Monday, August 25, 2025

Let's Discuss Socialism

One of the hot topics of the previous election year has been the use of the word "socialism." Republicans think Democrats are socialists and Democrats think Republicans are at best fascists or ... well, take your pick of autocrats, authoritarians and worse. However the dictionary defines the word as:

Often the word is considered a synonym of communism but the two terms are quite different. And it was quite apparent that voters WERE confused especially in the state of Florida where the Cuban-American population, because of Castro, didn't seem to know the difference.

     Now, let's compare that to capitalism:

But first a bit of history.

When the Pilgrims came to North American in 1620 trade was pretty much limited to the motherland and more specifically to the owners who financed the settlements. The grant was to a  joint stock company, granted by the king, not parliament. And this was the source of all future discontent. Parliament levied taxes, or tried to, on the various colonies who increasingly saw it as a burden because they had no voice, NO VOTE in the matter. There was more and more resistance over taxes, over the distribution of the land and individual rights. They were subjects to the king not parliament.

With the French encroaching on the English settlements, the British were forced to protect their investment at great cost. The French & Indian war lasted from 1754-1763 with over 22,000 casualties of soldiers, civilians and Native Americans. While the British emerged victorious they felt some of the costs should be bourne by the colonists they fought for. A variety of taxes were tried and largely ignored until in far away East Indies, the British EAST INDIA TRADING COMPANY, the largest conglomerate the world had ever seen, was going bankrupt. Dominating world trade during the 1700 - 1800's, it was going broke. Thinking it was too big to fail (not an uncommon thought process today) the Parliament allowed them to charge a tax on tea shipments to the colonies. Realizing they were the only people paying that tax, colonists refused leading to the infamous tea party in Boston where hundreds of pounds of tea were dumped into the bay.

This set the stage for rebellion only heightened when Britain barricaded Boston. The colonies did what they could to supply them with food and weapons. A revolution was started 1,000's of miles away over a single tax among other complaints.

This led to a United States that embraced capitalism, some say, without limits. After brutal wars over these same arguments one by one, European governments began putting limits on unbridled profits. We attempted regulation during the Gilded Age with a variety of agencies started by Teddy Roosevelt to protect trade, food and working conditions. These did not come easily and America, like Europe, had deadly strikes over often terrible living conditions for workers as their bosses lived the lives of royalty. Consider the Vanderbilt's Biltmore in Ashville, NC, one of several palatial homes.

This is an age old problem. We read about it in Egypt, Babylon, Rome, the Greek States finally reaching a pinnacle with Karl Marx who seeing the misery around him created what he saw as a solution,  Communism. This led to wars and government takeovers.

To any American and most European business owners this was anathema. They resisted any limits on making a profit. But governments need money and are required to provide certain services to their citizens that required taxes to meet their obligations. Therein lies the dilemma, who pays and how much?

In the United States Democrats see the Constitution as a social contract to protect and care for ALL citizens regardless of need, giving them the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness with no impediment to improving themselves. The Republicans see the Constitution as a capitalist document giving them unfettered rights for life, liberty and to make a profit. It's an age old battle.

However, what is commonly lost on both sides is the for need education, health and workers to do all these things. In an increasingly complex world you need educated citizens who can think, solve problems and use the increasingly complex items required. However, we also need farmers, mechanics, builders, plumbers and electricians that keep the things we use working and building anew. You must keep citizens healthy to have a vibrant society and provide for the nurturing and care of children, the future workers.

Much has been made of Japan, Russia, China and western Europe's falling populations. The dirty secret here is that without immigration both legal or illegal, the United has a declining population and has for years. With illegals being rounded up and deported Americans are finally waking up to their need for them. Ranchers, farmers, food processors have lost 1,000's of workers who have been deported and 1,000's more afraid to go to work because they are a target too. America is going to reap what they've sown. Losing workers we need and letting the billionaires pay fewer taxes than Warren Buffets secretary.

I applaud inventions, new technologies. However, none of these inventors did this alone. You won't see Elon Musk assembling a Tesla Model 3 or flying a Space X rocket. Steve Bezos on an Amazon delivery truck, Bill Gates peddling Office in a Microsoft store or even Tim Cook assembling an iPhone.  It takes workers, often thousands of them to make them become successful and build the things we often use daily. 

The biggest flaw in our system is that too few Americans have ever traveled overseas. They don't realize Europe, Asia especially China, Singapore and Japan, most of Europe, New Zealand and Australia are as modern as the United States are and oftentimes more advanced.
In Europe when you cross state lines you enter another culture, often another language and vastly different histories. In America crossing from California into Arizona you go from a blue state to a red turning purplish political state. But while we have a common central government there are already divisions. You cannot compare Louisiana to New York or Iowa to California.

I read an interesting economic book that bluntly stated, if you want to live the American dream move to Denmark. Not only will they care for you and your family they will help you start a business. I know, the argument is they have such high taxes. Do they? Add up all our taxes and healthcare costs. Who gives you cradle to grave care? They have a social state that works. There is a joke going around that if Trump wants Greenland, let Denmark buy California for a trillion dollars. They've got my vote.

Thank you for reading my blog! Please be sure to visit on a regular basis or contact me at KrugsStudio@gmail.com. New blogs are added all the time. In conjunction  with my store I feel that “design” is an important part of our lives. Everything we use or live by was designed by someone. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates design about my blog.


Please be sure to visit my store, KrugsStudio.etsy.com on a regular basis. New birdhouses, craft items, photography and canvas paintings are added all the time. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates local handcrafted items about my store.


OWN or GIFT an original work of art this year!



Sunday, August 24, 2025

Designed To Rip You Off

How has your experience been doing with online shopping? Depending on where and who it is, for me it is  an up AND down experience.

Two events have happened to me recently that made this immediately clear.

The first event, a double whammy,  occurred while looking at my  Citi / COSTCO credit card statement. While not a fan of AARP, especially after reading an article stating men really didn't need a PSA blood test for prostrate cancer, just after I was diagnosed with prostrate cancer discovered after a test, the one piece of advice I do follow is to "get a paper credit card statement" and go over every charge every month. Looking at mine, there were two charges I didn't recognize. Their phone numbers were there so I called them.

Both were for some kind of exercise plan. I NEVER signed up for them. At 79? The first one hung up on me as I queried the charge and the second offered a 25% discount.

I immediately called Citi Bank, explained these charges and the agent found yet another bogus charge, all three had different names with a total of over $250.00 in bogus charges. Somehow they got my name and credit card number. She immediately canceled the card, denied the charge I hadn't seen and told me to pay my bill and they would issue credits for the two contested bills. They would send a new card and new COSTCO card number. So not only did I lose a credit card, my COSTCO membership was put on hold.

How many of you could be facing this same dilemnna? Do you "look" at credit card statements? Any statements?

I saved a company I consulted for over $4,000 on their Verizon phone bill after I uncovered a whole slew of charges Verizon allowed to be added to their bill. The operator I worked with admitted they never check the validity of additional charges and that most companies just pay their bill never checking to make sure there aren't added charges each month. Just think of the millions paid each month. Talk about a cash cow!

The second was an article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times stating: "At Least 73% of U.S. Adults fell for online scams. How to avoid the latest." They then continue with the common means of scamming us. Social media ads, fake job posts, even your online calendar can pose hidden dangers.

I admit, I've been ripped off on Facebook, several times in fact. For me clothing or shoes. I've since learned to write down the name and number of the item, then looked at their web site and Amazon plus paying particular attention to reviews. When I started using a computer in my 50's a young friend told me ALWAYS keep paper and pencil nearby. Boy was he right. So should you. DON'T just click because you never really know where you are going. Social media accounts do no vetting and allow just about anything to get posted.

The TIMES article confirmed that the most common cons were credit card fraud. Not only do they use the card themselves, they sell it to their friends! About 24% received scam email that tricked them into giving  away personal information. 32% were scammed in the last year. Oddly those between the ages of 18 to 59 were 34% more likely to be scammed than those over 60. Why? It could be seniors are not using their digital devices as often as younger citizens but other articles I've read said seniors often lose more because they are wealthier. Seniors are more vulnerable through phone scams, a device they are more likely to use. See the movie THELMA and you'll see what I mean.

The article continues stating to avoid any items you are not familiar with. I've heard tales of bogus UPS or FedEx emails stating they have a package for you but the address is wrong. Call to confirm. It may "look" real, it's not. Temu is a lousy deliverer. Items ordered have been found everywhere on the rocks or ground in our complex other than my front door.

I will never order from STACK SOCIAL again after ordering a new lifetime Apple version of Microsoft  Office. In ordering it  I discovered I had ordered it in 2019. It didn't work so I had to order it again and couldn't download it. I sent a query to them and they responded they would contact me. Just like phone messages today, they never did. 

Computer hackers live in a brutal dystopian world where they spend hours discovering ways to take your money. Californians, have you ever received notices that you owe Fastrak fees so pay up or go to jail? I looked into it for you. They're from The Philippines. How would they know you're on the I-10 in downtown Los Angeles hoping the carpool lane is faster? Hint, it's not so save your money. Or how about the phone call my iPhone identified as a possible scam from North Korea. You think?

We now live in a digital world where digital entities like Facebook, Amazon, TikTok, Instagram even X know more about you than your government does. A few years ago when the government finally made Facebook allow its users to "see" what information Facebook had on you, a CBS reporter gave up after 1,800 pages.

So beware. There are thousands if not millions of hackers around the world trying to relieve you of your money. The digital world is not constrained by borders anymore. It's worldwide and growing. Until governments put more teeth into punishing these people it's a growing business and YOU are their target.

Thank you for reading my blog! Please be sure to visit on a regular basis or contact me at KrugsStudio@gmail.com. New blogs are added all the time. In conjunction  with my store I feel that “design” is an important part of our lives. Everything we use or live by was designed by someone. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates design about my blog.


Please be sure to visit my store, KrugsStudio.etsy.com on a regular basis. New birdhouses, craft items, photography and canvas paintings are added all the time. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates local handcrafted items about my store.


OWN or GIFT an original work of art this year!


Tuesday, August 12, 2025

It's The Followers


I have always been fascinated by history. As a child Egypt captured my imagination with Rome following soon there after. I wondered, as many are doing today with recent discoveries, how their civilizations appeared to rise from nowhere. I realized, as I matured, there were antecedents, cultural organizations designed by their peoples if you will, from past experiences, that formed from a small group to follow a leader that expanded their beliefs and grew in power over time. For Egypt it was when the upper and lower Nile civilizations merged. However, no single man or woman did this, they needed "followers" that believed in their vision to achieve a goal.

A similar event happened in China when the Emperor Qin united the seven kingdoms of China around 210 B.C. into it's first dynasty. He is immortalized with the discovery of the Terra Cotta Soldiers near X'ian, China in 1974, an accidental discovery by a farmer plowing a field. What was a mythical legend became reality in an instant.

My recent epiphany was the realization that no movement anywhere can happen without followers. There would be no Christians, Muslims, political parties, MAGA, sports, Nazi's if these movements didn't have followers. With that in mind, how many movements of one kind or another haven't ripened and matured? And what happens when these same movements falter? I think the case of Elon Musk and Tesla is a case in point. People will follow you or believe in a movement... until they don't.

What draws followers to leaders - political, religious, or social, isn't always logical or policy or even self interest. It's power, presence and the promise of meaning. People will follow those who give them something they want or need, even if they can't artculate it. Often, even when presented with the facts they will reject them especially if it doesn't match their own beliefs or "their" leaders beliefs.

They will follow a leader in times of chaos (in their minds) who offers clear, simple answers. That these answers are often simplified and even wrong, the delivery will sway followers. Hitler, building on an belief the Jews were taking over the world was able to clearly project a simple solution. While he never clearly articulated what that solution was, he convinced probably the most advanced nation on earth the glory days would return to Germany if only he could get rid of the Jews and Communists.

People crave community and belonging. Leaders often form movements that make followers feel part of something bigger. An excellent example would be the Chinese Communist parties constant monitoring of its people that quells anything that threatens "social stability." Many religious entities do the same thing and are unprepared when a threat to it's power occurs. The pedophile scandal has rocked the Catholic church worldwide. They are not alone. Similar events happened in the Baptist Church and Boy Scouts.

When things go wrong, the Great Depression of 1929, the Pearl Harbor attack, 9/11, the people want a strong leader that "leads" them to a solution. They will follow a leader who is strong, confident, who claims to offer truth or salvation. And in following their leader, they often feel they are doing something righteous or patriotic. I wonder.

I just helped a Chinese citizen apply for and become an American citizen. He got a book to study possible citizenship questions, has worked here for 13 years so could read, write and speak English. These are all tested during your interview. While I knew many of the 100 questions answers, I admit I missed a few. I have since asked friends these same questions and most couldn't answer one. This gives me pause. They all can vote. Are they taking the time to read, consider and explore the issues? Or do they just vote the party line? Are they just followers? Is watching endless football games worth more than protecting, no defending, your government? Ancient Rome had the circus. We all know what happened to Rome despite all its achievements. Can it happen here?

Thank you for reading my blog! Please be sure to visit on a regular basis or contact me at KrugsStudio@gmail.com. New blogs are added all the time. In conjunction  with my store I feel that “design” is an important part of our lives. Everything we use or live by was designed by someone. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates design about my blog.


Please be sure to visit my store, KrugsStudio.etsy.com on a regular basis. New birdhouses, craft items, photography and canvas paintings are added all the time. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates local handcrafted items about my store.


OWN or GIFT an original work of art this year!


Saturday, July 26, 2025

What Determines An Era of Great Fiction? Are Some Eras Better Than Others?

 

Scary tale!
My daughter sent me a fascinating TikTok a few days ago created by Ann Patchett, an author and owner of a book store. Her TikTok was a reply to an OP-ED by David Brooks of the New York Times moaning about the poor quality fiction being written today. I don't subscribe to the NYT  and I can't read his piece but she made it clear he was disappointed with current fiction quality and she heatedly disagreed!

First off, I'm not especially fond of critics. They are just, in their minds, a higher class of influencers for people who can't think for themselves. Siskel & Ebert come to mind. It seemed the more violent the movie, the more they liked it. When Rotten Tomatoes came out I was fascinated at how often the critics and audiences viewed the same film and had different conclusions.

Current read.
Another critic I disliked was Robert Hilburn of The Los Angeles Times. A pop and rock & roll critic he was forever extolling the virtues of some group or another that quickly passed from view while putting down The Carpenter's. Many years later, after Karen's death, he wrote an apology to her admitting their songs stuck to him where many he liked at the time had faded from view.

When I was in college as a journalism major our director taught us that if stranded on an island or to become a great copy writer (MAD MEN) you only needed three books; the Bible, the works of Shakespeare and the Sears catalog. Why, because the Bible already has all the stories of man. Shakespeare acted on these stories and the Sears catalog described thousands of items in few words but you understood exactly what each item was.

However, today, nearly 60 years later, we have been exposed, at least some of us, to a wider world, cultures and ideas that appear new to us but on closer inspection are as old as time. We are hearing their voices and finding out we are more alike than not.

Patchett goes on to list some quality current best sellers:

THE NIGHT WATCHMAN
JAMES, a retelling of Huck Finn's story that angered me greatly revealing what slavery was        really like
THE INHERITANCE OF LOSS
THE OVERSTORY
PLAYGROUND
NATIVE SPEAKER
THE BEE STING
DEMON COPPERHEAD, a youth's voice on drug addiction in Appalachia 
THE FRAUD
WHAT IS THE WHAT, the story of the lost Sudanese boys
and finally, GRAVITES RAINBOW, Pynchon's masterpiece.

In her mind these all demanded reading and held their own with the classic's. She recalled a book she read many times in the 80's, HUMBOLT'S GIFT by Saul Bellows. Re-reading it recently she discovered it hadn't aged well. Once, however it did. Times change and good fiction often captures that era and provides us with a view of our past. Does TALE OF TWO CITIES have relevance today? THE GREAT GATSBY? There may not be a civil war but conditions for one are ever present. Is WAR AND PEACE irrelevant? Hardly with the Russian-Ukraine War. GOOD fiction has much to teach us whether a tale from today or stories from ancient Greece.

I remember a visit to the Malibu Getty Museum with my 3 or 4 year-old son. My wife was a teacher for LA Unified and her grade was given a field trip there. They also gave free passes to the teachers family as they wanted to show teachers what to expect once there with their classes. My son loved books and I read to him every night for years. After our own tour, we were looking at the books in the gift shop and he pulled out a huge one of Greek myths demanding I read it to him. So we sat on the floor and I read and explained each god. He started talking in full sentences at 6 months so his vocabulary was quite good. Finally, I looked at him and said, "son, I didn't think I'd have to remember all this as an adult" and the room immediately erupted in laughter! I looked up and 30-40 people surrounded us listening to me explain Greek myths. A year or two years later we discovered he had taught himself to read. I was stunned he had read Edgar Allen Poe's complete short stories. After quizzing him I realized he really had.

The sad fact though is how many DON'T read instead getting their news and influences from TV or their phones. I can't imagine a world without books or magazines. When my wife would visit homes to meet with parents she was stunned to see no books, magazines even newspapers. All had however, a large TV.

Here are some statistics on readership:

📊 Books Read Per Year – By Age

Age Group

0 Books

1 Book

5 Books

10+ Books

18–29

~18%

~8%

~20%

~35%

30–49

~22%

~10%

~18%

~32%

50–64

~28%

~11%

~16%

~28%

65

~30%+

~12%

~15%

~25%


📌 Insight: Younger adults (especially 18–29) tend to read more books than older adults. Non-reading rates go up with age.

And it really changes by education level:

🎓 Books Read Per Year – By Education Level

Education Level

0 Books

1 Book

5 Books

10+ Books

Less than High School

~45%

~15%

~15%

~10%

High School Graduate

~30%

~10%

~20%

~20%

Some College

~20%

~8%

~20%

~30%

College Graduate+

~10%

~5%

~20%

~50%+


📌 Insight: Higher education levels are strongly associated with more reading. College graduates are far more likely to be in the 10+ books/year category.

Patchett continued to say that any book you haven't read is NEW to you. 

I think we need to encourage reading as adults, parents, teachers and start kids at a young age. I read fairy tales every night before my 3 month old went to bed. Then we graduated to CARS AND TRUCKS AND THINGS THAT MOVE, then WHERE DID I COME FROM. After my daughter was born we graduated to Colliers 10 volume children's books. They loved a gruesome tale about a dog that lost its limbs going for walks. I had to whisper it as we huddled together so my wife wouldn't hear. She hated the story and the kids loved it!

Reading is how we learn. From it we learn history, romance, relationships, empathy, tragedy and love. When my kids went to college meetings in high school to learn how to prepare for college ALL the speakers looked out at the students and said read, Read, READ! Books are designed to bring us the world; get with it! Carpe diem!

Thank you for reading my blog! Please be sure to visit on a regular basis or contact me at KrugsStudio@gmail.com. New blogs are added all the time. In conjunction  with my store I feel that “design” is an important part of our lives. Everything we use or live by was designed by someone. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates design about my blog.


Please be sure to visit my store, KrugsStudio.etsy.com on a regular basis. New birdhouses, craft items, photography and canvas paintings are added all the time. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates local handcrafted items about my store.


OWN or GIFT an original work of art this year!





Thursday, July 24, 2025

Same Blank, Three Different Results!

When I first started "crafting" I quickly learned to do three things at once. I would sketch the same design on three identical raw wood birdhouses then start to paint them exactly the same. Only at close inspection you realized they were all slightly different from each other.  

The $5.00 Aldi bargain that
started it all!

Why? The explanation was actually easy. Each hand drawn outline never was the same and often, along the way, I would change an element I thought looked better. I listed them separately so they couldn't be compared.

The other reason, more importantly, was by the time I got back to 1 (1,2,3), it was usually dry and the paint wouldn't smear. I often get over eager and have to touch-up on smears.

I have read that the world's bee population is dwindling and farmers and scientists are getting worried. Just about everything we eat, grains, fruit and vegetables along with flowers need pollination. The heavy lifting is done by bees pollinating our food supply. What's worse, they are not sure why populations are declining. Climate change seems high on the list of causes.

A raw unfinished tear 
shaped Mason Beehive.
One day, cruising the non-food items at Aldi, I spied a six sided beehive for $5.00. Since it had generous spaces to decorate and I wanted to help bees I bought it. I had just started a Zentangle phase of decorating and created simple bees for the sides and back, added Zentangles and inked away. It is shown upper right.

This is a Mason Bee Hive. They are solitary and don't live in large hives but prefer to live alone. So each beehive is filled with small bamboo poles. That's where they go each night after a busy day of pollinating.

Sadly Aldi had no more 6-sided versions but I found a tear shaped, all bamboo version for a bit more on Walmart's web site. I got three. 

For those of you unsure what a Zentangle is, it's usually a 2D drawing using either fine pens and or pencils on thick smooth paper or card stock. Io create variety several patterns are combined to create a harmonious whole. Since I am using a 3D surface, four sides, a top and bottom it's a bit harder to navigate. The wood is hardly paper or card stock smooth either.

Again the sides and backs were blank, another invitation to decorate. While I used common Zentangle designs each one was pointedly different...and time consuming. I went through a bunch of pens and several long audio books. However, I think the effort was quite nice. My daughter picked one for her home in Memphis. I plan on hanging one on my ugly but prolific lemon tree in my patio.

They are all the same shape use many of the same patterns but are distinct
from each other. And, why not?

I think we need to more creative on many everyday items. Hung near a kitchen window, it can be fascinating to watch then at work. I have a bird feeder hanging right outside my living room window and am amazed at how fast birds can go through 8 cups of birdseed. I may try to hang this beehive nearby to watch bee activity.

Never the same even using the same elements.

While I do have a ton of raw unfitted craft and birdhouses, when I buy again, I will try this newfound philosophy. One good ideas often spawns another. You know what? You'll have another to try it on!!!

Thank you for reading my blog! Please be sure to visit on a regular basis or contact me at KrugsStudio@gmail.com. New blogs are added all the time. In conjunction  with my store I feel that “design” is an important part of our lives. Everything we use or live by was designed by someone. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates design about my blog.


Please be sure to visit my store, KrugsStudio.etsy.com on a regular basis. New birdhouses, craft items, photography and canvas paintings are added all the time. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates local handcrafted items about my store.


OWN or GIFT an original work of art this year!