• Reading

    Book Review: Atomic Habits 📚

    With over 112k 5-star rating on Amazon, there’s clearly something here. James Clear crystalizes his understanding of the psychology of habits into a useful field manual.

    The books was thoughtful, logical, and well laid out. Even Clear would admit, there’s no great secret. Success and failure are built one tiny habit at a time, small bricks in a system that leads you to an ultimate destination. He offers practical ways to reinforce good habits, but in the end, the silver bullet is your personal commitment to taking the steps necessary to win.

    Would I recommend: NO

    ISBN: 978-0735211292

    July 25,2023
  • What happens when children are left unattended with the dog.

    Dog in children’s bedding
    July 25,2023
  • Reading

    Book Review: Colditz: Prisoners of the Castle 📚

    Ben Macintyre is my favorite historian/author, and he did not disappoint in this one.

    The story of POWs often goes untold, except for a few anecdotes here and there. The entire book focuses on an ancient castle used in Germany for the “worst of the worst” Allied prisoners. Those of particularly high value, repeated escapees, and those determined to be “unfriendly” to Germany spent the war within its gatehouses.

    The ingenuity and persistence of escape attempts were impressive, but the book took care to share the perspective of the German army garrison as well. This made the story much more interesting and humanizing.

    Would I recommend: YES

    ISBN: 978-05931362331

    July 24,2023
  • Catholic Husband

    Fifty-Four - Catholic Husband

    If we want to build a strong habit of prayer, we have to commit and sustain our good works, especially on days when it’s not easy.

    ➕

    July 24,2023
  • Reading

    Currently reading: The Billion Dollar Spy by David E. Hoffman 📚

    July 23,2023
  • Reading

    Finished reading: Prisoners of the Castle by Ben Macintyre 📚

    July 21,2023
  • Trump Indicted For Murder Of Tupac - Babylon Bee

    Authorities now believe Trump fired a Glock .40-caliber pistol from the backseat of a white Cadillac while also somehow driving it.

    Justice never rests.

    July 19,2023
  • Trump Campaign Hoping To Lock Up GOP Nomination With Third Indictment - Babylon Bee

    “KEEP THESE FABRICATED INDICTMENTS COMING,” Trump said in a post to his Truth Social account. “THESE INDICTMENTS GIVE ME STRENGTH. I EAT THEM FOR BREAKFAST WITH MY EGG MCMUFFINS. THEY NOURISH ME. NOM NOM NOM! FEED ME MORE! MAGA!”

    July 19,2023
  • Catholic Husband

    Restart - Catholic Husband

    The best way to succeed in any plan, program, or life change agenda is to start small, and start today.

    ➕

    July 17,2023
  • FDA Acknowledges Harm of Oral Contraceptives While Its Own Panel of Advisors Push to Make Drug Available Without Prescription - USCCB

    Fertility is a gift, not a disease. Contraceptives exist to suppress the healthy functions of human reproduction. The mounting evidence of the many harmful side effects of hormonal contraceptives demonstrates that they are not good medicine.

    July 16,2023
  • Paying Student Loans Again Could Feel Like a 5% Pay Cut - WSJ

    Yannelis and his co-authors found that from April 2020 to November 2022, borrowers whose payments were paused took on 3%, or $1,200, more in credit-card, mortgage and auto-loan debt than borrowers whose payments weren’t on hiatus.

    The government is very good at helping people with its brilliant programs and plans.

    July 16,2023
  • EPA Launches Green Bank for Climate Funding in Low-Income Areas - WSJ

    This cash is seen as critical for funding key areas such as battery storage, electric-car charging and building upgrades that often struggle to attract private-sector funding, particularly in low-income areas.

    $27B to build EV chargers in poor neighborhoods?

    July 14,2023
  • Reading

    Finished reading: Atomic Habits by James Clear 📚

    July 13,2023
  • Scholars Believe Explosive Growth Of The Early Church Was Due To Christians Being Allowed To Eat Bacon - Babylon Bee

    “Save yourselves from this crooked generation! Believe in Jesus, the Messiah! And also, I had a dream last week and we can totally eat bacon now!” said Peter in one of his recently discovered early sermons given in a Jewish synagogue.

    July 13,2023
  • CPI Report Shows Inflation Eased to 3% in June - WSJ

    So-called core consumer prices, which excludes volatile food and energy categories, rose 4.8%

    I’ve loved this magic! Media and politicos each month review the difference between core and consumer price index inflation, then trumpet whichever value is lower.

    How do we measure inflation? By whichever value makes us look the best!

    July 12,2023
  • They Had Great Credit Scores. Then They Retired - WSJ

    living on a fixed income and paying off old loans can lower a score, said Ethan Dornhelm, vice president of scores and analytics at FICO.

    Deleveraging is a significant credit risk in the funhouse mirror world of FICO logic.

    Income and employment data aren’t included in the calculation, but credit scores do reward borrowers for having a mix of different kinds of loans, which can hurt those who have already paid off mortgages and auto loans.

    They don’t care about your assets, liquidity, or employment status. It only matters that you have a nice, fat portfolio of debt and that you play by their rulebook which, by the way, you’re not allowed to read because it’s “proprietary.”

    July 12,2023
  • Reading

    Book Review: Soundtracks 📚

    This book came out more than two years ago, and I was part of the pre-order. I just got around to reading it. Oops.

    I bought the hardcover and listened to the Audiobook. Although I love listening to Jon Acuff and his humor, the book design is so beautiful that I wish I’d had the tactile experience of holding this book over several reading sessions.

    It’s a fairly quick read, and very well done. Plenty of examples, humor, and practical wisdom for rapid implementation. Essentially, Acuff relies on the science behind neuroplasticity to upgrade the messages that we give ourselves daily.

    The thoughts that we have drive our actions. So if you think you’re a bad parent, you’ll act like one. By changing the message, you can change your story.

    I love Jon’s work and this book is another home run.

    Would I recommend: YES

    ISBN: 978-1540900807

    July 10,2023
  • Catholic Husband

    Trust - Catholic Husband

    We all have prayers to which the answer is a resounding, “No.” Disappointed as we may be, in time, the things that we asked for are forgotten. It’s prayers that were answered, and the gifts granted to us that are beyond our limited imaginations that matter. Taking a wider view, we see the waypoints, decisions, and impacts in our lives stringing together in a way more beautiful and perfect than we ever could’ve designed.

    ➕

    July 10,2023
  • Embarrassing: Scientist Invents Lab-Grown Beef Only To Realize Cows Exist - Babylon Bee

    “I’m all set to announce to the world that we invented beef, when all of a sudden, it dawns on me - cows are beef. There are literally huge slabs of beef walking all over the place. I’m such an idiot.”

    July 9,2023
  • Hottest Days Ever? Don’t Believe It - WSJ Opinion

    It isn’t plausible to characterize Earth’s warming in a single average number, especially when we don’t really know what that number is today, much less from 125,000 years ago.

    July 9,2023
  • Millions of People Booted From Medicaid After Pandemic - WSJ

    Enrollment in the health program for the low-income and disabled grew to 95 million during the pandemic, as states stopped checking to make sure people were eligible. Now states have started checking again, and more than 1.6 million people have been kicked off the program in the past three months

    Um, they weren’t eligible, so why the outrage? They maintained benefits that they were not entitled to, and we’re supposed to feel bad for them now that they’ve been caught?

    It’s a safety net, not a hammock.

    July 9,2023
  • Banks’ Newest Fed Headache: Nonstop Instant Payments - WSJ

    Under an existing system called ACH (automated clearinghouse), transactions typically take several days to settle. That can be frustrating for those waiting to receive their funds but often benefits banks that use the money in the interim.

    It’s long past time for instant payments. Rather gouche that we sit around waiting for our money, while the banks get to continue to play with something that isn’t theirs.

    July 9,2023
  • Reading

    Finished reading: Soundtracks by Jon Acuff 📚

    July 8,2023
  • Consumers to Face New Limits on Private Short-Term Health Insurance - WSJ

    Under a proposed rule, the administration aims to limit short-term health plans to three months, or four months if consumers opt to extend them

    Isn’t it wonderful when government bureaucrats, who rail in court filings about big corporations limiting “consumer choice,” who never have to worry about facing a job loss, a gap between jobs, or the spiraling cost of healthcare on their mega Cadillac plans, decide that they know what’s best for your family’s healthcare coverage?

    Some consumers seek out temporary plans because they are generally less expensive than ACA plans, offer flexible coverage periods such as 30 days or three years, and can be obtained any time of the year rather than just during the once-a-year ACA open-enrollment period.

    Huh, that’s weird. These plans are offering options that consumers actually want, and are willing to pay for without making their neighbors subsidize them via tax credits.

    Short-term plans could provide coverage with fewer benefits at premiums 54% lower than ACA-compliant plans

    They found this one weird trick online to save you money: they don’t charge male subscribers for maternity care.

    This younger, healthier demographic is considered important for restraining premiums that could rise if mostly older or sicker people enroll in coverage.

    Social Security worked out so well that we decided to bring that successful business model to health insurance!

    The Biden administration plans to limit short-term health policies that are typically less comprehensive than Affordable Care Act plans, in part because of concerns the products undercut the Obama-era health law.

    This isn’t about you, your family, your economic freedom, or your budget. It’s about them protecting their vanity project.

    July 7,2023
  • Everyone Wants Interest on Their Deposits. That’s Bad for Main Street Banks. - WSJ

    The Fed’s hikes and the failures of a trio of midsize banks are prompting once-loyal customers to pull their money out of checking accounts that pay no interest.

    Low interest checking accounts are the credit card of deposit accounts. The bank will pay you 0.1% on your deposits, then turn around and loan you money for a car at 6%.

    And customers don’t like that
 go figure.

    July 6,2023