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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Saturday, April 11. 2020Sir Harry's adventures in late 1800s ChinaThe most entertaining way to get some sense of Chinese 19th C history: Flashman and the Dragon. You can see where Mao came from. His horrors were just normal before him. Of course, this is historical fiction but Fraser tried to make it feel realistic. Sir Harry, I feel, was the original James Bond. From Amazon:
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Saturday morning linksA general question: Why don't Beijing or Shanghai have a virus problem? I've seen no answer. Was travel completely blocked? The Resurrection of Jesus in the Light of Jewish Burial Practices Mort Drucker has died, age 94, after many years of drawing covers and other art for Mad Magazine Cardinal Pell’s Acquittal Corrected Many Legal Errors What Do You Do With Your 401(k) During the COVID-19 Crisis 100 years ago, polio terrorized New York. The US defeated the disease in 1972, but it still persists elsewhere. How COVID-19 Could Shift The College Business Model: ‘It’s Hard To Go Back’ Call It a Ponzi Scheme - Even during the Covid-19 crisis, colleges abuse their economic and reputational privileges. Fauci: Coronavirus antibody tests coming, immunity certificates 'being discussed' No, NYC Is Not Running Out of Burial Space Due to COVID-19 Journalists excel at perfect hindsight Democrats seem to be enjoying this authoritarian moment President Trump Says "Two Very Smart People" Came into His Office and Urged Him to Lock Down Economy or 2.2 Million Americans Would Die "Let Them Fail" - Billionaire Explains To Gobsmacked CNBC Host How Capitalism Is Supposed To Work U.S. consumer prices post largest drop in five years amid coronavirus disruptions Libertarians are losing the argument The Climate Crisis Could Maybe Possibly We Think Cause Lots Of Extinctions Or Something ‘Blaming China and WHO Isn’t Scapegoating’ NBC News Reports on Trump’s Crime Against Humanity TRUMP'S MIRACLE DRUG: French Study of 1,000+ Patients Including Seniors See 98% Success Rate with Hydroxychloroquine-Azithromycin Regimen Boeing plans limited return to work next week after coronavirus shutdown: reports Good News: Texas Governor Greg Abbott Eyes Reopening Economy in Texas Leadership Means Reopening America Now Dr. Birx: ‘We’ve taken a very liberal approach to mortality’ Pelosi to Trump: Reopening Country Too Quickly Will 'Make Matters Worse' Racial warrior offended when the Surgeon General tells minorities that behavior affects virus risks FBI failed to review Steele's ties to Russians, warned some of dossier was Moscow disinformation. Declassified footnote lays out intelligence community concerns about Steele's ties to Russia and disinformation FBI Knew Before Mueller Probe That Hillary’s Steele Dossier Was Russian Disinformation What's The Bailout Situation In Europe? House Oversight Committee Members Press WHO for Role in Spreading China’s Propaganda UN’s Irrelevance in Corona Crisis Invites a Rethink of the World Body Holy Saturday: A new commandmentThe commandment was preached by Jesus at the seder, the day before his crucifixion and death. From John's Gospel, Chapter 13: 31Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. 33Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. 34A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Friday, April 10. 2020More John Prine, about marriageIn Spite of Ourselves, with Iris DeMent. Charming:
Friday morning linksThe Plague Has Been Quietly Killing Yellowstone Cougars for a Decade.Researchers found that almost half of the mountain lions they tested showed signs of plague infection Earth Day Founder Dies in Prison After Composting Girlfriend A top German doctor recommends whiskey to protect against COVID-19 Works for me and my father-in-law. Coffee also a miracle preventative. Science says so. Pope Francis Links Bat Soup Virus To ‘Climate Change’ I wish he would just stick to his knitting instead of riding all of his socio-cultural hobby horses. I'd like to give the guy the benefit of doubt, but sheesh. It's Holy Week. Can we focus on Christ instead of talking about the weather? UW-Madison editorial calls to 'decolonize' 'eurocentric, whitewashed, sexist' curriculum Colleges and Universities Already Panicking About Finances Over Shutdowns Vanderleun on lost friends Ace has an amusing and edgy review of the news Bill Gates suggests reopening businesses without vaccine Well, obviously. Life must go on. CDC Relaxing Some Virus Restrictions, Letting Some Essential Workers Return to Work As Insty would say, Faster Please
Gov of S. Dakota:
Kamala Harris Describes a Perfect Coronavirus Response, Accidentally Describing All Things that Trump’s Done Unhinged: James Carville Says Republicans ‘Will Kill People To Stay In Power’… Barr: “No Basis” For Crossfire Hurricane, “One Of The Greatest Travesties In American History” designed to sabotage Trump presidency Sure looks like that Kissinger’s Call for a New World Order Feds move to block China-owned telecom service from operating in US Why the US must quit negotiating with Iran EU Court Of Justice Rules Poland, Hungary, & Czech Republic Broke EU Law Who cares? Thursday, April 9. 2020QQQ"The problem with students straight out of high school is that they believe everything you tell them. The problem with students coming later to college, after they have done something else, is that they don't believe anything you tell them." Some college prof, via AVI's What You See
"When I get to heaven"Thursday morning linksJohn Prine, Singer-Songwriter Known for Wit and Warmth, Dies of Coronavirus at 73 For Passover this year, China will take Pharaoh’s role How to Wear a Face Mask Without Fogging Up Your Glasses 'A disastrous situation': mountains of food wasted as coronavirus scrambles supply chain Supermarkets seem fine. I think most of the issue is the sudden lack of their other commercial orders Trump needs a get-America-back-to-work team Agreed, but maybe they have one already Safety Protocols for Getting Back to Work CDC issues new guidance saying essential workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 can Return to work if showing no symptoms in first step towards reopening the U.S. Good. That is step 1 White House Coronavirus Model Gets Updated Second Time In Four Days, Downgrading Deaths, Hospitalizations Again Dr. Fauci: US Should See 'Beginning of a Turnaround' After This Week The CDC Confesses to Lying About COVID-19 Death Numbers NYC Did Have Ventilators Stockpiled, But They Auctioned Them Off, Now They’re Scrambling They seem to be fine now The FDA Graveyard - Absurd bureaucratic strictures are hindering efforts to fight Covid-19. Trump Admin Expects To Roll Out ‘Millions’ Of These Tests Next Month To Help Reopen The Country Dr. Birx: Relaxing Social Distancing Could Bring Second Wave We get that Coronavirus Death Predictions Bring New Meaning to Hysteria WHO illustrates the idea of regulatory capture Doesn't Everybody "Need" A Bailout? Defense official says media reports about November coronavirus intel assessment are false Fake news, just like Trump's investment Lessons on Leadership From the USS Theodore Roosevelt The pandemic ‘sugar pill’ hospital executives sold the Trump administration in 2018. In a survey released 18 months ago, 86 percent of hospital administrators reported they were prepared for an infectious outbreak. They were not. Joe Biden Sexual Assault Allegation Made Alyssa Milano Backtrack on 'Believing All Women'. Under fire for refusing to support Tara Reade, Milano says she never thought #MeToo would "destroy innocent men." Wednesday, April 8. 2020Wednesday morning linksA yellow fever outbreak made Greenwich Village A book: The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl Historical Photos Of The 1918 Spanish Flu That Show What A Global Pandemic Looked Like In The 1910s Finally, justice for George Cardinal Pell "Jews in Music" Presented by The Genesis Prize Foundation - video NYC schools pull the plug on Zoom following FBI warning Zoom = China BlackBerry uncovers China-backed hacking campaign Heroes of the pandemic: Former CEO of RadioShack now an ER doctor on frontlines of COVID-19 fight The Origin of the COVID-19 Outbreak in Wuhan. We don’t know yet. But contrary to recent reporting, science does not rule out a lab accident or even bioterrorism. Paris Announces Ban On Outdoor Exercise Why? VENTILATORS ARE NO PANACEA Of course not Blame Trump! No vaccine will cure this virus. Experts Recommend Disinfecting Television After Trump Has Been On
Doctor: Prepare For 18 More Months Of Distancing And Economic Pain. We Have No Choice. Doctors have tunnel vision WSJ: In Coronavirus Response, Republicans and Democrats Like Big Government. Policies to contain the pandemic fallout could redefine Washington’s role in the economy Good News: Cuomo Says NY Curve Is Flattening, They Haven’t Lost Anyone Due to Lack of Equipment Officials See Signs Pandemic’s Toll May Not Match Worst Fears Government To Decide What Items Are Essential Purchases And What Things You're Not Allowed To Buy Tucker Carlson Drops a MOAB on Mainstream Media Hydroxychloroquine Deniers A commenter somewhere:
NY Times Deceptively Reports That Trump Has ‘Financial Interest’ in Hydroxychloroquine Of course Libs Triggered After Trump Asks Reporter, ‘Who Are You Working for, China?’; Turns out She Does For a Chinese propaganda org, no less More People Died Of Suicide Last Week In Tennessee Than COVID-19 There's the problem Durham’s On the Way. The investigation that will push coronavirus aside. We'll see... Tuesday, April 7. 2020What's cookin'?
I get the impression that people are making home-cooked meals during this so-called quarantine. This weekend, I made this: Marcella's beef braised in red wine. Not bad at all, an Italian pot roast I guess. My photo is before the 3 hrs of cooking. Are y'all cooking at home more now? Tuesday morning linksAdmiral Whitey Feightner, RIP White House-backed panel uses AI to distill data needed to battle coronavirus Government watchdog: Hospitals face severe shortages of medical gear, confusing guidance from government IHME Sharply Reduces Projected Hospitalizations As Data Shows NY’s Curve Is Flattening; Update: Deaths In NY Flat, Not Rising; Update: Hospitalizations Down VDH via Powerline: The media are getting worse and worse Steady, devout Mike Pence leads coronavirus fight past the haters Powerline: A party of haters Democrats Prep to Blame Trump for the Coronavirus Economy CBS News Posts Fraudulent Viral Video of Sobbing ICU Nurse Who Quit Her Job Over Poor Working Conditions, Mask Shortage -- It Was All a Lie Connecticut’s governor really should resign if he did this News media, liberals mock conservatives for early pandemic comments they made themselves. Analysis of three months of public comments shows health officials, liberals and media personalities made comments similar to conservatives now being mocked. US aircraft carrier should never have been sent to Vietnam. US Navy knew of the risk posed by Covid-19 on board ships but still sent the Theodore Roosevelt to Da Nang How the coronavirus lockdown is hitting Mexico's drug cartels China's Ongoing Atrocious Conduct In Virus Propaganda WHO director faces calls for resignation over handling of coronavirus, China Monday, April 6. 2020Monday morning links
TOP 10 ZOMBIE MOVIES EVERY HORROR FAN NEEDS TO WATCH Bored at Home? Here's a Massive List of Museums, Zoos, and Theme Parks Offering Virtual Tours Who is bored at home? Not possible. Snuggle with a No Parties, No Problem: Introverts Don’t Mind Sheltering At Home They love the excuse Dear Colleges, Please Let Grades Mean Something They do not. Gotta please the customers. They are paying for "A"s, so they get them. Participation trophies. What happens if your Apple products break during the coronavirus pandemic? I gave up apples for Lent. Also Tequila, kale, salad, and quinoa. For serious, tobacco. That's serious for we of Indian blood. Zoom’s Encryption is Tied to China, Raises More Concerns Zoom = China There’s another side to the story of the fired Navy captain Many civilians don't understand the deal these people made. Serious deal, deadly serious. Illegal Border Crossing Down to 'Next to Nothing' - Less Than 150 Apprehensions a Day For Almost a Week A big "What If?" Did Trump Ruin Our Economy for Nothing?
At Some Point The Cure Really Will Be Worse Than The Disease TALES OF COLLATERAL DAMAGE So many such stories out there. Painful. Peak Buffoonery: Paddleboarder in Ocean Off Malibu Is Arrested for Not Socially Distancing President Trump needs to set the country free now But every death until November will be his fault Reporter Presses Trump To Shutdown Grocery Stores, Fast Food Restaurants Coronavirus Case Counts Are Meaningless - *Unless you know something about testing. And even then, it gets complicated. We have no data. The reality might be worse, might be better. According to CDC: 0.2% to 1.8% of All US Deaths Since February are Confirmed or Presumed to be Due to COVID-19 Majority Of Coronavirus Patients On Ventilators Go On To Die A ventilator (unless post-op) always means you are in deep, deep trouble Bill Gates-Funded IHME Coronavirus Model Wrong Again - 12,000 ICU Beds Projected For New York Today, Only 4,100 Used Trump names White House lawyer to be watchdog over coronavirus bailout money. Brian Anderson will make sure taxpayer money is spent correctly during the pandemic Good Even Althouse is beginning to appreciate Trump. Never thought I'd seen that happen Media mystified as America rallies behind President Trump during coronavirus crisis After NY Times Caves On Hydroxychloroquine, Twitter Hero Posts Screenshots From EVERYONE Who Mocked Trump For Promoting It Dr. Birx To CNN Reporter: Keep The Politics Out Of It, Buddy The Real Coronavirus Chronology Shows Trump Was On Top Of It While Biden Was Mocking The Danger. No media or Nancy Pelosi false narratives or phony Joe Biden campaign ad can change the truth about the real chronology of the coronavirus. Trump was following Dr Fauci, who in January said it was just a flu. Has Dr. F ever been right? He constantly changes his mind, but he has Trump's ear European Leaders Lament: Coronavirus Might Just Kill The EU Too Anger in Italy, Defiance in Eastern Europe - Will the Coronavirus Mean the End of the Globalist EU? Let's hope so. If unlimited illegal immigration didn't World Health Organization Under Fire for Being Chinese Apologists Daily funnies: Venezuelan Naval Vessel Sank After Picking Fight With A Cruise Ship China joins UN Human Rights Council panel despite troubling record, response to coronavirus The UN is a joke From The Atlantic!: Consider the Possibility That Trump Is Right About China No! No! No! Trump admin weighs legal action over alleged Chinese hoarding of PPE Sunday, April 5. 2020HandyA pal and reader sent me a photo of his basement set-up. Timely, considering the preceding post. Of course free weights are the best, but a good safe machine is second-best especially without a spotter.
From today's Lectionary: Palm SundayThings are strange these days without going to church. Yes, it's already Palm Sunday. Matthew 21:1-11 21:1 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 21:2 saying to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 21:3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, 'The Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately." 21:4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 21:5 "Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey." 21:6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 21:7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 21:8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 21:9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" 21:10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" 21:11 The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee. Ring them Bells, for Palm Sunday"Well it's rush hour now, for the wheel and the plow, and the sun is going down upon the sacred cow." Sarah Jarocz' cover of Dylan's song. Vivid lyrics here
Saturday, April 4. 2020Maple SugarSaturday morning linksCorona beer suspends production due to coronavirus Colleges nationwide suspend ACT/SAT admissions requirements Online Learning Finds Its Moment. Covid-19 could force an overdue revolution in higher education. "Unanticipated Shock" - Under Armour Lays Off 6,700 Workers, Stores Shuttered "Indefinitely" Department Of Transportation Will Make Airlines Offer Refunds For Cancelled Flights I am a New York food courier. Right now, it's worse than you think What Everyone’s Getting Wrong About The Toilet Paper Shortage After mocking Trump for promoting hydroxychloroquine, journalists acknowledge it might treat coronavirus Is the coronavirus airborne? Experts can’t agree Our Super Smart Elite Shines During This Pandemic!
The Free Press Is Now a Propaganda Organ Do the Media Hate Trump More Than They Hate the Virus? A Sick Media - They use the coronavirus crisis to play propagandistic arbiters. How About Another $2 Trillion For "Infrastructure"? The Coronavirus: What Would Joe Biden Do? Thanks to Trump's Emergency Order to Seal the Border, Illegal Border Crossers Are Being Deported Back to Mexico in an Average of 96 Minutes from Apprehension Mueller’s hidden evidence: Translator exonerated Don Jr. in Trump Tower meeting. Infamous meeting did not focus on Clinton dirt but on Magnitsky Act, newly released FBI memos show. Friday, April 3. 2020Did you ever grow cardoons (cardoni)?I never have, but a friend is sending me some seeds to try. Eating cardoons. Like finocchio (fennel), it grows wild in the Med region.
Is this pandemic really as terrible as portrayed?Yes, it is stressing hospitals in hot spots, but compared to what? As Bulldog suggested yesterday, this virus is partly a political and media event - not entirely medical as with the past nasty viral epidemics. From an epidemic expert, The Severity of the CoVID-19 Epidemic is Not as Bad as You Think, According to the Numbers. As with any viral illness, it's best to protect the frail and elderly. Best, but rarely possible. Numbers are cold things, death is not, but some perspective on the big picture is good.
Friday morning linksTraces of ancient rainforest in Antarctica point to a warmer prehistoric world About DC's cherry blossoms Full Surrogacy Now: Feminism Against Family—A Review Polyamory In A Pandemic: Who Do You Quarantine With When You’re Not Monogamous? Tips From Someone With Nearly 50 Years Of Social Distancing Experience MORE BAD WUHAN CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS New York Data Confirms Once Again – 99% of Coronavirus Fatalities Have Pre-Existing Conditions – 94% of Fatalities Over Age 45 Hydroxychloroquine Rated ‘Most Effective Therapy’ By Doctors For Coronavirus: Global Survey That look on Jake Tapper’s face when CA Gov. Gavin Newsom insists Trump’s been “responsive to our needs” Gavin Newsom: Virus Is “Opportunity for Reimagining a Progressive Era As It Pertains To Capitalism” Cuomo Helped Get New York Into This Mess. The governor’s position on health care spending looked starkly different a couple of months ago. The FBI Can’t Be Trusted With the Surveillance of Americans. Trump slams ‘partisan' probes after Pelosi announces coronavirus committee: ‘Here we go again’ Powerline: THE CHINA SYNDROME Chinese Doctor Who Attempted To Warn Others About Coronavirus Has Disappeared Putin Extends Shutdown For A Month, Moscow Residents Tracked By Mandatory Cell Phone App Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, What Daily Life Is Like in Italy Now Thursday, April 2. 2020ShakshukaSeems like the middle-eastern version of Huevos Rancheros. Huevos Heartburn for me. Bruce and his kids love this: Shakshuka recipe Fitness: I went out for an HIIT run Tuesday morning in the dark
I remember doing 1-mile sprints for training. Long ago. Also remember my 20-mile morning runs. Lucky me - no joint problems. I quit it in time. Readers know we oppose road running for the toll it takes on joints, but a month, twice a week, is fine with me although I'd like to get back to the treadmill and stair machine for my HIIT. What did I learn from it? The pounding surprised me, even though I was a road-runner and racer in my youth. I also learned that a hat and gloves might be nice when it's chilly, despite the sweat from the sprints. Finally, it is so much more interesting than watching CNN in the gym. Maybe I should try biking, but our bikes were all stolen and I will not wear that biking gear. Your thoughts?
Thursday morning linksThe dogs of war: WW1 in Alsace and Vosges – Secret search for sled dogs : Code name «Poilus d’Alaska» Answering the coronavirus: exponential American innovation Developing Covid-19 Vaccines at Pandemic Speed "This is the Beginning of the End of the Pandemic" - Dr. Stephen Smith Announces Hydroxy-Choloroquine Study that is "Game Changer" in Battle Against Coronavirus If that holds up, great Coronavirus Death Rate Is Lower Than Previously Reported, Study Says Very likely. The stats are dubious Powerline: "Regular readers will not be surprised to know that I am one of the 32% who are Very Concerned." (about shutdown and economy) If The Virus Hadn’t Caused The Crash, Something Else Would Have Hmmm. Maybe a correction, but not this The mysterious case of the people who ate fish tank cleaner Trump Destroys Connecticut Governor's Claim the Strategic National Stockpile Has Been Emptied Someone ought to tell House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the coronavirus outbreak, because her laser focus on pushing her political agenda suggests she’s unaware of it. MSNBC saw the virus coming before anyone else. But didn't mention it Trump isn't 'finally' relying on experts. He often does He's skeptical of experts, as we all should be. But he is persuadable. Tucker: WHO chief praises, covers for China DEEP ROT AT THE FBI (AND THE TIMES) Jim Jordan and Lindsey Graham seek DOJ watchdog testimony on new FISA abuse report Milestone: 600+ Title IX/Due Process Lawsuits in Behalf of Accused Students General Milley Drops Hammer On Mexican Cartels: ‘We Will Defend Our Country Regardless Of The Cost’ Why Winning the War In Afghanistan Meant Losing to the Taliban. The Taliban will seek to run Afghanistan in line with their values and. America will have to stand back and watch. Not my job Wednesday, April 1. 2020Another beginner's at-home workout routine, no equipment
We like to introduce people to various beginner's routines. This one is simple and pretty good. Done daily for 2 or 3 weeks (it should be easy by then), a person can move on to more challenging fitness programs. 20 body weight squats. Repeat for 3 rounds.
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