We 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.
Our 3 weeks of roofers are 99% done. Nice job, very neat. All new shiny copper flashing. The carpenters have been at work for 3 weeks too, mostly doing exterior repairs of trim and siding. Some copper gutters too, but we don't need many gutters. All Azec replacement. When that's done I think Mrs. BD wants them to put a roof over the pergola. I am not sure I want that, but I will bargain to double the size of the bluestone patio. I want a place for a firepit. I hate being indoors.
What are unemployed Americans doing? The painters began work today, following the sides of the place where the carpenters have finished their work. 3 Brazilians. Lovely guys, very polite and accommodating. Perfectionists. One has been to Lisbon/Lisboa, but not to Porto.
Depending on weather, they predict 3 more weeks of work (prep takes the longest): scrape entire house, then power-wash, then re-scrape and sand, then prime, then paint. Doing the job the right way.
These guys have never heard of Fado. I suggested that they check it out. We liked this club in Lisbon. We had some Portuguese dessert there and I had a glass of wine:
The Quillette piece we linked this morning about paranoid thinking on the left fringes was good enough to mention author Doris Lessing's 1992 essay, Language and the Lunatic Fringe.
I recommend it. Things have gotten much worse since 1992.
I have noticed the growing use of the word "problematic" lately. I find the use of that word to be problematic. What it means is that you might be in trouble with the Thought and Culture cops.
While meandering around the alleys near downtown Wellfleet last week, we stumbled on this white elephant. Naturally, I was mainly attracted to its barn. The place is for sale. A 10-minute walk to the village.
It's safe to say the place could probably use some work. Roof looks great but I wonder about the age of the wiring, but from the photos it looks pretty up to date inside.
12 bedrooms, said to have been built in 1800 but I doubt that. The cool thing is that it was the home of Wellfleet's most famous son, Captain Lorenzo Dow Baker. Sea captain and entrepreneur, he's the guy who introduced the banana to the US and Europe and founded the company which became the United Fruit Company, now Chiquita Brands. Cool guy, cool life.
The mile, as the word implies, was 1000 paces of a Roman soldier (mille passus), but the concept evolved and changed and now there are all sorts of miles despite the kilometer taking over in most places. The American mile is about 1700 yards, but the origin of the yard is obscure.
It's not the Manhattan I know, but it's a hilarious slice of a Manhattan neighborhood/subculture which is largely Jewish, but culturally, not seriously. I had to look up what "Birthright" was.
I like the way he walks around with his posse. "We've got more JAPS than all of Tokyo!"
Murray Hill is kind of middle class and nondescript.
Most people have many more important interests than politics. For example, constructing a good productive and fulfilling life in the brief span allotted us. If anybody expects politics to deliver them a good life, they must dream on.
Other than to stay out of trouble, that is. From Quillette. It begins:
Today we are witnessing an irrepressible and admirable pushback against the specters of ‘cultural relativism’ and moral ‘nihilism.’ On the Right, thinkers such as Patrick Deneen and Jordan Peterson have responded to an increasingly cynical postmodern culture by arguing for a return to traditionalist and/or local values. More centrist thinkers such as Steven Pinker and Sam Harris have argued for a return to the Enlightenment’s emphasis on using reason and its handmaiden, empirical science, to develop an ever more objective set of ethical norms. And even on the far-Left, radical thinkers such as Alain Badiou and Slavoj Zizek have levelled scathing attacks against postmodern relativism and ‘totalitarian’ identity politics, calling for a return to ethics properly understood...
These complex astronomical machines were all the rage in Medieval Europe after they had been brought by the Spanish Muslims from the east. Chaucer wrote about them with enthusiasm. Early versions seem to have been separately invented in China and in Greece.
Astrolabes were rendered obsolete by sextants, telescopes, and timepieces but are still used for instructional purposes.
Most people have one of these "survival tools" in their backpack, hunting jacket, or glove compartment. Do not accidentally put one in your carry-on, though. Those Homeland guys, over the years, have taken from me my precious Spyder knife, a large jar of peanut butter, and a dangerous jar of Amish mustard. Also, a small Ducks Unlimited pocket knife.
Really, a Leatherman is an extra-sturdy Swiss Army deal with pliers.
Ever heard a feminist woman say that she is looking for a low-energy guy who can't hold a job, make his own goddam sandwich, or defend the family with force, if needed? It quotes Paglia:
‘The women’s movement is rooted in the belief that we don’t need men. All it will take is one natural disaster to prove how wrong that is. Then, the only thing holding this culture together will be masculine men of the working class.’ The new middle-class clerisy, whose number includes Webb, would do well to remember this: your literary luxury to demean the virtues of masculinity is predicated on the fact that you live in a society in which masculine men, particularly working-class ones, will defend your life and your family in the face of a disaster that will hopefully never come. You are free to insult these people precisely because these people have developed the ‘masculine’ strength to defend the society you live in.
Also,
... there are many people out there, millions of people, who see their values as better than yours, and who indeed see your values as crazy or at least incredibly unuseful. People who think that emotional awareness is a ridiculous value and utterly unhelpful in the negotiation of daily life, daily work, and daily struggle. But these people don’t have book deals and don’t have Joanna Lumley and JK Rowling singing their praises — as Webb’s book does — and so we can sneer at them. They become ignorable, even morally inferior. That grates with some of us because we know that in the communities we grew up in, the ‘toxic masculine’ values that it has become fashionable to disdain are viewed incredibly positively, and actually are incredibly positive: they provide you with the armour for the unforgiving trials of life in a society in which nothing is given and everything must be fought for.
It's our summer for roofing, painting, and repairs. Maintenance on the HQ. Mostly outside, some inside too. Maintenance sucks, because it entails no improvement and is just a holding war against entropy. We are fortunate to have a remarkable team of workers thanks to our genius project manager. Perfectionists. Replaced with all new flashing because the old was second rate, especially for the crickets. New copper gutters, but we do not have many gutters. Let the rain fall off the roof. No problem. All bad wood replaced with Azek "wood".
Good thing about their max-size dumpster? Old brown furniture, broken lawn stuff, old clothing and crap that is just no longer needed or wanted. In it goes. Empty closets to bare essentials. And do you know what old brown mahogany furniture is worth? Zero. You have to pay people to get rid of it. I am tempted to toss our 1800s lovely dining room table and chairs in there because nobody in the world wants this old brown stuff - and never will.
Wish you had a giant dumpster in your driveway? A great chance to unload all the crap that your kids will have to toss in a dumpster when you croak. Do them a favor.
Writers enjoy writing, but there are far more constructive ways to spend time. What famous author said "If you don't write for money, you are crazy"? Or something like that.
The Eastern States Exposition runs from Sept 14-30 this year in Springfield, MA. Basically, it's a combination of State Fairs. Good fun, and not only for kids.
Why would they think politics has anything to do with it? The authors seem overly worried about science skepticism. I think skepticism about the latest "science says" reports is the only rational approach. Indeed, besides curiosity and intelligence, skepticism is a hallmark of a serious scientist.
Science is not a list of eternal truths. It's a tool, a respected method for testing hypotheses for the purpose of theory-building. It's not a faith. Due to countless factors, the results of this testing tool are frequently in error.
So-called 
These complex astronomical machines were all the rage in Medieval Europe after they had been brought by the Spanish Muslims from the east. Chaucer wrote about them with enthusiasm. Early versions seem to have been separately invented in China and in Greece.
I thought that dust mites were mythical beings. They are not.
