I think maybe Protestantism has a way of making folks harder and colder. It is of the individual. Of the Head. Whereas Catholicism has a way of making people kinder and more warm. It is of the family. Of the Heart.
It’s all supply and demand. Basic economics. QUOTE="orangina, post: 498495, member: 6158"]Because they are artificially keeping prices lower now than the real market price of production and delivery, they cannot keep doing that for long. In your country, they are releasing strategic oil reserves; Biden did the same. But those reserves are meant for situations like war or natural disasters not for manipulating the market because of political mistakes and starting wars. Your total reserves are around 750 million barrels. Before the war started, the reserves were at about 500 million barrels, and below 200 million the military would never allow further use because that amount is reserved for their own needs. Around 7–10 million barrels are being released weekly. The U.S. imports about 10% of its oil from the Middle East by tanker; the rest is imported from Canada and Mexico. However, oil companies are not state-owned, and prices depend on the global oil market. Here in Europe, governments removed part of the taxes, and Australia did as well. But prices are still roughly twice as high. Inflation will spread to food and other necessities, and the government will not have enough money from taxes to keep up with salary increases in the public sector, healthcare, and the welfare system especially in Europe. That will lead to unrest. They may raise taxes on private businesses, which would again lead to social unrest.[/QUOTE]
Tell it like it is, PF. This is so well written. It's a comprehensive and sympathetic look at what has happened.
The greatest danger to your child is no longer outside the home, but inside the home when they are alone with their computer, phone, laptop... In the past, trends spread more slowly. Children from villages and rural areas were protected not only by a different upbringing, but also by the values of their community, unlike cities where individualism was much stronger. Movements that spread often came from universities, which in the West most commonly spread Marxist ideas, drugs, the sexual revolution, and so on. There was far more content, far more people, and far more options, along with fewer limits, fewer traditional families, and fewer strong social bonds like those that did not exist in cities. Today, however, it no longer matters whether you live in an urban or rural area, or whether you are in the heart of Europe or somewhere else. Physical barriers once created cultural differences, but that no longer exists because culture is no longer passed from person to person physically as it once was — it now spreads digitally. In the past, people in villages did not have much time to dedicate to raising children either. You grew up with your friends, and from your parents you learned a few important things: to respect your elders, God, family, and to be obedient. But because parents worked so much, as a child you mostly spent your time socializing with your group of friends. otected oasis of values. For many people, contact with the outside world only really happened once they moved to big cities. But by that age, many had already become fully formed individuals with clear beliefs and attitudes; unfortunately, the more unstable ones fell away. Today, however, you cannot even guarantee that initial protected environment, because it only takes one kid watching pornography — and sin, especially lust, spreads easily. It only takes one girl dressing provocatively and attracting boys to influence other girls who crave attention. It only takes one kid starting to use drugs, and for it to become a trend on TikTok, and so on. Life in the past was much harder in a physical sense — not only because work was exhausting and brutal, but also because of disease and hunger. Today, however, the struggle exists on an entirely different spiritual and psychological level, where protecting oneself from all moral temptations and spiritual challenges has become a huge Sisyphean task, and raising children has become even harder because dangers come from every direction.
I think living in the country, especially in remote places can be a huge trial for most people. We are so alone and it can be so very,very lonely. Even more so if we live alone ourselves. Priests who minister to people in Spain witness to this. I think the temptation to drugs and drink for rural people. is kind of mystical. It is to fill the lonely void. It is a kind of false mystical temptation to replace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which should come with prayer. peace. joy, love with false gifts of the same kind from drugs. Although I suspect in places like Spain and Italy people are more ashamed of such things than they are in say places like the USA and Ireland and cover them up. But there is certainly a problem with drink with so much wine about, also cannabis is legal here to smoke, grow and own.
state taxes and fees. Just like NY. I live on border of NJ and drive over stare line and save 30 to 50 cents per gallon as NJ has lower taxes.
More insanity... https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/europe/german-catholic-congress-approves-bondage-group-s-booth
It’s so troubling to me that Trump is inviting China to set up companies and buy land in the US, and giving out thousands of student visas for Chinese to attend our universities. And then turn around and dedicate our country to God. Atheism vs God. It makes no sense. I am so conflicted. And my church buying statues made in China because they are cheaper. I think I need a retreat. I wish Garabandal wasn’t so far away.
Why are the SSPX being throttled while these rogue bishops give away the farm. The mystery of evil is the only explanation but it is hard to take. O God arise. Let Your enemies be scattered. Let those who fear you flee before Your Face.
[ Yes! It’s shocking. But gotta persevere. I’m going to Mass at a different church tonight. I just can’t look at the Chinese statues knowing they have Catholic Bishops in prison. I hope I’m not overreacting. QUOTE="AED, post: 498603, member: 4896"]Why are the SSPX being throttled while these rogue bishops give away the farm. The mystery of evil is the only explanation but it is hard to take. O God arise. Let Your enemies be scattered. Let those who fear you flee before Your Face.[/QUOTE]
Despite the uncertainties, my concern about the development of one of the most powerful El Niño episodes ever recorded has remained unchanged since my first tweet on April 6. And I stand by the term: given the current forecasts, the situation is “alarming.” The powerful 1877–1878 El Niño contributed—along with other simultaneous weather events—to the Great Famine of 1876–1878 through major disruptions to water systems around the Pacific. According to the study by Deepak Ray and colleagues published in Climatology (“Climate and the Global Famine of 1876–78,” 2018), this famine may have caused between 30 and 60 million deaths, or roughly 2 to 3.5% of the world’s population at the time. Some analyses describe this event as possibly “the worst environmental disaster to have struck humanity” in the past few centuries, with a human toll comparable to that of the world wars or the 1918–1919 influenza pandemic. Obviously, in a globalized agricultural economy, the consequences of a comparable El Niño would probably not be the same today. But several factors distinguish our current context from that of 1877: we are facing a polycrisis involving geopolitical tensions, instability in fertilizer and energy supplies, as well as climate change, which adds an underlying warming trend to the anomalies associated with El Niño. All of this is happening in the context of warming whose pace has accelerated over the past seven years (according to recent studies, though their conclusions are not yet universally accepted within the scientific community). Even though models continue to indicate a potentially unprecedented event in terms of intensity, significant uncertainty remains until summer. However, when it comes to agriculture and food security, it is better to prepare than to suffer the consequences—especially for developing countries, which remain the most vulnerable to climate shocks. I therefore maintain my position: at this stage, forecasts and observations continue to point toward a potentially major and concerning episode. For this thread, I relied in part on exchanges with the account @MystereMeteo, which shared the scientific paper cited above. I strongly recommend following it. The image comes from the The Washington Post.
Thank you Luan for sharing this. It is sobering and certainly not the first sound of alarm over the possibility of world wide famine. For my part, I am also concerned by the increase in droughts in places that have always had an abundance of water.
