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.
The Swedes are a coldhearted people. When a 15-year-old boy was gunned down in a busy square in Malmo recently, a photograph showed that the townspeople had placed only seventeen candles and seven bouquets of flowers on the site where he had fallen. If the murder had happened in Britain, the ground on which the young victim had been shot would have been covered for yards around in candles, flowers, and teddy bears. In Sweden, by contrast, there was not a teddy bear to be seen.
Aristocracy was unfair. Meritocracy was the new thing but first the Jews, and then Asians figured out how to do meritocracy and now it is unfair. Now, from one point of view, success is unfair. Problem is that success is only individually defined.
A speech by Yale Law Prof Daniel Markovits, the author of The Meritocracy Trap. I see many erroneous assumptions in this guy's arguments (a c-span video). He seems to want to eat the wealthy, kill the kulaks. He thinks too much about money, as if it were the meaning of life. Maybe I think too much about freedom and free life choices.
For minor wealth, I work pretty hard and do the S&P index. For major wealth, I invest in Powerball at $2/month.
He thinks he discovered that life is unfair. If you have the time to listen to Markovits, I'd be interested in your reactions.
11:2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples
11:3 and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?"
11:4 Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see:
11:5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.
11:6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."
11:7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind?
11:8 What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces.
11:9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
11:10 This is the one about whom it is written, 'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'
11:11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
From a too-fancy party last night: "Guess what, Bird Dog, I have an announcement for ya."
"OK, I am listening."
"I've gone vegetarian."
"That's cool," I said. "You are fitting in exactly to the joke about vegetarians telling everybody. But why?"
"Mostly to feel morally superior to other people like you, secondarily for my triglycerides."
Excellent response. I love our friends. So lucky to have them all, especially at Christmastime. I didn't bother correcting him on his medical ignorance, because cheerful friends don't correct people at Christmas parties.
The majestic American Chestnut, like the Elm, died off to various blights in the past century. You can still see the slowly decaying rust-colored Chestnut carcasses on woodland hikes.
The Chestnut was one of the basic trees of the northern USA climax forest, along with oak, beech, maple, walnut. Lots of good eats for wildlife.
When you buy those delicious roasted chestnuts on NYC streets, they are imported European chestnuts. A different, but related, species. I have planted a few Asian Chestnut hybrids, but man do they grow slowly. As they say, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.
A handful of American Chestnuts have escaped the blight thus far. In Cape Cod.
As I’ve often said, conservatives are like doctors. Ours is a noble but tragic business. We’re trying to conserve a living thing: American liberty. And like all living things, liberty will one day die. But not today.
A recently-retired friend decided to take up EMT training. He wants to remain a useful citizen. Thus far, he loves it more than he ever liked his job. The chance to save a life is an appealing thing, while learning all sorts of new skills.
As an MD, I have to admit that these people can do things that I have no clue about how to do. Never learned, or can't remember. Most of the car crash victims I saw in ERs were DOA, and most MI people were beyond saving. Death happens, often, as it must. That was a while ago, though.
There are several levels of it, so you can keep aspiring. There is always work too, part-time or full, or volunteer.
The relatively-recent Italian owner of Brooks Brothers is determined to keep the brand going strong. Traditional, but with necessary updates. Let's face it, if you wear a 15 year-old suit, you look out out to lunch. Men's clothing is trimmer now, and so are men.
This frivolous topic comes up because a friend teased me last night at a Christmas party about my shirt. Being sort of conservative types, we 3 guys devouring the sliced filet were all wearing Brooks shirts (and jolly ties and jackets, as befitting the event). Not Barney's shopper types, or Armani types.
We stupidly got on the topic of dress shirts, and the friend accused me of wearing a Milano. Guess what? Brooks now makes 5 fits of their classic dress shirts.
It's about time. You could fit two people in my old Brooks shirts. Here's a related topic: They still have the classic cotton, but their big sellers are the no-iron ones. The no-iron ones feel less comfortable to me but they do not wrinkle up in one day and save a lot on laundry bills.
Re Christmas, most women appreciate a Brooks silk blouse. Silk seems to feel good to female skin.
My son Jason is at a conference in Berlin. He visited Sachsenhausen concentration camp, about 20-miles from Berlin. The camp was the admin HQ for the Nazi camps, training site for SS to run the camps, and where methods of murder were experimented with before arriving at the efficiency of gas chambers. It was later used by the KGB and East German communist regime for ongoing oppression. The memorial to the crematorium:
My son is a sunny southern California boy. The 3-degree Celsius (37-degree Fahrenheit) and stiff wind was uncomfortable, and it not yet the height of winter. Imagine the suffering of inmates from the cold, hunger, torture, death labor: tens of thousands dead, including political prisoners, Soviet and then German troops.
The FBI knew the Russia thing was a Clinton opposition hoax. Sen Hawley notes that the true 2016 collusion was between the Clinton campaign and the FBI. Russians don't scare me, but the FBI does. Russia is a pathetic place.
I don't think people should have strident opinions about trivialities. Children have strident opinions about trivialities.
Men don't. Men are supposed to be wise enough to know which things are trifling, and which things deserve their concern, and express themselves accordingly.
If it's important, you say something.
If it's not important, you practice the most ancient of all manly arts, the Manly Art of Shutting the F*** Up Once in a While and Giving Your C***slappers a Rest.
The Afghanistan fiasco reads like a systematic failure of leadership. The people in charge did not know what they were doing. They did not know what victory would look like. They did not set the agenda and define the policy. As a result, every junior officer and every junior bureaucrat could project his or her own priorities.
“We are deeply concerned that so many basic and fundamental errors were made by three separate, hand-picked investigative teams; on one of the most sensitive FBI investigations; after the matter had been briefed to the highest levels within the FBI; even though the information sought through use of FISA authority related so closely to an ongoing presidential campaign; and even though those involved with the investigation knew that their actions were likely to be subjected to close scrutiny. We believe this circumstance reflects a failure not just by those who prepared the FISA applications, but also by the managers and supervisors in the [investigation’s] chain of command, including FBI senior officials who were briefed as the investigation progressed.”
I hear you asking about my other favorite contemporary novelists. OK, Mark Helprin and Cormac McCarthy, not including beach books with snappy, wacky, sociopathic dialog like Carl Hiassen.
Sorry in advance — 
Image via 
From a too-fancy party last night: "Guess what, Bird Dog, I have an announcement for ya." 
The majestic American Chestnut, like the Elm, died off to various blights in the past century. You can still see the slowly decaying rust-colored Chestnut carcasses on woodland hikes.
WSJ: 
Image via 
Perhaps my favorite contemporary novelist, the late Walker Percy: