Sunday, December 21. 2008
at Dust My Broom. Have a beer and a praline with 'em.
 Thanks to Vanderleun for linking a review of a new book on Goya by Robert Hughes. A quote from the excellent article:
(The black paintings) are the climax of Goya's work as a painter. We sense this even though we don't really know what the hell they are about. If one of the characteristics of modernism, and modernism alone, is its privacy, its lack of public address, then Goya's Pinturas Negras are just about the first paintings by any great artist to fulfil that criterion. Goya painted them for himself, and himself alone - an audience of one. If anyone outside his small family did see them, no mention of them, no commentary, survives. Here it is, one of the weirdest and scariest image-cycles in all art history, and nobody wrote a syllable about it. The Black Paintings obey no perceptible narrative. But they sum up certain obsessional themes of his art - pilgrims on the march, dances, demonic events -but now pushed to the orgiastic limit, and rendered in terms of the broadest, quickest gestures of the brush. Sly, autistic, crazy, leering, howling, glaring . . . a world of moral chaos, evoked in radical slashes and alla prima daubs of paint.
Image is Goya's Christ on the Mount of Olives, 1819
Hannukah begins tonight. Our guest poster Bruce Kesler offers us a daily series for the eight nights of lights for Jews, Christians, and anybody else who might be interested:  In prior years I’ve written serious posts about the meaning of Chanukah, for Jews, for Christians, for Americans. I thought of doing something like that for this year, or excerpts from prior columns, but instead looked for a new way to express the meaning of this holiday.
Each night we add a candle to the Hanukiah menorah. How about some fun for each of the eight nights, and a brief note, that together convey some lessons of Chanukah. The Chanukah lights represent the miracle of the one-day’s quantity of sanctified oil remaining in the Temple in Jerusalem -- reconquered by the Maccabees from the defiling Syrian-Greeks -- lasting for eight days, until a new quantity could be prepared. The lights are, also, symbolic of scripture’s description of Jews as bringing light unto the world. One of the best ways to light up the world is in humor we can all enjoy sharing. First Night: In light of today’s difficult economic times, a Christmas-Chanukah merger: Continuing the current trend of large-scale mergers and acquisitions, it was announced today at a press conference that Christmas and Chanukah will merge. According to reliable industry sources, the deal has been in the works for about 1300 years, ever since the rise of the Muslim Empire.
While not all details were available at press time, it is believed that the overhead cost of having twelve days of Christmas and eight days of Chanukah was becoming prohibitive for both sides. By combining forces, reporters were told, the world will be able to enjoy consistently high quality service during the Fifteen Days of Christmukah, as the new holiday is being called.
Massive layoffs are expected, with lords a-leaping and maids a-milking being hardest hit. Under conditions of the agreement, the letters on the dreydl, currently in Hebrew, will be replaced by Latin, thus becoming unintelligible to a much wider audience. Also, instead of translating to "A great miracle happened there," the message on the dreydl will be the more generic: "Miraculous stuff happens." Jews and Christians share a belief in miracles, that creates an openness toward discovering what is not known, which creates progress. Another point of light: Albert Einstein once said: "There are two ways of looking at the world: Either you see nothing as a miracle or you see everything as a miracle." Chanukah reminds us that Judaism sees everything as a miracle. But Hellenism saw nothing as a miracle. To the Greeks, a miracle was an absurdity. To them, only what was reasonable, logical, and rational could be real. Miracles were illogical and, therefore, not possible.
The Greeks could never see the light of Chanukah, the light of miracles, because they only believed in the light of logic and reason. According to the Greeks, the world always existed, it never was created. History is an inevitable process — the present and the future are linked to the past and are the necessary outcome of the past. Nothing unusual will happen or can happen. History will march on, a consequence following consequence. Similarly, their view of G-d or gods was of super-beings detached from the world. Their gods didn't care about man. Therefore, miracles were impossible…. Judaism believes that G-d created the world, cares about us, and invites us to be His partner in making history and perfecting His creation. The Greeks assumed that the world is perfect already. Everything is as it should be. The world is eternal, the events of history are inevitable and G-d is impersonal. Therefore, don't expect any favors, don't expect any novelties, don't expect any divine interventions, don't expect miracles, and have no hope. Life is just one big Greek tragedy. Therefore, the Greeks wanted to do away with the Jews and their commitment to Torah (religious) life….
I count myself a very fortunate person - a blessed person - to have some good friends. Why they put up with me is beyond me. An excellent Christmas present: A Christmas card enclosing a $1000. blank check to be made out to the charity of our choice. That is a fine, joyful and welcome gift. It deserved some thought, but it will go to our church. First things first. And more. Last night, another gift from another pal: "Let's hunt on Friday morning. Yesterday in the snow we got two Gadwalls, two Brant, 4 Mallards, and a Canada on the marsh inlet." (I suspect he got some Buffleheads too, but he knows I don't approve of shooting them.) And, last week: "Let's go for some pheasants on the Saturday after Christmas." Thank you, friends.
Christmas shopping: All I bought yesterday was some wine. Nothing expensive, but I hate to show up at places with nothing in my hand. And it's snowing hard again this morning. Snow in the city is a lovely thing, and all gals look good in long black wool coats and furry hats.  Winter Solstice at Newgrange.
Christmastime is mating season? No. Every day is mating time. Not my forefathers' Cape Cod. Who let these people over my bridge? Mugabe holds his annual 124 cow feast. Pre-industrial CO2 levels were same as now. How come nobody says so? The war against Rush begins. He's too popular, too smart, and too amusing. Kristof: We liberals are personally stingy. Liberals show tremendous compassion in pushing for generous government spending to help the neediest people at home and abroad. Yet when it comes to individual contributions to charitable causes, liberals are cheapskates
Hilarious. Steyn on Bailoutistan Hilarious. Terrapass at Powerline. A greenie scam if there ever was one. Government TARP funds used to pay bonuses? I have a problem with that. Wierd medical story du jour China after 30 years of reform. Forbes The NYT loves the soda tax. How about a chai latte tax for them? Maybe a kiche tax too. Ace prediction: No complaints about Obama deficits This is like many of our towns in the USA too: Recycling stuff goes to landfills. No market for garbage. If there were, they'd pay us for it. The '97 tax break on home capital gains, and the housing bubble. Good point at Conspiracy re card check. I wonder this: If 51% wanted to get rid of a union, could they? I know the law is the law, but should you go to jail for dirty pictures? How different is that from going to jail for having dirty thoughts? What governments do - NYS: “Taxing the wealthy is probably going to be part of the solution if the deficit gets any worse, and all indications are that it probably will,” Mr. Paterson said during a wide-ranging conversation late last week. “If the deficit starts to grow again, then we’re out of moves. I’ve cut as much as I could.” The governor said that increasing taxes on the rich should be “the last place you want to go, because it automatically kicks in less job creation and leads to people leaving the state, but that risk could become a reality if we have further deficit problems.” With the state’s financial outlook growing bleaker, a sense that a tax increase for the wealthy is inevitable seems to be taking hold among lawmakers in Albany, where many Democrats have expressed support for such a step.
"I cut as much as I could." BS. "Don't tax you. Don't tax me. Tax the guy behind the tree." That is how states commit suicide - by punishing the earners. NYS is one giant political boondoggle. NYC is a good place to visit, but working here is like serfdom to the city and state unless you are so rich that you don't care. Image via Theo
 Luke 1:39-56
39In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” 46And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” 56And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. Image: El Greco, The Visitation, 1610
We have snow in Yankeeland, and lots more on the way. It's a bloody Ice Age in the US, with temps around 20 (F) all day here. Don't try to tell me it's about "climate change." Photo from a reader in CT yesterday: 
Saturday, December 20. 2008
I am a fan of meat pies: Chicken (or turkey) Pot Pie, Shepherd's Pie, and Steak and Kidney Pie are my favorites. And of course micemeat pie is really a meat pie too. For our Maggie's Farm Venison Cookbook, Mr. Free Market offers his Venison and Mushroom Pie.
 Humans caused global warming 8000 years ago.
Bulls and Beavers: Outdoor Personals Ford refuses gummint aid. Chrysler (owned by a hedge fund) and GM accept the cash. Related: Excellent summary of how Detroit went wrong by Megan Caroline Kennedy often doesn't bother to vote (h/t, Anchoress) Related, from Capt. Capitalism: A perpetuity of incompetent, spoiled brats who view public service as a cute little hobby and a means by avoiding work at all costs, and the economic mess we've gotten ourselves into.
Never do a good deed: CA OKs suing good samaritans Home ownership. A quote from Boudreaux: Ever-increasing home ownership is not the American dream. It's the dream of the National Association of Home Builders.
Quoted at Villainous: "I was in my own little world,"' the young corporal said. '"I wasn't even aware of a lot of the rounds impacting near my position, because I was concentrating so hard on making sure my rounds were on target."'
Mama Government treats citizens like small children. Hawkins Hitchins on Rick Warren. Ridiculous
Friday, December 19. 2008
Laugh or cry? The worst 2008 quotes from the NYT (but there's still time for more...). h/t, Right Wing Prof. I don't know how we missed that site, TimesWatch. Gotta add them to our Media roll. So many sites, so little time.
Human evolution and music. It's interesting, but it misses the magic. "Scientific research" generally does.
 We were long overdue for a bit of driveway repair, and finally got it done yesterday. The guys did an excellent and careful job.
But can concrete cure in the cold temps we're having in New England these days? (We have a big snow today.) No, not very well. I forgot to ask them whether they used the "antifreeze" mortar, but they seemed like they knew what they were doing. I have always found cement and concrete to be an interesting topic. We posted about it here. For some FAQs about cement and concrete, try this.
Last minute Christmas present idea, recommended by a cigar afficionado friend: Hacker's The Ultimate Cigar Book. In my opinion, expertise often leads to wanting things that cost too much, and damages the enjoyment of ordinary pleasures. (And thanks, friend, for the box of Montecristos.)
A quote from Dalrymple's The Quivering Upper Lip, on how Brit culture has deteriorated (h/t, Driscoll): Gradually, but overwhelmingly, the culture and character of British restraint have changed into the exact opposite. Extravagance of gesture, vehemence of expression, vainglorious boastfulness, self-exposure, and absence of inhibition are what we tend to admire now—and the old modesty is scorned. It is as if the population became convinced of Blake’s fatuous dictum that it is better to strangle a baby in the cradle than to let a desire remain unacted upon. Certainly, many Britons under the age of 30 or even 40 now embrace a kind of sub-psychotherapeutic theory that desires, if not unleashed, will fester within and eventually manifest themselves in dangerous ways. To control oneself for the sake of the social order, let alone for dignity or decorum (a word that would either mean nothing to the British these days, or provoke peals of laughter), is thus both personally and socially harmful.
A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde (h/t, Dr. Bob)
 Remembering Wallace Nutting, antiquarian (Photo is a Nutting chest of drawers)
Remembering Paul Weyrich. Many posts at NRO 1897: Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus Getting stoned with Barry O Czechs won't fly the EU flag Dems are the new ethics story. WSJ Eau de Meat, for Men Slightly disappointed in Kathleen Parker Viable by March? Who's kidding who? I pay for this because I didn't buy their cars?
Now we understand! From the WSJ “Best of the Web”:
“Someone at FiredOglake.com calls Warren an "eliminationist hate preacher." We didn't know what this meant, so we followed the links and ended up with this definition: “’That's how eliminationist hate works, regardless of its target: Its aim is to threaten and intimidate not merely the immediate target, but anyone who might think of speaking out on their behalf. This cuts the target off from the community support it might normally enjoy and leaves them feeling even more isolated.’
“What, really, is eliminationism? “It's a fairly self-explanatory term: it describes a kind of politics and culture that shuns dialogue and the democratic exchange of ideas for the pursuit of outright elimination of the opposing side, either through complete suppression, exile and ejection, or extermination.”
What we have just been given is a secret buzzword for the Left’s entire strategy for the last four years. Doesn’t that perfectly describe what the Left has been using in place of reasoned debate? The leftist writer, by using their code word to attack Warren, has given the rest of us the key to, or a new understanding of, the deliberate intent behind what we thought was the “Bush Derangement Syndrome”. We are not surprised.
Bad for the body, good for the soul. How about a coupla cartons of Luckies for Christmas? 
Thursday, December 18. 2008
 There's an immense difference between a Christmas gift that you'd like very much but hesitate to ask for because it's expensive or hard to obtain — and a gift you can't ask for at all because of the time and effort involved.
Between hanging out at the tiki hut with the locals and going to the Sunday BBQ at the nearby park, I tend to intermingle with 'regular' people a fair amount; meaning, people who aren't computer whizzes and/or savvy blog participants. And it's not surprising that a huge number of people out there would love to get a little blog site going where they could post their daily thoughts ("You wouldn't believe what happened to me just now at the supermarket!") and pics and videos for family and friends to enjoy, yet most of them never even attempt it. In pursuing the issue, the answer, unsurprisingly, is that people simply don't think they have the ability to put one together. And, admittedly, it probably sounds a little daunting to hear you have to "construct" a blog site when you're not even sure what an "icon" or "menu" is.
So, do something really special this year and give them a ready-to-go site. It'll cost about a hundred clams for the web hosting service for a year, and if you use the company I recommend they'll throw in the cost of the domain name, which can go for upward of $35 at other places.
Setting up the site is a snap. You download a free FTP program and use that to upload the files for the blogging program. There's a 'Settings' page where you'll make a few tweaks and you're ready to roll. The easy-to-follow instructions that will walk you through the whole process are on my Easy-Blogsite. If you run into a snag, just ask here in one of my posts and I'll email you back and we'll get the rascal ironed out.
As far as the actual present goes, it might be fun to simply give them a nice Xmas card with three mysterious lines of information on it: a recognizable web site address like "ThePattersonFamily.com" or "BobsBlogSite.com"
name: (their account name)
pass: (their account password)
Then be with them the first time they go to the site. You'd have a few 'Welcome!' posts on the home page, interesting links in the sidebar, and maybe some family pics or even videos on display. It should be a great moment when they suddenly 'get it' and ask, "You mean this is all mine??" Then go to the main editor and show them how easy it is to make a post. Just type merrily away and hit the 'Publish' button. Show them how easy it is to import a picture from their computer, and how they can change the entire look of their new site with one click of the mouse using the fabulous 'themes' you've pre-installed. Their feelings will range from "stunned" to "beyond thrilled."
On my end, I'm giving one to a 68-year-old lady whom I've never met, but have been conversing with via email for over a decade. Her three best friends have blog sites but, no matter how often I tell her how easy it is to set up, she just won't do it. Yet I know she's dying to join in the fun. The sweet old gal will probably break down in tears on Christmas morning when she sees it. She loves bunny rabbits and I found an Easter theme that's just loaded with cute bunnies. I replaced all the 'Easter' stuff with her own name and it looks terrific.
I hope she likes pink and blue.
So, would you rather give Grandma her 25th set of bathroom towels and Grandpa his 17th pipe rack, or something that'll put some zest back in their lives? Once they get nested into a blogring of similar interests (golfing, macramé, my pet's latest funny antics, etc), they'll have a ball.
Or how about that old person next door who spends all day long watching TV? I don't have to tell you, of all people, the meaning the blogosphere can have on one's life. A spouse, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, your best friend, your kids — can you think of a more appreciated gift than a gift one cannot ask for? This Christmas, give that someone special a gift like no other. Give them a door to the world.
A friend sent this to the NYT today: To the Editor:
"G.M. has said that it desperately needs $4 billion to survive through the end of this month .... Chrysler has said that $4 billion would allow it to avoid bankruptcy and stay in business through the quarter." NYTimes Dec 18.
I wish to update the US citizen on my request for $4 billion dollars to survive through the end of this month. I was deeply disappointed that the Congress did not even consider my request and look forward to discussing this with Secretary Paulson.
I too have been for years not selling cars. (In fact, for my entire adult life, I have not sold a car.) In order for me to survive, $4 billion will be fine. I live austerely, so unlike GM, Chrysler or Ford, I am not pressing the US citizen to shell out dough by the end of the month (although a couple million will take care of Christmas gifts for my children, my ex-wives, several girlfriends and my dog, Sam, who must chew a leather shoe, as I have run out of money to buy a chewy-toy for him. OK. A half million.)
I will soon be hiring a soon-to-be-unemployed GM Spokesman who will attest that he still has faith in me as CEO, as he did for the current CEO of GM. Further, I promise the US taxpayer that, like Harley Davidson, I will never again ask for financial support from the US government after the first $ 4 billion. I also will not shelter my money in offshore accounts. As for my private jet, unlike GM, I have never owned one. I do own a Prius, which I am willing to drive to Washington, like the auto exec's did on their second beggary trip, to formally request these funds ... or just to collect the check.
I appreciate the opportunity to speak directly to the taxpayer, whom I believe will shell out a few million for an honest fellow taxpayer who doesnt' sell cars.
I also will not charge people for not flying in planes.
Respectfully,
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From Drudge yesterday: