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.
Purgatory, it seems, is the place for purging of sin and evil through penitence and painful self-awareness, and embracing virtue. A beautiful seven-story mountain. In some ways, Purgatorio is begging us to take purgatory today rather than later.
6:17 He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.
6:18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.
6:19 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
6:20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
6:21 "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
6:22 "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.
6:23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
6:24 "But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
6:25 "Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. "Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.
6:26 "Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets."
The current socio-political meme is that men are pigs, sometimes but rarely aggressive pigs, when it comes to desire and sexuality. As somebody who is privy to male fantasies, I have no doubt about that. As Freud taught us, human apes are civilized and restrained at great cost.
But what about women? Wholesome women are libidinal too, if less aggressively so. All or most honest females will admit their needs for romance and exciting sex lives. It's biological that both men and women want sexual satisfaction as often as possible. Because of culture and moral demands, many keep it safely in the fantasy realm.
It's a challenge for women to keep their men charmed and enchanted by them, and vice-versa. Worth the effort, though. Besides trying to remain interesting and fun, it never hurts for guys and gals to look good naked.
Friends just got back from Palm Beach. I've only been there once, for a lunch of stone crabs (which are overrated).
It's a narrow barrier reef, just a few feet above sea level but nobody seems worried about that at all. There is a beautiful, tony estate area of the island with magnificent tropical and subtropical gardens like Casa Phippsberger:
From what I gather, few people go to the beach there. There are heated pools. In winter, the sea is too cool for most people to swim (about 55 degrees F).
Three species of Asian Carp have invaded the Mississippi watershed. They are destroying the native ecosystem but, like most invasive species, there is no way to get rid of them.
Ingrates. Most sensible places would welcome 125,000 good jobs for their people. For the good of my city, I am deeply disappointed by the political idiots. No giganto biz wants to put up with that sort of BS when everybody else wants them.
While he was not considered a generally 'good' mayor, Robert Van Wyck certainly is an integral part of the city. I've taken the Van Wyck Expressway many times, but I've never wondered who Van Wyck actually was.
A Tammany operative, his scandals eventually cost the group power. Robert was the first mayor elected after the consolidation of the five boroughs.
On Valentine's Day 1899, he signed a law renaming Western Boulevard. Western ran north of Columbus Circle, and his law changed its name to Broadway, thereby extending the famous thoroughfare. Today, Broadway runs all the way north on the west side, then turns east at Inwood toward the Spuyten Duyvil, across into The Bronx, and up into Yonkers (where it becomes South Broadway). At 178th Street, it becomes Route 9.
Robert A. Van Wyck (1849-1918) was born in New York City and graduated from Columbia Law School in 1889. In 1897, Van Wyck became the first mayor of Greater New York after the consolidation of the five boroughs in 1898. During his term in office, Van Wyck renamed Western Boulevard north of Columbus Circle “Broadway” in 1899, extending one of Manhattan’s most famous streets. On March 24, 1900, Mayor Van Wyck began another New York institution by breaking ground in front of City Hall for the city’s first subway.
An expressway bearing Van Wyck’s name was built to connect John F. Kennedy, then Idlewild, Airport to several of the main east-west thoroughfares that run through Queens. Initial construction of the Van Wyck Expressway (I-678) was completed in 1950, and the road was officially opened on October 14 of that year. The construction of the Van Wyck Expressway required the impressive engineering feat of elevating the Long Island Rail Road switching yards and terminal in Jamaica, Queens (at 1,100 trains a day one of the busiest railroad junctions in the world), up into the air to allow for construction of the roadway underneath
I am more of a beer or wine guy, but for treats with buddies I am known to go for a whisky. That means Scotch, not bourbon. No bias, though.
I was introduced to Highland Park by Craig McDonald in Scotland. A man who knows his whiskys and lots of other things. If you can put up with male teasing, he's good company on hill hikes in the highlands.
With the kids mainly out of the house, I began a plan in 2017 to catch up with pals alone or as couples at least twice a week. It has been great fun. As a natural introvert, I recommend it as a plan.
I am blessed with interesting, smart, creative, and amusing pals who, like me, always have stories to tell. It's a very good thing for guys to get together, and not just in guy Bible study groups, poker, or with sports. A good reality check, laughs and tears, tragedies and triumphs. Very little politics.
Mrs. BD has been in charge of the social life in the past, but I take care of my own now. Drinks, burger, whatever. Connecting is not just for the gals. I believe that gals need gal time and guys need guy time.
A whiskey makes guy communication more open, because guys tend to be reserved. God made spirits for a reason.
Naval Ravikant is one of the truly smart guys. Deep thinker, legendary reader, genius investor, and wise beyond his years. Also, humorous, humble, and a good talker. Quite the human package. I like his line about happiness being an escape from the web of desire and acceptance of the present.
The only thing I have in common with him is reading multiple books at the same time.
"Everyone likes to be country until it's time to do country things. "I don't want to get dirty." "It's too hot." "It's too cold." "It's raining." "It's too heavy." "I'm tired.""
As our friend says, we ain't real country - we're country hobbyists. Gentry. or would-be gentry. We own lots of boots and wellies and have no fear of outdoor labor, but our lives do not depend on it.
Self-guided is much cheaper than guided trips. It depends, though, on your travel confidence. GPS is always handy. You get to see countryside, villages, and cities at your own hiking pace.
What they generally do is to transport your luggage from destination to destination, give you a map, and make your reservations. Most of their point-to-point daily walks are 8-10 miles, but some travel companies expect you to walk or hike 15 miles/day. That's a lot for many people especially in hilly terrain.
Another point is that their mapped walks are rated in the Euroland method of mild/moderate/challenging. Their "moderate" can entail serious hill-hiking so your fitness is a factor. If they say "challenging," they really mean it.
So, a more vigorous with less luxury, and a chance to see what ordinary tourists do not.
Sometimes they provide transfers to another starting point. They usually plan for two days in cities of interest, like Pisa, for people who love old churches, museums, and cafes.
It's fun to check out what these companies have to offer:
The current socio-political meme is that men are pigs, sometimes but rarely aggressive pigs, when it comes to desire and sexuality. As somebody who is privy to male fantasies, I have no doubt about that. As Freud taught us, human apes are civilized and restrained at great cost.
By Paul Fussell, not new but interesting and amusing: 
New AI fake text generator may be too dangerous to release, say creators. The Elon Musk-backed nonprofit company OpenAI 
You Can Limit Death’s Financial Costs, if Not the Emotional Ones, 
WSJ: 
I am more of a beer or wine guy, but for treats with buddies I am known to go for a whisky. That means Scotch, not bourbon. No bias, though.
