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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Friday, January 14. 2022"Insurrection"?Friday morning linksYour Skin Doesn’t Need Skin Care. It can do everything it needs to do by itself. Uncovering Sparta - Mythological home of Helen, war-making polis of Leonidas and now a modest municipality: the city is a palimpsest Get rid of all competition? Be careful what you wish for The Perils of Noncitizen Voting. New York City’s new law could become a fiasco. Global Economy Heading For "Mother Of All" Supply Chain Shocks As China Locks Down Ports Progressives warn Biden to "forgive" student loans... or else If The Republican Party Refuses To Learn From The Trump Era, Winning In 2022 Will Mean Nothing Gallup: Teachers, judges among those to hit new lows with image ratings Run, Hillary, run! Two Democrats say it’s time for Clinton 2024 Thursday, January 13. 2022Thursday morning linksThe Tipping Point: The Subtle Psychology and Economics of Taxi Fares GREG GUTFELD FILLS THE COMEDY VACUUM Which mask? What test? COVID's latest surge spreads an epidemic of confusion AP instructs editors: Start downplaying case counts in our stories about COVID The media do an about-face on the CDC as they finally face COVID restrictions We’re All Going to Get Omicron Biden Claims He Got Arrested During the Civil Rights Movement HOUSE REPUBLICANS RELEASE TEXT OF REDACTED FAUCI EMAILS ON COVID ORIGINS. NIH leaders advised scientists not to “mention a lab origin as that will just add fuel to the conspiracists,” one researcher told The Intercept. Looking for Hillary Priorities: DHS Launches “Climate Change Professionals” Program China Seals People's Doors, Xi'an Residents Cry For Food Wednesday, January 12. 2022Veterinarian handles a pheasantWolves and Musk OxWednesday morning linksIncest to be banned in France Hollywood's New Rules. The old boys club is dead. But a new one—with its own litmus tests and landmines—is rapidly replacing it. 'This is all going to end in a giant class-action lawsuit.' Critical race theory-related ideas found in mandatory programs at more than 230 colleges, universities CANADA - Tenured Professor Critical of Identity Politics Fired by University $58,000 for a drug without demonstrated results Scientists believed Covid leaked from Wuhan lab - but feared debate could hurt ‘international harmony’ Two Years Is Long Enough Commentary: Don’t Let Teachers’ Unions Off the Hook Education Secretary Cardona solicited NSBA letter comparing protesting parents to domestic terrorists: email NSBA official said controversial letter followed 'a request by Secretary Cardona' Maggie's had a mild case of COVID
But I think the system is getting better and is no longer infectious.
Tuesday, January 11. 2022Tuesday morning linksDeere Goes Autonomous With Its Farmer-Free Tractor The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps' NYT: Omicron Presents a Danger That's No Different Than the Seasonal Flu Amazon Cuts COVID-19 Paid-Leave To 40 Hours For US Employees, Following Walmart Why I Soured on the Democrats - COVID school policies set me adrift from my tribe. Omicron Makes Biden’s Vaccine Mandates Obsolete. There is no evidence so far that vaccines are reducing infections from the fast-spreading variant. End Stage Covid Craziness in New York Yes, our pal did sing in Carnegie Hall this weekend In wake of controversy, superintendent defends elementary school’s dropping of ‘Jingle Bells’ NBC Suggests There May Be ‘Very Little Evidence’ of a Gender Performance Gap in Swimming Democrats are trying to scare America over a civil war they're trying to start America’s Asymmetric Civil War - It’s within metro areas, not between the states Updated and Reposted: RealClearInvestigations' Jan. 6-BLM Riots Comparison "When we fail to recognize the moral legitimacy of a range of positions on controversial topics, disagreements about these issues inevitably become judgments about other people’s character." Democrats’ Top Priority Before Fall Elections Is Rigging U.S. Voting Rules Monday, January 10. 2022Monday morning links
"Retiring Early" Is The New American Dream: Why This Is A Problem " I believe many people fail to recognize how intertwined is the lust for power and the enabling forces of stupidity. " Movie: The Edge of Appeasement Penn’s Transgender Swimmer Loses to Yale’s Transgender Swimmer in Women’s 100 Meter Race Dumb and Dumber (Nos. 22 & 23) - Watching the Education Apocalypse in Slow Motion As Even the Leftwing Media and Political Figures Demand that Teachers Go Back to Work, Teachers Say F*** You -- It's Summer Vacation For Us, Forever Kotkin: Is this the end of progressive America? Multiple fronts of resistance are taking shape Media Now Described by Matt Taibbi: “Our target reader now is a rage addict” " Reveling in the anniversary of the Capitol riot, Democrats and the media dubiously brand it a right-wing “insurrection”—while ignoring the urban anarchy that began in May 2020." There’s A Reason No One Likes Kamala Harris CDC Director Sheepishly Admits Justice Sotomayor Issued COVID Misinformation On Hospitalized Kids Making Manhattan a crook’s paradise Adams caves, won't oppose bill to let non-citizens vote in NYC elections after 30 days' residence California Is Not an Island, So its New Economic Laws Could Backfire American Slavery in the Global Context Re Afghanistan, a book: Crisis of Command Sunday, January 9. 2022How good was Tosca at the Met?
Stage sets were amazing. How do they do it, and change the giant sets for each scene? Magic. And how good is Elena Stikhina? We even had, one time, to visit Puccini's house in Lucca. Here's Elena with an aria. She's young:
Another Scottish rebel songThe Scots were easily defeated by the Redcoats at Culloden, after which Bonnie Prince Charlie escaped to Skye disguised as a woman. The Skye Boat Song which, somewhat modified, is the theme song of the Outlander series:
EpiphanyMatthew 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 8. 2022My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
Saturday morning linksHow Elizabeth Holmes fleeced the elites - Big investors were all too willing to believe the Theranos hype. The more liberal the church, the emptier the pews. People do not go to church for politics. Inside Florida, the state that forgot COVID-19 is a national emergency Flexing Their Muscle - The Chicago Teachers Union–imposed school shutdown is about politics, not the pandemic. China takes over as West cowers over climate change fears Maxwell May Get A Second Trial, But What About the Rest of Epstein’s “Significant Others”? The Great Epstein Cover-Up, Part 1 Blind recruitment trial to boost gender equality making things worse, study reveals Academic Activists Send a Published Paper Down the Memory Hole The Case Against the Case Against AI Climate Change Sanity MASK DELUSION: A FOOTNOTE Supreme Court Justice Exhibits Shocking Lack of Basic COVID Knowledge During Hearing “Preserve the Narrative”: The Public Rejects the “Insurrection” Claim in New Polling The Democrats’ Hispanic Voter Problem - It's Not As Bad As You Think—It’s Worse Friday, January 7. 2022Risotto ai Frutti di MareIt's a favorite of diving ducks, and of mine. The US lacks tiny European clams and cockles, but we have Cherrystones - small clams. Clams, shrimp, squid, scallops, mussels. It's the seafood broth that makes it: Seafood Risotto (Risotto ai Fruitti di Mare) Best idea is to go to an Italian seaport town, and ask for it. LimpetsIn winter, our diving ducks like shellfish and sea worms. Presumably, they swallow shellfish whole, digest them, and poop out the shells. Not sure they can digest a shell. I wonder whether Buffleheads can dislodge and eat Limpets. My photo is a beach of pure limpets (aka Slipper Shells). Something ate them, and I saw only Buffleheads. Do we have an expert on diving ducks here? Friday morning links
Cull of 150,000 deer aims to save Scottish forests Restoring forests can be difficult For the First Time Ever, the Best-Selling Carmaker in America Isn't an American Carmaker Mike Pompeo tells The Post how he lost 90 pounds in six months Why the Science of Teaching Is Often Ignored. There’s a whole literature on what works. But it’s not making its way into the classroom. The combination works best: A lecture plus small groups to work it out 'Go Get Another Job': Democrats and Republicans Lambaste Teachers' Unions Sorry, but online teaching is of limited value in many subjects NYT wonders: Why is highly vaccinated China locking down again? So long, heroes: Mayo Clinic fires 700 workers over vaccination mandate Professor Gets Mad After People Notice Rather Significant Error About Rittenhouse in Her Book No, he did not shoot 3 black guys Unions shut record 4,783 schools across US this week despite assurances classrooms are safe: Arizona Governor offers long-suffering parents up to $7,000 to send kids to private schools or pay for tuition Sullivan: The Woke: On The Wrong Side Of History - We need a racial politics for 2119, not 1619. Latinos will lead the way.
"as the Big Tech giants continue to push the envelope to see how far they can get in suppressing conservative dissent, at some point they could start to lose market share very quickly." In that, MC linked this: Disrobing the Aboriginal Stalinists on a Canadian Campus DeSantis Derangement Syndrome a Boon for Florida GOP Turley: Destroying a Democracy to Save it: Democrats Call for the Disqualification of Dozens of Republican Members What’s behind unrest rocking oil-rich Kazakhstan Why President Biden Will End Up Giving Putin What He Wants In Ukraine How can the US "give" something it doesn't own? What Joe Biden can learn from Trump’s Iran policy Thursday, January 6. 2022Wednesday morning linksColleges take COVID testing way too far and spread hysteria Experts groan: The CDC's new updated quarantine guidance is more confusing than before Why the Jan. 6 Inquisition Is the Real Enemy of Democracy Democrats And The Media Are Obsessed With January 6th Because They’ve Got Nothing Else New Manhattan DA Claims Decriminalization ‘Will Make Us Safer’ in Memo to Staff The Price of Dissent - A Reuters data scientist questioned the Black Lives Matter narrative—so the company fired him. Emory Law Journal Refuses To Publish Scholarly Article Challenging “Systemic Racism” Finding It “Hurtful and Unnecessarily Divisive” Wednesday, January 5. 2022Wednesday morning linksOn visiting St. Tikhon’s monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania The Met Opera's reopening Chronicle: When Professors Offend Students - Classroom norms are changing. Where’s the line, and who decides? Glenn Greenwald: There Is An Addiction To Being Protected By The State, To Not Having A Return To Normal Life Can Democrats Keep Schools Open During Omicron? Chicago Public Schools Close as Teachers’ Union Votes to Strike against In-Person Teaching " One merciful upside to all of this is that there is no more talk of lockdowns. At last, even the experts are saying that society must function. Lockdowns are not even being considered. The whole country is fed up with the phony baloney enterprise of virus control. It did not and cannot work. " Desperation among residents as China cuts off city of 13 million due to outbreak Mass Formation Psychosis is a meme now MASS FORMATION PSYCHOSIS or… mass hypnosis- the madness of crowds Trouble in paradise: The crumbling California model MSNBC’s The ReidOut reports that Officer Brian Sicknick ‘died from wounds inflicted on January 6’ Some Illegal Immigrant Children Shipped from the Southern Border End Up at New York Adoption Agency Is Germany Seeking a Separate Peace in the East? Tuesday, January 4. 2022Tuesday morning linksThe secrets of NYC's best bagels (video) 45 eerie, creepy, and often beautiful abandoned places around the world New England Is One Cold Snap From Energy Doom Viagra — is there anything it can't do? Panicky Would-Be COVID Victims Line Up for Hours to Find Out if They're Sick Infection Experts: We Will "Never" See The End Of Coronavirus How have we gotten here? Mass Formation Psychosis, explained The Covid Insanity Has to End How the 1960s institutionalized us - The long march of the cultural revolution has succeeded beyond its wildest dreams 6 Basic Concepts Liberals Don't Get One more awkward hypocrisy emerges about incident where a police-defunding and ‘bail reform’ advocate Illinois state senator was carjacked The U.S. Is Naive About Russia. Ukraine Can’t Afford to Be. Putin is right about one thing: A free, prosperous, democratic neighbor is a threat to his autocratic regime. Is Biden's Legacy Really Going to Be the Dismantling of Democracies and the Free World? Monday, January 3. 2022Monday morning linksTaliban order beheading of shop mannequins Student receives praise for bogus paper on how milk is a ‘colonizer’ of coffee VDH: The Truths We Dared Not Speak in 2021 - At the end of this terrible year, we are left only with ironies. More VDH: The Ungracious—and Their Demonization of the Past CNN Story Perfectly Captures The Mass Covid Neuroticism Of 2021 National Educators United demands two week pause in school re-opening "The push to open schools is rooted in racism, sexism, and misogyny" After Drumming Out Unvaxxed Servicemembers, Fully Vaccinated and Boosted Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Tests Positive for COVID Oregon Business Owner Ordered to Remove American Flag Mural on Private Property Three Years Till The Guardian’s Global Climate Catastrophe The New Climate of Panic Among the Panic-Mongers White flag: EU to declare natural gas, nuclear power "green" Ron DeSantis accompanied wife to cancer treatment while critics claimed he was 'missing' 2021’S MAN OF THE YEAR: Ron DeSantis NYC’s New Mayor Eric Adams Calls 911 on His Subway Commute Hours After Being Sworn Into Office (VIDEO) SHAPES OF THINGS: LAPTOP FROM HELL EDITION The party of "Karens": The new Democratic Party alienates nonwhite voters Is Kim Jong-un turning over a new leaf for 2022?
Sunday, January 2. 2022Is your heart in the Highlands?Life in America: Holiday season observations
A happy flock of Robins descended on ye olde HQ and stripped all our our holly shrubs and trees of their berries. (Photo above is Robins eating old apples.) Our church was half-full on Christmas Eve. I believe many people were there online (we stream our services). Covid fears. A friend gave an ageing relative a voice recorder for an oral history. It's not exactly a present except that it is an opportunity for the relative to hand down a gift of the past. Inspired us to do that with my father in law - he's an Irish shanachie and can tell all of the old stories. My life stories would be dull... Yes, the old guy has COVID but it has not been bad other than the quarantine his residence requires. I assume omicron because he is triple-vaxed. Picked it up in some pub or restaurant. Can't keep a good man down. Our wild and crazy NY Eve event was supper at a Thai place. I had 2 glasses of cheap Chardonnay with some max-hot Pad Thai with shrimp. Taking advantage of the slow week, we got our boat fully-registered and legal at the DMV. They were nice. We were already registered as a US Vessel by the Coast Guard, but needed that too. Paperwork. Ever tried building Legos 8 1/2 level? Not easy. Our Christmas gifts were mostly tickets - Met Opera, Carnegie Hall, NYC Ballet. Oh - boutique hotel rooms too. Nice. I was afraid that my wife would give me a new iphone, but luckily she didn't. Have I mentioned that I love visiting NYC? I saw in the Orvis Christmas catalog fly rods costing $1500. Fly-fishing is a beautiful hobby but I do not need that. Bulldog and I need to plan a Maggie's urban hike for 2022. This planning will be tough because we have already covered so much interesting territory, in rain and shine, over the years. We'll also plan a family+friends mountain hike - everybody wants to do Breakneck Ridge again (except Mrs. BD who has never loved rock scrambling)
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From today's LectionaryJohn 1:(1-9), 10-18 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 1:2 He was in the beginning with God. 1:3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 1:4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 1:7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
1:8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 1:9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 1:10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 1:11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 1:12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 1:13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 1:14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. 1:15 (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") 1:16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 1:17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 1:18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.
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