Monday, June 20. 2016
 I think that the press and most of the politicians do not know the difference between an AR-15 and an AK-47. More likely, they don't care because incremental gun-grabbing is one of their missions. Thus any new regulation is a step towards the goal of citizen disarmament.
In case you think Second Amendment is standing in the way of banning semiautomatic weapons...
Apparently CT can outlaw some semiautomatic firearms. I have semi-automatic shotguns which I am certain will not fall under regulations - yet. The magazine is internal, so there is no visible clip. To comply with game laws, I have plugs in them to limit me to 3 cartridges (or bullets, as we term them).
Besides being black and ugly, I do not get the functional appeal of the highly-popular AR-15. It is not particularly powerful or useful at long distances. I think it is good fun at the range or close-in game hunting but there are better firearms for that. There is no accounting for taste, and the best thing to do is to pick a firearm for your use and to get good with it.
I think it might be the clips that the grabbers are using, in this case.
Should Employers Be Prohibited from Asking Applicants About College Credentials? From the article:
The justices in Griggs thought they were simultaneously applying the Civil Rights Act and helping to make life more fair for people who didn’t have high school credentials or good test-taking abilities. Little did they suspect that a consequence of their ruling decades later would be to keep such individuals from having a chance at numerous jobs just because they lack a college degree.
And the logic of the case seems every bit as applicable to college degree requirements as to the sort of job requirements the Court struck down in Griggs. If companies violated the Civil Rights Act when they set arbitrary and seemingly irrelevant educational requirements for employment in 1971, why are they allowed to use the absence of college credentials to screen out people today?
 New research suggests that fish are smarter and more sentient than we ever knew
The FDA's Foolish War on Salt - The 'voluntary' crackdown lacks scientific support
Scientists claim wood fired pizza is bad, saying baking it is ‘damaging to the urban environment’
Fact-Checking Snopes: Website’s Political ‘Fact-Checker’ Is Just A Failed Liberal Blogger
Wrecking Pomona:
Pomona junior Steven Glick, admits being taken aback when he arrived in Claremont from his home in Chicago for freshman orientation. “The first day, we got together in groups to go over everyone’s list of triggers and their preferred gender pronoun. I was shocked, couldn’t believe these were real things that people actually did, but it immediately drove home that that’s the way it is at the school, the accepted set of norms.” Still, he says, since he avoids liberal arts classes and hangs out with fellow economics majors and athletes, the political correctness affects him less than it otherwise might; and, while it’s safe to assume that every new acquaintance will lean left, the militant activists remain a minority. This was apparent in the reaction to the editorial. “All we said was, ‘Hey, not everyone supports these protests,’ and we got a lot of support for saying it. Because some people actually do want to be able to talk freely about these kinds of issues.”
It is quite a story about "How we wrecked Pomona"
Protesters Think University With 97 Percent Women Has ‘Toxic Rape Culture’
Cutting ‘liberty’ out of the history taught to America’s kids
Scandinavia: The American’s Left’s blond-haired, blue-eyed fantasyland
Why Can’t the Left Distinguish Conservative Christians from Islamic Terrorists?
Democrat Lawmakers Hold Meeting to Discuss Right Wing Terrorism
"Partial Transcript" Of Orlando 911 Calls Will Have References To Islamic Terrorism Removed
Why Liberals Support Muslims Who Hate Everything They Stand For
Why do Jews and Asians support Dems so strongly?
Why they hate me: From President Obama and Hillary Clinton to Senate Democrats and the media, there is nothing out of bounds when it comes to what a progressive liberal can accuse a Republican of doing.
Liberal Favorite Trevor Noah Explains Why Liberals Are Wrong On Watch Lists
Falsehoods Fly Over the AR-15 - Automatic rifle? Wrong. Assault weapon? Wrong again. The truth about the firearm liberals love to hate.
Lone Wolves? Known Wolves? What's the Difference?
NRA Hits Hillary Clinton in Powerful Ad after Orlando ISIS Massacre: “Stop Talking!” Your Words Expose Your Ignorance
Trump the Entrepreneur
How The DNC—And Media—Conned Us Into Clinton
Textbooks at Canadian Islamic Schools: Kill the Gays
British Sniper Takes Out Two ISIS Bombers With One Shot
From ferrets to fish...New EU laws that are ruining Britain
Is Europe doomed by migrants?
Make EU migrants 'wait THREE years for benefits', say Britons
SWEDEN: Up to 70% of ‘Child’ Migrants Are Actually Adults
Three Islamic Terrorists Disguised as Migrants Arrested at Austrian Refugee Center
"We shall not take anyone in´Hungary tells EU it´s full and it doesn´t ´need´ immigration
Enforcing 'God's Commandments': Heightened Mass Executions in Iran
Sunday, June 19. 2016
 Might be my favorite. They can sing like crazy, but most of the time they are rarely seen and skulk in thick underbrush on edges. At the farm, for many years we had a pair nesting in a giant overgrown forsythia in the middle of a field. Stick nests with a little soft lining.
Brown Thrasher
No it is not hard. It is just not easy for most people. Like learning a language, it requires IQ and mental discipline, and it takes time to comprehend what a mathematical process is about. It's high abstraction.
Each step of math mastery offers advantages in life, but all of the math steps are steps toward yet another level of mastery and, if you choose and have talent, it can never end.
American colleges these days have been backing off math requirements. Wayne State University Drops Math Requirement and May Replace With Diversity. Brilliant!
There are three reasons for this: 1. Math is hard so I'll go to a school that doesn't make me do it. 2. It is often claimed that, statistically, women are worse with math. So make the curriculum less daunting for women. 3. IQ. Math above the ordinary high school level probably takes more IQ than many modern college students possess.
My view is that a college degree means little unless it includes some proficiency in statistics and calc. The more, the better.
A discussion: A Meaningful Math Requirement: College Algebra or Something Else?
 Most people do not care about it. Just look around - it's obvious. That is because, unless your daily work involves manual labor, in the modern world most of us do not use our bodies in the ways for which they were designed.
We are designed to be hunter-gatherers and warriors, which entail day-long physical activity and often required lengthy periods of inadequate nutrition and starvation (which is why human fat cells are such sponges for hoarding carbs). The hunter-gatherer activities involve endurance, and the warrior activities entail strength and athleticism.
All of the people who do not care about their fitness have a strong case. In Western civilization, hunting is recreation, gathering is done at the market or the backyard garden, and we play sports for fun and hire our warriors. Speaking of warriors, last night I watched a live match between McEnroe and Jim Currier. Gosh, what beautiful and powerful games they still have in their late 50s.
But why would any ordinary man or woman want to spend discretionary time imitating primitive hunter-gatherer and warrior exertions? Well, they mostly don't. Furthermore, they know that fitness, except in the case of overweight and obesity, has little correlation with health or life-expectancy.
Here are the reasons Mrs. BD and I devote a mere 5 or 6 hours per week for structured physical conditioning (trying to compact a full day's activity into a brief time via intensity), and generally try to keep our weights at a fit and youthful level. It's about quality of life:
- we feel better, look better, and have more energy without any excess fat on us. Fat fatigues. And a sloppy appearance makes a poor impression in our Anglosphere culture.
- becoming stronger makes us more functional in every way.
- we want to be at our best for sports
- a body is a gift, and deserves decent stewardship
- we want to get a head start on fending off the physical deterioration of age
- tough physical exertion to exhaustion is good for our heads
- the discipline required is a good life challenge. Progress is stressful and unpleasant, and the rewards are slow to come so it's a good test of delayed gratification. Is it rewarding to lift up 200 lbs without spraining a muscle? Yup. It's a cool feeling of masculine competence and it has many practical applications.
- and for us dads, we must consider what sort of condition the mothers of our kids would appreciate in us. Chances are they appreciate good attitude, high energy, a bit of visible muscle, and a trim physique.
Psalm 32
32:1 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
32:2 Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
32:3 While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
32:4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
32:5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
32:6 Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.
32:7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah
32:8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
32:9 Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.
32:10 Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the LORD.
32:11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Friday, June 17. 2016
 Knives are the tool used in 5 times more killings in the US than guns.
Admittedly, though, a firearm can kill more people at a time, making for scary headlines. Omitting 9-11 from the stats, however, the number of mass murders in the US has been on a multi-decade decline.
There is an argument that there are too many knives guns in the US. Admittedly, there are too many illegal handguns in the US. You can buy an illegal handgun on the right ghetto street corner in any American city in 15 minutes if you have the cash. Illegally-obtained handguns are the firearm of choice for criminals.
It is a very rare bad guy who uses a long gun. Too hard to conceal. Mass murderers sometimes prefer long guns because they are more accurate than handguns.
With the exception of Switzerland where firearm ownership is close to required by law, most governments want their citizens disarmed. Disarmed citizens are more helpless citizens. Most of these governments want their police and government agencies well-armed. Why? Because bad guys have firearms even in disarmed places. New Flash: bad guys ignore laws. Police have weapons because bad guys have them, illegally. They were not purchased in gun shops.
You can't keep guns away from bad guys and the occasional lunatic. Impossible. Thus governments try to limit guns going to good guys. Pointless, but good politics in some places.
Essentially all legal firearm sales in the US are for sport and recreation, self-defense, and for collectors. The extremely rare violent exceptions are Muslims and the mentally disturbed. Firearms are as American as apple pie, and as common. The average American is quite comfortable with a firearm. Many if not most American boys and girls learn to use them. They all should. My parents taught us.
The 2nd amendment is not there because of militias so much as because weapons were forbidden for the common man in England. Only aristocrats could own their own swords and firearms. Same as in the UK now.
If by some miracle firearms could be kept from jihadists in the US, they would simply make bombs.
"Assault-looking" rifles? These are just light-weight rifles that look mean. Best-selling rifle in the US today. True assault weapons are illegal in the US except for government agents and the military. Even IRS agents have an arsenal of assault weapons. Isn't that nice?
I think all of the politicizing of the Orlando jihadist's firearms is virtue posing and grandstanding. BTW, I am in favor of vetting all gun buyers, all knife-buyers, and all immigrants from anywhere. Did you know that it is easier for an illegal immigrant in California to stay and to get government freebies than it is to legally-import a hunting dog from England?
I also think anyone using violence or threat of violence whether with firearm, knife, baseball bat, or anything else in commitment of a crime deserves execution. Not tolerable in civilization.
Photo: Good self-defense handgun, the Taurus Judge which fires .45 and .410 shotshells. Popular with judges. With a .45, it takes training to hit anything, but the .410 makes it easy. Best home defense firearm? A pump 12 ga.: Just the sound of the pump action will send any bad guy running for the hills unless they are crazed rural meth-heads. Home defense is like buying insurance. You hope you never need it.
Related: From Howard Stern for the 2nd Amendment, asking people whether they wish to be sheep or men
And from David French: The Bizarro Morality of America’s Gun-Control Debate
 Photo from NY Post: Go ahead, shame my body
Professor who donates sperm in city bathrooms has sired 22 kids
Because You Drove A Fossil Fueled Vehicle, Volcanic Explosions May Soon Rise
Earthquakes too
Gov’t Spends Over Half A Million Dollars On ‘Culturally-Appropriate’ Food Stamps For Refugees
Why Sweden Says No To Replacing Nuclear Power With Wind
Social Justice Warriors Declare Battle On Colleague For Exposing Their ‘Research’
NY Professor Says Republicans And Christians to Blame For Orlando Islamist Massacre
I blame the Presbyterians
The Orlando Shooting Launches a War on Islam Christianity
What Would Obama, Left Have Said If Dylann Roof Were Muslim?
NY Daily News Writer Misrepresents His Visit to Gun Shop
NYDN Gun Grabber Decides To Shoot An AR-15, Basically Wets His Skivvies
Orlando shooting shows how ISIS calls the shots
NYT: Why Do Terrorists Commit Terrorism?
A deeply stupid article until the end when they use the word evil
Why do we indulge the crimes of the Left?
The Roots of Transgender Rage
How Chinese Students Are Changing Our Colleges
Wayne State University Drops Math Requirement and May Replace With Diversity
Joe Manchin laments Fifth Amendment: ‘Due process is what’s killing us right now’
No, Joe. It's Muslims. They use our freedoms against us.
At some point, maybe sooner than we realize, the pols in Washington will
decide they have had enough with the voters. It’s simply too much of a
hassle.
Economy: Janet Whiffs Again——Take Cover Now!
Homo economicus is a stupid model for framing national policy.
Private Businesses in Europe Understand the Cost of Labor, But Public Agencies Don't Seem To
If you're against open borders, you're Hitler
That makes me Hitler, but I do not self-identify as Hitler
Megan on Brexit:
Somehow, over the last half-century, Western elites managed to convince themselves that nationalism was not real. Perhaps it had been real in the past, like cholera and telegraph machines, but now that we were smarter and more modern, it would be forgotten in the due course of time as better ideas supplanted it.
Free Britain from EU oppression, says I
The Brexit debate has exposed the Establishment
Mexican flags fly at Trump protest in Dallas
"There’s no doubt the media viscerally loathes Trump — in large part because Trump isn’t afraid to get in their faces and punch back twice as a hard, as a wise community organizer would advise. But they’d be battering any presidential candidate with an (R) after his name right around this time. The old rules are very much in force."
"Purdue has the president the nation needs."
I agree
Hillary Clinton Ads Surround Her With Children
What Obama Actually Thinks About Radical Islam - The president does not suffer illusions about the pathologies afflicting the broader Muslim world.
Sinking in the Syrian Quagmire
Nuns Call Cops On Argentine Ex-Minister Trying To Stash Millions In Monastery
Argentina’s New Government Stops the Lies
Brazil’s House of Cards Collapses
Image below via American Digest
We'll have all the kids etc., the puppy, my in-laws, and friends. Not to mention all of my sibs and their families. Big house on the harbor. Have to buy some more kayaking life vests. Pond kayaking or salt water, both good.
Thursday, June 16. 2016
 Mitochondria are complex little buggers which live in our cells almost like little bacteria. They are the cell's, and thus the body's, power source (they burn sugar and only sugar but, only if necessary, the body will convert body fat or body protein into sugar for them to burn). They have their own DNA which is separate from your personal DNA.
"mtDNA" is only inherited from the mother, which is why we know that all living humans are descendants of one woman, Mitochondrial Eve. That is quite remarkable.
In recent years, the identification and understanding of Mitochondrial Diseases has been progressing. Most of these diseases are disabling or fatal: What is Mitochondrial Disease?
It’s time for a better level of discourse over the push for opening bathrooms and showers to all comers. Women from the Left and Right are uniting to make that happen—and here’s the cultural argument for why.
The retrograde author insists that there exist men and women.
 Only progressively-heavy resistance with weight can build meaningful muscle strength with efficiency.
Cardio intervals, and other mostly-aerobic exercises like calisthenics and sports, can build or maintain useful endurance and athleticism, but not much strength.
(Athleticism and endurance are more important to me in life than strength and power. However, I had lost strength and muscle over time and, anyway, I think the Fitness Triad works in a synergistic way.)
- How much muscle mass can be gained in a month of heavy resistance work 2-3 times/week? At the very most, one lb for the ordinary person. Maybe dedicated gym rats can beat that, but not you and me. That would be 10 lbs. of red meat gain in a year, which is not likely or even possible for ordinary people like you and me. Maybe for body-builders who are able to lift very heavy.
Unless you are overweight or fat already, each lb. of muscle mass comes with about one lb. of fat+water. Not belly fat, but fat somewhere. That's the way it works. Because of my body build, I aim for wiry strength and not bulk. My physical structure can't and won't bulk and that is fine with me. As I have reported, though, my superb trainer wants to see some more red meat on me so I am trying to follow his dietary orders to eat more food.
- Recovery: Pushing and pulling heavy weights requires 4-5 day recovery for ordinary people. That's why I keep it simple and do weights with each muscle group just once a week. Cardio and Calisthenics do not need recovery days under ordinary circumstances.
- A proper diet is required for muscle recovery. I am working on that.
- Importance of high-weight and low reps: For large muscle groups - ie back, chest, and legs - pretty much everybody recommends approx 4-5 sets of 3-8 reps, working up towards about 80% of your one-rep max weight. In short, if you can do 10 of a large-muscle group, you need to increase the weight. Basically, high reps (more than 10) of these big movements (bench press, barbell squat, deadlift, pull-ups, leg press, military press, rows, inclined press) at lower weights are probably counterproductive and should be avoided.
- Does that low-rep plan apply to smaller muscles or isolated muscles? Not so much. When it comes to things like curls, tricep exercises, calf lifts, straight-arm pushes, skull crushers, leg curls, pull-downs, and the like, it seems fine to burn it out or do drop sets sometimes.
- Skeletal muscle diminishes with age. It is called muscle atrophy and is a normal part of aging. Unused cells die. That is termed apoptosis, like leaves falling from a tree. Atrophy of age is normal, that is, unless the muscle is put to stressful work. With work, muscle can be maintained or rebuilt to some degree at any age.
- How quickly does muscle lose strength without stress? The strength in a muscle begins to diminish after a month unless it is adequately and regularly stressed. Not used, but stressed. The human body, in its wisdom, sees no need to maintain something for no reason. That's the "use it or lose it" aspect. Similarly, heart muscle needs to be stressed regularly to stay tough.
Please discuss. We seem to have plenty of fitness-oriented readers of all ages and genders sexes.
Wednesday, June 15. 2016
Unless you give yourself 4 or more hours in the gym daily like an anorectic, no. For practical purposes, it is of no use for that.
All exercise which fatigues and stresses the body is good for mental health, fitness, and vitality, and it probably slightly raises calorie-burning and is better than sitting, but exercise alone can never help you lose 10 lbs of belly lard. It's wishful thinking.
As Dr. Phil would say, "Has it worked for you?"
Americans are drowning in regulation,
Just try starting a business. He begins:
The federal government’s massive $4 trillion budget and $19 trillion official national debt (the real tab is much higher) are evidence of an out-of-control government that seeks to seep into every aspect of Americans’ lives. But even these spending and debt measures fail to account for the full reach of the government.
More difficult to tabulate are the plethora of regulations emanating from numerous federal agencies...
The Pemi (Pemigewassett) Loop trails are famous hikes in New Hampshire's White Mountain wilderness. With a trail map, you can figure out day hikes or do the 30-mile loop over a couple of days, sleeping under the stars. Regardless, bring water and fit legs.
Excellent website: http://www.northeasthikes.com/
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Photo is American Egret in CT this week, via reader