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.
Remarkable that an ordinary storm could have such impact on the greatest city in the world.
My car was flooded in an underground parking garage, and we had 9' of water in my building's basement. All from flooding. There was very little rain. We still have no power downtown, and the subways down here have not resumed. It's called "urban hiking," and it is enjoyable.
I am back to buying newspapers. The NY Post, The NY Times, the NY Daily News. It's a pleasant, familiar old feeling to read a paper newspaper in a pub or coffee shop.
Instead of irritated, people seem quite cheerful and helpful. Maybe people welcome an excuse to take off their tough NYC game faces.
My final pre-election post, set for Monday, is currently at 1,175 words. And counting.
Since Monday will be our last chance to either (1) sound incredibly precognitive or (2) look like complete bozos, I'm inviting you, the Maggie's Valued Readers™, to publicly have a say. Along with my article, I'll also post an article with any predictions you leave here in the comments.
My only request is that you put your official prediction in quotes, to differentiate it from anything else in the comment you'd care to blather on about. If no quotes are used, I'll post the whole thing. Management reserves the right to correct any blatant typos. I'll collate them Sunday evening.
There are actually a handful of predictions in play. In regards to the presidential race, you could predict the outcome by states, by Electoral votes, or just wimp out and resort to safe phrases like "landslide" or "barely squeak by".
There's also the question of the congressional races, both locally and in Washington. We presume we'll keep the House, but the pundits say we won't have enough to take back the Senate. Is this true? Could the much-anticipated October Surprise turn into a November surprise?
Do you remember what happened in 2010?
Then there's the side issue of Obama's so-called 'firewall' states; states that are so heavily 'blue' that there's no sense even campaigning there. Or is there? Are Pennsylvania (Obama 54% in 2008), Michigan (57%) and Minnesota (54%) actually in play? We'll discount California (60%) and New York (62%) outright, but it all adds up.
And then there's my current home state of Florida. While Ohio has gotten the most press as the official 'swing state' this time around, of the four states with the most Electoral votes, Florida is the only one in play. It was 50.9% for Obama in 2008 compared to McCain's 48.4%, which is damn close. The fourth state is Texas, which went 55.5% for McCain, so we'll figure that one's already in our column. Florida will be the one to watch this Tuesday.
So have it, Maggie's Valued Readers™. This could be your 15 minutes! I've seen some fairly opinionated, vociferous comments in Bruce's and my political posts, so here's your chance to prove to everybody how right you were.
State Department to review its own Benghazi review : "Without mentioning Benghazi specifically, Geisel [State Dept. Inspector General] mentioned that the IG office has been recommending ways to increase security and crisis-response capability at diplomatic posts for some time."
Do I presume we have some bi-cyclists (that is, cyclists who go both ways) in the audience? Is there any merit to this? The video's kind of lame, article is here.
Thanks to all for keeping good content flowing here. Some of us are in the land of no news and no real internet. But that's OK, because nothing is really happening in the world anyway, is it?
I am posting from a Fed Ex office.
Storms are exciting and dangerous, but they are to be expected. People make too much of it. A few interesting observations:
You can only buy $20 of gas at a time around here. Huge demand for gas for generators and power equipment.
No ATMs are working, no power to banks, thus no cash.
Our supermarket has no power, just emergency lights. But they're open to sell non-perishables. They have plenty of those on hand.
It's a great time to stock up on free firewood. A chainsaw is a wonderful tool.
My father-in-law put a new roof on his house, job was finished 2 weeks ago. Big old oak landed on his roof in the storm, puncturing his kitchen and wrecking the new roof. He is not happy.
In our town, clearing of fallen trees on roads and power lines is moving slowly. Why? Because here, the town union contract forbids subcontracting of tree work on roads and public land. Has to be done by town employees no matter how long it takes. Insane.
People have already mentioned to me that global warming caused the hurricane. One just doesn't know what to say in response to such ignorance. I suppose they never heard of hurricane Hazel, or Gloria, or all the rest. Hurricanes routinely hit the northestern US, but just not many in the past 2 decades. Perhaps we're in for a new cycle of them.
It was cool seeing CVS open through the storm and afterwards without power, staff in there with flashlights helping customers. Cash only, of course.
I feel badly for all the people who were subject to flooding. It's even more disheartening than a burglary in disrupting ordinary dependable reality. My advice is not to build or live near sea level.
Obama Uses Crucifixes To Get Catholic Votes : "In all the history of political advertizing, President Obama's new video, with Vice President Joe Biden brazenly appealing to Catholics ignorant of ObamaCare's attack on religious liberty, takes the prize for all-out gall."
They also are more willing to work: "... immigrants are quicker to jump into the rebounding job market while native-born Americans, who under federal law have more welfare options and access to unemployment benefits, are slower to find work." Immigrants are also more willing to fill the agricultural jobs. At the other extreme, many are highly educated and fill the hi-tech jobs (although often at cheaper salaries than Americans).
Meanwhile, our demobilized veterans are often struggling to find good jobs. They are willing to work, certainly have the work ethic and reliability, but need a hand up. Offer it whenever you can, please.
There's not much power in New England, and NYC is a mess too. I'll try to post some photos but DSL isn't broadband. Trees and power lines down everywhere, and even NYC isn't functioning very much. Downtown still without power, and the Bird Dog family is being heated by fireplace, working, cooking, and reading by oil lamp.
Almost like camping. Not too cold, fortunately. Only down to 43 F last night.
Those of you who occasionally drop by Theo's are aware of this guy, but I haven't seen any of his stuff elsewhere. Some of it's simply brilliant, some wittier than hell, and some just laugh-out-loud funny.
The author is Stilton Jarlsberg, his Hope 'n Change site is here.
A friend asks, "Isn’t is surpassingly strange that no reporter, anywhere, has managed to track down a single survivor of the Benghazi attack for an interview?"
Probably a combination of they being kept under wraps by the State Dept., and there are not many reporters who are investigating Benghazigate.
LIVING WILL FORM I, __________, being of sound mind and body, do not wish to be kept aliveindefinitely by artificial means. Under no circumstances should my fate beput in the hands of pinhead partisan politicians who couldn't pass ninth-gradebiology if their lives depended on it, or lawyers/ doctors/ hospitals interested in simply running up the bills.
If after a reasonable amount of time passes, and I fail to ask for: (Checkappropriate items): a Martini___, a Margarita___,a Scotch and soda___,a Bloody Mary___, a beer___, a Gin and Tonic___, a Glassof Chardonnay___, a Steak___, Lobster or crab legs___, the TVremote control___, a bowl of ice cream___, the sports page___,Sex___, or Chocolate___, it should be presumed that I won't ever getany better. When such a determination is reached, I hereby instruct myappointed person and attending physicians to pull the plug, reel in thetubes, and call it a day. At this point, it is time to call the New OrleansJazz Funeral Band to come and do their thing at my funeral, and ask all ofmy friends to raise their glasses to toast the good times we have had, and others weshould have had.
Signature:_______________________Date:_________
P.S.: I hear that in Ireland there is a Nursing Home with a Pub. The patientsare happier, and they have a lot more visitors. Some of them don't even need embalming when their time comes. If anyone knows the name of this happy place, PLEASE pass it on.
Amendment #1: Should I become incapacitated as described above, DO NOT PULL THE PLUG untilafter I have voted against Barack Obama by absentee ballot in the November 2012 election.
Amendment #2: If the plug has been pulled in violation of #1 above, transport my body to Chicago so I can still vote against Barack Obama.
After the stress of jetting around the US to keep her personal gravy train rolling, where will Michelle Obama go on vacation soon after the November 6 election, when it will still be on the taxpayers' credit cards? For a clue, here's some snapshots from her photo book of her previous vacations.
Bonus question: If she and Barack have to pay themselves for their vacations, where will that be to?
Astronauts on a mission to Mars could lose nearly half their muscle strength during the long trip, giving them the physiques of senior citizens by the time they arrived, according to a new study. Prolonged exposure to weightlessness could cause astronauts to lose more than 40 percent of their muscle strength even with regular exercise, researchers said. On a long voyage, a healthy 30- to 50-year-old astronaut could end up with the strength of an 80-year-old.
A 10-month trip to Mars would cause such extreme muscle deterioration that astronauts would find it difficult to perform even routine tasks, let alone move around the Martian surface in spacesuits, according to the study, which was led by Robert Fitts of Marquette University.
And yet I found that Mars wasn't an entirely happy subject in Houston—especially among people who believe that humans, not only robots, should be exploring there.
The point is, we've had half a century to work on this problem, and apart from slapping a few treadmills around, not only have they not gained any ground, but the problems are only getting worse. As durations in space last longer and longer, more and more problems arise. Blindness occurring later in life is the latest small snag.
Then there was the day I broke so many hearts by reporting that mermaids don't exist. Rarely have I been so cruel.
Now here's the latest little dream to be shattered like glass:
A study by Western Australia's Murdoch University concluded that DNA cannot survive more than 6.8 million years - a finding that effectively rules out the tantalising prospect of replicating dinosaurs. Most dinosaurs died out about 65 million years ago.
"We've been permanently plagued by this Jurassic Park myth that's been kicking around since the early nineties," lead researcher Mike Bunce told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Yeah, well, welcome to the Hollywood Curse. Probably 50 million people believe the global warming horrors they saw in The Day After Tomorrow are real. Another 50 mil probably think the government can watch your every step via spy satellite as in Enemy Of The State. Another 50 mil probably believe President Kennedy wasn't assassinated by a lone gunman thanks to Oliver Stone's JFK. The list goes on and on.
But still, no horrific velociraptors eviscerating us with their 6-inch talons in the noonday sun, spilling our entrails onto the ground as they enjoy a tasty little snack?
It's sad, sometimes, when life doesn't imitate art.
My friend at the Mellow Jihadi is the first I've seen to suggest that the former Navy SEALs who went against orders and so bravely risked and lost all, taking down so many of the enemy, deserve to receive the Presidential Medal Of Freedom (being out of military service, the Congressional Medal Of Honor doesn't apply). Surely, as well, they should receive stars in the CIA's lobby.
My only question is whether it will be President Obama who makes the award, the hypocrisy of he doing so wouldn't faze him, or President Romney, who will in the citation reveal much that is now hidden by the Obama administration and its media lackeys.
The new China looks too much like the old one : thugocracy -- Corruption in China Isn’t Just a Local Story : “the annual 2011 Hurun report on the wealthiest Chinese reveals that the top seventy members of the National People’s Congress are worth a combined total of $89.8 billion; in contrast, the net worth of the top 660 U.S. officials is only $7.5 billion.”
Another sign that Minnesota is in play? Bill Clinton will be an active surrogate this week, campaigning in Iowa, Ohio, Virginia, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Colorado, and — you guessed it — Minnesota. The state has ten electoral votes, which would be a helpful boost for Mitt Romney, who has no easy path (although there are ways) to the White House without winning Ohio’s 18 electoral votes.
Gee whiz, it's getting breezy and blustery in Yankeeland today. Expecting to lose power to our servers any minute. If I lived near the shore, I'd throw out an anchor. But on to more interesting topics than the weather -
My pic in an oil shop in Spello, last summer. They have little paper cups for tasting. People design their own blends:
My lad quipped yesterday, as I was dressing the salad I had brought for Dad's birthday, "America needs to free itself from dependence on imported olive oil."
I was using a super-special oil I had smuggled home from Umbria along some of my precious but tiny supply of 25 year-old Balsamic that friends gave us as a dinner gift.
- As with wine in the past, California olive oil is now competing with Europe's finest.
- The fresher it is, the tastier and more fragrant. We use a lot of it here.
- To really taste it, dip a piece of bread in it - or just sip it to taste it as housewives and chefs do in Italy in the oil shops.
- For salads and for dressing cooked vegetables (eg asparagus, spinach, cauliflower, carrots, raw tomatoes, etc, with or without garlic), use the best you can get. For cooking, I don't think it matters too much but gourmets would dispute that.
- Costco's house brand oil (Kirkland) is much better than any supermarket brand for an everyday oil. It comes from their Tuscan orchards. Naturally, Dean & DeLuca has good oils. Cold-pressed extra virgin.
- High-end Italian oils are often blends of olive varieties from neighboring orchards. Reminds me that I have a friend who owns an olive orchard in Greece on a hill overlooking the Aegean, and each year he ships home 100 small casks of his own orchard's first pressing to give friends as Christmas presents. Nice.
- Do not dress a salad until immediately before it is to be offered. Also, never serve a salad with a meal. Only before. There are many good reasons for that.
- Do you prefer red wine vinegar to Balsamic? The store stuff is terrible. Make your own. When you drink a bottle of decent red wine, leave an inch or two in the bottle if you have the moral fortitude to do so, stick the cork back on top lightly or leave it off, and put it in the pantry. In a couple of weeks, it's good wine vinegar. The better the vino, the better the flavor. It's possible to go overboard with this.
- As I posted a while ago, Balsamic Vinegar is not really vinegar. Here's my post on that topic.
Here's how we make and dress a simple Italian-style, home-style salad: Buttercrunch or Boston Lettuce, thinly sliced bell peppers - all 4 colors, red onion quartered then sliced thin, 1" tomato chunks. Then I drizzle a little balsamic over it - not too much - and toss gently. Then I drizzle the oil over it, season with salt and pepper, and toss gently again. Always the vinegar before the oil.
For fancy dinners, plain frizze or mache with balsamic and oil.
Storm stuff: Yesterday, we all gave my Dad a good birthday party, had good fun tossing a football around, took a long autumn walk with my sibs, spouses, kids and the dogs, and then packed Mom and Dad off to one of my sisters' houses over in northern Connecticut so they will have some help when the power inevitably does down. I am parking my car up the road in a spot with no trees to fall on it, and so I don't get blocked in by big fallen trees. Got gas and oil for the chain saw, though. I love harvesting free firewood. Also, tipped over everything outdoors that could be damaged by wind. Daughter and Yorkie got out of NYC because her building on the Hudson River was evacuated. Last but not least, switched my office phone to link over to my iPhone. Hope it's not a big dud.
Obama’s strategy, says Heileman, is built around the idea that he can win with a coalition of the “demographically ascendent,” African Americans, Hispanics, women, and young people. To a degree, the bad economy has pushed Obama toward this approach. The obvious hope is that economic weakness can be countered by appeals to socially liberal women and young people on cultural issues. But don’t underestimate the extent to which this strategy is a deliberate decision that could have gone otherwise, as the behind-the-scenes opposition of some Democrats indicates. Obama is clearly willing to abandon centrist voters and place his own likeability at risk for the sake of creating a socially and economically liberal Democratic coalition that would allow him to govern securely from the left.
and
...if you’re feeling disappointed, insulted, or left out by Obama’s campaign of trivialities and low blows, it’s fair to say the effect was intentional — or at least that Obama was willing to risk offending you for the sake of something he wanted much more.
The president is going for broke. He wants to govern from the left and ignore the center. His top strategists promised a campaign that would permit this, and that’s the campaign Obama has delivered. Noticed that Obama has actually doubled down on this strategy when he still might have tried a last-minute pivot to the middle. That’s how badly Obama wants to abandon the center and take this country to the left.
My final pre-election post, set for Monday, is currently at 1,175 words. And counting.
Nothing Gold Can Stay
One myth I handily destroyed in an article a while back was the possibility of space travel. And I don't mean this garbage:
Crew of tall ship HMS Bounty 
New Yorkers and New York lovers