Saturday, July 21. 2007
 I have no idea what the Dem Senators were doing when they voted against the John Doe provision. It's a vote for terror success, and I just don't get it.
Totten: Welcome to Baghdad. Ed Koch bails out of his support of Iraq. He has had it with the Iraqis. Prostate cancer. It can be aggressive, and it can be very lazy, indolent and harmless in older guys. A new test to tell the difference. Your tuition dollars at work. New Zealand considers college courses in prostitution. Moonbattery. Hey - it's the world's oldest profession. Sally Smith, B.J. A new grand Roman villa discovered in Rome. AOL News. See the photos. How smart does Gen. Petraeus sound? Interview via Attack Machine. Barry Obama believes that criminals just need more love. Pretty to think so. Where did he learn that theory? Image: A famous Alberto Vargas girl from the 1920s.
Ships can weather far worse storms than this, but it's unusual to have a helo taking film at the same time. This is the cruise ship Voyager in cyclone Valentina in the Med on Valentine's Day, 2005. Not very romantic. (h/t, And rightly So)
Blackfish Creek is a tidal inlet which runs from the harbor through the town of Wellfleet, MA. Photo borrowed from this Wellfleet photo site. 
Friday, July 20. 2007
Regular readers know that Maggie's Farm has a strong conservationist orientation, but if anyone tries to call us Greenies we will shoot you in both kneecaps with our Colt Python. I know some readers are inclined to disagree with us about this, but we do believe in certain sorts of planning, and even certain sorts of government "taking," Kelo notwithstanding.  For two examples we like, JFK's Cape Cod National Seashore took the development rights to broad swaths of the Lower Cape (which is the upper Cape). This action not only preserved the feel and aesthetics of the Cape but preserved the unusual Cape environment - and ultimately raised land values through the roof. Without the National Seashore, there would no longer be anywhere on the Cape to hunt, the salt marshes would be filled in, and the place would look like the worst parts of the Jersey Shore. (Photo is a view of Wellfleet's Chequessett Neck).
Another example we like is Britain's Town and Country Planning Act of 1947. Without that act of Parliament, Britain would not be a tourist destination: it would look like Indianapolis. It protected the towns, and it protected their farmlands and open spaces. Yes, it essentially confiscated development rights - with the voters' approval. (Photo below: A view of English countryside, just outside of town.) 
So, while our pure Libertarian readers grouse and grumble, let's get to the point. The good Prof. Pat Deneen recently hosted Roger Scruton at Georgetown, which speech is now Scruton's most recent published essay, A Righter Shade of Green, in The American Conservative. Scruton isn't so much in favor of government taking - he is in favor of a local sense of trusteeship. That's the right idea, but I haven't seen it work in practice too often: local politics are not the highest form of human civic evolution or future-orientation. As Prof Deneen notes, and as we have frequently noted here, poor stewardship of our precious land in the US is made possible by the "externalization of costs" to other people and to future generations. Example: highways. Example: development of good farmland for 1/2 acre zoning. Read Pat Deneen's piece here. He quotes Scruton's conclusion: What then is the conservative solution, if there is one? A revival of trusteeship is the only hope for the future, and this attitude is natural to human beings. They enter the world through no choice of their own, to be greeted, as a rule, by the love of parents and the security of home. The trustee is the one who recognizes that his home, and all that it means, are inherited things, things to be safeguarded and passed on. This attitude exercises itself at the local level in the voluntary associations and small institutions of civil society. It is the core component in that associational genius that Tocqueville discerned in the American people. It is the legacy of a political order that regards people, not rulers, as the source of authority and the fount of responsible decision-making.
Environmental movements on the Left seldom pause to consider the question of human motivation. It is so clear to them that something must be done that they leap to the conclusion that it must be done by state power and imposed by law. The problem with that approach is that it makes mistakes into permanent legacies and provides no incentive to ordinary citizens to do what they are told. Conservatives, on the whole, are more respectful of human nature and will recognize in the attitude of trusteeship a feeling to which we automatically tend, when given the freedom to exercise it.
Read Scruton's whole essay at American Conservative.
 Asians and Westerners literally see the world differently. From a piece at Live Science:
Nisbett illustrated this with a test asking Japanese and Americans to look at pictures of underwater scenes and report what they saw. The Americans would go straight for the brightest or most rapidly moving object, he said, such as three trout swimming. The Japanese were more likely to say they saw a stream, the water was green, there were rocks on the bottom and then mention the fish. The Japanese gave 60 percent more information on the background and twice as much about the relationship between background and foreground objects as Americans, Nisbett said.
Our Editor sent out an email suggesting that we not avoid the subject of food. "Our readers like food," he said simply, "so when you have a food thought, feel free to post it if you have the time."  As a Christian Yankee lad, I was not raised on potato latkes, but they have become one of my favorite eats, and they are easy to make. You can eat them for breakfast or lunch or snack, and especially with pork for dinner. I like them with sour cream on top, or applesauce.
I make them like this: - Shred three or four large potatoes in the Cuisinart, then squeeze them in a towel to dry them a bit
- Shred one or two onions in the Cuisinart, and squeeze them too.
- Mix above in a bowl with one stirred egg, some salt, and a couple of tablespoons of flour - just enough to hold them together.
- make irregular patties out of them, and fry them like pancakes. Oil better than butter.
 Our Aliyah Diary author Nathan forwarded this letter from Jerusalem about the NYT review of "Hot House" this week, and the pictured murderer of 15 at Sbarro.
Dear Friends, Today's New York Times carries a review of a film called "Hot House " that goes inside Israeli prisons and examines the lives of Palestinian prisoners. We're not recommending the film or the review. But we do want to share our feelings with you about the beaming female face that adorns the article.
The film is produced by HBO. So it's presumably HBO's publicity department that was responsible for creating and distributing a glamor style photograph of a smiling, contented-looking young woman in her twenties to promote the movie.
That female is our child's murderer. She was sentenced to sixteen life sentences or 320 years which she is serving in an Israeli jail. Fifteen people were killed and more than a hundred maimed and injured by the actions of this attractive person and her associates.
Neither the New York Times nor HBO are likely to give even a moment's attention to the victims of the barbarians who destroyed the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem and the lives of so many victims. So we would be grateful if you would pass along this link to some pictures of our daughter whose name was Malki. She was unable to reach her twenties - Hamas saw to that.
Though she was only fifteen years old when her life was stolen from her and from us, we think Malki was a beautiful young woman, living a beautiful life. We ask your help so that other people - far fewer than the number who will see the New York Times, of course - can know about her. Please ask your friends to look at the pictures - some of the very few we have - of our murdered daughter.
They are at
http://www.kerenmalki.org/photo.htm
And remind them of what the woman in the Israeli prison - the woman smiling so happily in the New York Times - said last year. "I'm not sorry for what I did. We'll become free from the occupation and then I will be free from prison."
With so many voices demanding that Israel release its terrorist prisoners, small wonder she's smiling.
With greetings from Jerusalem,
Frimet and Arnold Roth
On behalf of Keren Malki
If two people play checkers without errors, the game will always end in a draw. So claims checkers and computer science expert Jonathan Schaeffer.
Name one thing Hillary Clinton has done (besides getting rich without working).
The war in Iraq - which I still insist is a very small war, and now more of a sophisticated police action than a war - began as a bipartisan effort but has evolved into an intensely partisan one. Why? It's being used, and magnified, as a wedge issue by the Dems. Why? Because they can't say, this time, "It's the economy, stupid." What else do the Dems have? Thus this war is being magnified into something like Korea or Vietnam. Facts play no role in this - it's the narrative: Vietnam Redux. 
 Megaflood created the English Channel.
Fastest internet connection in the world - in Sweden. A 72 year-old lady has it. Me want. (h/t to somebody - I forget who) Is Bush's freedom-oriented foreign policy a "Messiah complex"? Flesh-eating bacteria in Galveston beaches Nuke power for California. It's about time. Am Thinker Heard any good yodeling yet today? Einen Jodler hor i gern. (h/t, David Thompson) Perfectly preserved baby mammoth found in Siberia. No freezer burn? (h/t, Flares) Eating beef is less green than driving. Telegraph. Gonna get me a big burger tonight, with bacon. A damning quote by Newsweek's Evan Thomas re Duke, from piece at Op. Journal: "It was about race. Nifong's motivations clearly were rooted in his need to win black votes. There were tensions between town and gown, that part was true. The narrative was properly about race, sex and class. . . . We went a beat too fast in assuming that a rape took place. . . . We just got the facts wrong. The narrative was right, but the facts were wrong."
Undersecretary of Defence Eric Edelman said this in response to Mrs. Clinton: "Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies in Iraq, much as we are perceived to have done in Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia," Edelman wrote.
He added that "such talk understandably unnerves the very same Iraqi allies we are asking to assume enormous personal risks."
Image: 1959's Coppertone Girl is one of the most famous ads of all time. The artist used her daughter as the model. Here's their story. In 1959, the only sun block was that white zinc stuff that sailors put on their noses.
This 62' 1926 Elco yacht is powered by twin diesels and, to my mind, is one handsome craft. Regular readers know that I am fond of the Elco tradition, partly because my Gramps owned the Elco dealership for New England. This one is for sale. 
Thursday, July 19. 2007
Wow, can't believe how early the campaigns for 2008 start. I was at the Quickie Mart, and someone left this under the wiper. Also a handprint that all the washer fluid in the Western Hemisphere can't make a dent in. Oh well, maybe this wise Cincinattus, already plowed, can shed some light onto this Obama guy and why he wants to show Behind the Green Door instead of reading Hop on Pop in kindergarten. 
 I have a friend who is at Bandon this week.
He says that it is the real deal - a true windy Links golf course. It looks darn pleasant, and almost makes me wish I played golf. But I already have more than enough hobbies and chores.
Robert Kagan says that the post-Cold War mirage of international harmony is gone, and normal world history has resumed. He begins: The world has become normal again. The years immediately following the end of the Cold War offered a tantalizing glimpse at a new kind of international order, with nations growing together or disappearing altogether, ideological conflicts melting away, cultures intermingling through increasingly free commerce and communications. But that was a mirage, the hopeful anticipation of a liberal, democratic world that wanted to believe the end of the Cold War did not end just one strategic and ideological conflict but all strategic and ideological conflict. People and their leaders longed for "a world transformed." 1 Today the nations of the West still cling to that vision. Evidence to the contrary -- the turn toward autocracy in Russia or the growing military ambitions of China -- is either dismissed as a temporary aberration or denied entirely.
Read the whole thing.
I don't know whether The Barrister actually wants to carry, or to keep a gun in his glove compartment - or whether he simply wants the permit because it is his right to do so. I asked a friend for advice for The B.  Dear Barrister,
If you do intend to carry after you get your CCP, the most important issues are physical comfort, comfort with the use of the handgun, and stopping power. To carry a gun which is not second nature to use could get you into more trouble than you want. There is no "right" pistol to carry. Try lots of them, over time, at the range, and find what suits you best - and what fits under your jackets without scaring the neighbors! Here is a good introductory article on the subject. Pictured is the revolver I carry, when I do carry, which is not all of the time. Colt Python, now out of production. It's a .357 magnum, and I have the 4" barrel. Fortunately for the bad guys, I have never needed to fire it outside of the range, and I hope I never will. Have fun. JBH One of our readers prefers the Springfield Armory's XD. I wonder what other handguns our readers like to carry.
"They say ev'rything can be replaced,
They say ev'ry distance is not near.
So I remember ev'ry face
Of ev'ry man who put me here.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.
They say ev'ry man needs protection,
They say ev'ry man must fall.
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Some place so high above this wall.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.
Standing next to me in this lonely crowd,
Is a man who swears he's not to blame.
All day long I hear him shout so loud,
Crying out that he was framed.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released."
"I Shall Be Released," written back in 1967 at Big Pink. At least four versions have been officially released, with hundreds more live performances, as well as dozens upon dozens of covers by everyone from The Band to the Pretenders. A version from 1994, complete with symphony orchestra, is below.
Above is the MQ-9, "The Reaper." Grim indeed. Story at (and photo from) Willisms Poll: Global warming is world's most boring topic We caught a bad guy - but you already knew that. Obama wants Kindergarten Sex Ed. Insane. But teaching them to read might be a good idea. On the other hand, Dems want to pay for your abortion. Would someone please explain to me how an abortion is a medical treatment? What media bias? Astonishing new examples at Gateway The Carnival of Education at Education Wonks. Always something interesting in that Carnival. The shrinking dollar. New York Sun Did you see this copy of an Al Gore contract? SDA. He has a good gig. Wise words, re socialized medicine (but which apply to anything) from a piece at Asst. Village Idiot: Every intervention solves some problems and creates others, though it is always possible for a bureaucracy to create problems and solve nothing. If we go to a Canadian/British system of health care it will solve some problems and create others. If we go to a French or German model we will solve different things and create different problems. If we change nothing we will continue to have the problems we are having, but we will avoid getting new ones. In all discussions about complicated and enormous problems with competing needs, we will get some benefit and some loss. Anyone speaking as if there will be all gain and no loss is not thinking. We do have problems. Solving them would be good. The question then becomes, does this plan solve more things or worsen more things?
They do explode on occasion, but yesterday's Lexington Ave. steam explosion was more dramatic than usual. Old steam pipes.
 To what extent should "public goods" be subsidized? What are the limits?
Transportation is taxpayer-subsidized or government-run in the US. Airports, roads and highways, and mass transit, for starters. All of these things were once entirely private ventures. In the Boston to DC corridor, Amtrak is a wonderful thing and it is heavily used. It's quicker and cheaper than driving and parking, and it takes you from downtown to downtown instead of to a distant airport. Whether Amtrak is overly-subsidized is another question, which I cannot answer. However, I would ask these folks who are mooning Amtrak in Calif. whether they would like their California interstates taken away. The NY Sun a while ago was not too keen on Amtrak subsidies, but when they discuss the far-cheaper cost of busses, they ignore the fact that the highways they use are government-built and maintained. Photo: A high-speed Acela engine
How to hide from the wife when she wants you to do something around the place, while catching a few Zs. A good year-round use for your camo. 
|
