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.
We attended a family funeral on Saturday down in NJ. All of the vets' graves had flags. There were so many that it looked like a field of flags. The husband, my uncle-in-law, of the sweet gal who died was in the Normandy invasion, and in the war until it ended. By the end of the war, he was one of four surviving from his original platoon. Still in good shape. His war stories are remarkable - taking a castle! I sat next to a cousin-in-law USAF Col. at the funeral lunch. Vietnam Vet. All Irish, all warm and amusing - and all fairly sober.
We link Dalrymple's stuff all the time. It's time to let you know about his new book, Threats of Pain and Ruin.
I learned, from the Amazon blurb, some things about him that I did not know:
Theodore Dalrymple is a former prison doctor and psychiatrist. He has been arrested as a spy in Gabon, been sought by the South African police for violating apartheid, visited the site of a civilian massacre by the government of Liberia, concealed his status as a writer for fear of execution in Equatorial Guinea, infiltrated an English communist group in order to attend the World Youth Festival in North Korea, performed Shakespeare in Afghanistan, smuggled banned books to dissidents in Romania, been arrested and struck with truncheons for photographing an anti-government demonstration in Albania and crossed both Africa and South America using only public transportation. He is also the author of more than two dozen books and innumerable essays.
If only half of that were true he'd be in line to be my next shrink - after I wear out my current confessore.
1. The world-wide present and historical range of the Moose (known as Elk in Europe and Asia). I did not know that they used to be in Rhode Island, nor did I know that there were any left in Colorado. In Maine and NH, they are all over the place and moving south due to global warming. Wolves and hunters are needed.
The dirty secret about the "pure" golf game is the amount of cheating, not just in tournaments - amateur tournaments mainly - but also in everyday play.
So here are my questions:
1. Do you cheat? Do you play with people who cheat?
2. If so, how? Is a mulligan cheating?
3. How prevalent, or accepted, do you think it is?
"Nine out of ten doctors would not recommend anyone go into medicine today," the headline of an online news post read.
An article in Forbes Magazine last month cited the selfless dedication physicians bring to the practice of medicine caring only for the well being of their patients. Both statements are gross exaggerations. While many doctors are unhappy with the changes in medical practice they are not retiring in droves, and while most doctors care a great deal for their patients there are also those who care more about their compensation. Certainly more of the older generation of practitioners, my generation of physicians, have been stunned by the changes that have occurred over the past 25 years in the delivery of health care, but also by the loss of a sense of power doctors once had. The axis of physician, nurse, patient is now a mosaic which includes many other "providers" not anticipated twenty years ago.
One of the first changes was to remove the doctor from his pinnacle by calling him (his/him will stand for both genders in the interest of brevity) a "health care provider." Thus, medical care deliverers became like Dr. Pepper drinkers, "I'm a Pepper, she's a Pepper, wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?" We groused about it but only a few of us saw the dark clouds on the western horizon, managed care was approaching. Up until that time the community hospital was basically a doctor's club complete with private dining room. As care became more complicated and sophisticated - intensive care units and CAT scans did not exist in the 1960s when I was an intern and resident - the hospital became more of an independent institution that could serve patients with its own staff to service physician referrals.
A remarkable report from a Liberal public defender, which sadly fits most of what we all know from life experience: Confessions of a Public Defender.
These people weren't raised right. In fact, it doesn't seem as if they were raised at all. A damn shame. Barbarians in our midst. However, I would not generalize his experiences of black criminals to black Americans in general. There are plenty of dysfunctional, ignorant low-lifes out there of all skin colors, and the government makes life relatively easy for them to make useless, effortless, unconstructive lives.
As I understand it, the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) view God as both immanent and transcendent. I do, I suppose. However, I know little to nothing about theology.
I fell into this subject while thinking about the word numinous (from Latin numen - a spirit which inhabits a thing or place). My Pastor referred to "numinous experiences," by which I believe he meant moments in which God's presence is strongly felt. I like the word very much.
Another fine kiddie chair from my Mom's stash of furniture: a kiddie potty chair from the olden days. Of course, you put an old pot under it but it had already been adapted to a regular kid's chair when I was a lad.
Thanks to Mom for having saved all of this old stuff.
I wonder whether any readers know anything about the history of this one.
Advice for a Happy Life by Charles Murray - Consider marrying young. Be wary of grand passions. Watch 'Groundhog Day' (again). Advice on how to live to the fullest.
Camille Paglia is my favorite Lefty, feminist lesbian. A quote from Camille Paglia: A Feminist Defense of Masculine Virtues - The cultural critic on why ignoring the biological differences between men and women risks undermining Western civilization.
Ms. Paglia relishes her outsider persona, having previously described herself as an egomaniac and "abrasive, strident and obnoxious." Talking to her is like a mental CrossFit workout. One moment she's praising pop star Rihanna ("a true artist"), then blasting ObamaCare ("a monstrosity," though she voted for the president), global warming ("a religious dogma"), and the idea that all gay people are born gay ("the biggest canard," yet she herself is a lesbian).
They say that only boring people get bored. If skiing, boating, hanging out in the City, attending shows, going hunting, traveling to new places, starting a new business, etc. is not enough stimulation, try this:
We link Dalrymple's stuff all the time. It's time to let you know about his new book, 
The dirty secret about the "pure" golf game is the amount of cheating, not just in tournaments - amateur tournaments mainly - but also in everyday play.
"Nine out of ten doctors would not recommend anyone go into medicine today," the headline of an online news post read. 
Fancy theological words for 
