May 1, 2024
Years ago, Doug Casey mentioned in a correspondence to me, “Empires fall from grace with alarming speed.” Every now and then, you receive a comment that, although it may have been stated casually, has a lasting effect, as it offers uncommon insight. For me, this was one of those and it’s one that I’ve kept handy at my desk since that time, as a reminder.
Apr 23, 2024
Some people are more observant than others. Some are more capable of thinking outside the box than others. Whether this is by nature or nurture is a moot point. When we are children, we tend to look upon the world in all its wonder. We are amazed at what exists and we absorb it like a sponge. Then, when we are in our teens, we begin our second wave of discovery. We begin to pay more attention to the things that we find confusing; we become absorbed in issues like world hunger, warfare and political strife. These situations seem senseless and we repeatedly ask, “Why should these things be?” Typically, in our twenties, we have not yet found any solid answers and our mood turns from interest to anger. We tend to gravitate toward liberal philosophy, as liberal philosophy tells us what we would most like to hear; that these terrible things should not exist and that we should take every step available to us to end the injustices of the world – at whatever cost to ourselves and others.
Apr 17, 2024
An increasing number of people are coming to the conclusion that their home countries (particularly the US, EU and Canada) are in decline. More and more, such people are deciding to seek greener pastures elsewhere in the world. Many of them have never “left home” before and are very unsure of how they should prioritise an exit. As International Man feature writer Jeff Thomas has for decades advising those expatriating, we’ve asked him to weigh in on the topic.
Apr 10, 2024
In any country, during prosperous times, the great majority of people go to work each day with the understanding that productivity results in an improved life. Even for those of humble means, the existence of prosperity around them is a daily assurance that, if you work hard and/or work smart, your life will steadily improve.
Apr 9, 2024
“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” Since that time, generations of university philosophy professors have required their students to consider the question. Countless classroom time has been taken up in pondering it. In many cases, students would be required to write a report containing their answer and they might even be graded on it.
Mar 28, 2024
As I see it, liberals are putting forward what appears on the surface to be a legitimate criticism and conservatives are countering it with the apology that, yes, capitalism is failing, but collectivism is worse. Unfortunately, what we’re seeing here is not classical logic, as Aristotle would have endorsed, but emotionalism that ignores the principles of logic.
Mar 21, 2024
In 1987, Levon Helm, a former cotton farmer from Arkansas, sat brooding in his yard, trying to describe why his apparent success had turned to near-bankruptcy: “Well, it’s hard to put your finger on. You get behind financially and once you get behind financially, you seem to get behind spiritually. And your luck turns against you.”
Mar 12, 2024
So, what’s the real answer? Is the investor better off keeping his metals as close to home as possible, or as far away as possible? Well, the answer should not be defined by distance at all. It should be defined by accessibility and safety.
Feb 28, 2024
“The concept of government is that the people grant to a small group of individuals the ability to establish and maintain controls over them. The inherent flaw in such a concept is that any government will invariably and continually expand upon its controls, resulting in the ever-diminishing freedom of those who granted them the power.”
Feb 20, 2024
When Fidel Castro came suddenly to power on 1st January 1959, many business leaders understood immediately what effect that would have on them in the future and made a hasty exit from Cuba. Then, in the following years, as the socialist confiscations of businesses and property began to take place, larger numbers of businessmen made their exit. In the end, hundreds of thousands left.