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, November 30. 2021Tuesday morning linksDNA Has Finally Revealed The Mysterious Origins of The Ancient Etruscans Barbados parts way with Queen and becomes world’s newest republic Shortage of Adult Workers Makes Teens Employable Again LATEST ACADEMIC HOAX IS A DOOZY Racial Newspeak Comes to the Classroom UK Bureaucrats Abandon Term "Christmas" Over Fears It May Offend Minorities Levi Strauss and Best Buy offer counseling to employees distressed over Rittenhouse acquittal, including session with 'racial trauma specialist' PANIC IS A LIFESTYLE BRAND The Biden Grift-and-Influence Machine Is Even Worse Than You Thought Where Xi's China is heading - Opinion by Fareed Zakaria Monday, November 29. 2021AdventMonday morning linksPeople Are Still Trying to Cancel Dave Chappelle, Like He Cares Florida Has Nation’s Lowest COVID-19 Case Rate… The Cynical and Dangerous Weaponization of the "White Supremacist" Label CNN Reports Study Questioning Climate Change Models On Thanksgiving Day When Few Are Following News Complete Madness In The Biden Administration: Energy Policy Rex Murphy: Sorry, Liberals, our Earth is not in danger — Canadian democracy is NY TIMES ASKS: WHY DO BLUE STATES SUCK? Book: Hunter Biden Given Expensive Gem to Seal Deal With Chinese Energy Consortium Andrew Cuomo’s Downfall Began with a Book Deal Sunday, November 28. 2021From today's LectionaryPsalm 25:1-10 25:1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. 25:2 O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. 25:3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 25:4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. 25:5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. 25:6 Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. 25:7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness' sake, O LORD! 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 25:9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. 25:10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. Saturday, November 27. 2021Saturday morning linksTowering Musical Theater Master, Broadway’s ‘West Side Story’ Lyricist, Stephen Sondheim Dies at 91 COVID rules are blamed for 23% dive in young children's development A Scared Nu World: Here's What We Know About The COVID "Omicron" Strain Minority professor denied grants because he hires on merit: 'People are afraid to think' University of California system permanently abandons standardized testing for admissions The Biden Regime Wants to 'Liberate' People From Caring for Their Children WILL DISPARATE IMPACT DESTROY AMERICA? Interview with Heather McD. Friday, November 26. 2021Like the Indians didAt the BD homestead Thanksgiving, everybody brings something. It is semi-organized. This year, we had an abundance of homemade desserts, all wonderful. I am talking about pumpkin cheesecake, mini-mince pies with homemade rum ice cream, squash pie, and things like that. All good but posting a pic of a daughter's homemade brie pastry thing with the surprise of toasted pecans and cranberries inside with the cheese. That is a meal in itself. We sent a lot of leftovers home with people. Friday morning linksThe war on Thanksgiving is real and it's spectacular The war of TG is cleaning all of the pots and pans, dishes, silverware, napkins, etc. 'This is not our land': Students pen editorial on 'dark origins' of Thanksgiving Tearing down Thomas Jefferson over slavery is moral idiocy Nadia Murad and the heartlessness of PC, A Toronto school board pulled out of an event with a survivor of ISIS sex slavery over fears of ‘Islamophobia’. We Don't Get a Vote on the Woke Revolution The Push for Equity in Education Hurts Vulnerable Children the Most How much porn is needed in schools? No end to how low Andrew Cuomo will go: Goodwin Thursday, November 25. 2021Bob for ThanksgivingWe all got a big kick out of seeing Bob and his band this week down in Westchester. He sounded good, growly but good. Looked a bit frail at 80. Somebody needs to feed him some pumpkin pie or a Big Mac and fries. He was on piano. Very tight band. Delighted, happy sold-out crowd - all ages. Played half rockers, half ballads. As typical for him, the arrangements always change. Played Masterpiece, Gotta Serve Somebody, I Contain Multitudes, lots more, and closed with Every Grain of Sand which makes me cry every time. Thanks for that, Bob, and for keeping keepin' on.
Wednesday, November 24. 2021Wednesday morning linksThe Bleak Misery of a Leftist Thanksgiving Eisenhower's Farewell Address -- and Afterthoughts The ‘Diversity’ Road to Mediocrity When Will America Reach Peak Insanity? Democrats' Statue Removal Fetish Is Clinically Insane NY Times: It's not hard to see why people are moving to Texas Tucker Carlson's interview with Kyle Rittenhouse is fascinating BIDEN HITS THE PANIC BUTTON AS WHITE HOUSE CIVIL WAR INTENSIFIES Tuesday, November 23. 2021When You Lift Weights Every DayWhat Really Happens to Your Body When You Lift Weights Every Day I do not do real weights daily. But I do some weights 4 days/week, if only lunges with hand weights.
Tuesday morning linksThe Amazing Life Of “Little House On The Prairie’s” Laura Ingalls Wilder NIH Chief Wants Online ‘Misinformation’ Spreaders ‘Brought to Justice’ Can A Progressive Be Convinced By Facts? SUICIDE BY SILENCE? It’s no secret by now that corporate media has no problem demonizing or delegitimizing what they perceive as “right-wing” media. What Americans hear about social justice at church – and what they do about it Yglesias: A good way to reduce racism might be to do away with mandatory diversity training John McWhorter: 'Woke Racism' Has Betrayed Black America Byron York: The fall of Black Lives Matter What’s Wrong with a ‘Living’ Constitution? THE FIRST TIME AS TRAGEDY. . .Amaney Jamal is a Princeton dean. Not the dean of something silly like diversity. She’s the newly appointed dean of Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs. Deportation orders from immigration judges plummet under Biden What Chinese Colonialism Looks Like in Europe Forces: Size And Tripwires Matter Monday, November 22. 2021Monday morning linksClimate Cult Says To Forget EVs, All Cars Must Go It’s Ethnic Studies ‘Groundhog Day,’ This Time in Massachusetts NIH Chief Wants Online ‘Misinformation’ Spreaders ‘Brought to Justice’ University professor is charged with starting four California wildfires as deadly Dixie blaze raged nearby: He faces 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine for each count of arson Rittenhouse murdered two black lives Oh, and the police killed Jacob Blake Lack of accountability for Steele dossier coverage shows media collusion Elizabeth Warren Tries To Defend Biden By Blaming High Gas Prices On Greed Of Oil Companies VDH: The New Blue Confederacy. How did the New North become the Old South, and the New South the Old North? Bill Maher Challenges AOC: “Be Brave, Come On My Show And Defend Wokeness” Sunday, November 21. 2021With whom do you go out to dine, in Italia? And what's for supper?
Any time we saw couples they seemed to be tourists or young lovers. But young lovers do not eat much of course. One more "real Italian" dinner we had in Siena, before Thanksgiving week when it's different foods. Primi: Poached egg with goat cheese fondue and caramelized leeks
Second primi (yeah, we share each course): Chickpea puree with a hunk of cod, with crispy pancetta: And more amazing, rare roast pigeon with some roasted corn and mushrooms, with a fig sauce drizzle. That's Italian:
From today's LectionaryJohn 18:33-37 18:33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" 18:34 Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" 18:35 Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?" 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." 18:37 Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." Duomo with craneI felt lucky to get a pic of Siena's Duomo getting its face washed. You can't see it, but the name of the crane company is Michelangelo. See what I mean about October in Italia? No crowds, blue skies. Saturday, November 20. 2021Cranberry Harvest, repostedIt's the time of year when I stock up on bags of Cranberries and throw them in the freezer. The canned cranberry "sauce" pictured is garbage. It's just congealed sweetened cranberry juice. The recipe on the Ocean Spray bags is pretty good, but I cut the sugar they recommend in half. It's nothing but water, fresh or frozen berries, and sugar. Better yet for Thanksgiving, game, and even chicken, is Cranberry-Orange Relish. Raw berries and an orange. Thanks to the mother-in-law for introducing me to this tangy thing years ago. A great food, the Cranberry. I love to put them in pancakes (the combination of the sweetness of the maple syrup and the tartness of the cranberries is perfect). Here's our old post on Cranberry Season and the Heart. Funny thing about Cranberries: not many animals or birds like to eat them. Maybe bears? I've seen Box Turtles take a bite out of one, but I've never seen anything else eat them. I love Cranberries, as long as they aren't cooked too sweet. Here's a tiny Massachusetts Cranberry bog, flooded for harvest:
Here's how it's done on a larger scale: Saturday morning linksWho gets into Harvard College? Do Vaccines Stop People From Getting And Transmitting COVID? UT Austin research program teaches white 4-year-olds about ‘anti-Black racism’ CA Teachers Urge Recruiting Kids Into LGBT Clubs Professor In Virginia Put On Leave After Admitting He’s Attracted To Children, Writing Book Trying To “De-Stigmatize” It… "F**k This Murderer": Left Becomes Unhinged After Rittenhouse Acquitted 10 heinous lies about Kyle Rittenhouse debunked: Devine NY Times: Why are Democrats such incredible hypocrites? “It’s For the People” – Pelosi Defends Tax Cuts for Mega-Rich in Blue States – 2nd Largest Ticket Item in Democrat Spending Bill Friday, November 19. 2021Italian charms vs hot newsWhile I would prefer, right now, to post about Italian charms and Thanksgiving blessings, I am urged by our posters to mention the Rittenhouse verdict. Really, just trolling for comments I guess. My view is that if you threaten me with serious bodily harm, I will kill you, or try to. I have the tools at hand. For his future, would be better if his surname were Smith. He could be a good EMT.
Castello di Monte Riggioni
Cool little fortress, but it was all silly then. Chess moves. The fortress was a rook. We split a nice snack up there: A pistachio crepe. Amazing. Ever had one? That is Italian. Mrs. BD, who loves to drive in Italia, had a Coke and I had a glass of Chianti. I like to drive in Italy too, but she just loved to drive that Citroen. Machine issues here todayThe machine I use for editing seems to have crapped out. Lost all of today's links, and I don't think I can enter/edit new stuff entered into the pipeline for other contributors. I blame the problem on the Lunar eclipse. Saw it at 4:30 this morning, and watched it slowly resolve until I got to the gym. Very cool.
Thursday, November 18. 2021One of the most famous gardens in the world: Villa Lante
The ideal of the garden was architectural with the water features which exist to today and are studied by landscape architects. Even the plantings were architectural. Bishops and Cardinals were rich in those days. I think the water features were inspired by the Arab gardens in Spain.
Thursday morning linksIf You Read It In The Mainstream Media, It's Wrong -- Plastics Edition To Fight Climate Change, Los Angeles Bans Restaurants From Giving Out Unsolicited Ketchup Packets College rules against professor who defended rigorous math standards NPR Suffers ‘When Woke Worlds Collide’ Dilemma in Piece on Historic Winner of Boston Mayoral Race Michelle Goldberg: Some of this social justice stuff really is nonsense Among the Elect - Review of 'Woke Racism' by John McWhorter Bari Weiss: The Media's Verdict on Kyle Rittenhouse - Why so many got this story so wrong. 'This experience broke a lot of people': Inside State amid the Afghanistan withdrawal Wednesday, November 17. 2021More LazioLazio is the province of Rome. Drive north, and it is flatland agricultural until you get well into Tuscany where there are good hills for grapes or, sometimes, woodlands. The Italians seem to have protected agricutural lands from sprawl. Also, they made industrial zones. Surely fascistic, but it makes for pleasant landscapes. Beside that, it seems to be that Italians are gregarious people who love to hang out in their towns and villages. These are newly-plowed wheat fields. Some fields this size are planted with alfalfa to be plowed under for spring planting. Excellent roads, as I have mentioned. Fun driving. No speed limits, really. Wednesday morning linksCommentary: Hanukkah Unbound Why progressives ruin cities: A conversation with Michael Shellenberger Why conglomerates break themselves up Whitewashing Asian-Americans The NYT's Michelle Goldberg: Some of this social justice stuff really is nonsense Wow. Sanity seeps in. FBI Whistleblower Reveals Biden DOJ Activated Counterterrorism Division Against Protesting Parents CBS San Antonio Whistleblower GOES PUBLIC, Exposes Internal Diversity & Inclusion Training Where Journalists are Instructed to ‘Stop Thinking in Terms of Objective Journalism’ Democrats' hot new midterm strategy: Getting "aggresive" on CRT? Dangerous Changes Coming for Title IX 6 Ridiculous Budget Gimmicks In House Democrats’ ‘Build Back Bankrupt’ Spending Spree China's Military Modernization Tuesday, November 16. 2021Northern LazioDriving through northern Lazio. Almost looks like Kansas or Nebraska.
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