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.
Today, college has become our go-to yardstick for minimal competence. Take a look at almost any job listing for almost any desk job in any city, and you will see “college degree” listed as an essential requirement. The argument in favor of this arrangement is that if a candidate can demonstrate that he has completed such a degree, he can be assumed to be both relatively smart and capable of sticking with things to their end. Which, in some cases, is of course true. But it is telling that none of the other experiences that demonstrate capacity and tenacity tend to make an appearance in the listings. Know what else demonstrates an ability to stick things out? Military service. Running a small business. Working at a charity. Training as a plumber. Working on a farm. Learning to weld. Keeping another job for a long period of time...
As you may be aware thanks to my merciless flogging of it, I have a new book out called The Smallest Minority: Independent Thinking in the Age of Mob Politics. It is about the way in which social media brings out the worst of the tribalism and idiocy in our contemporary politics by displacing almost all of the substantive discussion with a lobotomized — and, ultimately, useless — politics of white hats and black hats, good guys and bad guys, cowboys and Indians, Us and Them...
The Swan 48 from the 1970s is an iconic blue water sailboat, perfect for trans-Atlantic races (try not to bump into a whale and break your rudder) or for sailng to Bermuda. 2 people can sail her, but she requires extra hands for racing. It's a lot of boat for day-sailing, but people do it.
This president is often gratuitously uncouth in public, and almost unrecognizable to those who know him as a congenial, courteous, and charming man and a fine raconteur. These traits are less frequently in evidence than in earlier days.
Like all of us, the President gets better at his job the longer he holds it. But this would be an easy problem to correct, and that would leave the intense disparagement of Mr. Trump exclusively to the extremists and the decayed servitors he has served the country admirably by driving from office.
11:1 He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."
11:2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.
11:3 Give us each day our daily bread.
11:4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial."
11:5 And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;
11:6 for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.'
11:7 And he answers from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.'
11:8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
11:9 "So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
11:10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
11:11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish?
11:12 Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion?
11:13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Mueller’s testimony before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees was a watershed moment. At this point, it is up to Congress to act on the evidence of multiple counts of obstruction of justice committed by the president, and to continue our investigation into whether he has committed other high crimes and misdemeanors.
Sometimes it surprises me how many people are in bed at 5 or 6 am. What? That is plain un-American. At least, get up and milk the chickens and feed the cows.
My gym has been meddling with their early morning workout classes (calisthenics and HIIT mostly), partly because of staff turnover and partly just for variety. Maybe Russia was involved in the meddling, cuz we do have a Russian gal trainer there. Probably a spy...
Finally found a good one, a new one, for me this morning. Fast-paced, challenging, exhausting, heavy sweat and heavy breathing but without much shoulder stress. Yes, some burpees which I do not do. I do pushups instead. Modify whenever needed. I am often the oldest person but I don't care because I am in half-decent fitness for my age. At first, I could not keep up. Now I can. A body is a miracle of adaptation.
I recommend finding one or two of those that work for you, as a good complement to weight work and boring "cardio". The classes can look intimidating, but you go at your own pace and do what you can. Improvement ensues, fairly quickly.
Have any of y'all tried them? They can become addictive.
A fine rant but, as a commenter observes, You might not be interested in politics but politics is interested in you.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib Wants a $20 Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers. That Would Likely Destroy the Restaurant Industry. The Democratic congresswoman said that people cannot live off tips. People who live off tips beg to differ.
I heard on NPR that PR wants to de-colonize itself.
Please do. Go for it. The US got stuck with you, accident of history. The US would give PR independence any time. To my mind, the US should force independence.
Peak mid-summer. Try a deeply refeshing Beerita at your local Tex-Mex joint. 
“He Immediately Went To A Bar
