Written By Paul Siluch
September 19^th, 2025

My sister once dated a man who sold Canadian lottery tickets through the mail to Americans. Before 1996, most American lotteries—like those in California—paid winnings annually over 26 years, while Canadian lotteries paid out in one lump sum. People preferred one big cheque over twenty-six smaller ones.

He sold a lot of Canadian lottery tickets.

It was illegal, of course. My sister tended to see the best in people, even when she probably shouldn't have. But one thing he said stuck with me...

Written by Paul Siluch
September 5^th, 2025

Once upon a time, one of your neolithic ancestors – let’s call her Lilly - was hungry. She had a spare deer hide but nothing she could eat.

Her neighbour – let’s call him Ug - caught some fish and offered her two in exchange for the fur. She demanded four but the two settled on three because he was cold, and she needed to eat.

This was barter, the earliest form of monetary transaction.

What makes any form of money work? There are five qualities...

Written by Paul Siluch
August 21^st, 2025

President Trump is determined to end the war in Ukraine. He may be premature in his enthusiasm, but the fact remains that both sides are exhausted. Russia has suffered over one million casualties and Ukraine perhaps a third of that. Russia’s budget deficit is 30% higher than expected and the government has hiked income taxes sharply in response (data from Kyiv Independent).

Both would benefit from a ceasefire, even if they are too proud to admit it. And while we may not be able to plan on a peace settlement, we can at least start planning on a plan for a peace settlement.