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, February 21. 2021Not from today's lectionaryVia AVI's "Hard Words" - Matthew 10: 10 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,[a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. 9 “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. 16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! 26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.[b] 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. 34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—36, a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ 37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. 40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” Saturday, February 20. 2021A brief education in Italian food for college credit, reposted Pic is a Northern Italian classic: Veal Tonnato When I grew up, "Italian food" meant various forms of wheat (no egg) pasta with red glop on top, and maybe meatballs or eggplant. That, plus pizza and Italian grinders. Also, Lasagna I guess, made from an American cookbook. They don't make grinders in Italy, and their pizzas aren't any good in my view. (I gave up on them. American wood-cooked pizzas can be pretty good, though. Crust has to be half-burnt.) This was because most of the Italian immigrants to America were from a poor southern Italy with Neapolitan food traditions. To tell the truth, I do not care too much for that stuff but I am willing to eat it if I am starving. I do like a good Pasta Fagiole but I can make the best one you have ever had, and I will have a Bolognese on Tagliatelle. Call me a food snob. Our best Italian meals have been in Umbria, which is where Romans take dining expeditions by the busload - so they can drink and gorge on wild pig, and get a ride home. No good Italian food tastes wonderful without wine. If you're on the wagon, it's not so wonderful unless it includes truffles or Balsamic. They do not use much wine in their cooking because you are supposed to be sipping it as you eat. Wine is expected to be an accompaniment, blending in your mouth. I had a fine Lasagna in Verona for lunch, in a sidewalk cafe near the Arena. No red sauce, heavy on the nutmeg which makes sense, given the history of being part of the Venetian Empire for a while. One Italian dish I really wanted to try in Italy was Vitello Tonnato - Veal with Tuna Sauce. Mrs. BD makes an excellent version, but somehow we missed it on our last trip. Also wanted to try their Chicken Liver with Balsamic, but missed that too. That's OK - food isn't everything - and we know some great Italian restaurants in NYC. Italian Food Regional Cooking: Southern Italy Italian Food Regional Cooking: Central Italy Italian Food Regional Cooking: NorthWest Italy Italian Food Regional Cooking: NorthEast Italy Italian Food Regional Cooking: Sicily and Sardinia Northern Italians eat very well, but are mostly skinny. It's the walking and the minimal pasta that does it. Low carbs.
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Saturday morning linksMartin Luther Rewired Your Brain. How mass literacy, spurred by Protestantism, reconfigured our neural pathways Americans' Lust To 'Cancel' One Another Should Spark Soul Searching Wrongthink at Smith College Baylor students want to remove statue of...Baylor? Facebook's Ban on News in Australia Is Waking People Up Forget About Ted Cruz, Governor Cuomo Killed People… Media Begins Noticing Cuomo’s Toxic Culture … When Aimed At Dems Johns Hopkins Prof Sees US Herd Immunity By April, Fauci Fearmongers 2022 For 'Return To Normality' The Pandemic Is Over. 2020 was the year of government overreach. Make 2021 the year of organized civil disobedience and friendly reunions CNN: Biden ‘Torn’ On Schools Because Of Powerful Democrat Special Interest Groups…Stating the obvious. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Proposes New Election Integrity Measures – Wants To Ban Mail-In Voting Biden’s Executive Order on Gender Discrimination Has Muddied Waters on Title IX. Challenges Could Clear That Up. UK Court Essentially Shuts Down Uber, Lyft Dogs and politics Our Dire Future Under Biden Saturday Verse: Dylan ThomasWritten as prose, A Child's Christmas in Wales might as well be verse. It begins thus:
The whole piece can be read here but, better yet, you can stream Thomas reading it here. (19 minutes) Friday, February 19. 2021CoolDropping a beach buggy on Mars yesterday. Where's the beach?
Only 82
I remember doing that, back before I concluded that road-running was a bad idea. It truly is more fun to run in weather. So he is 82 and out running, and I am much younger and doing HIIT on a stupid treadmill. The "Chef's Knife"Serious chefs travel with a packet of their personal knives, but the all-purpose knife is the Chef's Knife, aka Cook's Knife. My chef friend only uses Gunter Wilhelm knives, but chefs are cooking all day. I guess the high-carbon, high-maintenance ones are the best, but whatever. I like the ones with a curved blade so you can rock it when chopping garlic, parsley, etc. Maybe you only need two knives: a bread knife and a chef's knife. You can sometimes find used high-carbon chef's knives on eBay.
Friday morning linksTexas: Time To Get Rid Of This Ridiculous Wind Power Texas Power Crisis Puts Keystone XL Cancelation in Perspective “If They Can Harass and Silence a Professional Journalist, They Can Silence Anybody” – Twitter Bans Top Conservative Investigative Journalist Paul Sperry Without Warning Australia took a stand against Facebook — and got silenced Biden Got Vaccine Dose in Dec, Now Claims There Was No Vaccine When He Took Office The Evidence Is Clear: We Can Open Schools Safely Now City Of Chicago Reviewing ‘Potentially Offensive’ Statues Including Those Of Lincoln And Washington The Greatest National Security Threat by Any Analysis is China. China Emits About 30% of Global GHGs, Twice US Emissions Thursday, February 18. 2021Thursday morning linksThe Curious Warnings of Kipling’s ‘Copybook Headings’ The Intellectuals' Assault on Intelligence Slate Star Codex and the Gray Lady’s Decay. The New York Times hit piece on a heterodox blogger is a bad stumble — the latest of many Why did The NYT even bother with this guy? Hotcold Take: All The Winter Storm Power Outages Are Linked To ‘Climate Change’ Did Frozen Wind Turbines Impact the Texas Freeze? Here's the Data The False and Exaggerated Claims Still Being Spread About the Capitol Riot - Insisting on factual accuracy does not make one an apologist for the protesters. False reporting is never justified, especially to inflate threat and fear levels. Everything They Don't Like Is Now A Public Health Emergency Harris: We’re Following The Science On School Reopenings Except When Teachers Unions Reject It, Or Something I’m an epidemiologist and a father. Here’s why I’m losing patience with our teachers’ unions. Lori Lightfoot talks truth on teacher-union entitlement How Rush Limbaugh rescued me from liberalism, By Dex Bahr Eating Biden’s Lunch, From the man who said China is not our competition. Joe Biden Excuses the Uyghur Genocide as ‘Just a Chinese Cultural Norm,’ Spreading CCP Propaganda Wednesday, February 17. 2021What's up with art museums?
According to the article below, Manet was the first artist to aspire to have his work placed in a museum. In my view, there are a few of his I'd enjoy as our living room decor but we are out of wall space anyway... POINT OF NO RETURN - Alex Kitnick on the discontent with museums I am ambivalent about art and cultural museums. You get to walk around in a strange reverent hush and look at pictures that you could never afford to hang in your living room. What is the greatest art museum in the world? By all accounts, NYC's Metropolitan Museum. Lots of other wonderful ones (I've been to most of 'em) around the western world to visit, but the Met's scope and abundance is overarching. As you know, my limit is one hour just to see a show or a few things I want to look at. Otherwise I get "museum brain". I had some excellent art history classes in high school and college, not to mention books and the good things from Great Courses. Still, a semi-illiterate with Fine Art. I like to look at all of it, cool pictures. Addendum: Re the Met, I wish they would show a mock-up of the Greek guys - the ones with their penises broken off - with the original Greek paint on them. These were not made as "art". More like Tussaud's or Disney. Wish I knew whether Michelangelo knew that the Greek stuff had been realistically painted.
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Wednesday morning linksMan Asks That You Respect His Preferred Adjectives We Didn’t Start the Fire. How much blame do the baby boomers deserve? “We are in our 50s and have no real retirement savings. What do we do now?” I suggest continuing to work Maryland Teachers’ Unions Still Not Accepting The Offer They Asked For Some Fairfax Students Go Back to School 2 Days a Week, Wear Masks, Sit 6 Feet Apart While Their Teachers Stay Home. Is this really what reopening looks like? CDC Admits It Based School Guidelines on Teacher Input and Stakeholders. Stakeholders, in other words, lobbying groups. Lobbying groups over parents and students. Good things about modern farming methods The Compound Fractures of Identity Politics - Characterizing people by skin color or sexual practice violates core principles of a free society and worsens human divisions. The Grand Illusion (of fair elections) New Comey Email Raises Additional Questions About His Use and Defense of The Steele Dossier. There is a new and intriguing document related to the Russian investigation out this week. Conspiracies everywhere Venezuela Turns to Privatization After Being Bankrupted by Socialism Baby steps Tuesday, February 16. 2021Tuesday morning linksBill Gates Goes Full Captain Planet, Wants To Change 'Every Aspect Of Economy' While We Dine On Fake Meat Snow Takes Down Green Energy Wind Turbines and Solar Panels In US and the World Get Ready for COVID-19 Variants Panic Porn Perma Mandates How The Legacy Media Convinced Americans That Andrew Cuomo Was A Hero Why Did the Pandemic Drive People to Purchase Tons of Toilet Paper? Glenn Loury: Unspeakable Truths about Racial Inequality in America NYC Public High School Calls for White Abolitionists Asylum Seekers Stage Hunger Strike over Quality of Free Hotel Food They Can't Quit Him: Democrats Have a New Plan for How to 'Get' Trump Monday, February 15. 2021Some racing funMonday morning linksSix Skeletons Recovered From 1717 Pirate Ship Wreck A history lesson that floats my boat: the stories of British slave rescues we never hear about Speaking Of Religious Mass Hysteria, How About The Campaign Against Fossil Fuels? VDH: Our Animal Farm - The Left’s 1960s dream is America’s 2021 nightmare VDH sounds depressed #DisruptTexts Tries to Cancel the Odyssey. My experience teaching mythology shows why that’s a terrible idea Ex-NYT Boss Jill Abramson Responds To Unrest At Paper As Woke Activists Dictate Policy Thought Police at The New York Times New York Post Receives Leak, Reveals NYT Columnist’s Scathing Article Against His Own Paper Half Of NY Times Employees Don’t Feel Free To Speak Their Mind At Work… NYT Retracts Story First Published on Jan. 8 That Capitol Hill Police Officer Was Killed by a Fire Extinguisher Thrown by Protesters Diversity, Equity and Inclusion was the Fastest Growing Job Category on LinkedIn in During 2020 There's More Word On How Long the National Guard Might Stay In D.C., It's Starting to Get Crazy Biden Administration Will Allow 25,000 Migrants to Enter U.S. From Mexico Why? NYP: Ugly truth about ‘Honest Joe’: Devine The Biden Administration Calls Out China for Not Cooperating with WHO Investigators Duh Tucker Carlson Asks Question of the Day: The Democrats 'Won Everything,' Why Are They So 'Crazy-Person Mad'? Dowd: Trump’s Taste for Blood - If Republicans won’t convict, bring on the handcuffs The hate is strong in her. It feels personal. Sunday, February 14. 2021Cooking toolsA semi-retired buddy has gotten big into cooking as a hobby. He is especially into old coooking tools on eBay. - Carbon steel chef knives, for example. They need a little maintenance but supposedly are best. Here's an old one from LL Bean he likes:
Cast iron deep fryers.
Sentimental for St. Valentine's DayWe had dear old friends over for dinner last night. Somehow we got on the topic of music boxes and, guess what, I have a Regina with about 25 discs. A charming sound. My Dad had given it to my Mom as a wedding gift. An antique at the time. It works just fine, but I am afraid to over-wind it. Given its age (c 1890) it is probably due its 100-year cleaning and oiling if I can find someone who can do it.
From today's Lectionary: The transfigurationMark 9:2-9 9:2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 9:3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 9:4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 9:5 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 9:6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 9:7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" 9:8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 9:9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. Saturday, February 13. 2021Saturday Bob: We were thereWith some pals and my lad in Wayne, NJ
Saturday morning linksRediscovering Russian Salad - A traditional, unpretentious dish made in kitchens throughout the world turns delicate and refined. Stonehenge: Did the stone circle originally stand in Wales? Transgender Mania is a New Twist on an Old Story Cuomo Unmasked - The New York governor’s long-running media celebration was largely based on a fiction—his dramatic understatement of Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes. Oregon promotes teacher program that seeks to undo 'racism in mathematics' Education Insanity: Top 10 Stories Of The Week Tucker Carlson calls out those trying to shut down his show and Fox News THE TIMES LOSES IT BLM Imbeciles Running Amok Through NYC Again… Progressive Policies Fail in California Biden Cancels Emergency Border Wall Funding As DHS Prepares To Admit 25,000 Migrants Waiting In Mexico This may be the most fearsome US Navy weapon in the Pacific Palestinians: More Corruption as Biden Resumes Financial Aid One reason to have chimney capsFrom my son's house, yesterday. Can you ID that bird?
Friday, February 12. 2021Florida boating and seafood, with comments on masks, marina pubs etc.
Photo of our elegant dormitories at the school. $60/night - not bad for a living room with a chart table, kitchenette, and nice bedroom plus a spare bunk in the hall. Mrs. BD and I spent 8 days in salty Port Salerno, Florida (a suburb of Stuart) to take a couple of powerboating certifications at The Chapman School of Seamanship. First thing, we can recommend them for all levels of seamanship education, from beginner to commercial Captain. Half of our classes were military guys and gals, and were from all over the US and Europe too. The best thing about their classes is that half the time is spent in classroom, half on the water practicing with whatever size and type boat you want to master. They have the dormitory right at their own marina on Manatee Pocket, which was perfect. Classes are from 8 am to about 4 pm. You need to study for an hour or two after you go out somewhere fun for a seafood dinner. Wish I had a pic of that lovely narrow lagoon, but I was usually too busy with boat handling to take a pic. Yes, there are tricky paper exams but the practical water components are useful. Lots of boat traffic to deal with down on the intracoastal waterway in Florida.
A few observations about food, masks, etc below the fold, with a couple of pics. Continue reading "Florida boating and seafood, with comments on masks, marina pubs etc." Friday morning linksA Third Of U.S. Adults Skeptical Of COVID Shots Doctors warn Covid will become endemic and people need to learn to live with it Duh Biden Administration Considering Whether to Impose Domestic Travel Restrictions Most parents think COVID lockdowns damaged their child’s social skills Cuomo Coverup? Aide Admits Nursing Home Data Purposefully Concealed So Feds Wouldn't Find Out History, Heritage, and the Many Troubles with 1619 Sharansky: The Doublethinkers. In assessing my own liberation, I recall a conformity that feels terrifyingly familiar today Gina Carano Fired From 'The Mandalorian' For Comparing Cancel Culture To Nazi Germany President Donald Trump's Accomplishments VDH: The World Goes On While America Sleeps Their Cups Runneth Over. State and local government revenues have recovered from the pandemic, and further federal aid is unnecessary. In government, there is no such thing as "enough" The International Criminal Court Threatens Middle East Peace Thursday, February 11. 2021Thursday morning linksUK: Hospital Suggests Doctors, Nurses Say ‘Birthing Parents’ And ‘Human Milk’ Instead of ‘Mothers’ And ‘Breastmilk’ Because They Risk Offending Transgender People Who’s Up For Some “Pearl Milling Company” Syrup On Their Pancakes? I like Maple Syrup, but no problem with Aunt Jemima. Why Aren’t More Schools Opening? Teachers union pet: Biden moves the goalposts on re-opening schools CDC: Fully vaccinated people don't need to quarantine after COVID exposure That's me. Good to go - and I do. But I always did. CDC Begins Recommending Wearing Two Masks Why not three? College offers racially segregated mental health resources Prof says Tom Brady's 'white male omnipotence' 'buttresses American white supremacy' Title lX: The Due Process Brick Wall CANCEL CULTURE AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ARE MEANS OF CONTROLLING ACCESS TO THE MIDDLE CLASS China Joe Looks To Help “Climate Migrants” Or Something Lee Smith: The American Elite's Primary Allegiance Is No Longer to America, But to the Communist Party of China, That Makes Them Rich and Keeps Them In Power More On The "Stimulus": We're About To Get Scammed Yet Again On "Poverty" Wednesday, February 10. 2021Dietary supplements for people who work out hard with weights, repostedMoving heavy weights is extremely difficult and frequently impossible - or feels impossible. When you move up a notch, it requires as much will power as muscle power. You have to make a loud noise to do it and my place allows those necessary ejaculations. Farts also can occur with intense exertion. I believe in will power, and believe it can be trained in a willing trainee. Physical training is 50% mental training, learning to do what you can't do. It takes a trusted trainer or gym partner to help you past your limit. Just words like "You can do it" or "Gimme one more" or "C'mon, you got it" have a powerful effect - which is the power of a positive relationship. Psychotherapy. Does a little magic help, if only for placebo effect? Most dietary supplements are pure scam. However, we use some of them. - For example, I take a multivit once in a while, when I remember. Maybe only little brats with terrible eating habits need them. I take them for the magic. - Mrs. BD and I make whey protein shakes with berries for after heavy lifting mornings, or use overpriced commercial protein shakes. It's quicker and easier than cooking food. Otherwise, I'll have a hard-boiled egg or two if I can get them down. We keep a bunch of them in the fridge. Supposed to get a protein blast after ripping up muscles with weights. Probably magic, but who knows? If underweight is a problem, add some carbs to breakfast. I should, but I don't want them. - Creatine? Why not? It can't hurt, and probably can add some power to bursts of heavy lifting - full power- lifting and pushing. Application of more power means more muscle damage which leads to more strength. Alternative is to eat lots of steak. For other sorts of exercise it does nothing. - Caffeine? It is one of the basic necessary food groups along with nicotine and beer, so I try to meet my minimum daily requirements as determined by Expert Government Scientists. When you miss a few weeks, or months, of working out
Them's the breaks, I guess. What you mostly lose from those times away is endurance. At least for me, physical endurance declines before muscle strength does. I can pretty much manage the same weights, but fewer reps. And my cardio and calisthenics things are kind of sad compared to a year ago. Use it or lose it is correct. I am back daily for my gym workouts, and it feels harder than before. I think working back gradually might be best, taking a couple of months to get there. What about you?
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