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.
Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset tonight, beginning the ten days of Awe or Repentence that brings us to Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement and Judgment. Although every day we are to examine our actions and thoughts, making up and apologizing for our transgressions toward others and beginning to live a better good life, these ten days are especially intense introspection and self-correction.
If only for convenience, it's always a good idea to put some boards or a tarp to cover your winter's firewood.
Some claim it's important to put some tarp under the pile of firewood because unless you live where the soil is rock-frozen from Sept. to May, dampness rises up. That seems to make some sense, but the trouble is that the tarp underneath will hold water.
My best solution from experimenting with multiple cords each year is to elevate the piles with anything - logs, pallets, rocks, etc so there is airflow, and only to cover the top of the piles, not the sides. That blocks airflow.
In my view, a home without a fire is just a house in wintertime. Just clean the flue every cord or two.
16:19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
16:20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
16:21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
16:22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.
16:23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.
16:24 He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.'
16:25 But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.
16:26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.'
16:27 He said, 'Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house--
16:28 for I have five brothers--that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.'
16:29 Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.'
16:30 He said, 'No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'
16:31 He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"
They are passing through, because I never see them here during summertime. I don't know why not. This morning I saw (and mostly heard) them around my gym's illuminated parking lot. That's a typical place for them.
Over the years, I have seen them around illuminated stadiums and in small towns.
No wonder Trump seems to be spoiling for this fight. With an eye on Bill Clinton’s presidency, he may even relish a lengthy impeachment battle that uncovers no crime while showing that congressional Democrats are more intent on pursuing a vendetta against a president than helping the people they’re elected to serve.
After all, what surgeons can do these days to alter appearance is remarkable, if you have the dough. They can give you a new coronary artery, or even build a vagina for a guy, for heaven's sake.
This age issue occurred to me because a reader asked my age. Half-seriously, I think. So I considered whether the answer should be literal or not. Intellectual/wisdom age, physical-condition age, spiritual age, social/maturity age, tooth age, sexual functioning age, whatever.
A couple of costly bridges have restored my tooth age to 20. According to my cardiologist (who I only need for my annual stress test that my trainer requires), my cardio fitness/function is age 30 (after 4 years of daily workouts). I have more physical energy than I did at 45. My weight is about 10 lbs more than when I was 30, but it's mostly from weight-lifting in the past 4 years. My physique is youthful enough, but my face not so much... I joke that Mrs. BD should put a bag over my head but $5,000 could fix that too. My social maturity age ranges widely but I get along with most good people pretty well, and my intellectual/wisdom age can be judged by others. Definitely should be better.
And, consider this: I drive a zippy, growling Italian sports car that few 30 year-olds could afford. Lots of my pals decide it's time for toy cars as a reward. I think I'll pick my age as 45, averaging out all of the components. Having written that, watch me stroke out tomorrow.
How about you readers? What ages are you, really? The average age of your various components?
9 Revelations In The Atlantic’s Essay About NYC’s Kafkaesque Schools - George Packer’s extremely long Atlantic essay contains gems of leftist cognitive dissonance, some funny, some enraging, and some heartbreaking. Here’s a list...
Dead at 78. As I said recently, never a Deadhead but spent a lot of time with them on the Sirius Dead channel in my new car due to not reading the instructions. Maybe Garcia was "Captain Trips" but the music did not seem like that. Hunter was an American folklorist, as is Dylan and as was The Band.
Squats are one of the basic powerlifts (+ deadlifts, bench press, dumbell or barbell or cable rows, overhead press, and pullups/pull downs). All are designed and used to build or maintain physical sturdiness and energy. They are the core of the strength component of a fitness program for men and women of all ages.
For me, squats are the most unpleasant strength exercise. Years ago, as a beginner, I started out with body-weight squats, advanced to goblet squats and then to barbell back squatting. I hate it because it gets so damn hard to go heavy, but also because it feels scarey to get low with all that weight on your back. You just can't feel confident that you can get back up. Improvement is slow.
If you have short legs, it feels less treacherous but I do not have those.
Three tips: Wider stance, keep knees out, deep breath before you go down and hold it until you thrust up.
In the Youtube clip below, some Boston guy advocates "ass to grass." I do that with goblet squats (a regular component of my calisthenics classes), but never with good weight on a barbell. I just aim to get my butt below my knees. Not so young anymore but, dammit, I do want to get low with the weight because a squat ought to be more than getting up from a chair.
The Democrats moved so smoothly from Russia and racism to Ukraine that I hardly noticed. Whatever they are talking about — we aren’t entirely clear yet — it requires President Trump’s removal from office. That is the common denominator. They can’t wait for the election coming up next year to dispose of bad man orange.
" Do the leftists behind the anti-American indoctrination program of the past decades, of which the 1619 Project is a lagging indicator, think America is worth defending? I doubt it."
If You Can’t Sell Your Hysteria to Adults, Try Kids
I like leftover cold pizza for breakfast as much as any other guy, but around here late summer is when our home grown tomatoes ripen. In New England, tomato season is brief (except for cherry tomatoes). Almost done. They are sweet.
Here's my favorite way to use our own tomatoes for breakfast: Put one (large) or a couple of thick slices of tomato on some thin white bread. Then slices of cheddar to cover the tomatoes. Put under a hot broiler til the cheese melts a bit and the exposed bread browns. Not necessary, but a small sprinkle of oregano on top if you must.
Perfect breakfast - simple pizza. A shame that the Romans never knew tomatoes.
There are countries such as China that desperately want to defeat Trump and had that interest in the 2018 midterm elections and in 2020 elections. We know that China is actively manipulating its actions to help achieve the goal of a Trump loss in 2020. Are Rucker, Costa and Bade suggesting that whichever Democrat Trump runs against should face “legal consequence” for whatever machinations they employ?
Robbie Robertson and some drummer who should have made it in a band, plus people from all over the world. How was this thing produced? Double h/t to Am Digest. I was a youth when Big Pink came out, remember when I first listened to it on vinyl. I do remember the girl I was with, hope she remembers me.
Not The Band's best tune. Too many of their bests to list. They were not rock, just American music. Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
Robbie, in my opinion, has perfect taste with lead guitar. No showboating, just the right touches.
If you're younger than me, give the "record" a listen. Then thank me. About The Weight
‘Humorists Have Been
They are passing through, because I never see them here during summertime. I don't know why not. This morning I saw (and mostly heard) them around my gym's illuminated parking lot. That's a typical place for them.
Mass transit and govt subsidies: 
my age?