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September 16, 2013 Tokyo, Japan Suicide has long played a bizarre role in Japanese culture. In feudal Japan, for example, dishonored samurai would often commit seppuku, a suicide ritual that involved ceremonial disembowelment. It was torturous pain lasting for hours. In World War II, the Japanese military churned out suicide attackers known as
September 13, 2013 Hong Kong Financial circles in Hong Kong are buzzing today on the new Goldman Sachs projection that gold may drop below $1,000 an ounce. And in merely suggesting such a death sentence for the metal, Goldman’s pronouncement pushed the paper price of gold contracts down $20+. Many technical indicators underscore
September 12, 2013 Hong Kong In the summer of 1956, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, sparking a worldwide crisis. The Suez links the Mediterranean to the rest of the world, and it’s one of the most important maritime thoroughfares in international trade. So this was a big deal. Britain
September 10, 2013 Bangkok, Thailand It’s a weird indicator, but I sometimes measure the strength of the US economy by the weight of my carry-on bag. You see, friends of mine who don’t have medical insurance (most of them in the US) often ask if I can bring them discounted pharmaceuticals from Thailand.
September 9, 2013 Bangkok, Thailand “Ladies and gentlemen. For the safety and security of all passengers, please remove your shoes as you enter the security checkpoint…” How many times have we heard that? Anyone who has traveled in, out, or through the Land of the Free, or airports just about anywhere in the
September 6, 2013 Singapore “At what point do we just start calling these guys the Stasi,” asked a friend of mine over coffee today. He was, of course, referring to the latest news out of the Guardian– the same British paper that published Edward Snowden’s original whistleblowing interview. First the world learning that
September 5, 2013 Singapore Asia is a damned excited part of the world. And Singapore is the financial epicenter of all of it. For the last 24-hours, banker and fund manager friends of mine have been telling me stories about oil refinery deals in North Korea, their crazy investments in Myanmar, and the
September 4, 2013 Singapore Several weeks ago, I received some disturbing news from some of my closest advisers (all professional tax attorneys) regarding IRAs. They told me that suddenly, practically overnight, many IRS employees at the agency’s call center who assign tax ID numbers were refusing to issue a federal tax ID for
September 3, 2013 Singapore A few months ago, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the country’s central bank, released its annual report for the fiscal year ending 31 March 2013. And the results were ‘shocking’, at least for those of us who read central bank annual reports cover to cover like a Harry
September 2, 2013 En route to Singapore After two months of criss-crossing Europe on somewhat of a bankrupt nations tour, the chilly autumn weather that has settled upon much of the continent is my cue to beat feet out of here for the steamy, humid energy of Southeast Asia. So I’m presently sitting
August 29, 2013 Rome, Italy As everyone is now completely distracted with the looming prospect of yet another illegal war to be waged by the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, let’s look at a few other things going on while no one is looking. Gun control Today, the Obama administration announced fresh measures
August 28, 2013 Spoleto, Italy There’s a common expression that military commanders like to use in times like this– ‘you can’t be a little bit pregnant.’ Translation: you either go to war, or you don’t. You can’t halfway go to war. You can’t ‘sort of’ go to war. And if you do, it’d
August 26, 2013 Spoleto, Italy The Villa where I’ve been staying for the last week is one of my favorite spots in the world. When I first found it nearly two years ago, I couldn’t believe it. The home is exquisite– it’s a 14-bedroom chateau situated on 25 acres of wine grapes and
August 22, 2013 Spoleto, Italy One of the really great things about being in Italy is that this whole country serves as a constant reminder that wealth and power in the world are constantly shifting. Two thousand years ago, Italy (Rome specifically) was the pinnacle of civilization, at the forefront of medicine, art,
August 21, 2013 Spoleto, Italy Each summer, I’ve taken to renting a beautiful wine and olive estate in the Italian countryside and inviting some of the most interesting people I know for a week of lively discussion and debate. It’s an annual ritual I’ve recently adopted; there’s no format, just a gathering of
