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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Tuesday, January 25. 2022Tuesday morning linksThe Criminalization of Christianity in Finland The Left Doesn't Like School Choice. The Right Doesn't Need Them To. Why is this political? Antifa thugs win again as Dartmouth cancels my event on far-left violence Althouse on the Supremes' college diversity case CBS Host Stunned NOT ONE Participant in Face the Nation’s Focus Group Believes America is in a Better Place After One Year of Joe Biden (VIDEO) Jen Psaki Can’t Answer Why Americans Should Spill Their Blood in Ukraine if Europeans Aren’t Willing to Spill Blood and Treasure in Ukraine What American national interest depends on Ukraine (other than Hunter Biden's deals)? Monday, January 24. 2022Life in America: Not an opera review
The plot(s) are silly, but da Ponte's libretto is not, mostly. It is seriously human. Interestingly, da Ponte ended up teaching Italian at Columbia University (College, at the time). Anyway, I know Nozze almost by heart. Pure Mozart dramatic and song genius, and of course the Met could not have done it better. Aria upon aria, and you have to remind yourself that it's entertainment, not "art". Best voices in the world. Again, the place was packed at the matinee. I did a rough count, and I'd say half of the audience was under 40. Around 10% over 80. People need live performance. It's a different thing. A thrill, but not a cheap one. How did Mozart do all of those things in such a short life? After, a terrible "Italian" supper - too expensive and the sort of thing Sinatra would like. As Mrs. BD says, "Never eat anything bigger than your head." The fancy, busy place seemed to have decided that volume compensated for deliciousness. "The pasta comes with the veal scallopini." No thanks. Yeah, down in NYC they all want vaccine proof, but that's easy. Restaurant was packed but we had a reservation.
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Monday morning linksPhoto is from a friend X-country skiing in Tahoe How connected fitness became the new obsession. Investors may be cooling on the at-home exercise business, but it has changed the way millions work out The fit and famous. To strive, to struggle, to sweat, is to be human China: What does single woman do after work? She has gadgets Imperial College London’s Cancel Campaign Against Its Own Founders Protect the kids from feeling "unsettled" Data, data, everywhere. A new major in data science helps undergrads make sense of it all. Campus Double Standards and the Need to Protect Jewish and Zionist Students Kling's summary: Keeping up with the FITs There’s a reason for the chaos that controls within the Democrat party More "overperforming?" After Keystone XL cancelation, we're now importing more oil from Russia The US Must Prepare for War Against Russia Over Ukraine. If Putin is not deterred from seizing another chunk of sovereign territory, he won’t stop there. Huh? The decision of the Biden administration to arrange for the payment of Iran’s dues at the United Nations is being described to us as “a staggering act of appeasement. Sunday, January 23. 2022Nice Italian dinnerWe are fortunate to have a pasta shop nearby. They make fresh daily, and make takeout meals too. While I have never seen any meaningful difference between dried spaghetti, linguine, and things like that, fresh ravioli and gnocchi do matter. These Italian guys make excellent ravioli (many varieties, from pumpkin to mortadella, to cinghiale) and the fluffiest gnocchi. Last week Mrs. BD decided to cook up a nice Italian supper for her Dad who had just been allowed to leave the old folk's home. I think it was also in gratitude to me for getting rid of at least a third of my stuff (excess boots, clothing, etc.) as we slowly move back into our refurbished living quarters. I noticed that lockdowns for old folks are terrible for them. They lose muscle and balance. For no reason, at this point. Apperitivo: Olives and marinated artichoke hearts. Primo: Fresh gnocchi with gorgonzola cream sauce. About 8 gnocchi per person is plenty. Secondo: Trieste-style Osso Bucco. It's different. Spinach in garlic as the contorno. Vino: All I had around was some Pinot. I do not have a wine cellar.
From today's Lectionary: The body of Christ1 Corinthians 12:12-31a 12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 12:13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 12:14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 12:15 If the foot would say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. 12:16 And if the ear would say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 12:18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 12:19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 12:20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 12:21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." 12:22 On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 12:23 and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; 12:24 whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 12:25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 12:26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.\12:28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. 12:29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 12:30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 12:31 But strive for the greater gifts. Saturday, January 22. 2022Saturday morning linksWhat Did Europe's First Tomato Look Like? Involuntarily Celibate: Explanations and Practical Solutions to a Dangerous Phenomenon How Does the FBI Art Crime Team Operate? “[The art market] provides an opportunity for people to move money in a way that they can’t with other commodities,” says FBI Special Agent Chris McKeogh. CASE CLOSED: President Trump on Jan. 6: “I Authorized National Guard on Jan. 6 – Pelosi Turned It Down Taibbi: Thomas Friedman Roars Back To Form I’m a Public School Teacher. The Kids Aren’t Alright. My students were taught to think of themselves as vectors of disease. This has fundamentally altered their understanding of themselves. Matt Taibbi takes the full measure of Joe Biden’s first year and he demonstrates the higher truth, once enunciated by Barack Obama: “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to fuck things up.” Tucker Carlson: If Putin Had A Sense Of Humor, He'd Paint All His Tanks Crossing Ukraine's Border With "No Person Is Illegal" HOW SHOULD THE U.S. RESPOND TO A RUSSIAN ATTACK ON UKRAINE? Friday, January 21. 2022Friday morning linksIf Omicron Creates Herd Immunity, Then What? Starbucks Drops COVID Vaccine and Testing Requirements for Employees Hong Kong to Kill 2,000 Pets as Chinese Authorities Blame COVID-19 Spread on Imported Animals, Packages RCP: Throwback Thursday—In 1978, Federal Study Concludes Obese People Eat More Than Non-Obese Never piss off a Mama Bear Our Woke Decadent Culture Can't Create Anything New NYC Mayor: Even I don't feel safe on the subway Theodore Roosevelt statue removed from American Museum of Natural History TSA Says It Will Accept Arrest Warrants as ID for Illegal Aliens at Airports Schumer Suffers Crushing Defeat on Filibuster, as Manchin and Sinema Stand Firm VIRGINIA’S “NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN” The January 6 Narrative is Starting to Unravel Durham vs. Horowitz: Tension Over Truth and Consequences Grips the FBI's Trump-Russia Reckoning How long can the corpse be held up at the Party? The Dems’ Total War On Republicans Has Totally Backfired Thursday, January 20. 2022Thursday morning linksHow virtual reality will change how we see ourselves and therapy. From boosting empathy to improving therapy, virtual reality is poised to change our ideas of the self. Jordan Peterson: Why I am no longer a tenured professor at the University of Toronto. The appalling ideology of diversity, inclusion and equity is demolishing education and business. How MMA Fighter-Turned-Action Star Gina Carano Punched Back at Hollywood's Cancel Culture When Talking About Diversity and Inclusion, Jews Are Not Part of the Discussion The Pandemic Is Over. Pivot to the Economy. England Ends All COVID Passports, Mask Mandates, Work Restrictions Arizona, Texas Have Recovered All Jobs Lost During Pandemic CBS News Links Tonga Volcano With ‘Climate Change’ Bitter Fruit: Marshall McLuhan and the Rise of Fake News Blackburn Muslim Community Backtracks on Hoping Texas Terrorist Goes to "Highest Ranks of Paradise" MSNBC’s Scarborough: ‘Biden Decided To Govern As A Leftist. It Has Failed Miserably’… A SENILE PHANTASMAGORIA Wrong border, Kamala: Vice-President heads to Honduras as new caravan chaos develops Despondent Dems Brace for ‘Rigged’ Election The Afghanistan Withdrawal’s Smoking Gun Emerges Wednesday, January 19. 2022Exercise follow-upWe have been skimpy about fresh workout posts because I think we have said it all. I think many of our readers have taken it to heart, at various levels of intensity. We think 5-6 hrs/week is good. Will re-post old ones sometimes, and anything new that comes up. I stand by our Maggie's Fitness for Life program of a combination of HIIT Cardio, heavy weights, and calisthenics. Approx. 1/3 each. Weights only with proper training. Plus appropriate nutrition to meet fitness goals. Plus recreational things like walking, hiking, sports, etc. Those are the rewards of the program. Yes, Deadlifts are the best single exercise to maintain vigor.
Wednesday morning linksDjokovic Actually the Big Winner in Australia—and So Are We IT’S COME TO THIS: Scientists Studying Privilege, Inequality in Animal Kingdom. The Murdering Of Free Speech In America Disrupting the One-Note Tune of CRT UK Planning To Ditch Its Own Draconian Lockdown Measures By March… Two More Contributions On The Impossibility Of Electrifying Everything Using Only Wind, Solar And Batteries Despite work-from-home worries, Manhattan office real estate is doing just fine New Photos Show Ashli Babbitt Tried to Stop Protesters from Entering Pelosi’s Lobby — Was Shot Dead by Lt. Mike Byrd in Cold Blood Moments Later Maxine Waters Turns On Fellow Dems, Says They’re Racist And Hate Blacks… Brit Hume calls SERIOUS bullsh*t on Democrats claiming they’re fighting for ‘voting rights’ Democrats Remain Disturbingly Fond of Islamic Terrorists Glenn Youngkin Wastes No Time Delivering on Election Promises MASSIVE SHIFT FROM DEMS TO GOP Also, U.S. Political Party Preferences Shifted Greatly During 2021 Tuesday, January 18. 2022Elena StikhinaTuesday morning linksDalrymple on advertising oneself The last volume in ‘A Life of Picasso’ is just as astounding as its predecessors After 70 Years, FDA Dumps Rules Regulating French Dressing Bonfire of the Sanities: California’s Deranged Revival of the Aztec Gods The American Medical Association Falls to CRT Enter the Metaverse. Unlike the Internet, the dawning digital environment promises autonomy from the physical world. Beijing Bars Spectators From Winter Games As First Omicron Case Confirmed Your Fridge Is An Agent Of Climate Catastrophe Bari Weiss: Being Jewish in an Unraveling America, The bad guy was killed. The good guys were saved. But the reaction to the hostage-taking in Colleyville, Texas, should alarm American Jews. School Closures Were a Catastrophe. Progressives Still Haven’t Reckoned With It. Wherefore New York City? Manhattan DA describes "challenging" two weeks, faces calls for removal Supply chain crisis status: Still bad, and China's lockdowns about to make it worse "Thieves are pilfering railroad cars in a crime that harks back to the days of horseback-riding bandits..." MSNBC Contributor Says Manchin and Sinema ‘Are the White People’ MLK Jr. ‘Warned Us About’ Damn Everyone to Hell: Here's An MSNBC Rant For the Ages Jewish Democratic gubernatorial candidate compares Florida Gov. DeSantis to Hitler Monday, January 17. 2022Monday morning linksVolcanic Eruption May Be Biggest Ever Seen From Space (video) University of Michigan president,64, is fired from $927,000-a-year job over affair with female subordinate under zero-tolerance rules he created VDH: Politicizing COVID-19 From the Start BUSTED: Many of the ‘270 doctors’ who signed a letter urging Spotify to censor Joe Rogan ‘are not medical doctors’ Boston students freezing in classrooms due to COVID requirements NY Times weighs in on the debate over trans teens Traffic cameras are racist What It’s Like In Big Tech Today: An Insider’s Twitter Thread The Likely Cause of the Media Blackout on Imploding Whitmer Kidnapping Plot MATT TAIBBI: What Happened to the “Question Authority” Era? Is Biden politically kaput? You Have Been Warned: Hillary is Back It's Official. Democrats Say Gov DeSantis Is The New Hitler Sunday, January 16. 2022From today's Lectionary: The good wineJohn 2:1-11 2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2:2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 2:3 When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." 2:4 And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." 2:5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 2:6 Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 2:7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 2:8 He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. 2:9 When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 2:10 and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." 2:11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. Saturday, January 15. 2022Saturday morning links
Image via Moonbattery China Reveals AI News Anchor, Almost Indistinguishable From Real Human Is the Viking next to go? WWU eyes ditching Viking mascot due to colonialism The Trans Movement Is Not About Rights Anymore. It's about a cultural revolution and the abolition of biological sex. Where Are the Jews?’: Scandal Erupts at the Academy Museum. Four months after the new cultural center’s splashy opening, big donors and showbiz veterans wonder why many of Hollywood’s “founding fathers” are absent from its exhibits ""[Biden's Georgia speech] was aggressive, intemperate, not only offensive but meant to offend. It seemed prepared by people who think there is only the Democratic Party..." Why Sarah Palin has a case against the lying liberals at New York Times Arab Racism and the 'Jewish State' Friday, January 14. 2022"Insurrection"?Friday morning linksYour Skin Doesn’t Need Skin Care. It can do everything it needs to do by itself. Uncovering Sparta - Mythological home of Helen, war-making polis of Leonidas and now a modest municipality: the city is a palimpsest Get rid of all competition? Be careful what you wish for The Perils of Noncitizen Voting. New York City’s new law could become a fiasco. Global Economy Heading For "Mother Of All" Supply Chain Shocks As China Locks Down Ports Progressives warn Biden to "forgive" student loans... or else If The Republican Party Refuses To Learn From The Trump Era, Winning In 2022 Will Mean Nothing Gallup: Teachers, judges among those to hit new lows with image ratings Run, Hillary, run! Two Democrats say it’s time for Clinton 2024 Thursday, January 13. 2022Thursday morning linksThe Tipping Point: The Subtle Psychology and Economics of Taxi Fares GREG GUTFELD FILLS THE COMEDY VACUUM Which mask? What test? COVID's latest surge spreads an epidemic of confusion AP instructs editors: Start downplaying case counts in our stories about COVID The media do an about-face on the CDC as they finally face COVID restrictions We’re All Going to Get Omicron Biden Claims He Got Arrested During the Civil Rights Movement HOUSE REPUBLICANS RELEASE TEXT OF REDACTED FAUCI EMAILS ON COVID ORIGINS. NIH leaders advised scientists not to “mention a lab origin as that will just add fuel to the conspiracists,” one researcher told The Intercept. Looking for Hillary Priorities: DHS Launches “Climate Change Professionals” Program China Seals People's Doors, Xi'an Residents Cry For Food Wednesday, January 12. 2022Veterinarian handles a pheasantWolves and Musk OxWednesday morning linksIncest to be banned in France Hollywood's New Rules. The old boys club is dead. But a new one—with its own litmus tests and landmines—is rapidly replacing it. 'This is all going to end in a giant class-action lawsuit.' Critical race theory-related ideas found in mandatory programs at more than 230 colleges, universities CANADA - Tenured Professor Critical of Identity Politics Fired by University $58,000 for a drug without demonstrated results Scientists believed Covid leaked from Wuhan lab - but feared debate could hurt ‘international harmony’ Two Years Is Long Enough Commentary: Don’t Let Teachers’ Unions Off the Hook Education Secretary Cardona solicited NSBA letter comparing protesting parents to domestic terrorists: email NSBA official said controversial letter followed 'a request by Secretary Cardona' Maggie's had a mild case of COVID
But I think the system is getting better and is no longer infectious.
Tuesday, January 11. 2022Tuesday morning linksDeere Goes Autonomous With Its Farmer-Free Tractor The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps' NYT: Omicron Presents a Danger That's No Different Than the Seasonal Flu Amazon Cuts COVID-19 Paid-Leave To 40 Hours For US Employees, Following Walmart Why I Soured on the Democrats - COVID school policies set me adrift from my tribe. Omicron Makes Biden’s Vaccine Mandates Obsolete. There is no evidence so far that vaccines are reducing infections from the fast-spreading variant. End Stage Covid Craziness in New York Yes, our pal did sing in Carnegie Hall this weekend In wake of controversy, superintendent defends elementary school’s dropping of ‘Jingle Bells’ NBC Suggests There May Be ‘Very Little Evidence’ of a Gender Performance Gap in Swimming Democrats are trying to scare America over a civil war they're trying to start America’s Asymmetric Civil War - It’s within metro areas, not between the states Updated and Reposted: RealClearInvestigations' Jan. 6-BLM Riots Comparison "When we fail to recognize the moral legitimacy of a range of positions on controversial topics, disagreements about these issues inevitably become judgments about other people’s character." Democrats’ Top Priority Before Fall Elections Is Rigging U.S. Voting Rules Monday, January 10. 2022Monday morning links
"Retiring Early" Is The New American Dream: Why This Is A Problem " I believe many people fail to recognize how intertwined is the lust for power and the enabling forces of stupidity. " Movie: The Edge of Appeasement Penn’s Transgender Swimmer Loses to Yale’s Transgender Swimmer in Women’s 100 Meter Race Dumb and Dumber (Nos. 22 & 23) - Watching the Education Apocalypse in Slow Motion As Even the Leftwing Media and Political Figures Demand that Teachers Go Back to Work, Teachers Say F*** You -- It's Summer Vacation For Us, Forever Kotkin: Is this the end of progressive America? Multiple fronts of resistance are taking shape Media Now Described by Matt Taibbi: “Our target reader now is a rage addict” " Reveling in the anniversary of the Capitol riot, Democrats and the media dubiously brand it a right-wing “insurrection”—while ignoring the urban anarchy that began in May 2020." There’s A Reason No One Likes Kamala Harris CDC Director Sheepishly Admits Justice Sotomayor Issued COVID Misinformation On Hospitalized Kids Making Manhattan a crook’s paradise Adams caves, won't oppose bill to let non-citizens vote in NYC elections after 30 days' residence California Is Not an Island, So its New Economic Laws Could Backfire American Slavery in the Global Context Re Afghanistan, a book: Crisis of Command Sunday, January 9. 2022How good was Tosca at the Met?
Stage sets were amazing. How do they do it, and change the giant sets for each scene? Magic. And how good is Elena Stikhina? We even had, one time, to visit Puccini's house in Lucca. Here's Elena with an aria. She's young:
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