Trends & News

Now even Sex Robots have rights

Are you ready for this week’s absurdity? Here’s our Friday roll-up of the most ridiculous stories from around the world that are threats to your liberty, your finances and your prosperity.

Singapore officially bans ‘fake’ news


Singapore is great for a lot of things-- banking, business, trade, etc. But it ranks rather poorly for civil liberties.

Case in point: a new law intended to stop fake news came into effect in Singapore this month;[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • October 18, 2019
  • San Juan, Puerto Rico

It’s “violence” to mispronounce someone’s name

Are you ready for this week’s absurdity? You might want to grab a drink for this one... or take a moment to listen to some soothing meditation music.

Here’s our Friday roll-up of the most ridiculous stories from around the world that are threats to your liberty, finances, and possibly your blood pressure.

It’s “violence” to mispronounce someone’s name


Let me ask you a question-- how do you pronounce the name “Shea” ?

[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • October 11, 2019
  • San Juan, Puerto Rico

Why you shouldn’t be able to drive to your bank

What is your favorite coffee shop or restaurant? Which doctor’s office and dentist do you prefer to go to?

I bet these are all within, say, 15 minutes of your home. That makes sense--who wants to drive three hours to get coffee, or take a plane to their dentist?

But what about your bank?

If you live in the USA or Europe, chances are, the banks in your neighborhood probably aren’t that[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • October 10, 2019
  • San Juan, Puerto Rico

Gold’s long-term gains have even outperformed Warren Buffett…

Warren Buffett, despite his extraordinary investment success, has a rather famous and long-standing love/hate relationship with precious metals.

Maybe it started with his dad-- Congressman Howard Buffett of Nebraska-- who, as a staunch advocate for the gold standard, argued to his colleagues on Capitol Hill that “paper money systems have always wound up with collapse and economic chaos.”




Warren himself acquired a record-setting 128 million ounces of silver back in[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • October 7, 2019
  • Santiago, Chile

You can now be fined $250,000 in New York City for saying this phrase

Are you ready for this week’s absurdity? Here’s our Friday roll-up of the most ridiculous stories from around the world that are threats to your liberty and finances.

New York City starts banning words


You can now be fined $250,000 in New York City for using the term “Illegal alien” in a negative way according to new guidance from the City’s Commission on Human Rights.

This applies to landlords, employers, and in public accommodations.
[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • October 4, 2019
  • Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile

Four rules for storing physical gold overseas

In early May in the year 878 AD, Alfred the Great of the Kingdom of Wessex fought a decisive battle against a massive Viking army at a place called Ethandun in southwest England.

Alfred won the battle, defeated the Vikings, recaptured London, and united England under his rule; he’s generally considered to be the first King of England.

One of his first orders of business was to mint silver coins so that his[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • October 3, 2019
  • Santiago, Chile

1,015,736,491,184 reasons to have a Plan B

Precisely one year ago today, the US federal government opened Fiscal Year 2019 with a total debt level of $21.6 trillion:

Specifically, the US federal debt on October 1st last year was $21,606,948,183,180.23

Today is the start of the government’s 2020 Fiscal Year. And the total debt is now $22,622,684,674,364.43

That means they accumulated more than $1 TRILLION in new debt over the course of the 2019 Fiscal Year.

Think about[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • October 1, 2019
  • En Route to Chile

Indian airline passenger caught smuggling gold in his man boobs

Are you ready for this week’s absurdity? Here’s our Friday roll-up of the most ridiculous stories from around the world that are threats to your liberty and finances.

And for our Jewish readers, l'shanah tovah tikatev v'taihatem.

NBC news wants you to confess your climate sins


Bless me media, for I have sinned.

NBC news is soliciting comments from readers on how they could do more to prevent climate change.

“Even those[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • September 27, 2019
  • Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico

This law allows hospitals to kidnap you for profit

An 89 year old man named Robert Allen was feeling depressed after Christmas.

He went to the emergency room, and told the doctor that he had thoughts of hurting himself. Using his powers under the Baker Act, the doctor sent Robert to a mental health facility called North Tampa Behavioral.

Florida’s Baker Act allows doctors, police, or judges to involuntarily commit patients to psychiatric hospitals for up to 72 hours if they show[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • September 25, 2019
  • Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico

How Anti-Fragile are you?

I arrived back home to Puerto Rico late last night after traveling back from our Total Access event in Las Vegas.

It was probably around 11:15 pm when I climbed into bed. And, within minutes, just as the sound of the waves outside was carrying me off to sleep, the whole house started violently shaking.

It turned out to be a magnitude 6.0 earthquake, about 20 miles off the west coast of the[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • September 24, 2019
  • Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico

What I learned from having my mind manipulated this weekend

There are few times in life when you have the opportunity to witness a master at work… someone who is truly the best in the world at what they do.

Whether it’s the world’s greatest chef, a champion athlete, a master pianist, or even the guy who holds the world record for being able to recite the first 70,000 digits of Pi, it’s always exciting to see the best at work.

Apollo Robbins[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • September 23, 2019
  • Las Vegas, Nevada

Swedish man fined $2,000 for someone else’s “hate speech”

Happy Friday everyone. I’m en route to Las Vegas today where we begin a wonderful weekend gathering with our Total Access members.

But I wanted to send you this quick roll-up of the most outrageous (and comical) stories we’re following which affect your liberty and finances.

Let the absurdity begin!
Swedish man fined $2,000 for someone else’s “hate speech”
There’s a Swedish Facebook group known as “Stand up for Sweden”. The group is[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • September 20, 2019
  • En route to Las Vegas, Nevada

Eating human flesh is the latest idea to stop climate change

Get ready for your Friday absurdity! Here are this week’s stories:

Professor advocates for cannibalism to fight climate change


If you’re concerned about the human impact on Earth’s climate, you could plant a tree, install solar panels, ride a bike, or eat your dead relatives.

Don’t let that sack of meat decompose. Put it to good use, save a cow, and sequester that carbon into your own body.

At a summit in Sweden[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • September 13, 2019
  • San Juan, Puerto Rico

The price of gold just hit a record high

A few hours ago, the European Central Bank announced a bonanza stimulus package: interest rate cuts, money printing, quantitative easing, the whole nine yards.

Europe’s economic growth has ground to a halt. The German economy actually shrank last quarter, according to official statistics.

So the European Central Bank is throwing everything including the kitchen sink at this problem. Their stimulus package is like a monetary defibrillator trying to shock Europe’s economies back to[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • September 12, 2019
  • Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico

It’s now “incendiary” to say there are two genders

Happy Friday everyone. Let’s bring on the weekly absurdity!

School cop handcuffs and screams at autistic 8-year-old


An eight year old autistic boy in Southlake, Texas became agitated in his guidance counselor’s office.

At one point the child became fidgety and took out a jump rope (that had been provided to him by the school). Amazingly enough, the counselor felt threatened by this and asked the school cop to come into the office.

[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • September 6, 2019
  • Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico

Think about this if you own Hong Kong dollars

On January 20, 1841, after delivering a series of military defeats to Imperial China in the First Opium War, British forces landed in Hong Kong and took control of the island.

Hong Kong was hugely important for the British economy because it ensured access to the Chinese market. And they went to war multiple times to keep control of the island.

In 1898 the two empires signed a lasting peace treaty whereby Britain[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • September 3, 2019
  • Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico

Feminist thought leader claims milking cows is the same as rape

Welcome to our Friday roll up, where we highlight the most interesting, absurd, and concerning stories we are following this week.

Local tax collector ruins children’s entrepreneurship event


Every summer, a Utah non-profit agency called the Libertas Institute holds an entrepreneurship event for children.

It’s a wonderful idea-- children as young as 5 gather together in a marketplace to buy and sell products and services that they’ve created to one another.

And parents[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 30, 2019
  • Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico

I can’t wait until these people are in charge of healthcare…

Last week at a Bernie Sanders campaign stop, someone ask him a question that began with, "Yesterday, oligarch David Koch passed away..."

The Bolshevik crowd interrupted immediately with ebullient cheers, joyfully celebrating the death of a man they had never met and knew nothing about.

If you hadn’t heard, multi-billionaire David Koch died last week at the age of 79 after a prolonged battle with cancer.

Along with his brother Charles, David[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 27, 2019
  • San Juan, Puerto Rico

Here’s a dirty secret few people know about gold

In 1962 in a picturesque setting in Santa Barbara, California, two local entrepreneurs opened a low-cost, roadside inn where the nightly room rate was just $6.

They called it Motel 6.

And today the chain has grown to over 1,400 locations.

If you want the most straightforward explanation for why you should own gold, consider your local Motel 6.

It’s noteworthy that, today, the very same Santa Barbara location now rents[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 26, 2019
  • San Juan, Puerto Rico

The government gave her son a sex change without parental consent

Welcome to our Friday roll up, where we highlight the most interesting, absurd, and concerning stories we are following this week.

Can’t sue cop for breaking domestic violence victim’s bones


It all started when a boyfriend playfully tried to push his girlfriend into the pool.

Most people would see that as harmless horsing around. But one lady saw domestic violence. So she called the police.

Police came and arrested the boyfriend. His girlfriend,[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 23, 2019
  • Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico

There are some enormous benefits in setting up a Solo 401(k)

Earlier this year the US government reported that Social Security’s long-term, unfunded liability now exceeds $50 TRILLION.

Moreover, they forecast that the Social Security and Medicare trust funds will run out of money in 2034.

This is the government’s own calculation.

(And the government’s math is based on rosy assumptions that there will be no more wars, recessions, financial crises, major disasters, etc. which could make the problem even worse.)

Bottom[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 22, 2019
  • San Juan, Puerto Rico

Just when you think you own your own private property…

The year was 1967. Ronald Reagan had just become governor of California. Aretha Franklin was belting out R-E-S-P-E-C-T on the radio. Marxist revolutionary leader Che Guevara was captured and executed in Bolivia.

And a restaurant chain called The White Spot opened its newest location in Denver, Colorado.

It was a popular diner; the White Spot served pancakes and milkshakes to customers for decades, and ownership of the Denver location eventually changed hands when[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 20, 2019
  • San Juan, Puerto Rico

The latest sign that absolutely nothing makes sense

In the latest sign that absolutely nothing makes sense anymore, WeWork filed formal regulatory paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week, officially notifying the world that it will soon be going public.

If you haven’t heard of WeWork (or it’s parent-- ‘The We Company’), it’s a real estate company that owns practically zero real estate.

Instead, they lease vast amounts of office space in commercial buildings on long-term contracts, and then[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 19, 2019
  • Dallas, Texas, USA

Medical patient falls off the examination table, sues his physician. . .

Welcome to our Friday roll up, where we highlight the most interesting, absurd, and concerning stories we are following this week.

New Zealand officially legalizes paying employees with crypto-currency 


New Zealand issued a tax bulletin this month officially recognizing that it is legal for employers to pay employees with crypto-currencies like Bitcoin.

The crypto-currencies just have to be able to be converted into fiat currency… which is typically the case with every major crypto.
[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 16, 2019
  • Dallas, Texas

Italy was the world’s superpower TWICE. They screwed it up both times

In 750 BC, according to ancient legend, the twin brothers Romulus and Remus founded a tiny hilltop settlement in central Italy.

Romulus slew his brother for violating a magical superstition, and then named their new city after himself: Rome.

And for the first several centuries of its existence, Rome was nothing special. It was one of many minor kingdoms on a peninsula controlled by the Etruscan civilization… and existed at a time when[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 14, 2019
  • Rome, Italy

The Federal Reserve might as well use carrier pigeons

In the early 1760s, Mayer Rothschild began building a banking dynasty that would last for centuries.

The elder Rothschild sent his five sons across Europe to establish banks in cities like Paris and London.

One son, Nathan Rothschild, took the lead and expanded the family’s banking dynasty.

With siblings in different countries, the family now had a trusted network of lenders with whom they could finance large government projects like infrastructure and[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 13, 2019
  • Spoleto, Italy

Dad sued for slander because he criticized the education system

Welcome to our Friday roll up, where we highlight the most absurd and concerning stories we are following this week.

Dad sued for slander because he criticized the education system


Careful what you say about your kid’s public school curriculum.

The company behind a controversial common core math program in North Carolina is suing a dad for libel and slander.

The parent of a high school student has been on a “crusade,” the[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 9, 2019
  • Spoleto, Italy

When in Rome, get Italian citizenship

It was probably after 2am last night when I walked up the stairs to bed after a marathon seven hour dinner.

But that’s pretty normal here. This is the eighth year in a row I have spent my summer holiday at this 400 year old villa in the Italian countryside.

I invited a number of my close friends, family, and Total Access members to relax and break bread. We always end up engaging[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 8, 2019
  • Spoleto, Italy

Why this is one of my favorite cities in Europe

I feel like a complete broken man right now.

I’m exhausted. Sleep deprived. Malnourished. My muscles are sore. My back is killing me. I’m so hoarse I can barely speak.

Yet despite all that I couldn’t possibly be feeling more excited and exhilarated.

My 10th annual liberty and entrepreneurship workshop just ended yesterday here in Lithuania. And as you can tell, it’s a physically and mentally draining event.

The workshop is[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 6, 2019
  • Vilnius, Lithuania

10 year old charged for assault… with a dodgeball

Welcome to our Friday roll up, where we highlight the most absurd and concerning stories we are following this week.

10 year old charged for assault… with a dodgeball


A ten year old boy will be brought to juvenile court on assault charges.

His heinous crime was hitting another 10 year old in the face with a dodgeball at recess.

He originally got suspended from school for one day… which seems like a[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 2, 2019
  • Vilnius, Lithuania

The Treasury Department is in desperate need of a sucker

Ten years ago, at the peak of the global financial crisis, the Board of Trustees which oversees Social Security in the United States issued a stark warning:

They projected that Social Security’s enormous trust funds would completely run out of money in 2039.

Naturally nobody paid attention. Back in 2009 the economy in shambles, so focusing on a future economic crisis that was more than three decades away was a low priority.

[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • July 30, 2019
  • Vilnius, Lithuania

The federal government sold your Social Security Number for FIVE dollars

The federal government sold your Social Security Number for FIVE dollars

Welcome to our Friday roll up, where we highlight the most absurd and concerning stories we are following this week.

Equifax fined $700 million… for 147 million person data breach


Do you remember back in 2017 when Equifax (the giant consumer credit agency) admitted that it had been breached?

Hackers broke into Equifax’s databases and stole personal and financial records of 147[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • July 26, 2019
  • London, UK

Here’s a phrase you’ll never hear again in the USA

“Gentlemen... the National Debt... is paid.”

That sentence has been uttered in Washington DC exactly one time ever, by a Senator announcing that the US government was officially debt free.

That was on January 8, 1835 when the debt that the United States government had accrued since its birth was finally paid off.

Never again would the United States be debt free.

It took 174 years for the debt to rack[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • July 22, 2019
  • Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile

US teacher’s union prioritizes “white fragility” over children’s education

Here’s our Friday roll up of the most bizarre stories we’re following this week.

Mom can’t sue cop who accidentally shot her child


On July 10, 2014, a Sheriff's Deputy from a rural county in southern Georgia was in pursuit of a suspect when he wandered onto the property of Ms. Amy Corbitt.

Corbitt’s ten year old child was playing outside with several other children (as young as 3 years old), under the supervision[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • July 19, 2019
  • Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile

Living like a Hollywood king in Bangkok, Thailand

The first time I met Steven Seagal, it was in the lobby of a posh hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.

He came downstairs sharply dressed, complete with his yellow-tinged ‘Tony Stark’ sunglasses, ready to hit the nightclubs for the evening.

My friend Adam introduced us. Steven bowed to me, and, slightly puzzled, I bowed back, unsure if we were saying hello or preparing to engage in ritualistic combat.

Fortunately it was the former,[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • July 18, 2019
  • Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile