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A little bit about me

I am just a humble man who has a passion for koi fish.

Koi fish are beautiful creatures full of character and rich with the markings of culture. I envy their grace and ability to live a simpler life. I wish with all my heart to be reincarnated as the most expensive koi fish in the world when I pass on. Every variety from Kujaku to Sanke even to Benigoi is magnificent and special to my heart.

Why do I do this?

In this blog I hope to create a beautiful community of people who appreciate my passion for koi and can share it with me. I think there is nothing more beautiful than the idea of a communal “pond” of ideas that can be shared and discussed together. I hope to spread my ideals to the world through this blog and learn from others what they believe. So… please join me as I begin to contruct this “pond of knowledge”.

Hello Goodbye

Hello My Fellow Fish Lovers,

As the Beatles once said hello hello, but also goodbye to all of you. Though it is with a heavy heart I must journey on past this blog. I think that getting connected and reading how you guys feel about the things I find interesting helped me find the inner peace I was looking for. I think Im gonna try to travel around, possibly rekindle relationships with old friends. I’m really going to search for what I have been missing, happiness. You all have been my rock. You have been my pond. I hope it continues to flow with knowledge, love and curiosity forever. Never stop looking for what makes you happy. Remember to smell the flowers and blow out the candles. Appreciate what life puts forward. I appreciate you all.

Keep Swimming,

Koi Lover

How this “Meat Patch” is helping us make the change to plant-based diets

Hello Paul Osbourne,
Thank you for bringing this to the public’s attention.This is astounding! A patch that makes kicking the habit of meat eating easier. Sign me up! I mean I would simply love to make this whole vegetarian thing easier. I have tried so many times to go vegetarian because I know that it will be more environmentally friendly but it is just so hard. I just want to make the world a better place but when burgers taste that good how can I say no? I definitely think that the idea of a plate of lentils or chana masala sounds exquisite but I simply cannot say no to a good burger at my favorite spot in town The Malt Shop. I mean thinking about it right now is making my mouth water. However, I think it is great news that scientists are finally trying to work towards a solution to this “addiction”. The large amount of meat eaters in the United States alone in turn correlates to the large amounts of farmland taken up by the meat industry. If we in some way are able to convert our society from omnivorous to herbivorous we could utilize all this land to grow food for our consumption instead of using it to grow the food to feed our meat products. Just imagine all the cows’ lives that could be saved if the bovine industry alone was largely reduced. Just that industry being absolved would open up nearly 60% of all agricultural land to be used to grow vegetables and other eco-friendly proteins. That is crazy! 60% of all agricultural land is being used for beef production, even though for most people in the world it is not a main staple in their daily diet. I think that the land would have a lot better use as a produce farm. With the utilization of this patch I think it is possible to envision a world where people will become a lot less dietarily dependent on meat and can look towards other alternatives to fill their protein and dietary needs. A main drawback of meat alternative products is their price as well. They sometimes can be more expensive than actual meat, which forces those without as much flexibility in their spending to shy away from them because they cannot afford to purchase and eat them. I am hoping that if the public’s consumption of meat were to greatly decrease this would allow for the price of meat alternatives to go down as well over time due to demand and a better market for them. A price decrease would allow those who are discouraged by the price to be able to finally purchase these products. This can be especially important when considering lower income families, if they were able to purchase these products they could be healthier and not have to rely on what is cheap but also on what is good for them, which would be simply wonderful. Then everyone could help save the planet, one black bean burger at a time.
Thanks for reading!
Keep Swimming,
Koi Lover

Paul's Eats: Foodie Adventures Around the World

In the past few years, it’s quite obvious that there’s been a revolution towards plant-based diets and imitation meat. More and more people are dropping meat out of their daily diet, substituting it for vegetarian alternatives like tofu, mushrooms, lentils, and the reasons are becoming increasingly clear. For starters, a plant-based diet significantly lowers our chances of obesity, heart disease, and it lowers the impact the meat industry has on the environment! So what exactly is a “meat patch” and what are its benefits? A “meat patch” is similar to a caffeine or nicotine patch and it’s intended for meat eaters who want to eat less meat. It works by releasing the smell of meat when eating plant-based foods to trick our brains into thinking it’s actually meat. Since our smell and taste are closely linked, it makes sense that it’s an effective method to make us enjoy our veggies…

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Stay Healthy!

Hello My Friends,

I am back again with another hard hitting topic. Coronavirus. More specifically, the CDC recently released that they expect Coranavirus to spread throughout the US. I for one am very alarmed and worried about this. Not only for the safety of myself, but also for my children and friends. If you have not been paying attention to the news you would not know what Coronavirus is or how dangerous it is. Well i’ll tell you. Coronavirus or COVID-19 is an illness whose cases started popping up in Mainland China in the beginning of January. Since then there has been a lot of fear and controversy surrounding the disease. It also has had 322 cases in Italy as of recently, death toll of 10 within the country. It has been reported that the global death toll has exceeded 2,700 people. However, there have been thousands more non-fatal cases worldwide in addition. A visual representation available in a Wall Street Journal article I read really put in perspective how powerful and how fast this disease is spreading. It is scary to think about how something can start so small, unheard of and with so few cases and within a month spread to thousands of people across the globe and become a new world scare that is affecting the trade markets and causing the Dow Jones to fall due to increasing fear of global trade. That’s just horrifying. But back to my point, according to the CDC, “…there have been 14 confirmed local cases, with an additional 3 cases among the passengers from the U.S. chartered flights and 40 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.” In spite of all these cases the CDC still believes that the immediate threat to the general public is “still low”. They still continue to warn us however that if the case number were to increase further, the epidemic may become too large to contain using the current methods of quarantine and surveillance of those close in contact with confirmed cases for any symptoms of the virus. Health officials will be forced to shift to other methods which may have problems or cause school cancellation and self-enforced quarantine. I feel that if this disease spreads and the case numbers get large enough, people will be scared to leave their house. It will be like “doomsday”, all streets would be empty all houses would be full and businesses would just close temporarily after their shelves are emptied by everyone stocking up. But all of that would be drastic overkill, public risk is still very low and all known cases have been properly dealt with and are under control as of late.

I think this is calming news, but I will still be cautious. I do not want to be flippant and get myself and others sick. So, wipe down your seats folks, wear a mask and WASH YOUR HANDS and hopefully we can all be safe. If we just become aware of the symptoms, stay hygenic and always be safe we’ll be healthy?

Keep Swimming,

Koi Lover

Response to Betty Swain

Hello B. Swain,

This experiment is quite intriguing, and quite possibly amazing. I think the idea of being able to “replace” your pain while still keeping the memories that correspond. That is astonishing that it has shown such a high yield of susceptibility in patients. It makes me happy to think that those with trauma can receive worthwhile help and see effective results. Science is truly spectacular, any problem can and will be solved if you give science enough time to fix it. Modern medicine and psychological treatment has also gained a lot of innovation and advancement and I am just so amazed and excited to see that there is finally a solution and effective help for those in stress and need.
SOmething else I am wondering is what long term effect will this treatment have one your memories. The article mentioned that this reconsolidation therapy will allow for full recollection without pain, but how will it change what was learned from the bad experience? My memories are something I deeply cherish and would never trade for anything in this world. However, I must admit with my memories and life, has come just as much pain and sadness. I miss my family very dearly but they are all gone and most of what I have left to give me company is the fish. Sometimes as I work in the yard I wish that they could just return to me or that I could not feel this pain any longer or and from the looks of it my prayers have been answered. It begs the question however, should pain be forgotten if it can be managed. The pain I bear is difficult but it is not a hindrance to my life. It is simply a burden I must carry on my shoulders. So, I wonder if I should alleviate my pain or keep the memories some memories harder to swallow. I would hate to one day wake up and think that everything has always been pleasant. You know that saying that goes, life is a rollercoaster and you would not know the highs without the lows. I think in a way that could speak to the ethical implications of this therapy. Not to say those with scarring trauma and PTSD should not be able to access this treatment but it could possibly be overkill for heartbreak or a “bad break up”. But that is not really for me to say, each person is responsible for their pain and dealing. I just personally am unsure if I would want to use it on myself.

I do miss my family and I wish that I didn’t have to live with that pain, but the fish, the pond and all my friends keep me a little bit happier. I may not be out in space like you, B. Swain, but I try to keep life interesting so I do not feel so lonely. I hope the space adventures are treating you well, stay safe out there.

Keep Swimming,

Fish Lover

For more check out their blog post:https://spaceperspectivephotography.photo.blog/2020/02/14/one-pill-that-can-alleviate-heart-break/

Fish Waste

Hello Fellow Ponders,

I hope that the last week has been well. I’m sorry for the wait I just thought I would take a break to relax. As you have probably heard the Brexit deal recently passed meaning that Britain will be leaving the European Union shortly. This has been in the works for a fairly long time. But you’re probably wondering why this matters to me. Well it will probably have little effect on me. However, I saw this article the other day that really caught me eye. It was about how Britain fisheries are suspected of disposing of over one million tons of fish per year because of the EU’s fishing rules. These returns were often made alive or dead because the fishing boats exceeded their quota and were not allowed to bring in anymore fish. This practice of retuning dead fish is an active pollutant in the ocean and is not any better than overfishing. Current studies have been unable to pin the blame directly on the UK. The studies did show an increase in disposal over the past 15 years. In 2005 it was “estimatedthat 500,000 to 800,000 tons of fish were discarded in the North Sea each year…”. Sadly, in a study conducted in 2013 this estimate increased to over “…1.7 million tons of fish and “other marine animals”…” The EU has been attempting to stop this drastic amount of discarding, through a discard ban implemented in 2015, but so far it has seemed ineffective. Most experts have seemed hasty to believing that the bulls put in place will actually have much effect. In my personal opinion I think that this amount of waste being produced is horrible and out of control. I am a strong believer in commercial fishing regulation. However, if these boats are going out and devastating populations enough to dump 1 million tons of dead marine animals back, they should find a more proper disposal system then just throwing back the dead. This practice seems wasteful and just as devastating. I think also implementation of better regulation in the fishing industry would greatly improve this problem of overfishing. So, what do the officials hope to change? They are hoping to install many methods of higher observation so that it is much harder to disobey the discard ban. They hope to create higher surveillance of the seas through “…observers and CCTV on boats…” It’s just been challenging since most surveillance options do not exist across all countries in the EU. What I am wondering is if Brexit will affect this surveillance once it is enacted. I hope that overfishing and discarding gets resolved and starts to decline. I just want the ocean to be healthy and fish friends to be safe and not have to swim with the dead. The fish are my first priority, fresh water or saltwater, I am just a humble fish lover. I hope that man’s impact on the great ocean does not continue to worsen. FOR THE FISH!

Keep Swimming,

Koi Lover

Week 5 Blog: Super Bowl Commercials

Hello ZucchiniFries00,
I think this shift is something that deserves thought. The Superbowl was once to most viewed program of the year and now you say it is experiencing a decline in viewership. I agree that this decline could be due to loss of interest or possibly the invention of dvr recording, but still this shift in the meanings and messages that these commercials are spreading is something to keep inconsideration. Take myself for example, I have always been an avid football fan and watched every game and super bowl I could in my life but my kids always just liked the commercials. They would always play in the yard and run around the house until I told them the commercials were on, and then they would come and watch the cute puppy commercials or the ones with the “horsies.” I think the one time my daughter was watching was back in 2015 when Butler got that interception at the goal line, that was a legendary yet very infuriating move. I really do not like the New England Patriots. But my hatred is not my point, I think that the Superbowl has something to offer for everyone, it has the game of the year for those interested enough to watch, it has some zany and yet sometimes very touching commercials that have the ability to cater to anyone and it has the halftime show for the music fanatics. I think most importantly though it has the ability to bring people together. Everywhere across America, millions of people are gathering to spend time together, eat wings, barbecue, and just have a good time all while watching the same thing everyone else in America is.
I think the cultural significance of the super bowl is probably more important than the actual game at times. I mean it has become a staple in American culture, every year at the beginning of february we start to see themed items, special promotions and so much togetherness in communities due to this shared experience of this event. I think that that is vastly important. Possibly more important than the actual viewership of the game. Though I am sure the broadcasting company does not agree with that statement.
I hope that the commercials and companies that pay so much for them to be aired continue to use this wide audience and influence to push these hard hitting and groundbreaking topics. Spreading the word of climate change is very important. Spreading the word of acceptance is important. Actively trying to better this planet is very important. As I say in most of my blog posts, my largest goal on earth is to somehow change it for the better and I think that the use of this influence may be able to change at least some minds who are currently pushing back on change. This game appeals to people of different, class, creed, color and background and I would assume that it is probably very effective in reaching and resonating with all these different kinds of people. I hope that it can make a difference.

Keep Swimming,
Koi Lover

zucchinifries00

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are probably well aware that the Super Bowl is this Sunday. Even though I know absolutely nothing about sports, especially football, everyone around me, I found out that the Super Bowl is this Sunday just a couple days ago from social media and my physics teacher who mentioned it in class while trying to solve a word problem. I knew the 49ers were playing in the Superbowl, but I had to look up online who they were playing, which are the Kansas City Chiefs (a team that I did not know even existed) in case you did not know. My family has never been big sports people, but when I was younger we would still watch the Super Bowl together, mainly for the ads. As I got older and technology advanced, we would just record the Super Bowl on our TV, and…

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Buzz Buzz

Hello Fellow Ponders,

As you have probably already noticed, I am a humble lover of koi but more importantly all of nature. The decline in the honey bee population has saddened me for many years. But now there is hope! The coolness of science has created a way to save the honey bees and rid them of their many threats. The scientists from the University of Texas at Austin hope that this bacteria they have created will allow the honey bee population to rise while simultaneously dwindling the population of their most common parasite. The bacteria seems to be pretty effective in their study samples. In the experimental group it showed around a 35% increase in survival rate in comparison to the control group. Along with a 70% increase in the likelihood of the mites that fed on treated honey bees dying. Which is very good. These varroa mites are very detrimental to the population, as most parasites are. Another very big danger to the honey bee population is deformed wing virus, which can often be carried by these Varroa Mites. The virus causes gene mutation and also weakens the infected species. But the bacteria strain that was created has been engineered to both protect the honey bees from mites and this deformed wing virus, while simultaneously causing the immune system of the mites attack and kill itself. Which will eliminate this devastating parasite. I am very excited about this all because honey bees are very important to the ecosystem and the pollination cycle. Without honey bees, flowers populations are GONE. Vegetables, like broccoli, squash, nuts, ALMONDS, severely in danger. Without honey bees growth of produce will become increasingly harder to produce and will most likely make pricing go up. Which is TERRIBLE! My world would just crumble. My beautiful garden would be greatly impacted if the honey bee population disappeared, my poor garden. At least my koi will be okay, algae does not require pollination, so at least the fish can eat. But back to my point, according to a national survey, beekeepers lost around 40% of their honey bee colonies last year. This matter is very urgent and it is devastating that it has reached this point. I hope that this treatment will prove successful and the honey bees will come back. But in the meantime remember to always save the honey bee friends. I know they can be scary but they are not malevolent and they do not want to hurt you. They just want to pollinate the world and make honey. They are good creatures and most of all a very important part of the ecosystem. Without honey bees we wouldn’t have anything. Sorry that’s dramatic but you get my point. They are very important. They “contribute nearly $20 billion each year to the value of U.S. crop production…” so I guess it is not an exaggeration to say that they are important. Economically, we would be devastated without them, and most likely starving from a low supply of food. Our plot on the supply vs. demand graph would not be one to strive for, it would make prices too high and many people would be unable to eat. Save the bees ponders! I want to live!

Keep Swimming,

Koi Lover

“Take Her Out”

Hello Yellow Guy,

I totally agree with your sentiment. At this point I don’t even bat an eye when I hear that the president has fired another member of his office. He’s done it so many times before. It is like the Apprentice all over again. “Ya Fired!” Remember that show, when our president was a reality T.V. star. What a time to be alive, right? Having a reality T.V. host and business man run our country. It almost seems unreal but that is not the point here. I think that your inclusion of the “lie tracker” is quite hilarious. I find it thrilling that someone has actually been fact checking all the things he has said since the beginning of his presidency to see if what he is saying is true or just persuasive and manipulative lies to warp the world view of his followers. I think his position of power is quite interesting and a topic to look into, just how successful he truly has been. But I digress, his impeachment hearing has been hot stuff in the news as of late with more and more buzz about it across newspapers and magazines everywhere. I think it is right what has happened to him. He cheated the fundamental system that makes America free, democracy. He has also shown many signs of abuse of power, and seems too selfish and biased to fairly rule a country full of so much diversity. You are completely correct, Yellow Guy, in that he does not understand or sympathize with those who are not like him, or that is at least what it seems. In all honesty I feel like a lot of politicians these days, in the bigger offices at least, do not hold the same backgrounds and sympathy for the “common” American. And this seems fundamentally wrong, I think that politics should not be ruled and manipulated by and for the elite so they can continue being rich and successful. We need change for the better. We need to clean the table and change this country. Not to be radical or anything, I am just a simple guy that wants the world to be peaceful and good. I want a world that I wouldn’t be scared to leave my family alone in. I want the world to become balanced and kind.
Thank you Yellow guy for bringing this event to my eyes and provoking all these thoughts. His wording was quite ominous and threatening, kinda weird that he phrased it that way, but he’s sort of a weird guy all in all. I think I will ponder for a long time trying to find an answer to how we can improve. Just go sit by the pond, feed the fish and think for a while, sounds like a heavenly place to be. I look forward to it!

Hope you are well,
Koi Lover

Yellow Guy

If not about a date, “Take her/him out” is a pretty ominous phrase spoken by gangsters in movies before someone gets murdered.

Well, our president was heard saying this about then-United States ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch before she was— you guessed it — fired from her job.

But hearing someone got fired on President Trump’s administration, at this point, isn’t exactly noteworthy. The interesting part was that he was saying this at a dinner including “Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman — two former business associates of Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani who have since been indicted in New York on charges including campaign finance fraud.” The best part is, Trump had previously claimed “he doesn’t know Parnas and instead support the narrative that has been offered by Parnas during broadcast interviews in recent days that Trump demanded Yovanovitch’s termination.”

Our president really seems to lie more than he tells…

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Face to Face

Hello my fellow Koi Fanatics,

Are you ready for another wacky story. In this time of chaos and big news stories some shocking and deeply important stories seem to slip through the cracks. I was just hoping to bring light to something I found deeply interesting and informative and add it to the “pond” of knowledge on this here blog. I know this has nothing to do with koi but I am more than just a koi lover, I am a fanatic for the news! And I would like to say this news story is pretty thought provoking. So…buckle up guys!

In the last week of impeachment talk and bush fires and other catastrophes, legislators across the country have been pushing hard to regulate facial recognition use within law enforcement. This topic is a big can of worms to me. I feel that facial recognition could become a very helpful tool for keeping order but I feel like it might be a step too far. In my opinion it would take most privacy out of day to day life. I would personally feel like I was being watched when I went shopping for bananas or koi food. To the legislators that are pushing for this regulation the use of facial recognition could impede on the 1st amendment rights of all Americans. They fear that the technology will be used to catalog those that have attended rallies and protest just for showing their face in public. I personally agree that use of this technology does not seem correct. I don’t want to feel like I have to tailor my actions because I’m being watched. This just seems very utopian, I feel that this would take too much power and liberty away from the public. The fears of the lawmakers seem logical. They are scared that the use of this technology will be abused to further oppress and discriminate against minority groups. According to a study done by the Department of Commerce’s National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) “…some facial recognition systems are anywhere from 10 to 100 times more likely to misidentify groups like the young, elderly, women of color, and people of asian or african descent.” This is extremely dangerous and unreliable, and may well “…exacerbate existing prejudices and over policing of…communities of color.” I feel that if this system will continue and perpetuate this prejudice it should not be used. Seems wrong to continue this unfair pattern. I think that everything should be equal and no person or thing should be belittled for what they can not change.

Something I think should be brought to light is Amazon’s role in all of this. They are the main provider of this technology to the government. The extent to which facial recognition is sold to governments is unknown, however it is known that Amazon has marketed Rekognition to ICE official in the past. Taking into consideration how harsh immigration enforcement has become I think that this marketing is wrong.

Anyways thanks for reading pond lovers. Just keep swimming!

Until next time my friends,

Koi Lover

An eye opener

Hello Sage,

I understand that you have a deep love for animals and you have grown up in nature all your life. I can relate to this sentiment. I have always had a deep fascination with nature and possessed a deep appreciation for its beauty. I feel extremely blessed to walk into my backyard and just see a pond of the species I cherish most. I think your care for animals is supremely important and impactful, especially in such a time of need for the planet. I believe in care for mother earth and leaving it better and healthier than you found it. I try to live a pretty sustainable and fulfilling lifestyle in order to help the planet. Through my koi pond I try to encapsulate the beauty of nature within the small space that is my backyard. It is quite a peaceful and beautiful thing to wake up to every morning.

Anyways, back to what I was talking about, got a little off topic. Umm…oh yes, koalas. I am very glad to know that even though ⅓ of the koala population of New South Wales has died, they are not yet “functionally extinct”. It is very soothing to know that there is still some hope for their population.I think your effort to spread this message and weigh in on the conversation is very important. Including the PSA as well is very important. Being an informant for the people is a noble task to take up. I am glad to know now. I would not want to cause any harm to a koala if such things could be avoided. So I really appreciate the warning, not just to me but to everyone.

I hope that the situation in Australia improves and the bush fires and damage left behind from them will not continue to devastate the koala population. I would hate to see their wildlife population die in my lifetime or even in the lifetime of my children or my grandchildren. This planet is too important to brush aside and allow to be consumed by the emissions of large companies with the interest of profit and instead of the health of the planet. I would hate to one day walk outside and go on hikes and no longer see beauty but just a shell of nature. Being constantly surrounded by beauty makes you forget that destructive and horrible events are occurring all around because of climate change. Thank you for keeping it on my mind. I would hate to live in a world that became unsuitable for my favorite animals to live. The sad truth is that this is already happening. My koi have not been damaged but one day they could be. I hope that the world will soon change and we will live in a safer place that is not so mucked up. A world that is not being demolished by natural disasters caused by our inaction. I wish for a cleaner and greener future.

Just a humble man,

Koi Lover

to read sage’s post visit their page: https://midnightadvicewithsage.water.blog/