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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Saturday, February 10. 2018How to sell Girl Scout cookies
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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17:01
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Here's the entire Harvard talkI hope nobody gives Prof. Peterson any lithium to slow him down. Topic: Everything. Excellent, inspiring entertainment. Hard truths.
Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:48
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Wednesday, February 7. 2018What do you find useful in Prof. Peterson's talks and interviews?
One of my favorite Petersonisms is "The university should be the most intellectually unsafe and dangerous place in the world." Right, same as church. Another: "You can't fix your own car and you've never held a job but you think you can fix something as complex as society?" I have found a few things which have been useful refreshments to my own thinking in Peterson's rigorously systematic approach to topics, so here they are: 1. His focus on "levels of analysis." He often says "It depends on which level of analysis you subject this to." 2. His insistence on multivariate analysis of data. Yes, that is scientific but civilians often don't think that way. We civilians find it easier to think "One cause, one effect." 3. His confidence and comfort in the ideas of the transcendent and of the ineffable. 4. His repeatedly asserting the role of "framing" and "narrative" in perception and thought. Presenting people with new frames is threatening and disturbing. It is something that Psychologists and philosophers do for a living. 5. His talking about Logos, the Word, at the beginning, which creates order out of chaos. The world is made of meaning, not matter. Meaning illuminates the world. "Let there be light." 6. "Abstraction is sometimes more useful and real than material reality. Look at the power of numbers." 7. His "tragic" view of humanity: We are weak, flawed, ugly, short-lived, malevolent, foolish, and live in or with suffering - but we aspire for the stars, in our own ways, nonetheless. Or we do not. Do you find his talks illuminating and, if so, how? Put in the Comments, please. Here'a a ten year-old Peterson talk on art, dance, chess, and music. For a master of words ("The divine gift"), the guy has huge admiration for things that can not be put into words, meaning beyond reason:
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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16:10
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Sunday, February 4. 2018Why do they hate Jordan Peterson?A somewhat disparaging article says Peterson’s been described as “the stupid man’s smart person,” which is a good enough euphemism for saying “effective public intellectual.” It's because he preaches "Count your blessings and get yourself together" rather than social change. However, he is a polymath and speaks on all sorts of subjects including what seems to be his favorite theme: myth and religion. He is not a political conservative, as far as I can tell. He does believe in accepting facts and truth, though, which can sound conservative these days, and he questions everything. Also, he detests victimology as a psychological cancer. His latest book is #1 on Amazon: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos “One of the most eclectic and stimulating public intellectuals at large today, fearless and impassioned.” —The Guardian
Posted by The Barrister
in Education, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:15
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Shopping(My italics) - - Vanderleun goes shopping at Costco
- Dalrymple discusses shopping in an article about the joys of hatred:
These wonderful guys miss the extent to which shopping is recreational for many people. Don't despise the recreational shoppers. Looking at stuff and buying stuff can be a lifestyle. I think it has been thus since the dawn of urbanism. Or even before that. Much as I hate shopping (including going to the market for bread, cookies, and vegetables), I find the sheer abundance of Costco to be a real kick. So you go home with 4 months worth of toilet paper. That's not a bad thing.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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12:05
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Sunday, January 28. 2018The case that religion's origins are in brain diseaseI think Sapolsky is a smart Harvard professor, but by having an ax to grind here he makes countless logical and factual errors. I do not have time to go through them one by one.
Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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15:53
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Seeking povertySaturday, January 27. 2018Bad dude comes after you with a knifeSelf-defense advice from Israel
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:06
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Thursday, January 25. 2018How do you turn over a new leaf when your past is archived?“The past is never dead. It's not even past.” William Faulkner That is a deep psychological truth. The deep psyche has no sense of time. Memories, for example, can affect us as if they were happening today. ("effect" and "affect" always challenge my grammatical memory.) My topic however, is the internet. This thing has become a gigantic repository of everything, and it is all basically accessible to anybody. Even the FBI can't really "lose" old emails. There is no need to get paranoid about it because nobody gives a damn about most of us, but it is a strange development that much of our lives have become searchable. It's like living in a small town, where everybody knows everything that goes on and especially the secrets. How easy was it to find out about Trump's goumada? A friend and I were discussing this over drinks the other night, and we agreed that we were glad that the shameful things and misdemeanors we had done in reckless youth were pre-internet. We both grew into straight-arrow adults after our careless phases, so that worked. If anybody can find it, there was a Calvin and Hobbes toon in which Calvin as a 6 year-old (?) was documenting a false childhood for himself in case he ever decided to run for president or something. Genius. Hobbes took a photo of Calvin pretending to read a book. A fake past is a cool idea, but how does anybody turn over a new leaf when the past is always dragged behind them? It makes it difficult to do or say stupid things, which means it makes it difficult to be normal.
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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13:18
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A toast to the haggis
It's Burns Day
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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11:05
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Tuesday, January 23. 2018Michelangelo: "Il Divino"On Sunday we went to the Michelangelo show at the Met. It's been a must-see, especially for art scholars (which is not me - confirmed dilettante), because a show like this will not be assembled again in our lifetimes. It's a giant collection of "Il Divino's" drawings, sketches, and cartoons for his works in painting, architecture (Rome's St. Peter's), and military fortifications (for Florence - below). Few sculptures, because it's about drawings. However, his drawings are sculptural. Mrs. BD and I reflected that Michelangelo indeed was enchanted by male bodies, but that muscular male bodies also offer more sculptural opportunities than female curves. We have rambled over the remains of the fortifications he designed for Florence. You have to find them there, on your own. I can tell you where to look.
Monday, January 22. 2018Why Can't People Hear What Jordan Peterson Is Saying about men and women?
She doesn't want to learn. She wants a gotcha for her own career, but he gets the gotchas. Unfortunately, she acts foolish to try to be provocative. Not a good approach for a woman because it makes a woman seem foolish. As the father of two entrepreneurial-minded daughters, they would be entirely on Peterson's side. Life is highly competitive and tests your grit, moxie, brains, adaptability, and determination. And yes, they want strong powerful partners. Who would not? Men want and need strong, energetic partners too. Thus selective breeding. Fun stuff. (Yes, reposted for educational purposes for women). A Jordan Peterson debate on the gender pay gap, campus protests and postmodernism.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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18:46
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Saturday, January 20. 2018Book: The OperatorThe Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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15:37
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Thursday, January 18. 2018Peterson on the pay gap
Posted by The News Junkie
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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16:58
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Things not to wash with soapLet's make a list. I'll give it a start: - Cast iron pans - Wax-coated jackets - Computer screens, phone screens, camera lenses - Things with duck/goose down in them What else?
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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15:16
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Wednesday, January 17. 2018I almost weep for these kids40 Percent Of Kids Now Born To Single Moms—Up 700 Percent Since 1960 The psychological and societal consequences, I believe, are terrible. Tuesday, January 16. 2018Coastal flooding defensesLiving near sea-level or on flood plains have forever been risky propositions, calculated (or uncalculated) risks. All the same, people do it. This is interesting:
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:06
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Monday, January 15. 2018Pinker on differences, men and women
Posted by The News Junkie
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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13:21
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Sunday, January 14. 2018Ship graveyard in NYCWednesday, January 10. 2018The Myth of the Rule of LawThanks to a reader for forwarding the link to this brilliant 1995 article from the Wisconsin Law Review by John Hasnas. It's not just about "how to think like a lawyer." It's about how political law is, and about how much doublethink is required to understand American law. He makes the case that good laws must be squishy. He offers excellent examples too. From The Myth of the Rule of Law:
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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13:14
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Sunday, January 7. 2018Innovation, regulation, and illegal shipping containersHow an Illegal Shipping Container Reshaped the World Economy - The shipping container is the unappreciated contemporary hero.
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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13:24
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Saturday, January 6. 2018A humble genius
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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15:46
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LifemanshipIt's a cool term. It refers to the ability to master all aspects of living so as to have the chance for a fulfilling and successful life: Bunky Mortimer’s Guide to Lifemanship Sad to say, many people do not get As in that course. I'd give myself a B if I compare myself with others I know for whom mastery of most of life's challenges appears to come effortlessly.
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
at
15:02
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Friday, January 5. 2018Todd Webb's New York
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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16:22
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Tuesday, January 2. 2018Many hobbies are the necessities of the past
Consider these. You might think of more examples: Hunting, fishing, weaponry, and gardening used to be necessary for survival. Dog-raising and training used to be very helpful for survival Weaving, knitting and sewing used to be the only ways to be clothed. Music-making used to be for story-telling (still is, to some extent) We used to have to create our own amusements: make plays, have sing-alongs, invent or play games. Now it's the TV and the computer. We used to write elegant letters to communicate or to stay in contact. Very few do that any more. Fine writing is now a hobby (mostly) Painting and sculpting (image-making) used to be special ways to worship God or gods Golf used to be necessary to prevent deadly boredom for shepherds Most sports are refined variants of physical combat Cooking of all sorts used to be the only way to have food. Now it's become a hobby. Hiking, running, horse-riding, boating, etc used to be the only ways to go places. Now hobbies. Physical fitness used to be what you got from your daily labor. Now it's the gym in your spare time.
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
at
16:40
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