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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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Friday, June 19. 2020Bach's acousticsWhat Did Bach Sound Like to Bach? Scholars look to recover the original soundscape of the composer’s work
We must stop the great unraveling
Below the bar is a strong statement of our values and politics by the editors of Commentary, actions to prevent the great unraveling of America. Please read it, and pass it on.
Continue reading "We must stop the great unraveling" Friday Notes From All Over Maggie's Farm never went anywhere, thank you very much. Dogs’ Eyes Have Changed Since Humans Befriended Them We didn't "befriend" them. We domesticated them. You know, to be in charge of us. Bees Can Sense the Electric Fields of Flowers Me too, given enough drugs. Why 536 was ‘the worst year to be alive’ The author is obviously too young to remember Jimmy Carter. China charges two detained Canadians with suspected espionage I'm trying to picture what Canadian James Bond would look like. Wearing a denim tuxedo while playing baccarat in Cannes would be a dead giveaway. How Much Should You Pay Your Software Engineers to Ensure They Stick Around? The answer, as always, is "more." NASA rushing to complete Mars launch before planet moves out of range. I've already moved out of range, thank you very much. Mars can look out for itself. Pay up or a dingo will eat your website. This Couple Creates A Stunning Garden Pub And Everything Inside Of It Is Handmade Zoomers think they've invented a 1950s rec room. Instagram at 11. Most Enjoyable Jobs for Older Workers A very weird list written by someone who's heard of older workers, but never met one, and who doesn't know that you don't put a period after each item in a bulleted list. I noticed "editor" isn't on your list. Tesla is getting ready to buy in Texas P.T. Musk is a weathervane, not the weather. That's the way the wind is blowing. Exclusive: DoorDash valued at $16 billion after new funding round They should have borrowed even more. Think about how much they'd be worth if they borrowed a trillion. San Francisco’s district attorney sues DoorDash for alleged unfair business practices I hope 16 billion is enough to cover the fine. University cheating might be up — but don't just blame students I don't. Turkey Now Has Swarming Suicide Drones It Could Export I saw Swarming Suicide Drones open up for Deep Purple at Madison Square Garden back in the 70s. Great show. Have a great Friday, everyone! Don't forget to take down your Covid decorations before you put up your Kwanzaa tree.
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07:39
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Thursday, June 18. 2020CHAZ Tourism VideoWhat has CHAZ (or is it CHOP? They grow up so fast!) done for us? CHAZ has done us a favor by highlighting some truths about the far left. Notes From The Underground
You imagine no doubt, gentlemen, that I want to amuse you. You are mistaken in that, too. I am by no means such a mirthful person as you imagine, or as you may imagine; however, irritated by all this babble (and I feel that you are irritated) you think fit to ask me who I am--then my answer is, I'm Roger Bosso. On to today's carefully curated random drivel: When Security Takes a Backseat to Productivity
It's almost like the security services didn't want any oversight. I wonder what they were doing. On second thought, no I don't.
FBI: Investigators used Etsy, LinkedIn to make arrest in torching of Philadelphia police vehicles
Lore has since left a one-star review of the food served at the Philly police lockup on Yelp. Wirecard Delays Report Again Due to Missing $2.1 Billion
Everybody calm down. The cleaning crew probably just removed one of the Post-It notes from Karen's screen, and she can't remember where she put the two billion without it. She'll remember eventually. How To Protect Your Data When Renting a Car
Never mind my data. Can someone help me refold this Rand McNally map? I've been trying since 1987, and I still can't get it back in the glove box. Exclusive: Massive spying on users of Google's Chrome shows new security weakness
As is usual with modern news stories, this one doesn't have a list of the offending extensions, or a link to find one. You know, information you could use. 20-Year-Old Robinhood Customer Dies By Suicide After Seeing A $730,000 Negative Balance
Suicide: The permanent solution to your temporary problems. Stop Sabotaging Your Career With Short Stints
Hey, it's not up to me how fast I get fired. Big Tech Won’t Be the Same If Everyone Works From Home
That's funny. Normal people call "direct financial incentives" wages. We call "output-based monitoring" work. We call "esprit de corps" bullsh*t. You'll get used to it, poindexters. Tesla reportedly shipping Model Ys with significant manufacturing defects
I guess this means that Tesla is finally a real car company, because that sounds just like a Chevy to me. This Is Our Best Look Yet At The Shadowy Hellfire Missile With Pop-Out Sword Blades
Cool. Will sharks with fricken laser beams attached to their heads go into production soon? Well, there's today raft of nonsense. I hope you all enjoy a Thursday filled with cheap happiness or lofty suffering, whichever you prefer.
Posted by Roger de Hauteville
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Wednesday, June 17. 2020What Do You Do With a Stolen van Gogh?Octave Durham, who went to prison for stealing two paintings by the artist, explains the difficulties encountered in this line of work.
Posted by Bird Dog
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Etruscans in 321 BCThere Are Two Kinds of People. People Who Divide People Into Two Kinds of People...
There are now only two kinds of people extant in the US. Let's call them Goofus and Gallant. No one's going to ring a bell and tell Gallant the rules don't matter any more so let it rip on Goofus. No one is going to ring a bell and tell Goofus to make a frontal assault on Gallant, which would look like a synchronized swimmer turned welterweight punching Mike Tyson at the weigh in. Goofus thinks he has the upper hand right now because no one's stopping him, but he's being humored, nothing more. His minders are using him to get the upper hand. That's a different thing entirely. They'll get as far as they can with this nonsense, but eventually things will strike a new Overton equilibrium. Gallant will put up with kneeling to see his football game, and maybe notice a decided lack of stars and bars on race cars next year. He'll try to follow the new, very weird rules as best he can. Goofus will go back to handing out flyers from card tables in the park while normal people avert their eyes and scurry past. Let's examine today's news items through the Goofus and Gallant prism: Shopify goes after Amazon with new Walmart deal
Goofus would rather die than shop at Walmart. Goofus loves the proletariat. It's people he can't stand, and people shop at Walmart. Gallant's wife shops on Etsy and at Costco because have you seen the way the proletariat dresses? Google bans website ZeroHedge from its ad platform over comments on protest articles
This is what Goofus' handlers are up to. Zero Hedge is low hanging fruit. Gallant works at the Federalist and is busy doing whatever Google tells them to. How else could they afford season tickets to the kneeling sessions at the Washington Indigenous Downtrodden People football games? You Can Now Buy Spot the Robot Dog—If You’ve Got $74,500
Goofus will continue binge-watching Westworld and wait for a robot girlfriend. Gallant has a Belgian Malinois that cost half that. Facebook to let users turn off political adverts
Everyone who works at Facebook is a Goofus and will gleefully charge Gallant for Trump ads that never get shown to anyone.
Goofus doesn't care as long as it's not quinine. Gallant doesn't care because he keeps his parents away from nursing homes run by Andrew Cuomo. US: Company provided subpar steel for Navy submarine hulls
Goofus hopes the subs sink anyway. Gallant wants his money back. Submariners would like to take Elaine for a shakedown cruise. Strapped to the hull.
Scientists Edited Human Embryos in the Lab, and It Was a Disaster
As long as human embryos are destroyed, Goofus is happy. Gallant's ex-wife donated the embryos. Youtube’s Bitcoin Scam Problem Appears To Be Getting Worse
Goofus works at Google and is too busy policing Zero Hedge to police YouTube scams. All of Gallant's money is tied up in ammo bought at Cabela's with cash so he's safe. Diluting blood plasma rejuvenates tissue, reverses aging in mice
Goofus is thirty-three years old and dresses like a toddler. Old age never enters his mind, except to vote for Bernie so he can collect Social Security before he graduates college. Gallant loses so much blood at his construction job that this treatment would be superfluous. Antitrust: Commission opens investigations into Apple's App Store rules
Goofus adores Apple and the EU in equal measure, so his head might explode. Gallant has heard of Europe, but isn't quite sure if it's a real place or not, so he doesn't care one way or the other. Have a gallant Wednesday, everyone!
Posted by Roger de Hauteville
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05:17
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Tuesday, June 16. 2020Moons are migrating awayAnd in a few billion years (not too long) all of the planets will be consumed by our Sun's inevitable explosion. The knowledge that all of human history, earth history, critters, human creations and thoughts, etc will all be instantly erased is a big thought, ain't it? So where to invest one's money, long-term?
Turtle SoupTuesday Is Just Monday's Ugly Sister
Well, it's Tuesday. There's no "fresh week" feeling to Tuesday. You don't unwrap a Tuesday. The package is already broken open, and inexpertly taped back up, like most of the tools at Harbor Freight. In geologic terms, it's really not any closer to Friday than Monday was, so you can't even lie to yourself about being one day closer to the weekend with any gusto. Tuesday just is. Let's get on with it. Hacker Dosed With LSD While Restoring Historical Synth
My car mechanic took LSD once. He said he had an auto body experience. AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine enters phase 2/3 clinical trial
And just like all flu vaccines, there will be cardboard signs outside of every pharmacy and supermarket offering free flu shots, which no one will get. Six Former eBay Employees Charged with Aggressive Cyberstalking Campaign Targeting Natick Couple
It sounds like everyone involved works part time at Hardbodies
Once upon a time and a very good time it was H.G. Wells was coming down along the road and this Wells that was down along the road met a nicens little boy named baby Joyce and told him he was a jerk. The biggest myth of modern nutrition: healthy plant-based diets
Want to go vegan? Cut out the middleman and become a Seventh-Day Adventist India says three soldiers killed in 'violent faceoff' on border with China
Both sides have nuclear weapons, but they're bashing each other's heads in with sticks and stones. A parable for our times. Why abandoned domain names are so dangerous
Domain names are like herpes. If you don't want to have it forever, don't get it in the first place. New Research: There Could Be 36 Alien Civilizations in Our Galaxy
And according to new research I just finished, Blake Lively could be trying to phone me right now.
Cameo now lets people pay up to $15K to have a Zoom call with a celebrity
That's funny. I would pay five bucks to avoid a Zoom call with Tony Hawk or Brett Favre. We Shouldn’t Sit in the Stands Anymore
Everyone already refuses to sit in the stands at their kids' Little League games. They're all on the field having fistfights with the umpires and the other parents. Have a milquetoast, non-denominational, vibe-less, nondescript, average Tuesday everyone. It's the best you can hope for.
Posted by Roger de Hauteville
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05:34
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Monday, June 15. 2020CHAZ, in ContextThe larger French Revolution era extended all the way until the end of the Franco-Prussian War. This current situation, as I'd written about the other day, is much like the French Revolution. The general approach of this crowd isn't too dissimilar to the Spanish Inquisition, either. If you're not in, you're out, and you're going to have to be punished. They claim their 'goal' is peace and freedom. They prefer to see people suffer. They have marketed themselves to their constituency well, shifting everyone's eyes away from historical precedent. 1906 in San FranciscoGet Thee To a Mummery. I'll Pass
Hello all. Roger de Hauteville here, sitting in for Bird Dog. He's gone for his yearly sojourn to get a flea bath and his nails clipped. If he plays his cards right, maybe he'll even get a belly rub from Mrs. Bird Dog. While it's true I'm "sitting in," there will be, thankfully, no sit-ins on my watch. I'm Sicilian, remember? Haven't you seen the Godfather movies? We don't do sit ins. We don't riot. We don't hold placards and march in a circle. We say nothing about our affairs to strangers, and precious little about them even to our friends. If any action is required, we visit you in the night, and whisper your transgressions in your ear. These remonstrations beat demonstrations every time. Act accordingly. Woman in China, 45, made $589,800 by buying insurance on flights she predicted would get delayed ACH payments cost less. Will online shoppers ever switch? Zoom Acknowledges It Suspended Activists' Accounts At China's Request This is the word that exists in all human languages, according to research. Scientists close in on 12-billion-year-old signal from the end of the universe's 'dark age' The First Woman PhD in Computer Science Was a Nun Popular Pirate Sites Slowly ‘Disappear’ From Google’s Top Search Results Kids these days. You're pirates! Look up the word in the dictionary. Banks don't have drive-up windows reserved for bank robbers. Have a little gumption. It's no fun stealing movies if they make it too easy, anyway. Archaeology: Thracian pit sanctuary found in Bulgaria’s Bourgas Astronauts say riding Falcon 9 rocket was “totally different” from the space shuttle Engineers find neat way to turn waste carbon dioxide into useful material
Have a great Monday, everyone!
Posted by Roger de Hauteville
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06:24
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Sunday, June 14. 2020The power of white stigmaFrom 2007, Shelby Steele explains white guilt
The Old TestamentThat's what Christians call it. At The Great Courses, Prof. Amy Levine does a wonderful job with it. Only $45 right now. She's a fast talker, so she keeps you engaged.
NYC
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From today's Lectionary: Abraham and SarahGenesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7) 18:1 The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. 18:2 He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. 18:3 He said, "My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. 18:4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 18:5 Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on--since you have come to your servant." So they said, "Do as you have said." 18:6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes." 18:7 Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. 18:8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate. 18:9 They said to him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" And he said, "There, in the tent." 18:10 Then one said, "I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?" 18:13 The LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' 18:14 Is anything too wonderful for the LORD? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son." 18:15 But Sarah denied, saying, "I did not laugh"; for she was afraid. He said, "Oh yes, you did laugh." 21:1 The LORD dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as he had promised. 21:2 Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. 21:3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. 21:4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 21:5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 21:6 Now Sarah said, "God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me." 21:7 And she said, "Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age." Sunrise, Cahoon's Hollow, Wellfleet No bugs, sea breeze, 57 degrees F at night, biking, boating, kayaking, hiking trails, running, day-fresh seafood, ocean beach, harbor beach, bay beach, and big ponds. Lots of fun family restaurants. The protection of the vast National Seashore. If you squint, you can see Portugal on the horizon.
A few more Wellfleet pics below the fold Continue reading "Sunrise, Cahoon's Hollow, Wellfleet" Saturday, June 13. 2020QQQShelby Steele Explains Who's ProtestingSaturday morning links
Next Up In The Stupidest Litigation In The Country: The Science? SPME Stands By Professor William Jacobson CANCEL YOURSELVES, YOU LOUSY TWITS A Plague of White Submissiveness WALSH: The Only Real Privilege In America Is Leftist Privilege Three indicted for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at NYPD vehicles, face life in prison Is there an epidemic of racist violence? Andrew Cuomo’s sad bid to blame Florida for New York’s mismanagement Trump’s excess drama only helps hide his achievements Biden is invisible; Trump is running against himself Stockman Calls "Bulls**t" On The Latest COVID-19 Fear-Mongering About Spikes In Texas, Arizona Virus: One way or another, I think the credibility ship has sailed. The U.S. Troop Reduction in Germany is Not About NATO Is Assad About to Fall? While the world wasn’t watching, Syria has edged toward collapse, and the dictator is in his weakest position ever. The U.S. now has a narrow chance to prevent a catastrophe. Friday, June 12. 2020Locust Valley Lockjaw: White privilegeA northeastern accent, now disappearing
Posted by The Barrister
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14:41
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Scott does his best to get cancelled
Posted by The News Junkie
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Friday morning links
HBO Pulls ‘Gone With The Wind’ From HBO-Max Streaming… ‘Cops’ Cancelled Re: The Disturbing Campaign against Tucker Carlson Narcissistic Sociopaths with Childlike IQs and the Morals of Rutting Cats, But with an Elevated Ability To Feign Emotions to Manipulate Others, Have an Important Message for America. Yes, Let’s Defund The Police … At The EPA Joe Biden Says George Floyd’s Death is Bigger than Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. CHAZ Inside The People’s Republic Of Seattle Seattle "Autonomous Zone" Now Has A "Heavily-Armed" Warlord As Crime Spikes 300%. "The power vacuum has apparently been filled."
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