![]() |
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. |
Our Recent Essays Behind the Front Page
Categories
QuicksearchLinks
Blog Administration |
Thursday, June 16. 2011The Monks of NorciaNorcia is the birthplace of St. Benedict, born 480. I'll post some of my pics of the town of Norcia, the pork capital of Italy, later. First just a plug for the Monks of Norcia, who Mrs. BD supports. This group of young Benedictines, many of whom are Americans, were looking for a monastic home. The Vatican responded that the monastery attached to the Church of St. Benedict in Norcia was available. How could they not accept that offer? They say of themselves:
We chatted with a couple of them, and Mrs. BD attended their Vespers service in the crypt of the church. I might have joined her, but I don't really get the Roman Catholic routine and feel more like a lurker or a sight-seer instead of a participant when I, as a Protestant, attend, so I don't always feel that it's right.
Posted by Bird Dog
in Our Essays, Religion, Travelogues and Travel Ideas
at
12:00
| Comments (6)
| Trackbacks (0)
Where to go in New England
They have a good one out about New England, which would even be a good resource for people who live there. There are endless interesting things to do. Thursday morning linksToon from Ace last week PRINCE Harry is going back to war in Afghanistan as an Apache attack helicopter pilot, The Sun can reveal. There may be some life left in the Windsors. Our President Really, Truly Does Not Understand The Economy Big Corn Eats GOP:
Earth may be headed into a mini Ice Age within a decade Why gay men don't get fat. h/t Vanderleun If You’re Worried About Crime, You’re a Racist Reason: Forty years after Nixon declared war on drugs, it's time to give peace a chance. Am Thinker: The Sorry State of Liberal Compassion In Rehab Nation, sin becomes addiction Dartmouth: Conan O’ Brien’s Brilliant Commencement Address Liberals in Media Lament Lack of 'Dirt' in Sarah Palin Emails Wind Turbines Blamed for Mass Slaughter of Protected Golden Eagles When it comes to fighting unionization, Subaru's story is an instructive one Land of the Free? New York and California come out at the bottom of individual freedoms study Doug McIntyre’s Red Eye Radio, Monday - Friday: 1:00 AM - 6:00 AM (Eastern) on WABC - 770 Smart, knowledgeable, and entertaining - with superb bumper music Wednesday, June 15. 2011Out to lunchVDH on the O 's "curious insularity":
Birth to 10 years old in 1 minute 25 sec
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
at
17:23
| Comment (1)
| Trackbacks (0)
In defence of the Crusaders
Maine attractionsA friend who summers in Maine advised me to visit the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. She's a gardening type, and said nobody who has visited the place has been disappointed, including kids.
More Umbria: Bevagna, Spello, and Assisi (with lots of good food) - not all on the same day!Afternoon in Bevagna - a regular town sort of like Rumford, Maine. Love the way the bars put their picnic tables on the street to annoy the drivers. Neighborhood social life is on the streets, which I think is a wonderful thing. If you are a stranger in a non-tourist town, they watch you a little to make sure you aren't up to no good. It's their town, and they feel protective.
Lots of pics below the fold - Continue reading "More Umbria: Bevagna, Spello, and Assisi (with lots of good food) - not all on the same day!"
Posted by Bird Dog
in Our Essays, Travelogues and Travel Ideas
at
12:00
| Comments (11)
| Trackbacks (0)
Connecticut on the road to troubleFrom Malanga's The 'Anti-Christie' Agenda Driving Connecticut:
Lovely state, insane politics. Economically, it could be another Texas if it wanted to be. From an income standpoint, it's the richest state in the US (but that mostly comes from the comfortable NYC suburb of Fairfield County). Instead, it keeps trying to kill the geese that lay the golden eggs to buy votes in its forlorn dying cities from which industry has fled. That's a long-term death spiral, just like the one New Jersey was in.
Posted by The Barrister
in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects, Our Essays
at
09:17
| Comments (6)
| Trackbacks (0)
Weds. morning links
VDH: The Art of Appreciating America from Abroad Electric cars not so green after all? Rubio: ‘The World Still Needs America’ The Democrats' Ridiculous Double Standard on Weiner and Clinton Lib Media Slams Sarah Palin for Writing Emails at an 8th Grade Level… Ignore Obama’s 7th Grade Level Speech Pa. judge: No expulsion for kindergarten touching Ace: Mitt Romney's Devious Debate Performance (And I Actually Mean That In A Good Way) The men who are killing New York Re: Bachmann Smart, Media Dumb 63% say government does too much What's your race? Disgusting Little Boxes Tuesday, June 14. 2011Fun with Glenn and JonahSports quotes"I'm working as hard as I can to get my life and my cash to run out at the same time. If I can just die after lunch Tuesday, everything will be perfect." - Doug Sanders, professional golfer "All the fat guys watch me and say to their wives 'See, there's a fat guy doing okay. Bring me another beer.'" -- Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers pitcher "Last year we couldn't win at home and we were losing on the road. My failure as a coach was that I couldn't think of anyplace else to play." -- Harry Neale, professional hockey coach "When it's third and ten, you can take the milk drinkers; I'll take the whiskey drinkers every time." -- Max McGee, Green Bay Packers receiver "I found out that it's not good to talk about my troubles. Eighty percent of the people who hear them don't care and the other twenty percent are glad you're having trouble." -- Tommy LaSorda, LA Dodgers manager "My knees look like they lost a knife fight with a midget." -- E. J. Holub, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker regarding his 12 knee operations "My theory is that if you buy an ice-cream cone and make it hit your mouth, you can learn to play. If you stick it on your forehead, your chances aren't as good." -- Vic Braden, tennis instructor "Blind people come to the ballpark just to listen to him pitch." -- Reggie Jackson commenting on Tom Seaver "When they operated, I told them to put in a Koufax fastball. They did - but it was Mrs. Koufax's." -- Tommy John NY Yankees recalling his 1974 arm surgery "I don't know. I only played there for nine years." -- Walt Garrison, Dallas Cowboys fullback when asked if Tom Landry ever smiles "We were tipping off our plays. Whenever we broke from the huddle, three backs were laughing and one was pale as a ghost." -- John Breen, Houston Oilers "The film looks suspiciously like the game itself." -- Bum Phillips, New Orleans Saints after viewing a lop-sided loss to the Atlanta Falcons "When I'm on the road, my greatest ambition is to get a standing boo." -- Al Hrabosky, major league relief pitcher "The only difference between me and General Custer is that I have to watch the films on Sunday." -- Rick Venturi, Northwestern football coach "I have discovered, in twenty years of moving around the ball park, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats." -- Bill Veeck, Chicago White Sox owner "Because if it didn't work out, I didn't want to blow the whole day." -- Paul Horning, Green Bay Packers running back on why his marriage ceremony was before noon. "I have a lifetime contract. That means I can't be fired during the third quarter if we're ahead and moving the ball." -- Lou Holtz, Arkansas football coach "I won't know until my barber tells me on Monday." -- Knute Rockne, when asked why Notre Dame had lost a game "I tell him 'Attaway to hit, George.'" -- Jim Frey, KC Royals manager when asked what advice he gives George Brett on hitting "I learned a long time ago that "minor surgery" is when they do the operation on someone else, not you." -- Bill Walton, Portland Trial Blazers "Our biggest concern this season will be diaper rash." -- George MacIntyre, Vanderbilt football coach surveying the team roster that included 26 freshmen and 25 sophomores.
Posted by Bird Dog
in Our Essays, Quotidian Quotable Quote (QQQ)
at
17:17
| Comments (9)
| Trackbacks (0)
California Bay Leaf vs. Mediterranean Bay Leaf
It is not related at all to the California Bay (Umbullularia californica), which is the common supermarket or farmer's market "Bay Leaf" in the US. The flavor/fragrance profiles are quite different, as these commenters note. In my view, each is good but definitely different. To my American taste, the Med True Bay has a foreign, kerosene-like flavor which takes a little - but not much - getting used to. Here's how Italians use Laurus nobilis. The excellent Tuscan steaks are always cooked with it, and grilled meats in general. Turkey and the FrogAs I have twice before (here in June 2010 and here in September 2010), I asked my friend Gerald Robbins, the Turkish-speaking expert and a Senior Fellow at Philadelphia’s Foreign Policy Research Institute, to comment on this past weekend’s parliamentary elections in Turkey. In brief recap of prior posts: Turkey’s AKP political party and its leader Prime Minister Recep Erdogan have held parliamentary power since 2002. Their program has been a combination of several elements: successfully encouraging economic development in the interior which has also benefited the usual coastal economic centers, and pursuing a gradual turning from the secularist path set almost a century ago for modern Turkey by Kemal Attarturk. AKP’s Turkey turned to a more Islamist focus aligned with Ottoman-like pretensions of influence throughout the Middle East. Turkey’s former closeness with the West via NATO membership has become an empty promise, as shown in its refusal to allow Western forces to enter Iraq via its territory in 2003 and subsequent footsy with radical states in the Middle East and support for anti-Israel propaganda and actions. Facing strongly entrenched business, secular and military interests, like a frog in slowly warming water, these interests have had their power sapped (coopted in the case of many traditional business interests, whose social-democratic/statist linkages make them particularly susceptible to AKP blandishments and programs). Now, for Robbins latest: Continue reading "Turkey and the Frog"
Posted by Bruce Kesler
in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects, Our Essays
at
12:00
| Comments (0)
| Trackback (1)
Tuesday morning links
It makes a mess of miles of natural environments Palin’s emails: The world’s biggest story! Bill Gross: US Is in Even Worse Shape Financially Than Greece UK business poised to flee green carbon tax In the midst of terrible economic times, let’s raise energy prices dramatically and lay people off … Re the FBI: Writs of Assistance Are Back Not funny: Obama Jokes at Jobs Council MOYAR: Why we must persist in Afghanistan
Monday, June 13. 2011Fun with American history
Animated Atlas: Growth of a Nation
Joy of MathematicsThe Joy of Mathematics is on sale at The Teaching Company. It's "designed for you." Math is fun, endlessly challenging, relentlessly logical, brain-exercising, and intriguing. Two years of Calc and Stats should be required for a Thinking Permit.
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
at
13:48
| Comments (2)
| Trackbacks (0)
Fallacy del Giorno: False assumptionsHonest discussions or debates have one purpose: to illuminate a subject with facts and theories which relate facts to eachother, and perhaps to persuade. Dishonest debates or arguments are really just fights with words, and of interest only to litigators and politicians. Fallacious arguments of the false assumption type are used in both: in the former by accident or out of ignorance, and in the latter as a tactical trick (eg "If the glove don't fit, you must acquit."). When questions are posed in that manner, they are known as loaded questions. They are "loaded" with an effort to seek your acquiescence to an unspoken assumption. (The classic is "When did you stop beating your wife?") The correct response to questions with hidden assumptions is to point that out, and to challenge the hidden assumption. Otherwise, you will fall into a trap. When engaging on an issue, always examine the other guy's assumptions first, because a topic can go nowhere with fallacious assumptions, and there can be no constructive discussion if you do not accept the other guy's premise. In that case, you must address the premise first, backing up before you can move forward. Here are some simple examples of fallacious assumptions. Usually, in arguments, the assumptions are unstated, "assumed." It's better to state them first just as one lists one's "givens" in geometry proofs. Sometimes, just addressing the assumptions clears everything up. John at Powerline: You Can Prove Anything If You Make the Right Assumptions. Certainly true, if one is engaging in dishonest or tendentious debate. (I am aware that I am not discussing the huge and important topic of unconscious assumptions, but that is more about psychology than logical debate.) Identify this bird
No need to continue trying to answer this - I already commented that she is a female Baltimore Oriole. Progressivism: From Great White Hope to Great White WhaleMead's usual clarity: When Government Jumps the Shark. Mead is one of the few Liberals I read who is willing to say that the Progressive project has done enough - maybe too much. Monday morning linksAs Promised, Obama Is Destroying Coal Industry Dude, Where’s My Freedom? The government tightens the noose on guns, health, travel, and more. Scrutinize the president, not Palin Steyn: Obama’s Road to Nowhere - This is Main Street, Obamaville: All bumps, no road. Fanning Imaginary Flames: A Look Back At The Great Church Fire Propaganda Campaign:
Via Flopping:
Superb Chris Muir toon below the fold (totally SFW) Continue reading "Monday morning links" Watching meI always seem to have close bird or animal encounters on Pentecost, and I like to think it's The Holy Spirit visiting me in a form I can recognize. This fellow had a young Cottontail rabbit in his talons, and he is not going to let me take it away from him. Somebody should phone PETA or the ASPCA.
Sunday, June 12. 2011I loved this guy's musicFly fishing with wounded warriors
With wounded warriors in quiet waters. A lovely essay.
Posted by The Barrister
in Hunting, Fishing, Dogs, Guns, etc.
at
14:27
| Comment (1)
| Trackbacks (0)
Is love a virus?How bad romance can mess up your life. He advises:
« previous page
(Page 891 of 1514, totaling 37830 entries)
» next page
|