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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Thursday, July 28. 2016Hoaxing, coaxing, and trimming in scienceSit Down, Science. We Need to Talk, He begins:
Science is fetishized only by people who do not know science. Tuesday, July 26. 2016How Cincinnati Salvaged the Nation’s Most Dangerous Neighborhood
It's a case of organized gentrification. Upscale pubs replace discount stores, and the place becomes safe at night. A more organic gentrification is going on right now in NYC in Hell's Kitchen. As in NYC's East Village, the pioneers are the young looking for affordable living quarters.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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13:53
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Saturday, July 23. 2016What's the story about Manuel?Manuel, that is, from Fawlty Towers. Here's his story. "Mrs. Fawlty, she go craaaazy!" Actor Sachs was significantly injured twice during the filming - once when Cleese hit him on the head with a real pan instead of the prop pan. Here is some Manuel:
and just for the hell of it, a bonus John Cleese:
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:45
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Tight Shoes With age, gravity tends to give us a larger foot size. Our feet expand under our weight. I have a couple of pairs of expensive (well, expensive for me) and highly-durable Brooks Brothers loafers which I am loathe to part with but are no longer comfortable. 20 years can do that. Mrs. BD says I am silly not to replace them, but I tried some tricks of the trade first. It is not unusual to be like me, with feet of slightly different sizes but who will not spend the money for custom shoes in London. Solid, well-made leather shoes can be stretched between a half-size to a whole size. Inexpensive shoes can not take the stress of stretching - either the leather itself, or the stitching, will break. Things to try: Shoe stretchers will adjust width or length. Cheap on Amazon. Over a day or two, you keep increasing the tension in the stretcher. Heating the shoes with a hair dryer or in a hot sun makes the leather a bit more stretchable. Wetting the shoe well with water or, better, isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) before stretching is what expert cobblers do. Simpler, soak some heavy socks with water or rubbing alcohol and wear the shoes. If sitting, it should be painless. Results of my experiments with these? Be careful not to overdo it or you can end up with loose shoes. Other ideas: How to Stretch Shoes That Are Too Tight
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:29
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Thursday, July 21. 2016The Taming of the Wild
Gessner begins:
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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16:20
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"Marginalized"
Turning the adjective "marginal" into a verb craftily turns a group of people into victims of an active, malevolent force to push people to the margins of life. Many people are marginal to society because they will not, do not wish to, or can not, adjust to or fit into ordinary bourgeois society. That may be deeply to be regretted that they can not or do not, but it is not being done to them by any malevolent forces. I am not a malevolent force, but I do not invite felons or trannies to our dinner parties. They would not fit in. Felons and trannies rarely invite me either so perhaps they marginalize me. If you want to see active efforts to "marginalize", just check out today's link about the MSM on the GOP. There you can see an example of institutional marginalization, powers engaged in active, conscious efforts to marginalize a vast group of Americans. This attempted marginalization and organized intolerance of differences will continue until November.
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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13:01
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Sunday, July 17. 2016"Try"
My most meaningful encounters with "try" are with physical exertion, mainly exercise. When you hit the wall with an exercise the overwhelming inclination is to stop. However, when somebody says "Give me two more" or "Drive it through" you engage your inner "try." Then mind, nerves, and muscle fully engage together to do something you can't do. I did check out the etymology, for what it's worth. Saturday, July 16. 2016Dental Fun: A Maggie's Summertime Scientific Survey I spent 4 hours in dental chairs yesterday, three with oral surgeon and one with the prosthodontist in the adjacent office.This was not a pleasant experience despite the fact that my oral surgeon and his young gal assistants are like stand-up comics and as anti-PC as can be imagined. Highly-entertaining repartee which would get anyone fired in three minutes in a corporate setting. I just wish they would quit asking me questions with a mouth full of steel tools. Doc tells me they teach them to to ask questions when you can't answer, when they are in dental school. Says he'd like those sorts of one-sided chats with his wife. They give me a valium first so I do not jump up and run out of there because dental torture is just not my thing. I tell the doc that what he is doing is against the Geneva Convention and that I intend to report him to the UN. My teeth have sucked since I was young, despite not being a sweets addict. Also lost a couple playing hockey in high school. Now the fun is about some extractions, implants, bridges. This is needed to be able to eat steak and lobster, and so as not to look like I am from England or West Virginia. It's just a shame that Oxycodone does not make me feel good because I have lots of it. My dental work is insanely expensive, requires a payment plan. If Obama really cared, he'd pay the bill for me. Sharks have it good. They keep growing new ones. What are your worst and most expensive dental experiences?
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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11:36
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Thursday, July 14. 2016The history of the idea of Meritocracy
These days, some complain that meritocracy is a cover for sexism and racism. The history: The New Ruling Class. A quote:
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:50
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Wednesday, July 13. 2016Skeptical about experts
and here is an article: Most Of All We Hate The Experts Because They’re Always Wrong - If the experts got their remedies right, we would be a happy country with few problems, and they would deserve to feel superior.
I am always a skeptic because it has served me well thus far in life - and because experts often lack common sense and they often fall in love with ideas.
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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17:10
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Tuesday, July 12. 2016Typical college student
Posted by The Barrister
in Education, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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15:17
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Sunday, July 10. 2016When work becomes obsolete
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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17:27
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Magic with Rubik's Cube
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:09
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Saturday, July 9. 2016Ruled by Science
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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13:15
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Friday, July 8. 2016RetractedThat study about fecal bacteria and obesity? Retracted That study about fracking and air pollution? Retracted. Yes, they were peer-reviewed before publication. Peer reviewers rarely assess raw data. Studies are not facts. H/T to Powerline for informing us about Retraction Watch.
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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16:14
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The Road to Yale’s Free-Speech CrisisThursday, July 7. 2016The State of the American ChurchTuesday, July 5. 2016New Canaan, CTWe posted Paul Simon this weekend. He lives in New Canaan, CT which is a slightly-distant NYC suburb. Who else lives there? Keith Richards! Of all people. Those two, plus many other celebs, can be seen pushing their carts through the market in the village with no special attention paid. Connecticut is not Hollywood. Some rich celebs do not care about taxes, and just want a quiet, homey place to live where they can take a town car to the city whenever they want some fun.
Posted by The News Junkie
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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18:08
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Monday, July 4. 2016Damn. Another painful loss this week, this time in Montana
First The Campbell Apartment, and now Pine Butte. The 10,000-acre Pine Butte guest ranch in Montana's Rocky Mtn. foothills has been a favorite remote getaway for the Bird Dog family for many years. It's right on the edge of "the Bob" wilderness and south of Glacier. It is is a Grizzly preserve. Famous Ear Mountain is out the window. My lad even spent a summer doing ranch work there, and got trapped in the outhouse by a bear who presumably did not wish to shit in the woods. Horseback in the mountains, fossil-hunting on the prairie, hiking, bird watching, fishing in the mountain streams and lakes, rib-sticking home cookin, and steaks and campfires and pine logs sizzling in the cabin fireplaces. Also, gallons of Sun Tea. Whiskey and cigars as the sun sets. God's country. Many other such places, but this was what we liked. For huddled Easterners, big sky in June is a dramatic revelation of Creation. There is a fine book, too. Ear Mountain figures prominently in it. I understand why they decided to shut it down to the public. However, trust me, they will keep this special place open for major donors to the Nature Conservancy. I would have loved to take some grandkids there. It is America at its finest and wildest where antelope play, with crazy horses and real cowboys. I love it, but cannot be a Major Donor to The Nature Conservancy. I did not go into Wall St. finance despite several gracious invitations to do so. Had to follow my own path. Sometimes I wonder whether I am oversensitive to loss. Probably I am, somewhat. I do have lots of pictures of that land with us on horses, somewhere.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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18:46
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Melville in love?Was the author of The Great American Novel inspired by a romance? I don't care, but it's always interesting to read about him. A great American.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:20
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Saturday, July 2. 2016Elie Weisel, 1928-2016
Posted by Bird Dog
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19:18
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A long-weekend patriotic survey of our readers: What do most Americans do that most other people do not?
It's not the old thing about the Constitution and history and all that. My survey is about what individuals, citizens, do that are far less common in other lands. This survey was stimulated by Z-man's thoughts about citizenship in The Case of the Citizen Truly Stated. He makes good points, but I think the main one is that a nation needs some tribal aspects to function as any sort of unity. To be a nation, there has to be a common Code. I'll start it off: - Americans have bake sales to raise money for their kids' schools - Americans start businesses, fail, and try another one - Americans start charities for people who died of rare diseases and have bike rides and runs to raise money - Americans love to support their high school sports teams just for the fun of it - Americans have millions of clubs and churches, and join them and work at them - Enjoy many firearm sports - Americans are ashamed to receive charity, and ashamed when they do not contribute to their community in positive ways. - Bitch about government constantly What's on your list?
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
at
13:18
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Friday, July 1. 2016A sad loss: The Campbell Apartment
By being a hipster-free zone, a quiet, dark, cozy bar filled with sofas where people behave and dress nicely, it had become one of my favorite retreats from the NYC streets. It has been almost like belonging to a fancy NY club, or a real speak-easy down to the gal at the door deciding whether you were appropriate for the place. Cool. I am skeptical that one more trendy bar scene will support the $1 million/year rent on this little place, but who knows? As for me, I avoid the glitzy and the trendy. The Apartment, as it will remain for a final month:
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
at
13:30
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Thursday, June 23. 2016New book from Nagel
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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16:23
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Higher Ed against freedom
Are the leaders of our academic institutions complicit in the current student-led challenge to free speech and free expression on college campuses? Jonathan R. Cole thinks so.
Posted by The Barrister
in Education, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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16:07
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