Sunday, April 22. 2007
 40% of American women have no financial plan for their future. It is a good source for that info, but I do not have the link.
For a country where people are expected to be responsible adults, and to take care of themselves, that is pretty bad. The numbers could be as bad for guys, but they wouldn't admit it. But guys do not last as long as gals: life worries do them in. Grow up, you ladies without trust funds. Daddy won't be there to save you, hubbie will probably be dead, and you may no longer look like the charmer in the photo. Feminism entails demands along with the opportunities. Women tend to live a long time as old ladies: it's the price they pay for being so delicious in youth.
Friday, April 20. 2007
 From Leadbelly to Jimmie Rodgers to Kurt Cobain, it's all phony and it's all marketing. So says Jeff Sharlet in New Statesman: Keeping it Unreal.
Who knew that a record producer added "Mississippi" to John Hurt's name to add pizzazz? "Authenticity" is a marketing ploy. One quote: One of the pioneering producers of "old-time" music in the early 20th century, Ralph Peer, later boasted: "I invented the hillbilly and nigger stuff."
Yes, Blues and Country aren't as authentic as we'd like to imagine. Sharlet, however, does not see fake as necessarily leading to bad music: he likes The Monkees, who didn't even try to conceal their fakeness - which I suppose makes them a paragon of authenticity. Read the piece (link above.)
Image: Leadbelly performing. The Lomaxes made him perform in a prison uniform, for the "authenticity" factor.
The lighthouse-keeper's house stands today, but the light tower has been taken down. Great Island in the distance to the left, Chequessett Neck to the right. Photo is around 1910. 
Thursday, April 19. 2007
Freestyle dressage at YouTube. This horse dances far better than I can. I found the intensity of the commenters amusing.
Wednesday, April 18. 2007
 I have written three versions of a short piece on the VT massacre, but was not satisfied with any of them.
My main points were to have been that such events are unpreventable, and so rare as to make planning for them almost absurd. Many college kids act strange, and are quirky; many write Quentin Tarantino-type stuff, and many are angry about one thing or another, but it doesn't mean a thing. And, often enough, sadly, college-age kids have psychotic breaks that can go relatively unnoticed for periods of time. I am not asserting that that is what happened, because often mass murderers are not clinically psychotic, but it seems likely from today's new information. My point is that the often-mentioned "clear warning signs" are always retrospective. Everybody is a genius at connecting dots in retrospect. And no-one, I believe, is an expert on murder sprees: they are too rare, and the inner demons are too variable. Classical Values summarizes the shrink-related thoughts from other bloggers, and SISU has additional summaries. I can refute many of the quoted assertions, but I won't. The overarching psychological issue, I believe, is the notion that terrible things should not occur in life. Random terrible things happen every day to many people all over the globe, and always will. Tsunamis will come, and earthquakes, hurricanes, mudslides, and diseases and plagues; people will go berserk, wars will happen, and bombers will plant bombs; multi-car crashes will occur, and roller-coasters will collapse. The idea that random terrible events are preventable, and that life could somehow be made thoroughly safe, sanitary, and secure, is a childish fantasy, or even a delusion. We bubble-wrapped Americans specialize in that fantasy, but most of the rest of the world understands better that life is a dangerous enterprise, and not Disney World.
The ten-year story of The Sopranos, in Vanity Fair. I did not know that Chase was Italian.
He brought his Strad, too, and picked up an easy, tax-free $32. I think it was a delightfully wacky thing to do. Story here. The audio here. (h/t, reader)
Watch this 1000 hp Bugatti production car reach 250 mph. The driver is certainly enjoying the ride, and evidences no guilt at all about driving such an environmentally fun evil car.
Monday, April 16. 2007
Thanks for the photo, reader. 
Saturday, April 14. 2007
He's always good to listen to. Audio here. One quote: "Investing is simple, but it's hard. Like losing weight."
Friday, April 13. 2007
America at a Crossroad, at PBS, this week. I see no crossroad, but it might be interesting to see what they have to say.
Thursday, April 12. 2007
Never was a big fan, but he was very popular in my youth, and everybody read him, including me. I guess he was a sign of the times, and you have to admire anyone who can write books that people want to buy and to talk about. Blue Crab has a nice obit.
Some us grew up sailing and racing Lightnings when they were the largest racing class in the US. 19' with a heavy centerboard and a three-person racing crew. They work as a fine day-sailer too. This 1966 Lippincott brings back the good old days. That outboard, though, ruins it. I have flipped a few of these with the spinnaker up, when a squall blew through. Photo is Cape Cod. 
Wednesday, April 11. 2007
I find it amusing that, for all of our effort, this was the most-often Google-searched item on Maggie's Farm in the past week or two.  A love song to listen to, from Brad Paisley.
Image: Hard-bodied dog ticks.
For those who know zilch about sailboats, catboats are comfortably beamy, have a mast far forward, and one sail, usually with a gaff rig. Catboats remain popular on Cape Cod. This one, the graceful 16' Lynx, is built by Cape Cod's Arey's Pond Boatyard. 
Tuesday, April 10. 2007
 Your private runway in your backyard. It's the latest thing in convenience: aviation estates. Take a look at Jumbolair.
The IRS sends an annoying auditor to audit a synagogue. The auditor is going through the checks, and turns to the Rabbi and says, "I notice that you buy a lot of candles." "Yes," answered the Rabbi. "Well, Rabbi, what do you do with the candle drippings?" he asked. "A good question," noted the Rabbi. "We actually save them up. When we have enough, we send them back to the candle maker. And every now and then, they send us a free box of candles." "Oh," replied the auditor somewhat disappointed that his question actually had a practical answer. So he thought he'd try another question. "Rabbi, what about all these matzo purchases? What do you do ... with the crumbs from the matzo?"Ah, yes," replied the Rabbi calmly, "we actually collect up the crumbs, we send them in a box back to the manufacturer and every now and then, they send a box of matzo balls." "Oh," replied the auditor, thinking hard how to fluster the Rabbi. "Well, Rabbi," he went on, "what do you do with all the foreskins from the circumcisions? ""Yes, here too, we do not waste," answered the Rabbi. "What we do is save up all the foreskins. And when we have enough we actually send them to the Internal Revenue Service." "The Internal Revenue Service?," questioned the auditor in disbelief. "Ah, yes," replied the Rabbi, "Internal Revenue Service. And... about once a year, they send us a little prick like you."
 A special edition of the NYT Science Times. Some of it is self-evident, but it's always a fun topic.
I think one common assumption of the researchers has something wrong, though, at least for young men. For young men, the question should be what turns them off, not on: they're always on, otherwise. It's amusing to read in the NYT about "hearty tumescence," but I thought the funniest quote was this: “Listening to Noam Chomsky,” said a psychologist in her 50s, “always turns me on."
Good grief. Under what rock did they have to look to find someone who would say that? But at least she didn't say that her favorite was Al Gore with his hockey stick.
Risk management in the financial world is evolving into an entirely new, specialized, highly-paid profession, akin to that of actuaries. "Internet television developer Mash Networks launched Risk Television, a network devoted to financial risk management research and news. The stars of this network are analysts, investment bankers and members of the Federal Reserve, who give video interviews on topics such as enterprise risk management, risk assessment and operational risk case studies. Mash Networks also operates Sox Television, devoted to study of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act."
Monday, April 9. 2007
If the Easter Bunny didn't make it to your house yesterday, this might be why: 
Sunday, April 8. 2007
 Love 'em or hate 'em, they're back tonight at 9 for the final season of 9 episodes. It's one of a very few things I will watch on TV.
Evil is fascinating, especially when it's fiction. How will this final season end? My guess - it will fade out with Tony, in his bathrobe, and Carmela squabbling in the kitchen while Tony looks for orange juice in the fridge.
 At the feeder today, between church and a late brunch on this chilly Easter:
Cardinal, Blue Jay, BC Chickadee, Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, WT Sparrow, Mourning Dove, Downy Woodpecker, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, Purple Grackle, SC Junco, Goldfinch (half-moulted), BH Cowbird, House Finch, WB Nuthatch. Not to mention the fat Red-Tailed Hawk eyeing the squirrels at the feeder. Image: Moulting male American Goldfinch. Our males are not this far along with the moult into breeding plumage.
Saturday, April 7. 2007
Shut up and Sing Department: Elton John's Sacrifice, YouTube. I promise that you will like it. (h/t, Tangled Web) Here's a version with Elton John, Dire Straits, and Clapton Lyrics here.
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