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.
I had the good fortune, and position, to have attended a few of these White House Correspondents' Dinners. It was a long time ago in a previous job. They were not, by any means, for the faint of heart. The roasting was often hot, barbed, but generally all in good spirits (with one or two notable exceptions, naturally involving Republicans). I heard it described as the "Super Bowl of Washington and general news journalism." I'd have to say this was an accurate description. The people in the good seats were high-profile, the coverage (like any in media) was extensive because what's better than the media reporting on itself?
The past two, however, have taken on a different look and feel than those which preceded. It's no surprise to me that Trump wouldn't want to attend. I do think he can handle a barb or two, even a few good-natured jabs. But the press refuses to deal with him in any tone except the most vicious. I've never hidden the fact that I am not a Trump supporter. That said, I don't hate him the way his opposition and the media does. I don't see a good reason for making outrageous and unsubstantiated claims about him, or using them as the basis for mean-spirited attacks. I also don't see any logical reason for attacking his support staff or supporters, even on the basis of some of the more lurid details which are well-known about his behavior and commentary.
There is a very long history of popes behaving politically instead of spiritually. Historically, popes were often worldly powers. It's not all religion.
The older you get, the more important strength-training becomes to maintain full functionality. And while it may be most important for women (to deter osteoporosis), all men want to be stronger.
Our recommendation is that 1/3 of fitness training/conditioning (ie about 2 hrs/wk) be basic weight-training with gradually-increasing weights as tolerated. (Our simple plan is 2 hrs mixed cardio, 2 hrs calisthenics, 2 hrs weights, even though there is plenty of overlap to make it all synergistic.)
Snarky about brunch. Truth is, brunch after church with friends is one of the most pleasant things in life. A delicious meal too, with smoked salmon and other neat things.
My best Sunday morning: Early one-hour workout, church, brunch with friends in an outdoor cafe with a Bloody Mary or Bloody Bull, until 1 or 2 pm. Then go do something interesting or go for a walk.
Life can be wonderful and beautiful if structured correctly and a Sunday brunch is part of that on a lovely Spring day.
15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.
15:2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.
15:3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.
15:4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.
15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
15:6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
15:8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
The cello piece from the greatest composer and musician of all time plays a major role in Mark Helprin's latest novel, Paris in the Present Tense. A mythic tale of sacrifice and redemption in death.
You can argue that some people have difficulty accepting terminal illness. True, some people do. However, there is a freedom issue missing here. The Brits do not value freedom in the way that we American rebels do.
We had a comprehensive post on the mostly- "cardio" component (which is ideally about 1/3 of a fitness/conditioning program) earlier this week. A few related points from a somewhat different point of view:
- High-intensity cardio training is more about building Athleticism rather than the General Fitness for Life that most people desire. We use the term Athleticism to refer to the high levels of general fitness. More hard core. Many of our fitness posts here tend to have Athleticism goals - but why not set high goals? High goals and failure build character, right? My Dad taught me that.
- Generally speaking, cardio training can refer to anything that elevates the heart rate above walking, whether for short bursts of max intensity or for an hour of, for example, jogging or a few hours of hill-hiking.It's all relative though, depending on one's level of conditioning. For some elderly or overweight, a 3-5 mile hike might count as cardio exercise. For many, a 10-mile hike or a 3-mile jog is pure recreation and not cardio exertion at all.
Much more on the topic, from my point of view, below the fold -
China Assigns Every Citizen A ‘Social Credit Score’ To Identify Who Is And Isn’t Trustworthy - Country Determines Your Standing Through Use Of Surveillance Video, Plans To Have 600 Million Cameras By 2020
Winter image is some village in Brooklyn by Francis Guy, c. 1819.
On its own, Brooklyn is perhaps the 3rd largest city in the US. However, it was incorporated into New York City in 1898 after much political squabbling.
It's basically a 70 square-mile peninsula of the western end of Long Island, jutting into New York harbor. Named after Breukelin in Holland as it was first settled by the Dutch (if you don't consider the Lenape Indians who were there then).
It is a boom town now with high-rise office buildings and luxury buildings sprouting up everywhere. Gentrifying rapidly. Still, much of it is a brownstone townhouse and wood-frame house city of developments built on farmland from the mid-1800s through the 1920s. Like much of the New York metropolitan area, it has an abundance of relatively distinct neighborhoods distinguished by class, ethnicity, affinity groups, etc. There are Hasidic and Orthodox areas, black areas, Italian neighborhoods, hipster neighborhoods, blue-collar neighborhoods, fully-mixed neighborhoods, quite down-at-the- heels areas like East New York, industrial and warehouse areas, upper class neighborhoods - almost everything but Asian neighborhoods which are mostly in Queens. And yes, Coney Island too.
While it is a city unto itself, there is no doubt that the economic engine for it is Manhattan even though many Brooklynites rarely venture into Manhattan. And vice-versa, except for the BAM and Peter Lugar's Steakhouse.
There's a good map of the Brooklyn neighborhoods below the fold. Our 12-mile hike last Sat. did not get much further than the westernmost neighborhoods. It would take a lot of time to explore the whole place on foot. I have a daughter in Crown Heights and a nephew in Williamsburg. One of our hiking pals was born in Brooklyn Heights. My grandma (from Norwalk, CT) taught school in Clinton Hill before she got married to a prosperous physician from Connecticut.
Prof. Peterson's talk begins at the 18-minute mark. "'What I feel like doing' is a superficial guide for life activity."
Ain't that the truth? This is one of his better speeches. "Don't be a blight on the world - be useful." Also, "You're damned utopia always turns into hell."
America is 61 percent white, 18 percent Hispanic, and 12 percent black. California, by contrast, is 39 percent white, 38 percent Hispanic, 15 percent Asian, and 5 percent black. Moreover, one-fourth of the nation’s immigrant population lives in California. More than a quarter of California residents are immigrants, a number that almost doubles the national average.
At Florida State University, a study was done on gender differences between men and women. Attractive, well-dressed students approached the opposite gender and asked one of the following three questions:
I take so many photos, and there are so many beautiful and important sites and sights to see in Paris and the Loire Valley and in Israel, that I've chosen only some from the recent trip with my sons that have the most impacts on me. Please see below the fold.
‘How Long Do I Have Left?’ AI 
Archaeologists Release Grisly Details of 