theDrahos

One of the reasons I criticize academics has been my experience in their suppression of knowledge. I use to fund important archaeological excavations that could further our knowledge of history. The First Gulf War bombing uncovered a ancient city nobody had known about in the desert of Iraq. Ancient cities contained libraries where everything was stored including court cases and disputes. Over the years, I was a known collector of ancient economic texts. Thousands of these clay tablets appeared on the black market. I was naturally contacted. I bid on the find. I then learned that my only competitor was Martin … Continue reading →

Getting off quick, successive shots on target with a pistol is all about recoil management.  Here are five things that will help all shooters conquer their weapon’s kick and allow for super fast and accurate handgun shooting. 1.  Thumbs forward grip I find the two-handed, thumbs forward grip is by far the best when it comes to making multiple, fast shots.  Having a quality, strong support hand grip in the correct thumbs forward position gives the shooter the proper amount of recoil control. Showing off the support hand for the thumbs forward grip. These four fingers lay across the strong … Continue reading →

Amidst all the brouhaha related to the allegedly “false” portrayal of Lyndon B. Johnson in the movie Selma caused by the LBJ Library’s director, Mark Updegrove, it is noteworthy to call to the public’s attention how the “LBJ defenders” have attempted to absolve President Johnson from involvement with that sordid chapter in American history.  Updegrove’s article was quickly followed by one from Joseph Califano, printed in the Washington Post, that even claimed the Selma march was Lyndon Johnson’s idea.  All of it was quite opposite of the truth, and no amount of “LBJ revisionism” will make it fact. From the … Continue reading →

Nowadays when you hear the word “spam,” you probably think of the unwanted emails you get from unknown sources soliciting you for money and information. Little do many people know, the term actually refers to and originates from the glorious canned luncheon meat of the same name. In the 90s when email became popular, users began referring to a classic Monty Python sketch to talk about these unwanted but ubiquitous messages. In the sketch, a couple is dining at a restaurant in which Spam is part of nearly every item on the menu, much to the chagrin of the wife. … Continue reading →

Soon after gloating to the Business Insider about how he was proven right last week when he warned in his 2013 book “Street Smarts” that the Swiss National Bank move would end in a crisis, Jim Rogers spoke with Investment Weekly discussing how “terribly flawed” the United States dollar is. Rogers, who has been a longtime critic of the greenback, explained that he owns more U.S. dollars than any other currency because when a crisis happens investors return to the dollar for protection. Although the bestselling author of “Hot Commodities” does concede that the dollar is in for a crisis because of the national debt, Rogers expects global currency volatility … Continue reading →

If anyone had any doubt how severely the global economy has been distorted by the actions of central bankers, the “surprise” announcement last week by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) to no longer peg the Swiss franc to the euro should provide a moment of crystal clarity. The decision sent the franc up almost 30% in intraday trading, a scale of movement that is unprecedented for a major currency in the modern era. Although very few in the media or on Wall Street fully understand the ramifications, the situation that forced the Swiss to abandon the peg will soon be … Continue reading →

Whether you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure or told you’re at risk of developing the same, you’ve likely been advised to limit your sodium intake. But new research shows that sugar – particularly the kind found in processed foods – is more closely linked to high blood pressure than salt. How much sugar are you eating? A recent study by New Zealand’s University of Otago, and published in the medical journal Open Heart, revealed that consuming high amounts of sugar increases your chances of getting high blood pressure. Through a number of randomized, controlled trials, researchers looked at sugar’s … Continue reading →

The Swiss central bank’s recent move to de-peg the Swiss franc from the euro reminds us of the importance of choice in currency. By pegging the Swiss franc to the euro, the Swiss central bank was in effect subsidizing the euro by refusing to compete with it. If carried into the long term, this would have meant a de facto monetary union between the euro and the franc. Fortunately for most people however, the Swiss central bank maintained its legal independence from the euro and the peg was eventually ended, thus freeing the holders of Swiss francs from the new … Continue reading →

Switzerland’s central bank said today in a statement that it had agreed with the People’s Bank of China to establish clearing arrangements in Switzerland for renminbi trading and extend a pilot scheme for clients of Swiss banks. “It will promote the use of the renminbi by enterprises and financial institutions in cross-border transactions, and promote facilitation of bilateral trade and investment,” the Swiss National Bank said. Alongside the pact, the PBOC will extend a pilot scheme for foreign investors to clients of Swiss banks, with a quota of up to 50 billion yuan ($8 billion). From Davos, Reuters adds: “We … Continue reading →

While the Western world was watching and grieving over the slaughter in Paris last week, and my colleagues in the media were fomenting a meaningless debate about whether President Obama should have gone to Paris to participate in a televised parade, the feds took advantage of that diversion to reveal even more incursions into our liberties than we had known about. We already knew that the NSA, our 60,000 domestic spies, has captured and retained the contents of nearly all emails, text messages, telephone calls, bank statements, utility bills and credit card bills of all Americans since 2009. We already … Continue reading →

“As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air – however slight – lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.” ― Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas No matter what the politicians say about how great America is and how we, as a people, will always triumph, the fact is that the nation seems to be imploding. Despite the dire state of our nation, however, you can rest … Continue reading →

Well, that is what one might conclude after the events of the last week.  As is well-known, the Swiss National Bank decided to remove the peg/floor in the exchange rate for the Franc against the Euro.  This move was made suddenly, with no announcement or even a hint beforehand. There is so much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the financial media.  There is much I might say about this event; I will use the writing of two of the more prolific economic financial writers of today to help me on my way.  Both John Mauldin and Ambrose Evans-Pritchard (with … Continue reading →