Sunday, January 4. 2015
John 1:(1-9), 10-18
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
1:2 He was in the beginning with God.
1:3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being
1:4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
1:7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
1:8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
1:9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
1:10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.
1:11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.
1:12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,
1:13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
1:14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.
1:15 (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'")
1:16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
1:17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
1:18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.
Saturday, January 3. 2015
The Top 1 Percent: What Jobs Do They Have? It's an interactive site.
 Toon via the WSJ
I'm an "aye," especially if the vote is to remove laws, rules, and regulations.
Related: A political system is often at its best when it does nothing.
Doctor: "death from cancer is the best"
“Those that get up at 5 a.m. rule the world.”
I'm a 4:30 guy myself, and I rule nothing
Hot Sauce Maker Blisters Federal Nanny
Common Core Sparks Rise in Home Schooling
Are UNC centers politically biased?
The numbers add up to one fact: Cops are a blessing to NYC
Want a President Who Loves America
Oh Yeah, Jeb’s Running — But Should He?
Salon: Our scary new Congress: Meet 5 Tea Party extremists taking office this month
Jonah quotes:
“The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country. The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country. The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the country. USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country but don’t really understand the New York Times. They do, however, like their statistics shown in pie-chart format. . . . The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the country, and they did a far superior job of it, thank you very much . . .
December 31, 1912
Land is subsiding but they call it sea level rise
Cleric Shakes Up Saudis: Uncover Your Face, Wear Makeup, Mingle with Men
The logic behind President Obama’s Cuba normalization, assuming there is one, is the nylon strategy.
The Gods of the Copybook Headings, 1919 (here's what a copybook is, and, by "markets," he means the political speakers in the marketplace of ideas)
 AS I PASS through my incarnations in every age and race,
I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place.
Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.
We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn
That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn:
But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind,
So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.
We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace,
Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place,
But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come
That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.
With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch,
They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch;
They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings;
So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.
When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed, they sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "Stick to the Devil you know."
On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life
(Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife)
Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "The Wages of Sin is Death."
In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."
Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.
As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;
And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!
After a holiday brunch this morning, the tree goes outdoors for a while dressed in his CVS lights with an extension cord. Thus the dude abides. It saddens me to see and hear how many people use fake trees these days. Me? Never. There's enough fake and phony in the world, I feel. Why add to it?
We like our farmy-comfy parlor. We do not use it enough, because we work too much and have too much to do. We can shove the furniture to the side and fit 40 people in there for jolly sit-down dinner parties, Are cigars allowed? Definitely yes. All tobacco is welcome. Boob tube? Absolutely not. Home-made and recorded music? Certainly. The pianny is excellent. Bring yer fiddle.
Best instruments in the world? The fiddle and the pianny. Just my opinion. Ye organ is just a different pianny. Ye guitar is just a half-baked fiddle.
Friday, January 2. 2015
Some years ago, after his governorship of NY, Cuomo had a short-lived national radio talk show.
I phoned in once, on a whim. He was gracious, warm, and pleasant, and I was pleasant to him. I asked him what was on liberalism's agenda. He said government needs to provide and run medical care in the US. I said "OK, what after that?" He hesitated. I said "How about government car insurance?" He said "That's definitely something to look into."
Then I got to my point: I asked him "At what point is the progressive agenda complete - where does it end?" He hesitated again, then said (approx) "Government needs to assure that all Americans get what they need." I cheerfully responded "That's what I thought." It went on for a brief while.
He emailed me the next day, and asked me to call again. Said I had interesting comments. I never bothered to do so, though, figuring he was hopeless. An affable guy, though, unlike his son "Evil Eyes" Cuomo, aka Michael Corleone. They took Mario off the air a while later because he acquired no listeners.
Sleazy politician, good speaker, decent fellow, and deeply misguided which is disappointing in an immigrant family.
 Barrels: a history of hogsheads, kegs and puncheons
Don’t Like Guns? Then Regulate Them Like Cars!
Re guns: "hilariously pretentious"
Taco Town!
Biological bad luck blamed in two-thirds of cancer cases
Cheer up. Things are not all that bad for the world
Can’t Find Enough (Excellent) Programmers Here
France Finally Runs Out of Other People’s Money
Climate: Ask Questions and Endanger Your Career
Giant fans kill birds
Williamson: 2015 Non-Predictions And one prediction, too
Dino:
...you have the bizarre spectacle of the media running from city to city and village to village to find an event to fit the narrative. Boy, these progressive narratives, one after the other and non-stop, are getting to be really annoying.
WALL OF SHAME: Top 10 most outrageously biased professors of 2014
Professor – It’s Time for UVA to Apologize
Unarmed White Man Killed by Alabama Police; No Protests, No Riots, No National Media
Goldberg - A Year of Liberal Double Standards What seems like staggering hypocrisy is actually remarkably consistent from liberals’ perspective:
Peaceful, law-abiding tea-party groups who cleaned up after their protests — and got legal permits for them — were signs of nascent fascism lurking in the American soul. Violent, anarchic, and illegal protests by Occupy Wall Street a few years ago or, more recently, in Ferguson, Mo., were proof that a new idealistic generation was renewing its commitment to idealism.
Thursday, January 1. 2015
It's time for 2015 travel planning if we have not done that yet (most have done so already, I suspect, but some people are last-minute "planners").
I have a new case of a fellow who has developed a travel phobia. To be accurate, he has not really developed it, it has just been exposed by his frustrated family.
Many people with fears of all sorts never have them exposed because they find ways and excuses to avoid the things that make them uncomfortable. Typical excuses: "I hate cocktail parties," "I hate going to sports stadiums," "I don't want to go to that stupid place," "It's dangerous," "I hate cities," "Airplanes suck," "It's too expensive," "I don't need any new friends," etc etc.
Phobias are more often identified by avoidances than by real episodes of fear or discomfort. How does one tell what is a phobic avoidance from a plain dislike? Well, a little ruthless dose of self-scrutiny can answer most of your questions about your own fears and insecurities.
Like agoraphobics, travel phobics dart from place of safety to place of safety and familiarity no matter how often over-visited, never enjoy the trip or the adventures of life, and constrict their experiences and the richness of their lives in the process. Carpe diem. Life is short and shorter with each new day and each new year.
Men are particularly reluctant to admit flaws and weaknesses. Pride and shame prevent people from owning up to the personal weaknesses of their fears and frailties. I give blogger Ann Althouse, for example, credit for acknowledging her travel phobia (she feels that a driving trip from Madison to Austin is a daunting adventure). Properly naming one's fears, instead of making excuses, is the first step towards addressing them and conquering them.
What we term "simple phobias" are among the easiest things we shrinks have to deal with. In my experience, people with travel phobias and adventure phobias, once mastered, want to go everywhere and do everything.
For in-laws, kids, and their significant others
Roast Boneless Leg of Lamb to 120 degrees (F) - rare - au jus of course
Steamed haricot verts with olive oil
Steamed spinach with garlic and olive oil
Mashed Oregon Gold taters
I forgot to get the beets at the store - I have never gone to the market without forgetting something
Green salad of baby spinach, baby kale, and arugula, with goat cheese
Hard crusty bread
Prosecca, Mt. Etna Rosso, Martinelli's
Christmas cookies and espresso from my Christmas machine
 2014 Man of the Year: Hillary’s Service Dog
A Farmer Discusses How His Marshmallow Crop Is Threatened by Heavy Rains
The Benefits of Being Cold - Year-round warmth is a modern luxury, and one that could be affecting body weight and health.
Rescuing Boys from Disney Princesses
You Might Think This Was The Most Maine Thing Ever
For Paul McCartney, "it’s ridiculous, and yet very flattering" that college students now take courses on the music of The Beatles. "Ridiculous because we never studied anything..."
And The Highest-Paid US Government Employee is....
A streetcar not desired?
U.Va. professor, son want apology to those 'wrongfully punished'
Of course: Anti-police protesters call the police after road blockade goes bad
PSA To Kids: Steal Parents’ Guns, Give Them To Teachers
4 Ways Neo-Victorianism Reared Its Ugly Head in 2014
Hands up–I’m lying–Thomas Sowell comments on race hustlers and demogogues
Is Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients Catching On?
Bad idea
White Liberals and the New Racism
SHOTS FIRED at Ferguson Police During Burglary Call – Six Arrested
There goes the neighborhood
The Effect of Broken Windows Policing in New York City
White Liberals and the New Racism
High Taxes, Regulations Send New Yorkers Fleeing
Fleeing the state, not the city
Obama said 'Tehran is a large, sophisticated country.'
Imagine if Bush...
Commenter re the EU here: "They've been killing each other for centuries to avoid shit like this..."
Commenter here: "Never, ever hire a person with a degree in ethnic or black studies,
critical race theory, or anything with feminist in the name. They are a
walking lawsuit or HR disaster..."
Obamacare: Even More of a Scam Than You Thought - A welfare program by another name...
It’s time the good Muslims cleaned house. It’s time they swept the jihadists and terrorists into the well.
Gaza Is Nowhere
It's their own darn fault
Wednesday, December 31. 2014
 I was just informed by my social secretary that "we" had accepted a black tie cocktail party, and then later a late-night black tie dinner event with music and dancing, for tonight. I had been happy to imagine that we had no plans.
Glad I had my dress-up uniform cleaned. The rules which apply to me generally seem to be "Suit up and show up" - and shut up.
I hate New Year's Eve and I will never watch that idiotic Times Square thing, but I am a curmudgeon. Of course, I was there for that once in youth, and once was enough.
I will not have a drop of ETOH, and I do not like champagne, but I greatly enjoy the stimulating and amusing people we'll be seeing. I will ask our readers to be careful out there today. We need all of the live readers we can get, so drive defensively because there are lots of amateur drinkers out there.
Tomorrow, I am told, leg of lamb for family. I got Prosecca and a very nice Mt. Etna Rosso. Life goes on, God willing.
Best curmudgeonly wishes to all for a happy, healthy, grateful, and prosperous 2015.
As I rode into work one recent morning, I was contemplating a number of things. What I had to do for the day, what I needed to do at home, what bills were coming due, and how well my football team would perform this weekend. Random thoughts, nothing in particular mind-boggling or earth-shattering.
Then I realized I was riding on the train to work for about the 7,000th time in my life, and I was likely to do it over and over again for another 6,000 or so rides. It was at that point I asked, "Hey God, where's my miracle?"
Almost as soon as that popped into my head, I realized how stupid I was. I contemplated this a bit further, though. Plenty of people pray to God for the things they want. Love, money, enjoyment, even critical things like surviving a difficult situation or just simply living through a debilitating disease. We all hope for God, or whatever being or entity we believe in, to provide us a miracle at some point.
I say "we all" because the old phrase "There are no atheists in foxholes" rings true to me. At some point, in everyone's life, we've asked a higher power for something.
So here I was, just lazily asking God for a miracle to help me not have to ride this train into the city anymore. Hardly worth asking for. But I asked it because I was being mentally lazy.
Atheists sometimes use the 'fact' that God doesn't 'answer' prayers as a proof that there is no God. I've never found that particularly compelling, for one reason.
God is not a cosmic waiter at your beck and call, waiting to be motioned over to bless your latest business deal. ~Michael Slaughter
Continue reading "A Thought about God While on the Train"
It's neither Protestant nor Catholic -it's from the excellent Anglican and Episcopalian Great Litany which is well-worth perusing once in a while:
That it may please thee to give us true repentance; to forgive us all our sins, negligences, and ignorances; and to endue us with the grace of thy Holy Spirit to amend our lives according to thy holy Word, we beseech thee to hear us, good Lord
Tuesday, December 30. 2014
From Wikipedia, where I was doing some background research on various football teams:
In 1930, there were still many who questioned the quality of the professional game, claiming the college "amateurs" played with more intensity than professionals. In December 1930, the Giants played a team of Notre Dame All Stars at the Polo Grounds to raise money for the unemployed of New York City. It was also an opportunity to establish the skill and prestige of the pro game. Knute Rockne reassembled his Four Horsemen along with the stars of his 1924 Championship squad and told them to score early, then defend. Rockne, like much of the public, thought little of pro football and expected an easy win. But from the beginning it was a one-way contest, with Friedman running for two Giant touchdowns and Hap Moran passing for another. Notre Dame failed to score. When it was all over, Coach Rockne told his team, "That was the greatest football machine I ever saw. I am glad none of you got hurt." The game raised $100,000 for the homeless, and is often credited with establishing the legitimacy of the professional game for those who were critical.
The two things I find intriguing are: 1. There was a time that pro football was considered lower quality and intensity than college. 2. They raised $100,000 for the homeless during the Depression - essentially $1.4mm in today's dollars.
Not an insubstantial sum, it represented .6% of per capita government welfare spending in the New York area. Total government (federal, state, and local) spending in 1930 was $11.9bb and only $300mm was on welfare. By 1934, those totals were $12.8bb and $1.0bb. By 1940, the same figures were $20.4bb and $2.1bb.
For all the problems the NFL faces, there is still plenty to feel good about, though I don't think it would be easy to match that $1.4mm figure today, unless all the ticket receipts were just turned over.
How Ebola Roared Back. For a fleeting moment last spring, the epidemic sweeping West Africa might have been stopped. But the opportunity to control the virus, which has now caused more than 7,800 deaths, was lost.
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