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.
Saw lots of Witch-hazel in bloom on one of our hikes last weekend. It's a subtle flower but glows in autumn sunshine. My photo came out poorly. Look for it on autumn hikes.
The name has nothing to do with witches. There are Asian versions which bloom in mid-winter, sometimes used for ornamental plantings. Witch-hazel waters, etc., have no real medicinal use.
Asylums for the "moral treatment" of the mentally ill emerged in the early 1800s. I put moral treatment in quotes not to disparage their efforts but because Moral Treatment was a new medical movement at the time to treat the mentally ill compassionately, protectively, and respectfully. That movement continues today.
" From the creator of Dilbert and author of Win Bigly, a guide to spotting and avoiding loserthink: sneaky mental habits trapping victims in their own bubbles of unreality."
Beneath the fold is a letter from Scholars For Peace in the Middle East (SPME) to some faculty members at one college, whose petition is similar to such petitions at other colleges to silence those who disagree with Boycotting, Divesting from, Sanctioning Israel (BDS), which by definition is anti-Semitic for singling out Israel for claims that are false or really appropriate to despotic countries but aren't made by BDSers instead BDS being about hatred of Israel and Jews. The letter amply sums up the sheer hypocrisy and ignorance of the petition signers.
Lee Smith is the journalist and author of The Plot Against the President: The True Story of How Congressman Devin Nunes Uncovered the Biggest Political Scandal in U.S. History. Podcast interview here.
" How would it be possible for a Ukraine investigation into Biden to be good for Trump politically unless it was also the kind of thing that voters in the United States would care about?"
"There were two potential outcomes of the requested Ukraine investigation on Biden. Either they would find nothing, or they would find behavior that voters in the United States need to know. Which of those two outcomes is the impeachable one?"
Mrs. Barrister advises that, the closer a person reaches maturity, the more important it is to dress well without appearing sloppy. I agree with that, and I notice it. Rightly or wrongly, appearance has impact.
It matters more when you have a coat and tie job, or a suit and tie job. Have you ever noticed how well even elderly gents look in an up-to-date well-fitted suit?
However, I am writing this post to discuss shoes for coat-and-tie men, or even no-tie. Surely it matters as much or more for women, but my knowledge there is minimal because when Mrs. B says "Jimmy Choos" I think she is saying "Mumble Shoes."
Men's dress/work shoes can range from London's hand-made bespoke shoes to Nordstrom's off the rack. The more expensive, the longer they last. Good ones last a lifetime, and get seasoned with time, if not abused so guys rarely need new good shoes. A good rule is that pretty good shoes (over, say, $350-400) should rarely be worn 2 days in a row.
I generally have a modest dress shoe shelf, a black and a corduvan dress loafer, and a black and brown pair of tie shoes. My old black Brooks tassel loafers finally had to go - my feet flattened too much for them and they proved unstretchable.
1:10 Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
1:11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
1:12 When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more;
1:13 bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation-- I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.
1:14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.
1:15 When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
1:16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
1:17 learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
1:18 Come now, let us argue it out, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
People always say "Diet and Exercise." Unless you hike 10 miles daily, or work out 2 hrs/day, I just say "Nutrition" to lose bad fat. Not "diet," "nutrition" because diets fail but appropriate nutrition is a way of life. Just enough of pretty good things for the fitness you want. That article more or less says the same thing.
Daily exercise is great for fitness, but not for fat. The bonus is that the less fat you are carrying, the better your exercise and activity endurance.
Many, like Van Gogh, felt he was a magician but in his lifetime his work became unpopular and less profitable, he made some bad investments, and died in poverty.
It seems that what we value most about Rembrandt today are his portraits, but he did all sorts of work in all sorts of styles. The 17th C Dutch art show at the Met Museum now was interesting to me for a few reasons.
One was that Rembrandt was an outlier in much of his work. Baroque, and humorous/bawdy, were popular, money-making styles of his time. Franz Hals, for example. Also, landscapes of rich guys' estates.
Also interesting to me that this was going on during the time when the Pilgrims were in Holland, or planning to leave to New Amsterdam (but accidentally ended up in Cape Cod). Pilgrim clothing was conservative Dutch Reform dress.
My photo of one of Rembrandt's many self portraits. He was 55 at this time. He often used himself and his family as models.
A great hunt this morning at a pal's rod and gun club. Heavy snow flurries and a stiff breeze made things interesting. Had two good Labs working for us today. Had to break the ice in their water tubs. Being Labs, naturally one insisted on climbing into the water tub to play with the floating hunks of ice and was not eager to come out.
Before a late lunch we had some venison sausage and I fixed myself a Clamato Bloody Mary while we cleaned and oiled our weapons. For lunch, they made us rare roast beef with Onion Pie, with a nice Chateau Simard '86 (Simard remains an excellent wine for the price). I do not know whether it was just the effect of a long cold day in the field, but this onion pie was about the tastiest, most savory thing I have ever eaten. The cook made it with a plain white-cracker piecrust and maybe sprinkled cracker crumbs over the top. This pie is to a kiche as a Grizzly Bear is to a Teddy Bear. Rice Pudding for dessert, of course: what else would you serve at an old-fashioned guy's club where women are not allowed?
As my friends know all too well, it's great to have somebody else to drive so I can indulge a post-prandial, post-hunt snoring snooze. I do not know why my friends put up with me.
1 unbaked pie shell - try a plain cracker crumb crust 2 or 3 very large white onions, thinly sliced 2 tbsp. butter 1/2 lb. Swiss cheese cut into 1/2" or 1" chunks 1 tbsp. flour 1/2 tsp. salt 3 eggs 1 c. milk or light cream 1/8 tsp. pepper
Prepare unbaked pie shell. Start heating oven to 400 degrees. Saute onions in butter and dump into pie shell. Toss the cheese with flour, sprinkle over onions. Beat eggs well. Stir in milk or cream, salt and pepper. Pour over cheese. Sprinkle crack crumbs on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then reduce oven heat to 300 degrees and bake 25 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve hot, in wedges.
That is soul food with a rare roast beef. Might be a good treat for a holday, too, as an alternative to creamed baby onions (which I also love).
It strikes me as ironic that in a realm like education, the lesson America’s scholastic visionaries never seem to learn is also the most simple lesson of all—that education should be about educating. Theorists persist in reinventing the wheel, sometimes with good intentions and sometimes in the service of agendas that are rather less defensible and/or wholesome than those publicly stated. Such is the case with the hottest currency to emerge from the pointy-headed precincts of pedagogical theory: social-emotional learning, or SEL...
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Saw lots of Witch-hazel in bloom on one of our hikes last weekend. It's a subtle flower but glows in autumn sunshine. My photo came out poorly. Look for it on autumn hikes.
Peter Collier, 
Traversing 
Mrs. Barrister advises that, the closer a person reaches maturity, the more important it is to dress well without appearing sloppy. I agree with that, and I notice it. Rightly or wrongly, appearance has impact. 
Many, like Van Gogh, felt he was a magician but in his lifetime his work became unpopular and less profitable, he made some bad investments, and died in poverty.
