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.
Expecting everyone to "reason" like a moral philosopher is based upon the assumption that everyone can. This of course is a rehash of the radical equality principle of all men and fails to recognise that some men are limited in reaching this level of cognition. (Note, it's one of the ways mainstream Christianity inadvertently laid the groundwork for Liberalism.) So anyone pushing this agenda is, in a way, furthering the intellectual supposition that all men are cognitively equal.
But suppose you do accept the fact that there is an inherent intellectual inequality amongst men, how then do you regulate public morality in such an environment, especially when asking men to act in a strongly counter-intuitive way? The only way to do so is by having a strong external apparatus, i.e. Church or State threatening to punish wayward behaviour. i.e. Big Brother. Furthermore, with the collapse of "cultural constraints" the void for regulating behviour needs to be assumed by the state, thus, radical liberalism necessitates a powerful state regulatory apparatus to provide a check against the intuitive tendencies of the masses.
With Springtime finally upon us up here, the skis are put away and the hiking boots come out.
When people get out of town, they want and need to get off the sofa and hiking in the woods and mountains. Here are a few ideas for tougher, and easier, hikes:
All of New York City - not just Manhattan - is a patchwork of neighborhoods. If somebody asks you where you live, you name a neighborhood, not a street. The neighborhoods, with their mostly fuzzy edges, are distinctive in character and more like towns with invisible boundaries.
During this Maggie's Hike on the past Saturday I figure we explored, or at least passed through, these Manhattan neighborhoods: Lower East Side and Alphabet City, the East Village, Gramercy Park, Murray Hill, a bit of Midtown, a slice of the Upper East Side, most of Central Park, the Upper West Side, and Morningside Heights to the edge of Harlem. Not bad for a day's stroll.
That was 12 miles in all and 7 hours total, including pit stops, lunch break, visits into some places of interest, etc. Heck, Advil works!
Pic above is not our starting DD on Delancey St. - that pic is on Houston St.
Our team included friends, relatives, friends of Maggie's (new friends) from all over.
We also had with us celebrities like Stuart of Had Enough Therapy, Francis of Manhattan Contrarian, Dave of Assistant Village Idiot, Donald Trump and Bob Dylan - Fine fellows all and engaging, entertaining companions. Delighted to meet them.
Pic documentary below the fold to see what you missed -
A good narrator, or orator, can make anything sound interesting. Vin Scully, long time voice of the Dodgers, is a great one. I'm not a fan of the Dodgers, and my exposure to Scully is limited to his coverage of nationally televised games, but his skill is evident. So much so, he once deigned (a strong word, by most accounts he has a great sense of humor) read a grocery list on air. The results were, not surprisingly, intriguing and entertaining. Or, as my Dodger fan friend who sent this to me said, "enthralling." As he begins his 67th and final year as the voice of the Dodgers, it seems a fitting tribute.
No other announcer can boast Scully's experience, beginning in Brooklyn in 1950, following the Dodgers to Los Angeles, there are few team voices as unique and recognizable as Scully's.
It's not just the terror that Johnny might break his arm in the playground. It's not a "sticks and stones" country any more, at least among the coastal elites.
Freud waxed creative on the topic of cultural taboos, identifying them as unconsciously or consciously interesting, but forbidden, fruits. He never, to my knowledge advocated violating cultural rules and taboos.
Homosexual temptation has been around forever, but sometimes illegal and sometimes it has been impolite to mention the topic so the taboo in that case had more to do with conversation than with behavior. In many cultures, adultery, fratricide, patricide, and matricide are basic taboos. Judaism and Christianity have abundant taboos.
Psychiatric organizations are challenged by the gradual cultural acceptance - to some extent, anyway - of behaviors once considered taboo or debauched by the culture, and perversions by Psychiatry. Despite media attention, most people still regard much behavior with revulsion. To turn the tables, often those with discomfort or revulsion are now labeled neurotic "phobics." Thus a gradual normalization of fantasy translated into real behavior.
I suppose parts of our culture have arrived there, even without Communism.
Here is a run-down of some of the outlandish things going on these days, often reminiscent of Nero and the Roman Empire. As the narrator says, nothing "sweet and innocent" here. Or loving, either. The entire "I identify as..." trend is a curious turn of phrase. I think it means "I like to pretend...". The unbound human imagination at work:
Singer, actress. "The American Beauty." She was a 200-pounder in this photo.
One of her husbands was Diamond Jim Brady. Diamond Jim liked jewels and food. Probably had Binge Eating Disorder, but all prosperous guys over-ate in those days.
This past weekend, Springsteen canceled a concert in North Carolina, on 2 days notice, to protest the passage of law requiring people to use bathrooms based on the gender of birth. PayPal, similarly, canceled plans to expand operations in Charlotte.
I understand how tightly politics has become intertwined with business. Making a statement seems to be the most important thing anyone can do, these days. So I'll make a small one of my own. I don't agree with the North Carolina law, but I don't live there. I think it is over-the-top and excessive control of society by imposing a law where common sense should suffice to reign. The passage of law doesn't make an idea 'correct' or morally justified. Even so, I'm still planning to visit my family in North Carolina, spend money there, and enjoy the state's many natural wonders. I'm not going to boycott a state because I disagree with a law. If I did that, I'd have problems living in the state I currently reside.
Paypal and Bruce both have the right to make whatever statements they choose, just as I do. I'm not sure how what they are doing impacts the law, however. In fact, they both hurt many people in an attempt to 'show solidarity' with...some group or another (I can never tell which special interest groups are getting the attention these days).
Stumbled into this map of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. A major east coast estuary. Man, it covers a lot of real estate and even crosses a mountain range. Major rivers: The Susquehanna, Potomac, Rappahannock, York and James rivers are the five major rivers that flow to the Chesapeake Bay.
These rivers make large parts of the Chesapeake brackish, which is fine with the turtles, waterfowl, Stripers, oysters, and crabs.
The meaning of your special snowflake life. Your mission. It hearkens back to the time when America's colleges were basically Congregational seminaries with sciences and liberal arts to help produce well-lettered and knowledgeable preachers and professors.
The assumption now, of course, is that the most privileged kids in the world are helpless infants and idiots. The infantilization of college students continues unabated. Meanwhile those who do not attend colleges grow up right away.
I do not know how to account for this trend. "Extended adolescence"? There was a time when college students considered themselves fully-fledged adults, and were viewed that way too. Age 16, or 18 depending on your background, was it.
Regardless of how long the kids and the higher ed administrators conspire to delay it, everybody confronts reality and is forced to grow up eventually. Sippican's sewer line is a good metaphor.
They make excellent shoes and they have many widths which matters to me with my narrow feets. They are sold in NYC and a few other places. They also make the Brooks Brothers-branded shoes, but not the Brooks English shoes.
Good affordable lifetime shoes for formal, dress-casual, and other. Impossible to wear 'em out, because they will refurbish them for you at their factory regardless of their condition. Fine old shoes with some sign of age and use are cool, trustworthy. Wear your good shoes all the time and you will never go wrong.
I do not wish to be judged by my tires, but I am told that people sort-of do, sometimes. Sheesh. Well, it might be preferable to judging me by the content of my character...
A friend recently told me that he dragged a junior associate to the Alden place in NYC before an important business meeting. Threw the associate's shoes in the trash, and bought him an appropriate new pair. Job training. First impressions matter, rightly or wrongly. If you're a genius, maybe not - but even Einstein deliberately cultivated his wacky flair to attract girls.
I remember Firing Line as that program I avoided watching at all costs when I stumbled upon it as a child. It was boring, the man speaking had a funny elitist accent, and it was talking, no action. My father loved it.
Lately, I've been watching some of the old episodes and have determined (to no surprise) Buckley was often touching on subjects that were timeless. Much of what he covered is still very relevant today.
A discussion with Alan Ginsburg on what the Avant Garde is, and how it should be making its point in society, would be relevant today. However, a panel discussion about what a Hippie is...well, that's just good fun. Especially with a boozed-up Jack Kerouac, in his last public appearance, doing his best to mock a clueless academic.
I think a fun program today would be to review old programs like this, stitch relevant parts together, and show just how deep down the rabbit hole Buckley often went.
The nominative form of pronouns is used following a linking verb. Thus "It is I" and "This is he." Linking verbs are verbs about being rather than action, eg is/am. This can sometimes sound stilted, but it's English. It's good to have high standards even if one can not live up to them.
Somewhat related is You and I versus you and me. It's easy to sort that one out without making any reference to grammatical terms. Just mentally simplify the sentence to one person and it clarifies itself. Eg, "You and me should have lunch." "Me should have lunch"? Naw. So it's "You and I..."
Singer, actress.
