TANYA TALKS™

Trump Is Not the Political Messiah - Will the Christian Right & White Evangelical Church Repent?

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Wed, 4 Dec 2024 00:37:00 -0600

Trump is not the political Messiah.

It feels strange to even need to say that. Any casual reader of the Gospels knows that first-century Judaism longed for a Messiah—a political messiah who would free them from the shackles and chains of Roman occupation, restore their self-determination and governance, and lead them back to a kingdom in right standing with God. But when the Messiah did come, they rejected him. Why? Because he wasn't a political messiah, instead he was a spiritual messiah. Jesus prioritized transforming people's hearts, minds, and spirits over reshaping the structure of a nation.

Jesus came to build a kingdom not made with man's hands. Many Jews rejected Jesus, continuing to search for a political messiah who would never come—because God’s plan was not to send one until the end of the age, when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

This is well documented in the Scripture and 2,000+ years of Church history. So why are the Christian Nationalists, White Christian Evangelical Churches/denominations, and the Christian Right believing that God sent Donald J Trump to be some sort of national savior? While turning a blind eye to his glaring flaws, which align more closely with the traits of a worldly deceiver than a divinely sent messenger?

Spiritual Blindness

Why haven’t they recognized that repentance is a prerequisite for any true reformation God will bring? And why haven’t they understood that God’s covenants are with people, not nations? He told Abraham He would make him a great nation and promised David that a king would always sit on his throne. Yet, God did not create a covenant with any geopolitical nation. Today, His covenant is with His bride—the Church. This is not limited to any specific denomination, such as the universal Catholic Church, but encompasses every believer who truly calls upon the name of Christ.

So I ask the question, will the Christian Right, Christian Nationalists, and White Evangelical church repent? We know the answer to that, they won't. Why? They are spiritually blind and doing what is right in their own eyes. And when people live like that, especially those who proclaim they are called by God's name, judgment ensues.

What is Judgment?

Judgment, as revealed in Scripture, is God’s response to persistent disobedience, spiritual blindness, and rebellion against His will. It is not merely punishment; it is correction, a call to repentance, and a demonstration of His holiness and justice. The Bible is filled with examples of judgment upon individuals, nations, and even His covenant people when they strayed from His commandments.

Take the Babylonian exile, for instance. God allowed His chosen people to be conquered because they refused to heed the warnings of the prophets, continued in idolatry, and oppressed the poor. Yet even in judgment, God always leaves room for redemption. He raises a remnant—a faithful few who will return to Him with contrite hearts.

When a group claiming to bear God’s name—such as the Christian Right and White Evangelical Church—aligns itself with power and ideology over truth, it risks placing itself under judgment. Why? Because judgment begins with the house of God (1 Peter 4:17).

The Danger of Idolatry

One of the most significant accusations against ancient Israel was their idolatry. They fashioned golden calves, worshiped Baal, and trusted in military alliances rather than in Yahweh. Similarly, today’s Christian Nationalists and segments of the Evangelical Church have, in essence, created an idol out of political power. They’ve placed their faith in a man who promises national restoration through worldly means, rather than in God’s redemptive plan through Christ.

When any group claims that a flawed human leader is “anointed” while ignoring their unrepentant sin and divisive rhetoric, they echo the tragic mistake of the Israelites in 1 Samuel 8, who demanded a king to be like other nations. God warned them that their choice would bring suffering, yet they insisted, and He allowed them to face the consequences.

Repentance: The Missing Element

True revival and reformation begin with repentance. Repentance requires acknowledgment of sin, turning away from it, and returning to God’s ways. But repentance is incompatible with pride, self-righteousness, and the belief that one’s cause is inherently aligned with God’s will without examination.

The Christian Right has often rallied around issues of morality, such as abortion and traditional family values, but they have neglected justice, mercy, and humility before God (Micah 6:8). They have excused, rationalized, or ignored behaviors in their leaders that they would never tolerate in others. In doing so, they have compromised their witness and distorted the gospel.

The Call to the Faithful Remnant

The question is not only whether the Christian Right or White Evangelical Church will repent, but whether those within the broader Body of Christ will step into the prophetic role of calling them to account. Throughout history, God has always used a remnant—those who remain faithful to His Word and His Spirit.

This remnant must speak truth in love, even when it is uncomfortable, and model the humility and repentance they long to see in others. They must refuse to conflate faith with political allegiance, keeping their eyes fixed on the eternal kingdom Jesus proclaimed—a kingdom not of this world (John 18:36).

Judgment with a Purpose

The purpose of God’s judgment is not destruction for its own sake but the restoration of righteousness. If the Christian Right and White Evangelical Church will not repent, they will face the consequences of their spiritual blindness. Their credibility will continue to erode, and their influence will wane. But for those who humble themselves and seek God, there is always hope.

As Isaiah 30:15 reminds us: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” The question remains: Will they have it now, or will they continue to resist until judgment comes?

Final Thought

As the Church, our responsibility is to stand as salt and light, preserving truth and shining the light of Christ in dark times. Let us pray for those who are spiritually blind and entangled in idolatry, even as we prepare to endure the consequences of their actions. Let us lament over their refusal to repent, but let us also find comfort in the promise that God’s kingdom is unshakable and His purposes will prevail.

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for…” (Isaiah 40:1-2a NIV).

Judgment may come, but so will redemption for those who turn back to God. Let us remain steadfast, discerning, and ready to proclaim the true gospel, not a political one.

Past is Prologue: A Second Trump Term Will Be Worse

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 13:18:00 -0600

Trump's first term in office lead to economic downturns. Donald J. Trump came into office in 2017 riding the wave of an Obama economy for which he quickly took credit. However, due to his poor economic policies there were severe economic repercussions that the Biden administration worked hard to stem. Sadly, Trump's base believed the lies he peddled and blamed economic woes on the Biden administration. But that's not how it works.

Past is Prologue

Tariffs, tax cuts, and inadequate responses to crises like COVID—exacerbated economic disparities, inflation, and supply chain disruptions, leading to hardship for everyday people. A second term for Donald Trump will bring intensified challenges, especially if past policies and approaches are revived or expanded. His plans for more tariffs, additional tax cuts for the wealthy, and mass deportations will result in a broken economy with grave outcomes.

Understanding Economic Impact

Tax Cuts: The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) provided substantial benefits to corporations and high-income earners but had limited long-term benefits for middle- and low-income households. The cuts also added to the federal deficit, which constrains future economic flexibility.
Tariffs:The imposition of tariffs, especially on goods from China, led to retaliatory measures that impacted U.S. exports, particularly in agriculture. While the tariffs were positioned as protecting American jobs, they raised costs for manufacturers and consumers, contributing to inflation.
COVID-19 Response:Mismanagement during the pandemic resulted in mass unemployment, overwhelmed healthcare systems, and disrupted supply chains. Policies that failed to prioritize public health and economic stability compounded the crisis.

What to Expect Under Trump's Second Term

These effects will worsen during his second administration:

Trade and Supply Chains:Expanded tariffs or trade wars will increase prices for essential goods and food. Deportation or other anti-immigration measures could cripple the agricultural and meatpacking industries, leading to shortages.
Forced Labor and Ethical Concerns:Desperate measures to address labor shortages, such as forced labor policies, could emerge. Historically, such policies have disproportionately impacted marginalized communities.
Inflation and Scarcity:With potential cuts to social safety nets, deregulation, and unchecked corporate profiteering, inflation could spiral, leaving many unable to afford basic necessities.

You thought the job losses and inflation during and after the COVID-19 pandemic were bad, fasten your seat belts it will get much worse!

Trump's Proposed Policies

The policies that Donald Trump and his team are proposing, including higher tariffs, further tax cuts for the wealthy, and the broader goals of Project 2025, are not speculative—they are documented intentions that will likely have profound consequences.

Impact of Proposed Policies

1. Increased Tariffs

Rising Costs for Consumers: Tariffs act as taxes on imports, which businesses pass on to consumers. Essentials like food, clothing, and electronics will become significantly more expensive.
Supply Chain Strain: Industries reliant on imports, including agriculture, manufacturing, and tech, will face disruptions, leading to shortages and higher unemployment.
Global Retaliation: Other nations may impose tariffs on U.S. goods, harming exports and worsening economic conditions for farmers and manufacturers.

2. Tax Cuts for the Wealthy

Widening Inequality: Additional tax cuts for high-income individuals and corporations will reduce government revenue, leading to cuts in social programs that support low- and middle-income households.
Increased National Debt: The 2017 tax cuts added trillions to the deficit; repeating this policy will further strain public finances, reducing resources for critical infrastructure and emergency aid.

3. Project 2025

Reshaping Federal Government: This initiative aims to consolidate power in the executive branch and roll back regulations on environmental protections, worker rights, and public health.
Labor and Immigration Policies: Plans to deport workers and crack down on immigration will decimate sectors like agriculture and food processing, leading to forced labor or other extreme measures to fill gaps.
Climate and Sustainability Risks: Deregulation could exacerbate climate change, increase pollution, and make it harder for communities to prepare for natural disasters.

Don't panic, PREPARE and RESIST.

The policies being proposed are not mere political abstractions—they are a roadmap to economic hardship for the many and wealth for the few. We have seen this before, and we know what comes next. Now is the time to resist, to speak truth, and to prepare for a future where justice and compassion, not greed and exploitation, define our economy and our lives. If you’ve read this far, you’ve been warned. But more importantly, you’ve been invited to act.

America is Babylon - How Historical Conditioning Led to the Rise of Fascism

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Wed, 6 Nov 2024 12:30:00 -0600

Babylon is the archetype of a nation or empire that is consumed with wealth, power, and a disregard for justice.

Sadly America has chosen fascism over freedom. The strongholds of racism and sexism trumps clear thinking and personal safety. The rise of ideologies and leaders that promote division and authoritarianism over unity and genuine freedom is problematic, especially when it seems that such choices are fueled by long-standing strongholds like racism, sexism, and fear. The idea that people would favor leaders whose actions threaten democracy and stability underscores just how powerful these societal and spiritual strongholds are.

1. Understanding Strongholds

Definition: In biblical terms, strongholds are deeply ingrained patterns of thought, attitudes, and social structures that oppose God’s truth (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Racism and sexism are more than just individual prejudices; they are reinforced by cultural norms, policies, and even religious teachings that perpetuate inequality.
Impact on Society: These strongholds can warp collective thinking, causing people to act against their own well-being and the common good. When a nation becomes polarized and captivated by fear or ideology, it can choose leaders and paths that lead away from truth and justice.

2. The Power of Fear and Division

Exploiting Divisions: Leaders who thrive on division often amplify existing fears and resentments. This is especially effective in nations with unresolved historical issues like racism and sexism. These unresolved sins allow for manipulation that exploits people's insecurities, turning them against those who seek unity and justice.
Blindness to Consequences: When strongholds are deeply rooted, they cloud judgment and make people susceptible to messages that would otherwise seem irrational or counter to their values and safety. This is why individuals and groups might support policies or leaders that are ultimately harmful, prioritizing power or identity over democratic principles and the well-being of all.

3. Endurance

A Long Journey: The road ahead for America may indeed be difficult, marked by division and the strengthening of oppressive ideologies. But history also shows that while strongholds may seem insurmountable, they are not unbreakable. Movements that bring lasting change often arise from moments of darkness, where a committed few persist against all odds.

Conditioned

America is conditioned. It is like the descendants of European settlers and European immigrants have Stockholm syndrome. They have been groomed to believe that there is a culture war and they embrace policies and elected officials who work against their better interest. White poverty in America is real, yet many white people in poverty believe that immigrants and Black & brown people are the problem, not the elected officials who govern against their best interest.

The analogy to Stockholm syndrome—where captives develop an attachment to their captors despite being mistreated—aptly describes the situation where people align themselves with leaders or ideologies that ultimately harm them. This conditioning stems from generations of cultural, economic, and political grooming that has deeply influenced beliefs, behaviors, and social structures.

1. The Root of Conditioning

Historical Grooming: The idea of a "culture war" has roots in a long history of leaders and systems exploiting divisions to consolidate power. In the U.S., race and ethnicity have been weaponized for centuries to create divides that benefit those in power. The narrative that immigrants and Black people are the cause of economic or social decline is a deflection, allowing those in power to maintain control by diverting attention from systemic issues.
Economic Policies: Policies favoring the wealthy have often been dressed in patriotic or moral rhetoric to garner support from the working and middle classes, particularly among white Americans. This has led many to vote for politicians and policies that promise protection from perceived threats but end up widening economic and social inequalities.

2. White Poverty and Misplaced Blame

Real Economic Struggles: White poverty in America is a significant, yet often overlooked, issue. Rural and former industrial areas, in particular, have suffered from economic stagnation and job loss as industries have evolved or moved overseas. Instead of addressing these root causes, narratives have emerged blaming immigrants and minorities for taking jobs or resources.
Scapegoating as a Strategy: Political and media narratives often promote fear of "the other" to create unity among a particular demographic. This strategy is powerful because it appeals to deeply ingrained fears and a desire for identity and belonging. It is easier to unite people against an external "enemy" than to address the complexities of economic policies or systemic inequalities.

3. Media and Political Manipulation

Creating a Culture War: The idea of a culture war has been reinforced by influential voices in media and politics, who emphasize ideological battles over race, religion, and national identity. These narratives distract from economic realities and prioritize social issues that evoke strong emotional responses. This manipulation makes it difficult for people to see how their economic and social conditions are being affected by the policies of those they support.
Amplifying Division: The media plays a significant role in shaping public perception. Certain news outlets and social media platforms amplify divisive content and use algorithms that promote stories designed to evoke outrage. This continuous exposure solidifies group identities and positions, making it difficult to break out of conditioned beliefs.

4. The Role of Fear and Identity

Fear as a Tool: Fear is one of the most effective tools in conditioning. The fear of losing jobs, security, or cultural identity can be powerful enough to override logic and self-interest. Political figures and groups who use fear effectively can manipulate public opinion, framing themselves as the only safeguard against the erosion of traditional values or economic stability.
Cultural Identity and Power: Many white Americans may feel that their cultural and economic dominance is being threatened in a rapidly diversifying society. This fear, whether rational or not, has been fueled by rhetoric that frames minority groups as competitors or threats. This contributes to a sense of nostalgia for an idealized past and a resistance to social change, even when that change could benefit all.

Conclusion

America’s deep-seated conditioning, shaped by centuries of systemic issues and reinforced by powerful rhetoric, has created a society that often acts against its best interests. Recognizing and addressing this conditioning is the first step toward fostering a nation where people make choices based on truth, empathy, and justice, rather than fear and division. It will take persistent efforts, compassionate dialogue, and bold action to move beyond these strongholds and towards a society that respects and uplifts all its members.

The Truth about the Economy & Presidents - Election 2024

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 01:25:00 -0500

So in an election year the GOP loves to tell the lie that they are the best party for the economy. THEY ARE NOT.

The Economic Truth.

Every Republican president from Reagan, to both Bush presidents, to Trump have caused a recession, increased the deficit and instituted policies that increased inflation.

1. Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)

Recession: Reagan inherited a severe recession in 1981-1982, which was triggered by high inflation (from the 1970s) and efforts by the Federal Reserve to curb it by raising interest rates. The recession ended in late 1982, and economic recovery followed.
Deficit: Reagan’s policies, particularly large tax cuts (Reaganomics) and increased defense spending, led to significant deficits. The national debt tripled during his presidency.

2. George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)

Recession: The U.S. entered a recession in 1990-1991, partly due to the savings and loan crisis and oil price shocks from the Gulf War. This recession contributed to Bush’s loss in the 1992 election.
Deficit: Bush inherited large deficits and despite his famous "no new taxes" pledge, he raised taxes in 1990 to reduce the deficit. However, the national debt continued to rise.

3. George W. Bush (2001–2009)

Recession: Bush’s presidency saw two recessions. The first was the mild recession following the dot-com bubble burst and the 9/11 attacks (2001). The second, more severe one was the Great Recession (2007-2009), caused by the housing bubble burst and the financial crisis.
Deficit: The Bush administration saw a sharp rise in the national deficit, especially after the 2008 financial crisis and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bush also enacted significant tax cuts, which contributed to rising deficits.

4. Donald Trump (2017–2021)

Recession: Trump’s presidency saw the sharp economic contraction due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which caused the most severe downturn since the Great Depression. However, prior to the pandemic, the U.S. economy was growing steadily.
Deficit: The Trump administration enacted large tax cuts (Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017), which significantly increased the deficit. The deficit further exploded in 2020 due to COVID-19 relief spending.

Democratic Presidents Constantly Clean up the GOPs Mess.

Democratic presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden implemented policies to stabilize the economy and address the challenges left behind by previous administrations.

1. Bill Clinton (1993–2001)

Inherited Mess: Clinton inherited a sluggish economy from George H. W. Bush, marked by slow growth and significant deficits.
Balanced Budget: Clinton, along with a Republican-controlled Congress in the mid-1990s, implemented policies that resulted in a balanced budget and even budget surpluses by the late 1990s (1998-2001). This was the first time in decades that the U.S. had achieved such fiscal balance.
- Key Policies:
  - Clinton raised taxes on the wealthy through the 1993 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act.
  - He also enacted spending cuts and signed welfare reform into law.
  - The economy grew strongly in the late 1990s, driven by the dot-com boom and favorable macroeconomic conditions.
Deficit to Surplus: By the end of his presidency, Clinton left office with a projected $236 billion surplus.

2. Barack Obama (2009–2017)

Inherited Mess: Obama inherited the Great Recession, the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, caused by the financial crisis of 2007-2008 under George W. Bush. The economy was in freefall, with banks collapsing, massive job losses, and the housing market in shambles.
Economic Recovery: Obama passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009), a stimulus package aimed at rescuing the economy through infrastructure investment, tax cuts, and aid to states. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) also helped reduce healthcare costs and deficits over time.
- The economy slowly recovered, with steady job growth and a rebounding stock market. By the end of his term, unemployment had dropped from a high of 10% in 2009 to under 5% in 2016.
Reducing the Deficit: Although the deficit skyrocketed in Obama's first year due to recession-related spending and stimulus measures, it was significantly reduced during his second term.
- The annual deficit shrank from $1.4 trillion in 2009 to $585 billion by 2016.

3. Joe Biden (2021–present)

Inherited Mess: Biden inherited an economy severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated mishandling under Trump. The pandemic caused mass unemployment, business closures, and a significant contraction in economic activity in 2020.
American Rescue Plan: In early 2021, Biden passed the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion relief package that provided stimulus checks, expanded unemployment benefits, aid to small businesses, and vaccination funding. This helped stabilize the economy as it emerged from the pandemic.
- Inflation Reduction Act (2022): Biden also signed this into law, focusing on reducing the deficit, lowering inflation, addressing climate change, and incentivizing domestic manufacturing.
Economic Growth: Despite inflation challenges (driven by global supply chain issues, the war in Ukraine, and COVID-19 aftershocks), the U.S. economy has seen job growth and a lower unemployment rate under Biden. The Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act are designed to promote long-term growth.
Deficit Reduction: As of 2023, Biden’s policies have significantly reduced the deficit, with the administration reducing the annual deficit by $1.7 trillion over two years.

Key Points of Contrast

Clinton is remembered for balancing the budget and leaving a surplus, largely due to both tax increases and economic growth.
Obama is credited with saving the U.S. from the Great Recession, stabilizing the financial system, and creating a long period of economic recovery.
Biden has focused on addressing the immediate impact of the pandemic, while trying to create long-term economic incentives through infrastructure and climate-related initiatives.

In contrast, Republican administrations often pursued tax cuts that contributed to increasing deficits, with economic downturns occurring due to recessions, financial crises, or pandemics.

Conclusion

Yes, Clinton and Obama played significant roles in fixing the economic messes they inherited, and Biden has implemented policies aimed at stabilizing the economy after Trump's handling of the pandemic. Each Democratic administration demonstrated fiscal prudence or focused on recovery measures, leaving the nation in better economic standing than they found it.

Inflation Facts.

From 1981 to 2024, inflation trends have varied significantly across different presidencies, influenced by both domestic policies and global events.

In terms of keeping inflation down, the best-performing presidencies for inflation control were:

Bill Clinton (1993-2001): Clinton oversaw one of the longest economic expansions with low inflation, averaging around 2-3% during a period of strong growth.
Barack Obama (2009-2017): Inflation was kept low throughout his presidency, with cautious fiscal policies and Federal Reserve support maintaining price stability.
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989): Inflation dropped dramatically under Reagan, although much of the credit goes to Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker’s aggressive anti-inflation measures.

Inflation has proven more difficult to manage in the recent period, particularly due to the pandemic and global disruptions during Biden's term, although efforts have been made to bring it under control.

The Details.

1. Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)

Inflation Control: When Reagan took office, inflation was in double digits due to the stagflation of the 1970s. The Federal Reserve, under Paul Volcker, implemented strict monetary policies (raising interest rates) to combat inflation.
Outcome: Inflation dropped from around 13.5% in 1980 to about 4% by the end of Reagan’s presidency.
Key Factors: The drastic interest rate hikes slowed the economy, leading to the 1981-1982 recession, but inflation was brought under control.

Best for Inflation? Yes, inflation was sharply reduced during Reagan’s term, although the Federal Reserve was the primary actor.

2. George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)

Inflation Control: Inflation remained relatively low during Bush’s presidency, averaging around 4-5% per year.
Key Factors: The economy entered a mild recession in 1990-1991, partly due to the Gulf War and oil price shocks, but inflation remained stable.

Best for Inflation? Moderate success, as inflation stayed low, but economic growth was sluggish.

3. Bill Clinton (1993–2001)

Inflation Control: Inflation during Clinton’s presidency was consistently low, averaging around 2-3%.
Key Factors: The 1990s saw strong economic growth, low unemployment, and productivity gains, especially driven by the tech boom. Clinton’s fiscal policies (balancing the budget, reducing deficits) also helped maintain price stability.

Best for Inflation? Yes, Clinton’s presidency was a period of economic stability with low inflation, especially compared to prior decades.

4. George W. Bush (2001–2009)

Inflation Control: Inflation was relatively moderate during Bush’s presidency, averaging around 2-3% during his first term. However, inflation began to rise toward the end of his second term, reaching over 5% in 2008 due to rising energy prices and the financial crisis.
Key Factors: The Great Recession brought deflationary concerns in 2008-2009, and the Federal Reserve intervened with monetary stimulus.

Best for Inflation? Mixed, inflation was low for most of his presidency but spiked before the 2008 financial crisis.

5. Barack Obama (2009–2017)

Inflation Control: Obama inherited the Great Recession, which brought deflationary risks rather than inflation. Inflation remained very low during his presidency, averaging around 1-2% annually.
Key Factors: The slow recovery from the recession, along with accommodative monetary policies from the Federal Reserve, kept inflation in check.

Best for Inflation? Yes, inflation was consistently low during Obama’s presidency due to cautious fiscal and monetary policies.

6. Donald Trump (2017–2021)

Inflation Control: Inflation was relatively low for most of Trump’s presidency, staying under 2% until the pandemic hit in 2020. In 2020, supply chain disruptions and economic fallout from COVID-19 began causing inflationary pressures.
Key Factors: Trump's tax cuts and deregulation spurred growth, but his trade policies, particularly tariffs on China, contributed to rising costs for certain goods.

Best for Inflation? Mixed. Inflation was low pre-pandemic, but the response to the pandemic (massive stimulus and disrupted supply chains) laid the groundwork for later inflation spikes.

7. Joe Biden (2021–present)

Inflation Control: Biden took office during a period of sharp inflationary pressure as the economy recovered from the pandemic. Inflation soared in 2021-2022, peaking at over 9% in mid-2022, the highest in 40 years.
Key Factors: Global supply chain disruptions, the war in Ukraine (which affected energy prices), and pent-up demand after COVID-19 lockdowns drove inflation higher. Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (2022) and Federal Reserve interest rate hikes have since helped reduce inflation, which has come down significantly by late 2023, but it still remains a concern.

Best for Inflation? Struggled initially with high inflation due to external shocks, but recent efforts have helped bring inflation down to more manageable levels.

Research - Learn the Facts.

When it comes to the economy don't listen to the pundits or your favorite political candidate in a vacuum. Do your research and fact check. The media is supposed to be doing that, but since most of American media is owned by corporate oligarchs their reporting is always skewed when it comes to the economy. Why? Republican tax cutting for the rich and corporations/businesses always favors them. But they do not favor the average American citizen. They never have. Trickle down economics doesn't work.

Supporting Social Programs is Not Socialism.

The narrative that social programs harm the economy is false! This argument is frequently used by some Republicans to justify cuts to programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and others aimed at reducing poverty. However, there’s significant evidence suggesting that social programs can have positive impacts on both individuals and the economy. Here’s why the argument against social programs is misleading:

1. Social Programs Can Spur Economic Growth

Social programs like unemployment benefits, food assistance (SNAP), and healthcare subsidies put money in the hands of individuals who are likely to spend it. This boosts demand in the economy, particularly during downturns.

Multiplier Effect: Low-income individuals typically spend most of what they receive on necessities like food, rent, and healthcare. This consumption drives demand for goods and services, which in turn helps businesses thrive and supports job creation.
- For instance, every dollar spent on food assistance (SNAP) generates about $1.50 to $1.80 in economic activity, according to the USDA and Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
- Programs like unemployment insurance allow people to maintain some level of consumption even during economic hardship, preventing a deeper recession.

2. Poverty Reduction Enhances Workforce Participation

Social programs, especially those focused on reducing poverty and improving access to education and healthcare, help people become more productive members of society.

Education and Workforce: Investments in education, like Pell Grants and early childhood education programs, create a better-trained workforce that contributes to long-term economic growth.
- For example, Head Start programs, which provide early childhood education, have been shown to improve children's cognitive and social development, which translates to better employment outcomes in adulthood.
Healthcare and Productivity: Access to healthcare through programs like Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) allows people to stay healthier, reducing absenteeism from work and increasing productivity. A healthier workforce is a more productive workforce.

3. Long-Term Fiscal Stability

Critics argue that social programs lead to deficits, but many programs are funded in a sustainable manner or could be made so with minor adjustments (e.g., lifting the cap on Social Security contributions). Meanwhile, cutting programs that serve millions of people can result in more long-term costs.

Preventative Costs: Programs like Medicaid and food assistance can prevent larger expenses later, like emergency room visits or the long-term costs of untreated illnesses and malnutrition.
- For example, investing in preventive care under Medicaid saves states money by reducing expensive emergency care and managing chronic diseases.
Social Security and Medicare: These programs are funded through payroll taxes and are critical for seniors’ economic security. When people have a reliable income in retirement, they are less likely to rely on emergency social services, and they contribute to the economy through consumption.

4. Cutting Social Programs Can Hurt Economic Recovery

During economic downturns, cutting social programs can actually exacerbate the situation. When social safety nets are weakened, people fall into deeper poverty, which depresses demand in the economy and slows recovery.

The Great Recession: During the 2008 financial crisis, social programs like unemployment insurance, Medicaid, and food stamps played a crucial role in cushioning the blow for millions of Americans. They helped prevent even deeper recessions by keeping money circulating in the economy.

5. Income Inequality Stifles Economic Growth

Cutting social programs often increases income inequality, which hurts the economy in the long term. Studies show that widening income inequality can slow economic growth, reduce social mobility, and decrease the opportunities for large segments of society.

Countries with strong social safety nets tend to have more equal income distribution, which leads to stronger consumer demand and greater overall economic stability.

6. Social Programs Create a More Stable Society

There’s also a social and economic argument for stability. Programs that reduce poverty and support vulnerable populations help prevent social unrest and reduce crime rates.

Crime Reduction: Research has shown that reducing poverty through welfare programs correlates with a decrease in crime, which in turn reduces costs for law enforcement and the justice system.

7. Republican Presidents Often Target Social Programs, But the Deficit Grows from Other Policies

While Republicans often cut social programs under the guise of reducing deficits, these same administrations typically implement large tax cuts (often benefiting the wealthy and corporations), which contribute significantly to the deficit. This is a clear case of fiscal policies working against the argument of cutting spending to reduce the national debt.

Examples:
- Reagan’s tax cuts in the 1980s contributed to the national debt nearly tripling during his presidency.
- George W. Bush’s tax cuts in 2001 and 2003, combined with the Iraq War, ballooned the deficit.
- Trump’s tax cuts in 2017 added nearly $2 trillion to the national debt, and while they provided temporary economic boosts, the cuts disproportionately benefited the wealthiest Americans.

Conclusion: Social Programs Are Essential for a Healthy Economy

Social programs do not harm the economy—in fact, they help build a more resilient, equitable, and prosperous society. While critics may argue that they are expensive, these programs often generate economic activity, provide stability, and create a healthier, more educated workforce. Cutting these programs, as often proposed by Republicans, can lead to greater inequality, economic instability, and higher long-term costs.

Election 2024.

Do your homework, this article has done some of it for you. Dig deeper if you question my facts. Don't just accept on face value what any candidate running for office or trying to maintain their office says, nor the headlines in newspapers who profit from republican policies.

Also, when you vote, consider your neighbor. Consider the greater country as a whole. Policies that cut social welfare programs while increasing funding for policing don't help society. We must deal with the root cause for what increases crime and close those gaps. That doesn't happen by giving tax cuts to the wealthy while putting heavy burdens on the poor. As a nation, this country should be doing everything possible to ensure the next generation isn't living in poverty. And it is well within our remit to do so. So, don't vote republican because you always have and always will. Look overall at the candidate's policies and how those policies impact the nation overall. Then vote in a way that uplifts all of us, not just some of us.

Please Note.

Tanya Owens is politically independent. In the past Tanya was a registered Republican for over 20 years, however she has always voted for the best candidate regardless of party. In this election, Tanya will continue to vote in a way that is best for ALL American citizens and not just the few. Our laws should protect and uplift our citizens, not bind and repress them. Tanya is voting for FREEDOM. Are you?

P.S. "Special thanks to my AI assistant for helping organize the facts for this post."

I Remember and We are Not Going Back

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 23:25:00 -0500

Zakar in Hebrew means remember. אני זוכר ani zocher = I remember.

I remember Hurricane Maria

I remember the suffering in Puerto Rico

I remember the cruelty from trump & the GOP

Like an elephant 🐘 I remember

Recuerdo | Marc Anthony for Harris-Walz 2024

I remember trump Tear Gassing Peaceful Protestors in 2020

I remember the January 6, 2021 Insurrection

I remember the mismanagement of COVID by trump leading to millions of infections, the most in the world, and unnecessary deaths of hundreds of thousands

‘To heal, we must remember,’ President-elect Joe Biden says during COVID-19 memorial

To Heal We Must Remember

Vote Like Your Life Depends on It

Your politics are your own and in a normal election I would state my position and respect your choice if you didn't select my candidate(s). But this is not a normal election. A large segment of trump followers are radicalized and conditioned. They are blinded by partisan politics and hate. Trump supporters will elect a fascist to own the libs.

These are not normal times. Women are dying because medical assistance is being withheld. The Governor of Texas spent billions harassing and harming people seeking asylum at the southern border. Yet Governor Abbott has not fixed sex trafficking like he promised. He has not resolved rapes like he promised. And he has done nothing for the poor, the working poor, and those who cannot afford medical, dental, rental or home insurance. He has stoked and fanned the flames of hate as he as aligned himself with trump. There is nothing righteous nor Christian about him.

The same can be said for Ted Cruz, who fled to Mexico February 2021 when his constituents in Texas were freezing and many died. The selfish callous cad even left his dog to freeze alone in that cold house.

Texas is not a red state

Texas is not a red state. It actually elected democratic governors in the past. Texas is a gerrymandered, voter intimidated, voter suppressed state. You have a choice, you can cower in fear and not vote and reap the consequences of your inaction. You can vote red and continue down the path of authoritarianism in this one party state that rivals China. Or you can be courageous, vote your conscious and vote them ALL out.

I am not a democrat. I was actually a republican for decades. When I turned 18 and was eligible to vote I selected the democratic party. Then I noticed something in NYC. Democrats showed up for votes but then you never saw them again. So, I did my research. I learned the about the roots of both parties. I knew the racist dixiecrats jumped ship from the Democratic party as it diversified in the 1960s and co-opted the Republican party. Until the 1960s most Blacks were republicans and voted republicans. That change occurred during the Civil Rights Movement.

But I chose the republican party because at least they followed up after the elections, and they listened. At least they did in Pennsylvania. Then I moved to Texas. And I saw the vile partisanship, hatred, and oppression of people of color. I became an Independent. To be honest, I always voted like an Independent, I chose a party to vote in the primaries. And in Texas I still vote in the Republican primaries, because its one way to not be taken off the voter roll and voter intimidated. They think I am one of them. I AM NOT.

I'd rather America was a multi-party state so that one party could not hijack our democracy. We aren't there yet. Because one party, the GOP, is fascist, authoritarian, operates under group think and is not for the people. While the other party, Democrats, is increasing diverse, holds their people accountable and is quite different from the Democratic party in the early 1990s that made me switch my party affiliation.

The choice is clear Texas - Colin Allred for US Senate.

The choice is clear America - Kamala Harris for President.

Any other choice will sign a death sentence to our democracy and take this nation back to the dark times of state sponsored terrorism. Back to a time when many people groups did not have rights because of their hue. Back to a time when only the elite had access to excellent health care. Back to a time when poverty was high. Back to an ugly time in history that frankly states like Texas and Florida don't want students in school or higher education to learn about. They prefer to white wash history, radicalize, and condition people to hate.

But you know what? We Are Not Going Back

VOTE - The Election of 2024

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 00:26:00 -0500

I am motivated and inspired by the spirit of Americans of all hues, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds coming together for freedom and standing up against fascism. Because what we are NOT going to do is go back. #WeAreNotGoingBack

Civics

This election cycle is pivotal and monumental in American polity and history. Civic professors have been in their hey day since Barack Obama's historical presidential run and win in 2008 and reelection in 2012. Yet America entered a dark and dangerous period in 2016 culminating in the deaths of a million Americans from a mismanaged pandemic. Babies separated from their mothers, who were seeking asylum, and placed in jail. Some of those children are still lost in the system. Some were killed, others trafficked. Shameless that the 45th president's response to people running away from terror and seeking asylum was to terrorize them even more. God is not pleased. And if all of that wasn't heinous enough the 45th president fomented an insurrection against the United States when that vicious mob attacked the Capitol intending to murder VP Pence and House Speaker Pelosi.

Yet Americans danced in the streets when POTUS 46, Joe Biden, was elected. And here we are in 2024 faced with another monumental decision - will America choose the darkness, fascism, mass deportation and Project 2025, which is the end of our democracy. Or will that glass ceiling shatter into a million pieces when the first woman is elected into the highest office of the land, our future POTUS 47, Kamala Harris?

The Election of 2024

So, here is Hamilton with a reimagining of My Shot - The Election of 2024.

I'm an independent. My vote is my own, it belongs to no party. Wherever you stand on the spectrum, your voice is your vote. So, check your election status. Register, if you're not registered and are eligible to vote. Don't be intimidated or allow your vote to be suppressed. So, if you're registered, but never voted, let 2024 be your first time.

Also, remember down stream elections. The federal election is the celebrity of elections, but the local politicians are the ones who mostly impact our lives. Don't throw away your shot - VOTE, America, VOTE.

Miscarriage Care is not an Abortion

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 09:31:00 -0500

For the umpteenth time Miscarriage care is NOT an abortion!

Vote - Vote Responsibly - Because Your Life Depends on It.

I am Pro Life - Yes I believe in the Sanctity of Life, all Life. But I also have common sense and believe that when a pregnancy is NOT viable that you provide the mother with life saving medical care, using proven medical procedures to evacuate her uterus and ensure she can conceive and have a live birth the next time!

Miscarriage

A miscarriage is not a criminal act. It is a non-viable pregnancy. It is a time of mourning for a family wanting to have a child and cannot because of something that went wrong during the development of the fetus. LEARN BIOLOGY GOP.

An ectopic pregnancy is a non-viable pregnancy.

The tragic and heartbreaking events occurring in Texas, and other states, that are denying women life saving medical care is abominable. I don't just blame the politicians like Governor Greg Abbott, I also blame the hospitals and doctors who do not stand up for their patients and have chosen to instead protect and save themselves while throwing women to the wolves! Doctors and hospitals make lots of money and have access to powerful lawyers; use your power and push back!

Yes, I know that the legal definition of a miscarriage is a spontaneous abortion, but some idiots, particularly those with XY chromosomes, completely do not understand female anatomy nor do they comprehend the term spontaneous. So, we need to use different language to describe and explain what happens in a woman's body during conception, pregnancy, and delivery so these XY chromosome idiots who want to legally manage a woman's body will take their DAMN HANDS OFF OUR UTERUS.

Body Autonomy is a RIGHT and should be enshrined in the United States constitution. There are NO LAWS mandating what a man can do with his body. We should pass sperm laws and make men accountable for their sperm. They act like women get pregnant in a vacuum. Heck there should be a national sperm registry. That will resolve MOST rape & molestation cases quickly.

This very private decision a woman and her family makes has now become public discourse and political due to the very narrow definition of some Christian's understanding of the Bible. At the end of the day you cannot legislate morality. So stop trying to do the Holy Spirit's job and do what the Bible mandates, Christians, and that is making disciples.

And Republicans, take your damn hands off our UTERUS.

The Antidote to Anxiety - Moving Past Fear to Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 23:11:00 -0600

As I am putting the finishing touches on my main website, testing it and making enhancements, I am reminded of Scripture that reminds us not to worry or fear, which is particularly salient now because I am embarking on several new ventures that frankly can cause one to worry and fear. But, instead of worrying and being filled with anxiety and fear I will put my trust in my Lord & Savior.

Music that Inspires

This week's #MusicThatInspires is by Anthony Brown & group therAPy. Their video Trust In You blessed me and I hope it blesses you too.

2024 Pipeline

Exciting things are in the pipeline for 2024. I'm not at liberty to discuss everything, but I am excited to announce the refresh of my main website www.tanyaowens.com coming March 2024. In tandem with the website refresh I opened several online stores which complements my website and is where everyone can purchase my art and branded products. I invite you to go visit three of my online stores:

tanyaowens.shop | I sell Wall-art and other products featuring my art
attire.tanyaowens.com | My Artful Attire™ line, featuring all over print clothing
tanyaowens.redbubble.com | I sell home décor, stationary, apparel, and accessories featuring my art.

I am still tracking to release the Tanya Talks podcast 4th Qtr 2024. Don't worry 😉 I am planning a really immersive experience with the podcast. It will be rolled out in phases, with phase one the first season of the podcast & main website. As the date approaches I will detail more. So, bookmark this space and stay tuned.

Is WIX the Best Website Builder and Host for Photographers? Unbiased Review

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 23:32:00 -0600

Finding the perfect hosting company for your website for photographers is a pain point. If you are an art based photographer, like I am, choices are slim. I could pigeon hole my needs into one of the many turnkey portfolio/client based solutions like Smug Mug or Zenfolio, or go the route other fine art photographers have gone, by building my website from scratch. Building a website from scratch gives me greater flexibility to build the website and ecommerce solution that best meets my needs as a Fine Art Nature Photographer. So that is the direction I chose to go in when I decided to use Wix to host my website.

Contrary to popular belief you can change the template if you host your website with Wix. Lemme explain: I have several websites; some are on main domains and others, like this blog are on a sub-domain.

Background

November 2021, I decided not to renew my subscription with the company that hosted my main website since 2009, a 12 year relationship. My needs weren't being met by the photography portfolio platform Zenfolio, who has integrated website hosting and building features and caters to wedding and event photographers. As a Fine Art photographer what I needed from the Shop, connection to labs, and campaigns I could run weren't being met. And that's fine. Zenfolio does a great job in its niche, but it was time for me to move on.

I thought that I would be able to switch to another host that caters to photographers and was in for a rude awakening. Most of the hosts that I considered all have tunnel vision. They cater to wedding, event and commercial photographers. None of them catered to the Art photographer.

My business model is B2B, their hosting plans are B2C. My customer base just didn't fit the model of the sites and plans they were offering. Which meant that I had to venture beyond my safety net and start looking more broadly at website hosts, which allow more flexibility with building your website. So I parked my website on a blogger account with it being connected to my main domain tanyaowens.com - big mistake, because I did not set up redirects to pages and essentially lost 12 years of rankings. But I didn't know that at the time.

And I found a template from a 3rd party - yikes. It was a mess. The guy had put rouge code in the template, which hurt my site's standing. And I could not customize it the way I wanted to. Blogger was no longer the solution for me, I had to move to a new host immediately.

So I fleshed out my spreadsheet with several different features I needed so I could compare. I plopped in a variety of website hosts. And I did extensive research: from forums, reviews, to directly reaching out to photographers whose websites I admired. Overwhelmingly the results were go with WordPress, there is so much flexibility and Woo Commerce is better than Shopify. I started with WordPress, and I found it incredulous that photographers were recommending a blogging site for their website.

I do recall many news reports in the past how major corporations were using WordPress to host their website. And since WordPress is open source and free, one can host it on their own server. I did see the appeal to major enterprises who have their own IT departments and onsite web developers who can develop their websites and also keep them secure and safe.

History

I didn't want to go that route. That is how I started out in the early 2000s with a website I called The Owens Group (towensgroup.com - domain now defunct) and it had my resume.

The Owens Group 2009-2011

It basically was an online portfolio for future clients or employers. I had actually fancied myself to start a boutique consulting firm. I quickly put the kibosh on that, but I had the domain, so I used it.

I had learned to code and self taught myself JavaScript, so I could build a basic rudimentary website. And that's where the nightmare began. Not from the website, it was on par with most of the websites on the internet at the time, so it was cutting edge, though not has fancy as the websites who had IT people with deep coding and Graphic Designers who could design spectacular layouts. No, the nightmare was with the host, who provided basically no support, their support staff laughed at me when I had issues. Because back then if you built a website, you were an IT guy. So this girl with rudimentarily html and JavaScript skills was an easy target to sell to but a joke to support.

So, in 2008 when I shifted my web presence I decided to split my photography business from my corporate consulting business and in 2009 I secured the domain TanyaOwens.com to be my photography website. It was a good time because I had landed a pretty good job at a major pharmaceutical company in 2008 and was planning my exit strategy in the next 15 - 20 years. I also planned to build my photography business as a side hustle that would grow into my main hustle. I decided that I wanted to go with a host that offered more support, catered to photographers and provided templates so I could focus more on my art and less on designing a website.

Templates

I love a good template. Templates make doing the work easier. As a writer, give me a good template and I will give you great content. So, in 2021 when I started researching hosts for my website the quality of the templates, having access to the head of my website, and the ability to freely design my website and not be constrained by the template were critical concerns as well as how well designed the shop was, whether it was modern, clean, non fussy and customers felt they could trust it. I was looking for a host that I could grow my business on. So that when my business became too much for me to manage solo, that I could bring in others (either employees, contractors or a 3rd party company) to manage the website while I focused on the art and content.

So I shifted my focus to WordPress as many photographers recommended the platform. I knew that I would not be hosting it on my own server, so I focused on WordPress.com as well as other companies who hosted and managed WordPress sites. And it was all over the map - at the end of the day WordPress works best if you have technical skill and will. To get out of it what I needed, there would need to be tons of plug-ins that would need to work well with each other. Not my cup of tea.

So, I shifted my focus to three other hosts: Weebly, Wix and SquareSpace. I had read various things about each of these hosts. The first Weebly is now a Square company. Square is really doing a good job of helping on ground businesses establish a web presence so they can become hybrid stores. The pandemic demonstrated that stores with a web presence & selling capability performed well. Weebly/Square would work in my favor if I ever did a pop-up shop. However, I don't intend to have any on ground business presence so I ruled out Weebly.

The next two Wix and SquareSpace looked promising. I ruled out Wix because all of the reviews said that when you build your site with a Wix template you can't change the template and that seemed restrictive. I have always admired SquareSpace so I began to look at them.

Meanwhile my website was still on Blogger, so I searched for a low cost option to park my site until I determined which host I would go with. I quickly discovered Google Sites and quickly built my site there and published it January 1, 2022.

tanyaowens.com 1/2022

With my website out of limbo, I shifted my focus back to a more permanent solution and started working on building a site on SquareSpace during the two week trial. I was quite happy about this because I yearned to build a website on their platform for years. They just looked so polished and professional. However, I did have my reservations. No right-click protection. Building the kind of galleries I was accustomed to with Zenfolio and connecting the images as products in the store, something that though clunky was seamless and didn't require plugins.

SquareSpace demo site 2/2022

Getting accustomed to the web development tools took some time at SquareSpace. I had recently finished my site on Goggle Sites and that was a bit different from Zenfolio, so SquareSpace wasn't too different. But it proved a bit frustrating when it came to customizing the Blog. Blogging is an important part of my website. It is what drove traffic to my website when I first started it. The pictures and video kept traffic there. So I was excited that you could build multiple blogs, something Wix said it doesn't allow, but I'll get to that later.

I ultimately decided not to go with SquareSpace and felt like I was in limbo. I decided that I didn't want to spend time personally running a store on my website after reading lots of horror stories. Some stories were of people hacking into websites and stealing the money by redirecting the direct deposit. Other stories were of ecommerce hosts not paying out after sales. And then there was the management of credit cards and combatting fraud and all of a sudden it felt like a big headache. I'm an artist and a writer not an accountant and general manager.

This lead me to rethink my business strategy and eventually my website strategy. 2022 I researched marketplaces for artists and placed my art on a few of them. I ultimately decided not to continue with some due to the commissions. And I went with others because I could have a store front with my own domain and the Print on Demand (POD) company would handle fulfillment. Everything from processing orders, fulfilling orders, to customer service and returns. This frees me up to focus on my art, develop a successful marketing strategy and engage with people who love/admire my art.

Wix

So, at the end of 2023 (I had to deal with some medical problems that started the middle of 2022 into 2023, which had me postpone working on my website and business) I decided to give Wix another look. I looked at reviews again,...

...got sticker shock when I saw the prices went up, but was also happy that they added more storage space. Mind you, Tanya Talks is a viable business as well, so at the same time I am working on my business strategy for Tanya Owens Photography I am working on Tanya Talks podcast and blog strategy.

At the end of the day many companies raised prices, and reconfigured their pricing strategies. Frankly, there is no perfect web building company. The biggest cons I read online for Wix were:

You can't change the template once you finish your site. That's not an issue for me. I started with a blank template. I am building the elements I want. The awesome thing about Wix that I have not encountered with other hosts (Zenfolio, Google Sites, WordPress, Blogger) is that with Wix I can create multiple sites. So I can test a variety of templates. I can save sections from those templates and use them in my site. Wix also has a CMS so you can build various CMS' and dynamic pages on your site to keep it fresh. So I don't see that template thing as a limitation. And once my business gets to a point where revenue is up, it is growing larger, I will have moved over to the enterprise space where there is more flexibility and I will have either outsourced or have a team managing my website. So that is a non-issue for me.
Wix changed their pricing plans and moved my site to a new and more expensive plan with less features. I can't speak to that because I just started with Wix, but I have experienced that with Zenfolio. However, they didn't move me to a new plan, they just put all of the new features in new plans, all of which came with less storage. So if I wanted the new bells and whistles I had to move over to these higher priced plans. At the end of the day I ended up leaving.
You can't move your blog from Wix. I haven't tested that, but I know with Zenfolio I could not export my blog. I only learned that when I was ready to leave, and I was livid and sad. I had some pretty popular blog posts that drove traffic to my site and I would have to either rewrite them or let them disappear to the dust heaps of the internet. So, yeah, exporting a blog is pretty important, if your blog is well read.
Wix will sometimes withhold payments. I read about some people having issues with Wix withholding large payments. I am not sure why that was the case, and should I run a store on Wix, I will look into that process. But the help files says you can change to a new payment provider, so if you have a merchant account or another provider, go with them to ease your mind.

Wix does have a learning curve, and I have spent more hours than I planned on to figure out how to do something that was natively built into Zenfolio & Google Sites. But once I did figure it out and discovered how much more I am able to customize that feature to make it really reflect my brand, it made me excited. So, if you aren't using an expert to build your website and aren't an expert in coding, be patient. Wix has more flexibility than you think. At least that is what I am finding. And they do have a pretty robust help system.

I'm just getting started, so I don't have a verdict on whether it is better than what I've used in the past, including using Dreamweaver, or better than some other platform. I, however, do have an appreciation for why small and large businesses choose Wix and why it is the #1 website builder in the market. WordPress is a different category as it is a CMS primarily; as is Shopify as it is primarily an eCommerce platform.

New Website

I'm still in the process of building my website on Wix with a planned launch early 2024. But I'm happy that I ultimately switched gears on how I plan to build my website and engage with consumers & buyers.

Here's my website as it is on Google Sites.

tanyaowens.com 12/2023

I did a lil refresh with colors. Had to drop Art of Where as a marketplace because they changed their business model and I added Spreadshirt as a marketplace because I can have my own shop, which I started to add products to. My business strategy changed and for now I have:

Fine Art America doing fulfilment for prints and wall art
RedBubble doing fulfillment for home décor and accessories,
SpreadShirt doing fulfillment for clothing

I am not locked in to just these POD companies. I believe art should be accessible, and I want my art where people shop, go to work, school and various institutions. #Goals

So stay tuned for the relaunch of my website Tanya Owens Photography 1Q 2024. And I am planning for a 3Q 2024 to 1Q2025 release of the Tanya Talks podcast -- I have to get those legalities in place, and oh content is king.

Have a blessed and Merry Christmas and healthy Happy New Year!!!

Severed the Chain - Deactivated Twitter Account & Podcast Update

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Fri, 7 Jul 2023 15:26:00 -0500

There has been so much change upheavel and turmoil over at Twitter since musk has taken over. But turmoil has always been the name of the game as that platform has been just a bastion of hate & terror. Don't get me wrong, twitter games, live tweeting shows, black twitter, #caturday have all been fun. As well as being a part of a movement or live tweeting during disasters. So, as much as twitter is a pustule on society it also was a great place to hang out, connect with "a" community and be on the cusp of current events.

My experience with the platform since I originally joined in 2011 has been rocky, like I've spent more time on rough seas than on peaceful shores. And it really became obvious when I realized how much I was clenching my jaw when I read twitter and how peaceful my other handles on twitter were, the onese where I barely tweeted and only followed certain brands. It was night and day.

Besides the constant crazy from Elon Musk and watching the dumpster fire, the platform really doesn't align with my business objectives and values anymore. My tweets were throttled, so I am not getting engagement nor building a customer base. It just is time for me to get away from busywork and get busy with building the Tanya Talks podcast and website. As much as I enjoy microblogging, I will invest more time in longform blogging and securing some gigs so I can get PAID for my writing.

I'm ready to do some travelling. I got a few projects in the pipeline and I need to secure funding so I can get busy on them. All of that means cutting out distractions. I still want to engage with people, but social media has turned out to be anything but social and it has become a place of gripes, owning people, and one upping. I did not like what it was turning me into.

It's like they always say, if you are in a relationship with someone who is not bringing out the best in you, you need to get out of that relationship. Social media was not bringing out the best in me, and I don't like not being the best version of myself.

I still have my Podbean, Soundcloud, and YouTube sites. I am strategizing on maximizing my efforts and where I can build an audience. YouTube isn't it, because of the algorithm and that means throttling & being placed in purgutory. Soundcloud, I don't think will do it either. So, hosting on Podbean may be my best bet, especially since Spotify has changed their podcasting strategy and I won't touch anchor. So, I'll do more research and see about getting an agent or representation to shop around my podcast so I can get some revenue from it. Otherwise all of the effort that I put into it will be busy work. And don't mind me, if I was wealthy, I wouldn't care about whether the podcast was paying. But since I'm not, I do have to care about how I make money, because none of this is free.

Cheers

Is Meghan Markle Using the Victim Card? - Suicidal Ideation is not Victimhood

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Sat, 21 Jan 2023 12:35:00 -0600

Marjorie Wallace, the Chief Executive of the charity SANE, which she founded in 1986, states Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is playing the victim card for sharing when she had suicidal ideation. Shaming a person for having a mental health crisis is profane. And is a more scurrilous thing for the founder and leader of a mental health charity to say.

On SANE's website they list their vision, aims and mission.

And states that one of their goals is:

Influencing policy and public attitudes by increasing understanding of mental illness

Suicidal Ideation is not Victimhood

How can you be focused on promoting mental health awareness, policy and understanding for the past 26-27 years and then shame and other, not just the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, but the entirety of people dealing with and managing various mental health conditions. She has effectively silenced them and said if you speak up about having suicidal ideation you are playing the victim card. An extremely biased and reckless thing to say coming from someone of her stature.

But Don't Take My Word For It: Watch the Video

In this video you will hear what Marjorie Wallace said about her charity SANE and it's mission as well as how she shamed Meghan Markle by stating she doesn't believe in victimhood and that the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle is playing the victim card.

Talk To Me

Your thoughts? Do you think Marjorie Wallace was out of line or is Meghan Markle playing the victim card?

>
Tweet to @TalksTanya

Get Up and Get Out

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 01:50:00 -0600

Tuesday Morning, January 17, 2023, I got up and got out.

I watched a YouTube video a few months back where the speaker spoke about breaking habits and pushing past the guilt, among other things, by just doing one simple thing when you wake up in the morning. Get Out and Walk. Not a marathon, not a sprint or a jog, just go for a walk. Then come back in the house and tackle one thing.

I have cats so I can't get up and go out immediately. I have to tend to my furbabies first, get them fed, let them out and then go out. I told myself before I went to sleep Monday night to just get out when you wake up. I'd done it before and I loved it, then I got distracted, stopped and fell back into old patterns.

Tuesday morning I really wasn't in the mood to go for a walk. Even though walking is one of my favorite pastimes. I told my self to walk to the bridge (where the creek is) and come back. My body was achy from sitting all day Monday. Because for the second day in a row I got up and spent the entire day on Twitter, sans watching the HBOMax show Last of Us, which I paused after that plane crashed, ran to the Livingroom and began praying, because man it felt like end times and I didn't want to be in that kind of scenario alone. So, I was praying for companionship, for the world and repenting.

But, I did go out and walk Tuesday Morning. And since I wasn't planning on doing a long walk, I didn't bring water, but I did bring my mask, because there tends to be lots of walkers in the park, and I brought my Sony Walkman with me. I cued up and played Romans chapter 6. I love listening to the Bible - the only audio book I don't mind listening to. I prefer to read other books myself.

So, I got to the bridge, but just before the bridge there were three women and a toddler in a stroller, walking down a steep concrete embankment.

And I'm like, what are they doing? Like they better not drown that baby in the creek. So I get to the bridge, looked back at them and then continue walking into that part of the park that is completed with a paved path. I ended up walking all the way down to Longenbaugh, right before the work out equipment and was shocked they removed the covering over it. It gets hot and you need that covering to use the equipment for most months in Texas.

I decided to venture onto the dirt path (they haven't finished paving the park, they just finished digging out the lakes and rerouting the creek a few months ago). It had rained earlier, but the dirt was hard packed and not sticking to my sneakers. So, listening to the Bible, the rest of the book of Romans, I continued around the lake. Stopping to watch the aquatic birds, Egrets, ducks, etc.

I get to a fork where I have to decide do I take the big loop and walk along the backside of the houses (nothing really exciting to see since the park isn't completed yet with vegetation, etc), or do I take the shorter loop. I decide to take the shorter loop with the lake to my left and the creek to my right. That way I see more birds.

And it is then that I discover why the women went down that embankment. They are exercising by walking up and down it. Two other walkers/joggers in the park decided to join them, with the toddler sitting at the bottom. And I thought, wow these women are smart. And gee, sorry I thought those bad things about them.

I look around to see if I can walk like them, because the big muscles in my legs are so constricted from sitting. And I decide against the ramp the trucks built for themselves, not steep enough. But the concrete bridge I'm walking over has inclines, some a bit gentle and then in places really steep.

My Walkman is now on the book of Ruth and I decide to start walking down the gentle part of the embankment and build up to the really steep area. So, while listening to Ruth, I start walking down and climbing back up. What a workout and I am pumped. It is so flat where I live and since I live in a one story house, I am not getting the needed exercise for my big leg muscles.

I walk up and down that bridge concrete embankment for the entire duration of the Book of Ruth into the Song of Songs. Whew chile, those Bible books are something ELSE. I haven't read them in quite some time, and they are good reads. By the time my Walkman got to the Book of Titus, I was done walking up and down the bridge embankment and started back down the path to get to the bridge over the creek and back home. I had stopped my climbing shortly after two of the women who joined the three had stopped. And by the time I headed down the path the original three and stopped their climbing and loaded their toddler back into the stroller.

Once I got to the bridge over the creek, I decided to stretch my legs and arms so I wouldn't be achy later (and guess what over 12 hours later I am not achy). I finish stretching and turn around, there are two people on that bridge I was on before walking up and down the embankment. They must've seen me doing it and decided hey that's a good workout. When I got home I took a nice hot shower and washed my hair, and then braided it. I couldn't find my Garmin pedometer/watch, so not sure how many steps I took, but I think I may have walked 3 - 4 miles or maybe more.

I felt so pumped for the rest of the day. Oh and the one thing I did was one load of laundry. If it doesn't rain on Wednesday morning, the weather app says it will around 9 am, I will do that walk again!

Stay Tuned: New Podcast Series on Conditioning

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 11:31:00 -0500

The first series on my new Podcast: Tanya Talks, will focus on conditioning. I've tweeted about it in the past. Conditioning has occurred in the USA since before its founding. We're going to talk about what it is, who benefits from it, and the ensuing culture war in the US.

Stay Tuned. The Launch of Tanya Talks will be 🔥

#Conditioned

Nuclear War

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 20:08:00 -0500

The rhetoric from Putin. The continual launching of test bombs by North Korea, and China's constant baiting of the US, while they are prepping for a large scale invasion has me wondering will WWIII occur in my lifetime? Heck will it happen within the next ten years?

Tanya Talks™ Podcast - Coming Soon

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 11:03:00 -0500

Podcast Coming Soon

Hey y'all I am chomping at the bit working on a podcast. It takes a village, but since I don't have one, I am gonna jack of all trades this thing!

Presently I am working on securing a host - testing out a few platforms now before I decide on one.

Topics

As for the topics, I'm mapping out the podcast content. Y'all know this blog is a mixture of current events and life stuff so that podcast will be that too. It will be topical in nature and organic.

So #StayTuned

Let's Talk about Flooding in Houston

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0500

When I moved back to the Houston Area in 2014 I was quickly reminded that Houston, Harris County and the surrounding counties flood. Not a little flood, but major drastic floods. And why do they flood? Simple answer, greed.

Humans have been on this planet for thousands of years. Some even believe for millions of years. However long humans have been on this planet, it has been long enough that they should understand the basics of ecosystems, geology, and how water works.

European settlers in the Americas and Australia did not respect the land and as consequence they have caused great harm to the lands they migrated to. Why did this happen? They did not observe, respect, and retain how the local indigenous people treated the land. Instead they brought with them practices that worked for them in Europe. And many instances there was nothing wrong with that, except in many areas where the ecology, geography, climate and topology was drastically different from what they knew and experienced in Europe.

Houston History of Flooding

And for Houston, the early settlers completely disregarded the land. They disregarded the heavy clay loamy soil. They disregarded the behavior of the creeks and bayous. They just was disrespectful to the land.

Allen brothers founded Houston in 1836, they established the town at the confluence of Buffalo and White Oak bayous. Shortly thereafter, every structure in the new settlement flooded. Early settlers documented that after heavy rains, their wagon trips west through the prairie involved days of walking through knee-deep water. -- Harris County Flood Control District

Instead of respecting the natural flow of water in what is now Harris county, and the pivotal role the prairie played in flooding they did the worst thing; they drained the swamp.

The new settlers didn't like this natural flooding because it wasn't conducive to building towns or farming the land. So, they set out to "drain" the land, and to clear it of much of its natural habitat for agriculture or timber for construction. However, there is a big difference between drainage and flooding. The settlers wanted to "drain" the land, which meant they wanted to make the water go away. They did it without any purpose, other than to make the water go away in a reasonable time and to make the channels flow downhill. As the channels got deeper, they also got wider. The early residents didn't plan with any particular rainfall amount in mind. -- Harris County Flood Control District

The key words from the paragraph above are "didn't plan". They just wanted to "drain the land" and this wild wild west culture exists to this day. Developers have "purchased" local and state government leaders through their lobbying efforts. They have sown seeds of discord and convinced local citizens that zoning laws are bad. So with no to low city and county planning; with much of the development occurring in unincorporated areas. County development has occurred with "no or piss poor planning" - just profit oriented.

Hurricane Harvey

Check out this video of flooding that occurred in Cypress, TX, a non-incorporated suburb to the NW of Houston in Harris county. You'll see the video goes over woods surrounding the creek to a very old settlement called Hot Wells that is basically kissing the creek. It then pans over a very new subdivision, Alder Trails by Taylor Morrison, and then over to Riata West, an older development.

Video by: Danny Garza owner of Accurate Garage Door Services

What is a travesty with Alder Trails, as you see, many of the new homes that are still in the process of being built and some that people recently purchased and moved into flooded. Why? Well if you look at the Hot Wells neighborhood, Alder Trails is at the same exact elevation. The builder did not build the homes up out of the flood plain so that when the streets flooded the homes didn't flood.

Thus, Alder Trails is at the same elevation as Hot Wells and Riata West. The sloughs/man made tributaries behind Alder Trails (to the north and west) were not widened to accommodate all of the homes Taylor Morrison built.

Nor were the K-147-00-00 and K-167-00-00 channels deepened. And because that did not happen, when Cypress Creek went over its banks there were stormwater sheetflows (water that crosses overland) to reach Horsepen Creek.

Ordinarily Cypress Creek flows into the Cypress Creek Watershed, which flows to Lake Houston in the north east portion of Harris County. But during Hurricane Harvey, when Cypress Creek went over its banks south of US 290 it flowed southwest toward the Addicks Reservoir which flows to the Buffalo Bayou, which flows SW to Trinity Bay and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. So, Cypress Creek took the path of least resistance to get to Horsepen Creek, which took it through Hot Wells, Alder Trails, Riata West, and Barker Lake communities to Barker Cypress Road and directly south to Horsepen Creek, which flowed over its banks to Addicks Reservoir some ten miles away.

A major flood occurs somewhere in Harris County about every two years. Most of the flooding is in areas developed prior to the current understanding of flood potential and prior to regulations restricting construction in flood-prone areas.
-- Harris County Flood Control District

Despite what the Flood Control district stated above that regulations are in place to prevent building in flood plains, there is copious building in flood plains all around Houston. The urban sprawl is so bad now that there is little to no farm land left in NW Harris county and developers are gobbling up land in Waller county, a poor rural, mostly white county.

The Video

The cleared land in the video posted above, is the Master Planned Community (MPC) Towne Lake. As you can see there is street flooding there, but the elevated land is not flooded. Not one home was flooded in Towne Lake. As a matter of fact, this community of boaters, dispatched their boats to rescue people from the communities I listed above that flooded, before the national guard was able to get out and help. Sadly, many people in those flooded communities, blamed Towne Lake and its non-existent dam for flooding their homes.

It wasn't Towne Lake and the dam that never was, it was the lack of political will from local leaders and the MUD & Flood control districts to practice good will towards the citizens and prevent development in floodplains and also ensure there was excellent urban planning that included stellar water management. Because, as the Flood Control District mentioned, flooding is Houston's natural disaster. It will always flood here. And better water management, preventing over development, leaving wild spaces wild - not just for the flow of water but for habitat preservation, will ensure that when the skies open up, and they will, that lives and property are spared.

You will notice that during Hurricane Harvey and every other major flood that occurs in Houston there is a focus on the human toll. There is barely a mention on the toll to wildlife, especially wildlife that is squeezed into smaller and smaller territories with no escape to high ground. The majority of wild spaces in Houston are areas that are intended to flood to preserve human habitation. Wildlife have no place to go. And when they do enter into places with lots of humans, the first thing a Texan does is pick up their gun.

Let's Talk

So, what are your thoughts on flooding in Houston? In particular, flooding in Cypress, which frankly hasn't been given much thought or planning, especially the notorious flooding Cypress Creek. This article focuses on flooding south of US 290 along Cypress Creek. If you do a web search, most of the reporting is on the flooding that occurred north of US 290 with barely no mention to south of US 290.

It took the massive training Hurricane Harvey for leaders to start focusing on Cypress Creek. It was easy to ignore Cypress Creek in the past because the flooding occurred in a mostly rural part of Harris County. But that isn't the case any more, due to urban sprawl NW Harris county is now suburban. And there are more people living in unincorporated Cypress than in some small cities across the US.

I want to hear your views about this topic. Leave a comment below or tweet me

Tweet to @talkstanya

Created New Professional Twitter Account

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 20:58:00 -0500

In June I posted that I permanently deleted my personal twitter account that I had since 2011. And I do not intend to create another personal account. However, I did create a brand account for Tanya Talks on twitter. My handle is @TalksTanya.

Tanya Talks on Twitter

Microblogging should complement this blog and the podcast and anything else that spins out from this venture.

I'll make sure not to mention lice since Twitter LOVES lice.

Follow @TalksTanya

Come Thou Fount (Official Music Video) | Celtic Worship

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 09:17:00 -0500

Today's Mood. The hymn, Come Thou Fount, is one of my favorites. It was just ringing in my spirit this morning. I prefer the traditional way the hymn is sung and the Celtic Worship Group sings it beautifully.

May you be blessed.

I Did A Thing: Building a Patio

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 10:35:00 -0500

I built a patio with my own hands and strength. Yup, I did this thing, and I am a rock star!

I extended my existing builder brick patio by approximately 200 sqft with pavers from Pavestone, style: Panorama, color: travertine.

I'm planning to get my lawn aerated the end of June, once that is done, I will finish the patio area by adding top soil and sod where the patio ends so there is a smooth transition from the patio to the lawn and you won't see the edging.

Drama

Why did I choose the build the patio myself in 90 degree heat in Houston, TX? Well a few years ago, I planned to extend my patio with concrete. I wanted the concrete to be colored, not stained, but colored throughout the same color as the grout in the bricks on my existing patio so that it would be cohesive. And with a brick surround, so it flowed nicely. I also wanted to create a walkway on the side of my house, plain concrete.

All of the quotes I received were 2 - 3 times what I estimated. So, I did not go forward with that improvement in 2018 and instead saved up more money, so I could do it debt free. Well, it is 2022, the world is living in the upside down, and inflation is running away in America (more on that in another post). I had actually hired a company to build a concrete patio, do the side yard walkway and replace my fallen down fence. That company turned out to be a nightmare. They cheated me on the walkway, did a sloppy job with the fence and we mutually decided they would not build my patio.

After getting several quotes which ranged from $5,500 - $9,000 for a concrete 200 sqft patio - I decided they were all on crack. The $5,500 was more than what I was quoted for the patio and walkway in 2018. They are not building a structure, they are not rerouting my sprinkler line, just pouring concrete. And not evening coloring the concrete, but staining it. A process I would have to repeat every 2 years to maintain color.

So, I did some more research and realized that many of the quotes I was getting for concrete were now exceeding what it would cost to have custom pavers placed. So, I had a company come out and give me a quote for pavers. That quote matched the high end of the concrete patio quotes. Again, a price that I thought was a bit high for such a small patio extension that would not include anything else. No benches or build out for the grill. No raised garden for planting a herb garden or flowers.

I was really dismayed and heart broken. Especially since most of my patio budget had gone towards a walkway that I was cheated on and a fence that was done sloppily.

Sweat Equity

I decided to research what it takes to build a patio. And discovered a product, Brock PaverBase, that made the possibility of me building my patio a reality. Brock PaverBase reduces the amount of soil you need to dig out and the amount of base you need to bring in for the patio. So instead of digging down six inches. I only had to dig down just over an inch; that is .68" for the Brock Paverbase and .5" for the leveling sand. Since my pavers are the same height as my brick, and they are above ground. I did not have to dig down the 2.75" for the pavers, for which I am grateful.

Not having to dig down six inches and then back fill it, meant that I would not have to try to figure out what to do with all of that soil. I even had one guy come by to give me a quote on the patio, ask me what I wanted to do with the soil after he dug it out. SMH.

It also meant, that I did not need to have tons of gravel placed on my driveway that I would then need to cart to by back yard and painstakingly compact. Essentially Brock PaverBase was a lifesaver.

But it didn't mean that the job was easy, regardless of what they claim on their website. It took days for me to dig out the sod and dirt (I saved the sod to place elsewhere on my property). And then days to tamp/compact that clay soil and level it out. It was an arduous process, especially since summer showed up two months early here in Houston, so I was doing all of that in 90 degree temps.

Leveling Soil

After painstakingly leveling the soil with a tamper, I realized that in some spots I took out too much soil. I had placed that soil behind my fence for erosion control, so I brought some of it back. But it wasn't enough so I ended up purchasing 16 bags of topsoil to level the patio area.

After leveling the soil, I put down a weed barrier, whose purpose is more to prevent the sand from going into the soil, than to prevent weeds from growing up. After placing the weed barrier, I added 1/2 inch of leveling sand, then the Brock PaverBase and finally the pavers.

Laying the Pavers

The next hard part was carting two pallets worth of stone from my driveway to my backyard. I purchased two pallets plus an additional 20.6 pavers, which ended up being 480 pavers + 48 additional pavers. So instead of each pallet containing 10 rows of stone they contained 11 rows of stone. I actually purchased too much stone as the pavers were in great condition with no breakage. There were a total of three chipped pavers out of the 528 pavers I purchased.

Sadly, I forgot to photograph the pallets of stone before I started using them. So, here are pics of when I was almost done.

One pallet was dated May 2021 and the other March 2022. All of the stones from 2021 were darker and most have efflorescence, much to my chagrin. This happens when the stones aren't aired out prior to packing on a pallet. And since those stones sat on a pallet for a year, wrapped in plastic, enduring rain etc., the salts and minerals in the stones rose to the surface. I did not budget for efflorescence cleaning. So, I will wait a year to see if it goes away on its own before I decide if I should clean it. Plus they say to wait 60 days for all of the stones to breathe before cleaning.

The other pallet had lighter stones. So, I arranged them in a random fashion. After I placed the stones down, I thought, perhaps I should've done more of an Ombre instead of a patchwork quilt color layout. I wanted it to look like the randomness of the brick on my house. To be honest, I like the lighter stone color more than the darker and thought that was what I had purchased. If they would've given me two pallets of stone from 2022 they may have all been the lighter brown to the cream color. But altogether, I think it is fine.

Excess Pavers

Since I plan to have built a pergola hammock combo cat tree with a covered cat house on the top (I won't be building that I have to find a carpenter that can do that job for me), I will have enough pavers to hardscape where the hammock will go. But that is a job for 2023 (fingers crossed).

Job Well Done

Well I am three shades darker than I was when I started this project May 2022. My body aches, like all over, yet I am really proud of the work I did. It is not an expert job, my slope is not perfect and there are a few high and low spots, but over all the patio looks great and fits my needs. And that, my friend, makes me quite happy.

Actually, in hindsight, this paver patio is way better than a concrete patio. It is a higher end product and will not crack over time like concrete.

How to Build a Paver/Stone Patio

If you are interested in learning more in depth how to build a patio like this, go to my teaching blog, Tanya Owens Designs. There I will include the steps I took, videos that guided me in the process and my overall budget for the project.

Permanently Deleted Twitter Account

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 08:35:00 -0500

I permanently deleted my twitter account.

There is no customer service at that company. The bots are crazy and they locked my account because they claimed I was harassing lice.

See my post Twitter Loves Sea Lice for background information on my decision.

Microblogging is a great way to communicate instantly. However, it does not serve its purpose if it operates in a sea of toxicity and the company operating the platform does not perform even the most basic customer support and service.

Twitter Loves Sea Lice

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 21:07:00 -0500

This is why you won't see my tweets on twitter

Twitter locked my account because they claimed I was harassing sea lice.

Yeah, that's why Elon Musk purchased it. So, I think I'll just delete my account. Done with that platform.

Upcycling Clothes

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Wed, 2 Feb 2022 15:43:00 -0600

So, my clothes are old. Like really old. Ok, not that old, but they are old.

I told myself I would not buy any new clothes until I lost weight. I failed. So I have a closet full of clothes I can't wear because of my girth. And I have nothing to wear that makes me feel pretty.

Clothes that Fit My Personality

I'm on that trend where I want clothes that feel comfortable against my skin, are functional and represents my personality. I don't need monkey suits for work anymore. Now don't get me wrong, I love a nice tweed blazer, dress pants and a beautiful dress. I just don't need to maintain a closet full of dry clean only items.

I also have taken some time to study garment construction, learned to sew, though I still need more classes & practice, and am now presently researching knitting. I looked at the construction of my knitted clothes and realized that the knit construction is just cheap. Instead of seamlessly attaching panels and sleeves, they were sewn quickly with thread. Not even with a special knitting machine that joins panels with yarn to make seamless seams. Or using the new whole garment knitting machines that do not have seams nor needs to be joined. That doesn't bode well for me.

So, I want exquisite garment construction without an exquisite price. And I want lush & posh fabrics without paying a premium for them. To get the blouse, pants, dresses, etc. constructed how I want them I would be spending hundreds if not thousands per piece. Thus, I'd rather learn how to construct/sew these garments and make them myself and add my own brand of whimsy to them.

I think really I want a custom piece of clothing. I am tired of looking at dated pieces in my closet, or clothes that I can't fit. I still like the colors and patterns of many of the garments and honestly, I need to practice sewing more to be proficient. I don't know if this path I am going down will be one in which I make most of the clothes I wear, a throw back to the turn of the last century when most people did just that. I just know that since I got my first little pink sewing machine for Christmas when I was 6 and started sewing clothes for my Barbie dolls that I always wanted to make my own clothes.

Picture from my Scrapbook

I even wanted to make clothes for my children when I grew up and started a family. Well that didn't pan out, but I can still make my own clothes that reflect my personality.

Sloper

I do need to make a sloper and that's where it all starts falling apart. I just don't trust me taking my own measurements. For starters I don't have enough arms. And it is difficult taking back measurements.

image from here

When I took a sewing class at Houston's Community College, I asked around to find someone to take my measurements. Folks acted like I was speaking alien gibberish. I don't understand how a fashion design program that has a runway show would not recommend someone to take my measurements. I took that class years ago, like 4 or 5 years. I should be really proficient in making basic garments for myself. I am not because I got stuck on that sloper thing and never got farther than that, and now we are in a pandemic and I don't want ANYONE in my face.

Fashion Ideas

I have loads of fashion ideas. Not that I want to sell garments or construct garments for patrons/customers. Nope, I just want to make some clothes that I see in my mind or elsewhere. I am hamstringed by lack of ability & limited resources. Yes, I can watch YouTube videos and some are really great. But nothing beats that hands on instruction and a community of crafty people to motivate you.

In an ideal world I would just drop that $120,000+ for a whole garment knitting machine, tens of thousands for the print to garment machine and others and just have a studio where I can fabricate and construct clothes, housewares, tapestries and fabric art. Until that financial windfall comes to finance that dream, I am just a frustrated, struggling, starving artist.

Purchase Custom Art Merch Online

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 22:49:00 -0600

Customized Merch

I've placed some products on popular online market places who highlight great art from artists around the world

You can view and purchase products here:

Fine Art America Store - Wall Art & Stationery
Red Bubble Store - Clothing, Home & Living, Stationery, & Travel Mugs
Cafe Press Store - Phone Cases

Meditation Mantras

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 14:26:00 -0500

I started a new meditation YouTube series on my T-Logic Productions channel titled a Moment of Zen.

Mantra Snippets

I've also uploaded the mantra portion of the meditation(s) so that you can take a minute of your day, center, focus, reset, recharge, and walk in renewal.

Here is an excerpt from my T-Logic Productions blog explaining what a mantra is. I will cross post the mantra's on this blog since they are hosted on my Tanya Talks Soundcloud.

Hope Mantra

I don't delve into the deep practices of yoga or Hindu. I am using the basic definition of mantra as a focusing point, as a way to renew your mind and melt away the stress. To be intentional.

So what is a mantra? According to Chopra

The word mantra can be broken down into two parts: "man," which means mind, and "tra," which means transport or vehicle. In other words, a mantra is an instrument of the mind . . . that you can use to enter a deep state of meditation.

Like a seed planted with the intention of blossoming into a beautiful perennial, a mantra can be thought of as a seed for energizing an intention. Much in the same way you plant a flower seed, you plant mantras in the fertile soil of practice. You nurture them and over time they bear the fruit of your intention.

In other words, the Hope Mantra intends to get you to center, focus, and let your mind shift away from the thoughts that were worrying, consuming, or stressing you. It gives you a time for pause and reset, much like breathing exercises.

Ease away the stress of the day by taking a moment to center yourself, reflect, and meditate on the word Hope.

Tanya Talks · Hope Mantra

Tweet along with me: Tweet #MomentOfZen

Love Myself by Tracee Ellis Ross

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya Owens) — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 17:30:00 -0500

Sometimes when a song ministers to me I play it over and over and let it wash over my soul, speaking to every crevice of my being. I discovered the song Love Myself, sung by Tracee Ellis Ross in the movie The High Note on January 3, 2021.

Tracee Ellis Ross Singing
Credit: Glen Wilson / Focus Features

And the song quickly became my anthem for 2021. When I first heard the song while watching the movie on HBO Max I quickly looked it up on YouTube and played it over and over.

Culture & Society

With the world in an upheaval from the COVID-19 virus and America destined to relive every ugly part of her racist past by systemically and systematically killing Black people for:

sleeping in their own beds
playing video games in their own homes
watching TV in their own homes
Driving While Black
Calling the police for assistance
just breathing, existing

Then the violent insurrection on January 6, 2021 at the nation's Capitol, the second impeachment of the 45th president that did not result in his removal, the extremism in America and the dichotomy of living in this country - stress surmounts.

Today, April 24, 2021, as I was writing an article for my other blog I did an advanced search for the hashtag #MusicThatInspires and rediscovered the song again. Hearing it again hit me rather hard in the feels - The George Floyd trial and subsequent murders of two black people a female teen and an adult male, both who called the police to help them and when the police arrived, they killed them. It just rocked me to my core.

People are celebrating the outcome of the George Floyd trial, but I can't celebrate until innocent black people are treated with respect, dignity, and equality. So, this song was liberating and cleansing for me today.

There is a line in the song:

I don't really care if anybody likes me I just want to love myself love myself.

That's it. I just want to, no NEED to love myself. Because if I listen to what the haters say, my life has no value and I am not worthy of love. Oh am I glad that is a LIE. So I am focusing on loving myself. And you should too.

Song Lyrics

Written by Sarah Aarons and Greg Kurstin.

I forget when I was younger, it was easy
Now I'm stressed, I'd always have to have the TV on
Watching memories fade to gray and winding slowly
Makes me uneasy, making me crazy

But is it fake love if I'm lying to myself
Tryin' to fake the way I feel?
Am I a stranger if I don't recognize myself
Tryin' to fix up something real?

I don't really care
I don't wanna keep my head down
Got nothing to share
Maybe I should put my phone down
I don't really care if everybody likes me
I just wanna love myself Love myself
Love myself

It's hard to pay attention when my mind talks
Only wish there was a way to turn my mind off
Now the only way to sleep is with the lights on
Making me lonely, making me crazy

But is it fake love if I'm lying to myself
Tryin' to fake the way I feel?
Am I a stranger if I don't recognize myself
Tryin' to fix up something real?

I don't really care
I don't wanna keep my head down
Got nothin' to share
Maybe I should put my phone down
I don't really care if everybody likes me
I just wanna love myself
Love myself

My head is spinnin', the ground breaks
And I can't pay attention when my hands shake
When love is gone, when every day is a bad day
Just need myself to tell me that its okay

I don't really care
I don't wanna keep my head down
Got nothin' to share
Maybe I should put my phone down
I don't really care if everybody likes me
I just wanna love myself Love myself

I don't really care
I don't wanna keep my head down
Got nothin' to share
Maybe I should put my phone down
I don't really care if everybody likes me
I just wanna love myself
Love myself

Source: Musixmatch

#BlackLivesMatter