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. |
Our Recent Essays Behind the Front Page
Categories
QuicksearchLinks
Blog Administration |
Sunday, December 29. 2019The sermon in fullWe posted a bit of it a few days ago, but here's the entire excellent thing. Speaking with no notes, mind you:
Legal essay on campus justiceFrom today's Lectionary: Praise the LordPsalm 148 148:1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights! 148:2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host! 148:3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars! 148:4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! 148:5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created. 148:6 He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. 148:7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, 148:8 fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! 148:9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! 148:10 Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! 148:11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! 148:12 Young men and women alike, old and young together! 148:13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven. 148:14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the LORD! Saturday, December 28. 2019Saturday morning linksDon Imus, RIP Enjoyed his radio show on and off for years. Stubbornly refused treatment for his prostate cancer - chose herbal treatments. Nordstrom's Bans 85-Year-Old Salvation Army Bell Ringer Hard to believe, but true What any of this has to do with “A Christmas Carol,” God only knows. Weather: Failed Serial Doomcasting Court Upholds Obama's Atlantic Ocean Monument The FBI’s FISA Frauds - Until this scandal is addressed squarely the FBI’s reputation will remain mud. Rachel Maddow Called Out By WaPo Columnist For Shamelessly Peddling Fake News David Brooks: The media is broken The guy lives in a bubble Billboards Pop Up Around Virginia Amid Second Amendment Uprising: Bloomberg Gun Confiscation Starts In 2 Weeks Two More Virginia Counties Declare Themselves Second Amendment Sanctuaries, Making Ninety One Percent of Counties in Rebellion Against Democrat Gun Confiscation Sheesh, like the Whiskey Rebellion Bernie Sanders is starting to scare them How about Bernie vs. Biden? Trump’s Economy Keeps Tripping Up Democrats - The data and consumer sentiment are on the president’s side. Gaetz: I ‘Believe’ Dems When They Say They Aren’t Done Investigating Impeachment I predict four more years of it ISIS terrorists mark Christmas by beheading 10 Christians on video When all of the evidence is collected together, it is as if Amnesty has declared war on Israel - Researcher David Collier sets out the findings from his new 200-page report on the NGO The blood-dimmed tide - Syrian chaos reflects the conclusive breakdown of the post Cold War regional order. Saturday verse for a new year: Max EhrmannDesiderata Go placidly amid the noise and haste, Speak your truth quietly and clearly; Avoid loud and aggressive persons, Keep interested in your own career, however humble; Be yourself. Take kindly the counsel of the years, You are a child of the universe, Therefore be at peace with God, With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952. Friday, December 27. 2019Waiting in Yankeeland - on Christmas EveThe BD HQ late Tuesday afternoon, awaiting our gals to arrive from the big city to put the decorations on the tree with a bit of help from my father-in-law and some bourbon eggnog. Our lad and his brood tomorrow. No fireplace fires until after candlelight church. I do not like to leave a house with a blaze. Cozy and Yankee-style, I feel. I love this old-timey farmhouse space. One daughter can handle the piano pretty well, and Mrs. BD is a hacker but can bang out a carol or tune when needed. Just takes her a minute or two to get it right.
Friday morning linksImpossible burgers are made of what? Don’t Buy Ring Or Other Home Surveillance Devices For Anyone, Ever World’s oldest forest found in New York state - The 385-million-year-old fossils show that trees evolved modern features millions of years earlier than previously estimated. Relocation Subsidies Can Help Workers and Struggling Regions As More Evidence Implicates Vitamin E Acetate in Lung Injuries, the Press Continues to Blame E-Cigarettes That Don't Contain It Males Are Faring Much Worse Than Females: Busting the Myth of Male Privilege in a Single Chart Embattled union honchos’ lavish spending exposed: Villas, four-figure dinners, $60,000 cigar bill Carbon Tax: the Big City 'Incentivizes' Rural Vermonters On the idea that the Hallmark Channel is fascist and totalitarian Deplorables Versus the Ruling Class: A Global Struggle Why Conservatives Should Take Their Fight To The Cities 2019 Man of the Year: Kellyanne Conway’s Husband The New York Times Reveals the Real Reason Why Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren Can’t Gain Traction Look at All the Media Figures Who Lied to Us About the Carter Page FISA Warrants and the Steele Dossier Historian Doug Wead: Every Foreign Intelligence Service Knew within 24 Hours Trump-Russia Collusion was Bogus Story CBC Cuts Donald Trump's 'Home Alone 2' Cameo Out of Broadcast WaPo: The True Meaning Of Christmas Is That Trump Is Terrible BBC Video: It’s Merry Impeachment, Not Merry Christmas, America Salon Feminazi: ‘Merry Christmas!’ Is Conservative Code For ‘F*ck You!’ Turkey’s Erdogan: Europe ‘Will Feel’ New Migrant Wave Brussels Chaos: Spain Follows Poland In Shock Threat To Quit EU Thursday, December 26. 2019Making urban America work: A fascinating longish read about NYC's Penn StationThis Is Why Your Holiday Travel Is Awful - The long, sordid history of New York’s Penn Station shows how progressives have made it too hard for the government to do big things—and why, believe it or not, Robert Caro is to blame.
Thursday afternoon links" CREATING THE NEW IGNORANCE”: A CHRISTMAS DAY IDYLL WITH C.S. LEWIS On Christmas, a heart surgeon and his family offer a different kind of healing at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center Notre Dame Cathedral only has 50% chance of being saved after fire: rector Phone Trump. He can fix anything. Upside-Down World: Kanye West Preaches The Gospel As Pope Francis Tells People Not To Evangelize Ram Dass: Another Ghost from My Youth Why Guys Should Steer Clear of Impossible Whoppers Angry Tears Flow As Politicians Fail To Stop “Climate Darkness” In Madrid Why I quit Twitter — and you should, too Virginia Governor Northam Increases Corrections Budget In Anticipation Of Jailing Gun Owners Democrat Lawmakers From Virginia Call for General Robert E. Lee Statue to be Removed From U.S. Capitol The Corruptions of Power - Will former U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power ever learn? Hunter Biden Allegedly The Subject Of Multiple Criminal Investigations House Democrats Mull Second Impeachment WE NOW KNOW: DEVIN NUNES REFLECTS British Ex-Spy Christopher Steele Shared More Anti-Trump Fake Conspiracy Theories With the FBI Isis in Iraq: Militants 'getting stronger again' Idiots. Not my problem. Trump Moves the Ball on China Trade - Thoughts on “phase one” of the administration’s evolving agreement with Beijing Life in America: Boxing Day
Boxing Day is the traditional day to be generous to all those who help us during the year. We give $ to the garbage man, the mailman, the cleaning gals, and of course to my 4:45 AM regular Dunkin guy who works the night shift at my 24-hr Dunkin. These folks appreciate being shown our appreciation. The docs just get fruit baskets. They are health nuts, believe in eating fruits and nuts. I do not, much, although I will go for a pear or an apple pie. I hope our readers had a blessed Christmas or a happy Hannukah. The BD clan did have a classic Yankeeland one. Life in America: Perfect candlelight service about Grace and Truth, an early Christmas morning family workout at the gym, scrambled eggs with salmon (and pannetone of course - very Yankee), then the girls entertained us with Christmas carol duets with one's new guitar and the other's new keyboard for her apartment in NYC. Gosh, I love family music no matter how imperfect. One of my daughters sings like an angel, the other like a Screech Owl. Son can't sing a lick and neither can I. Then a "hike" to the countryside, and, finally home, the kids made us filet with roasted sweet potatoes and sauteed brussel sprouts while my father-in-law dozed by the fire with a glass of rare 25 year-old single malt whiskey which tastes like candy. They cleaned up everything too. Always do. Daughter was still practicing a Mendelssohn piece when I retired for the evening, banging away by a merry fire with an assortment of 4-letter words. This morning was a heavy weights day, so I had to be rested and ready. She's a Mendelssohn gal, I'm a Schubert guy but Mendelssohn second. I want my guitar daughter to work on country blues, but kids do what they will do. They have their own minds and directions...for better or worse. Tuesday, December 24. 2019Best night of the yearPavarotti from Notre Dame. Place is closed this year for the first time in centuries.
Christmastime in Manhattan
To add to the jollity are the cheerful crowds in midtown. These people, opposite the Tree, are watching the stunning light show on the walls of Saks. Literally nobody had shopping bags - people just loving the vitality and fun. Secular or religious, it's not about shopping. Love this place for vitality, the country for serenity and manual labor. 'Twas a late night for us - but your Editor made it to the gym this morning before work. Like y'all did.
Tuesday morning links
University Rejects Animal-Rights Club Over ‘Emotional Risk’ Concerns Sheesh U.S. Prefers Mass Hysteria to Sound Policy on Vaping - Saving the lives of millions of smokers isn’t a priority. Protecting kids from nicotine seems to matter more. Boston: Renaming Dudley Square "I don’t want to die!" Climate Exploitation of Children Trump is Right, Windmills are Terrible The demand for white supremacists vastly exceeds the supply Lots of Europeans want to live without chemicals No education, I spose. Including dihydrogen monoxide? Transgender Contractor Sues Nike, Citing Personal Pronoun Abuses Issues 2020: A Fracking Ban Would Trigger Global Recession Voters Love the Trump Economy CNBC Reporter Thinks Journalists Are Being Too Fair To Republicans SHOCK: Inspector General Report Reveals FBI Had Informants Inside The Trump Campaign Crossfire Hurricane Investigation May Have Been a Joint Operation Between the FBI and CIA Sure smells like it The indelible mark of impeachment. - I kept seeing that word — "indelible." Trump learned from President Nixon's mishandling of the press: "it is not paranoia when they really are out to kill you" The Hague vs. Israel: Everything you need to know about the ICC Palestine probe Turkey Can't Handle New Refugee Explosion & Greece Will Be First To Feel Impact: Erdogan Monday, December 23. 2019Arthur McBrideHe and his cousin Arthur McBride had an exciting Christmas Day walk. Dylan did a good cover of this Irish song but it's not on youtube. This is much better anyway.
Monday morning linksMicrosoft Removes Santa Hat Icon After a Single User Complained It Was 'Pushing Religion' You Think You Know What Hanukkah Is All About? Think Again How Social Work Became the Pit of Despair It Is Today Derailing Australia’s Campus Rape Panic Seeing the Light about the Pending Climate Apocalypse Boeing Starliner Spaceship Fails Critical Flight Test After Malfunction Save Me from My Defenders! A protest against me, and its aftermath, at Bard College by Ruth R. Wisse Jobs in Joe Biden's gunsights are America's highest paid 12 Stories The Media Got Horribly Wrong In 2019 - As the year comes to a close, here are a dozen of the top stories the media majorly messed up. The Horowitz Report: Yes, It Gets Worse BARR VERSUS COMEY Lindsey Graham Promises to Call in EVERY PERSON Who Signed Bogus Carter Page FISA Warrants …Comey, McCabe, Yates, Rosenstein… Schiff: ‘It’s Hard to Be Sympathetic’ Towards Carter Page Even Though He Was a Victim of FISA Abuse Judicial Watch Files A Lawsuit Against Adam Schiff And The House Intelligence Committee Over Phone Records U.N. Imposes Strict Gender Quotas on British Army for Africa Jihadi Fight Boris Johnson's Victory Heralds A Golden Era In US-UK Relations ‘This is mass rape’: China slammed over program that ‘appoints’ men to sleep with Uighur women Sunday, December 22. 2019Christmas churchIf you're a Christian, when do you go to church on Christmas week? It comes up because we "went to church" this morning with my father-in-law. We did indeed go, but they had canceled the early service today so we went to the diner instead and gave the waitress a big Christmas tip. We missed the memo. Mrs. BD and her Dad had 2 eggs benedicts; I had scrambled eggs and bacon. When I was growing up (Congregationalist), we would often go on Christmas morning, sometimes to the candlelight service on Christmas Eve. Doing both is a real job for pastors, but they signed up for it. Our Congo church now only does Christmas Eve - 3 services. Pastor has a bunch of young kids. I believe Roman Catholics still do a midnight Mass and a Christmas Day Mass. A note at our favorite diner made it clear that they have planned a special Christmas Day meal, all day. That's really nice, especially for lonely people. Sweet friendly people work there. Greeks, mostly.
My Sharpie is backHe is back to feeding on the sparrows at my bird feeder. Quite a sight to see him trying to swoop in low under the radar from his perch, then chasing a bird through the bushes with much thrashing around. Most of his attacks fail, but clearly enough succeed to keep him around. I sometimes term my bird-feeder a Sharpie-feeding station. Somebody should call PETA, because if I did these sorts of things to little songbirds, I'd end up in jail. They are accipters. "Hawks," in the US, is generally used to apply to Accipters, Buteos, and Falcons. Each raptor genus is readily identifiable by profile, regardless of size, maturity, or species. Quick and easy Christmas or Hannukah present ideasPeople over 35 tend to prefer experiences over material stuff unless it's a fun new sports car. A few ideas: - A rocky Mountain or European guided hiking trip. All sorts of good ones for all levels of fitness on the internet. - A charitable donation to something good, in their name. - 7 weeks of 3 day/week sessions with a trainer at a local gym. That's enough time to get the fundamentals of calis and weights, so the spouse can do it on his or her own daily, afterwards. Make sure trainer knows enough about nutrition to handle either muscle-toning or fat loss/weight gain, and is not a musclehead. A skinny friend gained 13 rock-hard lbs from lifting over 10 months. - 6 months of weekly T injections for the male spouse. It might make the female spouse happier in an animal sense, and the male spouse stronger. - Tickets for the NYC Ballet always makes the female spouse happy. Happy wife, happy life. If remote, grab a hotel room. Fun. Just not the darn Nutcracker. - A firearms class of any sort, whether for handgun permit, clays, whatever. Good fun. Guns are fun for guys and gals. My girls get a kick out of shooting (but this year they need/want more musical instruments). I heartily approve of home-made music. Ability without talent is good enough to make a house a home. Mrs. BD and my daughters have ability. My son, not so much it seems, to his sorrow. Vocally, all of us are zeros but that's what instruments are for. Just takes brains. - Give a gift of a year of Maggie's Farm. It's free, all it takes is the gift of a link to us. From 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 21. 2019Saturday morning links
Photo from Family shocked by “moving ornament” in Christmas tree A memorable tree for them. Poor bird is far from home, though. Amusing: Florida Man Friday: Worst Cleanup on Aisle Six Ever CNN Anchor: Trump Should Listen When Women Tell Him We Have ’12 Years’ Until the World Ends Shouldn't the media report how bad previous climate change predictions have been instead of participating in the indoctrination? Yes, but... History’s Largest Mining Operation Is About to Begin - It’s underwater Bipartisan Congress showers health care industry with multi-billion victory after wagging finger at it for much of 2019 Now Alcohol and Sugar Are Even Worse for the Planet Than Eating Meat Bottom line: Don't eat or drink British Academic Wants To Ban The Insults "Nerd" And "Geek" As Hate Crimes As an ex-nerd, or current nerd, can I call her an idiot a-hole, or is that hate crime too? Bill Gates' educational plans don't work NAS Commends President Trump’s Executive Orders: No More Law by Dear Colleague Letter The Fracking Decade Economic Inequality—Populism’s Rallying Cry Make the wealthy poorer - statistical problem solved. If you have more than one house, let the gummint take the others. Then your IRA. Why not, if equality is sacred? Chris Hayes’ Mini-Rant About Whiteness of House GOP Ends Badly After People Point to MSNBC’s Lineup The Vindication of Sean Hannity - A relentless pursuit of the truth. CA Dem Gov. Newsom Lashes Out At Trump, GOP For Not Helping Solve California’s Homeless Crisis That's the feds' problem? I don't think so. It's local. AG Barr: James Comey is a Serial Liar Wow. Saint Comey? " The Horowitz report makes clear that multiple news cycles over the past few years were dominated by reports that were either incorrect or lacking factual foundation." True, only chumps believe the news Trump-branded properties lost value since the 2016 election, study shows Predictable. Honey Badger don't care. When Hate Becomes an Agenda - Trump so infuriated his opponents that, rather than find arguments to convince a majority of Americans that the president’s policies were flawed, his enemies instead sought to destroy him. Haters gotta hate on something Will Washington media expose the liars who spun the Trump-Russia hoax? 6 Reasons Pelosi’s Senate Obstruction Gambit On Impeachment Articles Is A Disaster How Trump Won 2019 - Column: Thank his opponents Democrats are making a farce of impeachment Merry Impeachmas’ — Washington Post Reporters Appear To Celebrate Impeachment Of course Trump-Obsessed German Media Cheer Impeachment: ‘Huge Success for the Democratic Party’ In Haiti, UN Peacekeepers Fathered Hundreds of Children and Abandoned the Mothers They always do that Friday, December 20. 2019Christmastime BobHave yourself a merry little Christmas
Mulled WineA traditional, festive punch for holiday season and for winter days: Mulled Wine If it comes to a boil, the alcohol will boil off. Best just to warm it up for 20 minutes or so. Friday morning linksLots more images from Liberty Arms here - gun store wisdom Robot can make 300 pizzas an hour NY Times: Why Not Embrace Super Long Trips To Avoid Flight Shaming Or Something "One huge drawback of nuclear energy is that it doesn't dismantle systems of oppression - it only produces clean energy." America Has World’s Highest Rate Of Single-Parent Households The UK: A charity worker was fired because she expressed the illegal opinion that biological sex is real and not just a fantasy. The casual misandry that masquerades as ciriticism of men ‘Social Justice’ Ideology Is Damaging American Values Three years in prison seems like an awfully light sentence for an action that could have killed a planeload of people. California Energy Situation Bad and Getting Worse 2020 census: Surge in immigrants to take 24 House seats from Trump states Jacobin: Bernie can win Charter School Advocates Crash Democrat Debate, Trash Elizabeth Warren Trump Gets Massive Post-Impeachment Victory As USMCA Passes House Winning for America US Economy in Longest Expansion Ever Winning for America As House votes to impeach Trump, McConnell pushes 13 judge nominations through Senate Winning for America Trump Signs ‘Groundbreaking’ Legislation Supporting Historically Black Colleges And Universities Winning for America
Did anyone really think the Democrats were serious when they put on those long faces for the nightly news and cast their impeachment votes? Democrats impeach. America yawns Tucker on Democrats’ Impeachment Vote: “It Is Kind of a Jonestown Dynamic Where They All Know It’s Going to End Badly” Kimball: The real impeachment scandal. The Democrats are always guilty of what they accuse Trump of Get The Hell Out Of Afghanistan Now Margaret Thatcher's Amazing Prophecy On The EU Europe's Humiliation Thursday, December 19. 2019Thursday morning linksPhoto of holly on ice. We had a nice minor ice storm the other day ‘Christmas With Your Jewish Boyfriend’: A Jewish jazz guitarist recorded a dozen famous Christmas songs written by Jews The Highest-Paid YouTube Stars of 2019: The Kids Are Killing It NYU students say ‘Join Us if You Hate NYU’ Holy Cross dean defends protestors who disrupted Heather Mac Donald lecture I guess he didn't want to hear what Heather had to say either Louis Meyers: Bending the cost curve on higher education Who Is Winning The Climate Wars? (2) Northeastern States Look To Implement Transportation Climate Initiative We like horses How Marxists Invented “Hispanics” Black Nationalist Hate Group Praised by Media Shot Up Kosher Market How Out Of Control Is Our Surveillance State? Establishment Journalists Call For Big Tech To Censor Everyone Else Facing a 2020 drubbing, the left begins lining up its excuses Horowitz hits FBI 'failures' in Senate testimony after FISA court rebuke Not "failures" - moral and maybe legal lapses Trump approval rating on impeachment day hits highest point since March 2017 Re the Russia hoax: WE NOW KNOW: THE CASE OF JANE MAYER Dershowitz on Impeachment Disheveled California Democrat Rep. Admits Impeachment is About Smearing Trump – ‘Impeachment Will Be a Stain on His Record Forever’ The Empire Strikes Back - What the effort to impeach President Trump is really about.
Brit Hume: One Of The Wonders Of Modern Media Is Its Failure To See Through Adam Schiff Bartiromo on FISA abuse: The lies are real, people will be prosecuted… Wednesday, December 18. 2019Wednesday morning linksThis simple Holiday Wrapping Hack Is Blowing People’s Minds - “HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS?” one person responded to a viral instructional Vanderleun's Mall Angel America’s best colleges get even worse on due process for accused students, report finds It’s Spreading Like the Plague — Social Justice Education Does anyone trust the FBI after reading the shocking findings of the Horowitz (IG) report? Not on your life. Opposition To Trump’s Antisemitism Executive Order Is All About The 2020 Election Why The Democrats Have Shifted Left Over The Last 30 Years IG Report Proves Adam Schiff Has Been Lying About Spygate Since The Beginning. Following the inspector general’s FISA report that proved nearly every sentence wrong in Rep. Adam Schiff’s last high-profile report, Schiff’s work should be deemed worthless. New Evidence Shows Hunter Biden-Ukraine Payments Flagged As ‘Suspicious’ In Early 2016 Trump tells Pelosi in blistering letter that Dems are 'declaring open war on American Democracy' Read Donald Trump’s Historic Impeachment Takedown Letter to Nancy Pelosi USA TODAY Poll: Impeached or not, Trump leads his Democratic rivals for another term Scott Adams says Schiff is the one of the worst Americans ever Also amusing about Comey pleading incompetence rather than malice Russia to modernize Syria port, build railway across Syria to Persian Gulf Mike Pompeo's great letter to Democrats on settlements and peace (full text) Xi Jinping’s annus horribilis
« previous page
(Page 143 of 794, totaling 19832 entries)
» next page
|