Maggie's Farm

Allstate stops writing new homeowner policies in CA, too

 ‘Pride’ is Nothing to Celebrate

Well, in the LGBTQ+ world, it's a socio-cultural revolt against shame and embarassment.  Not real pride.

 School district presses phys-ed teachers to don LGBTQ pride apparel

 Kay S. Hymowitz joins Brian Anderson to discuss how gender-identity ideology is influencing vulnerable young people and attempting to overturn all that we know about child development.

 Misgendering is an ‘act of violence,' university argues

 Hospital Official Bemoans “Heart-Wrenching” Decision to Discontinue Child Gender Transition Services - The decision came after the Texas Legislature approved a bill barring gender transitioning procedures and treatments for children.

 Georgetown University developing ‘adultification bias’ trainings

Let's try infantilizing college students. 

VDH:  Is the Sleeping Conservative Dragon Finally Waking Up? Conservatives often slept through the woke revolution only to awaken to a country their apathy allowed to transform into one they no longer recognize. Can they finally breathe fire? 

 Chicago Democrats Divided Over Spending $50 Million On Illegals

 Due To High Crime, Mafia Closes Its Chicago Office

" Target CEO Brian Cornell responded to the BLM race riots with a memo claiming that, “the murder of George Floyd has unleashed the pent-up pain of years, as have the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.” Much of that pain was directed at robbing Target."

 Chris Wray Did Not Admit FBI Had Damning Biden China Bribery Document – Until James Comer Notified Him He Already Had Seen the Filing 

Government and media have a license to lie. 

 Are There Any Democrats Left Who Are Not Fully On Board With The Agenda Of The Radical Left?

 Trump’s cruel attack on Kayleigh McEnany is the final straw in his false loyalty schtick

 Trump's Truth Social Ramblings Are Reaching Kamala Harris Levels of Incoherence

 Trump's Waterloo?

Trump is a jerk at heart. Good in many ways, but a jerk. 

 China Today

Why is China an enemy? 

Or some unused brain cells which are eager to be put to use?

Classics: Feynman's Basic Physics Lectures 

Recordings from 1961 are imperfect, but content is worth it. Enthusiastic teacher.

At the end of his interview (we posted a week ago) with Lex, Elon Musk says he read the entire encylopedia in youth. Doesn't say which one. Britannica? Possibly.

There is no substitute for curiosity. There are plenty of people with Elon Musk's brain power, but who never try to apply it. That's OK but it is inspiring to see.

Readers know that Maggie's has a preference for rare Ribeyes (especially those thick Costco ones which can dine 4 people), cooked on an iron pan over a hot gas flame. Olive oil and butter, salt and pepper. Hard crust on the surface, but almost alive inside.

Burgers and hot dogs on the outdoor grill? Excellent. Also, marinated butterflied legga lamb.  But a good steak? Nope.

I know others have different opinions. 

 Women show higher levels of intrasexual competition than men

Welcome To Major League Baseball’s Struggle Sessions

 ‘Fastest girl in Connecticut’ Chelsea Mitchell suing state after losing to trans athletes

 The threat to German sausages is real

 17 Deaths On Mt. Everest Blamed On ‘Climate Change’

 In California: Kill the goats, keep the union hogs happy.

 Hundreds of UFOs have been spotted 'all over the world', Pentagon chief admits as NASA unveils findings into first ever study of unexplained phenomena in the skies

I blame climate change 

 EVEN LIBERALS HATE CRIME

I saw a pair of them in my tall oak tree this morning, and I suspect that they are weaving one of their remarkable hanging nests in it again this year, as they did last year.

These exotically-colored Eastern songbirds are never common, but are regularly seen - but only if you look up into the tree-tops. One odd fact about these orioles is that they like to eat oranges. Some people put orange halves out to attract them.

You can see a video of orioles constructing a nest. Orioles tend to breed fast, then head back to their home in the tropics in mid-late summer. 

Image: This male is a bit on the yellow side, more like a female. Most of the males we see in New England are more flame-orange. The Orchard Oriole seems unusual in New England and is smaller, darker, and tends to nest near water in the South and Midwest.

 WSJ: Your Next Big Move Should Scare You. Your gut says no. Here’s why you shouldn’t always listen to it.

 AI MAKES S**T UP

 Marc Andreessen on A.I., Bitcoin, and Billionaires - Is the A.I. breakthrough for real this time?

 Climate activists were in for a surprise after they tried to hurl orange powder at London's famed flower show

 Plants cause global warming now

 UMich botanical garden employs DEI manager, hosts ‘confronting racism’ training

 200,000 cows to be culled in Ireland in order to meet climate targets

 Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Says American Pushback Against Woke Politics Is "Scary"

 “We Have a Captive Audience”: Boston University to Require Students to Take Social Justice Writing Courses

About Chomsky:  Manufacturing Dissent - Activists and opinion-formers on the Left and Right have been persuaded that living under anything besides the kind of governance they want means they’ve been cheated.

 Elon Musk Pulls Twitter from European Union’s ‘Anti-Disinformation’ Agreement - French Digital Minister threatens to ban Twitter if it doesn’t follow EU rules.

 Randi Weingarten Has Zero Credibility

Dethroned. The apparent impending demise of The King’s College is instructive about the pitfalls lying in wait for even the best-intentioned institutions of higher education.

Chronicle: Higher-Ed received billions in Covid-Relief funds. Where did it go?

 The Great Student Loan Nonpayment Boondoggle Is Over

"A little more than a year ago, I attended a virtual symposium on “Nudges in Health Care...” 

 Why The Media Is Attacking Free Speech

Ann Colter not loving Trump: How not to be President 

A New World Order:

 Countries around the world have tired of feeling pushed around by America, of having the terms of their relationship imposed from Washington. Ironically, in a war that is supposed for democracy, these countries want to have a say in their own foreign policies. And we should not ignore the increasing economic power of China..

 The Most Honored Photograph of WW2

10 Years after Sheryl Sandberg’s book ‘Lean In,’ women are on the outs

 No Laughing Matter: John Cleese Holds Line Against Calls To Cancel Scene In 'Life Of Brian'

 When will the lawsuit come? For doctors, it’s a matter of time

 The Futility of School Reform

 America’s Dangerous Shortage Of Free Thinkers

 Memory-Holing of COVID False Narratives Picks Up Steam

 Gorsuch rightly slams freedom-crushing ‘rule by indefinite emergency edict’

 CNN: Work Requirements Are “Offensive To Poor People”…

The Nation:  Biden Must Remake His Candidacy

 Ukraine war is an existential struggle — for the West

What? 

1895:  The Soldier’s Faith - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. brings the song of the sword to Harvard’s graduating class.

ANTI-COVID POLICIES WERE A DISASTER

 Jordan Peterson Considers Every Possible Meaning Of Bible Story Except That It Might Mean Exactly What It Says

Funny 

 ENVIRONMENTALISTS ARE WHY WE CAN’T HAVE INFRASTRUCTURE

They aren't "environmentalists" 

  Is America's falling fertility rate caused by the over-prescription of antidepressants? One in FIVE adults are on mood-busting drugs which sap libido and sperm counts

 My cheating boyfriend told me he was a sex addict. Was it a disorder – or just an excuse?

Gee, that's a hard question 

 The Encampment State - Billions in spending have failed to solve California’s massive—and worsening—homelessness crisis.

"Homeless" is not the problem 

Musk won't play the EU game 

Good 

 'This place deserves to be shut down': Migrant hotel employee reveals the 'free for all' of drugs, sex and violence inside New York City's The Row since it was closed to tourists to make room for border crossers

  'Bike Karen' Race-Hoaxers Flee Like Hunted Rats to Avoid Lawsuit

 Microsoft kicks Vivek Ramaswamy off LinkedIn

 Citywide Youth Curfew Begins In Baltimore As Mayor Strives To Restore Law And Order

 Georgia GOP flat earther raises eyebrows

 Presto-Chango, See Which Democrat Attack Transforms Into 'Republicans Pounce!'

 The disinformation campaign against Ron DeSantis - So much fake news and woke hysteria is being spread about the presidential hopeful.

 Biden keeps turning his political enemies into ‘terrorists’

Call me lazy if you want to, but I like these light-weight cordless chain saws for small jobs. Heavy pruning, for example.

Sure, I have regular pruning saws, but those electric things are nifty.  I go with Ryobi because I already have all of their betteries and chargers for blowers and trimmers.

For heavy-duty, I do have a Stihl Farm Boss which I love to use, but it is overkill for small jobs. For example, I have overgrown lilacs. Neglected to remove 1/4 or 1/3 of their older main stems annually. 3" thick now. 

You can find all of the mini-chain saws on Amazon. 

WaPo has some thoughts about  “The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man,” by David Von Drehle. 

 Life seemed somehow to rest more lightly on him than on most of us. I wanted to know the why and the how. As our friendship grew, those questions deepened, for I learned that life had dealt Charlie some heavy blows: grief, victimhood, helplessness, disruption.

I came to realize Charlie was not a survivor. He was a thriver. He did not just live. He lived joyfully. He was like a magnet, pulling me across the street and into his confidences, where I discovered something about life’s essentials. The sort of something one wants to pass on to one’s children.

That's Fritillaria, Bluebells, some Hosta, Coral Bells, Dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea.

 Photo: Our Siberian Irises are in bloom

Daily flights, NY to the Faroe Islands

Mrs.BD would love that 

 At High School Debates, Debate Is No Longer Allowed. At national tournaments, judges are making their stances clear: students who argue ‘capitalism can reduce poverty’ or ‘Israel has a right to defend itself’ will lose—no questions asked.

Kotkin:  Can California Be Saved? Though the state retains great advantages, bad policies accelerate its decline.

 TGIF: Cruising for a Bruising - Canadians say yes to death. South Koreans say no to birth. Plus: DeSantis, flat-earthers, a Citi Bike Karen—and Bezos’s amazing love boat.

VDH:  The Left Has Pushed the Envelope. Why are our government, corporations, and popular culture colluding in mass suicide—to the delight of our enemies like Communist China?

OK, but I don't think China is an enemy 

 U.S. NEWSGreenwald: Regime Journalists Promote The ‘Right’ Conspiracy Theories To Be Successful “Journalists who spread conspiracy theories that the CIA wants them to spread get promoted, and the journalists who question the conspiracy theories of the CIA get destroyed.”

We all live in a world of lies 

 Want to be a Seattle firefighter Lt.? Best know your woke reading list!:

...  in 2021, local officials including Scoggins commissioned a report on diversity in the fire service. One of its recommendations: avoid tests that “rely heavily on knowledge of firefighting.”

“[T]ests that focus on how well applicants know the system and the job tend to favor those who make up the overwhelming majority of the fire service workforce, white men,” the report says. “Questions that ask more about the candidate’s character and values, rather than knowing the ins and outs of the job, can be beneficial in advancing more women and people of color.”

NY:  ‘Right-to-shelter’ off-ramp is long overdue

 Why no one will learn the lessons from "Citi Bike Karen" fiasco

5 black kids tried to steal her Citibike. Wrong narrative 

 New York Office Buildings Emptying Out

But rentals are high, along with tourism 

 Germany Is Turning Against The EU's Green New Deal, Common Sense To The Forefront

 The World Realigns

Solar storms have dramatically increased this year.

I blame climate change 

 Early Apes Lived on Savannahs, Not in Forests. Two new studies suggest that 21 million years ago African primates frequented edge habitat and fed on leaves

 Scientific American is Now the Bud Light of Science Journals

 Plastic Recycling Now Contributing to Microplastics Pollution Mania

 Nebraska Becomes 18th State To Ban Transgender Surgeries On Children…

What Banks Do

 Leftist Cancellation is the New Rite of Passage

 Trump’s ‘Hush Payment’ Trial to Begin Months Before 2024 Presidential Election

Why my GOP competitors should take my lead and visit America’s inner cities: Ramaswamy

 Joe Biden Keeps Lying That His Son Died in Iraq. In fact, he lies about an assortment of his dead relatives.

 Contrary To Popular Myth, Brexit Was Not A Bad Decision And Did Not Fail

 Scotland moves toward removing trial by jury

 The Ukraine War Was Provoked - & Why That Matters To Achieve Peace