An Essential Resource for Enlightened Minds Since 1972
In my youth, I did several years in Hollywood. My mother, thankfully, never found out. I told her I was a contract killer for the Yakuza, or something, to spare her the truth. Initially, my job in Tinseltown was to act as a liaison between real scientists and studios that wanted to bring some accuracy… read more
Read More CommentPeople will be paying more and getting less from their governments as health costs and pension obligations will force state and local governments to adjust their budgets over the next 50 years, according to a new report. The new report from the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan congressional agency that audits federal programs, paints a… read more
Read More CommentLaw enforcement agencies are increasingly using sophisticated cameras, called “automated license plate readers,” or ALPRs, to scan and record the license plates of millions of cars across the country. These cameras, mounted on top of patrol cars and on city streets, can scan up to 1,800 license plate per minute, day or night, allowing one… read more
Read More CommentThe countries of the developed world are experiencing a new class of refugee — members of the middle and upper classes. These rungs of the socioeconomic ladder are realizing that their countries of residence are in many ways going rapidly downhill without much hope of a short- or medium-term reversal. This is particularly true for… read more
Read More CommentBeware the government that provides “more.” Fear the government that provides “extra.” “More government” always means more of something, but not always more of something a productive individual desires. More government means more rules and regulations, more agencies to enforce the proliferating rules and regulations, more taxes to pay for the proliferating agencies that enforce… read more
Read More CommentI am often asked, “How can anyone not see the problems of growing debt in the U.S.? Why can’t we get a consensus to change?” Part of the problem is that too many in power just don’t see the impending crisis that you and I see, or at least they don’t see the need to… read more
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Last Friday, I participated in a short debate on BBC Radio 4′s Today program on the future direction of gold. Tom Kendall, global head of precious metals research at Credit Suisse, argued that gold was in trouble. I argued that it wasn’t. So yours truly is on record on national radio the morning of gold’s… read more
Read More CommentI have always been fascinated by what motivates people. What motivates Tiger Woods to pursue the goal of being the world’s greatest golfer? What’s the motivation driving Warren Buffett to continue purchasing companies instead of retiring in Tahiti? Or how about the motivation behind the trucks allegedly packed with euros parked in front of the… read more
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Once the public furor and shrill media coverage have died down, it will become clear that events in Cyprus did not mark the death of democracy or the end of the euro, but potentially the beginning of the end of deposit “insurance.” If so, then three cheers to that. It may herald a return to… read more
Read More Comment“The United States was lucky to have George Washington as a Founding Father, because he had that same civic virtue, and of course he had read about and admired Cincinnatus.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger Last week, I drove from Florida to New York, and on the way, I listened to the audiobook Total Recall: My Unbelievably… read more
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[Ed. Note: Our resident Harvard-trained geologist and ex-naval officer Byron King is back yet again. Today, Byron is exploring the sizeable risks and handsome rewards of offshore oil exploration. Enjoy.] Far offshore and deep beneath the seabed lies the future of the oil industry. There’s a long, fascinating story here. But the short version is that… read more
Read More CommentThe Middle East mess affects all manner of scenarios for future price and availability of oil in the world. And later on, I’ll discuss a few scenarios. Recent headlines from the Middle East describe the battle between Israel and Hamas in and around the Gaza Strip. It’s quite a display of ordnance. Since Nov. 16,… read more
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For some time now – years actually – I have pondered the nature of liberty. Or more specifically, what liberty actually means to me. And to be extra clear, I am not talking about the meaning in abstract or philosophical terms, but tangibly – in much the same way I might answer if asked what… read more
Read More CommentI live out in the country. Among my few neighbors is a man we like to call “Mr. Mow-it-All.” This guy has the most perfect lawn you will ever see. He mows religiously when the grass is green. We see him almost daily out there on his zero-turn John Deere riding mower, keeping his lawn… read more
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Conservative activist and all-around muckraker James O’Keefe’s latest hidden-camera video draws inspiration from Milwaukee County’s controversial sheriff, amid the national battle over guns. Last Wednesday, O’Keefe’s Project Veritas released, “On Your Own” (with accompanying Twitter hash tag #OnYourOwn through his usual mass social network distribution), an undercover video that hammers home O’Keefe’s thesis: Citizens under… read more
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It’s a pretty sad state of affairs in the Land of the Free when they have to pass a law making it illegal for the government to assassinate its own citizens. Yet that’s exactly what’s happening. Late last week, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz introduced Senate bill S.505, “a bill to prohibit the use of drones… read more
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For some years now, Swiss Banks have not been willing to take on U.S. clients because of the aggressive tactics of the U.S. IRS. Since they hauled UBS over the coals for harboring U.S. tax evaders and continue to investigate many Swiss Banks, the IRS has posed a threat to Swiss companies operating in the… read more
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The publication earlier this week of the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee minutes of Jan. 29-30 seemed to have a similar effect on equity markets as a call from room service to a Las Vegas hotel suite, informing the partying high rollers that the hotel might be running out of Cristal Champagne. Around the… read more
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In 2004, Maurice Underwood was just a man with a van. When he made the decision to start his own moving company, Underwood was running an established small business in Reno, Nev., providing home cleaning services. A moving business was a natural next step, he thought, after he noticed several of his clients inquiring about… read more
Read More CommentA few weeks ago in the Land of the Free, a five-year-old girl in Pennsylvania was labeled a terrorist threat. Fortunately for the citizens of Northumberland County, local authorities managed to detain this nefarious kindergartener before she could exact her villainous deeds on thousands of innocents. Authorities were tipped off after someone overheard a conversation… read more
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Drones are wildly popular on the battlefield. Now they can claim victory elsewhere. The use of drones within U.S. borders — in car chases, to monitor wildfires, or for simple surveillance — is uniting political parties and people more often at odds. Their concern: The widespread use of drones among civilians represents a deep and… read more
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Finally, after years of economic turmoil, of boom and bust in the global economy, the great Austrian Friedrich von Hayek (1899-1992) is making an impact as the premier challenger of John Maynard Keynes and Keynesian policies of easy money, stimulus, and Big Government. The real estate boom-bust cycle and the financial crisis of 2008 caused… read more
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