Saturday, December 7. 2019
 Vanderleun's update on the fire
Abandoned Alaska child, 5, carries toddler a half-mile in sub-zero temps in socks, light clothes: police
Climate: How Wrong Can One Article Be?
Is the inequality of intelligence increasing?
Los Angeles Is Spending Over $1 Billion To House the Homeless. It's Failing.
It's not the buildings...
Terrorism Probe Opened After Pensacola Shooter IDed As Saudi National Mohammed Alshamrani; Was There For Pilot Training
Ninth Circuit Lifts Injunctions Blocking Trump Admin’s ‘Public Charge’ Rule for Immigrants
Rashida Tlaib Headlined Anti-Semitic Hate Fest - Other speakers have compared Israel to white supremacists, rapists
Americans defy experts by thriving
NYT: Yeah, Everything We Knew About The Jobs Market Was Wrong
The Democrats insist that President Trump is a threat to the republic, although no one can explain why. Meanwhile, their mantra has gone from “It’s the economy, stupid” to “Economy? What’s that?”
MANDARIN MEDIA NOT EVEN TRYING TO HIDE THEIR BIAS ANYMORE
Rush: Dems Motivated by 'Pure Raw Hatred'
WaPo Columnist Suggests Melania Trump Is Sending ‘Coded Messages’ With Fashion Choices
Pelosi/Schiff Abuse Worsens, FBI “Finds” Clinton Emails, PLUS 5 NEW JW Lawsuits Against Deep State
GOP senators seek records on 'connection' between Dem operatives, Ukrainian officials in 2016
VDH: When Our Guardians Fail Us
Is Warren Over?
Elizabeth Warren Would Rather Make You Fix Your Terrible Public School Than Let You Send Your Kid to a Charter School "You don't like the building? You think it's old and decaying? Then get out there and push to get a new one," she said.
It's not the buildings. Abe Lincoln did pretty well in a log school
Impeachment Is A Flop For Democrats. So Is Their Presidential Field.
John Kerry Joins Joe Biden on Iowa Bus Tour – Kerry Touts Biden as Messianic Figure Who Can ‘Save the World’
Rep. Al Green: After This Flops, We Will Impeach Him Again
Party of Permanent Impeachment: Democrats do their part to re-elect Trump
Jonathan Turley writes that he was "a tad naive in hoping that an academic discussion on the history and standards of it might offer a brief hiatus from hateful rhetoric on both sides."
Pelosi: If We Don’t Proceed With Impeachment, We’re Letting Trump Act Like A King
Hillary Clinton: Trump Incited Mass Shootings At Synagogues, Churches And Walmart…
The Moral Case For Decoupling From China
NATO is obsolete
Friday, December 6. 2019
I haven't been yet. Happy to go, tho. The Whitney, however, is not my cup of tea.
Navigating the new MoMA
Have you ever seen any abuse of power to compare with that of Pelosi, Schumer, Schiff, and Nadler?
Destabilizing the country for political gain. Scott has it.
The first few months of lower body weight training move along fairly quickly because the improvement is more neuromuscular than muscular.
After the neuromuscular system wakes up and is ready for action, progress slows down a lot. Physical architecture, frailties, and age are of course possible obstacles too.
Lack of progress, and plateaus, can be discouraging with large muscle group strength. I think my max 1-rep deadlift has only increased by about 20 lbs in the past year. 2020 will improve by 10 lbs, maybe, because I am fighting ageing. Small muscles improve more quickly (eg arms, but even backs improve fairly quickly - pullups)).
In my experience, the aspects of fitness that improve most dramatically and quickly in the Maggie's Fitness for Life program are endurance and energy. Precious things. Two days of weights/wk is not enough for serious strength-building, but the part of our program with 2 days of calis and the 2 days of HIIT cardio will get you fit for most recreational activities like sports, day-long hill hiking, etc.
Any age or gender. Give it a try. Include the barbells. A good Christmas/New Year present to oneself is a badass sexy and highly functional physique but, God knows, it takes discipline. Nothing pleasant about it except the slow progress.
I have a retired friend who has taken on learning Mandarin as his retirement project. I'd rather face a nasty, ugly barbell.
The Mystery at the Center of the Solar System - A spacecraft has finally gotten close enough to the sun to gather clues about some lingering questions.
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
Just "be yourself"
GM Crops Like Golden Rice Will Save the Lives of Hundreds of Thousands of Children
Trannies: A Tyrannical Minority and Silent Majority
A Divisive, Historically Dubious Curriculum - Teachers should reject the 1619 Project.
Another Fake Crisis — the College Hunger Hoax
Trump's tax cuts reduce US burden to one of lowest in the world. Taxes in France and Denmark are nearly twice what they are in the US
The war against wealth and saving: The Confiscation Is the Point
Poll: Fans of Bernie Sanders, Liz Warren Oppose Free Speech, Want Jail Time for Speech Offender
That is deeply offensive to me
The 10 most important revelations to expect from the Russia probe FISA report
Mueller witness bragged about access to Clintons secured with illegal campaign cash, says Justice Department
ROGER KIMBALL: ON THE Russia Hoax OMERTÀ
We have Lincoln to blame for the mess we’re in
WaPo: How Can We Journalists Better Convince The Public To Support Impeachment?
More: Former NYT "Public Editor," Now WaPo Hack: How Can We, The Unbiased Fact-Finding Media, Convince Our Deplorable Fellow Citizens to Do What We Want and Impeach This Motherf***er?
TIME Contributor Says 'Nancy Pelosi Reminds Me of Jesus'
Impeachment Power Can Be Abused, Too
Democrats Plot Impeaching Trump Multiple Times, Including If He Wins Re-Election: ‘No Limit To The Number Of Times The House Can Vote To Impeach’
Honey Badger don't give a sh-t.
Kimberley Strassel and Sharyl Attkisson DROP the MSM for giving Schiff a pass for SPYING on a member of the press
Impeachment hearing: Nothing is more convincing than liberal professors yelling at you
Chris Wallace Criticizes Dems for Refusing to Call on Republican Impeachment Witness: ‘Not a Search for Justice or Wisdom’
Democrats Argue that Obama Should Have Been Impeached
FRANCE PARALYZED BY STRIKES, VIOLENCE
Do the French have a work ethic? Seems like they expect money for nuthin.
Report: Iran stashing missiles in Iraq that can reach Israel. Iran stockpiling ballistic missiles in Iraq with long enough range to reach Israel.
Religion of peace
Germany: All EU Members Must Take in Migrants
The German Empire, aka EU, strikes back
Our problems with Turkey aren’t due to Trump, or Obama, or any other President. Put the blame where it belongs: with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his choices.
Thursday, December 5. 2019
(First King Of Portugal, Alfonso I, reign 1139-1185; also called Alfonso the Conqueror for expelling the Muslims and securing independence of Portugal)
Portugal is a current go-to for Europeans and increasingly for Americans (including BirdDog). Rightfully so. The Portuguese people are renowned for their generosity to strangers. Except to Moors. They expelled them three centuries before Spain did.
The land is fertile, green -- even a kelly green to rival Ireland --everywhere, its cork trees supply the world, grape vines and olive trees are all over. Lisbon's verdant and luxurious Avenida Liberdade makes Paris' Champs-Elysees look like a version of cheesy Times Square.
We traveled throughout Portugal, enjoying tremendously the preserved culture and architecture. The roads are well built and kept, and even the narrow mountain lanes and dirt paths we strayed onto were maneuverable. However, I'm glad that I made a last-minute upgrade from a Euro roller-skate car to a Mercedes, even though twice the cost but more than quadruple the comfort and safety. We drove quite a bit from south to north and west to easy, to be exposed to as much countryside as possible, and exceeded our hopes.
The food along the way is mouthwatering, the baking rich yet light, the Portuguese table wine -- especially the whites, and of course aged Ruby Port, (as in Spain's reds) fragrant, crisp, rounded, and almost sensuous to the palate. The prices for these kingly repasts are relatively economic. I almost always had various octopus recipes, although not Kosher. I did avoid the giant tiger-prawns as large as small lobsters, and the pork roasts and bacons were appealing even to my Kosherist eye and nose. The national dish, a mix of cod and eggs and seasoning is superb. (Warning: as in any tourist country, never go into any restaurant with photos at the entrance or with hamburgers on the menu. Touristy mediocre food, and not much less cost, actually a much higher cost due to missing out on affordable great food.)
The weather was a mild 60F in the daytime but intermittently raining, not pouring, so the winter in Portugal's Med climate is fine for touring, plus far less tourists to bump into.
Now, on with some photos (OK, a lot of photos):
Continue reading "Portugal for 11 Days over Thanksgiving"
The best Expert-Led Cultural Tours And Gulet Cruises: Peter Sommer
What Muscles Do Squats Target?
In my view, squats are not as total-body as deadlifts. Anyway, best to do both because synergy. Barbell squats are of course the best stressor for building or maintaining lower body strength, but there are plenty of squat exercises in the Calisthenic category that are worth doing in a Calisthenics routine:
Goblet squats
Regular body-weight squats
Squat jumps
Box jumps
Squats plus, eg squats + overhead press, squats + curls, squat+heavy ball throws, etc.
Why Calisthenics category? Because they are lower stress, mainly aerobic endurance things that can be done daily without more than 24 hr recovery.
When Disruptive Students Are Coddled, the Whole Class Suffers
Wednesday, December 4. 2019
I don't have time to watch the impeachment hearings. In fact, I probably wouldn't, even if I could. It's boring stuff, and it's a rigged circus anyway.
That said, a friend called me to watch Jonathan Turley, saying "He's tearing it up, and all off notes from a play."
Took the time to watch the video this afternoon. Well worth it.
"A students work for B students at companies founded by D students that are run by C students."
Thanks to reader for reminding me of that old semi-truth. It does apply to me. I know that I am no genius, but I'm smart enough to hire very bright people who can make da business go good.
It's related to this one: "If you're so rich, how come you ain't smart?"
How Many Reps of Deadlifts Should I Do When I Workout? (Ignore that guy's mention of lifting belts- he's in another league of lifting.)
5X5 is one standard, but it depends on your goals same as everything else in life. Just one set of 5X5/wk is better than nothing but will not be enough to become a powerful lifter.
Because my goal is to maximize general fitness, endurance, and energy, and to minimize deterioration rather than to become a serious powerlifter, I alternate every couple of weeks between 5X5 heavy, and 8-rep pyramids of, say, 6X8. I also throw in one set of rack lifts/wk to work on my sticking point with my max lifts. Why not? It's just more mental and physical challenge. It builds character and sex appeal.
Remember that when we discuss weight training we mean to integrate it into the Maggie's Fitness for Life program which means approximately 2 days calisthenics, 2 days weight training, and 2 days of cardio with lots of HIIT. Around 6-7 hrs/wk, not including sports and recreation. Also, appropriate nutrition for fitness of course.
No promise you'll live longer, but guarantee you'll live better and look better.
 Image borrowed from...I forget where.
Britain's First Transgender Couple to Allow Their 5-Year-Old Child To Begin Transition
Nice family
What Happened To Drudge?
‘1917’ is a haunting, technical marvel and one of Hollywood’s best war films
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas all around the White House
And the "unattractive, misshapen trolls" don't like Melania's coat. I think she is dynamite.
Is Cebu the most typical city in the world?
Fewer, bigger businesses is just what the central planners want
They can be controlled
102 Media Mistakes in the Trump Era: The Definitive List
Codevilla: A Deplorable Strategy Beyond 2020 - In 2016 and since, we have learned that our ruling class has amassed the power and developed the taste to revel in making us miserable. We have also learned that to avoid this, we must undo or separate ourselves from them, their structures, and priorities.
Democrats Now ‘Say Out Loud’ Intent to Turn America Blue by Immigration
Importing votes. It's a step above buying votes.
9th Circuit grapples with nationwide injunctions in 2 cases. Both involve Trump administration immigration policies.
Good Riddance to Kamala Harris
Warren Says Her Wealth Tax Will ‘Cancel Student Loan Debt for 43 Million Americans. Shorter Comrade Warren: More free stuff!
Another way of forcing the parents and grandparents to pay for it
Bloomberg Ripped Over Recent Interview on China, Saying ‘Xi Jinping Is Not a Dictator’
Schiff Gets Phone Records Of John Solomon, Devin Nunes And His Aide, Rudy Giuliani And Lev Parnas. Talk about truly troubling action.
That is war
AG Bill Barr Refutes IG Horowitz’s Conclusion that FBI had Rationale to Spy on Trump Campaign
Not the Deep State, the Deep Industry - Why Beltway government workers are at the center of the impeachment crisis.
Without the Soviet Union, NATO Seems Increasingly Irrelevant. No number of NATO summits will re-energize an alliance against an enemy that went out of business nearly 30 years ago.
Yep. That's why Euroland doesn't pay up. We should be pals with Russia, these days.
Trump’s Foreign Policy: The Popping Point of Maximum Pressure
UK Labour Party omits Jews from campaign video promoting minority rights
New York Times Tries Explaining Away British Labour’s Antisemitism
Turkey's Open Secret: Fake Secularism
Teens from China's wealthiest regions rank top of the class in global education survey
Genetic IQ advantage. Not fair.
Rocky Mountain High. From a reader skiing in Loveland, CO yesterday. I'd love to be there now because that is really living to the fullest. My quads, glutes, and hammies are fit for more skiing. Probably needs to be a guys' trip, though. Many wives seem to have lost interest in this cheap sort-of-costly, high-energy thrill.
Tuesday, December 3. 2019
Things the federal govt has control over, anyway? Scott's podcast is excellent today.
Even people who hate Trump's personality have trouble identifying anything specific that is going badly.
Can you?
What Muscle Groups Do Deadlifts Work?
It is simpler to ask what muscle groups they do not stress.
Monday, December 2. 2019
In Yankeeland
Sunday, December 1. 2019
Different categories, with some overlap. Here at Maggie's, we are sometimes busy with preserve hunting of pen-raised birds. Not the real thing but good for the dogs. Sort of Disney hunting. Golf with firearms is the way I think of it.
My love is grouse hunting in the North Woods. BD is the same. Hours of tramping over hill and dale and marsh, hoping to find a stray grouse or woodcock. With dog, of course, preferably pointer. You barely need 12 bullets in your pocket for a whole day and if you come back to the lodge with a grouse or two, it's a banner day.
Both strenuous activities require layering and you need to add an inch to your trousers to handle cold weather under-stuff. Also, if age adds an inch (which it should not, God forbid), take it into account too. Best thing: suspenders. Filson tincloth winter gear requires them. This gear is not for "bird" hunting in the southland but it is good for brush-busting in the northern regions.
Hiking, especially mountain hiking, keeps you warm and you peel layers off into your daypack as you begin to sweat. Bird hunting is slower and colder, more methodical, tactical, and there is no daypack to put stuff into.
Duck and goose hunting is another story entirely.
What is your experience?
ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, TAKE 2
Not a bad spy novel, but a national nightmare - Taking a careful look at the spooks’ campaign to topple Donald Trump
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