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, September 21. 2015Found the review......of the Midsummer we saw on Saturday. As Mrs. BD says, skilled theater reviewers can often write evocatively. A gift which I lack. This one nailed the spirit of the production I posted about: Review: ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Tailored for Multitaskers.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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19:46
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Art and Neuroscience
From Alva Noe's How Art Reveals the Limits of Neuroscience:
I am no skeptic about basic neuroscience. I am skeptical about its overeach, its hubris. Aesthetics can never be understood at a neuronal level of organization any more than a living cell can be understood at an atomic level. Sunday, September 20. 2015High-risk adventuresWhen you do a high-risk adventure, you are supposed to be willing to die doing it. Isn't that the point? Expecting others to rescue you at public expense and risk to themselves is wrong. This Russki hunk of Polar Bear food got rescued. He'll try it again, though: Two days on ice with three polar bears
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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16:22
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Museum of the BibleAn actual museum is in the planning stages, for Washington DC.
Posted by Bird Dog
in Religion, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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12:03
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Life in Yankeeland: What fools these mortals be.Took the kids to see the Pearl's new production of The Bedlam Company's Midsummer's Night yesterday. It got a great preview review from the NYT. Officially opens today but we get preview tix (the smart NYT review not online yet). One cool aspect of this production of the bawdy love, sex, and fantasy farce is that 5 actors play all of the roles - with no costumes. Thus the dreamlike confusion is created. No props, no set, so your imagination fills in the details like a dream. The sober-minded (but rarely sober) Samuel Pepys saw the play in the early 1600s and thought it ridiculous. It is, sort-of, but it has had a long shelf life thus far for some reason. The play within a play within a dream is so intentionally dumb that it's funny. Sheesh, the guy's plays were meant to be plain entertainment and not to be taken seriously. He just wanted to get rich by appealing to all levels of society and education from the Queen to the stable groom and he had a good enough grammar school education to do that. Once he got rich and maybe had his fill of girlfriends, he quit. We had the usual fine post-matinee supper at what has become our favorite place in that neighborhood, The West Bank Cafe. The kids told us how much they enjoyed having seen - and met the author - of the clever musical Hamilton on Broadway. Since they are discerning and discriminating theater-goers, I'll listen to them. (That daughter is an ambitious playwright and script-writer. Actress too.) I informed them that Hamilton's farmhouse still stands in far-uptown Manhattan. He used to ride his horse up the dirt road (an old Indian trail) Broadway to his farm on weekends. Daughter informed me that she rides her new bike 30 miles/day to her various NYC activities and jobs, and is growing strong legs. I advised wearing a reflector vest because my kids are precious to me. Hamilton did not need one. Mrs. BD overschedules me with social events and outings, but I man up and try to deal with it like a good, cheerful spouse: Happy wife, happy life. My pic is the Pearl on the far west end of 42nd St. High-rise expensive housing is booming in that area and streets are full of happy-looking people of every size, shape, color, socioeconomic type, and ethnicity. What a city! The late lamented Marianne Matthews - ex-NewYorker living in Houston - used to love my NYC posts. These days (except for Bulldog) I mostly get grouchy comments. I promise that if you spent a few days banging around the City with us you would change your tune.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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03:52
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Thursday, September 17. 2015A Connecticut Yankee, and a bookI had lunch with an interesting and delightful fellow the other day. David Leff. He was giving a talk about his last book, The Last Undiscovered Place:
Mrs. BD loved the book. His bio is here. He may not tinker with metal in the traditional Connecticut manner, but this guy is a serious historian of New England. Also, a lawyer, a published poet, professional art photographer, volunteer fireman, professional conservationist, Boy Scout counselor, chicken-raiser, and fly-fisherman. And more. He has a new book coming out this fall. I greatly admire and enjoy people who invest themselves so fully and productively in life and in their communities. Here's his website. "I ask not for the great, the remote, the romantic; . . . I embrace the common, I explore and sit at the feet of the familiar, the low." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Re that Emerson, I embrace all of the above, not just the common. Emerson was posing there, I think. Anyway, Leff loves Emerson. I have tried Emerson many times, but he always eludes me.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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15:22
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Tuesday, September 15. 2015Business, from our favorite institution of higher learningAnd just think, Great Courses doesn't even have a football team, an endowment, a diversity coordinator, a Title lX administrator, a sustainability Czar, an admissions office, or a water feature. Any by issuing no diplomas they can make sure that you are there only to learn.
Posted by The News Junkie
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13:44
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Sunday, September 13. 2015NYC update- Took a drive yesterday to Long Island City (part of Queens, NYC).
Went there to see a one-act play festival at The Secret Theater. Golly, LIC is changing. High-rises everywhere under construction. We had supper at a superb tiny French bistro, LIC Market. Everybody who works there is French. You can park on the street in LIC, no problem. As a daughter says, a gritty mix of industrial, residential, and business: Real NYC. We meandered through Astoria while en route. Got a little lost. I have never been to Astoria. It is one of the most pleasant, middle-class, and remarkably multi-cultural places I have seen. Of all things, a large Maltese population too- over 20,000. Who'da thunk it? But if you think about it, there is little to do in Malta. It's not too far from where the big game - Jokevitch vs. Federer - is today. I can't miss that. - Out-of-towners like us are always more familiar with Manhattan, with its totalitarian arithmetical road grid. Here is something wonderful, probably worth a trip from anywhere: Picasso, Completely Himself in 3 Dimensions. It's on my to-do list. We never miss major Picasso shows, because his craft and imagination blows my mind. - Something else fun: Immersive (aka Interactive) theater in NYC. I have heard reports about how much fun it is. A friend had his daughter's Sweet 16th party for 25 gals at one of the scavenger hunt "plays," and a couple of people told me about the MacBeth one. - At my point in life, a visit to NYC is always good for a dose of hyper-stimulation and amazement in the works of man but I am always happy to return to my quiet more pastoral home where the loudest noise is a cricket. If I won the Powerball, though, I think I'd buy a brownstone (with working fireplaces) in the West Village in a flash. I need both. Prosperous people in NYC belong to elite clubs as private retreats, and have dachas in the country too. I could handle that. My lovely daughters live as if they owned NYC despite living on a shoestring. Fearless, undaunted, resourceful and adventurous, they just take daily bites of that apple as so many young people need to, and shoot for the stars. No bourgeois instincts, it seems - like their Mom. All the same, they do love to come home sometimes for love, free food, and to hit some tennis balls like the prepster kids they are.
Saturday, September 12. 2015Lower Back Tattoo Remover
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:48
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Renewing a Culture of FreedomCorny as it sounds, my idea of America is individual freedom. Placing individual liberty as the major factor in every policy and political equation, despite all of the risks entailed, is what is supposed to make our nation unique. As the Founders reiterated, that can only work with a population with a strong foundation of Western Judeo-Christian morals and responsibility, culture, and traditions. Reno goes to our cultural roots, just deeply enough for me. Powerful stuff. Renewing a Culture of Freedom featuring R.R. Reno: Just click "Watch on Vimeo" -
Renewing a Culture of Freedom featuring R.R. Reno from First Things on Vimeo. Just click on it to see it.
Posted by The Barrister
in Politics, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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13:59
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People who makes shoes
Posted by The Barrister
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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13:23
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Friday, September 11. 2015Is time a "thing" that exists?
This is cool and does not require math:
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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15:52
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What Middle Class?The history of the American bourgeoisie, and how bourgeois America is getting recast as a proletariat
Posted by The News Junkie
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:33
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For NYC on 9/11, Sailors' Snug Harbor
Now on 83 acres with some imperfectly-maintained gardens, the place has little use. It would make a fine campus. We had dinner with friends last night who love to explore the more obscure corners of NYC. They found the place to be fascinating, but Staten Island itself not so much.
Posted by Bird Dog
in History, Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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06:46
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Thursday, September 10. 2015Wonderful archeolology story 6 Tiny Cavers, 15 Odd Skeletons, and 1 Amazing New Species of Ancient Human - The Inside Story Behind A Spectacular New Hominid Find They have not dated these creatures. I wish they would.
Posted by The Barrister
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14:21
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Wednesday, September 9. 2015Water ShoesDespite countless cuts, slashes, and penetrations of my feet over the years from broken shells, stones, sharp twigs, coral, etc., I have always resisted water shoes. After my last visit to the beach in 2014, Mrs. BD sent me to the store to get some. They are excellent. You can swim in them, and they protect you from burning-hot sand too. Now I will not go to a beach without them. Another good use of them is exploring shallow waters for critters and things at low tide. No more slipping on rocks or getting a toe sliced by a sharp oyster shell. They might look a little pussified, but they can keep you functional. I also use them for kayaking. Lots of them at Amazon.
Posted by Bird Dog
in Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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14:53
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Tuesday, September 8. 2015A sport you probably never heard ofDisc Golf (Frisbee Golf)
Posted by The News Junkie
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16:56
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Good news about The Great CoursesThe old Teaching Company, now known as The Great Courses, is making money. I am glad to know that they will be around for a good long while. Here's the article: Before YouTube and online classes, there were the Great Courses They will have a new streaming service too, for cheap. The pleasures and enrichment they offer to the Bird Dog family is huge. In recent months, we have been doing Greenberg's The 30 Greatest Orchestral Works. That's at home. In the car, Great Minds of the Western Intellectual Tradition. The lecture on Pascal is mind-blowing, a math and physics genius who invented the first binary "computer," who gave his life to Christ. Also, the lecture on Francis Bacon, where the prof reviews Bacon's False Idols of Knowledge and Science (from The New Organum (1620): - The Idol of the Tribe: the arrogance that comes from agreement with one's colleagues It's better than college. Buy them on sale, and don't pay the library prices. Or trade with friends and neighbors, as we do. You will thank me for this free ad for them. We are reviewing the big topics we have forgotten, or didn't have time to take in school. Things we need a guide for. Lifelong learning, like lifelong fitness, is a cliche but for good reason.
Posted by Bird Dog
in Education, Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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15:21
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Monday, September 7. 2015The BurnerA full-body fitness calisthenic. It does burn all over, so do it as the last thing in your workout to make sure you have nothin' left.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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15:54
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Sunday, September 6. 2015Why I Love Central Park
There were two things which I don't see much of, though. The first was a street show on The Mall. About 8 young men exhibiting their athleticism, performing gymnastic feats for a crowd they'd assembled. They must practice a lot, they were all perfectly timed, in great shape, and their sales pitch was hilarious and frequently done in unison. I was plucked from the crowd, along with 8 other men for a supposed athletic feat. I had a feeling it was as much a shakedown as it was my being part of the show, and I was right. I was fine with it, though. After all, I was part of the show for 15 minutes, and I spent another 15 minutes or so watching them as part of the crowd. I figure they collected about $400 for all 8 of them after a half hour of work. Lots of people handing over 10's and 20's. They aren't earning a living doing this, but it's a good way to fill time and make spare cash. We enjoyed watching (and being part of) their performance, even if it cost us $20. I'd have spent more at a comedy club or at the US Open (which I won't be attending for the first time in several years). Then there was this guy (or gal - not sure), and I realized "walking the park is so much fun...you just never know who you're going to see." I think I'll leave defining normal to others. The pumps are a nice touch.
Posted by Bulldog
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10:56
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Saturday, September 5. 2015How to Pick a Kayak
Unless you need to carry lots of stuff, kayaks have mostly taken over from canoes for water recreation. I grew up with rowboats. Kayaks are much more fun. Some links: Finding the Wild in Your Own Backyard: The Ultimate Guide to How to Pick a Kayak How to Choose the Best Kayak For You Sit On Top Kayaks 2015 Guide to Fishing Kayaks & Canoes Santee: Leaders in Lightweight
Posted by Bird Dog
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14:24
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John GrilloI recently learned that artist John Grillo had died in December, aged 97. He worked in his studio until the day before he died. I knew last year that he didn't have long to go. I have a couple of his watercolors, aiming for one more for my HQ before the prices get out of hand. Met him a few times in his old age. Crusty, ornery old Cape Codder, eager to make money from his work. A stroke barely slowed him down. Our friends at the Cove Gallery were nice enough to assemble a bunch of his Circus pictures for us to look at. A master colorist.
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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04:56
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Friday, September 4. 2015Cool boat
Posted by Bird Dog
in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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06:00
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Wednesday, September 2. 2015Civilized: Fruit forks and knivesOur hosts in Wellfleet last week provided abundant and elegant breakfasts. Fresh fruits first, of course. I am not a fruit fan, but with a good dollop of Trader Joe's Lemon Curd I can enjoy them. They provided fruit forks and knives with the beautifully-presented fruit course. Civilized and quite effective tools for all fruits and berries. Yes, old-fashioned. We need some. With decent cutlery and Lemon Curd, I may yet become fruit-tolerant. Is fruit "healthy"? Not at all. It's really just nature's dessert. Found that pic of a set on eBay.
Posted by Bird Dog
in Food and Drink, Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation
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16:50
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Monday, August 31. 2015Is Gravity An Illusion?
Isn't almost everything an illusion?
Posted by Bird Dog
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16:14
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