The Glory of a Minute
“The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand exponential growth.” —Albert Bartlett, a physicist On Friday, I drove an hour north to pick up my boys from college for winter break. When I arrived, they were still packing. Amazed by how much stuff they were bringing…
The Wind Traders
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” —Henry Ford Banks and governments are shrouded in mystery. Historically, they have a propensity for secrecy, cover-ups, and credit games that drive economic booms and busts. The period that most…
Tower of Basel and the snake in the tunnel
“Give me control over a nation’s currency, and I care not who makes its laws.” — Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812) A few years ago, my furnace went out on Christmas Eve. Last week, my water heater went kaput on the eve of Thanksgiving. Unlike the furnace, which took a good four…
The Age of Alternatives
“There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.” —George Santayana We have more alternatives today than any people ever in the history of humanity. As such, people believe they can choose their own realities and shape their own destinies. I spent some time this week…
Is the Deep State really scared?
“It is the city of mirrors, the city of mirages, at once solid and liquid, at once air and stone.” —Erica Jong There’s a lot of news about Trump vs. the Deep State. Last week, the following articles posted: There Really Is a Deep State (the Atlantic), Trump’s ‘Deep State’…
Daddy’s Home!
“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.” —Mark Twain Last weekend, I visited my son in…
Pain Has a Purpose
Last week, it was 70 degrees in Saint Joseph, Michigan. I ditched work and went for a walk through the woods to Lake Michigan. Then I laid on the beach for several hours, tuning into my body and moving my joints in every direction I could imagine, 30-50 times each….
BRICS: Builds Bridges Back Better
“I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.” —Mother Teresa The BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, was a success. It was by far the largest event that Russia has hosted in years, attended by more than two dozen nations, including…
Pacta Sunt Servanda (promises are made to be kept)
There are so many things happening right now, I don’t know how much I’ll be able to cover in this post, but let’s begin with the most fundamental principle in international law: Pacta Sunt Servanda. It’s Latin for “agreements must be kept,” which is one of the oldest moral and…
Unity is strength
“A leader must inspire or his team will expire.” —Orrin Woodward It is 3 o’clock in the morning, Sunday, and I’m speaking into my phone (voice to text) while I am laying in bed with a heating pad on my elbows. I’m supposed to heat them for fifteen minutes, massage…