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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Thursday, August 11. 2016When you're explaining..."When you're explaining, you're losing." That expression has been going around a lot lately, especially applied to Mr. Trump. Corollaries might be "If you're complaining, you're losing" and "If you're making excuses, you're losing." People thought he would be a fiery antagonist, but his aim is terrible. Hillary is a sitting duck, for 100 reasons. Trump obviously does not want the jobHe likes being a free-wheeling colorful character who says whatever he feels like at the moment regardless of information or tact. Many jobs would be fine for that, but not this one. This one requires some prep, some discipline, and some organization. Something is going on with Donald Trump. Trump has been right about many issues, but let's just call this a big mistake and bring on Pence, please. He is the real deal and Trump seems to be begging to be thrown off the ticket. With too many, Clinton is a default vote. Almost nobody except grey hair feminists on the Upper West Side are eager to vote for her. Because, vagina.
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Loving one's possessions
Artifacts from my life and from my family and my ancestors give me pleasure and comfort. Much of it probably has minimal monetary value (for example, you have to pay people to take away brown furniture today, even mahogany furniture, because nobody wants it) but it has meaning to me with memories attached. Our stuff is just junk to other people. For the love of stuff. I am my things and my things are me. I don’t want to give them up: they are narrative prompts for the story of my life.
What's for supper, Mamma? A few typical Sicilian Recipes Pic is caponata Sicilian Pistachio Sauce for fish, roast meat, vegetables, or crostini Cheese That Can't Stand Alone: 10 Uses for Ricotta Salata Parsley and Mint Tabouli - you can throw some steamed zucchini in that, and you can skip the parsley Parsley Pesto - you can use either walnuts or pignolis. Good for fish, crostini, panini. A more complex Sicilian Pesto Caponata. It's an all-purpose thing. Classic Sicilian antipasto: grilled vegetables, done this way. Has to have sliced eggplant, but anything else: halved potato, halved artichoke, leek, peppers - you name it. Best grilled on wood. Thursday free ad for Bob: Shooting StarWritten 1989, this performance 1991
Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Over the Next Few Nights: 10 Things to Know to Catch the Best View
"The Perseids occur each August as Earth passes through the tail of dust and debris left by the comet Swift-Tuttle." Tonight thru Saturday night are best: Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Over the Next Few Nights: 10 Things to Know to Catch the Best View
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11:37
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Thursday morning linksPhoto: Clapton went fishing The Last 2 Minutes of the Last Howdy Doody Show Public university warns against saying ‘you guys’ 12 Secrets of College Admissions Officers Clemson protesters call free speech 'garbage,' plan to shut down Milo event
A book: Out of the Desert: My Journey From Nomadic Bedouin to the Heart of Global Oil The FDA's New Rules for E-Cigarettes Are Already Hurting Vape Shops - New regs took affect on Monday and could be too costly for small companies to compete with Big Tobacco. ‘Like Hogs at the Trough,’ Lobbyists Feast on Farm Bill for Subsidies, Food Stamps ‘Substantial’ Number of Syrian Refugee Applicants Have Been Rejected Europe's Wave of Migration Brought Too Many Men Chris Christie Can't Escape Bridgegate It's the most trivial of stories. For real scandals, the Clintons Clinton accused of aiding Moscow ops with push for 'Russian Silicon Valley' Bloomberg, Daily Caller: Bombshells in top Clinton aides’ e-mails tie back to former Marc Rich partner Hillary Clinton: The devil the media knows The Real Reason the Mainstream Media Hates Trump Of Course Hillary Wants to ‘Abolish’ the Second Amendment Fears of a 'Calais in Italy' as migrants keep flooding across the Mediterranean A leading U.S. general pressured his intelligence analysts into playing down the ISIS and al Qaeda threats, according to a congressional task force. WAS THE RUSSIAN MILITARY A STEAMROLLER? FROM WORLD WAR II TO TODAY Iran-Backed Rebels Use Hospitals as Human Shields Wednesday, August 10. 2016Exclusive sororities and fraternities...return, but in somewhat new forms. No doubt there will be safe spaces for white middle class jocks too. People like to hang out with those with whom they have more in common. The racial component seems rather strange, as if, for example, all brown people have a lot in common. That is ridiculous. I predict that one ethnic group will not go for this sort of thing: Asians. Forgive the evil stereotype, but Asian kids seem versatile, comfortable, well-adjusted, and goal-directed. There are reasons for that, and it is not all their higher average IQs. Many commonly-used medicines are uselessI am looking forward to this series about medicines which may be "safe and effective," but not effective enough to be clinically relevant. The first example used is medicines for Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH). Snakes in the houseA friend told me yesterday the amusing story of the Ring-Neck Snakes which have been invading their house in upstate New York. His Mrs. is so uneasy about snakes that she has been stuffing towels under her bedroom door. They can't find their entry point. My friend smashed one with a book. The guy knows nothing about snakes. I advised him that Ring-Necks are pleasant harmless critters and you should just pick them up and put them in the woods out back. They won't even snap at you. Snakes rarely enter buildings except for Yellow Rat Snakes which like barns with rats and mice. However, I googled Ring-Necked Snake + houses and found a professional snake remover who seems to deal with that fairly often. I suspect they just like to explore tight spaces, and then find themselves in your living room with no way out. Two of our favorite common Atlantic shorebirdsBy early August the Yellow Legs and the Sanderlings have left their northern breeding grounds and are migrating south, towards home which is often as far as South America. Both species are fairly common along the coast during migration, Yellow Legs in marshes mostly, and Sanderlings on sandy shores. Lots of both on Cape Cod and the Islands.
Loving the OlympicsWednesday morning links
A Letter to My Daughter About Young Men Cool golf trick shot Something Wonderful: The Jukebox Repairman From a Dacha Wall, a Clue to Raoul Wallenberg’s Cold War Fate Justice Dept. lawyers ordered to take ethics classes after misleading judge in amnesty case Why is the NAACP so strongly opposed to charter schools which help black kids so much? Follow the $. The NEA is a major donor to the NAACP Germany's Migrant Rape Crisis Spirals out of Control - Suppression of data about migrant rapes is "Germany-wide phenomenon."
Socialism update: Bernie buys $600,000 vacation home Record 600 Major Regulations Imposed Under Obama - Report: New burdensome regulation issued every 3 days "Many of the reporters who feel compelled to stop Trump are undoubtedly comfortable because all their friends feel the same way. But they are deluding themselves if they think that going after one candidate in a two-candidate race is what journalism is
"For nearly a full day, the news cycle seemed to spin Trump’s way. Then the timer on his phone went off, and he realized it was time once again to shove his head up his ample orange rump. The Polls Aren’t Skewed: Trump Really Is Losing Badly Not because people like Hillary, but because Trump makes them uneasy. I think a majority of people prefer most of Trumps policies. The GOP majority could get wiped out in November New photos apparently show China building fighter jet hangars on disputed islands They are not post-modern globalists. They are nationalists building a regional power base. Why shouldn't they? Look forward in anger - By treating the young as a threat, Arab rulers are stoking the next revolt Summer in Gaza: Al-Quds Intifada Summer Camps In Gaza Offer Training In Stabbing, Firearms, Tunnel Combat
Tuesday, August 9. 2016“They were trying to actually silence us,” she said.
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15:45
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The inner lives of animalsA balmy 66 degrees FI always check the info about Cape Cod ocean beaching via Eastham's Coast Guard Beach. We are up from there, but same conditions. Coastguard Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Reports (Massachusetts, USA) Some people consider that water temp wetsuit swimming, but not us...well, Mrs. BD likes her wetsuit top for an hour of boogie-boarding. Of course our harbor, ponds, and bay waters are warmer. Tuesday morning linksFrigatebirds sleep in mid-flight Why You Should Always Dress Up When You Go Out to Eat For More U.S. Cities, Downtown Is a Center of Economic Strength Two murals at University of Wisconsin-Stout to be removed: 'Psychologically devastating' Indian history and Indian heritage are being erased in the name of correctness. Crazy. The civilization of the Mayan Indians A Surreal Life on the Precipice in Puerto Rico A failed state. Give them independence from the US The Law Of Unintended Consequences Hits Biofuels New Twist In Global Warming Madness: Olympic Records Won't Come Easy Crack Down on Law Schools That Don't Pass the Bar N.C. school board: Don’t call children ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ Illinois College Defends Offering Course For “Blacks-Only”…
How Do You Tell The Corrupt Politicians From The Honest Ones?
Well, that last question is not entirely fair to NYC. It takes a while for all of the new immigrants to get with the program but they get more help than NY immigrants of the past. The help probably slows them down. Plus NYC has large dysfunctional, dependent "inner city" "communities" which nobody knows what to do about except to give them stuff and get their votes. Related, from Z Man: The American colonies were doing well economically and the taxes and levies the King wished to impose were minor. Despite this economic realty, the colonies revolted anyway. It was early proof that homo economicus has always been nonsense. Humans as not rational and narrowly self-interested agents. Humans, individually and collectively, are biological. VDH on borders:
iStudy Shows Raising Minimum Wage in Seattle Did Little to Help Workers After Voter ID Defeats, Lessons From Indiana’s Law That ‘Has Stood Test of Time’ A press conference for Hillary: Softball questions and journalists applaud From 1996:
She is no lady Short-Circuit Damage to US Security: Hillary’s Lies and Amiri’s Execution - Sensational lying is nothing new for the former first lady Peyser: I can no longer justify calling myself a Trump supporter Democrats Touting Billionaire Support for Hillary Have a Short Memory Why Trump is now the most dangerous man in the world Because he is a NATO skeptic. So am I. It's a Cold War relic. Europe can take care of itself - or not. Bring back the Ottoman Empire, please. Munich killer 'went on weapons training day to Iran' before massacre where 9 died Monday, August 8. 2016Why professors, pundits, and policy wonks misunderstand the worldIntellectuals are Freaks. Lind begins:
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17:20
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Monday free ad for BobThe Nerdwriter contemplates All Along the Watchtower. I still do not know what it's about, but there is compelling, very spare, imagery. Thanks, Gerard
Monday morning linksMeet Samson — the biggest cat in NYC Alex Rodriguez to Play Final Major League Game Next Friday Simone Biles is busy seeking gold, but still manages to make Mass Athlete with No Womb or Ovaries but Internal Testes Will Compete with Women in Rio
Sweet Briar president: More than miracles needed to save small colleges Fighting for Free Speech on America’s Campuses NAACP members call for ban on privately managed charter schools World's largest aircraft leaves hangar for first time ahead of maiden flight World’s biggest hotel under construction...where? No hurricanes because of climate change? Climate Change Agenda and the Role of Bureaucratic Scientists The Deep Causes of Today’s Struggling U.S. Economy College Takes Down Historical Paintings Because They Might Traumatize American Indian Students When Black Is Not Enough WHAT VIETNAM CAN TEACH US ABOUT A DIVIDED AMERICA How Left-Wing Donors, Tactics Fundamentally Changed Dem Party Hillary ought not talk about killing "Is Robot Hillary Melting Down?" Hillary’s First Press Conference in 6 Months Turns Into Softball Game NY Times Public Editor Calls Out The Paper Over Hillary Clinton Cover-Up Obama’s Cash Payment to Iran Was More Than a Ransom — It Broke Criminal Law "Orwell deleted things like this from his own work as he assumed no one would believe it, even in fiction" Sen. Tom Cotton: Clinton’s Unprotected Emails Got Iranian Nuclear Scientist Executed Pew Survey: 42% of Europe’s Refugees in 2015 Were Young Men Famed flea market in France canceled over security concerns Warnings about Oktoberfest Palestinians: The "Country" Where Crime Is an Official Job The Death of Leon Klinghoffer on the Achille Lauro Cruise Ship - 25 Years Later Should America Remain Globally Engaged? America is losing its longest war Sunday, August 7. 20166 surprising downsides of being extremely intelligentThe Clinton FoundationI understand that ardent Hillary supporters could not care less about Clinton lies and Clinton money. Clinton morality is already baked in the cake and has been known for many years. No matter what is revealed, it changes no vote. Still, it's an ugly story that has to be told. Shut It Down: The Clinton Foundation Is Too Corrupt to Exist. It is nothing more than a family slush fund and corrupt to its core. Quite remarkable, really, that anybody had the hutzpah to try the obvious scam of collecting money from foreign businesses and nations while Secretary of State. Hire some friends, your kid, and political allies, make a few token international efforts which fail except for the photo ops - and Voila!
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13:35
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Life on the government plantation
Everybody admires those who escape any Indian government plantation. The worst thing about the Indians' plantation: No work at all to be done. No food needs to be produced, no buffalo left to kill, no enemy tribes to fight. Nothing. Escape is the only way to salvage a life. Government treats blacks and Indians as if they were helpless children. Give them stuff and they will shut up. Maybe they - not the government - will figure that out someday but I do not see it happening anytime soon. The New Trail of Tears: How Washington Is Destroying American Indians
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11:50
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Unfit for the presidency
Donald Trump, and everybody else
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11:33
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QQQ"If I were going to give a young man advice as to how he might succeed in life, I would say to him, pick out a good father and mother, and begin life in Ohio." Wilbur Wright
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06:55
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