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, November 5. 201710 Facts About the Life and Legacy of Martin LutherFrom Escaped Nuns to a Knight in Disguise, 10 Facts About the Life and Legacy of Martin Luther. On the 500th anniversary of his 95 Theses, look back at some of the surprising aspects of the man who changed Christianity and the world Life in America: The long route up Storm King MountainBest-named mountain in the US, in my view. Ten of Bird Dog's pals did the long loop (orange up, yellow down) on Storm King Mountain on Saturday. Actually, it wasn't the longest route which we would have preferred, but we missed the turn to make it 4 hrs. Would have been 12 people, but two spouses were under the weather. Perfect weather, high 40s to low-50s. Colder up top. There is some rock scrambling, just enough stair-climbing stretches when you can't catch your breath, and all of the trails are rocky but there are magnificent views of the Hudson River up top. It's just north of West Point, and we ran into some cadets doing a point-to-point over the mountains with 60-lb packs. Nice kids. The route up that we took might be rated a 5/10 of 3/5 in some American systems, a 2-3/9 in the European system - but all rating systems vary and all are lousy. Descriptions are better. This hike quite manageable if not crippled or frail. Hiking poles definitely came in handy but our rule is always bring poles and especially if carrying a pack. We brought a drone and did some drone group pics from the top, and some drone panoramic views. We did it in 3 1/2 hours, but we didn't really stop for snacks or rests. Stopped only to fly the drone a couple of times, which is so cool to play with. We saw migrating Broad Wing Hawks, a Merlin, an immature Bald Eagle (maybe a Golden - no binocs), and of course some migrating Turkey Vultures. We finished up at Prima Pizza in Cornwall for great pizza and beer. Great choice. Try it. Here's one of our team, perhaps familiar to our NYC Maggie's Urban Death Marches. More pics later, including the drone photos.
From today's Lectionary: The greatest among you will be your servantMatthew 23:1-12 23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
23:2 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; 23:3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 23:4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. 23:5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 23:6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 23:7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. 23:8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. 23:9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father--the one in heaven. 23:10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. 23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 23:12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted. Saturday, November 4. 2017You're Not Lost if You Can Still See the TruckSaturday morning linksAt 94, Rose Marie has the longest ongoing career is show biz in the US. An interview POLL: Millennials would prefer to live in a socialist country Like where? Gothamist and DNAInfo Vote to Unionize – Are Immediately Shut Down NFL Teams Pledge Hundreds Of Millions To Anti-Gun Groups Marketing genius ! The NCAA’s UNC Decision: Nothing to See Here, Move Along "It's Okay To Be White" Signs Found At Maryland High School No it is not. It's being investigated for hate US Government Report Warns Climate Change Is Real Promise? I hope they're right Trump Tax Plan Might Get Rid Of Electric Vehicle Tax Break 2017 International Tax Competitiveness Ranking: U.S. Is 6th From The Bottom Hiring Rebounded in October, Unemployment Rate Fell to 4.1% Trump effect Re Ken Burns: I think the documentary seeks to fix the record in falsity Reminder: Good Men Died Searching for Bergdahl Caliphate of the Mind - As ISIS crumbles overseas, its individual adherents pose a unique threat to cities like New York. Regulate Assault Trucks! Cosmopolitan Promotes Incest All taboos must fall Sex Is Cheap And the professionals hate the amateur competition Sexually active students must be reported to law enforcement or state officials, Ore. school district says LATEST ON THE LIBERAL LECH LIST He omitted the chief of NPR. And for me-tooism, what about Bill Clinton? Flight logs show Bill Clinton flew to pedophile island much more than previously known Portfolio manager accused of raping, beating women in penthouse dungeon Kevin Spacey Turned the Set of "House of Cards" Into His Own "Sick Sexual Playground" Obama Admin Lied; New Memos Reveal Uranium One Exports To "Europe And Asia" Via Canada Former DNC Chair Jumps Ship: Donna Brazile Turns on Hillary After Leaking Debate Questions to Her During Primary Crooked Hillary. What else is new? GREAT AGAIN: POTUS Trump Announces $100 Billion Company’s Return To USA Gotta judge this guy by what he does, not by who he is. That's why Gelernter supports him, and Gelernter is 50 IQ points above any of us. Dem Civil War In VA: DFA Abandons Northam Campaign As “Racist” Friday, November 3. 2017Friday morning links
Humans love dogs more than their fellow man. Z-man is looking for a new car Anti-obesity drug acts on brain's appetite control system Chinese Scientists Create Low-Fat Pigs With CRISPR Why? F.D.A. Warns Companies Against Claims That Marijuana Cures Diseases Woman, 98, Moves into Elder Facility to Care for 80-Year-Old Son Prince William warns that there are too many people in the world Can we just get rid of the twits and jerks first? 'BEYOND SHAMEFUL': DON'T FALL FOR THIS DECEITFUL VIETNAM FLICK- Exclusive: Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady exposes startling omissions, distorted facts in war film This Man Could've Saved Vietnam, But The U.S. OKed His Assassination Reed College: The Surprising Revolt at the Most Liberal College in the Country - Activists are disrupting lectures to protest "white supremacy," but many students are taking steps to stop them. First poison the college culture, then the broader culture A Few More Who Think The Poor Ought To Have Access To Cheap Energy Chris Matthews Baffled: Why Would A Muslim Uzbeki Want To Attack Us? Note the chyron on the screen as Tingles talks. MSNBC and CNN guests look to blame Manhattan truck terror on anything but jihad The Press Attacks WSJ for Criticizing FusionGPS -- Without Confessing That One Of Their Sources Attacking the WSJ Is... A FusionGPS Employee Drain the swamp! The American left is beginning to look like nothing other than a defeated army in its last weeks in the field Wolf Blitzer: ‘Shocking’ Hillary Rigged DNC They had to keep Biden out. They never expected the Berniemania DID THE CLINTONS TURN THE DNC INTO A CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY? How unappealing Is Trump, as a person? Egyptian lawyer: It's a man's 'national duty' to rape women who wear ripped jeans Prostitution Reduces Rape Nother pic from my sisThursday, November 2. 2017Thursday morning linksGlobal temperature continues to cool We're all gonna die! From China, How Trust Shapes Nations' Safety Rules - How does a country decide what risks are acceptable in everyday life? Pictures Reveal Life Inside Tiny Futuristic Cubes. Built in 1972, the Nakagin Capsule Tower was the benchmark of Japan’s post-war economic boom. Now, its future is uncertain. "Three [tenured] Dartmouth College professors whose research had included studies of sexual desire and attractiveness have been put on paid leave..." I see little wrong with profs flirting with students, or vice versa. They're adults Transgenderism as Social Contagion Companies Beware: Partisan Politics And Branding Don't Mix As the left surges back, Marxism’s bloody legacy is covered up. Monuments to the victims of fascism exist everywhere, but communism’s victims are hardly remembered at all FBI Seeking Second Person In Connection With Manhattan Terror Attack What The NYC Attack Revealed About ISIS’s Supporters Terrorist Bragging About His Murders In His Hospital Bed, Vowing "ISIS Will Endure". Motives remain a mystery. TRUMP CANCELS Diversity Lottery Program – NYC Killer Sponsored 23 PEOPLE Since Coming to US! UTSA Student Learns That Muslims Rank Higher Than Gays "Muslims Fear Backlash from Tomorrow's Terror Attack" Yale prof David Gelernter, a Maggie's hero, supports Trump despite his many flaws Stockman Slams Mueller's Mugging Of America: The Case Of Baby George Papadopoulos Politico Hides Fusion GPS Employment Of Key Source - There's just one approach you have to take if you're a member of the media: undying fealty to Robert Mueller, no questions asked. Democracy dies in darkness, as we all know. Russia's real 2016 plan was to drive Americans crazy My life as a hostage of al-Qaeda Stalin’s ism: A review of Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941 by Stephen Kotkin. ColoradoOutside Denver this week, from my Sis
Wednesday, November 1. 2017Why does it take two years for physical fitness? The mental strength and growth occurs alongside the physical.Most experienced trainers will tell you that it takes that long for a middle-aged-to-older person get into decent functional condition. The human body is remarkably adaptable, but adaptation is not quick except at the very beginning of a 5-6 day/week program. Progress can seem fast for the first few months, assuming the starting point is poor condition, but then it gets slow. What is poor condition? It's where I used to be. To find out, take a gym calisthenics class and see how you do, or get a trainer's assessment. He or she will discover your limits very quickly with agility tests, cardio tests, strength tests, endurance tests, and just by observing your body at rest and under effort. When I began, I was not overweight on a scale, but I was - with excess fat, and underweight in muscle. I ended up gaining 15+ lbs with little visible fat. Why does it take that long to build a good foundation for future fitness-building and maintenance? Not for great fitness, just for passable fitness? Continue reading "Why does it take two years for physical fitness? The mental strength and growth occurs alongside the physical."
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Wednesday morning linksWhy do they always term these Muslim terrorists "deranged" and "cowardly"? They are neither.
UZBEK NYC TERROR SUSPECT ENTERED U.S. UNDER DIVERSITY VISA PROGRAM The US has a "Diversity Visa Program"? MSNBC “Terrorism Analyst” on NYC ‘Allahu Akbar’ Attack: “Not Islam Whatsoever” No, it's Amish Group Plans to Boycott NFL on Veterans Day Weekend DNC Hiring For Its Tech Team, Won’t Consider Candidates Who Are “Cisgender Straight White Males”… So just lie Trump Jr. jokes he'll take half of daughter's Halloween candy to 'teach her about socialism' Tinseltown Travelogue: A deplorable's adventure in lala land It's a 3-part somewhat lengthy personal report Which trait most accounts for the spectacular career of Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic’s race blogger–turned–intellectual superstar? Wind farms would need to ‘cover whole of Scotland’ to power Britain’s electric vehicles Spooky: U.S. To Prepare For ‘Climate Change’ Caused Vampire Bat Invasion Why Americans have stopped eating leftovers Not me. I love leftovers. Get On the Bus or Get Under It: Shouting Down Free Speech at Rutgers Protesters claim facts are oppressive and patriarchal
Thousands Protested Trump Last November In Rally Organized By Russia Calling the Cops in Europe? Don't Bother Tuesday, October 31. 2017All- pumpkin supper, etc.
Pumpkin is a winter squash whose original small plant is native to the Americas. For the Eastern American Indians, winter squashes were one of the Three sisters: Squash, Corn (Maize), and Beans. Indians ate healthy, organic whole foods despite, or because, they were genetically-modified foods. They didn't live very long, though. Indians in their 50s were old men while men in their 50s and 60s and 70s today run marathons, pump iron, and climb Alps. My neighbor climbed all of the Dolomites in his 80s by eating steak. All of those Indian crops had been greatly genetically-modified over 2,000+ years by Native American geneticists, because the wild plants they started with were weeds, hardly worth bothering with. Of course, what we grow now has been greatly improved from the Indian versions. All humans knew about genetics long before Mendel explained it. Tuesday morning linksIs Halloween a Christian Holiday? Halloween is actually deeply rooted in the Christian tradition. Duh. Plus some pagan elements, same as Christmas Mark Twain had one goal: To make money A Pill to Make Exercise Obsolete. What if a drug could give you all the benefits of a workout? Too easy, and no cardio exertion Turns out it's less dangerous than coffee Average global IQ = 86 Sometime in the next 40 years, robots are going to take your job. Buzzfeed Crew Shocked To Learn They Have Low Testosterone Levels Reed College professor calls on faculty not to “stay silent about this extremist moment on campuses” Transgender Candidate Targets Kindergartens, GOP Legislator Why Do American Jews Idealize Soviet Communism? Perpetuating the romance of the Bolshevik regime, whose ‘good intentions’ cannot mask the horrors imposed in its name I think I missed those "good intentions" NY Times: The Economy Can’t Grow Without Free Birth Control For Women Or Something The Iconoclasts Come For George Washington. By removing its historic memorials to George Washington and Robert E. Lee, Christ Church is yielding to the relentless logic of identity politics. It’s Come To This: Activist Group’s Virginia Ad Shows Republican Trying To Run Down Minority Children Gregg Jarrett: Still no evidence of Trump-Russia 'collusion' - but Hillary is a different matter 'The walls are closing in,' said one senior Republican in close contact with top staffers who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly. 'Everyone is freaking out.'" UK Labour Leader to Snub Netanyahu, London Balfour Celebration Monday, October 30. 2017Navy SEAL Workout
I recommend that chin-up hang though. It's great. JerusaLandA friend of Maggie's has a new book, JerusaLand: An Insignificant Death
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Monday morning linksSciency Liberals Actually Believe In Witchcraft, Occult Mali's elephants get a fighting chance Episcopalians: HOW CHURCHES DIE
Gutierrez’s point here is that, “whether we recognize it or not, mathematics teaching is a highly political activity.” Pediatrician: Attempting to transform children into transsexuals is an appalling form of child abuse and should be regarded as such by the law. FREE SPEECH–WHERE ARE THE ADULTS IN THE ROOM? Cowering under their desks Oberlin College Now Paying Students for Social Justice Activism Angry Puerto Ricans Attack Whitefish Energy Workers; Canceling Contract Will Delay Power 2 to 3 Months Brilliant. Spend time throwing rocks at the electrical workers Enjoyment Is All - Max Eastman’s life of twists and turns Woman Whose Tweets Precipitated NAACP Travel Warning Against American Reportedly Behaved Very Badly NY Times Publishes Column Critical Of The Left’s Soft Spot For Communism With Predictable Results Communist apologist: Guys, guys, I have some news. Stalin was bad. Did I just blow your mind? CNN’s Undisclosed Ties To Fusion GPS New York Times: Alarmingly, Perhaps Even Chillingly, General Kelly Seems to Share Trump's Patriotism Maggie Haberman is shocked — shocked — to find that Hillary Clinton's people are dishonest. Steyn: How to Steele an Election TOOBIN: ‘MUELLER’S OFFICE WILL BE UP AND RUNNING WELL INTO 2018, IF NOT’ BEYOND I CAN’T IMAGINE WHY TRUMP DOESN’T TRUST THE STATE DEPARTMENT The Atlantic: What Is Really Unprecedented About Trump? Not much but in many respects, the way that the president thinks about politics is utterly conventional. The Clintons started the so-called Russian collusion scandal and may be destroyed by it GOP Would Rather Lose than Fight It's difficult to fight government when you're in it How effective is media censorship in China? Académie Française rejects push to make French language less masculine Sunday, October 29. 2017Here we go again - Winter gear: Waxed cotton vs. Gore-texRepost - I guess this is Part 2 or 3 of our Outerwear mini-series, and part of our world-famous Winter Warmth series which we will begin to post in view of the coming Global Cooling Crisis - The invention of Gore-tex rendered plenty of waterproof and windproof fabrics obsolete - or quaint. For example, rubberized raingear, or waxed cotton or waxed canvas. Gore-tex is much lighter, it breathes, it requires no maintenance, and Gore-tex outerwear is cheaper to produce and can be made with the blaze orange patches which American field hunting (unlike European) requires by law. Trouble is that waxed cotton jackets, wellies, a dog, and a nice gun look so natural together. It's about fashion to some extent: how many Americans wear their Barbour when brush-busting for grouse or mucking the stall vs. the number that wear theirs to the hardware store, the mall, and their kids' soccer games? I own a Lewis Creek and an old Browning waxed jacket, but I have plenty of Gore-tex parkas and field gear for various purposes: camo, blaze, parkas, outer-jackets, etc. Gore-tex hunting brush pants, too - insulated and uninsulated (insulated hunting trousers was a waste of $ - all you need is winter underwear of whatever weight you select for the weather of the day). Despite all the above, I'll just address waxed cotton here despite its impractibility. Gore-tex is great stuff, but it's boring. Waxed cotton has character and Gore Tex is industrial. Image is the Barbour Beaufort, at Cabelas. Here's the main Barbour site, with all of their stuff. Orvis has plenty of men's and women's Barbour stuff. Lewis Creek. Good stuff, distributed from VT but made in Scotland. LL Bean is doing waxed cotton too. For true heavy-duty waterproof outerwear, Filson's tin cloth is the ultimate. That waxed canvas is so tough that it stands up by itself after you take it off. In fact, if you died standing in a goose blind or in the woods the tincloth jacket and tincloth trousers would probably still hold you up straight like a scarecrow until a strong winter storm blew you over. Their "shelter cloth" is lighter weight. I have some of the stuff. Its durability:comfort ratio is high. Feels like medieval armor before it warms up and softens a bit. Remember: Always check Sierra Trading Post first for good deals. What is scary about Toccata and Fugue?Solzenitzen's CathedralsGary Saul Morson: Solzhenitsyn’s cathedrals - On the literary works of Russian author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
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Vanderleun on Death, God, and HalloweenFrom today's Lectionary: Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17 90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 90:3 You turn us back to dust, and say, "Turn back, you mortals." 90:4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night. 90:5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning; 90:6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. 90:13 Turn, O LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants! 90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 90:15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil. 90:16 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. 90:17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands -- O prosper the work of our hands!
Saturday, October 28. 2017Sweet Potato vs. YamThey have little in common except for being tubers: Sweet Potatoes and Yams: What's the Difference? How to Tell These Two Tubers Apart
Saturday morning linksQuote image via Moonbattery Japan’s Whaling Fleet Set to Embark on Hunt for 333 Minke Whales To Keep Up With AI, We’ll Need High-Tech Brains Climate: Warmth is no Worry but Cold Kills Yale ‘decolonizes’ English dept. after complaints studying white authors ‘actively harms’ students College costume crackdown ramps up as Halloween draws near A University of Southern California professor says he stands behind his tweets that… call for whiteness to be “destroyed,” and the promotion of violence against the “white supremacist heterosexist patriarchy.” Jacobson: Safe Spaces and Safety Teams at Vassar College for My Lecture on Free Speech It's all political theater College's ‘deconstruct masculinity’ program doubles in size It's past time we begin to deconstruct deconstruction British Government: “Men Get Pregnant, Too” GOVERNMENT IS JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR THE MEAN THINGS WE CHOOSE TO DO TO EACH OTHER
How Team Hillary played the press for fools on Russia Panetta: Intelligence Committee Needs to Look into Clinton/DNC Dossier Payment FBI Partially Reimbursed the DNC, Clinton Campaign Opposition Research Levin: Hey Democrats, YOU were in bed with the Russians! Spain clamors for two-state solution, but not in Catalonia Friday, October 27. 2017QQQMost of the problems of today are results of the solutions of yesterday. Kevin Kelly, founder of Wired Friday morning linksCowen loves this new book: *Greater Gotham: A History of New York City from 1898 to 1919* That guy reads more books than anybody I know WHAT IS THE ACLU PREPARED TO DO TO DEFEND FREE SPEECH ON CAMPUS? Not much. It seems that social justice and free speech don't mix It Begins: UK Hate Crime Police Come to Blogger’s Home to Arrest Him for Thought Crimes Free speech means not having to lie UC to launch national free speech center American Publisher Apologizes For ‘Anti-Semitic’ Directives in Textbook "Protesters splattered red liquid onto the base of the bronze statue of Theodore Roosevelt outside the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan..." Nobody told them he was a greenie and a progressive Schlicter: Culturally Appropriate This, Social Justice Jerks Hey, Non-Celts: Stop Appropriating Halloween I am part Celt, and and feel offended by non-Celts appropriating my special day Elizabeth Warren lied about being sexually harassed. Liberal senator shared a fake experience on Meet the Press Nobody would harass a real squaw 19-Year-Old Girl Has Sex with Underage Teen; Years Later, She's a Mom and a Sex Offender for Life. Sex offender registries are cruel and unjust. Electoral College: Can We Get A Copy Of The Constitution That The DNC Chair Is Using, Please? ‘No Excuse’: Sessions Makes Major Announcement on IRS Tea Party Scandal CORRUPT MEDIA UPDATE: Evening News Spent 1,000 Minutes on Trump-Russia Story… 20 Seconds on Hillary-Russia Story DOJ Authorizes FBI Informant to Speak to Congress on Alleged Clinton Uranium One Corruption Can I trust the FBI on this? With FBI Actions Now Under Suspicion, WSJ Editors Call on Special Counsel Mueller to Resign Gregg Jarrett: Hillary Clinton Can Now Be Charged with 13 Crimes Clintons have always felt above the law Holy sh*t! This wins Twitter!’ Iowahawk sums up Hillary Clinton’s year in just two PERFECT pics Cruel Are Democrats trying to lose Virginia's governor's race? Theresa May's Middle East Travel Agency The bad war: Vietnam gets the Ken Burns treatment Trump to bypass U.N. and send aid directly to persecuted Christians in Middle East The Impact of Academic Boycotters of Israel on U.S. Campuses Trump’s Malaysia Gambit: Call It Another Win
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