Author: Henry Barnard

I am a voracious reader and also enjoy writing. I often have a very different point of view than the popular one. I do see value in debate, and thought it might add to the public debate on controversial issues if I were to express my contrarian opinions. I also started keeping my poems recently (I've written little pieces my whole adult life but never kept any); and I've been a photographer now for over 25 years. So I will be adding an occasional poem and hopefully interesting photograph to the blog along the way, just to spice things up.

Criticism and Social Media

Everyone like to be praised. But does praise have any real value. It is just reinforcing your current behavior. And if that behavior is counter productive, then the reinforcement is actually a negative thing.

Everyone, on the other hand, dislikes criticism. But criticism may actually have real value because it may be pointing in a direction where if you take the implied change in behavior seriously and act on it, that may lead to a very positive outcome.

On social media, you see this disparity all the time. People love the likes and the positive comments, but bristle at any critical comments. Their reaction to critical comments can and often are extremely emotional.

Yet where is the value when comparing praise to criticism? The thoughtful response to criticism isn’t emotion but rational consideration. Does the criticism actually have any merit, and if so, what should I do about it?

But you don’t get this on social media. Just emotional responses. No rationality. So, on balance, the responses in social media have very limited real value, and don’t lead to any productive change in behavior.

Blue Versus Red

Appeal of Socialism

Wages are not keeping up with inflation. So more and more people are not making it. Thus the rise in socialism as the answer. But that answer is pure self-deception. Socialist politicians are offering free everything to people who can’t pay their bills. You see why socialism is happening, particularly in blue cities. But it will not end well — only get worse in those locations.

Venezuela

Democratic Party

How politics may become self-destructive. Witness how the Democratic Party, in opposition everything Trump, has been forced into really lunatic positions. This is textbook on how pure politics can induce total disfunction.

This happens when a political party takes up positions merely out of pure opposition no matter how insane as opposed to taking up positions that are actually rational and beneficial whether or not those positions agree or disagree with the opposing party’s platform.

A type of insanity unique to politics.

Finland

Processed Foods

Best thing you can do for your diet and health is stop eating processed foods, which is about 85% of what you find in a typical supermarket.

Food companies are not interested in your health; they are interested in making money off of you with highly palatable but unhealthy processed foods.

Instead, learn how to cook with whole foods — real food, not crazy chemicals.

Get Healthy

Finland

Finland, another victim of the proxy war in Ukraine. They estimate there are 4000 pending bankruptcies in Finland. Why? The country’s economy, it turns out, was highly dependent on trade with Russia. All of that came to an end with the proxy war and the push to include Finland into NATO. All those Finish industries tied to that trade in any way are broke and going under. The general mood in Finland is now desperation.

Russian Majorities

My Healthy Chocolate Cake

The challenge I put to myself was to make a chocolate cake that was actually health-promoting. I use organic rolled oats instead of wheat four. I don’t add any sugar but sweeten with stevia, which has zero calories. The chocolate is from 100 percent pure cacao powder.

I’ve discovered that the chocolate taste is enhanced with blueberries. But what makes this chocolate cake really health promoting is the dandelion powder, which is full of minerals and vitamins but neutral in taste. Dandelion like kale is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet.

Another version of this is to replace the blueberries with cinnamon. Cinnamon and chocolate also enhance each other. I can also add crushed walnuts and/or add almond powder.

So these are chocolate cakes that have virtually no sugar but are very sweet, and are packed with vitamins, minerals, and good fats. One version is chocolate/blueberry, the other is chocolate/cinnamon.

Coffee