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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Saturday, March 16. 2024Saturday Fitness quoteThanks, reader - "A well-built physique is a status symbol. That is why it's attractive to me.” ― Pauline Nordin Friday, March 15. 2024Short AdditionMy son, soon to be 28, got a massive opportunity. His company (Digital Trends) currently uses him to manage and grow their advertisers. He has done a lot of work doing this - to the point, at one stage, where he survived many layoffs and is still growing several partners. The informations can be good and useful, depends heavily on your needs or requirements, but Samsung is his largest and they focus on how new versions of TVs are used. Samsung isn't just TV viewing, but gaming, looking at laptops, mobile devices, and several other uses which my son far exceeds me regarding. It's one of those items, years ago, I was an expert on. Formerly a "tech guy" I've since moved far past that. I'm not an expert as I once was - but my son is far beyond an expert. Except my younger son is changing regarding that very soon. His first step as he moves toward this is his first article about films. It's a specialty and I suspect many Maggie's Farm fans will not enjoy many of these in the attached article - but I have watched two and enjoyed them. But it is a rarity and very oddly specialized requiring deep knowledge and understanding. Please check it out. Here is his article. This is his first. He will improve dramatically, but he is very good.
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Were Cervantes and Shakespeare aware of eachother?It has been debated for a long time.
Big RiverFriday morning linksWhy decluttering your home can save your mental health, according to a doctor Harvard doctor says animal products are essential for mental health - in blow to veganism: 'The brain needs meat' Time spend playing video games is not associated with anxiety or stress among college students Just a stupid waste of time Eliminating Standardized Testing Was a Disaster Female Athletes Sue NCAA Over Transgender Competitors in Sports California: We Need Another $100 Billion for High-Speed Rail Canadian Police Advise Leaving Car Keys in Front Door to Deter Break-Ins and Minimize Conflict with Thieves Why a Berkeley Professor Is Sleeping in His Office. The Rise of the Latino Evangelical. Give Stephen Glass a Break. TGIF: I Serve at the Pleasure of Barbecue - The ACLU gets uncivil. Biden goes rogue and Shaun King goes Muslim. Trump flip-flops on TikTok. Elon Musk and Don Lemon go kaput. And much more. Joe Biden seemed ‘normal’ in 2020, but then came his nothing-normal presidency The View from Gaza Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) denounced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an “obstacle to peace” NATO's 'Welfare' States: Treating The US As 'Room Service' Thursday, March 14. 2024Physical fitness and politics
The author quotes Socrates:
Thursday morning linksNo more "Honor, Duty, Country" Why? Trans Activist Furious That Britain's 'Far-Right' NHS Banned Puberty Blockers For Kids Devastating Study Blows Up the Entire Transgender Movement Nearly 30% of Gen Z women identify as LGBTQ, Gallup survey finds Urban Agriculture? Recycling plastic is practically impossible — and the problem is getting worse The Folly Of Rent Control In New York City Private K-12 programs ditch classics for race-obsessed classes, woke activism Metropolitan Opera Slaps Trigger Warning on Puccini’s ‘Turandot’: Rife with ‘Racial Stereotypes’ NYC Warmists Could Force Pizzerias Out Of Business How Pelosi’s J6 Committee Was Used for Politics and Lawfare There's Literally Not One Single Way Illegal Immigration' Impacts Anyone's Life in Any Way Bari Weiss: Reflections and videos from my time on the ground in Israel. Wednesday, March 13. 2024Haiti in the newsMy great-uncle used to like Haiti for winter vacations. It was a tourist place, like Cuba was. Like so many places on earth, it's now a gangster place. Call it a "country" if you want to. Nothing new about that. Seems to me that not being a gangster place is the exception. I've known a couple of Americans who tried to "help" Haitians. They gave up, just like the Clintons did. It has no modern legal structure, same as Somalia or Gaza etc. etc. Lord of the flies. Haiti news – live: US State Department warns Americans not to travel to Haiti amid gang takeover Trump might term such places s-hole countries, but it's historically normal.
Wednesday morning linksEliminating Developmental Math U.K. National Health Service to Stop Prescribing Puberty Blockers to Kids The "Gender Pay Gap" Is a Myth That Won’t Go Away Journalism Has a Religion Problem Stuart's Wednesday Potpourri Mr. Garland, Can I Vote In France And Spain? " Importing tens of millions of third-world people with no skills and no money into a first world nation with an enshrined welfare state, does not benefit the people of that nation, as the latter are forced to foot the bill." The biggest question of another Trump presidency is: Who will work for him? The UN wants you to think aid isn’t reaching northern Gaza, because it’s not reaching it… through the UN. Tuesday, March 12. 2024St. Patrick wasn't Irish - and Corned Beef and Cabbage isn't Irish eitherRe-posted cuz St. Patrick's Day is this Sunday. I don't have any known Celtic blood, bit I sure have lots of Irish relatives via marriage. Just wanted to set the record straight on the historical facts. Even worse, his name wasn't Patrick. He was an England-born slave of Irish raiders. Since England was still Roman in 400, he really was a colonial Roman. The "snakes" he drove out of Ireland were the pagan beliefs. Ireland never had real snakes. The Irish do not cook Corned Beef and Cabbage - except for American tourists What is Irish? Shepherd's Pie is. I happen to love corned beef and cabbage (plus potatoes) - as long as there is plenty of horseradish mustard and beer. The real name of the meal is New England Boiled Dinner. I cook it all together in a giant pot. If the pickled beef needs a knife, it's underdone. I think it should almost crumble. I make some for family, including my Irish father-in-law, yearly. No Guiness, though. It really does not go with food in my opinion. Heck, it's a meal in itself. In Irish pubs, they throw one or two raw eggs in it, stir it up, and call it breakfast. (Our kids are 25% Irish, 25% Southern Italian, 40% English, and 10% Scandinavian probably via the Norman invasion. In other words, all- American. Genetic mongrelization worked well for our kids, cuz I am 90% English, around 10% Scandinavian and thus overly-inbred in New England since the 1600s.) A Modest ProposalManhattan Contrarian wonders why some state, like Vermont (I'd suggest Colorado, but whatever), doesn't ban fossil fuels. No wood-burning either because that is worse for the trees and the planet.
MicroburstsTuesday morning linksEnvironmentalists Blast Offshore Wind as 69th Dead Whale in Less than Year Found Dead on Atlantic Coast People Hate Daylight Saving. Science Tells Us Why. Academics embrace new ‘deficit framing’ concept to justify unprepared, underperforming, or immature students Sheesh Tik Tok in China vs USA Global Population Crash Isn't Sci-Fi Anymore. We used to worry about the planet getting too crowded but there are plenty of downsides to a shrinking humanity as well VDH: The Anti-Democratic Democratic Left - The defense of those destroying democracy is that they are doing it to prevent others from doing what they would do, should they have been on the receiving end of exactly what they are now doing. Dershowitz: Who Will Prosecute the Prosecutors? Joe Biden is losing to Donald Trump because of a dirty little secret: Donald Trump is actually the moderate in this race. Trump is a threat to Democrats, not democracy Haiti Descends Into Chaos Biden’s Gaza Floating Port Plan Generating Concern Among Military Professionals. “I don’t know a single maritime professional who thinks this is a good idea given the location and conditions ashore, but orders are orders.” Monday, March 11. 2024Monday morning linksSorry, Al - Hudson Bay Polar Bears Mostly Fat and Happy New York And California Getting Totally Lost With Energy Storage Are you privileged? I am privileged to be an American Giving DEI the Pink Slip - Major institutions have started rolling back their diversity bureaucracies. Why Attempts To Control Opinion Cause Opinion To Diverge Armed citizen patrols start in Hartford amid violence concerns The Democrats Praying for an Open Convention We Could Use a Man like Calvin Coolidge Again Will the West Defeat Itself? Can Turkey Negotiate Peace in Ukraine? Pope Francis Says Ukraine Should Surrender, Urges Zelensky to ‘Show Courage of the White Flag’ Well, just negotiate and get this over with. It's my money. How the Gaza Ministry of Health Fakes Casualty Numbers Truth disappears during war Sunday, March 10. 2024Update Which I Will Raise With Several DoctorsWhile spending time with my brother, we covered many topics. Sports mostly, management of friendships, trips, etc. He is aware my time is limited, and we're looking for paths froward to enjoy what time we have together. That said, we had one issue in particular. It now may involve most of the reading I've done this past weekend and how some things are poorly being covered well. First, I have two articles (which I will not post here because until I review them with doctors I won't claim this to be true, but I will explain why I believe it) which state the CDC blocks testing which has potential opportunity for several reasons. Mainly, CDC leans heavily into relations and trials pushing work and medical properties from Pharmaceutical companies. I have, indeed, seen that extensively with the trials I've been reviewing. It is ALL CDC promoted or approved. Secondly, a friend recently complained about CDC relationships regarding its pharmaceutical relationships and its efforts to block things which fail to raise money or results with pharmaceuticals preferred and/or managed by CDC and/or politicians. She gave me a specific example (which I cannot name) where she shifted her son to a different treatment that was NOT CDC approved for diabetes, and he had tremendous gains and improvements as a result using treatments from non-pharmaceutical doctors and medicine. Sometimes these stories are questionable, but hers is 100% accurate and has been mentioned often - while the CDC often tones it down and hides it. Secondly, I have now found 5 websites I need to review with my doctors. One from a commenter I have wished thank you to - though I suspect the link isn't going to be helpful based on my reading, it is a doctor showing massive cancer successes - always worth conversations even if I may not be coverable. Several other websites were shared by other friends to me which have new treatments, again with the CDC opposing for no clearly evident support, that has shown some benefits in small trails seeking larger testing. It uses non-pharmaceutical medicines which have shifted to broader availability and easily attainable prescriptions AS WELL AS additional treatments. In particular, one is not seeking trials, but is a pro-methylation support and growth for HEALTH AND FOOD to engage improved methylations in people's bodies which often show declines. The doctor writing casually mentioned some cancers show non-methylation that may find results but did not mention testing. It utilized several B vitamins as well as several others to assist in methylation and protein improvement via DNA, for general people. I found this very interesting...yet never mentioned by any doctor. Continue reading "Update Which I Will Raise With Several Doctors" Paterson, New Jersey
I told my brother I would not drive through that city (pop 157,000) again without a firearm and/or a police escort. This once entirely safe and prosperous east coast city (like Bridgeport, Hartford, or Waterbury CT) has become a frightening and dangerous place. Filthy too. Garbage on streets, emply storefronts, stumbling addicts, and worse. OK, I am a privileged white guy with a nice car with out of state plates. It is interesting how quickly these medium-sized cities met their downfalls. I'm not sure I can even blame politicians for it. Economics. Mrs. BD said it's like a 3rd world place and I said it was worse than Haiti. 4th world. Tons of Moslem immigrants, but they are not the problem although I noticed the storefront Moslem places collecting goods for the Palestinians. OK - I get tribalism. Normal. I did not dare take a photo, but I was driving anyway - to Totowa. There are large parts of New Jersey that are comfortable, even lovely suburban and rural areas, but sheesh. Montclair is very pleasant, and only minutes from NYC by train. Poet and physician William Carlos Williams wrote his masterpiece Paterson, of which Book 1 is the most worth checking out. It is termed "imagist" writing, but what writing is not?
Posted by Bird Dog
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The Mozart EffectThe Mozart effect mutated into borderline lunacy. Of course it did. However, I am a fan of the idea of adults letting their kids hear "classical" music from the earliest. I think it gets the brain used to processing complex music. Nothing wrong having with folk music either. I think of Pop music, Jazz, Blues as subcategories of folk music. Best thing? Give kids a chance to learn to sing or play some instruments. Odds are they, like me, have no talent but it's a good thing anyway.
Guess who bought Task RabbitMy experiences with Task Rabbit have been excellent. Answer below the fold - Continue reading "Guess who bought Task Rabbit" From today's Lectionary: By grace aloneEphesians 2:1-10 2:1 You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2:2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 2:3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 2:5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- 2:6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 2:7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-- 2:9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 2:10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. Saturday, March 9. 2024NJ Travel PlacementWe have gone to Sandy Hook regularly for many (close to 30) years. Typically the summer(s). In fact, I'd say only the summer. First to walk around, or visit beaches, or just see the old military base which is rather intriguing and a great learning region. It has recently shifted and new housing opportunities are being built, and a very nice eating tavern has been there for quite some time. We have always loved riding bikes up from the basis of entry to the military region and back. We have also enjoyed walking. But the usual summer visits led to something we suddenly saw on Jan 1 of 2024. The existence of seals in the bay! Not just their existence, which we never had heard, but we'd also never seen pictures or local signs for driving and parking to find or see them! I'm not saying it never existed - since seeing we're read several articles and lots of information. In fact, they've been there since the 1970s. They were at least here in winter of 2014. However, we've read signs in the region many times - and it was this year stumbled on a few parking and driving signs - very small ones - which led to our visit in the military region. We shared this with many local friends, almost none of whom (like us) head to Sandy Hook in the winter. Either way, not a single one of over 50 people realized the seals had been in Sandy Hook for a very long time. In my region, that's shocking that nobody tied in to the NJ environmental and natural options were familiar with this. Sandy Hook seals region was crowded, but almost all locals from nearby, we found. Usually people walking dogs, which we'd left home assuming we could not bring her. That said, it was enjoyable and I have yet to meet anyone who knew the seals were there ever. In a way, I'm ashamed I never knew it. I'm also a bit wondering how nobody we spoke to was aware, either. They are enjoyable to watch and take pictures and videos of, however. They are beautiful.
Posted by Bulldog
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Saturday morning linksHow to Cook Salmon So It Always Comes Out Perfectly - Roast, poach, sear, or grill: when it comes to cooking salmon, you've got a lot of options. Here are our top ten. I am tired of salmon, done with it. Mrs. BD had Arctic Char last night, and was happy. Char is a salmonid. America’s Loneliness Epidemic Comes for the Restaurant Harvard, in a Dramatic Development as Antisemitism Engulfs the University, Asks Bay State Taxpayers for a Bailout Identity Satiation - Some rarely discussed phenomena can shed light on why the focus on identity and introspection has coincided with a rise of mental health issues, including identity disorders. Now, Ivy League colleges like Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania have decided to stop publishing the Dean’s List – a recognition of those students who worked hard to achieve academic excellence – to reduce “stress and competition.” Brands faced consumer backlash over Black Lives Matter support Stuart's Saturday Miscellany Victor Davis Hanson: One Angry Biden Lie After Another Friday, March 8. 2024When an airliner becomes a gliderBasic Things My Life on a FridayStarting with my brother's arrival soon. He is driving an hour from outside Philadelphia to see me. He will drive me to radiation at 11am, then to Rahway to solve a license issue for a new one. I can't order a new one online since it ends in 5 days on my 62nd birthday of March 12. Apparently, you get this close and they want you in reality rather than handling things online. So after that, we'll grab lunch and possibly walk some - I am finally feeling exercise. I signed up for a poker tournament locally. I've never played PLO and I've won that tournament for Texas Hold 'em several times. So that was always pleasant. But since my times are shorted, it's time to learn a newer version. I do well playing Hold 'em online - oddly the removal of my tumor has actually vastly increased my intelligence oddly. If you've never seen the movie with John Travolta, "Phenomenon" it isn't too bad. It's a larger intelligence expansion than I'm experiencing, but the testing (outside of a few words I have trouble remembering for speaking or misspelling, which was non-existent a month ago) is different from me knowing and understanding. The doctors have started at me with suprrise at how much I understand and speak of everything regarding me, my relationships, my business and other items which they fully did not expect after this operation. They recognize I understand my own situation extraordinarily well compared to many others. Both the depth of my issues and the knowledge of the problems and how it is often trialed for testing. Finally feeling well enough to get started on fixing my January travel expenses for business on 2 trips I'd taken before my illness. I was too messed up after operation to do anything with that. I'm now 2 days past a month, so that's a benefit. And my health is vastly improved. The doctors are getting me passing for local NJ Cannabis Dispensary for edibles. I do not use cannabis, haven't many years. I have not liked it ever since college, really. However, edibles apparently (based on several friends using chemo) that stop several illnesses from chemo. That has not happened yet. But I'll use a little if I get messed up. Also, many things need effort and interest over the weekend. Finalize taxes, work on the house, and spending to improve the house. Frankly I suggested to Mrs. Bulldog to sell one old 15 year car which needs a new timing belt (over $4,000 to fix, but just trading it will add $2,000 to a new car). She'd rather pay too much to fix it and keep it for 2 years as after 2 years with me gone - who needs a second car? We have a disagreement on that. Also suggesting we sell the house rather than pay to fix it all. I told her a smaller place for her to live in is preferable after I'm gone. Let the buyer pay for our home now, pay way less for a smaller home. That's a conversation for this weekend, I suppose. Pastor next week on my birthday to speak with students so they can learn about life difficulty. An odd conversation with the sociology administrator at the hospital was learning a lot. She loved my very rare attitude and approach. She pointed out people rarely consider or think about the fact that everyone dies. As a result, life is often managed over the fact they are living now as is - often leading to difficulties and disagreements (or worse). Once you know the ending (as I do) your life and efforts change. Few change it the same way - often it's related to fear, annoyance or scare. She was pleased with my open conversation and belief that death happens, anyway - so why get upset or worry now? It's a waste of time. When you don't have a timing like mine, she pointed out, there are lots of other issues people engage. Because you forget you never know when things happen or end. It is intriguing. One final conversation. Dogs. I love my little dog. Not an English Bulldog like my first two. A French Bulldog we rescued after a mill planned to kill it after it had several puppy birth groups. Many of these mills are just awful and do not care about dogs except to make money from puppies. Rescues get a push from people saying helping mills is poorly thought out. I disagree. We originally planned to just foster the dog for 2 weeks and release it to someone who wanted it. But at her 5th year, when we rescued her, I fell in love with her. A co-speaker commented that, as I die, I will have the chance to finally se"e my last 2 again, as well as my current one someday. I agreed and reminded her that there is a wonderful Twilight Zone TV show - one I think is the best. The link to The Hunt. I studied Twilight Zone while I was studying TV Production in college as part of my 3 way major/minor. Serling was from Syracuse and it often aired in his shows. All his programming was genius while I was a child. Double, if not triple true today. So many people pass on it now. My sons still love it - and my boys are film/TV geniuses, even though neither had it as a major as I did. I could share their lists and I may after my birthday. Lots worth seeing. Friday morning linksNorth Face's NEW FRONTIER IN WOKE CAPITALISM Euro-Chemophobia And The Liquidation Of Agriculture There Is A War On Free Speech, And They Won't Ever Be Satisfied Until It Is Completely Eradicated British society is drowning in a sea of confected guilt San Francisco 'can no longer be called progressive city,' newspaper declares after law-and-order measures pass CNN Panelist Ridicules MSNBC Hosts Mocking Border Concerns ‘Massive In Kind Contribution to Trump’s Campaign’ If Trump wins in November, expect a real insurrection from Democrats Van Jones: Europe Will Become Hellscape Under Trump TGIF: The State of TG Is Strong - Biden looked spritely. Trump is back on the ballot. Kathy Hochul sends in the troops. The Houthis keep bombing. TikTok is mad. Plus: Rupert Murdoch gets engaged. When Is Rape Not Rape? Thursday, March 7. 2024Eagles, Big Bear Valley CaliforniaAn eagle nest, live. Still snowy but big birds including owls lay their eggs in winter.
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