Maggie's Farm

We linked this fine brief talk during the week, but here's the YouTube if you missed it:

It is anniversary season for many. I recommend some nice diamonds for the gal - especially if she hasn't let herself go because she is sick and tired of you and your dirty, stinky socks, your selfishness, your unromantic, piggish ways, your roving eyes, your cocktails and ceegars, your crappy personality, and your inadequate income.

It's a husband's duty and pleasure to remain manly, strong, productive and firm (even if it requires the humiliation of the little blue pills) and to never show physical or emotional frailty.

It's a wife's duty and pleasure to remain lovely, cheerful, supportive, feminine and desirable, and to never nag or complain (and to use that estrogen stuff if you're over the hill).

Anything less is a de facto rejection, and rejection is deeply hurtful and damaging to the soul.

Front Page's Jamie Glazov discusses his new book, which addresses a topic about which we are always curious - the affinity between the Liberal-Left and brutal tyranny, especially Islamic tyranny. Relevant today with our government's submissive overtures to Islamic dictatorships.

Fairly short, but it's in two pieces:

Not a new Nail Gun by DeWALT.

It can drive a 16-D nail through a 2 X 4 at 200 yards. This makes construction a breeze. You can sit in your lawn chair and build a fence. Just get your wife to hold the fence boards in place while you sit back, relax with a cold beer and and a smoke and, when she has the board in the right place, fire away like William Tell.

Mr. Free Market would want one, I am certain.

If you have had trouble accessing Maggie's, it is because we are blocking virus-laden machines which are attempting to assault us at a rate of 10,000 every two minutes. 

We are slowly trying to open the door without being overwhelmed by these viral attacks.

MSG, NYC, 1992

The artist brings something into the world that didn't exist before, and he does it without destroying something else. A kind of refutation of the conservation of matter. That still seems to me its central magic, its core of joy.

John Updike, from Author's Guild Bulletin, Winter 2009 p. 39

From the Oxford Libertarian Society, the remarkable Prof. Terence Kealey - author of Sex, Science, and Politics (h/t, Samiz). A wide-ranging and fascinating talk, with wonderful Q&A. The guy is a genius. Please watch:

Terence Kealey - 'The Myth of Science as a Public Good' from oxford libertarian on Vimeo.

No national sympathy for the Marines - yet the late-term baby killer is mourned and lamented. As Jammy put it:

Maybe if Private William Long performed partial-birth abortions his killing would have caught the attention of Barack Hussein Obama a little quicker.

But since he was an Army soldier murdered by a Muslim jihadist, it wasn't worth mentioning for over two days, and until after Obama left the country.

18th Century coiffure. Crazy, but good habitat for lice.

10 common misconceptions about blogs. h/t, Norm

Britain on the Brink.

Chavez: "Comrade Obama may be to the Left of me and Fidel." Related: Canadian Socialist leader visits Washington re health care.

Acting like a jerk: US one of the largest Moslim countries? That's plain stupid, worthy of "all 57 states" or Dan Quail. When will the MSM discover that there's less horsepower under that shiny hood? More at Surber

Nostalgianomics from Krugman; corrections at Reason.

A job for a Diversity and Equality Supervisor in England. Not satire.

The hatred. Now it's about hate-f-ing Palin. Against my will, I am introduced to that progressive concept.

My time working in the real West Wing. Hennessey

Dr. Clouthier:

My biggest concern with Government Run health care is that the government will run it and run you. That is, your life will be controlled from cradle to grave. You will eat a certain way…or else. You will do certain things…or else. And the government will have every motivation to force you down a path.

Ultimately, this is a civil liberties issue. Some people say that not having health care for all is shameful in such a wealthy country. Shameful is the notion of a bureaucrat deciding whether you live or die based on the metrics of a chart. That’s shameful. And that would be our future. It is a future I don’t want to see.

Just look at the big government, totalitarian groups that are for this mess. It should give you an idea of what you’d have to look forward to in the future.

Related from Kudlow: Obamacare will bankrupt the US:
http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=051409A

What books should the O read? Powerline

This recession more mild that 1982. All my kids have jobs, including my youngest soon-to-be HS grad who has a summer acting job in NYC - and my dau-in-law-to-be just nailed a good one in NYC too. That makes 3 working in NYC. Good on them. All young folks need to spend some time there, I believe.

Hey parents - Leave them kids alone

From the UK re car companies: The US is committing suicide. Related: Iowahawk's take on the new green gummint cars

If the O had Jimmy Carter's fortitude

The O Admin is in permanent campaign mode. Magician in Chief

A European election? WTH? Who will vote? Who has any affinity with the "European Commission"?

Wilkinson: Repubs still the party of Nixon. Truth to that. A very good Pres, overall - if not the most likeable fellow. Too bad he didn't have the cojones to say "We screwed up."

Surber:

55% of Americans want to abolish affirmative action, while 36% support it. Given the great strides minorities have made in the last 45 years under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, most people believe it is time to take the training wheels off. 

Photo on top: Vanderleun
Middle Photo: Moonbattery
Toon: Theo

The "hang" is a very ancient Swiss drum-like instrument which looks like a wok with dings - similar to a modern steel drum. Swiss mythology tells that the idea was born of children playing with kitchen pots and pans. Here is Liron Man playing one:

This observation from Rick Moran

Salon’s “Dear Abbey” for hilariously confused and clueless lefties who ask questions of Glenallen Walken about conservatism - “Dear Wingnut” - is one of the most entertaining things about that publication. The childlike and simple minded questions asked by liberals of the author (and the comment threads his column generates) remind me of a kid asking his dad, “Why is the sky blue?” or maybe “How many stars are there, daddy?”

led me to Salon's Dear Wingnut site. "Walken" is pretty good, matter-of-fact, and deserves - and no doubt gets - attention there. Give him a look.

Kind of cool. (h/t, Ace). I would like to see more.

Many of those lunches look darn good, but the crap the American kids seem to want looks disgusting. Anyway, if I ate lunches like these I'd be asleep for two hours afterwards. An apple is about all I can handle if I have things to do.

Photo is a school lunch in China. Looks good to me - especially that fried fish.

Answer at Thompson.

Our commenting function is screwy. We'll fix it.

There has been a hobgoblin in our system for a week, performing all sorts of random mischievous acts (including shutting us down, hiding comments, and blocking comments) in order to give us fits.

Via Aurelia: The Roman Empire's Lost Highway. A bit more interesting than Route 66.

Photo from the article.

Via Jules, boobs sell:

Via Theo, Boobs for beginners:

Another Taize chant: Veni Sancte Spiritus. I love this one. 

Anchoress reminds us that

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel (Right Judgment), Fortitude (Courage), Knowledge, Piety (Reverence) and Fear of the Lord (Awe of God).

Good gifts indeed. Who does not hunger for these?

Here's one way to guard your stuff: Shave your dog:

Here's one of the many cave canems from The Dogs of Pompeii:

 Here's my sign, which we picked up in a hardware store in Italy:

Ephemera

"YOUR eyes that once were never weary of mine
Are bowed in sorrow under pendulous lids,
Because our love is waning."

And then She:
"Although our love is waning, let us stand
By the lone border of the lake once more,
Together in that hour of gentleness
When the poor tired child, passion, falls asleep.
How far away the stars seem, and how far
Is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart!"

Pensive they paced along the faded leaves,
While slowly he whose hand held hers replied:
"Passion has often worn our wandering hearts."
The woods were round them, and the yellow leaves
Fell like faint meteors in the gloom, and once

A rabbit old and lame limped down the path;
Autumn was over him:and now they stood
On the lone border of the lake once more:
Turning, he saw that she had thrust dead leaves
Gathered in silence, dewy as her eyes,
In bosom and hair.

"Ah, do not mourn," he said,
"That we are tired, for other loves await us;
Hate on and love through unrepining hours.
Before us lies eternity; our souls
Are love, and a continual farewell."