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.
That's the NYC term for people who work at any level in the "rag trade." That is, fashion and attire. It was once a Jewish business in NY, now mostly Asian.
NYC remains a bustling center for design and manufacturing, even though most cheap stuff we buy is made in Asia.
A NYC daughter emailed me her iPhone pic in front of a Crossfit in the garment district, with the comment "Poor skinny Chinese guy struggling with his heavy cart of fabrics for $5 an hour while yuppies pay $200 an hour to lift boxes inside Crossfit."
My thought was "This lucky Chinese immigrant will live to 100, his kids will go to Harvard and end up going to Crossfit to stay in shape with their white collar jobs in finance and medicine."
Photo is your editor, after 6 months of exercising.
-Want to get bigger and heavier? If you are a scrawny and weak guy (or gal) like I was, your fitness job is relatively easy compared to flabby guys and gals. Just lift weights for 40 minutes 3 days/wk, eat carbs and meat, and avoid cardio exercise for a few months.
They also have good advice there about exercising in general. I like their idea of eventually getting fit and strong enough to handle just a few full-body resistance exercises involving, combined, pretty much all muscle groups. It is efficient but takes work to get there. Eg:
Very popular. The author of the musical plays Hamilton too. I do not need to see this show, but I am glad they are getting rich. Making money is a pretty good thing. Not the best thing, but good.
I have a problem with the premise of that question, assuming that the premise is that Americans work 35-40 hour weeks. Americans are not the French.
I don't know anybody in any field who works as little as a 40-hour week. Nobody other than clerical and support staff. Everybody I know works like a farmer, ie as long as it takes to get it done, to keep the job, to advance, and to show results. I do not think that most Americans count their work hours outside of union jobs. The 40-hour week was from another time, another era.
Perhaps my perception is skewed by working in business in NYC for a few years, so please inform me how I am wrong.
Somewhat related to the post below, AVI is thinking about how much of politics is about virtue signalling.
I suspect that he overestimates its importance. In politics, there are many factors: likability, charisma, vote-buying, partisan loyalty, and so forth. Virtue itself has never been a major factor in electoral politics, or in any form of governance in history.
However, I would not dispute AVI's several posts over the years about the importance of tribal and affinity signalling in social relations. (Two Ls in signalling? Who knew?)
Mike Rowe is one of my favorite life commentators. His program Dirty Jobs was excellent television, not just for his portrayal of the everyday laborer as a hero of modern culture, but because he showed that hard work is its own reward. He has assiduously avoided taking sides in political debates, though he's made it pretty clear people need to be left to their own devices as much as possible. Mike is a trained opera singer, who stumbled into television quite by accident via QVC, and has become a bit of an icon, though he tries to distance himself from any kind of hero-worship. His life advice, I've found, is usually spot-on. I don't know if he comes up with it himself, but it's all pretty darn good.
He seems like the kind of guy you would love to have an everyday conversation with, toss back some beer or bourbon, then work with him to replace your septic system. In no particular order.
He responds to fan mail fairly regularly, and I really enjoyed his post today:
The New York Times just published a 27-point guide on what it means to be a “Modern Man.” As someone widely regarded as a “Man’s Man,” I’d love to get your take. (Personally, I’m not sure what a “Man’s Man” is, but my wife assures me that you are one.)
"The term "oktavist" describes a basso profundo singer with an extremely deep range. You'll notice that the singers showcased in this video all sound unbelievably deep, with some making you question whether or not it's humanly possible to produce such low notes. Their voices can go as deep as an octave below the bass staff."
Re-posted from Oct, 2014. Was it really a year ago? Seems like yesterday.
We began our jolly urban hike on the southern tip of Manhattan Island, Battery Park, where the ferries depart to Staten Island, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty.
What is fatiguing is not the hiking itself - it's the overstimulation. So much going on, so much to look at.
Below the fold, a photo summary of our hike, with relevant links -
My old Grandpa said to me, 'Son, there comes a time in every man's life when he stops bustin' knuckles and starts bustin' caps and usually it's when he becomes too old to take a whoopin'.'
I don't carry a gun to kill people; I carry a gun to keep from being killed.
I don't carry a gun because I'm evil; I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the World.
I don't carry a gun because I hate the government; I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government.
I don't carry a gun because I'm angry; I carry a gun so that I don't have to spend the rest of my life hating myself for failing to be prepared.
I don't carry a gun because I want to shoot someone; I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.
I don't carry a gun to make me feel like a man; I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the ones they love.
I don't carry a gun because I feel inadequate; I carry a gun because unarmed and facing three armed thugs, I am inadequate.
I don't carry a gun because I love it; I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.
Police protection is an oxymoron: Free citizens must protect themselves because police do not protect you from crime; they just investigate the crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the mess.
Personally, I carry a gun because I'm too young to die and too old to take a whoopin'!
It's autumn here. Fleece is one of the great inventions for cool weather, maybe second to fire. Lightweight, layerable, and cozy. I always hated wool. It makes me itchy.
I am grateful for those mill folks who came up with fleece.
Following up on the previous theme of finding things to do as an empty-nester, we were at the mall recently (the Apple Store to fix an iPad and iPhone which had gone awry) and found a gallery which was selling/showing Salvador Dali etchings from the Argillet Collection.
Christine Argillet is the daughter of Pierre Argillet, one of Dali's patrons. His relationship with Dali began in 1934 and continued throughout his life. Christine essentially grew up with Dali, and since Pierre's death has managed one of the largest Dali collections in the world.
I love Dali's work and for my sake my wife suggested we walk in. The gallery manager viewed the etchings with us, telling stories from previous shows which Christine had attended. We were invited back for the show (this weekend on Saturday), which I will attend. A bit later, on the ride home, my wife told me she had no interest in Dali, but knew I enjoyed surrealism, was willing to take a look but I'd likely attend on my own. That's fine, I spent an hour by myself in the Time Warner Building on Columbus Avenue when they had Dali's work in the lobby. A lucky find while out walking NYC streets during lunch.
I was lucky that my wife had paid attention as we were leaving the mall. Empty-nesting is a constant relearning of what brought you together in the first place. Sometimes you find things one or both enjoy, sometimes you just indulge the other person. Dali is a great indulgence, particularly on her part.
I think I have settled on the New Balance Minimus 20V-3 Trainer as my all-purpose exercise/work-out shoe. Lightweight, stable for weights, good for everything a Cross-Trainer or gym rat might need. They do not make you feel bare-footed, but close enough.
They have a 20v4 out now, but the 3 is fine. They come in men's and women's because men and women are different.
New Balance (made in USA) tend to run 1/4-1/2 sizes small, so I go up 1/2. They make narrow, which is good.
Plenty of readers know how to do that. Too late to collect fresh firewood for this winter, but it's always the right time to collect wood for next year.
As an empty-nester, finding activities to fill time is a weekly quest. The wife and I are in the second year of being home alone (it had been 20 years since we were only a couple, prior to last Fall), and there is always a question of finding interests we both share, or are willing to endure for the sake of the other.
This weekend we determined to go to the movies. The Martian was playing, and has gotten good reviews. I like Sci-Fi, she does not, but she likes movies where people save Matt Damon, I guess. As luck would have it, the showtimes were all sold out. We then considered The Walk, Robert Zemeckis' dramatization of Philippe Petit's traversing the World Trade Center Towers. It was in 3-D. Generally, I don't like 3-D. We thought maybe this would be a good application of the gimmick. It could be fun to be that close to feeling what Petit felt. The wife was not as sure, and she had see Man On Wire, the documentary, which I had not seen. She had enjoyed the documentary and wasn't sure this would do the story justice. Still, we took the plunge.
If you can deal with 3-D, the movie is relatively true to the story, and told in compelling fashion. Not being a fan of 3-D, I'd have to say it worked. My palms were sweating as he crossed the wire. I flinched twice in scenes which were deliberately shot to make you flinch (knew it was going to happen, but still fell for it).
Those were the days before these Americans identified as victims. They didn't want to be victims, and pushed their way into the middle class. That was before the 1960s mess.
That's the NYC term for people who work at any level in the "rag trade." That is, fashion and attire. It was once a Jewish business in NY, now mostly Asian. 
Photo is your editor, after 6 months of exercising.
Over the transom - 
It's autumn here. Fleece is one of the great inventions for cool weather, maybe second to fire. Lightweight, layerable, and cozy. I always hated wool. It makes me itchy.
I think I have settled on the 
The exercise and satisfaction in 