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.
Death be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not soe, For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow, Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill mee. From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee, Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow, And soonest our best men with thee doe goe, Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie. Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell, And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well, And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then? One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally, And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.
John Donne (1572-1631) was, at various times in his life, a soldier, member of Parliament, a secretary to the Court, and a renowned preacher - along with being an essayist, poet and song-writer. His first biography was written by - of all people - Izaak Walton. Donne had 12 kids - 7 survived. I guess he liked his wife, Anne More.
Artworks that mimic soft porn, showcase embalmed animals, mock the Pope, and otherwise offend propriety are filling auctions, museums, and galleries. Is there anything left to be upset about?
Not a bad essay. Which feels more obsolete in our culture today - propriety or "avant-garde"?
I still believe that Thomas Kincaid did more epateing of the bourgeoisie than any of the new "shocking" artists. He truly upset them with his comfortable, un-hip, and highly-profitable corny pictures:
In Spoleto, last summer. Yum. Cannot resist the strangozzi con tartuffo, con cinghiale, because that is the essence of Umbria. Or the polenta con funghi porcino.
"The biggest problem I can think of with human nature is the tendency in many humans to want a leader, or to want to boss others around. It really would be nice if these people could find each other without involving me."
The 20 Best Small Towns in America - From the Berkshires to the Cascades, we've crunched the numbers and pulled a list some of the most interesting spots around the country
"...Matthews is right: Romney will be at a huge disadvantage this year, running as he is against one of the warmest, most approachable, just-us-folks politicians that has ever graced our public life."
Levon is in the final stages of his battle with cancer. Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey. Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration... he has loved nothing more than to play, to fill the room up with music, lay down the back beat, and make the people dance! He did it every time he took the stage...
We appreciate all the love and support and concern.
...more ominous is the condition of the family. The most fundamental component of civil society, it has also become the most vulnerable. Civil society is often identified (thanks largely to Tocqueville) with “voluntary associations.” But the traditional family is not, or at least did not used to be, a voluntary association. Indeed, it is important precisely because it is not voluntary, performing the natural, elemental, even biological functions of bearing and rearing children. Today, as a result of divorce, remarriage, cohabitation, single-parent families, and single-sex parenting, the family has become, in a sense, voluntarized. We are sometimes assured that these “alternative lifestyles” are merely variations on the old, serving the same purposes as the “nuclear” or “bourgeois” family. In fact, these families—“broken families,” like “broken windows”—are often literally “dysfunctional,” incapable of performing the natural functions that define the family.
Civil society has been described as an “immune system against cultural disease.” But much of it has been infected by the same virus that produces the disease—a loss of moral integrity and purpose. What is required, then, is not only the revitalization of civil society but its reform and remoralization—the reform of those institutions that parody government agencies, and the remoralization of those that have lost their moral focus.
My Life as a Failed Country Gentleman - P.J. O'Rourke on his fields of crabgrass, trout-free trout stream, Federalist-era wiring and dashed dreams of tweedy refinement
Toon 
Death be not proud, though some have called thee
We posted Bruce's piece, 
Levon Helm, key member of The Band, 
Kobe beef is a scam
Image: Via 
Important reminder: 
Samuelson: 
5 Keys To