Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Thoughts of the Day’ Category

It’s Booming! Part 2: Another Term to Explain It All Away

Posted in Thoughts of the Day, tagged , , , , on April 14, 2024| Leave a Comment »

It’s Booming! Part 2: Another Term to Explain It All Away

3/15/24

They call it “money dysmorphia.” Yeah, I’m not kidding. It is a new word that has been added to the lexicon of wokeism. It basically means social media is making young adults feel financially inadequate when in fact the economy is actually working well for them! In the article, “Nearly half of young adults have ‘money dysmorphia,’ survey finds. Here are the symptoms.” it states that, “The average household’s net worth has soared in recent years, rising 37% between 2019 and 2022, according to the survey of consumer finances from the Federal Reserve.” (Dickler, 2024) And yet people aren’t feeling well-off. How can that be? Money dysmorphia! Still, the author later admits that, a “prolonged period of high inflation and instability has chipped away at most consumers’ buying power and confidence. Instagram is also partly to blame.” (Dickler, 2024) Notice how the article starts off by admitting that things like inflation have something to do with people’s feelings of financial inadequacy then it pivots to blaming social media. Attacks on social media are being ratcheted up recently. Now, according to the article, the pressure to impress strangers online has warped our perception of financial reality as well.

Then, the article goes on to say that “more than half of Americans earning more than $100,000 a year say they live paycheck to paycheck, another report by LendingClub found.” (Dickler, 2024) Apparently, the cost of living is so high where these people live that it eats away at their income until they have no discretionary income. And really isn’t that what feeling rich is about? The means to have your will met? Isn’t that what really causes people to do the things listed in the article like going on expensive trips and buying things they don’t need? They want to feel powerful and in control? And apparently when they had discretionary income — when the cost of living was less — they felt that way. The media can call this reality whatever they like; they can blame it on a need to impress other people on social media, but in the end I don’t see how telling people they have enough money and implying they are nuts not to see it is going to work. As long as they can’t do as they please whenever they please they aren’t going to feel rich.

Dickler, J. (2024, March 13). “Nearly half of young adults have ‘money dysmorphia,’ survey finds. Here are the symptoms.” CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/13/nearly-half-of-young-adults-have-money-dysmorphia-survey-finds.html

Read Full Post »

It’s Booming! Part 1

Posted in Thoughts of the Day, tagged , , , , , on April 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »

It’s Booming! Part 1

4/10/24

There’s so much propaganda out there that the economy is booming! Funny, one of the only things I see booming is inflation. So, I’ve decided to dissect some of the woke propaganda articles on this and other common themes such as climate change from time to time. After all, pretty much all of these articles conveniently lack a comments section. Therefore, they get to mount their podium and lecture at you as though you are a mere school child and they are your not to be questioned or challenged professor. In other words, you are deprived of the ability to mount a response. I find his frustrating.

The article, “The strong U.S. job market is in a ‘sweet spot,’ economists say.”, makes the following points. Facts: “The U.S. economy added 303,000 jobs in March, the largest gain in more than a year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its monthly jobs report.” (Iacurci, 2024) “The unemployment rate also edged lower, to 3.8%.” (Iacurci, 2024) Spin: “It’s a bit harder for workers to find jobs relative to the “great resignation” era a few years ago.” (Iacurci, 2024) “But overall, the labor market looks healthy and sustainable and is giving inflation-adjusted raises to the average worker, economists said.” (Iacurci, 2024) The author spins that the economy is making progress without “overheating” as it did during the “great resignation” era. It’s adding jobs, but not too many. The spin is this is good for both the economy and workers. According to the author’s spin, “employers are adding ample jobs to their payrolls, unemployment hovers near historical lows, and worker buying power (so-called “real” wage growth) is steadily rising, economists said.”

Facts: “Employers added 303,000 jobs to payrolls in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. That’s the largest monthly gain since January 2023. Job growth in the first three months of 2024 — 274,000, on average — beats the 2019 pre-pandemic average by more than 100,000.” (Iacurci, 2024) “The U.S. unemployment rate declined to 3.8% in March, from 3.9% in February. Unemployment has been below 4% — a historically low mark — for more than two years.” (Iacurci, 2024) The author cites Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter who spins, “Those conditions are pushing employers to make “very attractive” offers to new hires and proactively recruit prospective candidates.” (Iacurci, 2024) The author mentions that, “The layoff rate has also been near a historic low for more than two years, as employers hang on to their current workforce.” (Iacurci, 2024) He fails to mention that the tech industry is experiencing severe layoffs. The author then goes on to blame the so-called hot labor market of 2021-2022 for contributing to the high inflation rate. The author admits that, “Wage growth has declined, to an annual 4.1% pace in March from a pandemic-era peak of 5.9% in March 2022, on average. But inflation has fallen more than that, which translates to an increase in household buying power since May 2023.” (Iacurci, 2024)

 “Real hourly earnings — wages after accounting for inflation — grew by 1.1% in February 2024 versus a year earlier.” (Iacurci, 2024) “While workers have lost some leverage, it’s still “relatively easy” to find a job and workers are now getting those inflation-adjusted raises,” Nick Bunker, economic research director for North America at job site Indeed said. (Iacurci, 2024)

The most misleading part of this article is that it’s dealing with rates of increase in wages as compared to rates of increase in inflation over a short period of time. Inflation damage is unfortunately cumulative. In the long term, wage increases consistently outstripping the rate of increase in inflation might make a noticeable difference to consumers. As it stands now, even if the trend continued, they are still contending with prices way too high as compared to their wages. It’s disingenuous for the author and his commenters to ignore the fact that our real wage is still dreadfully inadequate compared to the current cost of living. At best they can say that there has been a sign of improvement they can cite. Instead, they imply that the consumer can go out to their local store and buy more than they could a short while ago. That is wrong. I also think it’s premature to act as though the inflation crisis is over.

(Iacurci, 2024)

Iacurci, G. (2024, April 5). “The strong U.S. job market is in a ‘sweet spot,’ economists say.” CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/05/the-strong-us-job-market-is-in-a-sweet-spot-economists-say.html

Read Full Post »

Bullying as a Form of Censorship

Posted in Thoughts of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , on April 7, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Bullying as a Form of Censorship

08/25/23

People love a winner; they admire those who get their way. And increasingly in our society anything you have to do to win is not only permitted but encouraged, particularly when your worldview is in sync with the ideology of the power elite. Increasingly, when the more passive-aggressive means of censorship fail, people are resorting to bullying as a winning strategy to push their ideology onto the world. Perhaps it’s this newfound obsession with 100% compliance — the idea that you can change reality if everyone buys in — that’s driving it. For whatever reason, just making your case to the world as to why your belief system is worth considering — letting your argument stand on its own merits — is apparently not enough anymore. Certain people think that they not only have the right to their own opinion but the right and even the duty to prevent other people from expressing or even having a differing opinion. You have to drive those with competing worldviews out of the town square through intimidation and harassment. You have to bully them into silence and self-censorship. Then, you win by default; only your worldview is left standing. As a bonus, other people will see what you’ve done to your rivals, and they, too, will most likely be browbeaten into submission to your will.

Shadowbanning also can contribute to bullying when it’s clear that people with some sort of power are singling out a group for different, negative treatment. It’s the non-woke, non-globalist worldview that’s being shadowbanned. The attitude among the censorship set seems to be: what do you expect? Of course you’re being demoted! Your views, unlike the other side (scoff) are offensive. Just be glad you haven’t had your account cancelled. It’s what you deserve for fighting the current. In reality, they don’t want you gaining traction to reverse the course. But the official line is that it’s normal and a given you should be treated worse than the ones with their ideology. You are basically not treated with respect, and they are signaling to all the bullies that you have lower status in the social pecking order. This in turn emboldens bullies to abuse people for having what they hope will become an unpopular ideology.

At the end of the day, it’s one thing to state your case to the world, and if you can, even comment on another’s opinion if they’re open to comments. But this tendency of seeking out people with differing views and lying in wait for them to say something you don’t like — which shouldn’t take too long to accomplish — just so you can jump all over them should not be encouraged or admired. It should be seen for what it is — bullying as a means of censorship.

Read Full Post »

The Imperfect Pot

Posted in Thoughts of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 31, 2024| Leave a Comment »

The Imperfect Pot

I am an imperfect pot. God can compensate for my shortcomings. As Jesus said in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul the Apostle goes on to write, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (Corinthians 12: 9-10)

There are people who think that human beings should be autonomous from God — who try to eliminate humanity’s bond with God. They don’t think we should have a sensitive side which can bond with God — which relies on Him in order to stay emotionally alive. They don’t think we should have physical weaknesses that can be mitigated by God’s intervention. To them, in the mindset of eugenics, imperfect pots should be destroyed. Those who rely on God should be destroyed.

I am an imperfect pot. I need God to compensate for my weaknesses. I need God because I love God.

Read Full Post »

The War on Moderation

Posted in Thoughts of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 18, 2024| Leave a Comment »

The War on Moderation

3/18/24

Just like the Weimar Republic allowed itself to be browbeaten into submission by the radical left and eventually annihilated by the radical right in the 1930s, our US government’s moderates are at risk of going the way of the dinosaurs. Moderates on both the right and the left are caving to the will of bullying extremists on both sides of the aisle, despite the fact that the moderates are in fact a majority in the legislature as well as the majority in the general population.

In our current time, these radical fringe groups, both left and right, are in agreement on one thing. They want to weaken and then destroy the existing moderate representational government and replace it with an authoritarian one, which will exercise total control over the population. Once the existing representational government is destroyed, then they will battle it out for which, left or right, will be the flavor of the day for authoritarianism. David Winner states in the subtitle of his article, “How the left enabled fascism” that “Ernst Thälmann, leader of Germany’s radical left in the last years of the Weimar Republic, thought the centre left was a greater danger than the right. We should remember his miscalculation.” (Winner, 2021) Just like the left in the Weimar Republic, radicals on both sides would rather see an authoritarian government of some kind than a moderate representational government that represents the people. “For strategic reasons, however, he was willing to help them achieve a key part of their dream, which he shared. The dream was to break the loathsome old liberal order. Such a break, reasoned the leader, would create conditions under which the left would sweep to power and transform the country for the better.” (Winner, 2021) Yet, both sides in the US seem to take for granted that they will come out on top of any power struggle. “Thälmann and the KPD regarded fascists and Nazis as products and tools of capitalism. Since social democrats were also capitalists, it followed that social democracy, fascism and Nazism were simply different facets of the same oppression. To further the dream of a Soviet Germany, the party was willing to help the Nazis destroy democracy, thinking it could beat the Nazis easily in the aftermath.” (Winner, 2021)

Clearly both sides are invested in seeing that the general population doesn’t have a voice or a say in their own lives. Our will is to be replaced by their will. We will be forced to listen to and obey a third party if they have their way.

What the people behind the woke movement have been pushing isn’t democracy as it was understood in the US — which is a representational government based on principle — but rather mob rule. The thought is that you eke your way into power and then you can overthrow any representational government and replace it with an authoritarian one that caters to the woke ideology.

The woke are responsible for starting this latest push toward authoritarianism. Part of their ideology is the belief that they are justified in forcing their social ideology on every living person. Only they believed that they would be able to seal the deal and consolidate their power by now. But for whatever reason, it hasn’t happened. Now it finally occurs to them that power could be given back to those who they trespassed against, and they are panic-stricken as a result. Meanwhile, those they have been open to persecuting the last three years are considering going authoritarian themselves and rule over their enemies the way the woke have tried to do these past three years to them. Some members of both groups have become convinced that their survival is at stake, and the only way to save themselves is to “win.” That is what the propaganda is pushing. As in the Weimar Republic, “In the 1930s, fear of Bolshevism persuaded many middle-class Germans to support Hitler (and led the Catholic Church to throw in its lot with fascism in Italy, Spain and elsewhere).” (Winner, 2021)

If the government does go authoritarian, I’m not sure which faction will come out on top. But I know those who will win are the globalists, and those who will lose are the rest of us. For the globalists will have torn down the strongest representational government in the world and replaced it with an authoritarian tyranny that they will be in a unique position to control.

The problem is we can’t see beyond the false dichotomy that you have to choose between left or right authoritarianism or become a victim of the other side. But there’s always a third way. And that way is God. He’s the One who can empower people to stand up to this mess and restore our ability to exercise our own free will again. And the only way to reconcile with God is through repentance, following His will and His standards, and through accepting the sacrifice of His Messiah Jesus Christ.

Winner, D. (2021, September 9). “How the left enabled fascism.” THE NEW STATESMAN. https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2018/10/how-left-enabled-fascism

Read Full Post »

Whose Money Is It Again?

Posted in Thoughts of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 11, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Whose Money Is It Again?

It’s pretty clear to me that one of the major reasons people vote for big government spenders is that they are hoping to get a slice of the pie for themselves. It can be overwhelming when the propagandists get to talking about trillions of dollars. It feels as though there is a limitless supply of money to be had. But in actuality, there couldn’t possibly be.

I noticed that they sold out our industrial base in the 1990s. I figure that’s largely why Millennials and Gen Z have very few career opportunities that require a college degree now. Those jobs were given away before many of them were born. I realized that a college degree would have a limited payoff attached to it when the 2000s came upon us. But there were still some careers worth having then — that were still worth the college price tag — if you had the talent to separate yourself from the pack. But that’s not the case so much anymore. What we seem to have left are largely unskilled labor jobs. And they are currently flooding those mostly service jobs with labor from other countries. This, of course, will drive up prices for goods like food while suppressing wages. Meanwhile, the service industry is liable to take a hit with the inflation and interest rate hikes eroding the discretionary income of the lower and middle classes. Isn’t that likely to reduce even the unskilled service jobs? Also, the wages aren’t likely to increase if labor is being brought in to compete with domestic workers. This wouldn’t be so distressing if our cost of living weren’t so disproportionately out of sync with our income. And it seems clear that we US citizens aren’t welcome to just go to countries with better jobs or lower costs of living. American citizens are tied to the land. We are not allowed to follow the jobs to other countries. This apparently isn’t the case for citizens of other countries in regards to the United States.

And as an aside, what brought about the re-evaluation of house values that drastically increased the cost of houses not just in regional hot spots but all across the country? Since we middle/lower classes actually have to live in our houses then anything we gain by the price hike will likely be taken away at the other end.

Anyway, we are being told the inflation is due to an increase in domestic demand. But how can that be? If the prices were just a matter of domestic demand, then how can they exceed the amount people are able to pay? I’ve heard that some facets of the economy such as social media and tech companies had been paying quite a bit. But enough to inflate the entire economy? What did these people with substantial incomes do? Start eating copious amounts of food? I doubt that. It seems more likely to me that the inflation is a result of government overspending, competition with wealthier nations such as China, and supply restrictions.

And by the way, when the government overspends the money it isn’t being reinvested in the United States. They begrudge spending the money on us. East Palestine, Ohio and the fire in Maui demonstrated that.

No, we are supposed to fund our own disaster relief with our nonexistent discretionary incomes. We are supposed to pay for our own security now that they’ve defunded the police. When they mandate prohibitively expensive furnaces we have to buy those. (“Biden Announces Restrictions on Gas Furnaces,” 2023) These mandated furnaces are also not as highly rated as the former models. Meanwhile, they are too busy spending the collective funds of the United States, which had allowed the middle and lower classes to live an acceptable standard of living without having to be wealthy, on their own agendas (which also happens to be the agendas of the globalists) to bother with our welfare. If our society, infrastructure, and services deteriorate, we will just have to suck it up. Safety, what’s that? Hygiene? That’s not necessary — not for us anyway. Luxuries like those are only meant for the people who can afford them — so says the people who rule over us with their mansions and private jets.

Biden Announces Restrictions on Gas Furnaces. (2023, October 3). IER. https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/regulation/biden-announces-restrictions-on-gas-furnaces/

Read Full Post »

God Comes First

Posted in Thoughts of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 4, 2024| Leave a Comment »

God Comes First

Originally written on 11/2/23

God comes first. Everything else, including other people, including yourself, is subordinated to God. There is an active push to put human beings and their feelings above God. There’s a push to worship certain human beings as gods. This is idolatry. This is not Judeo-Christianity.

As Jesus said,

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

“For I am come to SET A MAN AT VARIANCE AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND THE DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND THE DAUGHTER IN LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER IN LAW.

“And A MAN’S FOES SHALL BE THEY OF HIS OWN HOUSEHOLD.

“He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

“And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me.” (Matthew 10: 34-38)

The globalists are also pushing a potpourri religious paradigm on the world: universalism, which adds elements of disparate religions together and requires the world’s population to dabble in other religions and to worship other gods. This is expressly prohibited in Judeo-Christianity and once again is a form of idolatry.

And God spake all these words, saying,

“I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

“Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me”; (Exodus 20: 1-5)

But at the center of both efforts is the desire for the elites to be worshipped as gods themselves. And they have to destroy the foundational belief that God comes first in order to replace God in the hierarchy of importance with themselves. They start off this movement by claiming all people should be placed above God. It has become, therefore, offensive to people who buy into the human-first mentality when anyone puts God ahead of a human being. But the end goal is for the elites alone to have worth — not God and not the rest of us. To contradict that this human-first paradigm is compatible with true Judeo-Christianity, I offer the following Bible quotes.

In Matthew 15, Jesus talks about how you can’t replace God’s commandments with those of men:

But He answered and said unto them, “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

“For God commanded, saying, ‘HONOUR THY FATHER AND MOTHER’: and, ‘HE THAT CURSETH FATHER OR MOTHER, LET HIM DIE THE DEATH.’

“But ye say, ‘Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, “It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me”;

“‘And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free.’ Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

“‘THIS PEOPLE DRAWETH NIGH UNTO ME WITH THEIR MOUTH, AND HONOURETH ME WITH THEIR LIPS; BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR FROM ME.

“‘BUT IN VAIN THEY DO WORSHIP ME, TEACHING FOR DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN.’ ” (Matthew 15: 3-9)

People are sold on the idea that they will be held to no standard, have limitless approval, and unrestricted exercise of their own will if people will prioritize human beings over God. The idea they are sold is that if people are allowed to do whatever they want they will no longer be bitter or vengeful. Only the people behind the push to drive God from the worldview of society know better. People’s wills conflict with each other. Some people, including the elites, are also driven to try to subordinate the will of others to their own.

When people put human beings ahead of God, people don’t rise in status equally. For the new system to work, a small number become the false gods while the majority become masochistic slaves. And it isn’t the masochism popularized in fiction. You aren’t beloved of the sadist, and there is no pathway to become their equal. You can see this reality playing out now. Before it was made clear that if you didn’t comply with these people you would be punished — you deserved to be punished. Now you are told you deserve to be punished by just existing, and your persecutor is filled with self-righteous indignation if you attempt to avoid that punishment, even if that punishment is death. There is no discussion allowed for whether the punishment is deserved or the severity of the punishment is justified. In the end, putting human beings ahead of God has been sold as the ultimate in humanitarianism and kindness. Instead, it is a pathway for world system elites to exercise power over others. The real God has been labeled as mean and unkind. In reality, His way is the way that allows people to have a life free from enslavement — enslavement from sin and enslavement from sadism.

Be forewarned. If you give up God in order to appease those who are clinging to the unrealistic dream of universal acceptance and approval, you will be subjected to the view of humanity of the elite — that they are the only ones who matter. For it is God who holds that all human life has intrinsic value:

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, ‘THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR, and hate thine enemy.’

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5: 43-45)

So, if you, therefore, reject God then only the elite will be seen as having any worth or right to life.

In Matthew 22 it states:

Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting Him, and saying,

Master, which is the great commandment in the Law?

Jesus said unto him, “‘THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIND.’
“This is the first and great commandment.

“And the second is like unto it, ‘THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF.’

“On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22: 35-40)

Notice it is love thy neighbor as thyself, not above God. God has predominance over both neighbor and self. As Jesus said in Matthew 7, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7: 12)

But God still comes first. Treating others as you would have them treat you is kindness. When you put God first, everything else falls into place.

As it says in the Bible, God is no respecter of persons. As Moses states:

For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: (Deuteronomy 10: 17)

The Bible talks of Jesus in this way:

Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle Him in His talk.

And they sent out unto Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that Thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest Thou for any man: for Thou regardest not the person of men. (Matthew 22: 15-16)

In the epistle of James it reads,

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the [Or, that] kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him?

But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?

Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

If ye fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, “THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF,” ye do well:

But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the Law as transgressors.

For whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

(James 2: 5-10).

God doesn’t value elites above people with less power.

As Jesus said, “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)

In conclusion, nothing good comes from allowing elites to try to drive God from our society, so they can rule over us instead.

Read Full Post »

Let Them Eat Bugs

Posted in Thoughts of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , on February 22, 2024| Leave a Comment »

02/19/24

Let Them Eat Bugs

I started reading the article, “The Biggest Problem With Eating Insects Isn’t the “Ew” Factor.” under the false assumption that the article was going to take the subject seriously. Perhaps I should have known better. Instead it’s once again woke propaganda. This time they are trying to sell us on adding bugs to our daily diet. And why should we do that exactly? Apparently, in some cultures they are already eating bugs, so that apparently automatically makes it “healthy” for all people. The fact that people who routinely consume bugs probably have digestive systems that have adapted to the bugs and the rest of us do not couldn’t possibly be an area of concern. But then there is that study the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funded in Africa of course — since people seem to love to experiment on the Africans apparently — to see the health effects of bug consumption on children (Tovey, 2022). So, maybe it being healthy isn’t such an undisputed sure thing? Also, I wonder if people are eating bugs because they want to or because they have to in order to survive.

Another bonus listed in the article is that “a maggot-like organism” tasted like peanuts. Well then, why not just eat peanut butter? What happened to vegetarian diets by the way? Why lab meat? Why bugs? The author writes about what a great protein source bugs are, and we can’t have animal proteins any more as “factory farms are an environmental disaster.” (Matthews, 2021)  Apparently conditions can’t be improved. Because of the methane gas the cows release the cows have to go. Still, it’s hard for me not to think about the Nord Stream pipeline. It released a lot more methane than cows, and the reaction to that disaster was tame compared to the horror over the cow farts. The author does have one concern it seems — one problem that he will allow and alluded to in his article’s title. This was where I was hoping he would take the topic seriously. Instead he’s apparently concerned about the welfare of the bugs. After all, people “are constantly expanding our circle of moral concern” (Matthews, 2021) according to the author. Why, someone in the past killed their pets rather than board them in order to take a trip according to him. Only how does he explain how millions of people have had and/or support abortions on fetuses who are capable of experiencing pain and certainly experience a shortened lifespan as a result? He writes of insects that are being killed in farms at about the rate of a trillion per year, “I don’t know for sure whether those insects feel pain — but if there’s even a small chance they do, the scale of the suffering that would imply is massive.” (Matthews, 2021) Now maybe this guy isn’t pro-abortion and isn’t a hypocrite who waxes concern over the suffering of insects without empathy at all for human beings and their pain and shortened life expectancy.

But that’s really the point. There is no consideration for humans in the lets-eat-bugs article — not really. He calls it healthy and says it’s a good source of protein, but the overriding impression I got from the article is a guilt trip that implies your existence is harming the earth and the least you can do is eat bugs to undo some of the damage your life has done. Who cares if the idea of eating bugs makes most people gag and reduces their morale? Trudeau’s government in Canada may be expanding access to the facilitation of suicides in that country, so perhaps this will help with that. (Bryden, 2021)

Meanwhile, I have concerns beyond the welfare of the bugs. First, what happens to the cats and dogs? I’m assuming the shift to bugs won’t be voluntary — that they plan on shutting down meat production or at least greatly restrict it. So are the cats and dogs expected to eat bugs, too? The article vaguely references farm animals eating bugs as well as it being ground into some pet food but that certainly has not been proven as viable on a large scale. A Wikipedia article states, “A limited, but growing number of products are available on the market, including insect-based cat food, dog food, and pet treats.” (“Insect-based pet food,” 2024) The article on Wikipedia mentions that there are health concerns with the insects commonly ingested by humans. A table based on the results of two studies lists the following potential risks: hormones, cyanogentic substances, heavy metal contamination, allergic, thiaminase, high bacterial count, antinutritional factors (tannin, phytate), Chagas disease, and Myiasis. (“Insect-based pet food,” 2024) The Wikipedia article suggests that the concerns can be mitigated. “Allergic hazards can be labelled (sic) on the packaging to avoid consumption by susceptible consumers. Selective farming can be used to minimize chemical hazards, whereas microbial and parasitical hazards can be controlled by cooking processes.” (“Insect-based pet food,” 2024)  Members of the media have already been hinting around about pets having an undesirable carbon footprint nicknamed carbon pawprint. Kimberly Richardson from CNN actually wrote an article declaiming, “researchers have showed that pets play a significant role in the climate crisis.” (Richardson, 2022) The article goes on to tout insects and lab meat for dogs as well as steering people away from adopting large dogs. It’s ironic, therefore, that Matthews spends so much time in his article making the case how people “are constantly expanding our circle of moral concern” (Matthews, 2021) in part by citing drops in pet euthanasia. I wonder what will happen to these pets when their food supply is eliminated? After all, according to Richardson, “if you’re the proud owner of a feline, you shouldn’t even think about switching their diet. Cats are obligate carnivores — they must eat meat, according to Angela Frimberger, a veterinarian with Vets for Climate Action.” (Richardson, 2022)

Kimberly Richardson from CNN, like many who have called out cats and dogs over climate change, insists that “Bidding farewell to your best friends is not the answer.”
(Richardson, 2022) And yet she considers carbon dioxide which is emitted when mammals breathe as one of the “planet-warming gases.” (Richardson, 2022) The article only lists the feeding of dogs and cats as a problem, which I assume is a calculation of how much carbon dioxide livestock produces. How long will it be before they calculate how much carbon dioxide the pets themselves emit? What about human beings? As an aside, carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring gas essential to life on this planet. Plants require it to survive.

The CNN article also mentions, “you might consider smaller breeds or species if you’re aiming to minimize your impact on the planet. A Chihuahua’s carbon pawprint will be much smaller than a Saint Bernard, for example.” (Richardson, 2022) Kimberly Richardson quotes Gudrun Ravetz with Vet Sustain as saying, “Avoiding animals with known health problems will reduce the need for veterinary intervention, which has a carbon footprint, and most importantly will reduce unnecessary suffering in terms of poor health and welfare.” (Richardson, 2022) So, what happens exactly to those pets not adopted? It’s disingenuous to pretend they won’t be euthanized.

What happens to the dairy? Dairy cows emit methane, too. So, are they all to be slaughtered and dairy eliminated from the diet as well?

The social ramifications … call me crazy, but I don’t see the elites of this world eating bugs. The effect of separating out the middle and lower classes for inferior treatment would seem to be the dehumanization of the lower classes. In other words, it will contribute to our being viewed as lesser beings than the global elite.

Coercion anyone? As I’ve said, this is unlikely to be voluntary if it comes into being. They are unlikely to invest their money in something most people won’t participate in by choice. Instead, I imagine they will cut the supply of meat to the point where it’s unaffordable for most people if it’s not banned outright. Then, the people will be forced toward alternatives such as lab meat and bugs. And how exactly does cutting the food supply mitigate starvation?

Of course, until it’s implemented it’s all theoretical and may not happen. But propaganda articles such as this one are troubling since it appears to be paving the way for bugs as a dietary staple for the lower and middle classes in the future.

Bryden, Joan. “Government agrees mentally ill should have access to assisted dying — in 2 years.” The Canadian Press, 23 February 2021, https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/maid-bill-senate-amendments-1.5924163.

Insect-based pet food. (2024, January 9). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect-based_pet_food#cite_note-:5-9

Matthews, Dylan. “The Biggest Problem With Eating Insects Isn’t the “Ew” Factor.” Vox, 19 June 2021, https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-biggest-problem-with-eating-insects-isn-t-the-ew-factor.

Richardson, Kimberly. “Our pets are part of the climate problem. These tips can help you minimize their carbon pawprints.” CNN, 27 September 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/15/us/pets-climate-impact-lbg-wellness/index.html.

Tovey, Mark. “UK urges hunger-stricken African nations to farm insects.” The Guardian, 2 September 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/02/let-them-eat-bugs-uk-urges-hunger-stricken-african-nations-to-farm-insects.

Read Full Post »

Writing Update 5

Posted in Biosphere, Labyrinth, Mind Master Chronicles, News, Puppet on a String, Thoughts of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 22, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Writing Update 5

I’ve decided to do a fourth go over on Biosphere. I’ve decided to make this a pattern for all of my future books. I intend to do five Word pages on days I edit my books. Then, I will do four rounds. It just doesn’t feel like I’ve been thorough enough otherwise. Then, I plan to do the formatting and the cover. My new goal is to have the book up for pre-order in April. The release date goal is set for Monday, April 29th. I figure around May is a good time to release a new book. I think this will give me enough time to get everything to my liking and build up some anticipation for my release as well.

Meanwhile, I’ve decided to set my baseline price for most of my eBooks to $2.99 instead of $3.99. I know it’s hard to find money in the budget for books these days. Labyrinth will still be set to free for most retailers. Biosphere will be $2.99. Of course, I also intend to participate in the Smashwords Store sales when they come up. As far as I know, they’re still having one in July.

I’ve also changed the category of my book series The Mind Master Chronicles from juvenile fiction to regular fiction. I did this because the first two books … Labyrinth and Puppet on a String … could probably fit either category, but the third book, that’s in the editing process, and the fourth and fifth book, which are being written, lean more toward adult fiction. In other words, they are on the edge of adult and really edgy and dark juvenile fiction. But since people tend to view juvenile as a subcategory of children’s books, and I don’t see these as children’s books I decided to move them to adult fiction. Still, since there aren’t any sex scenes in the book, right now I’m not inclined toward the 18 warning / recommendation for the Mind Master Chronicles. I just don’t want people to blindly give books three through five to a five-year-old because they’re listed in the children’s section. And it really didn’t make sense to me to have books in the same series in different categories. Hopefully, this change won’t be too confusing for people.

I want to thank the people who have read my books. It’s probably easier to get books for free at the library. But I think it’s still hard to break into the library system if you’re an independent writer rather than a traditionally published one. So, I appreciate the effort people have made to read my books, even though I don’t have as much access to readers as I could have.

I realized recently how important readers are. They are rare gems to be treasured. It’s really gratifying for a writer when someone actually identifies with your work. Ideally, it truly is a symbiotic relationship where everyone benefits and is made happier as a result.

So, I will continue to make my books as affordable and accessible as possible. And you readers keep up the good work. I am convinced your efforts are appreciated by the authors whose books you read!

Read Full Post »

Inflation Rate Blues

Posted in Thoughts of the Day, tagged , on December 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »

The latest inflation figures provided by Consumer Affairs/Datasembly show a 5.3% increase in grocery prices for 2023. Last year the price increase was 25.5%. So the inflation increase rate has slowed. The article by Justin Klawans entitled: “2023: the year of sticker shock” suggests that this is a good thing and that regular people should see it as the improvement that it is. But alas, apparently we’re too unsophisticated and ignorant to appreciate economics. We’re too hung up on the prices we’re paying — which are incidentally eroding our discretionary income — to grasp the beauty of the rate of inflation increase slowing down — not stopping mind you just slowing down. And we actually have the nerve to compare the prices to the pre-COVID numbers as well. How stupid is that! Everyone knows that that world no longer exists! What I didn’t realize is one of the symptoms of COVID was inflation. Silly me.

One of the things I found interesting in the article is the implication that our expectations are too high. What we’ve been wanting is deflation — where the prices actually go back down. Silly us. Of course, we should instead be satisfied that the prices, though still rising, are rising slower than before. Call me crazy, but I never thought the prices would continue to rise at the absurd rate they had been rising.

But the fact of the matter is we are paying a cumulative rate of inflation. Yes, they would prefer we just compare the prices to last year instead of pre-COVID. But really, what sense does that make? It’s like a sinking ship that’s already taken on a lot of water. They would have you focus on the rate of the ongoing leak rather than measure the standing water in the hold. And once again, the leak is still ongoing; the ship is merely not taking on water as quickly as it had before. What is troubling though is the captain and the crew appear to believe this is good enough. While the boat is continuing to take on water, they not only have not stopped the leak, they have no plans to bail out the boat from prior inflationary damage.

There is impracticality in their take on the economic forecast. They want people to focus on the abstract rather than the concrete. But in real life you deal with prices. When you get a bill more than likely you are obligated to pay the full amount. You can’t tell a utility company, I’ll pay 3/4 of the bill but increase my payment rate by 5% month over month and expect to get away with it.

Of course, the author also seems to think that grocery prices are decreasing. How does he figure that? They have increased by 5.3% compared to last year’s baseline according to the figures the author provided.

In the end, it would seem reading between the lines that these high prices are expected to be here to stay. The open question is whether people can actually afford to pay them.

Klawans, Justin. “2023: the year of sticker shock.” THE WEEK US, 14 December 2023,

https://theweek.com/sticker-shock-inflation-2023

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »