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.
It's one thing for political campaigns to spy on each other. That's normal because politics is an ugly business. When government does it, it's criminal. I hope all of this evil deep state conspiracy comes to light, and that the people are held to account. Jail time.
I suspect the mole was Carter Page, but who knows? He had done odd jobs for the FBI in the past. This feels like CIA business, done on American soil.
I am sure we have readers who did wait staff jobs at some point in life. I discussed the skills involved with somebody this weekend. We laughed about two topics in particular. First, how to load and balance a full tray of plates and silverware, get under it in a squat, and lift. Second, how to load a tray of 20-30 glasses and throw a damp towel on top to glue them together.
Of course, the dramatic moments are when you drop a fully-loaded tray because some little kid scurries in front of you. Big crash, everybody has to rubberneck. Good times.
Just busing tables at large events quickly and efficiently is a skill. Delivering food to the tables is another skill. When I was in college, we figured 40 wait staff for 1000 guests, 4-5 for 150 guests. It's a work-out.
I suspect that part of the problem the Boy Scouts have faced is the remarkable rise of organized sports for youth. Also, the nerdy, wholesome image which does not fit with the age of hip hop.
Is the idea of being a decent, kind, and honorable person who has many basic life skills an obsolete one? Of course not. Among other things I learned as a Scout, I learned to be always kind to the elderly, to change a tire, to confront bullies and jerks, CPR, how to start a fire in the rain with wet wood, basic riflery and firearm safety, point-to-point navigation on land and sea. I also learned that outdoor camping, regardless of weather, is better in the telling than in the doing. Still, there is nothing as fine as sitting around a campfire.
For adults like me who seek and aspire to living a strenuous life rather than a relaxed one, the guys put together a sort-of adult Boy Scout program: 12-WEEK INITIATION INTO THE CULT OF STRENUOSITY.
Peterson is an apologist for a set of beliefs that we once took for granted but now require an articulate defence, such as: Free speech is an essential value; perfect equality inevitably conflicts with individual freedom; one should be cautious before attempting to reengineer social institutions that appear to be working; men and women are, in certain quantifiable respects, different. His life advice concerns the necessity to defer gratification, face up to the trials of life with equanimity, take responsibility for one’s own choices, and struggle against the temptation to grow resentful. How such traditional values came to be portrayed as a danger adjacent to Nazism is one of the puzzles of our time.
It's full of fun facts and techniques without being overly technical. Good high school bio should suffice with a gross anatomy refresher. A little biochem won't hurt either but you get the Krebs Cycle in basic bio.
Did you know that physical conditioning includes mitochondrial growth? It does, over time. It's remarkable to learn the ways the body rises to meet stresses slowly but surely.
He's right. Peterson is a (mostly secular) pastor with a dark message (Life is suffering, a hard thing to do) and a challenge to life adventure (Fight chaos, Be the best you can be, Don't make things worse, etc.). Like a good preacher, he brings truisms and even banalities back to life in a useful and, for many, inspirational way. He rights the ship in a crazy world.
Besides that, he's smarter and more articulate than any of us. God bless him.
... the phony caravan of asylum seekers are at the border and several have already been caught jumping the fences. The key takeaways here are a) if they truly were fleeing Honduras seeking political asylum, then they should remain in Mexico; actually they should have stayed in Guatemala since that is the first nation directly across the Honduran border and b) this is not about asylum; it's a political stunt orchestrated by a Soros-funded radical Marxist group headed by Americans.
There is a very long history of popes behaving politically instead of spiritually. Historically, popes were often worldly powers. It's not all religion.
Snarky about brunch. Truth is, brunch after church with friends is one of the most pleasant things in life. A delicious meal too, with smoked salmon and other neat things.
My best Sunday morning: Early one-hour workout, church, brunch with friends in an outdoor cafe with a Bloody Mary or Bloody Bull, until 1 or 2 pm. Then go do something interesting or go for a walk.
Life can be wonderful and beautiful if structured correctly and a Sunday brunch is part of that on a lovely Spring day.
At Florida State University, a study was done on gender differences between men and women. Attractive, well-dressed students approached the opposite gender and asked one of the following three questions:
Below, you already know this: there was no intelligence supporting Trump-Russia collusion. So why was there any investigation? What cabal set that up to weaken Trump? And why?
Good advice, but it's also always a good idea to sense when somebody is tired of taking to you. Sorry to say, they probably are. On both ends, short and sweet is best in most cases unless you are lucky enough to get a truly lively and jovial interaction going.
This is a big deal: 