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Maggie's FarmWe 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. |
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Sunday, October 2. 2011Sunday morning links
Here's a site: ARCHITECTURAL STYLES of AMERICA Kimball: Worried about what’s happening to medical care? Dino: It’s getting hard to read the paper The Prof: Dodd-Frank is quackery Obama's EPA: Out with democracy, in with bureaucracy Let the altruistic geniuses handle it all, same as in your town's government. Just have faith that they know what is best for all... Taxpayer cash, for friends From a teacher:
Another Stimulus Fail: Small Business Lending Fiasco One of the chief tics of Obama's speaking style is a technique I call lying. "Social Contract". You keep using that phrase. I do not think it means what you think it means. A quote:
Conflating "society" or "civilization" with "government" is sneaky and dishonest - a rhetorical trick. Representative governments are meant to be servants of society. No Rise in Home Prices Until 2020: Bankers Declaration of the Occupation of Perpetual Grievance Envy and hate for the financially successful: Rich people are being ‘demonized’ for flaunting their wealth. Poor dears! She is evil. As I recall, my beautiful, peaceful, spiritual, eco-sensitive and carbon-sensitive ancestral American Indians wore their wampum for show, as there were no iPhones to purchase: I envy the rich too, even though it is a sin to do so (see below). Especially those with access to private air travel or with over $17 million under their mattress. However, I do not hate them at all, or want to take their money. Everybody has different aspirations in life, and plans and constructs his or her life according to their religious, moral, emotional, intellectual, etc. desires and aspirations. As a major source of choice, wampum is often in high demand and thus strenuous to obtain and even harder to keep given all of life's tempting choices. From today's Lectionary: Not the Ten SuggestionsExodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
Saturday, October 1. 2011Freshwater StripersOur editor mentioned not being able to quite grasp the idea of freshwater stripers. Well, here is one I caught yesterday morning on Lake Murray, 26" - 15 lbs. Caught a total of four over a half hour or so - all in this range - 25 to 26", 15/17 lbs.
I was definitely on the wrong side of the bite, so I switched from bait casting to fly rod. Used a Ugly Stick 7' fast action rod (home build), Galvan T-12 large arbor reel, #12 weight forward sinking line, 5 yards of 48 lb lead core line, 6' 20 lb florocarbon tippet and one of my jig "specials" - 1/2 oz, lead core, foam covered jig head/hook with chartreuse/white bucktail with some transparent yellow colored foil for flash. All topped off with a 6" curly tailed grub. Now I can here you thinking all the way down here - that's not fly fishing - that's bait casting. No it isn't. Its the same technique used to get the lure down to the fish as you would use on a stream, pond or small lake - it's just heavier with more "umph" if you will. The whole idea is to get the lure to present properly to the fish you're targeting. It
Posted by Capt. Tom Francis
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Yesterday's architecture quiz - and today'sAccording to our team of experts, yesterday's house in Woodstock, VT was an Adam style Colonial, likely early 1800s. How about this imposing house, in Deerfield, MA?
Posted by Bird Dog
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The decline of violence through historyNatural born killers? At Edge, A History of Violence from Steven Pinker. He begins:
QQQ
Talmud Saturday morning links
Why Islam is in Desperate Need of a Reformation Our Many Layers of Entitlement - The entitlement mindset includes much more than government benefits programs. Via Driscoll:
Via Michelle:
Top Obama Advisor Explains the Purpose of Government:
Let them eat cake? Chris Christie seriously considering run for president in 2012 Don't do it, big guy Man, I Like That Guy: Chris Christie's Dude Factor A tingle, Mr. Breitbart? How the US is importing poverty Jonah: Centrists’ Are Abandoning Ship - The establishment solution to unpopular liberal policies is still more liberalism:
Michael Lewis: California and Bust It is a major essay by Lewis. The corruption in the attitude towards public service, from service to mindless greed. A quote:
another:
Plunder! Gingrich on Obama’s healthcare law: ‘About 300 pages are pretty good’ He is possibly right about that. Obama Charts a New Route to Re-election Writing off Ohio - and maybe Florida Woops: Obama now underwater in CT! $737 Million Green Loan to Pelosi Kin Fuels Outrage More plunder. And more plunder: Benefit tourism in the UK Saturday Verse: A. E. Housman (1859-1936)XXI - BREDON HILL (from Shropshire Lad)
Photo is St. Giles Church, Bredon Friday, September 30. 2011The Mother’s CurseI jokingly refer to my sons as The Mother’s Curse. Did your mother, exasperated or angry, ever stand over you and say, “You should have children like you. Then you’ll know how I feel.” Surely, my mother is rolling over in her grave laughing at me because they’re like me as I remember my childhood. They get under my skin when they’re obstinate, selfish, nasty, use bad words, make excuses, talk back. And, I sometimes lose my temper. Yeah, they are only 11 and 6, I know, and they’ve progressed and are supposed to know and act better and control themselves as they grow older and more experienced. To become better it is necessary to correct and instruct them, and be willing to make it stick. When they continue to not listen, and even dig in to provoke me, I sometimes blow my stack. And they tremble then and cool it. But, I wish, and if wishes were fishes we’d never go hungry, they would listen and learn more and I yell at them less (especially when I overreact). I’ve read many books and tried to follow their guidance. Yet, I still have to yell at them. And, they keep pushing back, one of their more lovable characteristics that they don’t back down or off easily. I’m cursed. Or, is it just called parenting? Love ya, boys.
Posted by Bruce Kesler
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The Tragedy of Urban Renewal: The destruction and survival of a New York City neighborhoodMany of those "slums" that the wrecking ball never got to are among the most expensive and fashionable parts of NYC today, while the government housing projects are bad news in many ways - many of them falling to the wrecking ball now as recognition of an arrogant, expensive, and deeply-flawed policy of our genius government planners.
50,000 people are taking the LSAT tomorrowWhy the remarkable proliferation of law schools? Because schools make a lot of money from them. In my youth, in the 1800s, we learned law from books and apprenticeship. Law school was not a requirement for joining the bar until 1906, which is long after I was admitted to the bar. Why they jumped from 0 years to 3 years of formal education, I do not know. Paul Campos posts: There are a lot of bad reasons to go to law school. Here are some of the most common... I happen to believe that legal training is good training for all sorts of things that a person might want to accomplish. However, the legal field is looking a little shaky these days unless you want to chase ambulances and have strange hair like John Edwards. The Obama recession is hurting everybody, dentists and lawyers, plumbers and electricians, doctors and churches, handymen and builders. In my in boxMy close personal friend Barack emailed this nice note to me today:
Announcing: new guest blogger, Bulldog We're pleased to announce that we're adding a new guest blogger to the assorted collection of drunken reprobates and societal misfits already inhabiting this place. I've grilled him extensively on the finer art of hog sloppin' and how to read the future from chicken scratchings and I think he'll fit right in. His name is Bulldog. And, when it comes to 'bulldog grip', I can't imagine a better handle. He and I are still arguing about my Magellan post from last April. The guy just won't let go! His condition is so pronounced that we're actually offering up three Official Maggie's Farm Bonus Points if you can win an argument with him in the comments. Also, like myself, he comes with a dire warning, given the hard turn to the political right this site has taken over the past few years. When I started talkin' politics again a while back, I quickly noted that I was a confirmed Centrist, which I define as hating both sides equally. Thus, when the next thing you know I'm desecrating your favorite candidate with nasty euphemisms that even a hard-core lefty site would have qualms about using, it's understandable. But Bulldog is even worse. He's a Libertarian. Which is, of course, why I invited him aboard. The banner does say 'politically centrist', right? So, with only poor little me to fend off the unmitigated horror of the constant outpouring from the right-wing propaganda machine that infuses this place (our president is a "idiot", Greenpeace is "indoctrinating" people, Planned Parenthood is an "abortion mill", the Boomers and/or Hippies are to blame for all your problems, screw poor people and their food stamps, etc, etc, etc), I thought throwing a for-real Libertarian into the mix would help keep that 'politically centrist' part of the banner from becoming the biggest joke in the blogosphere. Ever the helpful one, I. Using the strange, archaic moniker 'Rick', Bird Dog and I have already posted two of his pieces. He should have his own account set up by next week. His next post follows this one, but he quickly notes that it's just a throwaway piece; just something he wanted to toss out there. He's going to save the really cruel, biting, acerbic pieces about those gun totin', dawg-lovin', Bible-thumpin', war mongerin' Conservatives until he can get his own byline and take full credit. Libertarians are like that. Welcome aboard, Bulldog! Go Ahead, Make His Day Where Edwards, and Warren Buffett, go off the rails is their assumption that raising their taxes is something they should be allowed to impose on others who may not share their views. If Mr. Edwards has a very good friend who is also making money by selling his stock from "a small startup that did quite well", it's quite possible that friend is happy with his tax rate. Is it fair or right for Mr. Edwards to tell his friend that his taxes should be raised? More importantly, what is Mr. Edwards doing with his money that he wants the government to have? He pointed to Pell Grants, infrastructure and job training programs as things he considered important and worthy of having his money taxed. We could all agree that infrastructure is in need of improvement. But couldn't Mr. Edwards put his money to better use by setting up scholarships and grants on his own, or becoming an entrepreneur and doing his own job training program by starting a business? Mr. Edwards, I don't want to tell you how to spend your money. After all, it's yours, and I have no right to tell you how it is best used. That's up to you. If you want to pay more taxes, then pay. After all, you can gift money to the government. Nobody's stopping you. On the other hand, if I had the luxury of Mr. Edwards' position, I'm fairly certain I could set up a scholarship fund and provide money for schools far more efficiently than the government. Why would I want the government to take my money, spend hundreds of thousands of what they collect on bureaucrats who don't add value, and have those people distribute the money to needy school students? There's less money to help the students. Of course, it does become a remarkably inefficient jobs program. I suppose that's the joy. You've been taxed and given several people useless jobs that you could probably do better on your own. If I had the background that Mr. Edwards has, and lived in the startup capital of the US, I could probably be an entrepreneur. Then my money does several things. It becomes productive, I get to have my own jobs program, and the company and all its employees get taxed. Funny thing about the free market; you can actually be quite effective with your money if you have a good idea. Mr. Edwards and Buffett aren't asking not for their taxes to be raised, but for everyone's taxes to be raised, and they have missed the very point that not raising taxes creates value if people want it to create value. Edwards and Buffett think the money has to go to the government to be effective. Sadly, the money will produce nothing of value, and the government will only ask for more later after this money is misspent. Mr. Edwards, the only thing I can think is that you mean well, but you have missed the boat entirely. It would probably be far more useful to everyone if you and your "Patriotic Millionaires for Higher Taxes" set up a Venture Capital Fund or funded some schools in down and out regions of the US. I'm sure all of your "Patriotic Millionaire" friends are very smart and capable people, so one option would help create jobs and taxes, while the other would reduce our reliance on the federal government for handouts. Either way, you get to feel better and we all win. American architecture: Colonial or Colonial Revival?Took this pic on the main drag in Woodstock, VT:
Posted by Bird Dog
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Friday morning links
Not from The Onion: NYC Mayor Bloomberg: 'Government’s Highest Duty' Is to Push 'Healthy' Foods What a putz The only exercise that’s ever shut me up This comes recommended: Fr. Barron's Catholicism DVD Box Set Your morning physics: Faster Than Light Neutrinos Do Not Time Travel To Spoil Your Date Keep up with the Meteor for your morning giggle College admissions testing in Britain and France Turns out, the South is a pretty nice place to live That is news? College Students Skipping Law School Amid Stagnant Economy McCaughey: Surge in Costs Start Of Obamacare Disaster Red Jahncke: Ignoring cost of ObamaCare’s benefits At Am Thinker's Justice Kennedy and the Fate of ObamaCare:
Europe must now grasp its chance to turn off the doomsday device "The Entitlement Mentality" by John Agresto:
Best Elizabeth Warren parody yet What's that quote about "If politicians don't like the voters, they should elect a new citizenry"? Of course, that's what illegal immigration amounts to. Agreed. Joe Biden Blames Obama for Terrible Economy NY Transit Workers Union & Teamsters Agree to Support Commie Wall Street Protesters Garofalo: Cain’s rise in support proves Republican racism, or something Heather: Half Baked - UC Berkeley’s diversity machine loses its mind over cupcakes.
Morning Bell: Time for Action on Pakistan Taiwan, canary in the coal mine Krauthammer: The Palis do not want peace
Why not simply scatter cash - $50s and $100s - from airplanes? That would be the way to get re-elected. OktoberfestI think we're gonna throw a little Oktoberfest party this year. Cheap and easy: Get a pile of bratwurst, weisswurst, cole slaw, sauerkraut, applesauce, German mustard, German potato salad, and German pretzels at Costco. Split the wursts and toss them on the charcoal. Boil some of the weisswurst, and grill some of them. Maybe cook up a pile of potato pancakes. A random selection of German beers - definitely some weissbrau - and maybe some German wine. German chocolate cake too. After a few brews, get everybody to do the Chicken Dance. Thursday, September 29. 2011Cultural CognitionDan Kahan of Yale Law School discusses Cultural Cognition and the Challenge of Science Communication. His lecture is basically about confirmation bias, which he discusses in terms of "cultural cognition." While he acknowledges that at least some of what he terms "cultural" is in fact psychological (eg a person's fearfulness or curiosity about life) rather than groupthink, it is still an interesting approach to opinion formation. I get the sense that he thinks people should believe what the experts say. I also think he has a slight case of Asperger's, which makes listening to him an interesting experience. As a Maggie's person, my tendency is to be skeptical about what experts say (which places me in his hierarchical, individualistic categories).
Posted by The Barrister
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Maggie's Scientific Poll: Working with appealing persons of the opposite sex
Guys used to have affairs with their secretaries. Today, there are no secretaries, and women are working in every field from the military to police forces to trading floors. When it was a Man's World, there was less temptation. It is no surprise that people form attractions and attachments with co-workers - after all, most people spend more time with co-workers than with their spouse and family. Some emotional connection is inevitable. I won't even bother asking whether you have had this happen to you, because it is universal and frequent. (Years ago, a co-worker of mine told me that he only wanted assistants who were ugly or old, so he would not be distracted.) My question for our readers, if they wish to be open about this topic, is this: How do you deal with it when you feel turned on by, attracted to, or in love or lust with a co-worker? The Morning Meeting at MSM Headquarters 9/29Thursday morning links
Hemingway: ‘The Finest Life You Ever Saw’ How Exercise Can Strengthen the Brain Talbott: What Do Organisms Mean? AVI reminds us of O'Sullivan's Law America's Great Dental Divide Cain: Black community 'brainwashed' into voting for Dems Every Job Requires an Entrepreneur - Someone took risks to start every business—whether Ford, Google or your local dry cleaner. Multimillionaire Donor Tells Obama: Stop with all the Class Warfare Already! Obama’s top ‘fat cat’ strays Introspective Obama: Hey, I’m not telling enough stories; Plus: “I’m all dinged up” Wrong. It's us who are dinged up In Australia, a chilling verdict against free speech Germans: Geithner Plan for Europe’s Finances ‘Stupid’ Is AMTRAK A Model Of How High Speed Rail Will Be Managed? Poster Children for New Health Care Model Won't Participate in Model Program Green jobs? At $23 million a pop? Harsanyi: The GOP Field Is a Gift for Obama - The Republicans face a rocky road to the White House. How state lawmakers pump up pensions in ways you can't The coming months will determine just how much democracy North Africa can support. Wilkinson: The indeterminacy of political philosophy Odds Favor GOP Gaining Senate Control in 2012 MSM Sheep: Ignoring the Scandal of the Century - Journalists are supposed to live for a chance to break a Gunwalker. Journalists have built a firewall around the O admin Wednesday, September 28. 2011Glass HarpClimate skeptics are better educatedYale Paper Shows That Climate Science Skeptics Are More Scientifically Educated. Less gullible. Makes sense to me. The people who preach to me about it know nothing. People who have studied the sciences at higher levels know that most scientific knowledge is never settled. Science is about theories, mostly, tested by observation, and eventually replaced by new theories and new information. Climate science, in my view, is in its infancy, is overfunded compared with more compelling areas, and will ultimately turn out to be largely irrelevant except to those who study it - and to paleontologists. As regular readers know, we are skeptical but have some hope that some global warming is happening. Gaia would like it. The next ice age would be quite unpleasant.
Posted by Bird Dog
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The AMA does not speak for American physiciansOnly 17% of American physicians are members. I quit them long ago, over their politics. Like so many foundations and non-profits in America, they were hijacked by Lefties years ago. The antipathy of physicians for the AMA is not just about money, turf, and guild. It goes way beyond that. However, apparently the AMA's strenuous support of Obamacare (seemingly without understanding any of its implications) has been the final straw. There is a new breed of young physicians, especially women, who don't mind being employees, having bosses, or working as an agent of the government, but most docs over 40 are not interested in that. In general, docs like autonomy, flexibility, self-direction. Also, they hate paperwork and bureaucracy. American architecture: The oldest surviving house on NantucketThe 1686 Jethro Coffin house:
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