In today’s society, individuals who, like John Locke, “love truth for truth’s sake,” have become increasingly rare. Emerging from America’s educational institutions is a generation that is not only intensely devoted but also burdened by flawed reasoning.
These graduates, costing taxpayers a significant amount, have been taught not how to think critically, but rather what to think, which has stunted their intellectual capabilities.
In contrast, those who opted for vocational training are often better equipped to identify objective truths through basic common sense. They are not inundated with the misguided ideologies that plague their academically educated peers, allowing them the freedom to discern facts from fallacies.
The decline of clear thought parallels the fall of Western society. Observers can easily notice that as societal conditions worsen, reality becomes warped in illogical and deceptive manners.
Take, for instance, the transformation of pronouns over the past decade, which have been altered to legitimize non-binary gender identities. The singular use of ‘they’ to signify an unspecified individual now takes precedence, overshadowing both biological realities and English grammatical rules. Continue reading
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’”
– Luke 14:28-30
Seize the Towers
The highlight of last month’s 2024 Grammys was the performance by Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs, who united to deliver a rendition of Chapman’s timeless hit “Fast Car.” Their collaboration filled the stage with musical enchantment.
Despite the often superficial atmosphere, the event took place at the luxurious Crypto.com Arena – formerly known as the Staples Center – in downtown Los Angeles. This venue stands out as one of the rare spots in LA that attracts the affluent and famous from their exclusive neighborhoods in Malibu Colony and Beverly Hills.
The view from the arena’s Star Plaza entrance is a striking representation of Los Angeles, combining beauty and harshness in a single glance.
In the backdrop, past the statues of renowned LA athletes, stands the Oceanwide Plaza development. This trio of unfinished luxury towers has been languishing since 2019 when Oceanwide Holdings, the developer, exhausted its funds. Continue reading
“Time is money,” is the age-old saying; however, flip it around and you reveal a profound truth: “Money is time.”
– George Gissing
Divine Disorder
Much like money, time serves as a unique measure—a metric for comparison that gauges progress and setbacks alike.
What is your annual salary? How many hotdogs did Joey Chestnut consume in 10 minutes on July 4, 2021? What is the current return rate for Bitcoin? What is the top speed of a 1969 Ford Mustang at sea level?
Time seems orderly and methodical, almost presenting a case for deism. Sixty seconds make a minute, 60 minutes make an hour, 24 hours complete a day, and one rotation of the Earth equates to a full day.
The moon orbits the Earth roughly every 30 days—signifying a month—while the Earth circles the sun once annually, indicating a year.
So far, so good, right? Continue reading
In the lead-up to this week’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, we encountered an intriguing article from MarketWatch. The author, Jeffry Bartash, concluded with a comparison between the CPI and the Federal Reserve’s favored metric, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index.
Bartash noted that the PCE index attributes less significance to housing costs than the CPI. Given that housing expenses constitute a major monthly outlay for many, it raises questions about the rationale behind the PCE index’s structure.
This may explain the Fed’s preference for the PCE index over the CPI. Another possible reason is that the PCE index adjusts for changes in consumer behavior due to rising prices. As described by Bartash:
“For instance, a grocery shopper might opt for ground beef instead of ribeye to cut costs. Similarly, a shopper in a hardware store may choose a less expensive imported tool rather than an American-made one.”
Such assertions about shifts in consumer behavior may cater to the Fed’s preferences, yet they often oversimplify what consumers actually do. Continue reading
