Maggie's FarmWe 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. |
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Monday, April 11. 2016The Springsteen Moment
This past weekend, Springsteen canceled a concert in North Carolina, on 2 days notice, to protest the passage of law requiring people to use bathrooms based on the gender of birth. PayPal, similarly, canceled plans to expand operations in Charlotte. I understand how tightly politics has become intertwined with business. Making a statement seems to be the most important thing anyone can do, these days. So I'll make a small one of my own. I don't agree with the North Carolina law, but I don't live there. I think it is over-the-top and excessive control of society by imposing a law where common sense should suffice to reign. The passage of law doesn't make an idea 'correct' or morally justified. Even so, I'm still planning to visit my family in North Carolina, spend money there, and enjoy the state's many natural wonders. I'm not going to boycott a state because I disagree with a law. If I did that, I'd have problems living in the state I currently reside. Paypal and Bruce both have the right to make whatever statements they choose, just as I do. I'm not sure how what they are doing impacts the law, however. In fact, they both hurt many people in an attempt to 'show solidarity' with...some group or another (I can never tell which special interest groups are getting the attention these days).
Continue reading "The Springsteen Moment"
Posted by Bulldog
in Politics, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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15:16
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Sunday, April 10. 2016FedEx
Fred Smith on the Birth of FedEx
Posted by The News Junkie
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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16:04
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PrecisionUSMC Silent Drill Team
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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13:08
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Saturday, April 9. 2016WatershedStumbled into this map of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. A major east coast estuary. Man, it covers a lot of real estate and even crosses a mountain range. Major rivers: The Susquehanna, Potomac, Rappahannock, York and James rivers are the five major rivers that flow to the Chesapeake Bay. These rivers make large parts of the Chesapeake brackish, which is fine with the turtles, waterfowl, Stripers, oysters, and crabs.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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05:04
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Friday, April 8. 2016"Who am I?," "Why am I here?,"and other self-centered, deep, important questionsIf you go to Harvard College, they intend to help you discover your true purpose in life. The meaning of your special snowflake life. Your mission. It hearkens back to the time when America's colleges were basically Congregational seminaries with sciences and liberal arts to help produce well-lettered and knowledgeable preachers and professors. The assumption now, of course, is that the most privileged kids in the world are helpless infants and idiots. The infantilization of college students continues unabated. Meanwhile those who do not attend colleges grow up right away. I do not know how to account for this trend. "Extended adolescence"? There was a time when college students considered themselves fully-fledged adults, and were viewed that way too. Age 16, or 18 depending on your background, was it. Regardless of how long the kids and the higher ed administrators conspire to delay it, everybody confronts reality and is forced to grow up eventually. Sippican's sewer line is a good metaphor. Tuesday, April 5. 2016Shoes For IndustryA visit to the Alden Shoe factory in Middleborough, MA. They make excellent shoes and they have many widths which matters to me with my narrow feets. They are sold in NYC and a few other places. They also make the Brooks Brothers-branded shoes, but not the Brooks English shoes. Good affordable lifetime shoes for formal, dress-casual, and other. Impossible to wear 'em out, because they will refurbish them for you at their factory regardless of their condition. Fine old shoes with some sign of age and use are cool, trustworthy. Wear your good shoes all the time and you will never go wrong. I do not wish to be judged by my tires, but I am told that people sort-of do, sometimes. Sheesh. Well, it might be preferable to judging me by the content of my character... A friend recently told me that he dragged a junior associate to the Alden place in NYC before an important business meeting. Threw the associate's shoes in the trash, and bought him an appropriate new pair. Job training. First impressions matter, rightly or wrongly. If you're a genius, maybe not - but even Einstein deliberately cultivated his wacky flair to attract girls.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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16:42
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A Blast From the PastI remember Firing Line as that program I avoided watching at all costs when I stumbled upon it as a child. It was boring, the man speaking had a funny elitist accent, and it was talking, no action. My father loved it. Lately, I've been watching some of the old episodes and have determined (to no surprise) Buckley was often touching on subjects that were timeless. Much of what he covered is still very relevant today. A discussion with Alan Ginsburg on what the Avant Garde is, and how it should be making its point in society, would be relevant today. However, a panel discussion about what a Hippie is...well, that's just good fun. Especially with a boozed-up Jack Kerouac, in his last public appearance, doing his best to mock a clueless academic. I think a fun program today would be to review old programs like this, stitch relevant parts together, and show just how deep down the rabbit hole Buckley often went.
Posted by Bulldog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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13:49
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Monday, April 4. 2016"It is I."
Somewhat related is You and I versus you and me. It's easy to sort that one out without making any reference to grammatical terms. Just mentally simplify the sentence to one person and it clarifies itself. Eg, "You and me should have lunch." "Me should have lunch"? Naw. So it's "You and I..."
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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17:01
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Friday, April 1. 2016Space archeologist
Posted by The News Junkie
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:54
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Funeral
We sang this one at the closing, one which always brings tears for me.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:17
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Thursday, March 31. 2016Charles Murray Insulted but Allowed to Speak
People should listen to him. He has lots to say, and lots of data. Facts, that is.
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:33
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GrouchoFrom the article:
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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13:29
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Tuesday, March 29. 2016An interesting American: Jacob Collins The New Old Masters - Readers know that I am a fan of all sorts of art, from cave paintings through Renaissance to Cezanne to Thomas Cole and including Picasso whose taste, touch, experimentation, and vitality impresses me more with each passing year. Does excellent technique equal excellent art? Is there a difference between fine art, design, decoration, and illustration? Does "art" evolve? Does the camera matter? I tire of those questions. Is there such a thing as talent? You betcha. I know for certain, because I have none. I envy talent - to a sinful degree. Is the Art World full of hype and hooey? Of course. There is $ in the art biz. I hate going to museums. Problem is, you have to, to stare at the good stuff up close. Is "new" better? Nope. Image is a Collins self-portrait. I would let him do a picture of me anytime he wants to.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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18:32
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A Conversation With Jonathan Haidt
Posted by The Barrister
in Education, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:52
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Sunday, March 27. 2016The real Emily Dickinson
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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17:39
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Thursday, March 24. 2016Single family zoning
The story of Bill Levitt's Levittowns (h/t American Digest). My family's first home was military housing. Our second, mortgage via the Vets. Our third, not. The farms were family heirlooms. Freebies, not earned. Very much related: Transcending the Single Family Home It begins:
Where I grew up as a young lad in suburbia, a little old lady ran a candy shop out of her parlor. A gunsmith had his shop in his garage. At the farm, of course, everybody ran their business out of their places: farms, farm stands, blacksmiths, tractor repairs, etc. Farms were often multi-generational. And yes, in town, families lived over the store. It worked. In cities, mixed zoning is a wonderful thing. Commercial on the first and/or second floors and residential above.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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18:03
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Bar FightingGood advice I got (when young) about bar fights is to use elbow to the head or torso, not fist. Far more power, less injury to self. Generally speaking, avoiding bar fights is easier though. Congrats to New York for finally allowing MMA. Here's Holly:
Posted by The News Junkie
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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12:10
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Wednesday, March 23. 2016Dive BarsI receive emails each week making suggestions for weekend activities. Sometimes they are interesting, most times not. This week, a suggestion to visit certain dive bars before they become Pret-a-Mangers. Not a bad idea. I love dive bars. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and my stepfather spent time at Mick's Tavern, the local gas station, garage and tavern. Total dive. At Syracuse, we had the student bar, Jabberwocky, which hosted many big name bands before they were names. That was before my time. The Jab also had Oldies Night on Wednesday nights, and Happy Hour on Friday. It wasn't technically a dive bar, but it could qualify. The drinking age was raised to 21 the year I left, and it closed. The real dive bar we used to frequent was Doug's Place, somewhere down near Carrier Circle. Real blue-collar stuff. We'd meet some alumni who lived in the area from time to time. It's where I learned to love dive bars. Pool, dimly lit, cheap glasses of beer, the only 'mixed' drink available was a Boilermaker. Always a few local factory guys in there. Doug's Place is long gone, too. I did hear 'Doug', whoever he is, opened a fish fry somewhere nearby. When I moved to Queens in the 80's, my roommate was a local who introduced me to My Lady's, a tavern for which I played softball and drank quarter glasses of beer on Thursday nights. I got to know the bartender, a giant of a man, but the classic example of a huge teddy bear. My girlfriend's family came one night to watch college hoops with me and dubbed it The Bucket of Blood because, well, that's pretty much what it reminded you of. The final night it was open was 1991, and early on it was a great party. I heard the rest was very good, too. I guess I had an early start on the evening... When we lived in Hoboken, Louise & Jerry's was our end-of-the-evening final stop. Louise, a widow in a housecoat, was always behind the bar. When God Bless America played on the jukebox, you had to stop what you were doing and sing with Louise. If she didn't like your look, she stopped you as you walked in, and demanded you leave. She once gave my wife the stinkeye for ordering club soda. When I told her, quietly, that she was pregnant with our first child, Louise smiled and gave us all a round of drinks (but kept the secret). Louise & Jerry's is still open, but I heard it's upscale now. Recently, I stopped in at the Canyon Club, in Williams, AZ. One of the finest dive bars I've ever experienced. A real honky-tonk. Loved every second, loved the people. Which is important. A good dive bar has friendlies, it doesn't attract surly or violent types. You can have a curmudgeon or two, but people have to want to have a good time. Some dives are iconic, and unlikely to go away. McSorley's is one. Out where I live, there aren't many dive bars left unless you're willing to take a chance. We used to have the Blue Collar Bar, but that got bought by a high-end group and was transformed into a "dive" bar. It retained the dive nature, but served high end cuisine. Excellent food, but ruined the ambiance. It closed after four or five years. Dive bars, I believe, have short lives. There is still one place near me, the Garwood Rest, which my buddies and I will gather in to play darts (American Darts - with the wooden shafts and we're playing baseball, not 301, 501 or Cricket) and watch football or baseball once very month. It qualifies as a dive, but it's higher end than any other one I've been in. Here are some more. I'm familiar with the Raccoon Lodge, The Smith, and Hogs and Heifers, though all from 20-30 years ago. When you find a good dive bar, it's a thing to revel in.
Tuesday, March 22. 2016Meet the guy
Posted by The Barrister
in Education, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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17:33
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Sunday, March 20. 2016Introductory overviews
The old one-volume Columbia Encyclopedia did that better. I relied on it when I was young. Anyway, two recent Wikis that I used:
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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13:29
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Saturday, March 19. 2016An American lifeCol. Sanders had a remarkable life. Do I like Kentucky Fried Chicken, even in its current version? Yum. Much better than I can make at home. (h/t American Digest)
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:16
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Thursday, March 17. 2016Many scientific “truths” are, in fact, falseStudies frequently arrive at erroneous results. These are sometimes reported breathlessly by the press. When the results are contradicted, there is rarely a mention. Furthermore, negative studies often have difficulty getting published because they are unexciting. How many people still think fatty meat causes heart disease? Many people never got the correction memo.
Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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15:00
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Tuesday, March 15. 2016Money Stolen From My Car! See What This Homeless Veteran Does
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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15:33
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Monday, March 14. 2016What to do with isolated stone-age populations?
Leave them alone at a great distance as if they were endangered wild animals, film and study the heck out of them, or buy them a Big Mac and take them to the opera? The fate of these stone age tribes is entirely in civilization's hands. A strange situation: Should We Save 'Endangered' Cultures? I am reminded about the Star Trek directive: "No interference."
Posted by Bird Dog
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20:03
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Sam Harris tries "Scientific Ethics"
Very intelligent review: Review of The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values, by Sam Harris:
Science can tell me what I should want? What? Science is not my Mommy, and if my Mom had raised me scientifically I would probably be insane..
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:46
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