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Reflection of the day

My blog is a place to reflect on things in your every day life, feel free to post any subject that comes in mind or just read (or respond to) my philosophical reflections for the day.

Todays reflection is : Are the southern(red) states better equipped for climate change measurements?

This thread comes from a frustration that as soon as something breaks, you need to buy a new one (in this case a dishwasher) because there isn’t a repairer in the country and the answer you get is that it is more expensive to fix than to buy a new one. This isn’t the first time this has happened to me. There is also the “computer thing” that bothered me for years: Every 4 year or so you need to buy a new computer and toss away the old one even though it is fully functionating because the old operating system is no longer supported and doesn’t work with the streaming services or online programs. To install the new operating system costs as much as a new computer does or more. Same thing with everything electronic, from mobile phones to playing consoles. It is such a waste, in a world were one of the biggest problems is the waste. But it is not only the electronic things. It is everything: Every renovation, results in massive wastes and there is absolutely no one buying or selling old doors, stoves or shingles anywhere in my community (or they are exeptionally hard to find).

Waste is not only an environmental problem but also an economic loss. An average European produces 481 kilos of municipal waste per year the average American produce about 940 kilos of trash per year total. Waste does not only result in carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide and methane from the incineration of hazardous waste (for destruction) but also in harmful substances from among other things, electrical waste with risks of contaminating the enviroment and our drinking water among other things. Also plastic waste is a major threat to the oceans - according to the UN, there will be more plastic than fish in marine environments by 2050 if litter continues

So the title question comes from swapping my TV channels and different renovation programs comes up. In those from the north states, every home looks the same, it’s like “office homes” or a "show home". No personality everything the latest trend (when it comes to stoves it seems to be open plan and gas stoves that is popular in the US at the moment: Aren’t you afraid for the extra risk of fire and explosions?). And then I tuned in on a program from a city named “Laurel” in Mississippi (Lovely couple by the way, didn’t belittle the husband which normally is the case for these programs couples. Seems to be very much on each others side)But that’s not why I bring it up: They bought a lot of old used items like bathtub and sink even used wood to build everything from tables to floors AND they used local repairers (the ones that no longer exists in my country) to restore everything. They reframed from putting in new dark brown floors (which seems to be the "thing" right now) and restored the existing floors.

On the same time the southern republican values celebrates independence which would coincide with getting solar panels to produce your own electricity.



So Question for the day is: Are the southern lifestyle better equipped for environmental changes?
 
Which Climate Change narrative are you favouring today ?

What about the growing community of top world scientists who suggest we are on the cusp of a mini ice age 'now' ? Literally .

For ease of reference look at Valentina Zharkova's work on the basis of electro magnetic drivers in sun activity . Many other opinion brands available .

Pick the wrong narrative , and I favour the mini ice age , and you are going to be in a heap of big trouble .


Suppose TPTB 'know' it is the Mini Ice Age narrative and figure that the best way to herd the Sheeple and take more of their money is by feeding them a psy-op that best suits their long term needs and to simple minds is more immediately believable and therefore true . Playing the Compliant Gullibles card .

Temperatures and CO2 up, plus mess = extinction

That is , instead of letting them die from natural cold causes , kill them off quickly and also charge them huge amounts of money for that' pleasure ' ---- kidding them that they are being saved --- but actually by a hoax pandemic that they have cooked up which is immediately super profitable and actually deflects from the truth .

Cute .
It's the way you tell 'em .
 




The Southern states are less educated and less willing to accept the concept of global warming.

But we're painting everyone with a broad brush here. There are 330,000,000 Americans. Some of them want a new house, some like renovating old houses, which can be a huge headache, btw.


.
 
Which Climate Change narrative are you favouring today ?

What about the growing community of top world scientists who suggest we are on the cusp of a mini ice age 'now' ? Literally .

For ease of reference look at Valentina Zharkova's work on the basis of electro magnetic drivers in sun activity . Many other opinion brands available .

Pick the wrong narrative , and I favour the mini ice age , and you are going to be in a heap of big trouble .


Suppose TPTB 'know' it is the Mini Ice Age narrative and figure that the best way to herd the Sheeple and take more of their money is by feeding them a psy-op that best suits their long term needs and to simple minds is more immediately believable and therefore true . Playing the Compliant Gullibles card .

Temperatures and CO2 up, plus mess = extinction

That is , instead of letting them die from natural cold causes , kill them off quickly and also charge them huge amounts of money for that' pleasure ' ---- kidding them that they are being saved --- but actually by a hoax pandemic that they have cooked up which is immediately super profitable and actually deflects from the truth .

Cute .
It's the way you tell 'em .

One guy is “predicting a mini ice age”. And you decide to write a ridiculous trolling OP about it. *YAWN*
 
(when it comes to stoves it seems to be open plan and gas stoves that is popular in the US at the moment: Aren’t you afraid for the extra risk of fire and explosions?).

My God do I despise the "open concept" trend. It goes along the the giant tile trend.

The gas stoves today are all electronic ignition, no standing pilots.

On the same time the southern republican values celebrates independence which would coincide with getting solar panels to produce your own electricity.

You're absolutely right. I believe that the whole clean energy revolution is going to drastically change politics for the better.
 
My God do I despise the "open concept" trend. It goes along the the giant tile trend.
Me too!!! I mean, if you have guests, you want to be able to just push the dishes into the kitchen and close the door(and let the pots and pans be until next day), not to be seen by the guests and you want the guests to have fun, not wash dishes or help serve the next meal. You also want to join in yourself without having to rinse and set aside used china.

Also you don't want the smell of food in the entire house every time you cook.
 
And then I tuned in on a program from a city named “Laurel” in Mississippi (Lovely couple by the way, didn’t belittle the husband which normally is the case for these programs couples


I find those two (Ben and Erin Napier) insufferable. Their scripted banter is insipid and phony.
 
I find those two (Ben and Erin Napier) insufferable. Their scripted banter is insipid and phony.
Okay, I don't follow the program, only saw that one episode and I liked them.
 
I love old houses. Old here ain't that old. 1940. First house was 1910, in the wrong neighborhood.

This blog (< hate that word) post needs some Swedish welfare jazz.

 
I love old houses. Old here ain't that old. 1940. First house was 1910, in the wrong neighborhood.

This blog (< hate that word) post needs some Swedish welfare jazz.


Oh... Old here is the 1600s.... 1930th to 1950th are quite common. 1910 more rare. but still not that rare. My house is from the 1930th
 
I don't think the willingness to refurbish a house is a political thing (nor is self reliance either). For example, I am quite liberal, but I know how to lay wood floor, build a wall, do tile, lay drywall, do simple electrical repairs, basic chimney repair, basic waterproofing, etc. I just spent the last week learning all about water softening systems. I learned much of it from previous home ownership and also a stint at habitat for humanity. We are now starting to do planning to build a food garden in the spring.

A friend of mine is even more liberal than I am and has recently gutted and completely rebuilt the internals of his house.

Also, I would recommend a youtube video on how to reinstall an operating system, you can usually get a windows license from a corporate sale for $30USD or less (or if you have a windows 7 license, you can ride that up all the way to probably windows 11). And it takes about 30 minutes to do (faster if you have a SSD drive). Mostly just go with the defaults the installer recommends.



Lastly, this is starting to gain traction in both the US and Europe, which I find exciting as not being able to replace my cell phone battery is stupid. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronics_right_to_repair
 
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Oh... Old here is the 1600s.... 1930th to 1950th are quite common. 1910 more rare. but still not that rare. My house is from the 1930th

That doesn't work in South Florida. A hurricane would annihilate anything so old.
 
Thought of the day:

Here is an article I read in a news prepaid newssite. I have translated it



Swedish mothers are prisoners in the dream city of Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES. Monika Wheeler, 49, has not been home in Sweden for 18 years. The Swede is stuck in Los Angeles - with a husband who prevents her from going home with their children. The mother of two is not alone. Swedish mothers who sought the dream life in Hollywood are fleeing to Mexico and Canada with their children, despite the risk of being convicted of kidnapping. And Swedish families who try to help their daughters are ruined.

- I feel like a prisoner. I have no freedom, says Monika Wheeler.
Some memories never go away. On Monika Wheeler's list is the moment 14 years ago when she realized that she was no longer free. Her son Lukas was two years old at the time.
Because her American husband Louis worked so much at his real estate company in California, she thought it was a good opportunity to fly home to Halmstad and show her son to mom and dad. The couple had lived together for ten years in the United States.

But Louis explained that she was not allowed to take her son to Sweden. Monika thought he was joking. But he did not laugh.
"What do you mean I can 't go home?" Monika asked.
"You can not go home with him. That is not the question, "Louis replied.

Monika Wheeler and her daughter Emma go out with the dogs in their residential area in Anaheim, California. Emma did not receive a passport when she was born, because Emma's husband Louis did not think it was needed.

They fell for each other when Monika visited California and worked temporarily at her aunt's brokerage firm. Louis worked for the same company. He had left the military and moved from Michigan to Los Angeles when his childhood friend, LA Lakers basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson, needed someone reliable to guard his house.

For the first ten years, they regularly went to Sweden and Monika's parents in Halmstad. That is why she was surprised when Louis did not want her to travel with her son to Sweden.

- It was a shock to me, she says now in their bright kitchen in the townhouse in Anaheim. I did not understand at all what it was about.

- His explanation was that he did not have time to end up in a ****ing dispute with me if I decided to stay in Sweden, says Monika.

Monica has not been home in Sweden for 18 years. Passport authorities require both parents' signatures on a passport application for the children. Louis did not sign. And without a passport she could not take her son to grandma and grandpa in Sweden. They quarreled. But the husband did not give in. And the problems continued.

The husband also did not submit an application for Monika to receive a green card, residence permit. Since that has left her in the country illegally, it meant that she ran the risk of not being allowed to return to the United States and her son again if she went to Sweden on her own.

She was forced to live without papers.
- I remember thinking that it was like the movie "Not without my daughter" even though I was not treated badly. Louis thought he made a lot of money and that I should therefore be happy, but for me it did not matter.
His attitude did not change when they had a daughter, Emma, six years later. Nor did she get a passport when she was born.

- He said that there was no reason for them to go to Sweden, she says.

Now Monika has not been home in Sweden for 18 years.

In Monika Wheeler's home in Anaheim, California, there are several small details in the interior that are connected to Sweden. And her husband has still not applied for the residence permit that Monika needs for her to dare to leave the United States.

- It has been extra hard during the corona. My parents are over 70 years old and if they had received corona I would not have been able to go home to them, she says.
Rock music sounds from the speakers. Ulf Lundell sings about Swedish summers. Monika does not come closer than that to Sweden.
- I feel like a prisoner, she says. I have no freedom. I'm not independent. Her hope is for Lukas, who has reached the age of 16, and dreams of becoming a lawyer.

- You must have a close relative who applies for a green card for you, either parents, husband, children or companies. So when Lukas turns 18, he can do it, she says.
 
Thought of the day:

Here is an article I read in a news prepaid newssite. I have translated it



Swedish mothers are prisoners in the dream city of Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES. Monika Wheeler, 49, has not been home in Sweden for 18 years. The Swede is stuck in Los Angeles - with a husband who prevents her from going home with their children. The mother of two is not alone. Swedish mothers who sought the dream life in Hollywood are fleeing to Mexico and Canada with their children, despite the risk of being convicted of kidnapping. And Swedish families who try to help their daughters are ruined.

- I feel like a prisoner. I have no freedom, says Monika Wheeler.
Some memories never go away. On Monika Wheeler's list is the moment 14 years ago when she realized that she was no longer free. Her son Lukas was two years old at the time.
Because her American husband Louis worked so much at his real estate company in California, she thought it was a good opportunity to fly home to Halmstad and show her son to mom and dad. The couple had lived together for ten years in the United States.

But Louis explained that she was not allowed to take her son to Sweden. Monika thought he was joking. But he did not laugh.
"What do you mean I can 't go home?" Monika asked.
"You can not go home with him. That is not the question, "Louis replied.

Monika Wheeler and her daughter Emma go out with the dogs in their residential area in Anaheim, California. Emma did not receive a passport when she was born, because Emma's husband Louis did not think it was needed.

They fell for each other when Monika visited California and worked temporarily at her aunt's brokerage firm. Louis worked for the same company. He had left the military and moved from Michigan to Los Angeles when his childhood friend, LA Lakers basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson, needed someone reliable to guard his house.

For the first ten years, they regularly went to Sweden and Monika's parents in Halmstad. That is why she was surprised when Louis did not want her to travel with her son to Sweden.

- It was a shock to me, she says now in their bright kitchen in the townhouse in Anaheim. I did not understand at all what it was about.

- His explanation was that he did not have time to end up in a ****ing dispute with me if I decided to stay in Sweden, says Monika.

Monica has not been home in Sweden for 18 years. Passport authorities require both parents' signatures on a passport application for the children. Louis did not sign. And without a passport she could not take her son to grandma and grandpa in Sweden. They quarreled. But the husband did not give in. And the problems continued.

The husband also did not submit an application for Monika to receive a green card, residence permit. Since that has left her in the country illegally, it meant that she ran the risk of not being allowed to return to the United States and her son again if she went to Sweden on her own.

She was forced to live without papers.
- I remember thinking that it was like the movie "Not without my daughter" even though I was not treated badly. Louis thought he made a lot of money and that I should therefore be happy, but for me it did not matter.
His attitude did not change when they had a daughter, Emma, six years later. Nor did she get a passport when she was born.

- He said that there was no reason for them to go to Sweden, she says.

Now Monika has not been home in Sweden for 18 years.

In Monika Wheeler's home in Anaheim, California, there are several small details in the interior that are connected to Sweden. And her husband has still not applied for the residence permit that Monika needs for her to dare to leave the United States.

- It has been extra hard during the corona. My parents are over 70 years old and if they had received corona I would not have been able to go home to them, she says.
Rock music sounds from the speakers. Ulf Lundell sings about Swedish summers. Monika does not come closer than that to Sweden.
- I feel like a prisoner, she says. I have no freedom. I'm not independent. Her hope is for Lukas, who has reached the age of 16, and dreams of becoming a lawyer.

- You must have a close relative who applies for a green card for you, either parents, husband, children or companies. So when Lukas turns 18, he can do it, she says.



Both parents signatures are required on a child's passport to keep one parent from running off to a foreign country.

This law came about when America women would marry men from the Middle East, the marriage would sour, and the men would take the children and run off to Saudi Arabia or wherever.

It wasn't meant for Swedes.

But when the child turns 18, they no longer need a parent's signature. So if the kids want to go Sweden with mom, they can.


.
 
Both parents signatures are required on a child's passport to keep one parent from running off to a foreign country.

This law came about when America women would marry men from the Middle East, the marriage would sour, and the men would take the children and run off to Saudi Arabia or wherever.

It wasn't meant for Swedes.

But when the child turns 18, they no longer need a parent's signature. So if the kids want to go Sweden with mom, they can.


.
Jeah, it is also that with the greencard, where the spouse needs to be the one applying that holds her captive. She can't go on her own either, not without risking never to see her kids again. But I realize that the coin has 2 sides and I am certain that there are similar situations in Sweden were our law and regulations results in similar situations. Still I thought it thought-provoking enough to write about it.
 
Here comes the thoughts of today:
Today, while writing posts about Afghanistan I can't help thinking that something good has come out of this division that Trump has canalize in your country. Suddenly, due to the mistrust in media people start to actually actively seek information on the facts. People start to get a feeling on when it is propaganda and when it is actually journalistic investigation that has taken place. Yes both sides, and mostly the conservative press, still mainly spread their lies as facts, but many conservative people seems to go outside their own news outlets to confirm or deny the information given.

For as long as I have lived the propaganda machine in the US has been force. The lack of perspective has been the main goal. Programs like Oprah and Dr Phil has grown through the recognition of the American truth as something simple, clear and one-sided. I still remember liking a science fiction serie called Stargates a few years ago (I like anything science fiction so it says absolutely nothing about the quality of the program) Off course there was a lot of the usual US propaganda, but I have got custom to it so I didn’t react. Then there came one episode were they was supposed to be kidnapped by a south American guerilla. And… They go to Honduras and are kidnapped by anti government Honduran rebels. At the time Honduras was about the only country who was pro US and there was no guerrilla. In almost every other democratic country in central America, there was a guerrilla fighting the government with weapons and terrorists actions, but they did al receive funding and training from the US. After that, I just couldn’t watch the show anymore (No matter how much I like science fiction) It was just to obvious propaganda for me to stomach. I felt that the creators took me for a total fool. But off course they didn’t. They were targeting the US public, and this was their truth.

For the US citizens these lies has been the total truth in al regards. No news outlet, left or right has challenged it and the last challenges in the US before Trump resulted in the “accused communist” cleansing during the 1960th.

Maybe you, due to Trump and the GOP breakdown, are in fact in the long run, walking towards more democracy and more openness, not less.
 
What distinguishes Swedish culture from American culture?

Yes, regarding my thread that we would try to see the vaccine resistance from the positive side: No Swedish comedian has ever made a breakthrough in the US, at least not on his own material and I even know some who have been practically expelled, so that difference I already knew about.

But then I entered the debate on abortion for the first time and another Swede joined me. A Libertian. We were both for women's right to abortion. I'm not the least bit surprised by that. A Swedish libertian is not the least bit conservative, he / she is a libertian right through. From beginning to end. Engaging in or controlling other people's life choices is foreign and completely contrary to ideology. But it's not just that. Children are both parents concern. Virtually all fathers in Sweden are present during childbirth. If the children are ill, the parents usually take turns being at home from work. In the event of divorce, shared custody is automatically granted. Which means that the children live half the time with the father and half with the mother. Divorced parents do virtually anything to ensure their children's well-being. They make sure to live close to each other to make it easier for the children, some even continue to celebrate Christmas together. Children are very central in my culture and they come and should always come first. This means that the issue of abortion not only affects women emotionally but also men. Sure, a young boy who becomes a father could ignore his commitments in Sweden as well, but he would then have to pay maintenance to the mother until the child turns 18 and he would be very badly regarded by everyone he met who learned that he had a child. which he don't take care of. He would not strike any points with swedish females. As I said: In Sweden, we reason that the children must always come first, regardless.

In addition, equality is more widespread at grassroots level (even if it does not always reach the very top…) Both men and women work in Sweden. Housewives are largely non-existent. And if you were to be a housewife to a rich man, it's not something you talk about in the first place. The first question you get, as a man or woman, when you make a new acquaintance is: What are you doing? Answering "I am a housewife" gives worse status than saying that you are long-term unemployed.

We have generous rules for parental leave. Parental benefit is paid for 480 days for each child. For 390 days, the compensation is based on the income you have thereafter, you can receive a minimum amount for another 90 days. Each parent must take at least 90 days. This, together with cultural factors, means that men in Sweden take out an average of 25% of the 390 days. What am I trying to say:

Well, when a Swedish man talks about abortion, he does not automatically think of women who perform abortions, but thinks of himself (or his son)as the one who does an abortion, even if the procedure is performed on the woman he(or the son) has slept with. Big difference in how you look at responsibility in other words.
 
Just to let you know, I am coming from just reading about a US politician (at a high level as far as I understand) That seriously puts out the theory that the democrats came up with Omicron to win the election… People obviously vote for this guy to rule them….. And from thinking about LIKES as a measurement of the validation and importance of a poster



Since stupidity seems to rule the debate and the career for many Americans, are you falling behind?



One example. The US has been one of the main players when it comes to the cooling/heating industry with the company Du Pont setting many of the standards we now live with and developing new substances when the old ones has been shown to present different risks (poisonous, flammable , a danger to our ozone layer and so on)Now while Europe are setting new standards due to DWP (Global Warming Potential) and developing new techniques for AC: s in cars, heat pumps and refrigeration , the US seems to be totally indifferent and uses the old techniques and substances from the 1990s as if nothing is changing. Du Pont seems to be out of the picture(at least when it comes to future technique and substances) It is like the road taken by eastern Europe after WW2. Russia does very much the same. And we al know how that pend out economically. In the meantime, China doesn’t. Even if they do not implement the technique, they are in the game developing it.

This is just one example. Are you, by promoting stupidity, ”feel good sayings” and letting conspiracy and “alternative” theories into your school system falling behind? Or an even more intellectual challenging thougt; Is the Liberian ideology breaking apart after ruleing the Western world for about 200 years?

So; What does this mean for tomorrow?
 
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