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June 29,2021
since self-identifying as a teacher clearly makes him a teacher, the ban violated his rights under the Equal Employment Opportunity Act.
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June 29,2021
Professors Say Proper Grammar Is Racist. This Is Why Their Wrong - The Babylon Bee
This is why their wrong.
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ChetCast
Episode 199: Doctor Lucy
June 28,2021I went in for a check-up and things did not go according to plan.
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June 28,2021
Kim Jong Un Lost Some Weight—and North Koreans Are Alarmed - WSJ
South Korean officials have recently said they noticed no significant change to Mr. Kim’s health.
Let’s check with the pre-eminent breakers of all North Korean news, TMZ, and get their take.
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Catholic Husband
June 28,2021I prefer not to have good years and bad years, I want great years. I want years when I have the energy and clarity of mind to take care of my kids, my household, and still have enough gas in the tank to play.
➕
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Reading
June 27,2021
Currently reading: To Be A Father with Saint Joseph by Fabrice Hadjadj 📚
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June 27,2021
I just finished the first draft of my latest project.
I always get a great sense of relief when I hit this milestone in the publishing process.
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June 27,2021
Americans Are Leaving Unemployment Rolls More Quickly in States Cutting Off Benefits - WSJ
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said the benefits were helpful during the height of the pandemic, but their continuation has “worsened the workforce issues we are facing.”
Well, well, well.
The Gov. Parson articulates the essential argument well. A good idea in bad times, a bad idea in good times.
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June 26,2021
I washed the windows today.
That was terrible.
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June 25,2021
90 Percent of Student Loan Borrowers Say They’re Not Ready to Restart Payments: Survey - Newsweek
A new survey from the advocacy group Student Debt Crisis found that 9 in 10 borrowers are not prepared to start paying off their loans again on October 1.
They’ve been awash in cash for 17 months and, in that time, didn’t imagine that one day the spigot would be turned back on.
People who loan you money expect to get it back. Who knew?!
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Reading
Book Review: The Mindful Catholic 📚
June 25,2021I’m planning on getting back into my mindfulness routine as the other pieces of my wellness routine fall into place. I picked this book up sometime last year and just now got around to reading it.
Written by a clinical psychologist, Dr. Bottaro did an excellent job combining the mechanics of the human brain with the benefits of mindfulness infused with Catholic theology. His emphasis was on recognizing ourselves as part of God’s creation. I found that focus to be helpful in understanding how a regular mindfulness practice can benefit me personally and my vocation.
Would I recommend: YES
ISBN: 978-1635820171
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June 25,2021
Saving for Retirement? Now You Can Bet on Bitcoin. - WSJ
In a recent survey of more than 500 financial advisers conducted by the Financial Planning Association and two other organizations, 14% of the advisers said they use or recommend cryptocurrency
Maybe a good time to fire your financial adviser, a wholly unregulated job title in the financial services industry.
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Reading
June 24,2021
Finished reading: The Mindful Catholic: Finding God One Moment at a Time by Gregory Bottaro, Ph.D. 📚
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June 24,2021
“We could have resisted Donald Trump at every turn, but we chose to take the high road and helped him make America great again,” Pelosi said. “And how do those Republicans repay us? By completely dismantling the spirit of cooperation and bipartisan unity that we Democrats have built up over the years.”
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June 24,2021
The start of something delicious.
🥚🧀🍄🧅
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June 23,2021
All over the nation, American citizens were seen parking their brand-new F-15s in their driveways and garages.
I almost picked one up on GovDeals, but I decided the $42,000 cost per flight hour was a bit outside of my budget.
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June 23,2021
Renters Could Collect Home Down-Payment Points With Credit Card - WSJ
The card program also attempts to incentivize non-rent spending by increasing the rewards for rent when cardholders spend more on everything else. Mastercard declined to elaborate further on how it will profit from the card without fees on rent payments.
I’m guessing it will have something to do with the advertised APR range of 15-22.5%, with top rates for subprime borrowers at 30%.
Unlike homeowners, who build equity with every monthly mortgage payment, renters get no long-term benefits from their monthly payments. Paying by credit card gives renters some additional value that could help them buy a house, Bilt says.
The additional value, of course, will be muted by the large credit card balances that ironically will put homeownership further out of reach for the renters “helped” by this credit card.
For the typical card user spending $1,500 on monthly rent for 10 years, Bilt estimates the accumulated points savings for a down payment would equal about $6,000.
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June 23,2021
The U.S. intelligence community concluded last week that the government of Afghanistan could collapse as soon as six months after the American military withdrawal from the country is completed, according to officials with knowledge of the new assessment.
But the drones, tho?
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June 23,2021
Biden Administration Removes Fannie, Freddie Overseer After Court Ruling - WSJ
The White House decision to replace Mark Calabria as head of the FHFA paves the way for President Biden to install his own appointee to oversee Fannie and Freddie, which are regulated by the agency and back roughly half of the $11 trillion mortgage market.
That’s too bad. I thought Mark did a pretty good job. Original term was set to expire in 3 years.
SCOUTS is right, though. President should have full authority over all Executive Branch employees.
In the run-up to the 2008 housing crisis, Fannie and Freddie got into trouble by taking on increasing risks, primarily to compete with Wall Street firms and later because lawmakers wanted them to support a weakening housing market.
Mark was also right to recapitalize and release Fannie and Freddie. 13 years of conservatorship is too much. The emergency is over, folks.
“A Biden-led FHFA will focus instead on how the GSEs can actually support the nation’s housing needs,” referring to the acronym for government-sponsored enterprises.
And we all see how well the brilliant government-owned student loan program has worked out! That $1.7T program is dwarfed by the $11T mortgage program that taxpayers guarantee.
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Reading
Book Review: Financial Boot Camp 📚
June 23,2021I added the White Coat Investor Podcast to my playlist a few months ago and really enjoy the show. The content is pretty wonky in a way that’s good. Ideas and insights are offered for me to think about and very specific questions are answered completely. I decided to throw this book into the mix as part of my annual money book reading. I thought it was a pretty good read.
Would I recommend: YES
ISBN: 978-0991433117
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June 23,2021
Fresh cut.
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June 23,2021
Apple added that allowing sideloading would potentially force users to accept privacy and security risks, because some apps necessary for work, school, or other tasks may no longer be available on the App Store, and scammers could also trick users into thinking they are safely downloading apps from the App Store when that is not the case.
And yet, every day, millions of Mac users make it work.
This is such a flawed argument, I hope they were embarrassed drafting it. They want their money, full stop.
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Reading
June 22,2021
Finished reading: The White Coat Investor’s Financial Boot Camp: A 12-Step High-Yield Guide to Bring Your Finances Up to Speed by James M Dahle 📚
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June 22,2021
The Attack on an Alzheimer’s Drug - WSJ Opinion
The hostility to Aduhelm illustrates the healthcare paternalism of American progressives. They believe we spend too much money on old people. They want to put the government in charge of paying for all health care, and then put “experts” in charge of determining what treatments patients can receive so that the elderly can go gently into the night.
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June 21,2021
There is a direct correlation between the amount of time I spend reading books and the amount of writing I do.