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.
That is no country for old men. The young In one another's arms, birds in the trees, —Those dying generations—at their song, The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas, Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long Whatever is begotten, born, and dies. Caught in that sensual music all neglect Monuments of unageing intellect.
II
An aged man is but a paltry thing, A tattered coat upon a stick, unless Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing For every tatter in its mortal dress, Nor is there singing school but studying Monuments of its own magnificence; And therefore I have sailed the seas and come To the holy city of Byzantium.
III
O sages standing in God's holy fire As in the gold mosaic of a wall, Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre, And be the singing-masters of my soul. Consume my heart away; sick with desire And fastened to a dying animal It knows not what it is; and gather me Into the artifice of eternity.
IV
Once out of nature I shall never take My bodily form from any natural thing, But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make Of hammered gold and gold enamelling To keep a drowsy Emperor awake; Or set upon a golden bough to sing To lords and ladies of Byzantium Of what is past, or passing, or to come.
(Neoneo was reminded of this poem, here.)The first verse feels stolen from Hopkins, doesn't it?
Aka Shepherd's Pie. Big family party tomorrow. I am making the innards tonight because these stew-like things are always better the next day. This recipe, basically, with ground lamb and doubling the recipe. I am adding frozen corn (maize to your furriners) and some wine, gibier sauce, and raspberry jelly to it, to enrich it. I'll simmer it 20 minutes longer to reduce the sauce and mingle the flavors before throwing in the peas and corn.
Winter peasant food. Moussaka is great too, same idea. A friend served us antelope moussaka a while ago. Delicious.
Food isn’t about Nutrition Clothes aren’t about Comfort Bedrooms aren’t about Sleep Marriage isn’t about Romance Talk isn’t about Info Laughter isn’t about Jokes Charity isn’t about Helping Church isn’t about God Art isn’t about Insight Medicine isn’t about Health Consulting isn’t about Advice School isn’t about Learning Research isn’t about Progress Politics isn’t about Policy
From all the polls over recent years, I seem to be in the mainstream which means I really don't care. Let it do what it wants. More warmth would be great for humans and would not hurt the cuddly polar bears who have gone through warm periods in the past.
Insofar as I love cold and snow and skiing, and grew up playing hockey on frozen ponds with bonfires on the banks at dusk with girls and smuggled Southern Comfort, I think a cooling climate would be a human danger. It will occur, though, in time. Hope I will not be here then.
It’s almost funny seeing Europeans trying politely to teach their conquerors how not to treat those whom they have conquered. I wonder how long it will take before the Europeans figure out that they’re no longer in the driver’s seat. And then I wonder whether they’ll be able or willing to mount a counter-strike, or whether the twelve-hundred year-long Islamic jihad against Europe will finally have succeeded.
Here are many of the reasons that counting calories for weight-maintenance and weight loss does not work: The Calorie Is Broken
Unfortunately, they omit one of the more important considerations, which is that our bodies handle the calories in carbs differently from the calories in a juicy steak. All calories are not equal.
Our general rules:
- If you work out hard over 3 days/wk and are happy with your physique, eat enough carbs for energy and eat enough protein for muscle repair. Not a ton, but some. An egg or two and 2 slices of meat daily is plenty of pure protein for the average-sized hard exerciser who works with weights. Not enough for Rocky Balboa. Adults who do not do much hard muscle work do not need much protein except for enjoyment. - If happy with your weight and condition, eat whatever you feel like. Pizza is good. So is ice cream. - To lose weight efficiently, quit all carbs except for a little yoghurt or a glass of milk or something like that. Focus on protein and veggies as fillers. - Don't bother counting calories. Dietary fats and oils have plenty of calories, but can not make you gain body fat. - Cardio exercise is good for conditioning, but you can't lose weight by doing it unless you do it 6 hrs/day. Only anorectics do that.
Is all poetry lyrical poetry? Does it matter? In my view, poetry (and drama) are meant to be heard, not read. I am not, however, a professor of literature.
Gioia writes: “I suspect one thing that hurt poetry was being too well taught.” While professing his admiration for them, Gioia blames the “New Critics” of the mid-20th century — “R.P. Blackmur, Allen Tate, Kenneth Burke, Cleanth Brooks, John Crowe Ransom, and Yvor Winters” — for inadvertently alienating the public by inspiring generations of teachers to treat poems as difficult texts to be deciphered like the Rosetta Stone, rather than as enjoyable scripts for oral performance. Poetry was less like dance or drama than like philology or philosophy.
What is it good for, if anything? That's a big topic. Is it good for anything? I certainly think it is, but properly-done it requires so much time, commitment, and money that it could never be, or have been, available to large numbers.
Meaning does matter, in all areas of human life. Unfortunately, fake meanings, ie "false narratives," can matter a lot in life too. Analysis is a mental laboratory as much as anything else.
Can psychoanalysis or psychodynamic therapy (which I prefer to offer) be curative? Sometimes. Can it be helpful? Certainly. Can it be done right? Not really. It's called "the impossible profession" for good reason.
I can testify that it did a lot of good for me and made me a better Psychiatrist too. (We were required to be in a lengthy analysis in analytic training.) Interestingly, that analysis has continued to work, grinding away, in my head ever since in a never-ending and self-questioning process. Self-knowledge is never pleasant, however, and I would rather play tennis than dwell on it too much. I only dwell on it when I need to. It burns sometimes, but it cleans the instruments.
It's a cooking textbook and a cookbook. Unlike a recipe book, it teaches the fundamentals and the theory along with the recipe. It's the one text almost every professional and serious hobbyist has on the shelf or, more likely, in the kitchen covered with stains. A reference book.
If I had the time, I would take some serious cooking classes because I love to do justice to the earth's bounty. I know Mrs. BD and I would enjoy one of those 5-day courses in Amalfi or Florence. Or better yet, in some village in France. French country food is the best.
Higher Ed is not one thing. It is many things from a nursing degree at a community college to a BA from a state college to a doctorate in Philosophy at an Ivy.
It is all pretty much as expensive as the market will bear because greed is in the nature of institutions. It's never enough.
What is the proper role of the federal government in higher ed? My problem with it, as you might suspect, is that government "help" always ends up with government control. That's how Leviathan rolls. The College Try
In our posts on calisthenic fitness exercises (ie cardio + body-weight exertion - not muscle-building) we have always included jump-roping. I have been working on it. There is a technique to be mastered, and the ballistic nature of it is quickly fatiguing for me. I have tried to do doubles, but can not do them yet.
Block out any association you have with jump ropes and school children—the jump rope is an incredibly efficient, versatile workout tool. Carry it in your backpack or briefcase, bring it with you on vacations and weekend trips for work because this is one of the easiest ways to build cardio fitness, agility, and strength on the go.
This fellow goes through 6 tips for your beginning jump-roping (the 6 videos should run sequentially but if they do not, here they are:
Sailing to Byzantium (1933)
Aka Shepherd's Pie. Big family party tomorrow. I am making the innards tonight because these stew-like things are always better the next day. This 
From all the polls over recent years, I seem to be in the mainstream which means I really don't care. Let it do what it wants. More warmth would be great for humans and would not hurt the cuddly polar bears who have gone through warm periods in the past.
The 
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Photo from
Higher Ed is not one thing. It is many things from a nursing degree at a community college to a BA from a state college to a doctorate in Philosophy at an Ivy. 
Snow Is An Indicator Of Global Warming Or Something