Sunday, April 29. 2007
 Discussion of the photo we posted in our piece on the return of crime to New Orleans prompted Sippican Cottage to do some more architectural posting on NO.
He was also kind enough to send in this turn of this 1920s (?) photo, which includes the building we posted. (The building on the left, on Royal St.)
Friday, April 27. 2007
America is still producing some real men.
The consequences of messing up are, well, uncomfortable. Watch it.
Wednesday, April 25. 2007
 A wonderful review of some very funky 19th C. American architectural styles, at Sippican Cottage. Scroll down. Or look at the log cabins too. Good fun.
Keep 'em comin', Mr. S. Cottage: it's a free eddication for me. But what would you call that French Quarter architecture we posted below? "Caribbean Whorehouse"?
A guy walked into a bar, sat down, and ordered a beer. As he sipped the beer and lit up a smoke, he heard a soothing voice say, "Nice tie." Looking around, he noticed that the bar was empty, except for himself and the bartender at the end of the bar. A few sips later, the voice said, "Beautiful shirt." At this, the man called the bartender over. "Hey, I must be losing my mind," he told the bartender. "I keep hearing these voices saying nice things, and there's not a soul in here but us." "It's the peanuts," answered the bartender. "Say what?" replied the man in disbelief. "You heard me," said the barkeep, "It's the peanuts. They're complimentary."
 Boat designer Skip Etchells, who lived in Connecticut during most of his career, is best known for the International Etchells. That sailboat is no comfortable day-sailer, but a sleek, knife-like racing boat which unfortunately was never chosen as an Olympic class, but which has been a racing sailboat of choice for many of the best skippers in the word.
Etchells are still going strong after Skip's death. 
Tuesday, April 24. 2007
Toyota tops GM for first time in world car sales. Is anyone surprised that it finally happened?
Walking can add minutes to your life for each day you walk. This enables you, at 85 years old, to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $5000 per month. My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was 60. Now she's 97 years old and we don't know where the hell she is. The only reason I would take up exercising is so that I could hear heavy breathing again. I joined a health club last year, spent about 400 bucks. Haven't lost a pound. Apparently you have to go there. I have to exercise early in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing. I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me. I have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them. The advantage of exercising every day is that you die healthier. If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.
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.
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