The Western sanctions against Russia seem to shock very few Westerns. Yet, for several reasons, these sanctions should at least be the subject of lively debate in Western societies. Firstly, these sanctions are illegal from the standpoint of international law (only the Security Council can approve economic sanctions, according to article 41 of the Charter of the United Nations). They legitimately can be considered an act of war by Russia, with all the terrifying...
Read More »Elon Musk’s Twitter Gambit and What It Means to the “Clique in Power”
Elon Musk’s bid to take over Twitter and turn it into a private company has apparently been successful. Now the real action begins. Musk’s buyout exposes the Big Digital media complex to unwanted and unwonted competition, while threatening to loosen its near-total control of information and opinion. Twitter has represented a vital component in an information configuration that has barred competitors and participants from the digital sphere by means of progressive...
Read More »Average annual healthcare costs hit 9,600 francs in Switzerland in 2020
Statistics published on 26 April 2022 show health expenditure in Switzerland rose to CHF 9,648 (US$ 10,8001) per person in 2020, making Switzerland (probably) the second biggest per-capita healthcare spender in the world – the OECD has not yet published 2020 expenditure for the US, which is typically the world’s highest spender. Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.comHealthcare spending rose 1% in 2020 compared to 2019, according to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical...
Read More »Did China’s Politburo Throw Markets a Lifeline?
Overview: Speculation that a midday statement by China's Politburo signals new efforts to support the economy ahead of next week's holiday appears to have stirred the animal spirits. The unusual timing of the statement helped spark a rally in Asia-Pacific that lifted most of the large market by more than 1%. Europe's Stoxx 600 has nearly completed the gap created by Monday's sharply lower opening. It is rising for the third consecutive session. US futures are,...
Read More »Doom Porn and Empty Optimism
If we can’t discern the difference between doom-porn and investing in self-reliance, then solutions will continue to be out of reach. I’m often accused of calling 783 of the last two bubble pops (or was it 789? Forgive the imprecision). Like many others who have publicly explored the notion that the status quo isn’t actually sustainable despite its remarkable tenaciousness, I am pilloried as a doom-and-gloomer (among other things, ahem). Fair enough, and I’m fine...
Read More »The New World Order and Dehumanization on the Left and Right
Bob critiques the economic views of Yuval Harari, who predicts “useless people” because of technological advances. Bob then showcases similar thinking from right-wingers. He ends by addressing a common critique of the Christian God. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 of the BMS series on Klaus Schwab and the Great Reset Bob’s book with Silas Barta on Understanding Bitcoin Source for NWO compilation...
Read More »Is Putin Right About a U.S. Proxy War?
On the surface of things, it appears that Russia is at war with Ukraine. But Russian president Vladimir Putin is saying that in actuality it is the United States that is warring against Russia and is simply using Ukraine as a proxy to conduct that war. Putin, therefore, is also saying that given that the United States is waging war against Russia, the possibility of nuclear war continues to rise with each passing day. That raises an important question for the...
Read More »Mass Adoption für Bitcoin in Zentralafrika
Das nächste Land hat Bitcoin als legales Zahlungsmittel anerkannt. Dabei handelt es sich um die Zentralafrikanische Republik. Das dafür notwendige Gesetz wurde gestern, dem 27. April, verabschiedet. Und es betrifft möglicherweise auch anderen Cryptocoins. Bitcoin News: Mass Adoption für Bitcoin in ZentralafrikaAus dem Präsidentenhaus wurde dazu eine offizielle Pressemitteilung veröffentlicht:🚨 Official press release from the Central African Republic states Bitcoin is...
Read More »Historic Inventory Continued In March, But Is It All Price Illusion, Too?
The Census Bureau today released its advanced estimates for March trade. These include, among other accounts like imports and exports, preliminary results reported by retailers and wholesalers. That means, for our purposes, inventories. Oh my, was there ever more inventory. It was, apparently, widely expected that following an avalanche of goods building up over the previous five months the situation might calm down a touch. Analysts had figured wholesale...
Read More »Decentralization and the Rise of the West: The European Miracle Revisited
Decentralization has long been at the forefront of the minds of Austro-libertarians. Hans-Hermann Hoppe, for instance, appeared on Austrian television this month sharing his dream of a Europe “which consists of 1,000 Liechtensteins.” Although principally based on economic reasoning, this policy agenda emerged at least in part out of a celebration of the historiography on the “European miracle,” which posits that the West grew rich because of the existence of...
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