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Maggie's FarmWe are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for. |
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Saturday, August 23. 2008Cheatin' links
That was never our original intention. Many other people do that better than we do, and we do not need to be an echo chamber. We did want to represent our traditional views, but to not get caught up in the daily frenzies. But the temptation is strong because we are passionate about our beliefs about the America we love. And our original intention was never to feel any obligation for daily posts. We all have day jobs, but we - or I - got caught up in the fun of it, and we all read tons of stuff on these nets every day anyway. Futhermore, I have accepted a new job in NYC, beginning in September. Do not worry about me - I have a good 5-year contract. A big move. Can't let life stagnate, but it's not going to be like work in the countryside. I expect 14-hour days, and look forward to a fresh new challenge. Give me your best shot, Big Apple. I think I can take it, and too much comfort is not good for a young fellow. My huntin' buddy will take good care of my Springer, and put her to work more than I will be able to. She is a biddable gal, and promiscuous with her affection. I will sneak these links: The Village Idiots, notes a commenter at LGF. Yep. The physiology of perversion. This actually makes sense. The vicious cycle of Dem urban control. Duh.
Related: Harvey Cushing photo journal. Try that, economists. Pure, delighted malice. SISU Is this video the election? Now, the new question: Are you an antisemite? The ethos of authoritarianism in the Middle East. Maybe they love it. I hate it. Excuse me, but who is supposed to be the next president? Hmmm. From Town Hall:
I missed this Officer Krupke moment. Did Obama just lose the election? I don't think so, but I hope he will. I will follow the rules, after that.
Posted by The News Junkie
in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects
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21:23
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Diagnostic Errors: A re-postDiagnostic errors remain the All the more reason for docs to be irrational - or rationally irrational - in spending your money (either yours directly, or the insurance company's money - which was your money). If you have a headache, I am going to order an MRI of your head which will cost you between $700-1100 in my area. I know darn well that you don't have a tumor, but I could be wrong 0.3% of the time. So I'll order the MRI, because you will want me to, and my law suit defensiveness will want me to. Still, I will know that it is poor medicine. Indeed, I know that your particular pattern of headache, and your exam shows it to be a Common Migraine, and not a tumor, not an aneurysm, not a stroke or subdural, etc. And I know that all sorts of guidelines have been constructed, such as these. Well, you can toss the guidelines for all I care. The Barrister's recent series on error (Part 1 - Fun with the Null Hypothesis, applies beautifully to modern medicine. There is almost no end to the amount of your money we can spend to try to reduce our False Negative rates - our Type 2 errors. And they will occur, regardless. It is very unpleasant to be sued. It damages a doctor's enjoyment of his art, it absorbs huge amounts of time and energy, and it damages his relationships with all of his patients. And, finally, it has nothing to do with his competence and everything to do with the greed and litigiousness of his patient. I pay 42,000/year for malpractice insurance as a GP, and I have never been sued. I know guys who pay 160,000. You are paying those bills.
Posted by The Old Doc
in Fallacies and Logic, Medical, Our Essays
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12:12
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Our final batch of Wellfleet photosWe'll recycle things from the archives, but nothing new during vacation break. Here's my final big batch of Wellfleet architecture photos. Our prayer is that Wellfleet be never yuppified, and that it remain ramshackle, weather-beaten, weedy, and perfectly imperfect. Like Nantucket, before the Beautiful People discovered it in the 1980s as an alternative to the Hamptons. Hatch's has been there since before I was a little kid, with the same sign with a Striper eating a lobster. If you ask them to keep some Toro (Bluefin tuna belly), they will have it for you the next day, if not sooner. It's the best food in the world (flash-grilled over charcoal, not as sushi).
This grand old boathouse on the harbor is a great place to rent for the summer, but it's booked years in advance, and it ain't cheap. Yes, that is�low tide. There is water against the pilings at high tide:
�Lots more photos below the fold on continuation page - Continue reading "Our final batch of Wellfleet photos" Friday, August 22. 2008From Our Dusty Archives: Semicolon WarsThat piece we posted on semi-colons this week reminded me of this one from 2 years ago: It seems like a fine thing to have a debate raging which has nothing to do with politics. Where do you stand on the pressing semicolon issue? Some love 'em, some hate 'em, and, difficult as it may be to believe, some people are actually indifferent to the subject. I happen to enjoy colons, semicolons, ellipses, dashes, parentheses, and any other things on the keyboard, but I sometimes wonder whether some of that is pure laziness, or lack of time for editing. From a piece by Butterworth in Financial Times:
Read entire.
Posted by Bird Dog
in Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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13:30
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More Friday links2008 coolest in 5 years. Too cold for my tomatoes, up here. They do not like these cold nights. Gonna get colder, too. Hey, Al Gore - mail me a new down comforter and a heater for my garden. Chavez' bridge to the 19th Century. What happens to the earth's cognitive surplus? Well, a lot of it goes into these internets, doesn't it? How hard is TIME pumping Obama? Seven covers! He is a media-created sensation. I guess he sells soap. Jennifer Horn for New Hampshire Evil racist videos at Classical Values "We reject the pernicious belief, commonly held at our most highly esteemed institutions, that fighting our nation's battles is someone else's job." The Corner Jim Cramer on natural gas and wind power De Toqueville on the nanny state. A subquote:
After 40 years, the Left still doesn't get the eclipse of socialism. Socialism is tricky. To enforce it and to maintain it, not only do you need some guns but you need to make sure you do not punish achievers and risk-takers to the point that they quit, or climb over the wall and leave for more hospitable shores. Of course, your Wise Leaders always get all they can get - power, babes, money, cars, houses - because they deserve it for their selfless service to the ignorant masses. And, if ignorant, ignorant because of the government schools. Too many good recent posts by AVI to link separately.
Shit and alligators. Nice place, Florida. Caveat emptor, and quit whining and taking my money. Hollywood conservatives to rally for McCain Obama will lose "because he is a flake." Right. He cannot resist the spineless moral equivalencies, which are nothing but rationalizations for timid passivity. Are schools "social service centers"? Why not try to teach the kids math first before trying to do something more difficult? Gotta love these sorts of virtuous idiots. Pay off your conscience with $11, paid for with parents' tuitions. It's a con game. Stealth technology: The Prius is killing off all the blind people. Memo to Toyota: It would be more fun to drive if you gave it a computer-generated Harley sound-effect. The ancient Roman wines![]() Friday morning
George Will on tough schools Jules is back on the job Is growing up in England as terrible as UNICEF says it is? A quote from Dalrymple's piece:
They're paying attention now. Noonan. One quote:
Obama has no position on the federal role in education? I have an opinion: it has no role whatsoever. Note to John McCain: The correct answer is "My wife owns lots of real estate, some for investment purposes. I keep out of it." Rank hypocrisy from George Soros What's up with Joe Lieberman?
Posted by The News Junkie
in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects
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06:43
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Thursday, August 21. 2008You can say some things...some places
However, in the real America, you can't say idiocy like this. The guy is so out to lunch about America that he is indeed his worst enemy. Has he ever met any regular folks like me? We don't want to be like China. Re yet another kerfuffle today, from McCain's campaign: Does a guy who made more than $4 million last year, just got back from vacation on a private beach in Hawaii and bought his own million-dollar mansion with the help of a convicted felon really want to get into a debate about houses? Does a guy who worries about the price of arugula and thinks regular people “cling” to guns and religion in the face of economic hardship really want to have a debate about who’s in touch with regular Americans? “The reality is that Barack Obama’s plans to raise taxes and opposition to producing more energy here at home as gas prices skyrocket show he’s completely out of touch with the concerns of average Americans.” Wham. Bam. Do you really want to get in an air battle with a fighter pilot? I know that the Lefty government types want me to cling to government - run by them. Most of them are medium moron shmoozers who can't hold a real job and never did anything productive with their lives. Why in the world would I cling to them? My gun can help feed me - along with my job. And my God can feed me in other ways. I do not want anybody else's money, for anything. I just want the government to leave me the heck alone to make my own way, for better or worse. That's my notion of human dignity. Have you seen dignity?
Ignore continuation below - it's a glitch. Continue reading "You can say some things...some places"
Posted by The News Junkie
in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects, Our Essays, The Song and Dance Man
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18:44
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Maggie's Top TenOne of our top ten most often-searched posts over the past couple of years is this one: a Do-it-Yourself Test for Sociopathy. Related: A con man's story Use your hands!
Remember: Lots of gravy greases and smooths the insides of your arteries, and helps your brain think better too. In praise of melancholy
Smileyface is an abomination. Up here in Yankeeland, a smiling face means that you are probably a car salesman. Keep your inner emotions to yourself. Great Island
A sight for sore eyes, from Chequesset Neck in Wellfleet, looking across to Great Island:
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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12:33
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Dude, you're gonna die.
Forever young? Does American pop culture deny mortality? Gates wonders, with reference to Diana West's book.
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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10:17
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A few Thurs. political linksDo Liberals prefer their blacks needy and dependent, with themselves in the role of benefactor? One Lib confesses: I have White Fright. A comment on Saddleback at Evang. Outpost:
Obama wants more "programs" for "activists". Good grief. Is this 1960? How about more programs for young entrepreneurs, who will produce instead of consuming? One more time: Can we please see those records? Well, the truth will out. Obama's favorables show steady decline since winter. Is Obama running for Social Worker in Chief? The CCSP ReportWatts says that the Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States report contains more advocacy than science: Skeptics win one. One quote from his piece:
Wednesday, August 20. 2008Early delivery of Thurs morning links
Berkeley grad: "Am I diverse enough yet?" In the UK, "Sorry, old chap..." Blue Crab Obama as the new Jimmy Carter. Dick Morris. But McCain "doesn't know what he's up against," threatens Obama. Maybe he'll be tougher with McCain than he would be with the Russians or the Jihadists. Related: The odd choices in Obama's career. Related: Obama's top marginal tax rates. Related: McCain will win by 9 points. Big Lizards. Related: Annenberg-gate The White Mtns not for sissies. Neoneo A speck of light in a dumb world: Vaclav Klaus Bomb-dropping robot. Cool. Asian Long-Horned Beetle makes it to New England. That is bad news. It kills Sugar Maples. Space without the Russkis? Related: Appeasement vs. dialog Hollywood: The media made me sleep with everybody. Related: Hollywood Commies as victims. You don't have to finish your peas anymore: Obesity comes to China (h/t, And Rightly So) Soros' secret Dem slush fund. Study: Networks gave Obama the nomination. Another good argument for the old smoke-filled rooms. One quote:
From Junk Science:
Social justice or compassionate conservatism? Olasky Moslem barbarism in Pakistan. We must learn to understand different cultures...and not make judgements. Right? Clinton backers meet with McCain people in NY Lost 700 lbs. Not skinny, yet.
Posted by The News Junkie
in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects
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20:30
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Cal has it rightCal Thomas, via LaShawn:
Right. These people want a theocracy? Americans are the most generous people on earth. Male desire
That drive is just one more thing that makes life difficult for men: these temptations are extremely difficult to resist. Much stronger issue for guys than for gals - but the desire is not absent in gals either. But that is not exactly new information. Nor is it new information that couples make attachment committments to each other for rational as well as emotional reasons, or that humans have religion-guided consciences that elevate them a little bit above monkeys. Having realized I had nothing new to add to the subject, I'll just post this quote from Ben Stein:
Editor: Since we are exposing today the earth-shattering fact that men are powerfully attracted to charming and seductive females, I thought that Theo image might help drive the point home.
Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss
in Our Essays, Psychology, and Dr. Bliss
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15:36
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LPD 21
A tough ship: The USS New York:
How Botticelli came to America
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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11:29
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A few political linksMcCain up by 5. Watch the $ begin to flow now. Am I my brother's keeper? Obama's brother. WTH? Lefty campaign follies. Sheesh, what immature idiots. "No you can't." Things you can't say about Obama. h/t, Vanderleun Punitive liberalism. Roger Kimball
Posted by The News Junkie
in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects
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11:28
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Sex and the Semi-colon"Real men, goes the unwritten rule of American punctuation, don't use semi-colons." That makes me feel insecure because I like to use semi-colons. Story at the Globe.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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09:51
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Weds. morning links
Workplace discrimination against men. Dr. Helen Obama is not a radical, says Dick Morris. Compared to whom? No nudging, please. Cafe Hayek. I agree. Who are they to know what's best for me? The looney tunes target Denver The Europeanization of the Democratic Party Jesus wants us to soak the rich. Good grief. What the NYT views as a "complex attack" ATMs in Baghdad. Sounds like peace to me.
Posted by The News Junkie
in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects
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06:30
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Tuesday, August 19. 2008QQQ
From Sipp who, I strongly suspect, is like me in not being a Disney World sort of processed-fun person. Or a processed cheese person - except maybe on burgers. We should do a post on processed and packaged fun sometime. Howlin'Smokestack Lightning, 1964
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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15:04
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