We 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.
9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
9:2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
9:3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
9:4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
9:5 He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
9:6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."
9:7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one.
9:8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.
9:9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
9:10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
9:11 The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying,
9:12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight."
9:13 But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem;
9:14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name."
9:15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel;
9:16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."
9:17 So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
9:18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized,
9:19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus,
9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."
Stumbled into this map of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. A major east coast estuary. Man, it covers a lot of real estate and even crosses a mountain range. Major rivers: The Susquehanna, Potomac, Rappahannock, York and James rivers are the five major rivers that flow to the Chesapeake Bay.
These rivers make large parts of the Chesapeake brackish, which is fine with the turtles, waterfowl, Stripers, oysters, and crabs.
The meaning of your special snowflake life. Your mission. It hearkens back to the time when America's colleges were basically Congregational seminaries with sciences and liberal arts to help produce well-lettered and knowledgeable preachers and professors.
The assumption now, of course, is that the most privileged kids in the world are helpless infants and idiots. The infantilization of college students continues unabated. Meanwhile those who do not attend colleges grow up right away.
I do not know how to account for this trend. "Extended adolescence"? There was a time when college students considered themselves fully-fledged adults, and were viewed that way too. Age 16, or 18 depending on your background, was it.
Regardless of how long the kids and the higher ed administrators conspire to delay it, everybody confronts reality and is forced to grow up eventually. Sippican's sewer line is a good metaphor.
Climate models appear to have no predictive capacity. Very short-term meteorological models have some use, but are often wrong. Economic models are famously wrong. Ordinary common sense people like me anticipated, planned for, and profited modestly from the internet bubble and the housing bubble. Not the professional math geniuses. Why not?
I find Deadlifts and Squats to be the most strenuous exercises. It makes sense, because these two are strength-builders - not calisthenics - and engage so many muscle groups at once. (In the Calisthenics category, I find Burpees the most strenuous.)
Squats are a fundamental, functional, whole-body exercise. As it is wrong to say that Deads can hurt your back, it is wrong to claim that squats can harm your knees. The contrary is true for both.
I focus on the squat today as I have begun to introduce weighted squats into my basic strength-building routine. I need them. Barbell on my shoulders works best for me, but to each his own. Kettlebell held on chest is good for a start.
When people who have been loyal to conservative causes and conservative politicians their whole life find themselves being called racists and bigots by those people they supported, they start to feel like they have been conned. When ruling class organs publicly argue that vast parts of the culture must be destroyed, that traditional America must be wiped out, people hear a declaration of war. The response is not going to be “yes sir, may I have another.” The response, to quote the late Andrew Breitbart, is going to be “Fuck you. War!”
The Incredible Cluelessness of Donald Trump - Trump has demonstrated over and over again
that he doesn't know the slightest thing about policy. The GOP is
supporting him anyway.
Our previous Maggie's group hike began at South Ferry and meandered around the far downtown with all the historic sights like the WTC, South St. Seaport, and Grace Church, and wended our way up through Little Italy (with stop for lunch), Union Square, East Village, McSorleys, etc, then up 5th with detours to Madison Square, Gramercy Park, then past the Empire State, the Library, and concluded at Grand Central Terminal where we all had a drink at the Campbell Apartment (no jeans or t-shirts allowed).
I'd say everybody had a good time and sore legs.
This time - Saturday, April 23, we'll begin in the Lower East Side and wend our way thru that area seeing a few sights before heading uptown staying mostly east of 5th (due to tourists and general street crowds) then cutting west for the good food trucks around Grand Army Plaza for snacks. Then the hike through the entire length of Central Park which few of us have done, then over to St. John the Divine to conclude on the campus of Columbia University at 114th and B'way.
I there is time, we should stroll over to Riverside Church and Grant's tomb.
Creatives, we are multi-dimensional creatures. Let’s not let our abilities be defined, limited and constrained. Let them flourish like the enlightening work we do… The work we do is important and it is empowering, particularly when it is bringing awareness to social justice issues. Much of creative work does exactly this while other sectors of society refuse to acknowledge the social ills we endure and even erases them.
They make excellent shoes and they have many widths which matters to me with my narrow feets. They are sold in NYC and a few other places. They also make the Brooks Brothers-branded shoes, but not the Brooks English shoes.
Good affordable lifetime shoes for formal, dress-casual, and other. Impossible to wear 'em out, because they will refurbish them for you at their factory regardless of their condition. Fine old shoes with some sign of age and use are cool, trustworthy. Wear your good shoes all the time and you will never go wrong.
I do not wish to be judged by my tires, but I am told that people sort-of do, sometimes. Sheesh. Well, it might be preferable to judging me by the content of my character...
A friend recently told me that he dragged a junior associate to the Alden place in NYC before an important business meeting. Threw the associate's shoes in the trash, and bought him an appropriate new pair. Job training. First impressions matter, rightly or wrongly. If you're a genius, maybe not - but even Einstein deliberately cultivated his wacky flair to attract girls.
It was 23 F. in NYC this morning. Warm would be welcome at this point. When you figure a day's temp varies 30 degrees, what matters 1 degree per century? Even if it is real? Who cares?
I remember Firing Line as that program I avoided watching at all costs when I stumbled upon it as a child. It was boring, the man speaking had a funny elitist accent, and it was talking, no action. My father loved it.
Lately, I've been watching some of the old episodes and have determined (to no surprise) Buckley was often touching on subjects that were timeless. Much of what he covered is still very relevant today.
A discussion with Alan Ginsburg on what the Avant Garde is, and how it should be making its point in society, would be relevant today. However, a panel discussion about what a Hippie is...well, that's just good fun. Especially with a boozed-up Jack Kerouac, in his last public appearance, doing his best to mock a clueless academic.
I think a fun program today would be to review old programs like this, stitch relevant parts together, and show just how deep down the rabbit hole Buckley often went.
When over 30% of working age men aren’t participating in the labor force, trouble is brewing. It’s even worse when you consider the 25 to 54 year old male participation rate has declined from 97% in the 1950’s and 1960’s to below 88% today. Much of the anger building in this country is the result of men in their prime earning years seeing their jobs shipped overseas, outsourced, or taken by HB1 workers. The backlash against illegal immigrants is understandable.
The real pain 
(It's a lengthy piece about the death of his best friend, 
Thinking 
Pic of Connecticut resident Keith Richards, 
Our previous Maggie's group hike began at South Ferry and meandered around the far downtown with all the historic sights like the WTC, South St. Seaport, and Grace Church, and wended our way up through Little Italy (with stop for lunch), Union Square, East Village, McSorleys, etc, then up 5th with detours to Madison Square, Gramercy Park, then past the Empire State, the Library, and concluded at Grand Central Terminal where we all had a drink at the Campbell Apartment (no jeans or t-shirts allowed).
