Essays

What If Stocks, Bonds and Housing All Go Down Together?

"In the past, central banks were pleased to inflate one bubble at a time, enabling money both smart and dumb to flee one smoking ruin and get busy inflating the next bubble-ready asset class. But now, thanks to essentially unlimited liquidity and credit, the central banks have inflated three bubbles at the same time: stocks, bonds and housing. That raises an interesting question: what if all these bubbles pop in unison? Will the central banks be able to place a bid under all three markets simultaneously? If so, where will all that freed-up cash go next?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat If Stocks, Bonds and Housing All Go Down Together?

Tor: The Onion Router

"With the ever expanding surveillance systems being employed in the United States and around the world, the ability to use the internet anonymously is becoming increasingly important, especially for activists, or anyone who is not okay with your Search Engine provider, ISP (Internet Service Provider) and your government knowing everything about your internet use. Here, I will go into brief detail about the technical aspects of Tor, give reasons why you should use Tor and finally guide you through the installation of the Tor browser and how to contribute to the network by setting up a relay." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTor: The Onion Router

Don’t Make it Easy for Governments to Compile Your Digital Dossier – Part II

"The Onion Router (Tor) was originally a research project of the US Naval Research Laboratory and was developed as a third generation anonymity software. Today, the Tor Project is an open source application and is used worldwide by private citizens, the military, journalists, law enforcement officers, and activists. Tor is arguably one of the most anonymous Internet anonymizers available. As the above diagram illustrates, users, via a Tor client, make a random connection to the first of three remote servers. The remote servers can be operated by anyone – virtually anywhere in the world. The three servers, also known as nodes, are encrypted." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDon’t Make it Easy for Governments to Compile Your Digital Dossier – Part II

The Best Quality Of Life In The World: Residency & Citizenship In Austria

"This country offers an excellent quality of life as well as a safe and healthy environment. In fact, Austria boasts one of the highest standards of living of any country in the world. The Mercer Consulting group, in particular, has ranked Vienna, as the city with the world’s highest quality of life for the past three years running. Note that Austrian residency and citizenship bring other, more practical advantages. Austria is one of 25 European states that are part of the 'Schengen agreement.' A resident or citizen of one Schengen country enjoys visa-free travel to all other Schengen countries. In addition, an Austrian passport has a very good global reputation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Best Quality Of Life In The World: Residency & Citizenship In Austria

Get Ahead of the Pack and Unload Bonds Now

"Why oh why does this love affair continue? Some of it is inertia. People just don’t want to sell what worked for them in 2009, 2010, and early 2011 … even if it isn’t working any more. Some of it is fear. Investors were burned so badly by the 2008 stock market crash, when Treasury bonds were about the only asset class that went up in value, that they’re willing to buy bonds at almost any price. And some of it is the fault of central bankers worldwide. They’re essentially cornering the bond market, making the Hunt Brothers’ infamous cornering of the silver market in the late 1970s and early 1980s look like child’s play." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGet Ahead of the Pack and Unload Bonds Now

A Real Life Thelma and Louise: the US and the EU

"To be sure, there have been many warning signs along the road to indicate that to exit the car might have been a good idea, but, for whatever reasons, they did not. Now, it is becoming increasingly apparent to a larger number of people that the joy ride is soon to end, and end rather badly. As such, it would be understandable if we were to see the passengers in the back of the car request that they be let out. As Europe has some 740,000,000 inhabitants and the US has a further 310,000,000, even if only one percent chose to make an exit at some time in the next few years, this would mean an exodus which would be unprecedented in world history." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA Real Life Thelma and Louise: the US and the EU

An open letter to marijuana prohibitionists and so-called third-way-ers

"I keep hearing from your side that you have noble motives for your opposition to marijuana legalization. I hear that all you care about is using scientific inquiry to determine what is best for the people. However, I’m not sure if you’re aware of it, but you keep talking about things in ways that aren’t scientific, or that are meaningless without the proper context. That kind of thing may have worked once, but in general, people are a little more sophisticated about scientific knowledge — they no longer uncritically accept 'Here be dragons' for cartography or 'If she floats, she’s a witch' as a judicial system." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAn open letter to marijuana prohibitionists and so-called third-way-ers

Does This Make America Less Free Than Slovakia?

"Would your grandparents have ever said that Slovakia is freer than America? Most likely not, but today the story is a little different. Decent Americans have their lives ruined, their business closed, their property confiscated, and often wind up in jail simply because they want to produce clean milk for people who realize what a load of rubbish pasteurized 'milk' is. In Slovakia, a country that has been little more than two decades out of authoritarian rule, we see a very different picture and boy does that make me scratch my head, because the country I grew up considering the freest country in the world really doesn’t sound like it in this example." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDoes This Make America Less Free Than Slovakia?

David Galland: The Other Side of the Wall

"When we arrived in Cafayate, it was with some entirely natural trepidation. After all, not only were we going to be living in a remote corner of Argentina, we were bringing along our teenage kids with all that that implies. We pondered all manner of questions and concerns. Would our stumbling knowledge of the local lingo prove a hamper? Would the highly dysfunctional government hereabouts be an impediment at every turn, the bureaucracy frustrating? Would the kids adapt to the new environment and be able to get a good education? Yet, never ones to worry ourselves into inaction, we plowed ahead and on October 22 set down our bags in Cafayate." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDavid Galland: The Other Side of the Wall

It’s Time for Private Defense

"If the Cleveland Police Department had believed and convinced a judge that there were drugs being consumed or sold in the Castro home, a battering ram would have collapsed the front door years ago. A dozen cops from various agencies would have stormed the place. Police don’t take those kinds of chances with a less sexy crime like kidnapping. So while government maintains a monopoly on policing power, its finances don’t allow it to do the job adequately. Police departments prioritize chasing drugs, cash, and terrorists. Because of asset forfeiture laws, those are the crimes that pay." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIt’s Time for Private Defense