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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Tuesday, June 6. 2017Tuesday morning linksA note from Vermont: Natural, shmatural - Mother Nature might be lovely, but moral she is not. She doesn’t love us or want what’s best for us Those Who Dare to Criticize Ugly ‘Lace Shorts for Men’ Are Being Slammed as ‘Intolerant’ The Doctor Is In. Co-Pay? $40,000. Mad Dog’ Mattis Rolls Back Obama-Era Decision To Let Transgender Individuals Serve in Military The Paris Climate Deal Was A 'Fraud' And A 'Sham' ... Until Trump Decided To Ditch It Al Gore says: "I live a carbon-free lifestyle to the maximum extent possible." Future warming is, we hope, a possibility WASHINGTON POST COVERS UP LEFT-WING VIOLENCE IN PORTLAND Portland police shutter anti-Trump demonstration, make arrests after protesters throw bricks - Pro-Trump free speech rally not involved DePaul revises speech policies to promote social justice CNN Creates #FakeNews in London Following Terror Attacks, Stages Anti-ISIS Muslim Protesters After London Bridge, The World Is Sick Of Politicians Downplaying Terrorism Islamists want to impose sharia law on the West — which means all Islamists are ‘extremists.’ MacDonald: Run, Hide . . . Blame Trump - After yet another terror attack, liberals remain angrier about the president’s efforts to curtail immigration than about the jihadis in their midst. You can say anything you want about any religion you want, except for Islam. Surveillance in the Obama Era = Senator describes another potential abuse of intelligence powers, media yawns. Trump’s Air Traffic Control Proposal Is Better for Safety, Cost, and Congestion Israel: Six Days and 50 Years of War Israel’s 1967 Victory Is Something to Celebrate 73 years ago: ORDEAL OF OMAHA BEACH SunriseOn the Maine coast, last weekend
Monday, June 5. 2017Monday morning linksHow to tell your friend to call off the wedding Midlife Crisis? How About a Late-Life Crisis. Ballet Dancer Leaps Onto Subway Tracks and Lifts Man to Safety Journal that holds record for retracted papers also has a problem with editorial board members EVERGREEN STATE’S RACIST SAFE SPACE HELL - The greatest threat to freedom is on campus. Fox News’ Chris Wallace Confronts Al Gore With His Failed Global Warming Predictions In Connecticut, the 'Blue State' Model Crashes and Burns Politico’s Hillary Clinton Question: Why Do They Hate Her? Let Me Help You Out. Today's politics and storming the cockpit The UK: Funny how our pols are now all experts on Islam. In the Face of Terror, Londoners Told to “Run, Hide, Tell” Theresa May Urges Global Internet Regulation "To Deprive Terrorists Of 'Safe Spaces'" 'Oi, cowards!': Londoners fought back as killers rampaged LONDON CITIZENS Had to THROW CHAIRS at Terrorists Because UNARMED POLICE RAN AWAY UNRWA fakes Gaza girl campaign with image of bombed-out Damascus Sunday, June 4. 2017Don't be the victim"...your harmlessness and naivete masquerading as virtue..." The guy talks good, but will he ever sip his can of soda? From today's Lectionary - Pentecost
I will never forget two things that happened on Pentecost about twelve years ago. On the way to church, a dumb Box Turtle was perplexed in the middle of the busy road. Naturally, I stopped traffic and helped him across. Not a dove, but a cool turtle. Then during church, a bird appeared inside the sanctuary. Not a dove, but a Chimney Swift who had come down the chimney of the old church. We brought him outdoors and I felt blessed. Acts 2:1-21
James SessionsSaturday, June 3. 2017Sexy musicGodforsaken placesThey sent us a packing list for our upcoming hiking expedition in the Outer Hebrides, between Scotland and Iceland, where it is chilly with some rain almost daily in June. Wilderness Scotland. Hiking poles? You betcha. It's rocky hills and marshy dells for 6-7 hour daily marches. If the daily reward is a little whiskey, I am game. Mrs. BD has a thing about remote islands. Always has. And I am a pretty good sport even though generally I am more content working than traveling: Happy wife, happy life. Few people live out there anymore. Those with any sense came to America generations ago. So did Trump's mother, who was a poor girl from Stornoway Helicoptering around Antarctica
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Saturday morning linksMarkets are communication systems The Biggest Lie in Fitness - And the Truth About Building Muscle and Losing Fat Despite the left’s best efforts, the Dakota Access Pipeline is now delivering oil Desired for their labor, rejected as neighbors. Farmworkers in California face hostile communities Paris: Trump Blocks First of Obama's 'Three Authoritarianisms' The Left’s Unhinged Freakout over Trump’s Paris Accord Withdrawal: The Amazing Arrogance of the Paris Climate Agreement Yale prof: Trump’s ‘mental impairment’ a ‘state of emergency’ The shrink needs medicating Campus insanity will get worse before it gets better The Dumb Politics of Elite Condescension Charles Murray: 9 Facts You Might Not Know - He has done a lot more than just write 'The Bell Curve.' Friday, June 2. 2017Friday free ad for Bob
Visions of Johanna, live
Sublime: Keith JarrettFriday morning linksGirl stuns America's Got Talent judges with her mind-boggling singing ventriloquism. Third Detection of Gravitational Waves Confirmed To defend a higher minimum wage, San Fran looks at… banning robots Madison, Wisconsin, might become the next town to subsidize godawful sculptures. For first time, physician practice owners are not the majority That means they are not working for you The Era of the Drama Queens: Every Crisis Is a Triumph Cross-cultural sex differences in activities Transgender Athlete With a Mustache Wins First Place at High School Girl’s Track and Field Championship The paper fires its public editor for resisting the Resistance. Offered Assisted Suicide in Place of Treatment Just like Europe A Graduate’s Perspective: Thought Police Are Undermining Higher Education In one graph, why the #ParisAgreement is useless Here's What Federal Regulations Cost Your Family This Year CUNY's Curious Defense of Linda Sarsour Here's a List of Everyone & Everything Hillary Has Blamed for Her Loss Why Do the Young Reject Capitalism? Because they know neither history nor econ Was Obama administration illegal spying worse than Watergate? Bringing manufacturing jobs back to America turns out to be complicated "... nothing the liberals have done since last November’s humiliation has sought to expand the Democrats’ constricted base to include us normals. VDH: If German haughtiness works on a dependent Europe, it certainly does not always impress a wary America. The Left’s Unilateral Suicide Pact - After the Manchester bombing, liberals once again avoid the obvious—that Islamic terror in the West is an immigration problem. Palestinian wave of violence marked by increased female role Must be viewed as work for women and children. Funny about that. Must be a cultural thing. Via Samizdata:
Thursday, June 1. 2017Thursday Oldie
Cool song
The sacrifices I make for our readers - Trying out athleticism classes
Now Maggie has assigned me to try out some of my new gym's 6 am athleticism classes. Despite being in much better shape and stronger than I was 2 years ago, this turned out to be a serious challenge. One hour of mixed calisthenics with NO RESTING. The no resting to catch your breath was the killer. Also, I hit the wall with the number of Burpees with push-ups and jumps. The hour included 50 total mixed sorts of burpees, and at some point I could no longer get my knees up under me. Failure. I was not the only one having a little trouble with that, but almost the only one. I struggled with all of the sit-ups too. Proof that I am not yet as fit as I need to be - it was a good test. My only ego-supporting thought was that lots of middle-aged guys would have a very tough time completing this class at all. There were about 40 people in the class, a third men - regular guys, not lifters. All except one guy had some grey-hairs and one was a fit 75 year-old who beat me in one of the 300-meter rows. The gals aged about 35-65, all very gung-ho. Not all were svelte but they were strong and agile women who certainly exercised often, probably almost daily. Horrible thumping music but I understand why. The trainer wanted us to exercise to the beat but I could not keep that pace most of the time. All weights were 5-10 lb dumbells - no heavies but it was the reps that got you. Details below the fold - Continue reading "The sacrifices I make for our readers - Trying out athleticism classes" Thursday morning links
For me, always two cups before exercise. Sometimes a Coke. Related, White House Reporters Ask Sean Spicer About the Meaning of ‘Covfefe” – His Response Is Priceless! Actually, it's a secret signal to Putin The Weird Obsession With Russia: People Are Starting To Catch On HERE’S WHY YOUR ORGANIC WINE IS ACTUALLY REALLY BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Freedom of religion is being used as a defense in a female genital mutilation case Why isn't male circumcision genital mutilation too? The natural history of Ashkenazi Jewish IQ The Campus Intersectional Shakedown: Eric Weinstein: “Protection racket where underrepresented groups sell protection from bigotry charges for apologies/concessions.” Evergreen State College Caves to Mob Demand of Homework Exemption "Dear Virgie, I am an elementary school teacher. Recently, there has been some teasing around weight that happened in my classroom." Recently? Kids have always teased fat kids, and all other kids too. Teasing is something kids do. Globalists Are Building An Army Of Millennials To Destroy Sovereignty Globalism is good business, but... Re Dilbert, Rather than debunking the cartoon, the scientists acted it out in slow motion. If it weren’t for anonymous sources, it seems that the media wouldn’t have any sources at all Hillary Clinton: I was victim of ‘1,000 Russian agents’ & ‘broad assumption’ I would win Sean Spicer DESTROYS Liberal Media at WH Briefing – “That’s Just Fake!” – Then Walks Off Stage! The Military Must Break from the Past. Bad history begets bad politics. Reflections on Daniel Gordis’s Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn by Roger A. Gerber It’s Long Past Time for Our NATO Allies to Meet Their Defense-Spending Commitments Time for them to grow up Wednesday, May 31. 2017Jordan Peterson University
Peterson, for one thing, has a knack for framing large topics. That is a job of a teacher (or a preacher). He offers the listener a big frame, a map, in which to fill in the details. That is something which is difficult to do on one's own without expertise. In my career as a student, I had a couple of History teachers and profs who never set the frame: Battle of Thermopylae? What, when why, how, and why should I care? Plenty of reasons to be interested, but it wasn't told so it was disembodied information. Peterson's hypomanic lectures teach Psychology, Anthropology, Politics, Religion, Mythology, History - they are interdisciplinary explosions. It's all from the tragic, fierce, fact-facing view of the world. With things around now like The Great Courses, and Peterson, for examples, any curious person in the world can get a high-level university education if they want it. Cliche though it is, a formal education is just a door to further learning for those who want it. We'll continue to post Peterson's explosions, and to urge our readers to try out some of The Great Courses as alternatives to TV. In this piece, he focuses on IQ as a limiting factor in pursuing goals, but makes the more important point that personality factors are likely more important in life choices and career success. Unfortunately, he ignores certain factors, like passion and interest but this is just a short segment.
Wednesday morning linksLearning the Art of Conversation Before you laugh at Tiger Woods . . . Clothing: What was lost in the casual revolution Going Out for Lunch Is a Dying Tradition - Restaurants suffer as people eat at their desks; no more three-martini sit-down meals Illinois Mandates Social Workers, Families Be 'LGBTQ-Affirming' for At-Risk Kids Meet The Beautiful Sudanese Model Nicknamed The “Queen Of The Dark” Very black and beautiful. Difficult to photograph? Credit Suisse: 25 Percent of Shopping Malls Will Close Within Next Five Years I still am convinced that the penis and climate article was a hoax The blasphemy case against Bret Weinstein, and its four lessons for professors Illegal Aliens At Columbia U Release List Of Demands Somebody teach them manners CNN’s Zakaria: Liberals Aren’t Tolerant and Suffer from “Anti-Intellectualism” "Suffer" is not the right word Mark Zuckerberg's crusade against nationalism Will This Be The Week That Was for the Fox News Channel? WATCH: Rex Tillerson Rides with Rolling Thunder to Honor U.S. Military on Memorial Day The Marines Can Treat Women Honorably Without Putting Them in the Infantry We Can Totally Solve Hotcoldwetdry With A Skyhigh Carbon Tax REPORT: Despite Hysteria ‘Global Warming’ Isn’t Causing ANY Polar Ice Retreat Hillary is retired, but courtiers help her maintain the appearance of importance. THE Obama SCANDAL HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT James Rosen: Comey's FBI Broke Its Own Rules & Procedures On Spying On Americans Separating Fact From Innuendo in the Flynn Fiasco - The former national security adviser may not have broken any laws. But those who leaked against him committed a chilling abuse of power. FAKE NEWS: WaPo Made-Up Kushner’s Request for ‘Permanent Back Channel’ Communication with Russia In the Course of Explaining Why Democrats Lose, Matt Tabbi Demonstrates Why Democrats Lose The stupid party did not get its nickname because of its smashing successes. And right now, it’s stupider than ever. More cowardice than stupid Also, re stupid: The most painful 18-second news conference response you'll see all week There was an easy answer, but it eluded him The press' war aqainst Trump What Was Merkel Thinking? An historical turning point or mere campaign bluster? Palestinians paid terrorists $1b in past 4 years, Knesset panel hears Deep woods hike, with a few birds
Photo is a large Gneiss ledge, a remnant of the great snow-capped mountain range which ran through New England in the distant past Mrs. BD and I are in hiking mode now, especially with the cool Spring weather. (We have only been mostly casual or urban hikers in the past, but we're getting more serious now to the point of a visit to the big sale at REI for waterproof hiking gear.) We picked a steep, deep woodsy 5-miler on Saturday as a warm-up. In New England, deep woods means relatively mature hardwood with a high canopy. Occasional Hemlock groves. Not very much understory. Whether that is due to deer or just the nature of things I don't know. I do know the Indians hated the understory, and often burned it out. Mature hardwood forest doesn't host a lot of wildlife except streamside. There are some warblers and other things up in the canopy which you can hear but not see without hassle. When there is a powerline cut, suddenly there are lots of birds. Edges, streams, and marshes are where most of the life is. Birds seen or heard in the deep woods: Wood Pewee, Ovenbird (lots of them), Robin (yes, Robins are woodland thrushes), Wood Thrush, Veery, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, Prairie Warbler, Flicker, Downy Woodpecker. Tuesday, May 30. 2017Tuesday morning linksIt Was ‘No Picnic,’ but All Nine Bond Brothers Signed Up for World War II. Russell Bond gorged on carrots so he could qualify for Army Air Corps GREEN WEENIE OF THE WEEK: ORGANIC DIETS Market Disrupted: How Piggly Wiggly Revolutionized Grocery Shopping When Buying Life Insurance Was Deemed Immoral Gender wars and the bizarre new puritanism Yale Gave Special Award for “Exemplary Leadership in Enhancing Race and/or Ethnic Relations” to Two of the Leaders of Crowd that Abused Nicholas Christakis Charles Blow Has Utter Meltdown For Memorial Day Fake news: Portland killer was actually a Lefty From The Price of Delegitimization (h/t Am. Digest):
The Democrats are following the lead of the progressive media — together, they now form the anti-Trump brigade.
Ace: The Magnificient Butthurt of #NeverTrump D*bag Bret Stephens President Trump Has A Great Opportunity To Cut The "Poverty" Rate Inside Trump's war on regulations - The push to block, rewrite and delay scores of Obama-era rules may be the administration's biggest untold success. Byron York: While other controversies rage, work on border wall moves forward Sweden: 48 of 50 ‘Child’ Migrants from Morocco Found to be Adults About 23,000 jihadis — potential terrorists — are living in Great Britain today, British intelligence recently revealed. Monday, May 29. 2017Ready for the 2017 Crossfit Games?The Crossfit Games are like the Olympics of general fitness. Contestants have to be generalists, not specialists. Each year, they vary the events. For example, for 2017 there will be no barbells, just sandbags instead. It's a race, too. Speed, endurance, strength, power. Pure Sparta. Seems like a wild and crazy event. Some highlights from 2016 -
Sublime: Barber's Adagio for Strings, for Memorial DayMonday morning links
For Decoration Day, a pic of my Dad - Veteran of WW 2 and Korea - with dog, reading Pravda (aka The NY Times). Italy Is Giving Away Over 100 Castles for Free - The application period is open until June 26, and special preference is given to people under 40 St. John Neumann: American saint who arrived with $1 in his pocket and one suit of clothes 10 Types Of Ancient Crosses In Different Cultures Explained Graecopithecus – Possible Early Human Ancestor from Europe Gregg Allman, Southern Rock Pioneer, Dies at 69 Saw them live a couple of years ago. They kept going. Is the Urban Renaissance Over? The suburbs might be growing faster right now, but don’t be glum about the prospects for urban growth and revitalization. ""Bright premed, but like many others," another admissions officer wrote of an Asian-American applicant." Adding Calorie Counts to Menus No Simple Feat: New at Reason - Some supporters don’t really grasp the complications. Calorie-counting is a dumb and obsolete idea Taubes' new book: Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It Swamp-draining: More on Waters of the United States rule Tough Time Sleeping? Blame ‘Climate Change’ Student op-ed on criticism of disruptive student protesters: ‘Stop focusing on free speech’ CONFIRMED: Racist note that prompted St. Olaf College shut down is hate-crime hoax 'Abolition of Whiteness' course offered at Hunter College WATCH Ami Horowitz DESTROY The Myth Of White Privilege I’m Not a Terrible Person, I Just Believe in Liberty Dalrymple: Is the West becoming Sovietized? Clinton, Trump, Nixon and Those Liberal Blind Spots Hillary and the no-class party Amid Russia Crisis, Trump Prepares "War Room", "Big White House Changes", Loss Of Twitter Trump vs the ruling class The courts: What's at stake with the travel ban Trump Got Trolled Life in Saudi Arabia Sunday, May 28. 2017From today's Lectionary: Cast all your anxiety on him...1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
Saturday, May 27. 2017Owl du Jour: The Barred Owl, with a comment about invasive speciesA friend tried to email an iPhone pic of the Barred Owl snoozing on a branch right off his deck, but the photo didn't come through. Regardless, this is my favorite local owl. While we usually think of the Barred Owl as a species of the lowlands, and the Great Horned as the similar nighttime predator of the uplands (mice and rabbits get no rest in this world), the Barred can be a regular forest bird. A couple of weeks ago, I heard one every early morning in Georgia in the piney woodland. We have had a pair nesting in a thick Hemlock grove on a rocky hillside above a flood plain at the Farm for many years. They use an old crow or hawk nest, not a nest hole. The thing with owls is that it is great fun to see them, but even more fun and weird to hear them. If you are listing birds, hearing is as good as seeing. Speaking of owls, no pair of Screech Owls have chosen my $45 Screech Owl nest box, and I am disappointed because it is perfectly situated. And at the same time I have seen them use Wood Duck boxes on tiny islands in the middle of ponds, which seems stupid and almost guaranteed to drown the chicks. Crazy thing about Barred Owl: The experts want to kill thousands of them in the Pacific Northwest because they are "competing" with Spotted Owl. That is how some environmentalists think: Destroy the village to save it. It's like they want to kill immigrants with a slightly different color. Fact is, the Spotted is a west coast variant of the Barred. They interbreed, thus different races, same species. I am all in favor of trying to destroy invasive species which threaten a stable, precious ecosystem (eg Burmese Python in Everglades, or Australian Pine in Florida and the Bahamas. "Invasive" usually means introduced by man, not critters and plants moving on their own. I can think of one bird species that moved to North America: The Cattle Egret, blown over to the New World by hurricanes from Africa. They found their niche and fit right in. Some man-introduced plants never become invasive in the sense of dominating an existing ecosystem. I am thinking of things like the Norway Maple which shades many urban streets, the Norway Spruce, - and the apple. Nobody complains about the occasional wild apple "escape" growing in a brushy forest edge. Some new species dominate, some just fit in unobtrusively and harmlessly. Killing a Barred Owl is a sin unless you intend to dine on it.
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