How are you? Are you thinking about where we are in life right now? Wondering if it will ever go back to “normal?” I know I am. It can get pretty upsetting thinking of how easily they take things away. As if they know what’s best for you and me. They don’t.
In thinking about survival, one theme that rings true is our attitude. Do we believe we’ll make it? Do we believe in ourselves? I know I believe in you. When you read about survival stories, oftentimes there’s not a heroic act that separates those who make it from those who don’t. It’s an important reminder to keep in your back pocket. It’s surprising how much you control. How you choosing to survive can make all the difference in the world.
This spring marks the tenth anniversary of the Boston Bruins winning the 2011 Stanley Cup. The MVP (Conn Smythe) was goalie, and Vezina winner (best regular season goalie) Tim Thomas. Unfortunately he was run out of town by management for not attending the White House ceremony. An outspoken libertarian, I’m not sure he’d attend any big government outing. But he was hung out to dry, played for a few more teams, and suffered a major head injury along the way. He’s never been the same since—not even talking about hockey with his teenage son.
It was refreshing to hear former Bruins heavyweight Milan Lucic give a shout out to Thomas in the team’s Zoom call reunion saying: “I haven’t seen Timmy T in a long time, and cheers to you, Tank,” Lucic said. “You know what? I’ll talk for all of us. You were MVP that season. What you did that year, .938 save percentage on the season, Conn Smythe … but anyways, Tank, I appreciated what you did that year. It was a historical year for a goaltender, and what you did for us to become Stanley Cup champions … I love you, man. Cheers.”
Interestingly enough, Thomas is creating NFTs or non-fungible tokens which are bought with the cryptocurrency Ethereum. The video below is not a token. It won’t cost you a penny. Enjoy. As an aside, the play by play voice, after the first minute, is the irreplaceable Mike “Doc” Emerick who retired last year after 47-years, 3,700 games, including the Cup Final 22 times.
Your Second Amendment right is a God given right, not one issued by a government or to be taken away by one. It’s not anyone’s but yours. Period. As the SCOTUS prepares to hear NYSRPA v. Corlett I like this piece by Lawrence Keane at The Federalist, laying out where we currently stand and why the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38/S. 1522) makes sense.
The holdings in Heller and McDonald will inform how the Supreme Court decides NYSRPA v. Corlett. The Heller decision held that the Second Amendment — the right to keep and bear arms — are pre-existing individual rights.
Before Heller, gun control proponents argued the Second Amendment merely granted the right of the states to form a militia. The Heller decision put that notion to rest, holding that the people, not the government, retains the rights endowed by the Second Amendment. Furthermore, the Heller decision affirmed the belief that the right to bear arms can be viewed as among those rights endowed by our Creator and pre-existing the government.
The McDonald decision concluded that the Second Amendment applies not just to the federal government but to the states as well. Previous to McDonald, Chicago and nearby Oak Park, Illinois banned handgun possession. The Supreme Court held in McDonald that the Second Amendment is a fundamental civil liberty and self-defense is a basic right. Additionally, it held the states are obligated under the 14th Amendment Due Process Clause to not infringe on that right. Chicago couldn’t deny McDonald the right to keep and bear his handgun.
And continues Keane:
That’s where the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38/S. 1522), introduced by U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., in the House of Representatives and by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the U.S. Senate makes all the sense in the world. If all states are required to adhere to a “shall issue” policy, it only makes sense to treat concealed carry permits the same way individuals states treat driver’s licenses.
While we’re stuck in the U.S., do you want to see how other currencies around the world are looking? In writing my latest survival stock piece I perused the Big Mac Index—a purchasing power index produced by The Economist beginning in 1986. At first it was meant as a joke, but has gone on to become a popular and relatable way for you to understand purchasing power across borders and using different currencies. Each year the index collates the prices of McDonald’s Big Macs in various countries, and compares them in dollar terms. Here’s the result of the most recent sample.
| Country | Currency | % Over /Undervalue |
| Switzerland | Franc | 28.8 |
| Sweden | Krona | 12.6 |
| Norway | Krone | 7.5 |
| United States | US$ | 0BASE Currency |
| Israel | Shekel | -5.5 |
| Canada | C$ | -6.6 |
| Euro area | Euro | -8.8 |
| Australia | A$ | -11.9 |
| Denmark | Krone | -13.4 |
| New Zealand | NZ$ | -13.9 |
| Uruguay | Peso | -15.2 |
| Britain | Pound | -21.6 |
| Singapore | S$ | -21.7 |
| Thailand | Baht | -24.9 |
| Czech Rep. | Koruna | -27.2 |
| South Korea | Won | -27.5 |
| Chile | Peso | -27.8 |
| UAE | Dirham | -29.1 |
| Brazil | Real | -29.7 |
| Bahrain | Dinar | -29.7 |
| Costa Rica | Colón | -32.4 |
| Kuwait | Dinar | -33.1 |
| Argentina | Peso | -33.8 |
| Japan | Yen | -33.9 |
| Colombia | Peso | -33.9 |
| Saudi Arabia | Riyal | -34.1 |
| Sri Lanka | Rupee | -34.6 |
| Croatia | Kuna | -34.9 |
| Honduras | Lempira | -36.2 |
| Qatar | Riyal | -36.9 |
| Nicaragua | Córdoba | -37.1 |
| Poland | Zloty | -37.9 |
| China | Yuan | -38.9 |
| Pakistan | Rupee | -39.4 |
| Peru | Sol | -41.9 |
| Jordan | Dinar | -42.7 |
| Guatemala | Quetzal | -43.4 |
| Hungary | Forint | -46.5 |
| Philippines | Peso | -47.8 |
| Moldova | Leu | -48.7 |
| Vietnam | Dong | -49.4 |
| Oman | Rial | -49.5 |
| Egypt | Pound | -52.0 |
| Mexico | Peso | -52.6 |
| Hong Kong | HK$ | -53.3 |
| India | Rupee | -54.3 |
| Taiwan | NT$ | -54.5 |
| Romania | Leu | -56.4 |
| Malaysia | Ringgit | -56.4 |
| Indonesia | Rupiah | -57.5 |
| Azerbaijan | Manat | -58.9 |
| Ukraine | Hryvnia | -61.1 |
| South Africa | Rand | -61.9 |
| Turkey | Lira | -64.5 |
| Russia | Rouble | -68.0 |
| Lebanon | Pound | -68.7 |
| Russia | Rouble | -68.0 |
| Lebanon | Pound | -68.7 |
Action Line: If you’re in New England, don’t hesitate to swing by and visit me in Newport, RI. I’d love to see you. But only if you’re serious.
P.S. Some news you should be following:
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has committed to funding police. He told them “Help is on the way.” The governor even promised a $1,000 bonus check for every police officer, firefighter, paramedic and EMT in Florida
- Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen forgot for a moment that she is now a politician and not Fed Chairwoman and had to quickly flip flop on her assessment of the economy when she made the mistake of telling the truth during a speech at a conference, saying “It may be that interest rates will have to rise somewhat to make sure that our economy doesn’t overheat . . .” That contradicts the Biden administration’s plan to spend a lot more money, and Yellen later told another conference she didn’t “think there’s going to be an inflationary problem.”
- Oregon businesses are suing the state’s governor Kate Brown over the state’s COVID restrictions “demanding a temporary restraining order after Extreme Risk restrictions went into effect Friday in more than a dozen Oregon counties.”
- Joe Biden’s American Family Plan will cost $700 billion more than advertised according to a study by Penn Wharton Budget Model.
P.P.S. A Survival Guy Greeting from Boston Common
E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy
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