Dec 20, 2024
I’d never heard of a bank serving alcoholic beverages, but it made me feel a bit special to sit on the nice sofa and have a rum and Coke. By the time I’d finished my drink, I asked again when the manager would be seeing me and the young woman said, “Soon. Would you like another drink?”
Dec 10, 2024
Henry Ford used Hobson’s choice very effectively. He created his inspired “car for the multitude” in 1908. His market share increased enormously. Then, in 1913, he discovered that that black paint dried more quickly than any other colour. Black cars could be produced more quickly and were therefore more profitable. So, beginning in 1914, he eliminated all colour choices for his popular Model T cars. From then on, he said, “Any customer can have a car in any color as long as it is black.”
Dec 4, 2024
Today, most people have the general impression that on Black Friday, the market crashed and, almost immediately, there were breadlines. Not so. In the Great Depression, as in any depression, the market collapsed in stages. The market did not reach its bottom of 89% losses until July of 1932.
Dec 2, 2024
It argued that as the world’s new military leader, the US must maintain warfare in order to maintain its new hegemony. The administration agreed, especially as MIC lobbyists were quite prepared to kick back a generous portion of profits to both political parties if they played ball.
political | Nov 12, 2024
“If you catch 100 red fire ants as well as 100 large black ants, and put them in a jar, at first, nothing will happen. However, if you violently shake the jar and dump them back on the ground the ants will fight until they eventually kill each other. The thing is, the red ants think the black ants are the enemy and vice versa, when in reality, the real enemy is the person who shook the jar. This is exactly what’s happening in society today. Liberal vs. Conservative. Black vs. White. Pro Mask vs. Anti-Mask. Vax vs. Anti-vax. Rich vs. poor. Man vs. woman. Cop vs. citizen. [Etc.] The real question we need to be asking ourselves is who’s shaking the jar… and why?”
political | Oct 23, 2024
Much of the First World has reached this latter stage, all (to varying degrees) at the same time. Unfortunately, historically, the period of apathy is almost invariably followed by a period of bondage – a marked social and economic decline in which the people of the nation become little more than serfs of the state that rules them.
historical | Oct 18, 2024
In a macro cycle, a nation begins to thrive economically, when the people of that country adhere to a strong work ethic. They invest their money and toil into the economy, make a profit, then either save, purchase goods, reinvest, or a combination of the three. When the great majority of the people do this, the country thrives economically. The greater the economic freedom (i.e., the less governmental oversight and regulation), the more the country thrives. But this never lasts forever. The eternal fly in the ointment is that governments seek continually to increase their control over others.
historical | Oct 9, 2024
In 1759, Scotsman Adam Smith, who is widely regarded as the world’s first true economist, published his first great work, The Theory of Moral Sentiments. In it, he postulated that all social evolution can be attributed to “individual human action,” as opposed to “individual human design.”
historical | Sep 24, 2024
If left to their own devices, people will tend to come up with a society in which residents treat each other with equanimity and respect each other’s property. They’ll tend to help their neighbours, yet will otherwise respect each other’s privacy. This is not just happenstance. It occurs for a reason. It’s the most effective way to ensure that peaceful coexistence and mutual benefit are maximized over the long haul.
historical | Sep 11, 2024
Submission to the state is a time-honoured tradition, a concept supported by governing bodies since time immemorial. In days of yore, men submitted to whichever member of the tribe was the mightiest in battle. By doing so, they stood a better chance of succeeding in battle, thereby diminishing the likelihood of their own death or enslavement.