Maggie's Farm

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.

Our Recent Essays Behind the Front Page

Much Sorry with Delays
Birth, Death and All That Stuff in Between
How to Honor Labor Day, Every Day
My Yom Kippur Miracle (Repost from 2010)
Good intro to fly casting
Peach update, with pie
NYC update
Easy for you to say: To the elites on mass immigration
For NYC on 9/11, Sailors' Snug Harbor
Pickled Peaches
Water Shoes
Labor Costs in U.S.
Your "identity"
Good news about The Great Courses
Uses of Hot Pepper Jelly/Sauce, Chutneys, and Jams
A Saturday Drive to Litchfield County, CT
How to Pick a Kayak
Civilized: Fruit forks and knives
Loads of kayaking on Cape Cod
Psychology Experiments' Questionable Results

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Thursday, June 6. 2013

Thursday morning links



Photo is a Worksman Bicycle, made in NYC since 1899. Their original factory was at the site of the World Trade Center:



"Our Goal is to bring a more efficient, reliable and healthful transportation to modern industry" -Morris Worksman, 1898



Emmaland and Sophialand


Emirates Air now offering private cabins


Do Not Disturb


Texas farmer is pursued across field and stung to DEATH by 40,000 killer
bees


Insty doesn't dare wonder whether Viagra sales are due to the rise in fat American women


Idolizing Hannah Arendt


Sarah Murnaghan lung transplant case: Sebelius ordered to make exception on transplant


The politicization of medical care begins

The Insiders: As trust in government erodes, Obama’s plans evaporate


Do Human Beings Only Matter To the Extent They Serve as Cogs in a Government Plan?


Just when did political consultants start passing for journalists?


Google Hires Obama's Reelection Campaign E-Team


DNC, Press Share Talking Points on GOP's Reaction to White House Scandals


CNN Solves Problem of Piers Morgan’s ‘Liberal’ Overreach…


Why Does the American Media Get Big Stories Wrong?


Stephanie Cutter Attended WH
Meetings With IRS Chief


NSA collecting phone records of millions daily, court order reveals


From this report:



In the mid-1970s, Congress, for the first time, investigated the surveillance activities of the US government. Back then, the mandate of the NSA was that it would never direct its surveillance apparatus domestically.

At the conclusion of that investigation, Frank Church, the Democratic senator from Idaho who chaired the investigative committee, warned: "The NSA's capability at any time could be turned around on the American people, and no American would have any privacy left, such is the capability to monitor everything: telephone conversations, telegrams, it doesn't matter."



UCLA Study: There is No Recovery


Except in DC



Posted by Bird Dog in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 05:27 | Comments (23) | Trackbacks (0)

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RE: NSA\Verizon phone data collection - its one of the reasons why I've been weening myself from my Droid. Guess its time to go back to the 'ole fashioned dead-drops, messengers, and by-words.

...just sayin'... :)
#1 fred zeppelin on 2013-06-06 07:37 (Reply)
There are encryption solutions available that will drive the federal snoops crazy.
#1.1 NJSoldier on 2013-06-06 11:03 (Reply)
Photo I took as a kid of West & Vesey st
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhhardin/8569626694

before the WTC took over and wiped out all the radio stores.

Leeds was a great messy surplus electronics store, filled with cigar smoke. I may still have a core frame from an IBM 704 somewhere from it.
#2 rhhardin (Link) on 2013-06-06 08:53 (Reply)
Workmancycles is kool.

Thanks, Bird Dog.
#3 Leag on 2013-06-06 08:55 (Reply)
I want...specially that Wounded Warrior model.
#3.1 phil g on 2013-06-06 11:31 (Reply)
Meself wants a cafe cart and an ice cream cart and happiness cart, for starters.
#3.1.1 Leag on 2013-06-06 12:56 (Reply)
Phone metadata is great for analyzing out networks.

The security reason for it is that for the bad guys to do anything seriously bad, they need finances, organization, and so forth, which becomes more and more detectable.

So long as the seriously bad group size is bigger than the detectable group size, the terrorists lose.

Phone networks lower that threshold for us.

Of course it can also be used to detect Republicans, but on the other hand it's important securitywise.

You can't prevent mall bombings, but they're not serious damage except in the mind of the news ratings people.

Losing a city is what's worrying, and phone records prevent.
#4 rhhardin (Link) on 2013-06-06 08:58 (Reply)
Ah, but in the current administration, the best way to avoid surveillance is to at least appear to be an Islamist. So grow a beard, hide the bacon, take offense at cartoons.

We should note that the Ft Hood terrorist had a large electronic footprint that extended to legitimate NSA targets overseas but the US government still couldn't recognize the enemy.

In fact, even after American soldiers lay dead deep in the interior of the contiguous United States, the senior Army generals still couldn't recognize the enemy or enemy action.

Workplace violence? The man himself is putting forth a defense of others justification, the others being the Taliban. For the senior military commanders, that would be what is Congress called the ENEMY when they authorized what is now called Overseas Contingency Operations.
#4.1 JKB on 2013-06-06 12:25 (Reply)
"We should note that the Ft Hood terrorist had a large electronic footprint that extended to legitimate NSA targets overseas but the US government still couldn't recognize the enemy."

You raise an important point. It seems obvious to me that this surveillance program is not some national security scheme that's designed to PREVENT an attack; rather, its sole purpose is to aid in the prosecution and conviction of terrorists in court AFTER they have carried out an attack, allowing the government to build a case of conspiracy long after the fact. In other words, this secret program is, on its face, indiscriminate with no basis in probable cause and therefore unconstitutional spying on American citizens.
#4.1.1 Agent Cooper on 2013-06-06 19:54 (Reply)
I knew the second I read that DEATH-by-bees link that it had to go to an British newspaper. Nobody deploys the capitalized headline with the shameless verve of the U.K. press.
#5 T.K. Tortch on 2013-06-06 10:45 (Reply)
I sympathize with th parents of the young girl needing a lung transplant and I believe they are doing everything right to get their child the medical help she needs. But it is crazy to allow the courts to intervene in health care. On the surface this seems like a win for everyone, after all who could be unhappy that this little girl gets to live. Well for starts the man or woman next on the list for a lung who doesn't get it because the courts bowed to national emotion. Is there a law suit there as well; a wrongful death suit perhaps? I have no doubt that the current rules on access to body parts and the donation issue vs being able to sell organs has many problems that should and could be fixed. Maybe this event will trigger an effort to fix some of those problems. But my money is on them making it worse because the courts are generally a blunt object that makes things worse not better and also make it very difficult to fix what they screw up since it then has the legal seal of approval. But, hey! What could go wrong? Take health/medical decisions out of the hands of doctors and health scientists and let the legal system decide based on emotional appeals.
#6 GoneWithTheWind on 2013-06-06 11:03 (Reply)
Does anyone remember the "story" about the older couple who purchased a Radio Shack scanner and just happened to innocently scan and tape record a phone call to Newt Gingrich. And of course this innocent couple thinking something bad happened just happened to turn over the recording to the DNC. I assume everyone who is justly upset about the NSA is confident that these two budding spys got jail time. They broke numerous laws and anyone with an inkling of what it takes to snatch both sides of a cell phone conversation out of the air and tape it would know this cover story was a lie to cover up what would have been a concerted effort to illegally wiretap Republicans. What ever happened to that investigation? Did anyone go to jail? Did the press ferret out the bad guys at the DNC? These were serious charges and serious wrong doings. Does the DNC still wire tap all the Republicans runnig for office?
#7 GoneWithTheWind on 2013-06-06 11:10 (Reply)
Is Insty a little hypersensitive about rationalizing the little blue pills? Why does it matter to him? His wife is skinny. Look at this: not just fat women creating a market for Viagra (what an unchivalrous man, and Rubens might disagree w him anyway): Fat men too.


http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db82.pdf

Things that also contribute to needing Viagra:
Old age and weaker hydraulics
Man being fat and out of shape
Too much alcohol (increases desire, diminishes capacity)
Diabetes
Atherosclerosis
Addiction to porn that makes normal women seem less appealing
Stress at work
Money worries
Some Antidepressants
Blood pressure meds
Relationship problems
Having adult children living in the house
Marrying a bimbo younger second wife who is hotter than the guy and worrying that she will fancy the pool boy if he doesn't keep up w her (awful pun intended)
Being daily emasculated by a younger boss but having to put up w it because you'll never find another job at 50

Don't blame "obese women" for being unable to perform, Insty.

(average female, no blue pills in our house.)
#8 Retriever on 2013-06-06 11:31 (Reply)
Number 4 on your list is commonly known as 'whiskey dick'.
#8.1 phil g on 2013-06-06 14:23 (Reply)
Just when did political consultants start passing for journalists? Since the lefties controlled the broadcasts. Been a while, hasn't it? Nobody here but just us chickens...

Google: Evil is as evil does...and they do it a lot.

DNC and Press in Sync? THERE's a surprise.

CNN moves left, is news? Not much more left left.

No Recovery? Well, it is time once again for the FIFTH! Annual Tour of the Summer Of Recovery!
#9 Sam L. on 2013-06-06 11:36 (Reply)
Does anyone remember when Hillary was second in charge at the White House (wifely role)? She spent nearly three years trying to re-design health care. During those years she made it very clear that that the distribution of party parts should not be left in the domain of private (non-profit) organizations. I am always surprised when an innocent citizen is able to get national tv's attention about anything at all ! Almost always, they have been coached by their local DNC 'agents of change'. Yup, this is just one more example of Dirty Hillary up to her old tricks again! Got to have--must have control of body parts--it contains within it great opportunity for power and you all know how much Dirty Hillary loves power !
#10 another one on 2013-06-06 12:51 (Reply)
NSA has been been doing mass surveilance since 2006 by orders and probably before that.

Judge who signed order this last round is, bless yall's heart, Raygun appointee, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson.

Relax, NSA sweeps everyone's metadata.
#11 Leag on 2013-06-06 12:52 (Reply)
I'm more worried that my wife will figure out how much I'm spending on my hobbies than what NSA may know about me.
#11.1 phil g on 2013-06-06 14:21 (Reply)
oh boy. Last night there was a film on the hearings of a military committee. I don't remember the exact title of that event. However, what I do remember is that some gal (representative) was sleeping through the hearing/meeting. But, she was good at it! If you watch her carefully she is well experienced in sleeping through meetings and waking up just in time to yell out her vote. She looks to me like the so many students I have watched sleeping through a lecture. Their head is down, but it appears they are reading something in their lap. They don't jerk up when they wake up--no these are the more practiced sleepers. They are not sound asleep--they are just asleep enough to wake up without being startled--they are actually kind of hearing, but not really caring or thinking. If you are looking at the video and see the representatives you will see two gals in red/pink she is the one on the left. Take a close look and please tell the nation who this enlightened, oh so caring 'agent of change' is--please.
#12 faculty wife on 2013-06-06 13:03 (Reply)
I believe this was the hearing yesterday--can anyone find the video?

http://appropriations.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=335871
#13 faculty Wife on 2013-06-06 13:07 (Reply)
Sold to the lowest bidder but sold.

There still is time to reconsider, however.

Cheeseboy is designated boy of el husna presidenti, a reward for his unequivocal mutual support of muhammadans.

While hosting a pack of them last July at Ramadan dinner in Governor’s Mansion he said,
“In many publications around this country I’m now called an Islamist,” Christie told the crowd of New Jersey Muslims. “Ya know, listen, I’ve been called worse things — usually on the boardwalk on Seaside Heights. Y’all saw my reaction to that.”
#14 Leag on 2013-06-06 16:13 (Reply)
response to phil g #11.1
#14.1 Leag on 2013-06-06 16:16 (Reply)
Aprapo of nothing. My brilliant rocket scientist nephew works at the company which designs and builds the luxury cabins for Emirate Air.

Proud of that boy, I am.
#15 Jeffersonian on 2013-06-06 23:14 (Reply)

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