of King Pyrrhus of Epirus was met by Roman forces at the Battle of Asculum in southern Italy, in what would be one of the costliest military engagements of ancient history. Pyrrhus fancied himself the second coming of Alexander the Great and believed that he was a descendant of Achilles. Many of his peers and … [Read more...]
“If You Can Keep it…”
On September 17, 1787 on the final day of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin was approached by a woman as he walked out of Independence Hall. “Well Doctor, what have we got-- a republic, or a monarchy?” she asked. It was a burning question on everyone’s mind: what form of government would the Constitutional … [Read more...]
Millennials: Read This….
Every year the Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse publishes a detailed report about Global Wealth. And while drawing conclusions about ‘wealth’ (i.e. ‘net worth’) for the world’s 7.6 billion people is far from an exact science, the report routinely offers some interesting insights and trends. This year’s report was just released this … [Read more...]
This New Bubble Is Even Bigger Than the Subprime Fiasco
In 1988, a bank called Guardian Savings and Loan made financial history by issuing the first ever “subprime” mortgage bond. The idea was revolutionary. The bank essentially took all the mortgages they had loaned to borrowers with bad credit, and pooled everything together into a giant bond that they could then sell to other banks and … [Read more...]
No, Protestors, You are Not Entitled to Free Education
Editor’s Note: It seems obvious that the organized chaos was put in place well before the U.S election was held. Those protesting only like democracy when the result goes their way. Bleary-eyed from the 16+ hour flight from Asia, I checked my phone last night once the plane landed to find that riots have broken out across the Land of the … [Read more...]
We’re Witnessing a Complete Breakdown in Western Values
Two months ago I was with the former President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, at his home outside of Medellin. He was telling me some hilarious stories about his interactions in the early 2000s with Hugo Chavez, who had recently seized power in Venezuela. Chavez was a fanatic socialist. He believed so strongly in the idea of redistributing wealth … [Read more...]
Leaving the European Union
On 23 June 2016, this British citizen will be voting to leave the European Union. To me it’s clear: the EU has not only become too big for its own good, it’s too big to do hardly anything good. Back in 1975 when the UK first confirmed membership in the EU (when it was called the European Economic Community), it made sense. Britain has … [Read more...]