The Smartest Man Online

The economy in Panama

admin — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:43:04 +0000

Panama is an interesting country to study, economically. With great taxation laws, banking laws, and rules that promote business, its growth over the past 20 years has been astounding. Much of it can be seen just visiting for a few days. Skyscrapers are everywhere, and the amount of construction going on in is, quite frankly, unbelievable for a country of only 2.5 million people. Within a 1 mile radius I saw no less than 5 newly built skyscrapers that were still under construction, all of which were at least 15 stories tall. While the economy there appears to be quite strong, just the sheer volume of new commercial space opening up tells me a possible real estate bubble could (more…)

Panama Railroad becomes Panama Canal

admin — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:39:23 +0000

Imagine a vast land mass stretching from the arctic circle in the north all the way down to antarctica in the south. If your a ship trying to get stuff from one side of that land mass to the other side, your only option is to sail tens of thousands of miles south, around the bottom tip of the land mass, and back up again several thousand miles. It is a daunting tasks requiring massive amounts of time and capital. But what other option is there… (more…)

Arriving in Panama

admin — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 23:59:06 +0000

Panama is a country that has been on a roller coaster swing for its entire existence. From being the centerpoint of the Spanish gold trade centuries ago to the near collapse of the economy in the middle of the 20th century, to the presidency of the Manuel Noriega, who originally was a spy for the US, and later was smoked out of his own house and transferred to the US prison, the history of Panama is filled with interesting antecdotes. One of the interesting things about Noriega´s presidency was that he instituted the safe haven banking laws that are now making Panama a tremendous center of finance. While he destroyed the economy in many ways, this single law (more…)

Pakistan in Danger of Collapse

admin — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:21:56 +0000

Some countries win and other countries lose. While the fortunes of a certain geographic area of the world certainly can change over times, there are some areas in the world that are doomed to poverty forever. One of those areas is Pakistan. (more…)

An American geinus: Milton Hershey

admin — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:30:45 +0000

The story of Milton Hershey, the man who founded the confectionary giant, Hershey, is a story in perseverance and risk taking that led to triumph. In many ways, it represents what the average human being can do if they commit themselves to a particular goal. (more…)

Explanation : Wrong Side of the Bed

admin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:30:20 +0000

What causes a person to wake up on the “Wrong side of the Bed,” and which side, then, is the correct side of the bed? I’m not talking about an emotional individual whose mood fluctuates for no reason on a day to day basis. I’m referring to a person who is mentally and emotionally stable (which rules out 90% of us anyways) and for whatever reason wakes up in a frame of my mind less than desirable without provocation or external stresses. I think I have the answer.

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Most noteable stock markets of last week

admin — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:03:35 +0000

The week ending July 4th, 2008 was a bloodbath for world equity markets. Of the major indexes, only 2 were positive for the week overall: Austria, which gained 1%, and the Czech Republic which skyrocketed 7%, despite the financial stress in the system globally. The worst performing markets got crushed, with the Pacific Rim containing 6 of the bottom 10 performing equity markets for the week overall. Outside of Asia, Ireland, Brazil, and Chile were the worst performers, dropping between 6-8% each, with Turkey putting up the worst numbers, dropping an outrageous 10% in a single week. (more…)

Asian markets starting Great Depression

admin — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:41:49 +0000

Stocks throughout Asia have been getting hammered recently, as the worldwide financial crisis worsens, and has reached virtually every country on the planet. The Japanese stock market index has now been on a consecutive losing streak of 12 days, its longest such streak in 5 decades. (more…)

July 4th: How it changed the world

admin — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:54:53 +0000

No other city is more fit to celebrate July 4th than Philadelphia. The first capital of the United States, Philadelphia is, historically, the most important city in the country. Viewed on a long enough time scale, it could be argued that Philadelphia has been the most important city in the world over the past 300 years. As a tribute to July 4th, I think it reasonable to understand the magnitude of what occurred here 232 years ago. (more…)

The best restaurant in Philadelphia: Tamarind

admin — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:04:33 +0000

Philadelphia has long been known as one of the great restaurant capitals of the United States. It often boasts of having similar quality chefs to New York City at far more reasonable prices. While I certainly have been to quite a few nice restaurants in Philadelphia, I had yet to be blown away, until this weekend. (more…)