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, January 13. 2019God's Gonna Cut You DownThe great Odetta's version of the delta blues song. Johnny Cash did it from the heart, but Odetta did everything from the soul. Masterpiece. h/t reader. The lyrics she uses here/
How to grow old
Now this guy is in his 80s. Works at his career every day. Has more sports that he plays, and more hobbies and volunteer activities than he can handle. And his Mrs. (his age) has begun a second career after retiring. I'm lucky to get him for a supper out every quarter (which is my minimum target for close pals). I did ask him how he dealt with awareness of his aging. "Whenever it crosses my mind, I push the thought away." I want to become like that dude if or when it comes to pass. Another dude wrote about it: “How to Grow Old” by Bertrand Russell
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Life in America, #1345, with Costco
The Met Museum and Costco have one thing in common: You can hear every language in the world in each. But Costco wins in the socio-cultural diversity race. Colleges would drool over Costco diversity. Not many black Americans, though, and I have no idea why. Just the women working the registers. But about Costco, where we go about 3 times/year to stock up on treats and staples (clothes soap, dish soap, t paper, paper towels, lots of their amazing ribeyes and lucious pork loin chops for the freezer, ketchup, steak sauce, olive oil (the best), cheese (goat cheese and Kerry Gold), butter, workout socks, etc etc. Got a box of navel oranges - it's the prime time for those unhealthy but tasty sugar bombs. No Spam. I had enuf of it as a kid, fried with eggs for breakfast. We never had chocolate sugar bombs for breakfast but they were selling like hotcakes to immigrant-seeming people - Poles, Russians, Hispanics, Slovenians, etc. I don't think the people with their expensive Mercedes SUVs with the Harvard window stickers were buying them, but they sure were there at Costco on a Saturday late afternoon amongst the throngs of people stocking up. Probably buying kale and the wild salmon. Neither Trump, Pelosi, nor Schumer ever go to Costco. They should, in disguise. Well, nobody would recognize Schumer or Peolosi, so no disguise needed. But Trump would need a serious disguise to pick up his supply of Spam. Maybe he sends Melania for his Spam and Cocoa Sugar Bombs. Who would notice her?
From today's LectionaryPsalm 29 29:1 Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name; worship the LORD in holy splendor. 29:3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over mighty waters. 29:4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. 29:5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 29:6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. 29:7 The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. 29:8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 29:9 The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, "Glory!" 29:10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever. 29:11 May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace! Saturday, January 12. 2019Saturday morning links
Why a Medieval Woman Had Lapis Lazuli Hidden in Her Teeth Pizza and basic math Peter Jackson’s Restored WWI Footage Underscores The Flaccidity Of Today’s Culture. Can any culture raise ‘rough men’ ready to defend it against a ruthless enemy when it cannot even fix in the minds of its developing youth what their sex is? Howie Carr: Massachusetts a breeding ground for the worst Howie is always fun to read After banning straws California now targets the next crisis: Paper receipts! (Bonus intern public humiliation by politician) Are There Any Problems With A 70% Marginal Income Tax Rate? HOW NO BORDER WALL CAUSED A HOMELESS CRISIS 2,500 MILES AWAY IN MAINE JIm Acosta, NY Times Take Swing At Border Fence, Strike Out The next Evergreen State? Elite college devising rules for invited speakers after fall controversies That would be Williams College! Sheesh Mitt Romney pooh-poohs idea of any crisis at the border CNN Cancels On San Diego TV Station After They Report Border Wall Works " The main thing is, the Dems don’t want Trump to have a win on his signature policy, because they figure that will cement his re-election. Everything else is noise." Everything Trump wants is bad, even if they wanted it 3 years ago. It's about wins and losses, not policy. How the Left Will Learn to Love Trump - A predictable habit. The War Party: And Just Like That… Democrats Become the Party of Endless War and Bombs – Lots of Bombs KEEPING AMERICA SAFE: Dems Want To Replace Subcommittee On Terrorism With One Investigating Trump. Yes, you read that right. Stop the hate! Viva La Revolution! Fidel Castro's Grandson Flaunts Wealth On Instagram Europe’s Winter of Discontent - Domestic political turmoil in the European Union’s four largest economies spells trouble ahead. Germany Introduces “Counseling Service” to Combat Radical Islam Commentary: Israel boycott ban is not about free speech Friday, January 11. 2019Friday morning links
The Magical Gaze of 'Mona Lisa' Is a Myth The power of suggestion. What is so great about that portrait? Or is it famous for being famous? The fate of Laos' elephants Mothers in shock as daughters come home from college with mustaches, breasts removed "French theory" philosophy is on its way out of fashion George Bernard Shaw Was so Enamored with Socialism He Advocated Genocide to Advance It Why First-Mover Advantage in a New Industry Isn't Always An Advantage Another example: IBM invented the Microsoft system and look at IBM now Senators Call on FCC To Investigate T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint Selling Location Data to Bounty Hunters Britain’s Struggle With Loneliness. Like us, they've let go of family and religion, and the results, as our writer saw, have been tragic. Us? After Months Of Complaints, Seattle Clears Homeless Encampment And all but one refuse free shelter. In this case, is "homeless" a euphemism for bums and addicts? Where Have the (Bill) Clinton Democrats Gone? HOW DID THE WIFE OF A MUELLER PROTEGE END UP HEARING MUELLER’S CASE? Seattle TV Station Caught Doctoring Trump's Face During National Address Why didn’t the GOP-held Congress fund the wall? TNR says Trump's impeachment trial has already begun Dutch Authorities Threaten Criminal Charges for Pastors Who Signed Biblical Marriage Statement Euroland governments detest free speech Robert Samuelson: Why China Clings To 'State Capitalism' How Will Israel Respond to An Eventual U.S. Pullout from Syria? Thursday, January 10. 2019Thursday morning linksRANCHERS SEEK TO PROTECT THEIR HERDS AS THE WOLVES MOVE IN Update: How Do You Tell If The Earth's Climate System "Is Warming"? Remember When Starbucks Caved And Opened Their Bathrooms To Non-Customers? Here's How That Worked Out. The APA Can’t Spin Its Way Out of Its Attack on ‘Traditional Masculinity’ Angela Davis update The (academic) empire strikes back Thou shalt not make fun of them New York Times Makes Major Correction to Report on Manafort and Russian Oligarch Remarkable Statements from Obama’s Former Border Chief Students Hate Obama, Schumer, Clinton Immigration And Border Wall Quotes When Told They’re From Trump… Dem Strategist: Pelosi, Schumer 'Struggle' to 'Relate' to Americans On a scale of one to ten, Trump was a seven and Pelosi/Schumer were a zero CREEP SHOW: Pelosi and Schumer Freak Out Viewers… Blank Stares, Scowls and Crazy Eyes Consume Dem Response Kimball: Those who think Trump will cave on the wall are wrong. A country without borders is not a country It's not about the border - it's about resisting anything Trump wants. Dems were all for barriers until Trump was. Can't allow him another win. 60 Years On: Reflections on the Revolution in Cuba The EU In 2019 – The Problem Of Survival Wednesday, January 9. 2019Wednesday morning linksWhy dreams like flying, falling, being chased are so common, and how your brain creates them Nepal’s Endangered Vultures Are Finally Making a Comeback. A campaign against a lethal painkiller, paired with “restaurants” that supply clean carcasses, may just save these species How you dress and how you behave: Aware of how others see us? It's probably worse than we think The Unbearable Heaviness of Clutter. A cluttered home can be a stressful home, researchers are learning Chicken, egg. Less efficient people are more easily stressed. Best to make a plan to be more efficient, and to streamline life Trump opponents are wrong to predict economic gloom and doom One Year Later, 'Net Neutrality' Zealots Proved Dead Wrong China-Made Smartphone Weather App Stole Data From 10 Million Global Users AT&T is pretending like 5G is already here – and misleading users Psychologists Say Traditional Masculinity Is 'Harmful.' Psychologists not famous for being manly. I don't think that organization realizes how difficult, endless, and worthwhile a developmental task it is...but who ever heard of a wife or child being proud or happy about a fearful or ineffectual male in the family? Grown Men Are the Solution, Not the Problem Helen Smith: Activists, Not Healers: Why I Despise What My Profession Has Become The Top 20% of Households Pay 88% of Federal Income Taxes Nobody ever thanks them for it, but I will. No, This Is Not JFK’s Democratic Party Kamala Harris Readies Her 2020 Rollout Atlantic: Worse Than Watergate. If the multiple charges against Trump prove out, he’ll easily displace Nixon at the top of the Crooked Modern Presidents list. What "charges"? Listening to PMSNBC all day is dangerous to your mental health. California Governor Newsom Vows ‘Sanctuary To All Who Seek It’ In Inauguration Speech I support legal immigration too Students Slam 'Trump' Wall Quotes, Then They Learn Who Actually Said Them Ex-ICE Director Urges Nancy Pelosi To Take Wall Funding Deal: ‘Love Your Country More Than You Hate This President’ TRUMP KILLS IT Democrats are campaigning to end prosperity Leftists Fight ‘White Supremacy’ By Harassing Jewish Business Owner, Paint Jewish Star On His Restaurant, Break Window ANTI-SEMITISM BREAKING OUT AMONG CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS RUSSIAN LAWYER LINKED TO TRUMP TOWER MEETING AND FUSION GPS IS CHARGED IN NEW YORK CASE She was trying to work both sides US Downgraded Status of EU – But Did Not Formally Announce It The EU is not a country - yet How Vietnam lost and China won Cambodia. Forty years after the fall of the China-supported Khmer Rouge regime to Vietnam's invading forces, Cambodia is now more clearly in Beijing's than Hanoi's orbit Harsanyi: Yes, Anti-Zionism Is The Same As Anti-Semitism. 'Anti-Zionism' is the predominant justification for violence, murder, and hatred against Jews in Europe and the Middle East. It’s now infiltrating American politics. Tuesday, January 8. 2019Tuesday morning linksNYT: Am I old? Women over 50 'too old' to love, French author Yann Moix says Well, youth does have its charms Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria Is ‘Social Contagion’ AKA a fad An Homage—and Memorial—to Civilization. Peter Jackson’s new documentary about the First World War is an overwhelming viewing experience. The Mindfulness fad Our obsession with taking photos is changing how we remember the past Millennials discover that building a life is difficult Genes, environment - and luck Package tracking app turns users’ devices into a bot farm, violates user privacy Apps are bad, except for Mapquest The Pope’s Laxity Catches Up With Him But at least he is against climate and poverty...wait - Don't people in the Church take a vow of poverty? The ‘Green New Deal’ isn’t just ambitious — it’s insane Will Somebody Actually Start A Serious "Climate" Emissions-Reduction Program In 2019? Portland State Prof Who Exposed ‘Grievance Studies’ Corruption Faces University Discipline So I Guess I'm Only Half Racist? At least I mow my lawn: University Educator: Mowing Your Lawn & Acting Respectable Is Racist Hey, Christian Bale, Dick Cheney's my former boss. Here's what your Golden Globes speech missed Shut up and act IT'S RACIST TO WARN BLACK PEOPLE THEIR BUILDINGS AREN'T SAFE Heather: Opportunistic Outrage - Anger about comparatively rare white-on-black hate lets advocates ignore a far more pervasive reality. LIBERAL BILLIONAIRE APOLOGIZES FOR FUNDING RUSSIAN BOT ‘FALSE FLAG’ — BUT QUESTIONS REMAIN UNANSWERED Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Dissenters Need not Apply. Against diversity statements. NYT Hack Defends Paper’s Non-Stop Attacks on President Trump Despite His Historic Presidency Government Can’t Heal Us, Tucker Carlson The Great Wall of America Will Break the Democrats The Economy Is Finally Coming Through for U.S. Workers. Decent wage gains are showing up in paychecks. That should continue for a while. Amnesty International Singling Out Jews in 2019 Monday, January 7. 2019Darwin vs. Darwin on marriageMonday morning linksDoes manual labor boost happiness? The neurochemistry of working with your hands. Is Netflix in Trouble? Wind turbines are neither clean nor green and they provide zero global energy. We urgently need to stop the ecological posturing and invest in gas and nuclear GREEN WEENIE OF THE WEEK: NUCLEAR WAR WILL SAVE US! I’m a Mom. Here’s How Government-Run Health Care Could Hurt My Kids. Krugman: The Economics of Soaking the Rich - What does Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez know about tax policy? A lot. Using ‘anti-racism’ to avoid teaching students proper English CNN’s Brian Stelter: ‘There was not enough talk about racial resentment’ in 2016 Here’s The Dancing Women We Should Be Talking About Trump's 2018 Deregulatory Effort: 3,367 Rules, 68,082 Pages Democrats lay impeachment trap, but will the president step into it? Trump To Europe: You're Vassals And I Don't Care Will ‘Frenzied Hectoring’ by British Food Nannies Never End? I Bet You Thought Those Riots In France Were Over How China Colonized An Entire Continent Without Firing A Single Shot Sunday, January 6. 20191177 BCWho was Lois Weber?From today's LectionaryMatthew 2:1-12 2:1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2:2 asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." 2:3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 2:4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 2:5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 2:6 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" 2:7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 2:8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." 2:9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 2:10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 2:11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 2:12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. Saturday, January 5. 2019Edward GoreyPlan your darn daily workouts: My bad, with an end note for guys onlyI did not plan my workout well this morning. Disappointed myself by lack of planning and just winging it. It was my second time for my new "mostly-weights" Saturday morning (which will now be my third mostly weights day in a week for a while in an effort to reach a new strength plateau to settle into). I had the list in my pocket, but it wasn't planned or timed properly so I didn't complete it in an hour and did not plan the weights correctly - too light. Sheesh, there were a lot of hulks/hunks there this morning, along with the regulars, the elderly, and the fit gals... Continue reading "Plan your darn daily workouts: My bad, with an end note for guys only" Saturday morning linksPELOSI UNLEASHED: “A Wall is an Immorality! It’s Not Who We Are as a Nation” Without borders we are not a nation Border Patrol: Assaults Against Agents Spike 300% After Caravan Manufacturing Jobs Up 32,000 in December, 491,000 Under Trump 156,945,000: 2018 Ends With Record Employment; Participation Rate Hits Trump-Era High The 20 Most Annoying Liberals of 2018 Congresswoman Flees From Reporters Asking About "Impeach The Motherfu*ker" Comment Ocasio-Cortez Compares Herself to Lincoln, FDR as She Calls for 70 Percent Top Tax Rate Scott Adams admires her talent at getting attention Germany Wants UN Security Council Seat for the EU - German Foreign Minister Maas: “We need more international order.” Friday, January 4. 2019Friday morning links
A Close Look at the Most Distant Object NASA Has Ever Explored - In the icy reaches of the solar system, NASA discovered a snowman-shaped object. Kansas Teen to Get High School, Harvard Diplomas in 1 Month M, F or X: New York City birth certificates now have a gender-neutral option I think doctors can usually figure it out NYC: Much Ado About Amazon - The company’s new headquarters could become a new Rockefeller Center. Move Over ‘Friends,’ Millennials Now Find ‘Seinfeld’ Problematic Historian: Museums need to ‘reconsider’ European art exhibits because … white supremacy This conflation of comedy with politics is the real shame. NYT Crossword Editor Gets Beaned By the Roaming Outrage Mob And the soy-boy apologized In wake of transcript fraud scandal, universities silent on admissions processes Colleges eat up these fake sob stories Black Lawmakers’ Charity Didn’t Give Out A Single Scholarship, Top Pols Hide Financials. Germany’s Leading Magazine Published Falsehoods About American Life - A reporter with Der Spiegel fabricated information in more than a dozen articles—most of which were meant to reveal America’s brutality. NBC analyst leaving network over 'Trump circus' The "dossier" was an intel set-up Related, WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED SO FAR Schlichter: Top 10 Predictions for 2019, A Year That Will Make 2018 Look Sane VDH: Actually, 2018 Was a Pretty Good Year Democrat Leaders WOULD NOT EVEN LISTEN to Border Security Briefing at WH Meeting Forget the wall — Democrats now hate the border itself 'Fresh Face' Dem Congresswoman: 'We're Gonna Impeach The Motherf***er' That's an intelligent approach... Fifth Kavanaugh Accuser Recants The Tragic “Elizabeth Warren Being Very Authentic And Having A Beer On Instagram” Clip FORMER NY TIMES EXECUTIVE EDITOR: SURE, THE TIMES’ REPORTING IS ANTI-TRUMP It's what their readers want About Tucker Carlson’s Galvanizing Speech We posted his 15-minute monologue yesterday Also, re Tucker:
Thursday, January 3. 2019Thursday morning linksPhoto: Too bad I much prefer Scotch to bourbon Excess body weight and the world of cancer Major risk factor for 13 cancers A book: Jewish and Christian Views on Bodily Pleasure: Their Origins and Relevance in the Twentieth-Century Hollywood’s own Schindler: How the founder of Universal Pictures put everything on the line to save 300 German Jews from the Holocaust Stoneman Douglas commission calls for arming teachers, more school security spending in first report to state leaders I think Titania's website is parody, but I can't be certain The Boy Scouts' moral bankruptcy University offers class that explores ‘non-human perspectives’ of LGBT Georgetown takes 'A.C.T.I.O.N.' against 'microaggressions in medicine' First Grade University - Flowers for Fresno State. Central American Countries Are Helping Middle Easterners Illegally Enter The United States Former NY Times Boss Slams Newspaper Over Anti-Trump Coverage Unfair and unbalanced WOW! GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel Hits Uncle Mitt Romney After Disgusting WaPo Anti-Trump Screed Why Guys Like Mitt Romney Don’t Scare Donald Trump Howie Carr: We’ve heard it all before from Romney the RINO Exculpatory Russia evidence about Mike Flynn that US intel kept secret Howdy Fellow Kids! Internet Tees Off On Elizabeth Warren’s Beer-Chugging Video New Year's border charge proves caravan is an invasion – and it's time for a wall The European Union: An Authoritarian Body With A Humanitarian Face Egypt: Government Renovates and Regulates 500 Churches Vietnam's draconian cybersecurity bill comes into effect The Big Story of 2018 is the Trump Administration's Korean Diplomatic Initiative Mexican president proposes ‘free zone’ to attract investment, reduce migration to US Wednesday, January 2. 2019Glenn Gould and Leonard Bernstein: Bach's Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minorWith some interesting comments by Bernstein at first. My reminder: Bach never had musicians at his disposal like those of today.
Wednesday morning linksMost people give up New Year's Resolutions by January 12, study claims Photographer Makes New Year’s Resolution to Stop Buying Unnecessary Gear in 2019, Breaks It Before 2019 Even Begins New discoveries at Pompeii come amid renaissance at site Pretty In Passenger-Seat Pink: Why Are Women In Power-Adjacent Positions Flocking Toward the Feminine Hue? The Push for Unconstitutional College Programs Condell video: Big Tech and the Anti-American Dream Anxiety About Immigration is a Global Issue The Only Meddling "Russian Bots" Were Actually Democrat-Led "Experts" Trump May Be The True Liberal Romney: Trump 'Has Not Risen to the Mantle' of President "Mantle"? Give me a break. Mitt Romney: The president shapes the public character of the nation. What?!? I used to like the guy enough, but now I see he is a sanctimonious putz Trump tweets "Enjoy the ride." Tuesday, January 1. 2019Two months of NPR
It doesn't take long to get the daily predictability: Bad things: Orange Man, the economy, guns, White Supremacists (where do they find those?), the climate crisis, Putin, Russia Russia Russia, oil companies, border security, the obsolete US Constitution, people who won't recycle Good things: The UN, Nancy Pelosi, The SPLC, any LGBT movement, illegal immigrants, government regulations, Pocohontas, Romney (they suddenly love him), anybody who feels oppressed or offended. And recycling is the highest form of virtue. They have pretty good taste in music, though.
Tuesday morning links - It's 2019. We wish you all a healthy and happy one.Photo: If you had drinks last night (I did not), you might want a Bloody Bull this morning before you go to the gym. Here’s an Idea for 2019: Stop Whining, Offendapotamus Dave Barry's 2018 for Laughs 5 craziest college campus stories of 2018 2018 - The Year That "Russia Did It"-ism Took Over The World Is This Peak Stupid? Because It Sure Seems That Way: NY Town Sponsors Toy Gun "Buyback" Video Montage: CNN’s Worst Moments Of 2018… Pat Sajak Ends Entertaining Year Online By Renaming CNN, Trolling Outrage Culture IS VEGANISM A “CULTURAL APPROPRIATION”? Church Takes Down Cross to Avoid Offending Muslims Massachusetts decides to kill AirBnB Jerry Brown gives rural Californians the middle finger “The Diversity Delusion,” with Heather Mac Donald - transcript or podcast Trump's Top 10 Achievements of 2018 China's debt problem Trump’s Syria decision was essentially correct. Here’s how he can make the most of it. Israel, U.S., amid similar political soap operas Fireworks with Beethoven
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