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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Thursday, September 17. 2020Democracy in AmericaThursday morning links
The Scramble to Defuse the 'Feral Swine Bomb' Boeing Put Profits Before People's Lives By Hiding 737 MAX Design Flaws, Congress Finds That makes no sense. Yelp Data Shows 60% Of Business Closures Due To COVID-19 Are Now Permanent Stanford Journalism Prof Rejects Objectivity in Journalism Fake News BUSTED Again: CBS Uses TRUMP Latino Crowd Pic, Pretends It Was a BIDEN Rally Almost two-thirds of millennials, Gen Z don't know that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, survey finds Race-counting by The NYT Columbia marching band, ‘founded on the basis of racism,' votes to ‘dissolve’ itself Columbia University Distributes Microaggression Whistles To Student Body Northwestern law faculty refuse to explain why they introduced themselves as racists Dem Hack Chuck Todd ‘Uncomfortable’ With Historic Middle East Peace Deal… Trump has his unique version of ‘here, hold my beer’ – and it’s a good thing Trump does the impossible, often, by thinking outside the box Kamala Harris’s Husband’s Firm Reps Chinese Communist Party-Owned Corporates, Employs Ex-CCP Officials Pennsylvania Will Accept Mail-in Ballots Whose Signatures Don't Match Atlantic: If Trump Wins, Democrats Will Respond With ‘Mass Unrest’ Wednesday, September 16. 2020Wednesday morning linksSlate Star Codex - Update On My Situation Wildfire Hype, and Hope - Apocalyptic rhetoric about climate change is undermining the fight for pragmatic solutions to the West’s fire crisis. Professor who questioned Black Lives Matter statement survives attempted removal from literary group Biden v. the Courts on Title IX - Appellate rulings have shredded colleges for denying due-process protections—the same protections that the Democratic nominee promises to revoke. An Update on the "Failing at Fairness" Gender Myth US poverty rate fell to 10.5 percent in 2019, marking fifth straight annual decline Rep. Collins presses Apple for information on wiping iPhone data amid Mueller team controversy. DOJ records show dozens of phones belonging to Mueller's team were wiped of information Do Democrats Really Care About Meaningful Police Reform Minneapolis City Council Panics Over Surge In Violence After Demonizing Police: ‘Where Are The Police?’ Trump Campaign Floored by Reporter's Question for Biden Regarding Hispanic Voters The art of the peace deal, Trump’s masterful détente: Goodwin Arab Unity in the Middle East Can Be a Barrier to Iran’s Regional Goals The Abraham Accords Peace Deal - How Trump Made It Happen The Adverse Effects of Obama’s Executive Order 13583 and the Purge of Generals and Admirals Are Now Obvious 235 military leaders endorse Trump Everyone Wants to Crack Down on China—Except Silicon Valley Tuesday, September 15. 2020Tuesday morning linksWhen Math Gets Impossibly Hard - Mathematicians have long grappled with the reality that some problems just don’t have solutions. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade To Be Virtual Only, No Live Procession… Preteen Bada Bing - Despite its director’s claim that she is making a feminist statement, Cuties cannot disguise its attraction to barely pubescent bodies. U of Chicago English Dept Won't Accept Anyone Unless They're in Black Studies Education Dept.: High Court Ruling Does Not Support Transgender Athletes As Four Alleged Arson Suspects are Arrested for Wildfires, Media Fans the Flames of Climate Change TIME Mag's view: The Top 1% of Americans Have Taken $50 Trillion From the Bottom 90%—And That's Made the U.S. Less Secure Every Card is the Race Card, But They’re Not Playing with a Full Deck Let’s take a moment to applaud that unnamed female deputy’s courage Antifa and BLM, the Democrat party's stormtroopers Sen. Markey says all police must be disarmed of 'weapons of war' including tear gas, rubber bullets Left-wing dark money groups to ‘carpet-bomb’ 2020 election, report warns. Report says network's revenues eclipse those of conservative groups such as the Heritage Foundation Voters Say Media Focuses on Issues With Biden, Controversy With Trump Joe Biden Promises Fewer Fires, Floods, and Hurricanes if He Wins in November Monday, September 14. 2020Monday morning linksAs the FAA finalizes the 737 MAX’s return, is Boeing’s jet now safe? Pelosi Ditches Science, Blames 'Angry' 'Mother Earth' For California's Wildfires Scientific American Goes Full Anti-Science Fairfax County Is Running Empty School Buses Andrew Cuomo going off the rails under the stress of NY’s pandemic woes Minnesota Restaurant Delays Opening, Changes Name Due To “Cultural Appropriation” Academics & scholars are standing up to 'social media mobs' and 'cancel culture' Students at Expensive, Private Skidmore College Demand Art Professor Be Fired For Watching Pro-Cop Demonstration The real conversation on racism is much more difficult but necessary
In de Blasio’s New York, Asians just don’t count as a minority “We Hope the B*tch Dies!” – BLM Chants Against 31-Year-Old LA Sheriff Deputy and Mother After She is Ambushed and Shot in the Head Michael Moore Compares Trump to Osama Bin Laden: ‘He Is a Mass Killer’ Joe Biden: Trump ‘Accidentally’ Making Peace Between Israel and Arab States When Rabbis get political Bloomberg Dropping $100M In Florida For Biden Democratic Derangement: Party ‘Games’ A Possible Coup If Trump Wins In November Ballot Harvesting and the The Long Con Nancy Pelosi: Trump’s Historic Peace Deals Are Just ‘A Distraction’ Sunday, September 13. 2020British gourmet: Cheese and Pickle Sandwich
A Brit classic: Cheese and Pickle Sandwich.
Three-card MonteHere's a pro
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From today's Lectionary: ForgivenessMatthew 18:21-35 18:21 Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" ShieldsI had the good fortune to see a Shields race yesterday. They are sleek, low keelboats good for day-sailing or racing. To my surprise, these boats are still bring made by Cape Cod Shipbuilding. This is their photo, not mine:
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Saturday, September 12. 2020The Waterbury Clock Company, re-postedMaggie's Farm endorses only two watch brands: Timex and Seiko. However, it was Timex (the- then Waterbury Clock Co) which invented the wrist watch for the convenience of artillery gunners. A Timex "Takes a licking and keeps on ticking." Among other virtues, a Timex signals that you are a thrifty and practical sort. Not a bad social signal even if it's not true. Most of my doctors wear Timexes. If the strap breaks, or it runs a bit slow after 3 or 4 years, or you get in in salt water, you just get a new one from Amazon. $35 or so.
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Saturday morning links
The Falling Man - An unforgettable story. Most of us could see ourselves as that guy American Academia: No Diversity of Opinion Will Be Tolerated! Eighth Circuit Joins Other Courts of Appeals in Holding that Allegations of Substantive Error in University Sexual Assault Proceedings Plausibly Support Title IX Claim for Discrimination on the Basis of Sex AVI on victimhood LI: Racial Deceptions Week in Higher Education DeSantis vetoes vaping bill, calls the practice less dangerous than cigarettes The West Coast burns, and leftists blame climate change, but they’re wrong But everything is caused by climate change, isn't it? LA County's Public Health Director Accidentally Admits What Many Suspected About Lockdowns Andrew Cuomo’s inside-dining rules for the city are absurd and unfair Cuomo Suggests Taxes to Close COVID New York Budget Gap CNN's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week Mueller Russia hoax prosecution team destroyed evidence of their cell phone text messages and calls Democrat Nancy Pelosi: Trump Securing Peace Deals In Middle East 'A Distraction’ Trump Nominated for 2nd Nobel Peace Prize This Week, Obama Unavailable for Comment Two? Sheesh Trump Says Despite Partisan Governor Cancelling His Rallies, He's Going to Nevada Anyf#ckingway Despite Pandemic, The U.S. Army Is In Its Best Shape In A Generation. Here’s Why. Friday, September 11. 2020Private School Primacy?Friday morning linksDiana Rigg, star of ‘The Avengers’ and ‘Game of Thrones,’ dead at 82 Natan Sharansky on the virtues of a life lived backward British filmmaker Luke Holland’s historic documentary compiles what may well be the last interviews with German WWII veterans about their memories of the concentration camps. Vanderleun remembers an ordinary Sept 10, 2001 The Coming Backlash to the Oscars’ Diversity Mandate NFL Opener 'Racial Unity' Moment Sees Stadium Erupt In Boos That's not racism - they just want to watch a game Does being woke include Jew-hatred? HOW GREEN ENERGY WRECKED CALIFORNIA Michigan Governor and Crazed Tyrant Gretchen Whitmer Orders High School Football, Soccer and V-Ball Players to Wear Masks, Even During Competition Wall Critic Gretchen Whitmer Building 8-Foot Wall Around MI Governor Residence ‘Nothing wrong with it’: Professor defends Antifa killing of Portland man Tucker Carlson: Let’s Face It, This Woodward Book Fiasco Is Sort Of Lindsey Graham’s Fault Joe Biden Arrives in Michigan and is Greeted by a Crowd of Trump Supporters Chanting “4 More Years!” — And ZERO Biden Support There is no Biden enthusiasm, but there is Trump hatred Clinically Deranged Adam Schiff Mounts His Dead Russia Horse Again The Biden Energy Plan Is A Joke Democrats ‘May Not Trust Results Of Election If Trump Wins,’ WashPost Writer Says Trump spurns traditional debate prep with first faceoff less than 3 weeks away. Some allies of the president worry that the cavalier approach to a debate with Joe Biden could backfire. He likes to wing it. A DIPLOMATIC BREAKTHROUGH THE MEDIA WOULD LIKE TO IGNORE Trump is Peacemaker: Kosovo, reaching out to NK, Middle East. Has any Pres done more? WE ARE ALREADY BEHIND ENEMY LINES: LESSONS FROM THE SECRETIVE ONLINE FIGHT AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE Thursday, September 10. 2020A four day/week exercise program for general conditioning
If you work out, say, 4 1/2 hours weekly (on 4 days) you can maintain or improve your physical condition, so it is worth doing if you have ambition limits, time limits, or need rest days. Way better than nothing but you will probably be disappointed by the pace of your gains compared to a 6 day program. Here's what we would suggest: -2 conditioning classes/week (combo of calisthenics, cardio, and light weights). If gym-phobic, it's difficult to do on one's own. Long-time readers know what these sorts of classes involve. - 2 half-hour sessions of powerlifts (squats, bench, and rows one day; deads, pull-downs, and triceps the other) coupled with 2 half-hour sessions of HIIT cardio - no time for long slow - plus two 15-min sessions of selected auxiliary exercises - If daily walks, jogs, or some sports are also in your life, you would be doing more exertion than most people.
Thursday morning links
Forests in the U.S. West Are Out of Ecological Balance. Blame Wildfire Suppression Oscars’ woke quota will backfire on Hollywood spectacularly Steven Pinker Survives Attempted Cancellation Education Dept. issues important new free speech and religious liberty regulations Prop 16 in California Can We Avoid Another Massive Round Of "Stimulus"? The Violence Doesn’t Betray Social Justice. It Exemplifies It. Facebook’s Zuckerberg: We need to prepare the public for days and weeks counting mail-in ballots When it comes to attacking Trump, the Atlantic can’t control itself President Trump Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize Biden: Oh, Never Mind About That National Mask Mandate Too Joy Behar: Let’s Face It. The Electoral College Needs Some Changes Turkey's 'Filthy War' Against Syria, Libya
Wednesday, September 9. 2020Wednesday morning links2020 Nature Photo winners VDH: Cultural Suicide Is Painless - The story of all Dark Ages is that when civilizations finally prefer suicide, they do it easily, and the remnants flock to the countryside to preserve what they can—allowing the cities go on with their ritual self-destruction. Public support for sports plummets amid BLM protests, pandemic: survey Andrew Cuomo Rants: ‘Donald Trump Caused The COVID Outbreak In New York’ United Nations Announces Who's to Blame for the COVID-19 Pandemic—And It's Not China Group of 100 Orthodox Jewish rabbis calls on Bezos to stop using SPLC to ID alleged hate groups Former FBI Director James Comey to teach ethical leadership class Documents Show Former Officials "In Real Trouble" In Durham Investigation: Meadows Entire Rochester Command Staff, Police Chief Resign Over Daniel Prude Case BLM ‘Protesters’ Take Over a McDonald’s, Assault the Black Manager Assistant Principal Illustrates Why So Many Violent Young Moonbats Ignoring Health Experts, Joe Biden And Kamala Harris Spread Anti-Vax Conspiracy Theories ‘You lying FRAUD’: Candace Owens calls down the THUNDER on Cardi B in VICIOUS back and forth about Joe Biden, racism, and taxes In Incredibly Awkward Moment, Kamala Harris Again Refuses to Take Questions From the Press: "Nope, I Think We're All Set" Something’s Happening Here: Democrats laying foundation for action with their post-Election Day doomsday warnings Tuesday, September 8. 2020Tuesday morning linksGun Smuggling and the Preservation of Domestic Bliss List of countries by overweight rates See any patterns? Never has the French mania for elaborating general ideas to transform society manifested itself so much as during the Covid-19 pandemic. Universities Circumvent New Title IX Regulations California Is A Failed State How Refusing To Wisely Manage California’s Resources Led To Incessant Blackouts Journalism’s New Propaganda Tool: Using “Confirmed” to Mean Its Opposite - Outlets claiming to have “confirmed” Jeffrey Goldberg’s story about Trump’s troops comments are again abusing that vital term. Atlantic Editor Admits Key Detail of Anti-Trump Hit Piece May Be Untrue "But journalism is not supposed to be grounded in whether something is 'believable' or 'seems like it could be true.'" Democrats’ new strategy for winning the White House: Threaten riots if they lose Via Ace: "The last thing we all need is a white guy telling a Black senator that he's not been a victim of racism." MSNBC Analyst Sneers at Tim Scott For Saying Dems Had Attacked Him as an "Uncle Tom" Historic: Two European Countries Will Open Embassies in Jerusalem After Trump Deal Monday, September 7. 2020Getting in shape for FallYour brain on barbells: Could strength training help improve your mood? Yes, mood and attitude are part of general fitness. Mens sana in corpore sano. Up here, it's hiking season, getting towards hunting season and skiing season. Carpe diem, readers. Life is short.
Media GaslightingRobin Stern wrote a semi-crazy book in the past about The Gaslighting Effect, which could make anybody in any intimate or close relationship feel like a victim if they want to. Still, this recent post is acceptable: "Have you ever asked yourself, “am I going crazy?” If you have ever asked yourself that, you’re not crazy. You’re most likely being gaslighted. Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse aimed at controlling a person by altering reality to the point where the person will doubt their own sanity. The term “gaslighting” comes from a 1930s play called Gas Light. The main character in the play literally tries to drive his wife crazy by gradually dimming the gas-powered lights in their home. When she notices the lights dimming, her husband not only denies that the lights are dimming, he convinces her that she is imagining it — to the point where she questions her own sanity. We are living in a perpetual state of gaslighting. The reality that we are being told by the media is at complete odds with what we are seeing with our own two eyes. And when we question the false reality that we are being presented, or we claim that what we see is that actual reality, we are vilified as racist or bigots or just plain crazy. You’re not racist. You’re not crazy. You’re being gaslighted. New York State has twice as many deaths from COVID-19 than any other state, and New York has accounted for one fifth of all COVID-19 deaths, but we are told that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has handled the pandemic better than any other governor. But if we support policies of Governors whose states had only a fraction of the infections and deaths as New York, we’re called anti-science and want people to die. So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being gaslighted. We see mobs of people looting stores, smashing windows, setting cars on fire and burning down buildings, but we are told that these demonstrations are peaceful protests. And when we call this destruction of our cities, “Riots,” we are called racists. So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being gaslighted. We see the major problem destroying many inner-cities is crime; murder, gang violence, drug dealing, drive-by shootings, armed robbery, but we are told that it is not crime, but the police that are the problem in the inner-cities. We are told we must defund the police and remove law enforcement from crime-riddled cities to make them safer. But if we advocate for more policing in cities overrun by crime, we are accused of being white supremacists and racists. So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being gaslighted. The United States of America accepts more immigrants than any other country in the world. The vast majority of the immigrants are “people of color”, and these immigrants are enjoying freedom and economic opportunity not available to them in their country of origin, but we are told that the United States is the most racist and oppressive country on the planet, and if we disagree, we are called racist and xenophobic. So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being gaslighted. Capitalist countries are the most prosperous countries in the world. The standard of living is the highest in capitalist countries. We see more poor people move up the economic ladder to the middle and even the wealthy class through their effort and ability in capitalist countries than any other economic system in the world, but we are told capitalism is an oppressive system designed to keep people down. So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being gaslighted. Communist countries killed over 100 million people in the 20th century. Communist countries strip their citizens of basic human rights, dictate every aspect of their lives, treat their citizens like slaves, and drive their economies into the ground, but we are told that Communism is the fairest, most equitable, most free, and most prosperous economic system in the world. So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being gaslighted. The most egregious example of gaslighting is the concept of “white fragility”. You spend your life trying to be a good person, trying to treat people fairly and with respect. You disavow racism and bigotry in all its forms. You judge people solely on the content of their character and not by the color of their skin. You don’t discriminate based on race or ethnicity. But you are told you are a racist, not because of something you did or said, but solely because of the color of your skin. You know instinctively that charging someone with racism because of their skin color is itself racist. You know that you are not racist, so you defend yourself and your character, but you are told that your defense of yourself is proof of your racism. So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being gaslighted. Gaslighting has become one of the most pervasive and destructive tactics in American politics. It is the exact opposite of what our political system was meant to be. It deals in lies and psychological coercion, and not the truth and intellectual discourse. If you ever ask yourself if you’re crazy, you are not. Crazy people aren’t sane enough to ask themselves if they’re crazy. So, trust yourself, believe what’s in your heart. Trust our eyes over what we are told. Never listen to the people who tell you that you are crazy, because you are not, you’re being gaslighted." Robin Stern, PhD, is the associate director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence where she works every day to make the world a more equitable and compassionate place for all. Robin is also a psychoanalyst with three decades of experience treating individuals and couples. My initial comment: OK, but we're all a little bit insane if willing to see it. TS Eliot: "Humankind can not bear too much reality." For Labor Day, the Maggie's theme songMonday morning linksIt's Labor Day in the US, meaning only truly essential people work at their jobs. Like your Editor. The Tech Monsters - Not all mergers are the same. The ones underpinning our biggest Silicon Valley companies are uniquely bad—and deeply un-American. Don't blame them for wanting to grow The Thought Police Come to Yale School of Medicine GWU Plans To Replace Jessica Krug, The Professor Who Admitted To Falsely Claiming Black Identity Wealthy NYC College Student Arrested at BLM Riots After Causing “$100,000 in Damages” to Manhattan Businesses Rich White Leftists Encourage Black People to Loot Their Neighborhoods U-Haul Trucks Set Ablaze By Protesters Owned By Black Man Who Placed ‘Black Owned’ Sign Outside. He’s ‘Livid’ Black Bloc Antifa March Through NYC’s Chinatown With “Death To America” Banner… Chinatown? Intelligence Gathering at Protests, by J.D. The Left Doesn’t Really Want To Abolish The Police. They Want To Be The Police Jacob Blake Releases Video Message From Hospital Bed — No Mention of the Woman He Sexually Assaulted American Airlines not having fun with BLM RUSSIAGATE DIDN’T WORK, IMPEACHMENT DIDN’T WORK, CRASHING THE ECONOMY DIDN’T WORK, CORONAPHOBIA DIDN’T WORK, RIOTS DIDN’T WORK, SO WHAT’S NEXT? Biden Fabricates Trump Social Security Cuts What's next will be lies, reapeatedly. Throw enuf s-it at the wall and some might stick Washington Post Threatens: No Biden, No Peace! Kamala Harris Spreads COVID Anti-Vax Paranoia: “I would not trust Donald Trump” Check Bill Clinton’s Face At Hillary’s Latest ‘Russia, Russia’ Rant "President Trump is moving to revamp federal agencies’ racial sensitivity trainings, casting some of them as 'divisive' and 'un-American'..." When Wish Replaces Thought - Here is the indigestible truth for the Democrats. Donald Trump has had the most successful first term of any president in memory, maybe ever. New York Times’ sleazy narrative on Trump is nothing but a joke: Goodwin President Trump’s big Balkan deal - Trump knows if you focus on creating jobs, it makes the political issues an awful lot more manageable Sunday, September 6. 2020Identify this beautyFrom today's Lectionary: "Where two or three..."Matthew 18:15-20 18:15 "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 18:16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 18:17 If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18:18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 18:19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." Saturday, September 5. 2020Saturday morning links
Tom Seaver will live forever in New Yorkers’ memories I heard Tom had early dementia, not sure Black Lives Matter Idiots Try To Stop A Car In Times Square, The Car Wins… Idiot BLMs mess up a restaurant in Rochester, NY Wrong way to make friends Vanderleun: You do not want to be rioting in a city where the army is in the streets with fixed bayonets and full clips. Powerline's Week in Pictures Students said they love President Donald Trump's agenda, but only when told it was Joe Biden's. I still view Trump as a plain pragmatist with big cojones National Academy of Sciences head is 'quite excited' to investigate racism in academia USC Prof Placed on Temporary Leave for Using Chinese Word That Sounds Like Racial Slur in English Democrats Introduce Legislation To Declare Racism A Public Health Crisis Most Agree With Trump On Need for ‘Patriotic Education’ Extra: Newspapers are dead, just 3% get political news from them ‘The Atlantic’ Barfs Up 2020’s Worst Trump Hit Piece Yet. Anti-Trump Network Snubbed by the Commission on Presidential Debates Operation Legend Makes Over 2,000 Arrests Democrat Mail Fraud Will Take Us to the Brink The Dems Plan to Steal the Presidency Friday, September 4. 2020Friday morning linksSaliva COVID-19 Test as Good as, Perhaps Beats, Nasal Swab: Study University Investigates Claim That White Professor Pretended to Be Black Quillette: The Denial of Cancel Culture Will the New Title IX Be Sabotaged? US Adds 1.4 Million Jobs In August, Unemployment Rate Drops To 8.4% Florida population now predicted to grow by 307 million Americans Williamson on the mobs Democrats Introduce Legislation To Declare Racism A Public Health Crisis Cuomo: Trump "Better Have An Army" If He Comes To New York, "He Can't Have Enough Bodyguards" Barr: Mass Mail-In Voting Is “Playing With Fire” Democrats are telling us they will not accept a Donald Trump win. Are you listening?
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