Maggie's Farm

Academic Freedom

What does it mean, exactly? Confederate Yankee has the details, with the Shortell situation as the case in point.

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge

Dr. Bob clearly has a thing about bridges, both the architecture and the engineering. He has a fine series, with lots of photos, on the construction of his local suspension bridge.

That's a lot of polpo. Why a photo of a Pacific Giant Octopus? Read it.

Congrats

Congrats to the Bird Dog nephew Andy, whose graduation from Pittsfield (MA) High School we attended yesterday, at Tanglewood. Darn good acoustics for the fine HS band.

James Kilgo's Deep Enough for Ivorybills. Timely in a season in which the "extinct" Ivorybill has been found alive. A modern classic of Southern literature by a hunter-naturalist-armchair philosopher. Getting lost in the swamp is something to which all outdoor-people can relate, either literally or metaphorically. A 1988 review from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"Though he never glimpses the rare, regal Ivorybill wodpecker, James Kilgo's lifelong urge to "go deep" has grown into this thoughtful book of autobiographical sketches...This is a book not just for hunters, birdwatchers, or naturalists. It's for everbody who senses, or perhaps remembers, that the woods have more to offer than a splotch of shade on a deck."

Image from Peterson's Field Guide

Jesus in China

Check this link fast - it will expire soon. From Chronicle of Higher Education.

"I love deadlines. I especially love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."

Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I asked for wisdom...and God gave me problems to solve.
I asked for prosperity...and God gave me brain and brawn to work.
I asked for courage...and God gave me danger to overcome.
I asked for love...and God gave me people to help.
I asked for favors...and God gave me opportunities.
I asked for strength...and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.

I received nothing I wanted...I received everything I needed.

Anon.

Termites, and Bob Dylan

Absolutely no connection between the two. Just a random note from your editor (recent drawing of Bird Dog by Norman Rockwell on right):

1. Despite our name, we are not a Dylan blog, but we are very fortunate to have The Dylanologist on our highly-paid staff. We welcome his frequent or occasional thoughts on Dylan's life, work, performances, etc. Or on any other music, or any other subject.

2. Termites: This topic deserves a thoughtful essay, but not right now. We are coining, copywriting, appropriating, and otherwise using the useful term "Termites" for any person, organization, movement, concept, etc. which is, or appears to be, motivated by a desire to take a bite out of the foundations of traditional American culture, values, morals, religion, traditions, or the Constitution itself. We at Maggies aim to be part of the pesticide brigade, sprayers loaded with verbal DDT against those who would like to bring down this precious structure we have inherited and for which we Americans are blessed by having been assigned the job of custodian and steward.

When you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Anon.

In the lonely night
In the blinking stardust of a pale blue light
You're comin through to me in black and white
Where we were made of dreams

You're blowin down the shakey street
You're hearin my heart beat
In the record breakin heat
Where we were born in time

Not one more night, not one more kiss
Not this time babe, no more of this
Takes too much skill, takes too much will
It's too revealin.

Dylan, from Born in Time
CD here.

Last Day of Sale

From our Department of Free Advertising for the Worthy: Today is the final Sale Day at Wayside Nurseries.

Brewton does Dartmouth

Tom Brewton at View from 1776 did a piece on the lack of basic knowledge among Dartmouth kids a week or so ago, and it garnered some attention and argumentation.

The lack of a core curriculum doesn't just apply to the great Dartmouth College, it applies almost everywhere nowadays except at Columbia College, and at the University of Chicago, which I believe wisely borrowed Columbia's required series of two years of their required "Humanities" series and two years of "Contemporary Civilization" (which means Classical Greece to 1900, approx.).  And because it all flows and inter-relates, with the Humanities series roughly covering stuff that is contemporary with the stuff in CC, you inter-link - and remember it forever. For example, you could be reading the Aeneid in Hum, studying Roman governance in CC, and looking at the effect of Greek art and architecture on Roman civilization ideally at the same time.

You can know that these kids will know Augustine from Aquinas, Sophocles from Socrates, Luther from Lucretius, and Burke from Locke, whether they are Math majors or Art History majors. (And they will know, in detail, how the steps and the columns of the Parthenon were carefully mathematically distorted in shape to create an illusion of flat steps and straight columns.) I always felt there could have been a concurrent History of Math, Science and Techology too, as part of the core, but I guess you have to draw a line somewhere.

What's the point? The point is that colleges with core curricula have the confidence to make a statement about what they believe is foundationally important for a citizen, with a college education, to know. 

Columbia's Core Curriculum here. Brewton's piece here. (I know I will get annoyed emails about other excellent colleges with similar curricula - and I'd like to know, but please, be respectful.)

A nationwide, usually flocking songbird with a subtle, creamy color. Not uncommon, especially where fruits and berries are abundant. Read more about this attractive bird.

Photo courtesy of Bill Horn - his link to the left.

You can change someone else 5% of the time, but you can change yourself 50% of the time.

Anon.

Hillary Squawks

"There has never been an administration, I don't believe in our history, more intent upon consolidating and abusing power to further their own agenda," said Mrs. Clinton, whose own administration collected FBI files on opponents and had accusers audited by the IRS."

No, not since she has been in there. Story here.  It is called "projection." Regardless, I wish she were right about what she said. Would it be OK if the Repubs just forgot about their agenda, forgot about the election, and became re-born liberals? Would that be OK? Would you play nice, then? Pretty please, with sugar on top?

I cannnot believe some of the emails we receive. Honestly, getting bored with being called a moron. Let's get a little more creative out there, critics:

Editor Bird Dog,

You stupid ---- ---- Republican jerks why dont you look at yourselfs and see how stupid you are, the whole country is dieing from pollution and no food and needs help and all you do is look at birds and get jobs while people are starving and not getting education because of Bush or disability which I need and cannot get and what do you care. You are hopeless morons and I do not read your blog and you are right there is no cure for stupidity - and I mean yours.

Anonymous

Dear Loyal Reader,

Thank you for the genteel and constructive criticism. We must earnestly try to be less stupid, but it is hard to do with the limited brain content we have. We can't all be as wise and perceptive as you obviously are. I would suggest that you run for office, instead of writing to blog editors. You have a future in politics, along with John Dean and all the others, and you wouldn't have to worry about that disability problem. I think you meet the IQ hurdle, but take it easy on the Old Milwaukee or you might slip below the bar, which is 75. But hey - we aren't Republicans so much as we try to be Rationalists who vote for whoever makes the least bad sense and is the least corrupt. There are many dogs we'd be glad to vote for but they are way too smart to run for office. Running for squirrels or ducks is a wiser game. But keep reading Maggie's - we need the numbers.

Sincerely,

Bird Dog (yup, that's my photo)

Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy.

 Albert Einstein

1944 Farmall Model H

Time to get back to work, fellow bloggers. Check the oil, crank that thing up, and get rolling.

"90% of this game is half mental."

Yogi Berra

Pardon this poor photo of this wonderfully-colored bird which is common in the eastern woodlands and edges, and in suburbia, with its masterfully-woven hanging nests and its loud call which announces its presence.

We must have seen a dozen of them last weekend in New Haven. Like the tanager, it looks like a jungle bird and, indeed, during our winter, it is. Read about this splendid bird here.

Last chance to email the FEC

Today is the last day the FEC will be taking public comments on their plans to regulate campaign-related speech and advertising on the internet, including blogs. Reportedly, the FEC has been disappointed by the low volume of comment. Please refer to yesterday's post here, and send the FEC a polite email, not a rant, about how you use or view blogs and how that relates to your opinion on political campaign speech-regulation on the Internet, esp in the "Blogosphere". Make sure you include your name and address - they don't read anonymous.

Live Aid, Band Aid, etc.

Bob Geldorf is back with another version of his save-the-world rock concerts. Chrenkoff has the real story about how these well-meaning but naive efforts misfired.