My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on May 6, 2023

When it comes to sharing political and socioeconomic philosophy, it is like tiptoeing through a minefield. No matter what books, lectures, video or definitions one uses when discussing political ideologies, almost all sources will come under suspicion of bias … or in this case … Cultural Marxist Conspiracy Theory. I do read a bit on the topic since it interests me, but I’ve only scratched the surface; it is a continual study and feels like I’m “attempting to cure something I still don’t understand” (a butchered Polish proverb).

With that said, I’ll add a lecture by American James Lindsay discussing a controversial suggestion:“Woke is Maoism with American characteristics — Woke is Marxism” (below).

We see and hear “woke” thrown around all the time in the US as we watch the rest of the western world shifting from the politically and economic philosophy of Classical Liberalism (individual autonomy, limited government, economic freedom, political freedom and freedom of speech) towards what best fits under the umbrella of state controlled Marxism (embracing elements of both social and economic justice aspired to by the progressives of the New Left — personally it looks like Maoism … although currently defined as Democratic Socialism).

Marxism is a method of socioeconomic analysis that analyzes class relations and societal conflict using a materialist interpretation of historical development and a dialectical view of social transformation.

See differences between Marxism and Maoism.

Now whether the recent (last decade or two) change is being orchestrated or happening organically … or a bit of both … you will have to decide for yourself, but I did find this 28 minutes talk by James Lindsay in Europe thought provoking. If you can’t listen to it all, fast-forward to about the 20 minute mark (identities and categorization).
 

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Category: Education, History, Politics, Video | No Comments »
Tags: economic justice, james lindsey, lecture, liberalism, maoism, marxism, mp4, social justice, woke, wokeism

Posted By RichC on May 5, 2023

Last month I switched my LTE iPhone 7-plus to USMobile, a budget-friendly wireless carrier, and have been satisfied with the trial. Since I will likely stay with the service after making the cumbersome switch from Mint Mobile, I started to think about switching Brenda’s iPhone7 — ugh! So after a little discussion with her about Apple no long supporting updates and due to her poor battery life (I could install a new battery?) … it seemed like a good time to get her a new iPhone14 for Mother’s Day (ordered).

I talked it over with my son Taylor who was enthusiastic about the idea and said he would get her a case for it. Excellent plan.

So hopefully I’ll be able to get the new eSIM phone switched over in time for Mother’s Day and before her Mint Mobile expires on 5/15. We’ll see about adding to my existing plan, getting the referral bucks or trying for another free trial plan later?  For now, it is just exciting to get one of our iPhones up-to-date in 2023 and finally on a 5G network … although I really wanted to wait for the iPhone flip phone (NO, it is not a thing … but I’m wishing it was). 😉 

Category: Apple, Cellphone, Gadget, Holiday, Personal, Photos, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: 128GB, apple, brenda, iphone14, mint mobile, mother's day, tech friday, techfriday, usmobile

Posted By RichC on May 4, 2023

While waiting for the big TWO TRILLION dollar company that is Apple ($AAPL) to report earning after hours on Thursday (story), I’m contemplating the likely outcome of accelerated interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. Obviously concluding that “inflation in transitory,” as the Fed Chair commented after the pandemic, was the incorrect assumption … and it looks as if the latest panic to rapidly slow the overheating economy is now creating a banking confindence problem. 

It is never as simple as “one thing” though … as “sticky” inflation has a lot to do with poor management of banks (as in the past), the stupidity in our government when it comes to handing out money as if it grew on trees, spending money we don’t have calling it an Inflation Reduction Act, and targeting America’s energy producers while begging our adversaries to pump more oil. Of course Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a easy scapegoat and distraction … as was/is the unwillingness of Americans to live within their means … or even go to work. 

Nevertheless, trying to slow inflation, deal with the U.S. deficit and debt, and shore-up our underfunded entitlement programs … all the while trying to keep the economy growing, get reelected and prevent a recession.  These are just the economic challenges that face the POTUS and those running our government in Washington DC; the success or failure wiil impact everyone living in American and likely the world. 

These charts are worth thinking about: Will the rapid rate of increase do more than stress community and regional banks and trigger a recession as it often does?

Category: Apple, Business, Energy, Financial, News | No Comments »
Tags: aapl, apple, banking, charts, economy, federal reserve, inflation, interest rates, recession

Posted By RichC on May 4, 2023

Several years ago Drew and Katelyn gave me a premium everyday carry messenger bag for Christmas (2016). It has been a fantastic bag  or briefcase like bag for my notebook computer, iPad, books, etc and a lot of tech gear (originally used for my Lumix camera). Unfortunately after years of travel and admitted overloading, it has a a few worn parts and components that will soon fail. 

I am hoping that it can be repaired and since Peak Design offers a lifetime warranty, I’ve submitted a claim to see if “at minimum” they will send me the part showing the most wear … although suspect they may require me to ship the bag to them for repair. 

For now, I’ll keep using the bag everyday and post my results if there is a way to repair a favorite computer bag. 
 

EDIT: Nope, no repair … BUT they will replace my (very well made) older bag with one of their updated “smaller” messenger bags (fewer pockets, etc). That said, they are honoring their warranty, sending a UPS return label for my old bag and are shipping a new Peak Design Everyday Messenger Bag. Great company and excellent customer service.

Category: Business, Gadget, Misc, Shopping, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: bag, camera, Computer, messenger bag, notebook, peak design, warranty

Posted By RichC on May 3, 2023

Taxes are often on my mind … especially when reminded by an email update from the Tax Foundation. This week was both a depressing one (Ohio #41) and an interesting one due to the number of states and cities trying hard to reduce the burden of bloated government on their residents. I would nice if our Federal government could get past the culture wars and focus on national security and economic prosperity for US citizens (lower taxes and growing the economy). 

States that score well on the Index’s individual income tax component usually have a flat, low-rate income tax with few deductions and exemptions. They also tend to protect married taxpayers from being taxed more heavily when filing jointly than they would filing as two single individuals. In addition, states perform better on the Index’s individual income tax component if they index their brackets, deductions, and exemptions for inflation to avoid unlegislated tax increases. 

States with a perfect score on the individual income tax component (Alaska, Florida, South Dakota, and Wyoming) have no individual income tax and no payroll taxes besides the unemployment insurance tax. The next highest-scoring states are Nevada, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and New Hampshire.

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Category: Financial, Politics, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: 2023, map, taxes, taxfoundation.org

Posted By RichC on May 2, 2023

It is a bitter sweet departure from Clermont County for my son Taylor. He has grown professionally and enjoyed his job as Planner for the last 8 years after moving back to Ohio from Williston, ND (being a Planner for Williams County was his first job out of college). He has been patient and taken on a variety of responsibilities with a bit more than usual turnover in his county government department. The added roles were great career building opportunities and not overly burdensome, yet they didn’t come with monetary or position advancement — often those ONLY comes with career moves.

Thankfully for Taylor, others who have worked with him over the years were looking for a capable person to fill a vacancy and recognized his ability … and stability … and invited him to interview. He was likely on a very short list and after a very short negotiation, Taylor accepted a new position as Director of Planning and Zoning with Batavia Township; the new offices are only a few minutes from where he works currently. The transition “should” be smooth as he already knows and has worked with most of the people. 

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Category: Archive, Misc, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: batavia township, career, clermont, county, family, government, job, ohio, planner, taylor

Posted By RichC on May 1, 2023

This content is restricted.

Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Travel, Video | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, bicycle, drew, ellerie, family, katelyn, mp4, playset, smoky mountains, trip

Posted By RichC on April 30, 2023

Some animals “kids” are just like human kids. Who doesn’t see the similarity between goat kids and human kids when it comes to playground excitement.

Category: Humor, Nature, Social Media, Video | No Comments »
Tags: goats, Humor, kids, mp4

Posted By RichC on April 29, 2023

This past month while semi-vacationing in Florida (condo window installation), I started reading an excellent new book by well-known economist Nouriel Roubini called “MegaThreats: Ten Dangerous Trends That Imperil Our Future, And How to Survive Them” (October 18, 2022).

The book follows a trend for me and what I’ve been reading when it comes to the unsustainable path of expecting a continual “free lunch” when it comes to how governments finance wants and needs. Of course reading “MegaThreats” by “Dr. Doom” (who predicted te 2008 housing crisis) is probably not for everyone, especially if you’ve heard this before and yet government spending and mounting debt just continues to grow. It has been pointed out to me that decades ago I was worried about growing deficits and debt … and the demographic shifts, yet hear we are, well over $30 Trillion in debt with interest rates and inflation rising. How much longer can we as a country or world continue pumping out money each time an economic crisis arises?

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Category: Books, Financial, Politics, Video | No Comments »
Tags: beach, channel 4 news, economics, megathrets, nouriel roubini, reading, youtube

Posted By RichC on April 28, 2023

Do you trust that Google isn’t using your emails to push advertising to you?

Personally I’m thinking this might be a “sleight of hand” considering the cookies and the fact you are signed into your Google account and search are used in advertising. Perhaps they aren’t using the content of Gmail to generate advertising, but I still question … “why do they need to even scan the content of our emails?”
 

How Gmail ads work

When you open Gmail, you’ll see ads that were selected to show you the most useful and relevant ads. The process of selecting and showing personalized ads in Gmail is fully automated. These ads are shown to you based on your online activity while you’re signed into Google. We will not scan or read your Gmail messages to show you ads.

Privacy, transparency, and choice

Google does not sell your personal information, which includes your Gmail and Google Account information. We also do not share your personal information with advertisers, unless you have asked us to.

We are careful about the types of content we serve ads against. For example, Google will not target ads based on sensitive information, such as race, religion, sexual orientation, health, or sensitive financial categories. Ads displayed in Gmail are subject to the Gmail ads policies.

To opt-out of the use of personal information for personalized Gmail ads, go to the Ads Settings page, then turn off Ads Personalization. If you do opt-out, you may still see Gmail ads, but they will not be based on personal data Google has associated with your Google Account.

LINK

Category: Business, Idioms, Marketing, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: advertising, ai, elevenlabs, email, gmail, google, idiom, privacy, tech friday, techfriday