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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Wednesday, August 1. 2018Again!Just got an email from a second old friend (ie, elderly - 60s) who has produced a third kid under age 7. I wonder what it's like to be a dad in your 60s. It would not work for me. Maybe it keeps them young, but who has the patience for little kids? For that matter, what guy ever did? Wednesday morning linksToon via Theo Mario Vargas Llosa’s journey from Castro groupie to steel-eyed critic of both Leftism and populism gives the observations and commentary of his latest book the authority of a long life both lived and examined. To describe it as a joy of the first order would be to engage in understatement UW-Madison encourages students to report The Nation Apologies for Publishing an 'Ableist' Poem - "Caused harm to members of several communities" I doubt it. Nobody reads it Distributing the Green (Cards): Permanent Residency and the Income Tax after the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 Former Hippies Put in Horrible Position of Rooting for F.B.I.
Connecticut is poised to reject Democrats’ economic mistakes Study: "Medicare for all" plan touted by Bernie Sanders would cost $32.6 trillion German Police: 126,000 Immigrants Set for Deportation Have ‘Disappeared’ Les Gorges de l'ArdècheI need to find out more about this artist, Julian Merrow-Smith. Update: I did. He's a picture/day guy in Provence. I love that painting. Image via Dalrymple's An Evening in France
Tuesday, July 31. 2018The usefulness of dumpsters and roofers, and getting rid of unneeded brown furniture
It's our summer for roofing, painting, and repairs. Maintenance on the HQ. Mostly outside, some inside too. Maintenance sucks, because it entails no improvement and is just a holding war against entropy. We are fortunate to have a remarkable team of workers thanks to our genius project manager. Perfectionists. Replaced with all new flashing because the old was second rate, especially for the crickets. New copper gutters, but we do not have many gutters. Let the rain fall off the roof. No problem. All bad wood replaced with Azek "wood". Good thing about their max-size dumpster? Old brown furniture, broken lawn stuff, old clothing and crap that is just no longer needed or wanted. In it goes. Empty closets to bare essentials. And do you know what old brown mahogany furniture is worth? Zero. You have to pay people to get rid of it. I am tempted to toss our 1800s lovely dining room table and chairs in there because nobody in the world wants this old brown stuff - and never will. Wish you had a giant dumpster in your driveway? A great chance to unload all the crap that your kids will have to toss in a dumpster when you croak. Do them a favor.
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Tuesday morning linksA 'Mini Ice Age' Is Coming in The Next 15 Years 'Trigger warnings' may undermine 'emotional resilience,' Harvard study finds Nonsense. These are crybullies, not snowflakes. Fake snowflakes. GENDER FLUIDITY HAS ITS ADVANTAGES Whatever Happened To The ‘Unmaskings’ Probe? So What’s Paul Manafort On Trial For Again? Andy McCarthy: My Collusion Confusion Despite Media Hysterics Trump’s Approval Remains Unchanged – And He Is Still 3 Points Ahead of Obama at Same Point In His Presidency CNN’s Brooke Baldwin: “President Fulfilling A Major Economic Promise, The U.S. Economy Is Booming” - Economy doing so good even CNN can’t lie about it. THE DEMOCRAT FUTURE ISN’T SOCIALIST, IT’S CRAZY. They don’t want socialism, they want Trump dead. Seven 'Great' Marxist Leaders Young Socialists Need to Know 300,000 Illegal Immigrants in Islamic Colony Saint-Denis Echoes of Venezuela: Ortega relies on street gangs to crush Nicaraguan government rebellion Monday, July 30. 2018Monday morning linksWhy Are Men So Terrible, And What Can We Do About It? A simple guide to CRISPR, one of the biggest science stories of the decade - It could revolutionize everything from medicine to agriculture. Better read up now. Nat. Geographic Admits They Were Wrong About Famous Climate Change Polar Bear Pic WaPo: Connecticut is drowning in debt. Should the rest of us have to pay? Mike Rowe Talks To Ben Shapiro About The Gap Between So-Called ‘Elites’ And Everyone Else Martin Armstrong: Is CNN Creating A Civil War? You Have Just Entered The Twilight Zone; CNN — Creating Narratives Nightly Tucker Carlson Reports the FBI Collaborates With Southern Poverty Law Center Trump Anxiety Disorder: Therapists Say Patients Are Experiencing More Trump-Related Anxiety Mueller probably hasn’t exhausted the possibilities of building obstruction of justice charges against Trump based on his regular activities. Trump’s use of Twitter barely scratches the surface of the potential wrongdoing that falls within the scope of Mueller’s probe... President Trump Is Correct--Study Shows 90% Of Administration Media Coverage Is Negative I see CNN and MSNBC in the gym all the time. It truly is Destroy Trump's Reputation 24/7 The Rules For Beating Donald Trump Janice Atkinson, MEP: The EU Is Killing Itself from the Inside. As All Dictatorships Do Amsterdam 'lawless jungle' at night, ombudsman warns Number of Islamists in Germany Reaches Record High, says Intel Report Sunday, July 29. 2018Fun New England idea for September: The Big E
Info and tix here.
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NYC funThe best places to admire NYC’s incredible comeback A friend had a birthday dinner at Danny Meyer's new place, Manhatta, recently. Loved it. Loved the views, too. Bird du Jour: Loaves, and MacDonald's BirdsThat's what our pal Roger's wife terms them. English Sparrow, aka House Sparrow, aka Dumpster Birds, were imported from England in the early 1800s to help clean the NYC streets of horse manure and other detritus. Their population spread rapidly. They are not sparrows, they are a sort of european finch. Like rats, they are highly adapted to live amongst civilization, and can never be found in woods or meadows but they like working barns. This morning, I ripped up a large loaf of stale bread and tossed it in the driveway to do my version of Loaves and Fishes, without the fish. Within 15 minutes, the MacDonalds birds arrived. Their activity attracted a bunch of Grackles (native to North America), and then a handful of hungry Red Wing Blackbirds. A few chipmunks came out for breakfast, and finally a couple of Blue Jays. A Mourning Dove stopped by to have a taste. I fed multitudes. In 2 hours, it was all cleaned up. Photo is a female. You can see that they have a finch bill, not a sparrow's. From today's Lectionary: Loaves and fishesJohn 6:1-21
6:1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 6:2 A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 6:3 Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 6:4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 6:5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" 6:6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 6:7 Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." 6:8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 6:9 "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?" 6:10 Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. 6:11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 6:12 When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." 6:13 So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 6:14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world." 6:15 When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. 6:16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 6:17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 6:18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 6:19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 6:20 But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." 6:21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going. Saturday, July 28. 2018Female sex music: FeverBird du Jour: The flying cigarIt's not uncommon to see small family groups of Chimney Swifts overhead during the summer months. Wonderful fliers, catching bugs on the wing. I've seen parents pass a bug to a child, both on the wing. Cute. Their numbers have declined drastically over the past 40 years, for unclear reasons. Maybe more chimney caps, or steel flues. They need masonry flues to get a grip. My best Chimney Swift story is about the day one accidentally came down our old church's chimney and started flying around the church - on Pentecost! I finally was able to snatch it when it was banging against the window, and somebody opened the window and off it went like the Holy Spirit. There are a couple of other species of Swifts in the western US. If anybody can distinguish a Vaux from a Chimney Swift, good for you. Swifts spend the cooler months in the Amazon basin. Saturday morning linksFun: PT Barnum's Museum Barnum commuted by train from Bridgeport to NYC daily Annoying people in the grocery store Breaking news: “Men Are Programmed To Be Less Satisfied With One Sexual Partner” San Francisco Straw Update:
Will the Trend of Low Birth Rates Be Reversed? The Remaining Obstacle To President Trump's Plan For U.S. Energy Dominance How Social Science Might Be Misunderstanding Conservatives Economic growth hits 4.1 percent for second quarter Unmaking Affirmative Action How much does George Will hate Trump? Dershowitz: Who Leaked The Trump Tape? We should know who President Trump is financially beholden to — a lawsuit might make that happen Friday, July 27. 2018Friday morning linksThere’s water on Mars! Signs of buried lake tantalize scientists What is Transgenderism? It's a fad, like hula hoops and tattoos Chautauqua Institution’s Destruction. Chautauqua Institution was once a fine place to visit, many years ago. The long march through the institutions - it has worked VDH: The Strange Career of White Privilege Portland, Ore., to clean up 'disgusting' Occupy ICE camp, calling it biohazard Having Solved All Its Other Problems, San Francisco Looks To Ban Free Lunches Jane Fonda and Her Friendly North Vietnamese Intelligence Officer Liberal enclaves embrace noncitizen voting: 'I think this is another good step forward' Guy on the radio said that if Trump personally cured cancer, CNN would have on people saying "Trump doesn't care about people with heart disease." 78% Hillary Clinton, 12% Donald Trump... that's where I am on the "Extremely Detailed Map of the 2016 Election." Religious Conservative: I Didn't Vote for Trump to Be 'My Sunday School Teacher' More Americans than ever find Democrats out of the mainstream The American Left's Selective Outrage One becomes numb to constant outrage Mueller Digging Through Trump's Tweets To Make Obstruction Case Justice or vengeance? Obama Administration Knowingly Funded a Designated al-Qaeda Affiliate HUNDREDS of African Migrants Storm Border with Spain – Attack Guards with Sticks and Flame Throwers Trump, Iran and the New Guns of August - A serious conflict in the Strait of Hormuz is more likely, and closer, than people think. Thursday, July 26. 2018QQQ on deathLook, I really don’t want to wax philosophic, but I will say that if you’re alive, you got to flap your arms and legs, you got to jump around a lot, you got to make a lot of noise, because life is the very opposite of death. And therefore, as I see it, if you’re quiet, you’re not living. I mean you’re just slowly drifting into death. So you’ve got to be noisy, or at least your thoughts should be noisy and colorful and lively. My liveliness is based on an incredible fear of death. In order to keep death at bay, I do a lot of “Yah! Yah! Yah!” And death says, “All right. He’s too noisy and busy. I’ll wait for someone who’s sitting quietly, half asleep. I’ll nail him. Why should I bother with this guy? I’ll have a lot of trouble getting him out the door.” There’s a little door they gotta get you through. “This will be a fight,” death says. “I ain’t got time.” Mel Brooks, 1975 interview Thursday morning links
Commenting function here was screwed up yesterday. Should be ok now. Photo: An Ohio bar got in trouble for that This guy got screwed by The Mob They are the Red Guard. It does have an intimidating effect. Jail Time For Handing Out Plastic Straws? Parking Has Eaten American Cities. A new study documents the huge amount of space taken up by parking, and the astronomical costs it represents, in five U.S. cities. Boot: Without The Russians, Trump Wouldn’t Have Won No doubt. The Russians got me to vote for Trump Trump Secures Concessions From Europeans To Avoid Trade War Bravo Nets Refuse to Declare Trump Victorious as E.U. Buckles on Trade In Trump-Cohen flap, Left and Right trade places from Clinton years Palestinian Authority Silences Students Israeli farmers scorched by latest attacks, coping with ecological disaster Craziest part of it is that Israel gives Gaza wheat China's Aggression Is Starting to Backfire Wednesday, July 25. 2018Is there any need to do accessory weight work?For general fitness/conditioning, probably not necessary and especially not if you do 2 hours of calis or calis classes weekly along with your 2-3 hrs/wk of mostly powerlift work. What are typical accessory weight exercises? Things like curls, calf raises, cable pulls and pushes of all sorts, leg press, lateral raises, leg curls, and many gym machine activities which target specific muscle groups. Typical compound-movement powerlift work (deadlift, rows, pullups, barbell squat, military press, bench press, maybe dumbbell lunges) strengthen pretty much all skeletal muscles - and your core too- and are more functional than isolated muscle exercises. (Most people do not do Olympic lifts but if you want to try them, go for it. With a coach, please.). There are a few exceptions. 1.Beginners often need accessory exercises for a few months before moving forward 2. Some accessory exercises can help ramp up your powerlifts. For example, I work on overhand curls and kettlebell Farmer's walks for my grip strength because that can be a limiting factor for my deadlifts. I have weak forearms. 3. Another exception is for bodybuilders who choose to focus on developing good-looking specific muscles. (That's not really about functional fitness, though - more about looking great naked.) We stand by our Fitness For Life recommendations for women and men of any age: 2-3 hours of mostly heavy weights, 2-3 hrs of calisthenics without heavy weights, about two half-hours of HIIT cardio, 1 hr of endurance cardio (replaceable with a 5-6 hr hike, bike ride, etc). Not counting hikes, a total of 6-7 hrs/week is sufficient - but no less than 2 hrs of real lifts with some accessories if needed to complete the hour) Wednesday morning linksGet the L Out: Lesbians Secede from LBGT Movement There’s A New Privilege In Town: ‘Thin Privilege’ The latest global warming scare might make you want to kill yourself PUERTO RICO HAS NO MONEY FOR ANYTHING EXCEPT GOVERNOR'S $245K LIMO US farmers group rejects Washington aid New Details Indicate Toronto Shooter May Have Expressed Support For ISIS Jihad Denial in Toronto: Hussain Was a Known Wolf Is Carter Page Really a Russian Agent? FUSION GPS DOUBTED THE CREDIBILITY OF A MAJOR DOSSIER SOURCE None Dared Call It Treason . . . When It Was a Democrat WaPo's Richard Cohen seems to be asking the right question, according to the headline, "Why people like Trump." I don't think people "like" Trump personally, but he is the peoples' weapon and they like what he does (not always) Bret Baier says Trump loves messing with biased reporters: 'He wants heads to explode' He trolls and controls France: Bring your own condoms Destructive international organizations and a second-best choice Tuesday, July 24. 2018Disney for Adults?
From what I hear, it's popular with midwesterners and vets. The Villages Retirement Community: 'Disney World for Adults' - The largest retirement community in the nation allows the elderly to stay young at heart. This guy, who lives there, offers a clear-eyed view of the place, along with a thoughtful discussion of retirement options in general.
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Tuesday morning linksThe Vindication of Cheese, Butter, and Full-Fat Milk - A new study exonerates dairy fats as a cause of early death, even as low-fat products continue to be misperceived as healthier. Most in US think cannabis has health benefits, despite lack of data Portrait of an Artist as an Old Man: Mel Brooks in His 90s. The comic has stormed though 75 years of show business; he remains prodigal in expression, memory, and imagination. The Rise And Rise Of The UK’s Student Sugar Babies Prof Boudreaux hates economic nationalism The problem, Prof, is that all countries practice it Despite getting no respect, US manufacturing is alive and well with record output at falling prices What liberals (still) get wrong about Trump's support - After each outrage, progressives believe supporters will drain away. On the contrary: he is giving them what they want It's been nearly two years since Hillary lost. Let's look on Twitter to see how her supporters are handling the loss. VDH: Just How Far Will the Left Go? Sanctuary for felons: WHAT DO VOTERS CARE ABOUT? ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, FOR ONE THING Trump Didn’t Betray America. He Wants To Restore The Old U.S.-Russia Alliance. ALL THE PRESIDENT’S HACKS: MEDIA FAKE NEWS FUELED OBAMA’S WATERGATE FISA application shows how the media allowed Obama to eavesdrop on Republicans. Yes, There Could Be Serious Legal Problems if Obama Admin Involved in Illegal Surveillance Monday, July 23. 2018Monet by Manet
Place was jammed with foreign tourists. I don't blame them. We had to walk through the deplorable and creepy "Heavenly Bodies" show (Fashion and Catholicism) to get to the Public Parks, Private Gardens- Paris to Provence - show before it closes. A good historical view of the invention of public outdoor spaces with dynamite pictures. Coolest thing in the exhibit? A video of Monet painting in Giverny in old age, rapid painting, the cigarette in his mouth threatening to ignite his bushy Santa Claus beard. I took just one snap: Manet's picture of Monet puttering in his garden, with his family. 1873. The label said that, later in that day, Monet did a picture of Manet painting a garden picture.
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Monday morning linksWhat Is the Christian Idea of 'Heaven'? 5 Modern Myths People Need to Stop Believing Elon Musk is a total fraud The "indigenous man in the hole" — the last survivor of an uncontacted Amazon tribe — who has lived alone for at least 22 years. Thank-you notes matter David Warren on settling for dependency Vanderleun's "bad thoughts" about the University District Janus is only the beginning The NEA Is A Racist and Evil Organization Z-man: The truth of life is that politics is about power. First you seize power and then vae victis. MSNBC WORRIED AMERICANS MIGHT THINK CAPITALISM ‘IS WORKING FOR THEM’ Texas to pass Iraq and Iran as world's No. 3 oil powerhouse REFUGEES FROM WAR-TORN SYRIA NOW FLEEING NEW JERSEY BECAUSE OF HIGH TAXES AND VIOLENCE Report: How Noncitizens Vote in Allegheny County, PA Scott Walker is a Russian spy Gregg Jarrett Calls Out Liar Comey After Carter Page FISA Warrant Docs Confirm FBI Misled Courts For Democrats the Problem Is Their Message, Not the System THE LEFT'S EMBARRASSING PLEA FOR OPEN BORDERS Trump May Be Absolutely Right To Pursue This New Bromance With Putin Why do Democrats want another Cold War? FISA warrant application supports Nunes memo THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LIES ABOUT THE FISA APPLICATION In letter to Trump, Mexican president-elect vows improvements to deter migration WaPo Basically Admits That Mexico Is A S***Hole Country Sunday, July 22. 2018Gal impressed meProbably 50 years old, petite but not skinny, cute face, tight body. Perhaps a bit of facial youtherizing. Out of the corner of my eye while I was going through my jump-rope routines I watched her place a high box under the bar, jump up onto the bar and proceed to perform 12 chin-ups. I thought she would never finish. After a rest and some water, two more times. She is doing fitness-maintenance. No visible muscles, just toned. Watching her proved several things to me that I knew anyway: Regular non-athlete women can develop good upper-body strength, people can be very strong and fit without notable muscle, and I suck at pull-ups as I do at many life challenges. Watching three skinny wiry guys, my roofers these 2 weeks, carrying two packages of 80 lb. shingles (each) on their shoulders up high ladders. That is not just strength, it is balance and agility too. In other words, athleticism. Worthy of admiration and envy. If nothing else, God and nature and life teaches humility every day. Like it's their job. Maybe it is. Sometimes I wonder whether humility is a psycho-vitamin which, like Vit D from sunshine, we obtain from investing in life challenges. On the other hand, no rewards, however modest, from our efforts are dispiriting instead of healthily humbling. That is a drag for sure. From today's LectionaryPsalm 23 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; 23:3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. 23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff-- they comfort me. 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long. Saturday, July 21. 2018Saturday morning linksSelf Control: The Overlooked Key to Wealth and Health Texas Dad Delivers His Own Daughter In A Chick-Fil-A Bathroom That's a real guy. Catching a baby is not rocket science, but they come out as slippery and squirmy as a trout. Ireland Could Be Visited By Great White Sharks Due To ‘Climate Change’ Or Something Guess what? Great Whites live everywhere Trudeau's tough climate polices face a mounting backlash Baltimore Restaurants Banned From Including Sodas, Sugary Drinks On Kids’ Menus No fruit juices either, I hope NYC's war against Air B&B Dozens of fake charities scammed donations for veterans then pocketed the cash: FTC TED Speaker: ‘Pedophilia is an Unchangeable Sexual Orientation, Just Like… Heterosexuality’ That could be true Higher Ed: Murray Sperber’s Beer and Circus — As Relevant as Ever after 18 Years The next phase in America’s War on Poverty Is the “Mainstream” Media the Enemy of the People? Dershowitz: Trump Critics 'Going Over the Top' With Treason Cries Rosenstein unleashed the most awesome powers of a special counsel to investigate an allegation that the key FBI officials, driving the investigation for 10 months beforehand, did not think was “there.” Your tax dollars at work: Manhattan Madam Subpoenaed by Robert Mueller John Brennan, Obama's CIA director, admits egging on the FBI's probe of Trump and Russia Good Scott Adams podcast: How the White House is Executing a Brutally Effective High Ground Persuasion Play Trump embarrasses Hillary on Russia with video tweet What Are Democrats Running On? KEITH ELLISON DEMANDS AMAZON CENSOR THE DAVID HOROWITZ FREEDOM CENTER Hungary Quits UN Migration Pact, Calls it a ‘Threat to the World’ Get Over It—Israel Is the Jewish State US report finds only 20,000 Palestinian refugees in the world
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