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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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Sunday, March 8. 2020Bolognese vs. Marinara
Bolognese is a northern Italian meat sauce. Marinara is southern Italian tomato sauce. Spaghetti and meatballs is an American thing, marinara with meatballs. Bolognese is not a meat sauce really - it's a meat-flavored sauce. Mrs. BD made a double recipe yesterday for friends tonite. Always better the next day. The only recipe we endorse is Marcella Hazan's. The bit of nutmeg, and the milk, make it perfect. Remember the rule: Toss the almost fully-cooked pasta in the hot saucepan with the sauce. Don't dump sauce on top of pasta. Some parmesan shavings on top is nice, and maybe a little parsley. Almost any sort of pasta works.
Gyms, churches, restaurants, etc.
Word is that the theater/movie biz is having a drop in attendance. Restaurants and pubs as busy as ever. People vary in their vulnerability to fearfulness. I refuse to be among the fearful. It's just not my way. My church this morning was packed, as always. No more sipping the wine from the same cup, though. I never liked that idea anyway. My gym is as busy as usual. They claim they do a special cleaning every three days. Whatever. What about travel plans? Cruise lines are dead for a while, and northern Italy is shut down. I feel bad for their businesses. It's a Black Swan event. If you plan for Black Swans, you go nuts.
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From today's LectionaryMatthew 17:1-9 17:1 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 17:2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 17:3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 17:4 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 17:5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" 17:6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 17:7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." 17:8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. 17:9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." Saturday, March 7. 2020"We're gonna look at the nose of the aircraft to make sure we have 2 engines, 2 wings"A backwoods B737-200 in Canada
VDH on Trump, one year ago. Really good.We're all gonna drownNew study shows sea level rise has been slow and a constant, pre-dating industrialization That's what happens during interglaciations. The reverse happens during glaciations. People once lived where the English Channel is now.
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Saturday morning linksNote to readers: The CDC has certified that Maggie's Farm has installed effective protections against sending COVID-19 through the internet. It's a very high-tech filter made of baling wire, duct tape, and organic, non-GMO fresh, damp cow manure which is stuffed into our internet access portal (we use a PVC pipe). We do it to keep you safe here. 'Rosie the Riveter' dies at 95: New York woman who first inspired the iconic character while working on a fighter plane assembly line during WWII passes away Girl Scouts are tough salespeople She inherited millions, and nobody knows Smart girl Quillette: A Closer Look at ‘White Fragility’ Theory Historian: I Warned The 1619 Project’s Author She Was Wrong About The Revolutionary War LI: Look for the Union Label Week in Higher Education California's Government Has Turned Homelessness Into Big Business Blockbuster Jobs Report: Feb Payrolls Soar By 273,000, Smashing Expectations, As Unemployment Rate Drops... But Does Anyone Care? Anyone Notice That Trump’s Economy Keeps Beating Expectations? MSM will not mention Schumer’s SCOTUS threat was truly unprecedented, then he made it worse Maddow Tells Warren Her Exit From Race Was ‘Death Knell’ For ‘Woman President In Our Lifetimes’ I doubt it, but is that really so important? Dem women preferred Biden. Are you suffering from Elizabeth Warren Denial Syndrome? Symptoms include seeing sexism everywhere and forgetting Tulsi is still in the race Biden Keeps Forgetting Obama’s Name While Campaigning MSM will not discuss 'It's pandemonium': virus panic-buying hits Los Angeles All of Italy’s Regions Infected with Coronavirus Insty's Corona update Friday, March 6. 2020Are CDs obsolete? #2
We have superb speakers, extravagant. Living room and bedroom. We happily live with no TV out in the country. Music-lovers, on a Brahms kick now. Live music is better, but how often? And I do not like to waste my time on live music unless I have heard it at home a few times first to get the idea of it. Otherwise, first time is too complex for me to process. Computer music is good enough for pop or folk, but not for serious "adult" music. Try buying a good 6-CD player now to run through your fancy amp and fancy speakers. I have 1000 CDs, all important to me. Many operas. My player must have gotten the coronavirus, because it seems to have died. I have tried "used" or refubished players. Not a good idea, sadly. That is from experience. I welcome your ideas. The ones I find cost almost double what they used to cost. Do I need to spend $500 for a CD component? I have two great old amps which have lasted forever.
Posted by The Barrister
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15:18
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A socio-cultural issueU.S. has world’s highest rate of children living in single-parent households Is that at least part of why women here tend to vote for parental governments? For security, or a fantasy of security? Is that a female thing? If so, it doesn't seem very feminist to me.
Posted by The Barrister
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14:33
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Flu viruses, hurricanes, blizzards, oh my. Stock up on canned goods!
But humans are wired for excitement, threat responses, etc. Survival instincts. Most of us crave some degree of excitment, and will even pay money for it because life is so relatively easy. Some more than others, of course. Roller coasters, climbing Mt. Everest, etc. There's probably a Bell curve spectrum of various responses to real, perceived, or imagined threat. Some cower and hide, some rise up and resist, even irrationally, and everything in between. I like to think I am in the calm, rational, middle but I will kill you if you threaten me or my home. No regrets if that were to occur. I love blizzards. Tornadoes? No.
Friday morning links
Felony Arrest of 10-Year-Old for Playing With Toy Gun University of Texas orders faculty to undergo training on law that criminalizes sex jokes California’s ethnic studies proposal is incomplete and offensive Less than 2 percent of Harvard faculty are conservative, survey finds The Nigerian prince scam is still fooling people. Here’s why. A classic grift has evolved over time. Williams College suspended male student for not dating girl after kissing her: lawsuit I Went to a Socialism Conference Last Year. Consider Me Scared. 328 Chinese Nationals Caught Trying To Illegally Enter U.S. At Southern Border We’re Accumulating More Critical Information About The Coronavirus Every Day Schumer to Gorsuch and Kavanaugh: Nice Little Court Ya Got There, Hate to See Anything Happen to It … Warren Blames ‘Sexism’ For Her Failed Campaign… MSNBC’s Brian Williams reads a tweet: "Bloomberg spent $500 million on ads. U.S. Population, 327 million. He could have given each American $1 million" MSNBC’s Brian Williams, NY Times editor marvel at tweet that got Bloomberg math really wrong With Biden ascendant, it's useful to remember just how awful he is North Korea’s Ballistic Bluster May Mask Major Epidemic Thursday, March 5. 2020Wrong business model: Airbus A380Planning for the past can make you wrong for the future
Coronavirus, paranoids, and preppersParanoids love to have a teensy bit of fact to appear to justify their habitual fearfulness, and preppers love having a reason to justify their prepping. I feel those people just find it exciting, but most people I talk to just joke about the hysteria. What a crazy world! If you ask me, a 6-month supply of peanut butter and jelly, and a bag of flour, ought to take care of it. Maybe 50 bags of chips, and how many cases of beer? Store Shelves Across The Country Are Emptying Fast Really?
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15:29
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Thursday morning links
10,000 steps: Not quite magical when it comes to weight Of course not. Still, better to move around a lot than to sit Female Guardian Writer: My Lack of Attraction to My Dress-Wearing Boyfriend Made Me Doubt My Liberation from the Patriarchy's Mind Control Court Considers Whether Men-Only Draft Is Constitutional The University of California-Santa Cruz has fired 54 graduate workers after they refused to turn in fall semester grades in an ongoing dispute over pay. Time to grow up, kids NY Times Knows What The Best Treatment For Coronavirus Is Sen. Mike Lee: It's time for Congress to bring accountability to intelligence community's surveillance poweR I thought they did that decades ago Former Obama-Era Cuban Prisoner Says Sanders Told Him, 'I Don't Know What's So Wrong' With Cuba NYM on politicians:
Schumer Threatens Supreme Court Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, “You Will Pay the Price! You Won’t Know What Hit You!” Biden: “If I Win,” Beto O’Rourke, Who Wants Mandatory Gun Confiscation, Will “Change The Face” Of Gun Control Trump's Super Tuesday results: Broad appeal beyond a united GOP Israel picks its 2020 Eurovision entry, sung in four languages (with the music vid) UN agency: Iran nearly triples stockpile of enriched uranium. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog says Iran has nearly tripled its stockpile of enriched uranium since November in violation of its deal with world powers Duh. They are permitted to lie to kaffirs Wednesday, March 4. 2020Building a sturdy body: The mighty, mighty Deadlift, repostedBarbell squats and Deads are the ultimate full- body strength builders and strength-maintainers. Middle-aged+ people, male or female, ought to do some of each weekly for bone and muscle health. You can do deads with kettlelbells or trap bars, but there's nothing like the barbell. (There are lots of other good and useful lower body exercises, calisthenics etc., but just talking about sturdiness today.) My view is that it's not a good idea to do more than 25-30 total working reps of deadlifts in a day's routine. That would be maybe 5-6 working sets of 3-8 reps (not counting a warm-up set). I only do deads once weekly (and barbell squats once weekly). If you do not use a trainer, here are some thoughts about how to organize your deadlift routine: How Many Reps of Deadlifts Should I Do When I Workout And, just for fun because it's not about general fitness, you can check out where your one-rep max falls - enter male or female, age, and weight. I try one-rep maxes around 4X/year, for fun. Taking age into account, I am between intermediate and advanced, which seems good for me. I can not dead 300 lbs. I blame Isaac Newton for that because he is the guy who glued the weights to the floor.
Mike is out![]() How Boeing Will Get the 737 MAX Flying AgainWednesday morning links Do We Expect Too Much From Our Romantic Partners? A new book explores how marriage has changed in recent years, and why that’s made staying married harder. A big NH Lake Trout Yellowstone Begins Bison Captures as it Seeks to Cull Herd Art Renewal Center - Leading the Revival of Realism What about combat shotguns? Everybody Panic: Half The World’s Beaches May Possibly Perchance Disappear Video of San Francisco's no-arrest policy After He Found California's Indefinite Detention of Sex Offenders Wasn't Working, the State Shut Him Down and Destroyed His Research How Do You Measure The "Success" Of Affordable Housing? The 1619 Project’s outrageous, lying slander of Abe Lincoln China’s cases of Covid-19 are finally declining. A WHO expert explains why. As Trump wins praise for effective coronavirus response, blue cities do opposite, threatening its spread it through homelessness Kamala Harris To Endorse Biden In California Today Waiting to be Biden's VP choice Tuesday, March 3. 2020An 80 year-old BonsaiMrs. BD emailed me this cool pic from the Phila. Flower Show today:
Virus panic-buying
But why the run on water? People are buying all of the bottled water. Why? I can understand stocking up on beer and wine, but water?
Posted by The News Junkie
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18:10
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Tips for identifying artists
Posted by Bird Dog
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15:03
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Your lean weightDoctors like to put numbers on things, including things like your body composition. Your body composition matters for dozens of things, from diabetes and heart disease to arthritis, to general fitness of course. Calculated BMI is a poor measure for many reasons. As mentioned yesterday, caliper measures are quite accurate. It only takes a minute, and is often done by the nurse with general physical exams. Here's how to measure your body fat correctly. You might be pleased or you might be appalled.
Tuesday morning links
The end of the Chevy Impala Dogfight over endangered species looms over efforts to delist gray wolf Will canceling unused credit cards hurt my credit score? What the NYT’s 1619 Project aims to teach your kids The Power of Liberal Peer Condemnation on Conservatives Will Sen. Chris Murphy infect the entire US Senate with COVID-19? Iraqi TV: Coronavirus Is An American, Jewish Plot To Reduce World Population The Coronavirus Is Dramatic Enough As Is, Thank You How News Coverage Changed For The Worse Gregg Jarrett: Hillary Clinton will feign amnesia if forced to testify about her secret email server What An Ally! Turkey’s Erdogan Sets Refugee Flood On NATO Monday, March 2. 2020Medical advice to readers over age 40
Preventive medicine is expensive and, they say, not cost-effective but my life is not a statistic to me. I schedule it every 2 or 3 years. It's annoying and inconvenient, and leads to all sorts of annoying and inconvenient tests to make sure nothing (detectable) bad is going on anywhere. Do it in memory of my dear brother-in-law Uncle Bob, a very fit, skinny, strong athlete who dropped dead last year at age 59 on a treadmill. Avoided doctors for 30 years like an old-time Yankee. He would be alive today, still climbing the White Mountains, if anybody had known his cardiovascular situation. Never had any symptoms, and could run and climb like a monster. I remember our last run together on Cape Cod a couple of years ago. No way I could keep up. My own doc admitted to me that he himself had not had a thorough physical for 6 years. Whatever. He's a serious athlete and presumably knows his body. He found a lump on me (harmless lipoma) and asked me if I had noticed it. "Nope," I replied. "I am not in the habit of caressing my body." The only complaint I could come up with for him is my waking up between 1 and 2 in the morning with trouble getting back to sleep. Not to pee, just waking up with a head full of vivid memories and some sad or dark thoughts. Plus a little heartburn sometimes, especially with late suppers. He gave me some sleep meds which I have not used. Also, my darn traumatic right shoulder arthritis from sport accidents, which I do not plan to do anything about anytime soon (shoulder replacement? Not today, thank you, even though it makes handling a shotgun painful and awkward). I do whatever he tells me to do because he will fire any patient who will not. He has a waiting list for new patients, like an exclusive club. Besides the routine exam, he made me endure three separate sets of blood drawings, 2 full-body CAT scans (one with and one without contrast), Echo stress test, breathing test, Colonoscopy and Endoscopy, a Urologist consultation, and an Oncology consultation (cuz I had a sarcoma sliced out 15 years ago). That is called a thorough check-up but I put up with it all, somehow. I am healthy and strong enough (passed his strength test - deadlifts by age and weight), with below-average body fat by caliper measure. Below-average body fat feels good because "average" is pudgy. Other than well-controlled blood pressure and triglycerides, I am good for now. Readers know I have a serious daily exercise regimen for what it's worth. Could get killed by a falling crane tomorrow. What about y'all?
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