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.
Leftover pizza is one of the finest breakfasts or snacks that exist. It tastes better the next day.
Tip: Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza.
Is "unconscious racial bias", in other words, unconscious racism, the main cause of racial disparities in the US? I don't think so, not for even a minute. The article notes that the research that supported the oppression theory is turning out to be invalid, but because of its political usefulness the idea will no doubt persist anyway.
There are many reasons for individuals to be socio-culturally, or otherwise, "disadvantaged." There are many reasons for people to be stereotyped too. Everybody stereotypes until they know somebody.
In my opinion, "unconscious bias" is akin to "microaggression" because at some point the pursuit of oppression becomes absurd.
It is the rare male who is entirely lacking in barbarian fantasies and impulses of various sorts. Rape, murder, mayhem, etc are all part of the dark side (aka uncivilized side) of the human soul. The rich and powerful, like medieval lords, quickly discover that they can get away with lots of id-driven behavior. Thus the world of female pulchritude can become not a feast for the eyes but a literal feast. Lesser people who try it tend to get into trouble fast but in Hollywood it's just tabloid fodder.
I sometimes wonder how people would behave if they were guaranteed that they could get away with anything. Would I rob a Brinks truck, or lift a Cartier watch from the store? Have an affair with Brad Pitt? I would like to think not.
So when I read that Weinstein is headed for "rehab," it knew it was a pure PR stunt. Rehab for living the role of a dirty old predatory man? There is no "rehab" or treatment for rotten behavior outside the judicial system. And that rarely works either. Rules are for the little people, the bourgeoisie, where there are more consequences.
I'll say that being powerful in some way, like alcohol or cocaine or wartime, can be disinhibiting for some or even many people. Most likely, for people with a little sociopathic tendencies because of the evident absence of remorse. After all, the men in question here have daughters...
The Weinstein Co., reeling from the accusations against the co-chairman of the company, released a statement on Tuesday denying any knowledge of the accusations. "These alleged actions are antithetical to human decency. These allegations come as an utter surprise to the Board. Any suggestion that the Board had knowledge of this conduct is false," the TWC board said.
Remember—the mighty indigenous peoples of the Americas couldn’t even figure out the wheel. The WHEEL. The average lifespan for Native Americans before Columbus committed “genocide” against them was around 35. It is now more than double that. When Columbus arrived in the New World, the total number of indigenous Injuns in what is now North America was less than two million. There currently are 5.2 million self-identified “Native Americans” in the USA alone and another two million or so in Canada.
So they’re living more than twice as long and there are more than twice as many of them. That doesn’t sound like genocide to me. That sounds like an upgrade into the first-class section.
I hate these presidential libraries. Why doesn't some pres just hand over the papers to a history dept and call it a day? Why a monument? This is not Rome. These jackasses are not kings or gods.
Since we're on a month of our push-up challenge, a few ideas:
- go as low as you can - squeeze your glutes and tense your belly. Perfect plank. It should be a total body exercise, not just chest and triceps - don't let your elbows flare out - keep them tight - to vary it a bit, do them with your feet on a bench, chair, or box of whatever height. The higher, the better, with the ultimate being handstand pushups. I am going to do half of mine on a decline now.
Slavery, torture, and cannibalism—tell me why we’re celebrating “Indigenous People’s Day” again? And we’re getting rid of Columbus Day to protest—what? The fact that one group of slavery-practicing violent people conquered another group of violent, blood-thirsty slavers? That’s a precis of the history of the Americas before Columbus arrived.
This has always been the fatal flaw of the Left’s politics of race guilt: Name the race that’s not “guilty”? Racism, violence, and conquest are part of the human condition, not the European one.
The deal appears to be, however, a largely symbolic concession to Ms. Merkel’s Bavaria allies that may change little in practice, partly because the right to asylum is enshrined in Germany’s constitution.
My genius trainer thinks these are ridiculous, but they are a routine part of the calisthenic classes I take. All I can say is that they keep your heart rate up and your body in explosive and fatiguing motion. Basically, explosive jumping jacks.
Most of us here are in favor of Puerto Rican independence. US Territories are an obsolete concept. Evil colonialism. Blame Columbus, and let PR free. To help erase Columbus more completely, let's ban the colonial Spanish language from Latin America as soon as possible. It's a painful remnant of oppression.
They are known to like damp habitats or stream edges, but they grow well, and spread, almost anywhere. They like sun. I have found them very easy to grow, and highly productive of fruit in Sept/Oct.
What are they good for? Jam and pies. I have never had Elderberry Wine, and most likely neither have you. Why bother?
. "We're pretending we're having a debate about gun control," Mollie said, "but we're really having a debate about the nature of evil and whether a big enough government can contain it." It was an observation so womanly wise that a mere news discussion couldn't address it. The rest of the panel ignored her and the talk immediately turned to the utterly meaningless effort to ban bump stocks.
In Brandenburg, as in Trump-world, there’s plenty of political energy against globalized, mealy-mouthed, quinoa-loving, inequality-fostering, immigrant-embracing elites with their gender spectra, climate doomsdays, multilateral organizations, mainstream parties and smug no-alternatives views of existence.
We don't have a "Sports" category, but maybe we should. I normally wouldn't call out a seemingly obscure sports obituary. However, it seems worthwhile, particularly in these 'racially troubled' times (let me be clear, I don't feel we are in any troubled times, but Connie Hawkins' story goes to show just how far we've come).
I was surprised to learn Hawkins passed away. In fact, I'd forgotten about him, more or less. Not an extremely well-known NBA player after the early 70's, in his early years he had been blacklisted by the NBA because he was implicated in a point shaving scandal. The problem, of course, was he was a freshman in college, ineligible to play, and couldn't have been involved in any point shaving. During the investigation, he was denied the right to legal counsel while being interviewed by NYC police.
As a result, he was expelled from school, and the NBA blackballed him. He played for the Globetrotters, the Wizards and eventually joined the fledgling ABA and proved he was every bit as good as expected. Unfortunately toward the end of the 1968-69 season, he injured his knee and it required surgery. That same year, his suit against the NBA's blackball was settled and he received a large payment as well as having his rights assigned to the Phoenix Suns.
His first season, he again set out to prove he was a top tier player. But after 8 years of being denied the right to play professionally, many of his best years were behind him. Despite this, he averaged 24.6 points per game, 10.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists. There's little doubt that, fully healthy, Hawkins would have been a premier talent, probably even an NBA legend, if not for circumstances lining up against him.
7 years later, his career was over. He remained a regular at Phoenix poker rooms for years, where his affable nature and celebrity kept him in good company. He was honored by the NBA and inducted into the Hall of Fame because of his overall contributions to the game, in 1992. The Phoenix Suns retired his number, 42.
In the genre of sports literature, 2 books stand out to me. Ball Four and Foul! The Connie Hawkins Story. I read both in my early teens, and they taught me as much about life as they did about sports and celebrity. They are, in various ways, classics and paved the way for all the stories in that genre which followed. They broke the rules of silence surrounding sports, exposing the soft underbelly and dirt which were previously ignored because athletes were icons, and sports leagues seemingly incorruptible (despite the Black Sox Scandal, Americans had a love affair with sports leagues and even today these flawed organizations are viewed as leaders and examples for young athletes). Hawkins was a victim, as opposed to a perpetrator (unlike Jim Bouton), of bad behavior.
What may have made him most well-known, toward the end of his injury-riddled NBA career, was a sketch on the second episode of Saturday Night Live, in which he played Paul Simon in a game of one-on-one.
Here is a link to the video (there is no embed capability, unfortunately). The Paul Simon/Connie Hawkins sketch occurs about the 17:20 mark.
The Southern Flying Squirrel is found throughout the eastern US and southeastern Canada. They inhabit good-sized mature deciduous woodlands.
Because they are entirely nocturnal, you probably don't know whether you have them around or not but if you are neither in, nor on the edge of a forest, you likely do not. Big eyes, to see in the dark.
Owls eat them.
Cute little buggers. They use their tails as rudders. I have never seen one in the wild. Have you?
Leftover pizza is one of the finest breakfasts or snacks that exist. It tastes better the next day.
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