Maggie's Farm

Anti-semitism in Sweden. Atlas

More avian flu fears.

Who is responsible for gun crimes? Confed. Yank

No free boners for Gramps. Ex-Donk

Language matters in politics. Protein Wisdom is always on that story.

The Origin of Music

Fascinating subject, fascinating review of a doubtless fascinating, speculative book by Mithen on the origins of music:

"...late in evolutionary history, as pressures for complex social living increased, our own true, compositional language emerged from Hmmmm. Sentences were now made up of words, which in turn were comprised of infinitely-recombinable segments. Once this transition was completed, what was left of Hmmmm? Primarily, music. No longer needed for daily Hmmmm communication, music developed for others uses, first and foremost in the supernatural realm: “With the emergence of religious belief, music became the principal means of communicating with the gods.” "

Read entire scholarly review by King

The definition of "neurotic" behavior is to keep doing the same thing, while each time expecting a different result.

Anon.

What were the Irish Sweepstakes?

I know they were a big deal in NY through the 50s - illegal gambling but fully tolerated by the mainly Irish law enforcement of NYC. Answer here.

Malkin with a Miers update. sounds bad.

Beirut, Remembered...at Paxety

Gun Control: Truth and Myth

The Gun Protection Bill will pass. By Stossel, a fine piece:

"I wanted to know why the laws weren't working, so I asked the experts. "I'm not going in the store to buy no gun," said one maximum-security inmate in New Jersey. "So, I could care less if they had a background check or not."

"There's guns everywhere," said another inmate. "If you got money, you can get a gun."

Talking to prisoners about guns emphasizes a few key lessons. First, criminals don't obey the law. (That's why we call them "criminals.") Second, no law can repeal the law of supply and demand. If there's money to be made selling something, someone will sell it."

Read entire.

Tell Ol' Bill
(by Dylan, new unpublished lyrics - used in the movie North Country -  but as transcribed by someone with better ears than I have. I think this extraordinary folk-country tune can be found on i-tunes, but not certain.)

The river whispers in my ear
I've hardly a penny to my name
The heavens they never seemed so near
All of my body glows with flame

The tempest struggles in the air
And [or: Unto] to myself alone I sing
It could sink me then and there
I can hear the echoes ring

I try to find one smiling face
To drive the shadow from my head
I'm stranded in this nameless place
Lying restless in a heavy bed

Tell me straight out if you will
Why must you torture me within
Why must you come down from your high hill
Throw my fate to the clouds and wind

Far away in a silent land
Secret thoughts are hard to bear [or "bare" would make sense too]
Remember me, you'll understand
Emotions we can never share

Iraq Summary

Excellent summary of the elections, what is really going on there, and why Leftists want freedom to fail in Iraq. No Oil

Is Bird Flu over-hyped? Some say yes. Thanks, Prof. Bainbridge.

Protecting the Internet from the UN: Atlas

Wilma update. Most powerful storm ever in the Atlantic. Headed for Florida: Storm Track

Hey, Bird Dog,

You must think you have some fancy intellectual blog for the elite and deep thinkers, etc., but let me tell you that you are just dreaming. The oppressed, victimized masses of America don't care about E.H. Gombrich or fly fishing or Iraq or chain saws or birds or the Constitution. They just want some free health care and some financial security and some retirement and gay marriage and free organic government food supplies and free gas and electric and cable, while you go on and on about freedom and the wonders of life and creation, in your biased and undemocratic and wacko Christian way. People like you are the problem with this country and the reason America is such a mess while your "evil Cuba" continues to be a wonderful place to live in from what I hear, and it's what we are trying to re-create here in Vermont. When we Dems take over from you Nazis we will tax your types into the stone age, and that will put an end to your enjoyment of "God's creation." You Maggie's Farmers are just a bunch of self-satisfied oil-intoxicated Jesus-loving war-mongering fast-living capitalist pigs.

Anonymous, in Burlington, VT

Dear Anonymous,

Ouch. You got me where it hurts. Give me a few minutes to re-think all of my beliefs and opinions. But, while I am doing so, why don't you get a job? You emailed me at 10:23 this morning...did you just wake up?

Sincerely,

Bird Dog (Editor Dog-in-Chief)

Drunken Quail Hunting

Mix drinking with shooting: an online game, here.

Migration

The great fall bird migration is well underway. Lighthouse Point, in New Haven, CT, is manned daily by expert birders during migration. Here is their report of what they observed yesterday:

6 Bald Eagles, c. 800 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 155 Coopers Hawks, c. 300 American Kestrels, c. 80 Northern Flickers c. 4,000 Tree Swallows, c. 2,000 Blue Jays, c. 2,000 American Robins, c. 1,000 Yellow-rumped Warblers, c. 5,000 Red-winged Blackbirds

When you think you alone are sane, and that every one else is crazy...think again.
When you think you alone are smart, and everyone else is stupid... think again.
When you think you alone are saved, and everyone else a sinner... think again.

Anon.

A Dumb Old Canada Joke

In the midst of trying to decide what to name Canada, at the time of nationhood - well, commonwealth-hood, no consensus could be reached. New England? New France? Quipihana? The Nice Country? Ducksville? Dullsville? Al Sharaaf? People's Republic of Nouveau England? So the decision was reached to draw letters from Dick's hat. Here's how it went:

C, eh? N, eh? D, eh?, etc.

And speaking of Canada, and not joking, did you know that all of Canada has gone to bilingual - except - guess where?
Quebec. Seulement Francais.
To you PC guilty and feckless Canadian liberals: Bienvenu a Canada. You got rolled again, suckers.

Earthquakes, Geology and Politics: Northern Pakistan

Seitz in WSJ:

"The exaggerated verticality of northern Pakistan makes it scientifically transparent but politically opaque, with borders hard to define and harder to guard. The chaos in the quake's aftermath has put the field in motion for fugitives of all stripes. Al Qaeda cadres and Islamist Kashmiri separatists can readily lose themselves among the flux of refugees in a region famed for discreet hospitality. It cannot have escaped Osama Bin Laden's attention that in the 19th century the Aga Khan spent tranquil years in Hunza while internecine war made him a hunted man elsewhere in the Islamic world."  Read entire.

The Connetquot River

See photo of a stretch of the river posted yesterday. Had a fine introduction to the famed Connetquot River on Long Island, NY, by my dear pal N on Sunday, at an outing with the extraordinary but very low-profile Anglers' Club of New York.

This unique stream, about one hour from downtown Manhattan, is an oasis of peace in the middle of development-run-amuck suburban Long Island, and runs from the relatively stream-less central part of the island down to Great South Bay and the Atlantic Ocean through a splendid and wild 3400-acre park,  It is known for its sea-run Brown and Rainbow trout which can achieve impressive size. But it is also stocked, of course, as is every trout stream in the Northeast, by necessity.

The fishing is organized along English-style beats to which you are assigned, by reservation. High waders are essential. Fly-fishing only, barbless hooks only, and mostly catch-and-release. We did bring dinner home, though -  the big Brown, in photo, who barely fit in a net.

As a truly casual fly-fisherman, with borrowed gear, seven hours of casting of all varieties raised my level of technique quite a bit, which isn't saying much. Is it wrist, or arm, or just "feel"? Well, in the end, everything is just "feel", I guess.

The wine at lunch seemed to help, but the week of heavy rain in New England did not, as the river was overflowing its banks, and the color of strong English tea from the tannin so that when you were almost up to your armpits in the water, you had to watch your step by feeling your way with your feet through the October-cold water so as not to trip over a submerged log, and thus end your day - or your life. But challenging is always a good thing. Too much easiness not good for Indian brave. We did catch and release quite a few nice fish, despite the challenges. And how wonderful it is to spend a day literally immersed in God's creation. Baptism by trout.

Voting In Iraq

It's the news story of the day, if not of the year. We use Iraq the Model to follow the inside story in Iraq, as do many others.

Update: here. Thanks Instap.

Sunrise on the marsh

The duck-hunter's view of the world.

Stock Tip

Many are giving the same advice: Buy Walmart. It will not be this cheap in five years. Went into my first Walmart last week, in Winnipeg, of all places. Jammed with people. Shelves full of cheap but useful crap from China. Tons of cheerful employees. Not my cup of tea, but the concept obviously works. Yes, I am adding to my ownership of Walmart, based on the lengths of the check-out lines. Gas and oil will peak and settle - not to worry. Markets do work, in time.

How many times?

How many times have I done our readers a great favor and saved them tons of hard-earned money by letting them know about Sierra Trading Post, a wonderful deep-discount source for high-quality outdoor, outdoor sports, and hunting gear, plus clothing, winter underwear, gloves, boots, and shoes, and everything else? When the bug for gear and for stuff hits you, this is where to go for a healthy release which will not break the budget. Heck, what is more American than shopping for good cheap stuff when that mean old spiritual emptiness comes to call? Go ahead, give in to the impulse, and keep the economy running strong. (This is not an advt., and I am not an investor.)

E. H. Gombrich

The great Austrian art historian-theoretician who died in 2001 also wrote, in six weeks, a  Little History of the World for children which has just been translated into English. I have read The Story of Art and Meditations on a Hobby Horse, but never knew he wrote a history. No surprise though - he knew everything.

Reminiscences of Gombrich and thoughts about the new book, here.   His books on art here.

What works in practice rarely works in theory.

Bird Dog