In September of 31 BC, Octavian defeated the naval forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium. Shortly thereafter he became Caesar Augustus, the first Roman Emperor. For the next 211 years the Roman Empire enjoyed an unprecedented period of peace and prosperity that became known as Pax Romana. It encompassed the […]
PAX ROMANA—ANCIENT ROME’S GREATEST ERA OF PROSPERITY Read More »
In September of 1973, the Chilean Army marched on the Presidential Palace in Santiago and ousted the popularly elected socialist president, Salvador Allende. What followed was brutal repression, murder and torture, as General Augusto Pinochet seized control and ruled with an iron fist for the next seventeen years. At the time democracy was lost in
THE 1973 COUP IN CHILE–FIFTY YEARS AFTER Read More »
Ten years ago, China embarked on a major effort to increase its economic power and influence across Asia, Africa, and into Europe. The name of this program came from Xi Jinping, China’s president, when he spoke of building an “economic belt” along the “silk road” that was the land route to China for many centuries
CHINA’S BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE TEN YEARS AFTER Read More »
In 1883 the small volcanic island of Krakatoa in Indonesia, exploded with a force 13,000 times greater than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II. Although not considered the deadliest eruption in recorded history, it was the first natural disaster that was felt worldwide and whose cause was known. The majority
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Rhodes, the largest of the Greek Islands, is known today for its beach resorts, old fortresses, ancient ruins, and remnants of its occupation by the Knights of St. John during the Crusades. But during ancient times it had one of the world’s tallest statues at about 108 feet high that became known as the Colossus
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The so-called “Soft Landing” term that gets bantered about whenever there is some Federal Reserve monetary policy activity refers to bringing inflation down without harming economic growth. It can be visualized as landing an airplane safely with shifting winds all around it. It’s difficult to land an airplane under those circumstances, but it’s nearly impossible
IS THE U.S. ECONOMY HEADING FOR A SOFT LANDING? Read More »
The evidence is mounting that Xi Jinping, China’s president, is ever tightening the communist party’s control of all aspects of society in China. In addition to internet censorship, rewriting school textbooks, and imposing ideological crackdowns on arts, music, and entertainment, the communist party now wants to control all aspects of business including those companies that
IS NOW THE RIGHT TIME TO INVEST IN CHINA: PART II Read More »
In New York’s harbor stands one of the most famous symbols of American democracy, the Statue of Liberty. The colossal copper statue is a gift from the people of France as a monument to freedom in America. It became a dominant figure to immigrants who passed by it on their way to Ellis Island for
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As we all know, increased inflation has set in on the U.S. economy. Spending habits for consumers will change as purchases are postponed and household sacrifices are made. But what does inflation due to the investment sector of the economy? Higher Interest Rates Inhibit Development: Long-term investing that leads to development is especially impacted by
INFLATION CAN MAKE INVESTING PROBLEMATICAL Read More »
China is recovering from the multi-year lockdowns employed on the population to try to combat covid-19. Western executives that have recently traveled to China to reinstate business ties have said that China’s economy is picking up where it left off, and that an economic boom is just around the corner. But is it really? Chinese
IS NOW THE RIGHT TIME TO INVEST IN CHINA? Read More »