Tag Archives: food

Reflections on a Grecian Turn

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ZeroHedge comments on life in Greece: “Around 1000 people per day are still losing their jobs in Greece with the percentage of the population not working now uncomfortably larger than those who are employed. This is creating drastic – or perhaps more aptly philosophical – reflections by its people. As the BBC reports, the feeling in Greece is that a “whole generation is on hold” and there is a growing trend towards the creation of self-sustaining eco-communities – free of the ties of money and modern civilization. “What others saw as a global economic crisis, [Greeks] saw as a crisis of civilization” and so they are trying something different, growing their own food, bartering with one another, and exchanging surpluses with other villages.

The Game They’re Playing Is Not Football

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Rush Limbaugh has been talking about the liberals’ desire to end football. To the first time listener this might seem absurd, but sadly, his prognostications prove true more often than not.

I thought about that when I opened the newspaper this morning and saw the headline “Data show football may not be safe for kids.” Bingo! It has trickled down even to our little neck of the football loving woods.

The columnist for “Healthy Memphis” who penned this crap is a doctor and he claims to love the sport. But in this society, nothing a person likes can be approved unless it’s immoral. Then, have at it. The doctor got on the bandwagon citing statistics none of us can verify or refute to say it causes concussions which cause memory damage and depression.

“Sitting on the bleachers and watching my son’s friend take a hit in the chest – I felt it in mine. There were no concussions in the game, but there easily could have been,” he writes. Notice how it is automatically about him and his compassion. Then notice how his theory has no proof, but he still clings to it.

More follows in the same fashion.

Coincidentally, Limbaugh started talking about it on his radio show this morning. He talked about it because quasi-conservative George Will has raised a red flag about football, too. These talking points don’t happen in a vacuum. Getting rid of football is clearly something the left is working towards.

Given the government’s great concern for our welfare (except when Obamacare kicks in), maybe legislators should look towards other activities, too.

For instance, I like to cook. I have been burned and cut my fingers requiring stitches from time to time. I’ve probably slipped and fallen on the kitchen floor. And I am not alone. I have to think there are others out there who have experienced similar accidents.

So why not ban cooking at home? It could save lives. Think of how many people it could employ if our food is prepared for us at central locations. The SEIU would kill for this scenario. Sound ridiculous? We all know that Memphis City Schools think it is their right to serve students dinner now and even packing them three meals for Saturday and Sunday to take home.

Any time you think the left will wake up and realize how crazy they are, forget it. They never will. They will continue with this unless somebody stops them.

We’d better stop them in November.

Digging Into Today’s Economy Numbers

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At first glance the jobless claims dropping 35,000 from 388,000 to 353,000 looks good. However, it’s a continuation of the yo-yo swings we’ve been having. Even CNBC tool Steve Liesman couldn’t get excited about the drop calling the numbers for July “squirrely” and undependable.

Durable goods looked good unless you actually examine the numbers. Their rise of 1.6% hides a drop from .8% to -1.1%. The spike was all on transportation goods, especially aircraft parts and machinery. Everything else – computers, electronics, electrical equipment and machinery of all kinds saw orders plunge.

So forget the breathless hype about improvement in the economy. A better indicator will be tomorrow’s GDP number. The drought, whose effects have not begun to be felt, will further drag us down with food prices soaring.

The stock rise on this news is really about Wall St.’s hope that there will be more money printing, i.e. QE3.

Not Really Pro Choice

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The other day it was Nanny Bloomberg who decided for us that we can’t have a Big Gulp or extra big Coke on the streets of New York. No, no, no! Sugary drinks must be so tempting to people that the average American is overwhelmed when he or she comes upon one, loses his or her mind and cannot resist the temptation.

Enter the state to keep us from our base desires. If this goes forward in New York, you won’t have to make that decision of whether you want a big drink or not. The temptation has been removed. You can’t handle it so it’s been decided for you. Have a nice day!

Today we learn that Disney is refusing all ads for junk food. That means that aside from the parks, no junk food ads will be accepted on ABC’s Saturday morning kids shows, the Disney channel, radio Disney, online entities and anything that features the big mouse.

Disney is supposedly working with some of the major food companies to get them to lower the salt, fat and sugar contents and reformulate their products. This is a nod to Michelle Obama who was at a big event today with chief Bob Iger to unveil their new plans.

It’s all for the children, you see.

Because the parents are too stupid to know what’s right and too stupid to parent their children.

Aside from the obvious message that mom and dad don’t know anything (but Uncle Sam does, kiddies), what comes across is that you can’t be trusted with a choice. The liberals don’t want you to choose anything because it will show that they are not necessarily right. Not all people will have ill effects from eating a donut. Some of the skinniest people around go through life eating whatever they want and many never have any problems with cholesterol or heart ails. Time and again science has shown us it doesn’t always know what it’s talking about.

Secondly, if you never have to make choices, you never learn how to make decisions in life. A person, even a child, must learn the consequences of a bad action. When the government steps in and prevents it, the man or woman are precluded from making that discovery. Kids need to find out that if they go around eating french fries all day, the next time they step on a scale, it might not show a number they like. Then, the person has the choice of what to do. If he makes the right decision, he is rewarded, if not, he will have to suffer the consequences.

It’s a very deceitful thing our government is promoting. It is stripping us of the right to make our own choices and learn from it. This, from the same people who claim to be pro choice. It seems the only thing they are really pro choice about is your choice to murder a baby. They’re all for that.

A Diet Low in Responsibility

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Channel 5′s headline asked “Is Your Alarm Clock Making You Fat?”

Now that’s a shocker. I had long suspected the alarm clock of evil deeds, but putting weight on me was not one of them. Now, according to this news report, I am vindicated.

However, it’s a little confusing. According to the government, it’s not just alarm clocks that are making me fat. It’s big corporations. That’s right – Kraft, Hershey’s, Sara Lee, Ben & Jerry’s; all these friends are plumping me up against my will. They have dared to make food so tasty I am rendered senseless in any brief encounter with them. Before I know it, they are jamming their products down my throat and me, helpless to do anything about it.

Michelle Obama agrees that they are culpable, but she has also said “food deserts” have blame, too. That’s deserts, not desserts, although she doesn’t seem to get upset when any ice cream scoops find their way to her mouth. Anyhow, food deserts being places in communities – or rather not places in communities – so that people in some areas have no access to the healthy fruits and vegetables she raves about. Sometimes (the horror!) such stores can be a mile or two from their homes. Instead of kale and cauliflower, these people can only scrounge up Little Debbies and barbecue potato chips at their local grocery. So, of course, the stores are to blame for their love handles and muffin tops.

Then there are researchers who tell me that being overweight is a matter of genetics. Don’t like how your body looks? Blame mom and dad – even grandma and grandpa. It works for every other character problem so why not weight? Body fat was your inheritance, so stuffing a whopper in your pie hole is really their fault. Other doctors tell us fat may come from a virus. This is a particularly appealing blame game. There you are, minding your own business when a handshake from the Salvation Army bell ringer you dropped a ten in passed along a legacy of fat to you. And you thought you were just weak natured when it comes to a Starbucks caramel macchiato with whipped cream!

Others say TV is making me fat – a couch potato. I get mesmerized watching it, refuse to get up and move around and start feeding at the chip trough. This is one topic, however, the networks don’t like to bring up.

What do all these theories have in common? Victimization. You or I had nothing to do with any weight problems. It’s bad corporations or society that explains the problem. Enter the government, savior of us all. It will stop these bad things from happening and rescue us.

Today it’s the alarm clock, but what’s alarming is the lack of responsibility we have opted for as Americans. Our ancestors did not apply morality to a hamburger. They knew that morality, ethics and doing the right thing comes from character not government.

Too bad responsibility is no longer in our diet. Maybe the question ought to be is TV news making me stupid.

Jobless Claims Soar

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Just as economic analysts were congratulating themselves on a string of falling jobless claims, they got gobbsmacked by reality this morning.

The claims were expected to be at 355,000; instead they got 380,000. Keep in mind that last week’s was 357,000 and then revised (when you weren’t paying attention) to 367,000. This means that the 380K could actually be 390 or 400K. Doesn’t look too good for the jobs recovery.

In addition, core inflation (core PPI) was flat, only if you strip out food and energy. Put those two little old necessities in and it was at .3% from February’s .2%.

Zerohedge adds this:

Following today’s disappointing jobs data, we thought it useful to reflect on the sad reality that is occurring under the eyes of AAPL Mr. Market. As BofAML notes this morning, their Economic Data Diffusion index (which tracks macro data surprises) has been trending lower for over a month (indicating a trend of data missing expectations to the downside) and, more importantly has turned absolutely negative (indicating a marginally negative bias to the overall economic data expectations). Following our lead, they note the weather’s impact and that this is likely to be the third time in this recovery that the markets and economic consensus has over-reacted to positive news and become too optimistic about growth. Looking ahead, we expect this data downshift to continue. In the near term, both higher gasoline prices and the fading weather effect will likely weigh on growth and, over the course of the second half, we expect the looming fiscal cliff to undercut confidence and growth. Party’s ending, a tough economic reality is looming and the punchbowl remains out of sight for now.

Local Priest Has Me Seeing Red

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While glancing at this morning’s issue of our local newspaper, I saw red. Red as in Communism and red as in anger when I saw this headline: “Economic disparity calls for leveling.” It wasn’t from a news story and it wasn’t on the editorial pages. It was on the Saturday weekend section.

What? Someone here’s spewing Marxist rhetoric, I thought.

Then I saw the author’s name and almost choked. It was the priest at the cathedral I used to attend. That headline – and his strays from Catholic doctrine – are why I no longer attend the church where I was married and where my children were baptized and confirmed.

A little background. The first Sunday he preached he criticized the parish for prejudice against gays. It stuck out because there never seemed to be any such action taking place. In Midtown, you don’t find much interest in that topic. It’s not a big issue. We are a tolerant community. No one really knew what he was even talking about. Then, he tried to convince us that no actual miracle occurred with the loaves and the fishes. No, Jesus didn’t actually make more food; he just inspired the community that came out and shared with everyone else. That was shocking.

Next, he tried to take over the approved renovation of the cathedral built and paid for by Italian immigrants in the 30s. He wanted to replace the painting above the altar with a picture of Our Lady rejected by the Los Angeles cathedral depicting her as a young Mexican woman. Parishioners were flaming mad that they had donated money with certain images to remain, then were told they would not. Ultimately, the parishioners won that fight, but it showed the social justice side of the man.

Meanwhile in the school, his liberal teachings were causing a drop off in enrollment. At a meeting one parent complained that the whole semester did not see a Mass for the children except on Ash Wednesday. I noticed how the stance on abortion was pushed aside during elections to favor the Democrats. And, I know for a fact, that this priest voted Democrat in primaries when the platform of that party is pro abortion. I know this because I worked at the polls and saw his request for that ballot.

But back to his article. He praises the Occupy Wall Street protestors (yes, those who raped, attacked and caused economic hardship wherever they landed) for bringing “to our nation’s consciousness the widening income disparity between the wealthiest 1% and the remaining 99%.”

He continues that the U.S. is the most economically unequal nation in the advanced world. “Why have religious leaders been so silent about this economic disparity?” he asks. Well, maybe because it isn’t any of their business. Remember that “render to Caesar” quote? And, by the way, many haven’t been silent like Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakan, Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson. They mount a podium every day – with press coverage – don’t they?

“The Scriptures – especially Jesus in the Gospels – speak much more about money and the disparity between the rich and poor than they do about other important issues being raised in our nation these days,” he continued. I guess Jesus didn’t directly address abortion, the national debt, high gasoline prices or the attempt by the government to take over every aspect of our health care, so we should just chuck those.

He goes on to pooh pooh fasting, especially the Catholic practice of not eating meat on Fridays in Lent. Somebody email Pope Benedict and tell him to tuck into meat on Fridays. Father says it’s OK.

He outdoes himself with this next logical pirouette, however: “‘Glad tidings’ are truly the reversal of good fortune. Those at the bottom of the ladder find freedom and hope, Jesus says. And by mentioning ‘a year of favor from the Lord,’ Jesus was speaking of the Jubilee Year, spoken of in the Book of Leviticus. It teaches the Chosen People that every 50 years, all debts are to be erased. All land has to be returned to the original owner, and those trapped by financial bondage need to be released.”

Where to begin? At the dig to the Jews and the stereotype of them as mercenaries? In practical terms he’s calling for amnesty for illegal aliens, a forgetting of student loans, freeing deadbeats from paying mortgages and all the other giveaways we have. It struck me in particular since I had just heard from a friend who with her husband is buying homes and refurbishing them for rentals. They are doing it to have some income to supplement the pittance and maybe even doubtful existence of Social Security. The first house they renovated and rented procured one month’s rent for them and a tenant who refuses to pay the rest. A judge sided with the renter and is allowing her to live there for as long as she likes. Another court date awaits, but in the meantime they have lost money they could not afford. How can this be just? Another prospective tenant thought she was a good renter because she and her husband had enough welfare checks connived from the government to rent the house.

But, no, the Father insists that a “leveling” take place. “The rich are to give away their wealth to those who are poor.” I believe Jesus meant voluntarily and not, as he is suggesting, by a government redistributing it.

In fact, as he ends his piece, he writes “In Lent, we celebrate that Jesus truly ‘emptied’ himself and voluntarily put himself on the side of the alienated and broken.” Really? I thought Easter was about Jesus dying to free us from sin and showing that he was God by rising again. I don’t think it was a call for the redistribution of wealth. Maybe he needs to be a follower of Marx or Lenin instead of Our Savior.

It’s shocking to me to see a priest so obsessed with material goods. Since when does Social Justice take precedence over the spiritual needs of the flock?

I guess it has since the 60s when the whole movement gained ground. Like the War on Poverty, mankind will never produce equality and justice. Those will only occur in heaven. It is presumptuous of him to believe he can force people to do it.

Somewhere free will and God just got thrown under the bus.

You can read his article here:http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/mar/17/guest-commentary-economic-disparity-calls-for/

Prices Higher Than They Tell Us

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The measure of inflation, the Consumer Price Index, was put at 3.1% for 2011. However, the American Institute for Economic Research has released an alternate index, narrowing the scope to items purchesed by the average consumer every month, leaving out “big-ticket items” like cars, computers, and furniture. According to this index, the prices for food, beverages, fuel, power, and prescription drugs rose 8.1% in 2011.

Whose Money Is it?

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This article was sent to me by someone who said it touched a nerve in her. It’s a pretty good and understandable rant.

“Have you noticed, your Social Security check is now referred to as a ‘federal benefit payment’?
Something to think about: the only thing wrong with this calculation is they forgot to figure in the people who died before they collected their Social Security. Where did that money go?

This is another example of what Rick Perry called ‘treason in high places’? Get angry and pass this on!
Remember, not only did you contribute to Social Security but your employer did too. It totaled 15% of your income before taxes. If you averaged only $30K over your working life, that’s close to $220,500.
If you calculate the future value of $4,500 per year (yours & your employer’s contribution) at a simple 5% (less than what the government pays on the money that it borrows), after 49 years of working you’d have $892,919.98.
If you took out only 3% per year, you’d receive $26,787.60 per year and it would last better than 30 years (until you’re 95 if you retire at age 65) and that’s with no interest paid on that final amount on deposit! If you bought an annuity and it paid 4% per year, you’d have a lifetime income of $2,976.40 per month.
The folks in Washington have pulled off a bigger Ponzi scheme than Bernie Madhoff ever had.
Entitlement my butt, I paid cash for my social security insurance! Just because they borrowed the money, doesn’t make my benefits some kind of charity or handout!
Congressional benefits – free healthcare, outrageous retirement packages, 67 paid holidays, three weeks paid vacation, unlimited paid sick days – now that’s welfare, and they have the nerve to call my social security retirement entitlements?
We’re “broke” and can’t help our own seniors, veterans, orphans, homeless.
In the last months we have provided aid to Haiti, Chile , and Turkey . And now Pakistan – home of bin Laden. Literally, billions of dollars!
Our retired seniors living on a ‘fixed income’ receive no aid nor do they get any breaks while our government and religious organizations pour hundreds of billions of $$$$$$’s and tons of food to foreign countries!
They call Social Security and Medicare an entitlement even though most of us have been paying for it all our working lives and now when it’s time for us to collect, the government is running out of money. Why did the government borrow from it in the first place? Imagine if the government gave US the same support they give to other countries.
Sad isn’t it?”