Thursday, July 11. 2013
 Opium, gin, and Soma: There’s a Pill for That
Roger Kimball goes fishing
Related: How Big Government Erodes Quality of Life
Documents Detail the Department of Justice’s Role in Organizing Trayvon Martin Protests
Small town America: Remington, U.S.A.
How to answer questions like a White House press secretary
Failure to Rescue: How FDR hurt Jewish would-be immigrants
'The Collaboration: Hollywood’s Pact With Hitler’
Obama's Sex Harassment Policy for Colleges:
Unauthorized,
and Very Likely Unconstitutional - See more at:
http://www.mindingthecampus.com/originals/2013/07/obamaharrasspolicy.html#sthash.fyFhWTAA.dpuf
Dr. Carson: Restoring plain and civil speech to politics - Breaking speech taboos reinforces the power of
persuasion
Just when you think that the EPA cannot possibly get any more idiotic…
Britain set to privatize its Royal Mail postal service
Wednesday, July 10. 2013
 Aging is not for sissies, the saying goes, because something is always going wrong. However, Oliver Sacks is delighted to be turning 80:
The Joy of Old Age. (No Kidding.)
Vedder makes the case: Why Ed Schools are Useless:
Teachers should earn degrees in academic disciplines, and undergo a modest amount of teacher preparation that at the secondary level is almost exclusively student teaching, working with seasoned high quality professionals, while primary and special education teachers should also receive a small number of courses dealing with the special problems of teaching those with immature minds or physical or mental disabilities. The supply of good teachers will expand, and universities will be free of an albatross that simply has not worked well, either for them or society.
Teachers should earn degrees in academic disciplines, and undergo a
modest amount of teacher preparation that at the secondary level is almost
exclusively student teaching, working with seasoned high quality professionals,
while primary and special education teachers should also receive a small number of courses dealing with the
special problems of teaching those with immature minds or physical or mental
disabilities. The supply of good teachers will expand, and universities will be
free of an albatross that simply has not worked well, either for them or
society. - See more at: http://www.mindingthecampus.com/originals/2013/07/why_ed_schools_are_useless.html#sthash.iHv1gF04.dpuf
Teachers should earn degrees in academic disciplines, and undergo a
modest amount of teacher preparation that at the secondary level is almost
exclusively student teaching, working with seasoned high quality professionals,
while primary and special education teachers should also receive a small number of courses dealing with the
special problems of teaching those with immature minds or physical or mental
disabilities. The supply of good teachers will expand, and universities will be
free of an albatross that simply has not worked well, either for them or
society. - See more at: http://www.mindingthecampus.com/originals/2013/07/why_ed_schools_are_useless.html#sthash.iHv1gF04.dpuf
As a kid, I spent one summer trying to get the hang of this near-impossible, absurd, pointless, and extremely fatiguing stroke. Never could.
In the summertime, it is fun, though, to see the kids' swim teams do their best with it and, at high levels, it's more interesting to watch than any other stroke.
I found myself wondering who was to blame for this monstrosity, which seems to have been invented around 1933.
Here's the history of the "Fly."
On Immigration, Strong Words
Mourning the Birds and the Bees
Fear and Loathing at Commerce - How a simple computer bug was mistaken for an act of war.
D.C. Council poised to chase off 900 jobs because they don’t like Wal-Mart, so there
Charter Schools and Their Enemies - Why undermine institutions that have benefited thousands of city students?
Early photos of the Middle East
A brief version of Glenn Reynold's Ham Sandwich Nation: Due Process When Everything is a Crime
Tuesday, July 9. 2013
Last week, we posted a popular article titled Trying to teach in an underclass culture.
A pal of mine who is deeply committed to, and involved with, urban education and to Amistad Academy (a charter school in New Haven, CT) in particular, emailed me this thoughtful comment:
My brief experience with black kids consists of a couple of overnights with some Outward Bound crews from Flatbush and my time spent in Achievement First schools. These experiences bear zero similarity to this teacher’s report, so I believe what you’re seeing is a particular manifestation of a culture in the context of a US urban public school. From an educational standpoint, those schools are a total failure based on the data and reports like these. I once heard Geoffrey Canada say “there must be a less expensive way to transition young American blacks from childhood to prison than our public high schools”.
In my experience, the kids were fun, bright, and displayed the same range of personalities as my own kids and their friends – some loud, some quiet, some funny, some serious. My first experience at Amistad was walking into an 8th grade English class and sitting in on a discussion of Romeo and Juliet. The kids chairs were arranged in an open circle and one tall lanky black boy, he must have been well north of 6’ and south of 130 pounds, was folded into one of these chairs with a little attached desktop made for middle school kids. As a middle age white man, my brain registered that tinge of warinessI get when encountering strapping black kids. He spoke quietly, a bit shy, with a New Haven wrong-side-of-the-tracks accent, but he delivered a short verbal essay on Shakespeare’s use of repetitive language as a way of heightening dramatic impact and conveying first-person perspective in the balcony scene. The kid was fantastic, better than most of the kids I met in college English.
I’ve walked into dozens of classrooms at Amistad Middle and High School and I’ve never run into any disorder. They do have disciplinary issues, but they are managed effectively. The “Whatever It Takes” professional culture also creates some extraordinary expressions. The middle school teachers were concerned about alienation among the black boys, so the male teachers decided to have an overnight in the gym, “men only”. Each boy was invited to bring an adult mentor, a father, older brother, grandfather, whatever, and the boys who didn’t have anyone to bring were matched with a teacher. They spent the night talking, telling stories, and exploring the topic “what does it mean to be a man?”, how do men treat women, how do they express themselves in society, what does it mean to take responsibility? This was very effective in forming deeper bonds in the school community, in particular, those crucial bonds between students and teachers. It wasn’t a cure-all, but it gave the kids positive ways to think about themselves that many of them reflected in their subsequent behavior.
Continue reading "Underclass schools, more: "the cruelty of the system""
For several years, I've felt the need to drop most of the spare pounds I've been carrying. At six feet tall and weighing anywhere from 208 to 215, I was never obese but I was definitely overweight. My doctor would ask the same question every year, "You don't look like you're over 200, where are you hiding it?"
It was true. I am naturally thin and once I reached about 185 pounds, the difference between that weight and 210 was not terribly noticeable. Except to me. I was slower on the tennis court, my back gave me problems on a regular basis, and my clothing might still fit but was awfully tight. I used to play two man beach volleyball in tournaments, but there was no way I could even consider this after I passed the 185 mark. I would have been worn out in no time.
I'm pleased to say I recently returned to the 185 pound level and I have a goal of 178 pounds. I remember crossing the 200 line the day I was heading down to attend the Preakness, and feeling proud of that small achievement. So far, I've lost 25 pounds in about 16 weeks.
The only sure and healthy way to lose weight is diet and exercise. However, there are more diets on the market than you can shake a stick at and plenty of exercise gurus who want you to give them money. I chose to focus on reducing caloric intake rather than just removing carbs. I wasn't interested in changing my diet radically.
My method was to engage portion control and self-discipline. I downloaded an iPhone app called "LoseIt". It's free, and all you do is set your goals (I wanted to lose 1 1/2 pounds per week). It's simple. You log your exercise and the food you eat. It will calculate the carbohydrates, protein and fats as well as the calories. I've had an average intake of about 20% protein and 50% fat for the last 16 weeks. I've been going to the gym at least 4 times a week for an hour and a half and mixing bike work with lifting weights. Early on, I did more cardio, and as I lost weight I began to focus on muscle development (which can burn slightly more calories over the course of the day).
There are plenty of apps which do the same thing, and ultimately it will come down to desire, discipline and will-power. I haven't skimped, I haven't starved, and I haven't changed my diet dramatically. All it took was the realization that this would be a good thing to do for myself. I've learned that being aware of what you eat, and counting the calories, actually helps you eat less. Weight Watchers is on to something, it would seem. I don't see the need to pay anyone to help me lose the weight. Except the gym, and only because I sit at a desk for at least 40 hours a week, and usually more.
Piano Lessons With The Maharaja of the Keyboard
That will give anybody piano-envy. Magic.
Five men stuck in a tree surrounded by Sumatran tigers for four days
Another ObamaCare Tax That Is Bad for Your Health - Venture capital is drying up for medical-device startups facing the new 2.3% levy.
Feds add Greek yogurt to school lunches
Gasland Director Presents Anti-Fracking Hoax as Evidence in New Film
Why Obamacare Threatens Immigration Reform - In delaying the employer mandate, Obama shows his disregard for the rule of law.
Colorado Baker Faces Up to a Year in Jail for Not Baking Cake for Gay Wedding
Patty-cake, patty-cake, baker-man....
George Will: 'What ObamaCare Requires For it to Work - Mass Irrationality'
Matt Ridley gave up on climate change
Who’s a journalist?
We are journalists
TV Is Americans' Main Source of News - Preferred news source varies by age, education, and politics, among other factors
The Year of Confirmed Suspicions, Immigration Edition
France's Big Brother, by contrast with the United States, is totally illegal
A secret thanks to librarians
How much do you appreciate people who want to raise your awareness?
Hey, New York: It was really only $750/hr
Same price as a fancy lawyer
Buchanan: Why the Reagan Democrats Departed
Sultan: Egypt is never going to get any better
Small banks can't afford Dodd-Frank compliance staff
Related, from a farmer: “I can fight the bugs, I can fight the lack of rain, but when the guy comes with a clipboard what are you going to do?”
Monday, July 8. 2013
Die Heuernte (The Haying), Pieter Breughel the Elder, 1556
In New England, haying - or at least the mowing - is generally done by the 4th of July depending on the weather. It's been a wet Spring but it's drying out now.
At the farm, we wait until a few weeks later so as not to destroy or disturb the nests of the meadow-nesting birds. We have Bobolinks, Savannah Sparrows, Woodcock, the occasional Meadowlark, and Mallard and Black Duck in the tall grass along the stream.
For our wild brushy fields, we'll brushwack them anytime we can between August and October.
Here's a detail from that painting. Peening, I think:
Here's our reader Buddy's scythe. I do not think he has used it lately.
From the article:
"General College students were normally required to take 17 hours a semester to remain enrolled, a tough load during the Vietnam War draft from 1965 to 1972. To matriculate out of General College at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, students had to complete four semesters of science (with lab), two semesters of English and English literature, two semesters of math, four semesters of a foreign language, two semesters of physical education and two semesters of Western Civilization - the course that contributed the most to the failure rate.
The radical scholars recognized Western Civ had to be erased to achieve their goal of destroying the old order and ushering in the new "inclusive" inclusive manifesto. (Remember Jesse Jackson's chant at Stanford? "Hi-ho, hi-ho, Western Civ has to go"). In the process, the General College was abandoned - and with it went the foundation of a proper college education."
Dinosaur that I am, that old style is still "college" to me and it is what I expect from job applicants I interrogate interview.
Sunday, July 7. 2013
Middle-class Americans tend to lead "child-centric" lives, for better or worse. I think it is often overdone.
I happen to believe that "happiness," however defined, is not necessarily a valid goal in life. Many things are more important. However, moments of joy are always welcome. I am grateful to my parents for having produced and nurtured me. Glad they had sex that winter day. Whether I produced more pleasure or pain for them, I have no idea and would never ask.
The article: Do Children Make Us Happy?
Everything possible is going wrong: White House Down, Obama Version
Is it incompetence, bad luck, or by plan?
Suddenly, unexpectedly, we have too many lobsters. I doubt that the lobster community would agree with that.
A few years ago, the cyclical decline in lobsters was blamed on global warming. Our local lobster, Homarus americanus, is the largest crustacean in the world, lives in cold water, and many people consider it a tasty treat. So do Striped Bass.
I think they are fun to eat once in a while, but there are many seafoods I prefer to lobster. If you want lobster, my advice is to get the biggest ones you can find. The bigger the lobster, the higher the meat/shell ratio and the more cost-efficient it is.
Phone the seafood market and ask them to steam a 5-pounder for you. There will be plenty of leftover lobster meat for sandwiches or lobster salad the next day.
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.
10:2 He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
10:3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.
10:4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.
10:5 Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!'
10:6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.
10:7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.
10:8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you;
10:9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'
10:10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say,
10:11 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.'
10:16 "Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
10:17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!"
10:18 He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.
10:19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you.
10:20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Went for a sail on a friend's lovely sloop, and passed by an especially nice wooden boat as she was anchoring and taking down sails:
Saturday, July 6. 2013
 Rancher blames global warming on Grizzly attack.
Two notes to that unfortunate rancher. First, if you live in Griz country, it is intelligent to be armed, on a horse, or in a vehicle. If hiking, at least make plenty of noise to warn them away. When we have hiked in a Griz preserve in Montana, we clap our hands and talk loud. Some hikers bang on pots, some use Bear Bells.
Second, Grizzly Bears are not mountain creatures at all. They are primarily creatures of the lowlands, especially river valleys and foothill marshes with the succulent vegetation they like to graze on. In berry season, they will go into the hills but not the mountains. Historically, they were common on the Great Plains of the US as far east as Ohio. They are not really predators except to fish, young helpless mammals, and anthills, but people can piss them off sometimes. They do not like to be bothered. Who does? They are powerful and fast and meat is a rare dessert for them.
When they are in forest or mountains, they are remnant refugees from their preferred habitat, trying to survive in marginal areas.
Rule of thumb: Never surprise a Griz.
A series of Condell talks.
Just wait a minute between each presentation. Good fun on a warm day. He is indeed a passionate and entertaining atheist, but that is not his main theme.
Dr. Helen: Six Reasons Why Men Are Avoiding Marriage
She says she is "essentially honest."
Colorized History
Always lots of gems at American Digest
Grilling Over Charcoal Is Objectively, Scientifically Better Than Grilling Over Gas
I agree. In fact, I use a charcoal base with wood on top.
2 films, one about pop background singers and one about Breughel
I guarantee that you will love this
From a gay guy: Gay Marriage: “What-The-F- -Ever.”:
Every day American culture is a little more like a Black Mass against nature and manhood and anything decent or beautiful or noble or worth saving. Western Civilization has become a Black Mass for Western Civilization. Everything our better fathers believed in has been spit on and placed like a tainted Host between the yeasty thighs of a giggling whore.
In some formerly great nations, like England, I could probably be jailed for “hate speech” even writing that.
Kimball: July 4, 2013: Thinking about the Summer of 1776
The State’s Case Against the State - Who in his right mind would ever hire George Zimmerman’s
prosecutors?
EPA Growth Knows No Limits
Hinkle: Commit any felonies lately?
Drudge:
ONLY 47% OF ADULTS HAVE FULL-TIME JOB...
Longest Stretch of 7.5%+ Unemployment on Record...
Krauthammer: Obama’s Global-Warming Folly - No, Mr. President, we don’t need a war on coal.
I don't mind the guy being on his sailboat, but why lie about it?
... it turns out there’s a reason they call it “jailbait,” after all.
Hannan: Those greedy frackers
The top 5 lies about fracking
How Hate Facts Kill Scientific Inquiry:
Academic outsiders seldom grasp the personal consequences of expressing hate facts. The penalties are especially grim for those who mistakenly soldier on marshalling yet more solid evidence for their "hate." Nor can distinguished academics escape the anti-hate rage. In fact, it seems the more renowned the messenger, the greater the indignation, a perfect strategy to intimidate those with less prestige.
The world famous Harvard professor Edward O. Wilson was physically assaulted and repeatedly harassed for his work on sociobiology. Noble Prize winning geneticist James Watson suffered a similar fate when he said that according to his reading of the research literature, low IQ among sub-Saharan Africans Africa limited their economic progress (he also emphasized his unease about that conclusion, but this hardly helped). The American Sociological Association's campaign once tried to excommunicate James S. Coleman after his infamous report on schools' limited ability to boost academic achievement.
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