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, March 4. 2019Another one of my trees downLast week it took 4 guys with trucks, saws, ropes, and a cherry picker to take down my giant dying Beech tree in 4 days. Not to mention a lot of $. Last night, a damp heavy snowstorm took down a White Pine in an instant, around 4 AM. The quick way to down a tree. The boom woke me up. The main trunk missed my shed by 3' and missed my car by less than a foot, and somehow missed my flag. I uttered a Thanks to the Snow Goddess. It did knock down my fence, though. White Pine is a fast-growing, brittle tree. It's best kept far from things that matter. Terrible landscape trees. This was about an 18" diameter main trunk, which snapped around 10' above the ground. Photo is (was) the top of the tree.
Posted by Bird Dog
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17:18
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Sunday, March 3. 2019DyingWhat It Felt Like to Almost Die. My near-death experience taught me not to fear those final moments Apparently it did not feel bad.
Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss
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13:07
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Can the Grand Canyon be saved (from people)?Fewer people have now hiked the canyon’s length in a single trip (10) than have walked on the moon (12). Reports from a rugged and dangerous hike, with good pics and scathing observations about Grand Canyon tourism.
Posted by The Barrister
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12:58
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Peterson: Why the Left hates me
Posted by The News Junkie
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12:10
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Saturday, March 2. 2019Annual repost: Make your bed
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16:04
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Thursday, February 28. 2019Life in America: Firewood etc.
Beech is tough on chainsaws - very dense wood - and near-impossible to split by hand whether seasoned or not. It's like iron. I think, as dense as Ironwood which does not provide much firewood but which also wears out blades. Beeches are great for wildlife. Beech nuts are food for turkey, grouse, squirrels,chipmunks, deer, birds, etc. Tree guys refuse to cut you regular-sized logs. Takes too much time. They throw them all in the chipper. A shame but I don't have time on a workday to do it myself. Wish I did, cuz I have good saws. Annoys me, because good firewood is gold. We have daily fires from fall to spring. Still, with all of the big stuff they are leaving me, we might need to rent a log splitter this summer. As a freebie, though, the guys cut me a 4" through- trunk slice for an outdoor coffee table top. Nice. It takes 10-12 months to season firewood around here. If left out in the weather, 10-12 months to be fireplace-ready. However hot the fire, I will not burn green wood anymore. Also, always tip workmen generously - before the job is done. It's good for the economy, and a display of gratitude is welcome and encouraging. Around here, a $20/day cash tip per guy is a good show of thanks. These hard-working guys do not need the gym; just a couple of Coronas and a good sleep. Often, I feel that I would like work like that. Vigorous physical outdoor work is good for the soul. Just my opinion. This was a splendid and beloved tree - but mortal, and mighty even in death. We tried to count the rings: around 120 years old. Copper Beech is a dramatic tree, but not native to North America. It's European. Yes, that is snow around.
Posted by Bird Dog
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14:23
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Tuesday, February 26. 2019Spanking kidsRightly or wrongly, we reserved physical punishments for dangerous situations. For example, running into the road when told not to. For running into deep, wavy water before being adequate swimmers. A good spanking is benign compared with drowning or being hit by a car in a parking lot. Conflating punishment with abuse is an unfortunate thing. However, we were of the generation of gentle rather than authoritarian parents. Probably not the best. Now, I feel the youth need some fear of parents because it is parents' job to represent reality before the kids hit real reality.
Sunday, February 24. 2019The invention of moviesLights! Camera! Action! How the Lumière brothers invented the movies. In 1895, Louis and Auguste Lumière gave birth to the big screen thanks to their revolutionary camera and projector, the Cinématographe.
Posted by Bird Dog
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16:42
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Eric Kandel looks at picturesAccompanying Eric Kandel to New York's wonderful Neue Gallery. Perhaps the best collection of Austrian and German fin de siecle art outside the Belvedere in Vienna. Reasons to visit Vienna: Coffee, pastries, horses, the Belvedere and the Kunsthistoriches. You can't "do" the latter any more than you can do the Prado. It's like the Metropolitan in NYC, but Vienna has the best collection of northern European art (thanks to the Hapsburgs). We went there to see the Breughels, and that was enough. Mind-boggling. Well, we went to the Opera too.
Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss
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14:55
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Wednesday, February 20. 2019EnvyWe'll all agree that envy is a soul-destroying sin. At its extremes, it presents as bitterness or contempt. Can we all agree that, at least to some extent, it is universal at some points? Boudreaux compares money-envy with fitness-envy.
Posted by The News Junkie
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13:53
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Tuesday, February 19. 2019Thoughts about "a mirthless view of literature"At Quillette:
Posted by The Barrister
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17:39
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Sunday, February 17. 2019How Seinfeld beganI have never watched that show, but this is interesting about "the show about nothing."
Posted by The News Junkie
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17:18
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PurgatorioAn enjoyable podcast introduction to Dante's Purgatorio Purgatory, it seems, is the place for purging of sin and evil through penitence and painful self-awareness, and embracing virtue. A beautiful seven-story mountain. In some ways, Purgatorio is begging us to take purgatory today rather than later.
Posted by The Barrister
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13:44
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Saturday, February 16. 2019Online courses from Hillsdale
Posted by The Barrister
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13:41
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A book
By Paul Fussell, not new but interesting and amusing: Class: A Guide Through the American Status System
Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss
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13:17
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Thursday, February 14. 2019Fun for paranoids, in NYC: The Spy Museum“Headquarters of our cultural fascination with the art of deception.“ THE NEW YORK TIMES Get your paranoid on at Spyscape in midtown Manhattan. They will even rate you on your potential spooky qualities.
Posted by The News Junkie
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13:56
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Wednesday, February 13. 2019Excellent interview
The only thing I have in common with him is reading multiple books at the same time. Scott Adams interviewed him yesterday on the podcast and Scott rightly kept himself out of it, mostly. If you enjoyed listening to Naval there, here's another interview with him: Naval Ravikant: The Angel Philosopher on Investing, Making Decisions, Happiness and the Meaning of Life
Posted by The News Junkie
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13:56
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Sunday, February 10. 2019How North American Indians kept warm in winterImage: Iroquois fashion. The dude on the right has culturally-appropriated a European blanket and an iron or steel hatchet. Like Elizabeth Warren and hundreds of thousands of Eastern Americans, we were raised on the myth of Indian blood. Spit test says none. I came out 85% English and 15% Scandinavian. I assume the Scandinavian is from the Normans (ie the Frenchified Vikings). I mainly focus on the northeastern Indian cultures. For them, winter was a mixed blessing. Hunting and transportation was easier, fishing was more difficult. Groups that lived near the coast moved inland and built weather-proof wigwams and longhouses, some as much as 100' long. If they had a good summer corn (maize) crop in the summer, they would not starve. Remember, the northeastern Indians had hundreds of acres of corn, bean, and squash fields. Sometimes they starved when the food ran out. They did ice-fishing, and sometimes did cannibalism. What about winter clothing? Deerskin leggings, deerskin shirts, and cloaks or coats of animal skins. Also, they greased themselves down with animal fats, preferably bear fat, as insulation.
Posted by Bird Dog
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10:59
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Saturday, February 9. 2019Fractals in nature"We've grown up in a world full of fractals." A delightful introduction to Fractals in Nature. Not much math needed.
Posted by The Barrister
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13:42
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Friday, February 8. 2019Sowell on the opportunities of his youth
Posted by The Barrister
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13:03
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Sunday, February 3. 2019A master forger of fine artWith two criminal parents, no surprise he made the wrong turn. Still, a great talent. I'd like to own one of his Picassos. He's now an excellent forgery-detector because he knows the artists, and knows forgery, from the inside-out. A highly-talented and charming sociopath. I can't embed it but the documentary is here.
Posted by The Barrister
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17:01
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Saturday, February 2. 2019Life in America: Two operas
Not a big-time Debussy fan, but Mrs. BD is so I gave her tix for Pelleas at the Met for Christmas, with a light supper at a little trattoria on Columbus on Thurs. night - Il Violino. Cozy. Excellent home-made fluffy gnocchi. But not only was Pelleas unbearably tedious but was also 4 hours including intermissions. We got out at 11:30 and home God knows when. It beats me why this is considered a great, innovative piece. It's one endless tone poem, and the plot - and the libretto - are so dull that I can't find words for it. "The sun is going down." "Yes, see it going down over the sea." Perhaps we two are too unsophisticated? So as we walked down the red-carpeted stairs at The Met, I mentioned to Mrs. BD that we needed something like Carmen as an antidote. And, voila, WQXR had Carmen live from the Met today! Call me philistine if you must, but you can hum Carmen lines all day. Got a lot of paperwork and cleaning up done to Carmen while Mrs. packed for a girl garden tour trip. I will await her southland garden photos. On Friday, one of my opera afficionado pals told me that he and his wife walked out of Pelleas a week or so ago, but didn't tell me so as not to bias my impression. And that guy and his wife are musicians.
Posted by Bird Dog
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17:02
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Guru
The man sure can talk powerfully. He's a preacher of sorts.
Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss
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15:12
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Amazon is producing trousers for me
Since I wear sport jacket and tie to work - not a suit - these are perfect for me. They are not really "casual" trousers, but can double as that too. Did I mention that they look good, and are cheap as dirt? They have a slim fit for the youthful hipsters, and a less-slim but also trim-looking line so you don't look like an old fogey but not like you live in Brooklyn. How did Amazon get into this biz? Good for them.
Posted by The Barrister
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14:16
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Friday, February 1. 2019Soldat: Reflections of a German Soldier, 1936-1949The wartime memoir of Siegfried Knappe. Exciting read by a good guy and excellent soldier who was on the wrong side. BTW, most German soldiers were not members of the NAZI Party. After the war, he and his wife had a good life in Iowa. From Amazon:
Posted by The Barrister
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17:31
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