We 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.
Fried Squash Blossoms are a wonderful summertime traditional Italian treat. I harvested this platterful of them last night and we fried 'em up. When served hot, and lightly browned and salted, they leave French Fries in the dust.
On summer squash like Zucchini and Yellow Squash, the blossoms on the long stalks are the males, and thus expendable. However, I use both because there's always too much squash anyway. In fact, the blossoms are tastier than the squash. (I am fond of yellow summer squash steamed with salt, pepper, and butter, not so fond of zucchini except in soup.)
Almost forgot to mention that squash blossoms prevent arthritis, dementia, laziness, neurasthenia, depression, obesity, heart disease, and cancer - and most other sorts of death and disease. Guaranteed. For a few minutes, anyway.
This site explains how simple this is, using Marcella's method. Do not wash them at all because they need to be dry - just check them for bugs inside but a few tiny bugs just adds a little protein to the mix. Brown them lightly, drain, and eat sizzling hot. Photo below from Marcella's site -
10:25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
10:26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?"
10:27 He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
10:28 And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."
10:29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
10:30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.
10:31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
10:32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
10:33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.
10:34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
10:35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.'
10:36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"
10:37 He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Canadian officials are also interpreting the results to mean an increase in Islamophobia. “There is an epidemic of Islamophobia in Ontario. Only a third of Ontarians have a positive impression of the religion and more than half feel its mainstream doctrines promote violence (an anomaly compared to other religions),” the survey said.
How George Soros Singlehandedly Created The European Refugee Crisis - And Why
Aerobic exercise (often aka Aerobic Cardio) is much disparaged these days, but it is not entirely useless as one component of fitness. It's roughly defined as exercises that keep one's heart rate elevated significantly for extended lengths of time (ie 20 minutes plus, but around 20 is enough for the benefits), and physiologically defined as exercises in which oxygen supply can keep up with metabolic demand. Thus jogging, running, swimming, rowing, biking etc. Eventual fatigue in these exertions has to do with depletion of muscle glycogen supplies or plain muscular inadequacy.
Heart rates for a beneficial cardio workout vary by age and fitness, but a rule of thumb is that if you can converse, you aren't doing anything; if you can get a few sentences out you're about right; and if you can barely speak you are probably over your limit or in a sprint.
Cardio is not very useful for fat loss or strength-building but it's good for maintaining or building endurance, bone fitness, and cardiac fitness. Better than sitting or walking, for sure. If you can bike 50 miles at any speed, that is great because most people can't.
As an aside, reader Mike reminds us that excess cardio can lead to muscle loss. True, but really only if you are in good shape with little fat.
Anaerobic cardio exercises are those which exceed the ability of oxygen metabolic pathways to keep up with the muscular demands, eg sprinting, weight-lifting (yes, resistance exercises do stress the heart), and other high-intensity exercises like calisthenics. Anaerobic exertions build up lactic acid in muscle, hence the burn - but burn has nothing directly to do with any benefit other than maybe encouraging muscles to increase their glycogen storage. Almost any aerobic exercise can be made anaerobic by increasing intensity. This can not be sustained for very long, at most a couple or a few minutes. Cellular machinery cannot keep up with the demand.
Any exercise that leaves you limp, gasping, or burning pain after a brief time has probably become anaerobic. Good stuff, and more likely to be building rather than maintaining. This is why, for the Cardio piece of the Conditioning Triad, we recommend interval cardio (HIIT) for efficiency instead of endless aerobic cardio. The sprints will get your heart rate way up but only for a brief (30-60 seconds) while.
Men seem to have an innate preference for anaerobic exercise, women for aerobic. That's statistical only and I have no idea what relevance it has to anything.
The physiology of aerobic and anaerobic cellular metabolism is interesting, and miraculous. Minimal Bio education needed to understand it.
Not necessarily a recommendation, but for "cardio" I do two approx 20 min sets of HIIT per week and about a total of 80 mins of calisthenics each week. (Plus my 2 hrs of weights.) Feels like a good balance.
Trump is such a narcissist he thought he could be a successful real estate developer. Then he was for decades. Trump is such a narcissist he thought he could be a successful author. Then he was, several times. Trump is such a narcissist he thought he could be a successful reality tv show host. Then he was, for many, many seasons. Trump is such a narcissist he thought he could be a successful national candidate, then he was, defeating 17 professional politicians, including Jeb! and $120 million.
As they might say in TX, it ain't narcissism if you do it.
Where is the evidence that a "majority" of Americans value "self-rule and freedom"? Thanks to several decades of poisonous and corrupting progressive propaganda combined with steadily increasing prosperity, I believe that most Americans now value security (i.e comfort) over freedom. Fortunately for them, it's a lot easier for the ruling class politicians to sell comfort than freedom, because freedom means responsibility and work. And they're not greatly interested in selling freedom anyway, because when you get right down to it, a free man really doesn't need much of a ruling class.
It sounds laughably ironic, but the modern progressive movement has argued itself into a position where people can be discriminated against on the basis of gender, skin colour and orientation.
That’s why you hear dismissive and in some cases even vituperative comments about “straight white males” in the media today: men are being ridiculed for things they cannot change about themselves. And it’s the political left doing the discrimination.
[R]arely has a presidency seen so many things go so badly for the U.S. in foreign policy. Obama’s track record is not looking good: at the end of his watch, the Middle East, Europe, and East Asia are all in worse shape than when he entered office, relations with Russia and China are both worse, there are more refugees, more terrorists and more dangerous terrorist organizations.
The 10,000-acre Pine Butte guest ranch in Montana's Rocky Mtn. foothills has been a favorite remote getaway for the Bird Dog family for many years. It's right on the edge of "the Bob" wilderness and south of Glacier. It is is a Grizzly preserve. Famous Ear Mountain is out the window.
My lad even spent a summer doing ranch work there, and got trapped in the outhouse by a bear who presumably did not wish to shit in the woods.
Horseback in the mountains, fossil-hunting on the prairie, hiking, bird watching, fishing in the mountain streams and lakes, rib-sticking home cookin, and steaks and campfires and pine logs sizzling in the cabin fireplaces. Also, gallons of Sun Tea. Whiskey and cigars as the sun sets. God's country. Many other such places, but this was what we liked.
For huddled Easterners, big sky in June is a dramatic revelation of Creation. There is a fine book, too. Ear Mountain figures prominently in it.
I understand why they decided to shut it down to the public. However, trust me, they will keep this special place open for major donors to the Nature Conservancy. I would have loved to take some grandkids there. It is America at its finest and wildest where antelope play, with crazy horses and real cowboys. I love it, but cannot be a Major Donor to The Nature Conservancy. I did not go into Wall St. finance despite several gracious invitations to do so. Had to follow my own path.
Sometimes I wonder whether I am oversensitive to loss. Probably I am, somewhat. I do have lots of pictures of that land with us on horses, somewhere.
Keeping it simple. I am grilling burgers and vegetables (Sicilian-style) on charcoal. Tater salad from the market because I am lazy. Rhubarb crumble with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Iced tea, beer, wine. I think I have some sparklers in the closet, for the kids.
Cheery photo stolen from Pirate. I figger it's ok to steal from a Pirate. Technically, this is an abuse of the flag but we'll give them a pass for being so cute.
10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.
10:2 He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
10:3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.
10:4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.
10:5 Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!'
10:6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.
10:7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.
10:8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you;
10:9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'
10:10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say,
10:11 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.'
This is great info. We fitness nuts eat one or two daily, just with a little salt or hot sauce on 'em. An easy wholesome meal if you make 10 at once and put them in the fridge.
A hard-boiled egg or two with hot pepper jelly on them is a perfect breakfast after a morning hour of moving heavy weights.
Lynch doesn't want her indicted. She doesn't want to be indicted. Bill Clinton doesn't want her to be indicted. The idea that rank partisans like this are going to let some process play out with no influence on it whatsoever and run the risk that somebody might actually indict Hillary Clinton, they're not gonna let that happen. That's not who these people are. And yet look at all the people who are holding all this hope out, thinking this might be the one. They say, "She is so guilty, they can't hide this. She's so guilty, they can't cover this up. This is so bad." What do you mean, they can't cover it up, they can't ignore it? They can do all of that, and they will. It's who they are.
Lynch’s plan to “remove herself” and “accept the FBI decision” over Clinton’s emails is probably a smokescreen
Dam Good! 
Japan's 
Around here the hydrangeas come into bloom now, just after the roses' first blooms have faded.
1930s New York 
How to
Aerobic exercise (often aka Aerobic Cardio) is much disparaged these days, but it is not entirely useless as one component of fitness. It's roughly defined as exercises that keep one's heart rate elevated significantly for extended lengths of time (ie 20 minutes plus, but around 20 is enough for the benefits), and physiologically defined as exercises in which oxygen supply can keep up with metabolic demand. Thus jogging, running, swimming, rowing, biking etc. Eventual fatigue in these exertions has to do with depletion of muscle glycogen supplies or plain muscular inadequacy.
New book reveals
Was the author of The Great American Nove
Cheery photo stolen
Making a batch this weekend, from the garden. Simple