theDrahos

They want to see who can develop the most unbelievable, nonsensical story and have it work to pull the wool over the eyes of the American public.  It’s like a game, a contest, an inside joke: Jen Psaki, when responding to accusations regarding the recent attempted “changes” in Venezuela, suggested: As a matter of long-standing policy, the United States does not support political transitions by non-constitutional means. She was questioned on this…claim? What’s even more amazing than the fact the “authorities” remain so willing to publicly spout such easily disprovable propaganda, is her reaction once she realizes she’s been caught.  … Continue reading →

Editor’s Note: Privacy buffs looking for a way to thwart facial recognition systems may have found a solution. Tech company AVG Innovation Labs, has developed a pair of eyeglasses outfitted with infrared lights  that can disrupt facial recognition software. The glasses are still in the concept stage and they’re apparently not foolproof, but they may indicate a growing market for so-called “privacy wearables.” The fact that there is such a term as privacy wearables says something about the world we live in. Identifying people through biometrics is a reality of daily life with implications for motorists, as described in this … Continue reading →

What are the objectives of the global economic war against Russia? Will the West disconnect Russia from SWIFT? Will Europe and the USA impose more sanctions on Russia? What’s happening to the oil prices? Will Syrian President Bashar Assad surrender? Pravda.Ru asked these and other questions in an interview with Ron Holland, author of many best-selling books It has been a year since the US economic war against Russia began by the West. Which objectives have been set and have they been achieved? I would suggest the objectives have been three fold but in fact I would date the sanctions … Continue reading →

[A shorter version of this essay was presented at the 2015 Austrian Economics Research Conference at the Mises Institute.] Since the beginning of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, two words that have rarely been seen together are “Baptist” and “pacifist.” We have instead been subject to things like high-profile Baptist leader Jerry Falwell writing a defense of the Iraq war titled “God Is Pro-War,” Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, writing to President Bush that his “policies concerning the ongoing international terrorist campaign against America” were “both right and just,” and … Continue reading →

For nearly four years, I lived just 20 miles from Washington, in Annandale, VA, and I worked in D.C. for 9 months. From my home in Philadelphia, I’ve also gone down to Washington at least a hundred times, so this metropolis should not be alien to me, and yet no American city is more off putting, more unwelcome, more impenetrable, and this, in spite of its obvious physical attractiveness, and here, I’m talking mostly about its Northwest quadrant, the only part visitors are familiar with, and where commuters from Virginia and Maryland arrive daily to work. Even though it’s the … Continue reading →

As the eclipse plunges the UK and other places into darkness this Friday, two other rare if less spectacular celestial events will be taking place, too: a Supermoon and the Spring equinox. A Supermoon, or perigee moon, happens when the full or new moon does its closest fly-by of the Earth, making it look bigger than it normally does. And the spring equinox refers to the time of the year when the day and night are of equal duration, mid-way between the longest and shortest days. The solar eclipse refers to a phenomenon where the sun and moon line up, … Continue reading →

A lot of people have asked me if they should carry their concealed pistol with a round in the chamber.  This question came up a lot when I was teaching a full schedule of concealed handgun courses. To add another layer to this question, I’ve also worked in various sectors (like the nuclear security industry and even with some military units) where supervisors held different beliefs than I do about what constitutes safety and what was both safe and tactically prudent. In order to explore this topic more fully, I’ve broken it down into the following categories: weapon retention, transitioning … Continue reading →

It is fascinating to see brilliant people belatedly discover the obvious — and to see an even larger number of brilliant people never discover the obvious. A recent story in a San Francisco newspaper says that some restaurants and grocery stores in Oakland’s Chinatown have closed after the city’s minimum wage was raised. Other small businesses there are not sure they are going to survive, since many depend on a thin profit margin and a high volume of sales. At an angry meeting between local small business owners and city officials, the local organization that had campaigned for the higher … Continue reading →