In the late 19th and early 20th century, the United States went to war for bananas. The Banana Wars were a series of military interventions into the Caribbean to protect the interests of the United Fruit Company. Tens of thousands of people died in countries like Haiti, Nicaragua, the Dominican...

My great-grandfather crossed the Atlantic Ocean at the end of the 19th century, in search of a better life. He travelled alone, spoke no English and had no papers of origin. There must have been stories, but through the blurring of time, I only have speculation about where he came from. With...

This week's letter is an abbreviated form, as I try to juggle the overcommitments of family travel. But I had fun with it regardless, and I would love to hear any comments. Below are four ideas that I have been thinking about. I am not irrational. I am playing a different game...

I am currently reading Ray Dalios’ Principals for The Changing World Order, and wanted to use this weeks essay as an opportunity to share a framework I learned from the book, that I am currently thinking about. In last weeks essay, I spoke about my obsession with studying history, as it...

Picture this: a gym class, eighth grade. A line of students standing against the wall, waiting their turn to be measured. I was there, too, and when my turn came, the tape measure stopped just shy of 5 feet. That day, I earned a nickname that would stick with me for years: “Four foot eleven...

Yesterday, I was a guest on Ancap Radio, a program that educates people about political philosophy and personal freedom. The first question they asked, was: Can you explain your political philosophy? Lacking a definite political philosophy, I answered with this; in regards to political...

Friends used to tell me that everything changes when you have your third child - the house you fit in, the cars you need, coordinating social activities - and travel becomes its own (expensive) adventure. This summer, we added a fourth (we temporarily adopted my niece). I must admit, I love all...

England, a tiny island nation, has a habit of changing the game. Once upon a time, it was but a distant outpost of the mighty Roman Empire, a reluctant recipient of grand aqueducts, urban infrastructure, and toga parties. But all parties end, and when Rome packed up in the 5th century AD,...

This morning, I'm participating in the Squamish Off-Road Triathlon. I began competing in triathlons last year to satisfy a hunger that I was struggling to quench. Training and competing are activities I relish. However, in my late thirties, with three young children, it was challenging to...

This weekend, I had the pleasure of co-hosting a phenomenal event in Victoria, British Columbia, and sharing the stage with some of Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs. Individuals like Brian Scudamore, who turned backyard junk removal into a billion-dollar company, and Ryan Holmes, the...

My wife launched a new business this week. The industry is controversial. Immediately a wave of haters appeared online, unfortunately, some of whom she considered friends. An important reminder: When the lazy spectators start criticizing, it means you are doing something of consequence. Leave...

Human beings are complex creatures. While trying to communicate, we go through a variety of behavioural dances. One, in particular, is as common in elementary school classrooms as in war zones. It may have happened to you in a lecture hall; you could not understand the material, yet instead of...

There's a certain nostalgia that comes with revisiting a past passion. Just recently, I had the opportunity to experience it firsthand when I embarked on an expedition down some of Oregon's most renowned whitewater rivers. The adventure took me back to my early twenties when the pulse of...

Last month, the financial world was abuzz with news of two significant bank insolvencies in California - Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank. These events captured the attention of everyone in the financial media, sparking rampant speculation about how contagious the failures might become and...