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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Monday, January 2. 2023Monday morning linksPope Benedict: Defender of sacred tradition DECEMBER 31, 1912 Fauci Fibbed on the Day Everything Changed CDC Wants Teachers To Rate Students On Level Of “LGBTQ Inclusivity”… Detransitioners Are Blasphemers Against The Left's Gospel Of Normalizing The Mental Illness Of Transexuals Virginia school district pays almost $500k for ‘equal outcomes’ consultant In the name of ‘equity,’ companies are now ignoring educational achievement U.S. Senator: 'Hate Speech' Not Protected Under First Amendment The incredible weirdness of the Ray Epps saga Revisiting The Rationale For Pouring Money Into Ukraine After 100,000 Migrants Arrive In 2022, Italy Set To Take Action Against NGO Ferry Boats Sunday, January 1. 20232023 will be a good year for hikes
I'm hopeful that we'll find another good NYC urban hike this year, but where to, exactly? I'll leave that to Bulldog. Anyway, after 12 miles of hiking in the wild parts of Provence, and thinking you have arrived only to find that you have another 4 miles over a mountain to get back to your village, it is just toughing it out. But then, finally, you throw down your daypack and have a French beer or two and maybe a smoke. Feels good.
From today's LectionaryMatthew 2:13-23 2:13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." 2:14 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 2:15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son." 2:16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. 2:17 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: 2:18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more." 2:19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 2:20 "Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead." 2:21 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 2:23 There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean." Saturday, December 31. 2022Saturday morning linksPhoto: I hate NY Eve parties, (but I understand that it can be a reasonable excuse to throw a party); Champagne gives me a headache; I hate excess booze (for myself anyway); and there is no way I will willingly stay up until midnight. Call me grumpy. All the same, I wish all a healthy, loving, prosperous and contented 2023. Singing lessons give threatened birds a chance of survival Are These 7 Movies on the Woke Mob’s Chopping Block? From comedies to inconvenient dramas, the following films could be 'Gone' next The Making of Norman Mailer - The young man went to war and became a novelist. But did he ever really come back? WSJ: Jonathan Haidt on the ‘National Crisis’ of Gen Z. Warped by social media and a victimhood culture, today’s young people will imperil American culture and capitalism, the social psychologist warns. Rebalancing the Gender Narrative - Richard Reeves’s new book is a valuable contribution to a gender debate stuck on outdated axioms. The Falsehood of White Privilege Democrats Abandon Free Speech Free speech is reactionary MIT Adopts Free Speech Resolution: "We Cannot Prohibit Speech As Offensive Or Injurious" Powerline: WHY FREE SPEECH IS IMPORTANT Spectator: Do Biden’s words even matter anymore? As his staff once again rushes in to clarify, it isn’t clear who’s running the country NIALL FERGUSON: 2022 was the year we realised we're now fighting Cold War II against China... and this time our opponent is far more fearsome than Russia Friday, December 30. 2022Friday morning linksPolitics and the English Language, 2023 - The continued relevance of George Orwell’s landmark 1946 essay. From work from home to collect at home UK's Lincoln University chiefs are blasted for branding poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson a 'problematic' imperialist British university issues racism trigger warning for classic novel ‘Ivanhoe’ Now Exercise and Physical Fitness Are Racist! Black Astrophysicist Targeted for Not Supporting Smears about NASA’s James Webb That's a "dog bites man" story Wednesday, December 28. 2022Thursday morning linksOpening the black box of bird-window collisions Minimalist Joshua Becker Explains How Distractions Hold Us Back in 'Things That Matter' The Year Reheated Dartmouth $100,000,000 STEM program appears to exclude white men PROF. GIORDANO: Students demanding A’s reflect ‘a growing trend’ 85 times campus cancel culture took down speakers, scholars, statues and more in 2022 "The Kids Are Out To Suck D": White House Trans Invitee Says 'Misinterpreted' A TWITTER FILES FOOTNOTE Supreme Court leaves Title 42 in place for now and Gorsuch is right Habitual Election Denier Rep. Jamie Raskin Calls Electoral College a ‘Danger’ to Democracy, American People Tuesday, December 27. 2022Tuesday morning links
‘Recording The Beatles:’ Looking Back at the Deepest Dive Ever Into the Sound of the Fab Four Stanford’s Naughty and Nice List Stanford University Walks Back Plan to Eliminate ‘Racist’ and ‘Harmful’ Words Like ‘American,’ ‘Grandfather’ After Backlash University Fires Professor for Sharing Image of Muhammed in Islamic Arts Class Top Biden Official Calls For More Big Tech Censorship of Gender “Misinformation” Alzheimer's disease found to be racist! Japan once again embraces nuclear power Monday, December 26. 2022When Mary met the angelMonday morning linksCardinal Dolan reminded us yesterday that Christmas is 12 days or until Epiphany. St. Francis of Assisi and the First Nativity Scene Bob Dylan on Music’s Golden Era vs. Streaming: ‘Everything’s Too Easy’ 33 good news stories you (probably) didn’t hear about in 2022. This year may have felt like a permacrisis you couldn’t stop doomscrolling through, but take heart: there is strong evidence the world is getting better all the time, say analysts at Future Crunch School hides National Merit awards for students to promote "equity" The woke university implosion — and what comes next WaPo Discovers That School Closures Pose Significant Problems—After Relentlessly Advocating for Them GUESS WHAT: ELECTRICITY ISN’T FREE A federal judge essentially says parents have no rights over their children Twitter Files 9 Shows CIA, Other Security State Involvement in Censorship Matt Taibbi Reflects On "Repulsive, Horrifying, Dystopian" World Run By 'Anti-People' Boxing DaySunday, December 25. 2022A Happy Christmas to our readers and friends
Here's my Christmas present to all:
Saturday, December 24. 2022Saturday morning links‘The Nutcracker’: how a Russian composer turned out a highlight of American Christmas Christmas would be nice if it weren’t for all the icky Christian stuff Shoplifting has reportedly become a $94.5B problem for US retailers “Experts” Say Not To Joke About Cold Weather And Global Warming They are no fun " Shouldn’t “less time developing technical skills” matter on an exam focused on, you know, technical skills?" Bari Weiss happy to ‘debate’ FBI over accusation that 'Twitter Files' are 'misinformation' Of Course The Feds Were All Over Twitter About those Trump tax returns DeSantis Democrats Friday, December 23. 2022Friday morning linksDrones can help keep swimmers and sharks safe at the same time. Ongoing tests show drones are an effective way to spot sharks that wander too close to busy beaches. Archaeologists Discover Huge Lost Civilization in Guatemala. A new survey revealed nearly 1,000 Maya settlements, with pyramids and ballcourts, that date back more than 2,000 years. COVID Revisited: Three Years In, It’s Time To Look Back America’s First Fully Automated McDonalds Comes To Texas FIRE's and My Amicus Brief on Connecticut's "Racial Ridicule" Law Biden admin funding AI research to detect and censor "microaggressions" “American” Struck from the Newspeak Dictionary CJ: A Feudal Movement - Climate activists push electrification and degrowth, complementary strategies that would lead to lower standards of living and more government control. Vermont: Thus the racially discriminatory assessment of license fees. You Must Assume That All Information Put Out By Our Government Is Corrupt Did We Lose the War on Poverty? FBI response to Twitter Files is on brand Why Did the FBI Want Joe Biden to Become President? Thursday, December 22. 2022Thursday morning links
Greenfield: THE LIGHT OF CHANUKAH The Perpetually Endangered Polar Bears are Doing Great - There are more polar bears than at any time in 60 years. Ignore the “Tripledemic” Hype. Despite warnings from public-health and media “experts,” the seasonal return of respiratory viruses doesn’t justify the reimposition of Covid-era controls. American kids are in the grip of a gender contagion CDC Changes BMI Charts as Childhood Obesity Skyrockets. Bureaucrats making new charts, instead of correcting the policies that created the problems in the first place. It pays not to work in Biden’s America — and here’s the proof Helping the homeless: drug paraphernalia and "gender affirming care" The pursuit of woke social justice is anathema to America’s flourishing. Musk to Step Down as Twitter CEO Once He Finds 'Someone Foolish' Enough as Successor Thanks to Elon, the FBI has a lot to answer for FBI and Twitter formed a censorship alliance and they can't be allowed to get away with it The Deep State vs Donald Trump saga is not over. Will the J6 Committee backfire as its status as a politicized vendetta becomes unbearably obvious? Why You Need to Stop Worrying and Love Trump Again NAACP President: All I Want for Christmas Is Donald Trump in Handcuffs Why the hate? The naked truth on the Hunter Biden laptop coverup Gov. DeSantis takes aim at Florida teachers' unions with proposal to end automatic dues withdrawal Taliban Bans All Education For Afghan Girls, Ironically As Huge Pallets Of Cash 'Humanitarian' Aid Flown In Wednesday, December 21. 2022Wednesday morning linksThe Winter Solstice at Newgrange Your Fault: A Climate Crisis Weather Nightmare Before Christmas On To The Great Future Of Offshore Wind Power The UK and Ireland to Crack Down on Citizens in the Name of Climate Change 'Shoulder Width Reduction Surgery': The Latest 'Transgender' Aesthetic Mutilation Fad 59% of students fear disagreeing with professor: national survey WELCOME TO STANFORD KINDERGARTEN The FBI and Twitter - how did we get here? Musk Asks Schiff If He Approved 'State Censorship'; Advocates Modern 'Church Commission' To Investigate FBI Corruption Spectator: The January 6 Committee’s recommended charges against Trump, explained. The Department of Justice and Special Counsel Jack Smith will decide whether to prosecute Liberal Writer Shreds the January 6 Criminal Referral Facade With a One Tweet And this:
Dems Vote to Release Six Years of Trump Tax Returns in Stunning Invasion of Privacy CNN Opinion: Indicting Trump would be incredibly controversial, but it may be the only remedy Why Did the FBI Want Joe Biden to Become President? FBI Behind Twitter's Censorship Of The Hunter Biden Laptop - The FBI and intelligence community discredited factual information about Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings both after and before The New York Post revealed them in October 2020 WH Press Sec: Jan 6th Worse Than Pearl Harbor And 9/11… Democrats' Latest Border Narrative Is Clinically Insane Lourmarin at nightLooks deserted, but the cafes of Lourmarin are packed for late supper and drinks, and the piazza is full of kids playing games in the dark in front of the ice-cream shop. Good last-minute Christmas idea: a hike, bike, or otherwise, tour around the villages and vineyards of Luberon. You might decide to move there, like Camus.
Tuesday, December 20. 2022Musings about cheerful Baroque
Mrs. BD and I have been attending a Baroque Chamber Concerto series (Handel, Vivaldi, Bach) at Lincoln Center this month. It helps me greatly to watch the musicians to see who is doing what. With only a handful of musicians at a time, that's easy to see. A few violins and violas, a bass, a harpsichord, rarely a harp, and sometimes bassoon ad/or oboe. Occasional horns too. In a large space it's hard to hear the harpsichord but it's mostly a continuo. Pianny was a great invention. Big noise. Chamber music was/is meant for small spaces. A few facts (I am not well-educated musically, and am tone deaf with zero musical talent): - What is an Oboe D'amore? What is a Viola da Gamba? - The famous baroque composers wrote tons of secular music. That was mainly for courts. Lots of the chamber music was written for pedagogical purposes. Through his entire career, Bach complained about the quality of musicians. They seemed to approximate the scores.
- Bach's six tuneful and popular Brandenburg Concerti (c. 1720) were not unearthed until 1849. It's likely that they were never performed before 1850. - Handel's over-performed Messiah was intended as an Easter oratorio, not for Christmas. Whatever. Here's some Bach concerti for Oboe and Oboe D'amore (with fun Hogarths):
Tuesday morning linksNew York Times Falsely Reports Percentage Of COVID-19 Deaths Reporters don't do math Climate Cult Says You Are Making Winter Storms Worse Yeah, it is "hot cold wet dry" Connecticut Public Schools to Mandate Climate Doctrine The ‘Green Energy Creates Jobs’ Scam Op-Ed Argues 'Put Down the Burger' to Protect Earth's Biodiversity Writer for Mother Jones says all children should eat for ‘free’ "Today San Francisco has what is perhaps the most deserted major downtown in America." I've been in NYC the past three weekends, and it is jammed with people and traffic. Wonderful. Williams College’s DEI efforts include bias reporting system, workshop on ‘Fatphobia’ "Insane, Brave, Karen": Stanford Drops New Woke List Of Verboten Language Sheesh, what retards Almost 40 percent of students identify as LGBTQ at these liberal arts colleges: survey Rising Production Cost – and Rising Resentment. The reasons why higher ed costs so much to produce also explain why historical esteem for higher education has shifted to resentment Big Tech is at the forefront of the nation's epistemological poisoning ‘So Now We Know: Twitter Secretly Erased Conservative Voices – And Let Terrorists Tweet Freely. It’s Savage Proof The Left Fears Ideas More Than Actual Killers.” Gall out in the ‘open’ at the US border WSJ: El Paso Declares Emergency as Migrant Influx Raises Safety Concerns Biden Makes up a Story About Awarding a Purple Heart, and It Gets Much Worse From There Making Trump a martyr Monday, December 19. 2022Another Christmas songAI in writing, music, etc.The Struggle To Be Human - Machines are learning to imitate humans but humans are already imitating machines:
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Monday morning linksThe Covid hysterics’ bleak midwinter. What could be worse than an unmasked and normal Christmas? Goodnight, Poor Harvard! Universities may drop algebra graduation requirement because students find algebra too difficult Scholars push for DEI at mathematics education conference Washington State education board wants a ‘cultural shift’ to ‘indigenous pedagogy’ The Failed Promise of Online Mental-Health Treatment. Heavy advertising and other strategies from Silicon Valley’s playbook boost providers’ growth but not the quality of care The Rise of the DeSantis Democrats. Like Reagan Democrats once upon a time, these voters have already reshaped the political landscape in Florida. Can they do the same nationally in 2024? Why reparations now? We Knew Joe Biden Was a Big Liar, but This Is Ridiculous Trump, For a Limited Time Only. It’s hard to know what to make of Trump’s entry into the world of NFTs. But his commitment to free speech and limiting the activities of deep state censorship should be applauded. People were turned into hamburger': How Putin's arrogance turned the war into a slaughterhouse for his troops Sunday, December 18. 2022From today's Lectionary:Matthew 1:18-25 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 1:19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 1:20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 1:21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 1:22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 1:23 "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us." 1:24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 1:25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. Saturday, December 17. 2022A Christmas CarolThe only version worth watching, 1951 with Alaistair Sim. They sure packed a lot into a short movie about rebirth. The only essential Christmastime film.
Saturday morning linksMost medical professionals don't believe the public health establishment Norwegian Actress Faces 3 Years In Prison For Saying Men Can't Be Lesbians Racist Mayor: Jorge Elorza of Providence fixes racism with $346 checks for every black person. GOP election strategy: Get smart about early voting or get used to losing Friday, December 16. 2022Friday morning linksIt's Time to Rehabilitate 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' Not just light: Everything is a wave, including you After a 15-year decline, more colleges have become hostile to free speech WILL ANYONE PAY A PRICE FOR SUPPRESSING FREEDOM OF SPEECH? We should be so lucky as to have robber barons again. At Canada’s National Gallery, Ideological Enforcers Are Pushing Out Veteran Curators The Detroit school board voted to remove Dr. Ben Carson's name from the Benjamin Carson High School of Science & Medicine. My take: fusion "breakthrough" a total dud Germany Experiences Coldest Winter in a Decade as Energy Crisis Worsens
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