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.
8:1 Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
8:2 Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge;
8:3 but anyone who loves God is known by him.
8:4 Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that "no idol in the world really exists," and that "there is no God but one."
8:5 Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth--as in fact there are many gods and many lords--
8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
8:7 It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
8:8 "Food will not bring us close to God." We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.
8:9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
8:10 For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols?
8:11 So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed.
8:12 But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
8:13 Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.
Crowd pleaser, tear-jerker from Nabucco - Va, Pensiero from the Hebrew slaves in Babylon (Spanish subtitles here, for some reasons). Original, and English translation, below.
Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate;
va, ti posa sui clivi, sui colli,
ove olezzano tepide e molli
l'aure dolci del suolo natal!
Del Giordano le rive saluta,
di Sionne le torri atterrate.
O, mia patria, sì bella e perduta!
O, membranza, sì cara e fatal!
Arpa d'or dei fatidici vati,
perché muta dal salice pendi?
Le memorie nel petto raccendi,
ci favella del tempo che fu!
O simile di Sòlima[10] ai fati
traggi un suono di crudo lamento,
o t'ispiri il Signore un concento
che ne infonda al patire virtù!
Fly, my thoughts, on wings of gold;
go settle upon the slopes and the hills,
where, soft and mild, the sweet airs
of my native land smell fragrant!
Greet the banks of the Jordan
and Zion's toppled towers.
Oh, my homeland, so lovely and so lost!
Oh memory, so dear and so dead!
Golden harp of the prophets of old,
why do you now hang silent upon the willow?
Rekindle the memories in our hearts,
and speak of times gone by!
Mindful of the fate of Solomon's temple,
Cry out with raw lamentation,
or else may the Lord strengthen you
to bear these sufferings![11]
No matter where you live in the US, Chili is a basic warming winter supper. Always good for lunch too on a ski slope with a cold beer or two.
Chili is like barbecue: every region and every locale has developed its own favorite version. Up here in Yankeeland, it's usually made with ground beef and lots of beans. It's OK, not great. Something like this recipe. That's what moms and dads here make.
That's OK after a morning of skiing, but that is a pic of a real Texas Chili: no beans and no ground beef. 3/4 of a cup of hot chili powder?!? Well, I did that. Unless your Mom was a Texan or a Mezzican-American, you probably never had it like that. Stewed meat in tomato, garlic and hot pepper sauce, hot and spicy as hell - or as spicy as you decide to make it.
Got a deer on hand? Venison is as good, or better, than beef. Use your least-desirable cuts because it tenderizes during 7 hrs. in the crock pot. Best to kill the deer first too, if you know how to do it. Bow, spear, or AR-15. Who cares?
You can put the pure-meat version on rice if you need to. Never on brown rice. My rule of thumb: Nothing on brown rice. It took the Asians thousands of years to make rice white, so why go backwards? At Maggie's HQ we use Costco's tasty Basmati but there is nothing wrong with Uncle Ben's.
It's been a long road, with many changes over the years (but with no changes to our antique graphic presentation).
We (and "we") has changed plenty over the years. I spose our vision - if there was one - has been to be an eclectic site. Yes, we try to have a daily bulletin board of interesting and/or timely items, but we don't aim to "cover the news," whatever that means.
It can look like a conservative site, but it's intended to be more contrarian. Traditionalist. Skeptical for sure - always because the world is full of BS and propaganda and always was. When the MSM is riding some ideologically-motivated, politically-biased hobby horse, we like to offer other views. Sometimes rightly, sometimes in error, but I still think our perspectives are mostly rational and skeptical.
I do appreciate all of the people who send me links to use. That's good, but it would be fun to have more voluntary writers. People do get worn out by it over time and, if it's no longer fun, why bother? Simpler just to email links to the Editor - little ol' me.
As best I can tell, several millions of people look at our site each year from all over the world (blocked in China I think but not in Norway). That is cool, but there is no vision of what we want to be or become - if anything. Never made one penny from this hobby, and some think that is stupid. Maybe, but I never made a penny from playing tennis either but when I played well, Mrs. BD noticed...
If you have plenty of good content, Substack seems like a place to offer it these days. Getting crowded though. Lots of competition in the arena of public affairs but not many sites love Farmall tractors.
Yeah, always loved our old Farmall except on steeps. Little scary on steeps - not built for our New England hills.
Police states always install political officers in organizations. Nazis, communists, etc. I am always reminded of the Political Officer in the Hunt for Red October movie.
Yeah, DEI administrators are political officers. It makes sense for employees to fear them.
Tests were always useful to me, same as tests are for me in the gym. Otherwise, it's hard to know how you are doing. Finding out your strengths and weaknesses, etc. Sometimes painful, but of course. If you don't care, fine.
Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face, Great Chieftain o’ the Puddin-race! Aboon them a’ ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy of a grace As lang ‘s my arm.
The groaning trencher there ye fill, Your hurdies like a distant hill, Your pin wad help to mend a mill In time o’ need, While thro’ your pores the dews distil Like amber bead.
His knife see Rustic-labour dight, An’ cut ye up wi’ ready slight, Trenching your gushing entrails bright, Like onie ditch; And then, O what a glorious sight, Warm-reekin, rich!
Then, horn for horn, they stretch an’ strive: Deil tak the hindmost, on they drive, Till a’ their weel-swall’d kytes belyve Are bent like drums; Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive, Bethankit hums.
Is there that owre his French ragout, Or olio that wad staw a sow, Or fricassee wad mak her spew Wi’ perfect sconner, Looks down wi’ sneering, scornfu’ view On sic a dinner?
Poor devil! see him owre his trash, As feckless as a wither’d rash, His spindle shank a guid whip-lash, His nieve a nit; Thro’ bluidy flood or field to dash, O how unfit!
But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed, The trembling earth resounds his tread, Clap in his walie nieve a blade, He’ll make it whissle; An’ legs, an’ arms, an’ heads will sned, Like taps o’ thrissle.
Ye Pow’rs wha mak mankind your care, And dish them out their bill o’ fare, Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware That jaups in luggies; But, if ye wish her gratefu’ prayer, Gie her a Haggis!
People make a meal of it, with salad, but it's also a darn good side with roast beef.
A little truffle oil makes for an upscale Mac and Cheese. I had that once in a very fancy restaurant, baked in individual pottery ramekin/mugs with shaved truffle on top. Quite effete and entirely edible.
... the progressive movement cannot enact its unpopular agendas. So it must scare the people silly and gin up chaos to destroy its perceived enemies—any crisis it can.
An Italian peasant dish, fully functional for any small game the hunter - the cacciatore - brings home in his bag - fowl, rabbit, squirrel. I made it with pheasant a few nights ago and the family loved it.
My Mom never heard of it, but I had a friend whose Mom cooked it. Adventurous for a New England Yankee Mom.
We serve it on rice, egg noodles, or pappardelle.
Like all such things, it's better the second day.
Regarding this pretty-good recipe - Chicken Cacciatore - I can report that it is darn good with the capers. An alternative to the capers would be wild mushrooms, but not both. Definitely add some hot pepper flakes. Don't simmer for 1/2 hr - simmer for 60 minutes to fully mix the flavors while you give the baby a bath.
I sometimes cheat by sauteeing the chopped vegatables, then adding them to marinara sauce from the supermarket. It works darn well with the rest of the ingedients.
Will the Supreme Court Finish Trump’s War Against Regulation? The former president made little headway while in office against the administrative state, but the Roberts court is ready to step in.
What to expect from this year's
No matter where you live in the US, Chili is a basic warming winter supper. Always good for lunch too on a ski slope with a cold beer or two. 
It's been a long road, with many changes over the years (but with no changes to our antique graphic presentation).
Address to a Haggis 
It's basically an Americanized version of 
An Italian peasant dish, fully functional for any small game the hunter - the cacciatore - brings home in his bag - fowl, rabbit, squirrel. I made it with pheasant a few nights ago and the family loved it.