Maggie's Farm

Luke 1:39-45, (46-55)


1:39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country,

1:40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

1:41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit

1:42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

1:43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?

1:44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.

1:45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

1:46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord,

1:47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

1:48 for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant. Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,

1:49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name;

1:50 indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

1:51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

1:52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;

1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.

1:54 He has come to the aid of his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,

1:55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

The American university is rotting from within. The modern academy is a threat to reason, liberty and Western civilisation.

Fauci holds several ‘professor’ titles at Georgetown but never teaches

What We Learned This Year - Mayor Eric Adams, David Sedaris, Bill Maher, Amy Chua, and more on what they learned in 2024.

The week in whoppers: NY Times changes its tune on Biden, Washington Post slams Trump in push ‘poll’ and more

 Saturday Miscellany

Brazile:  Biden is one of our greatest presidents

What Happens When We Are All on the Dole?

Probably only weeks or months, until Herod died in around 1-4 BC. All such dates are approximate.

Going from Nazareth to Egypt was not too hard (there were several trading highways which were ancient at that time). And there was a Hebrew community in Egypt. At the time, Egypt was under Roman rule too, but not Herod.

Why it supposedly took Moses 40 years in his time is confusing to me. There were good roads with wells and rest stops. No Starbucks. But, ok, I know how the Old Testament discusses that. It was not for lack of GPS.

Thinking about that not just about Christmastime, but because Mrs. BD are traveling to Egypt in a week or so. Cairo, cruise up the Nile to Aswan, etc. My hope is to see some hippos and crocogators. Daytime temps around 70 F.

I've read that in ancient times noble Egyptians had domesticated crocs as garden pets, and decorated them with jewels. Nobody has/had a hippo as a pet. Not friendly monsters.

Unlike Saudi, you can buy beer in Egypt. The Saudis go to Dubai, London, Paris, and NYC to party. And Milan for special shopping.

Some drug lord moron accidentally introduced Hippos to South America, where they thrive.

Tree too close to the fire? Yes.

The Dustbin of Literary Criticism

Good points. I used to use ideas from essays by Updike, Stanley Fish, etc. for college essays. Not without attribution, though. I think it's just too easy to write about cultural trends than to dig into writing.

How a young Dutch woman’s life began when she was allowed to die

Sam Altman on His Feud with Elon Musk—and the Battle for AI’s Future

A reckoning with DEI pedagogy - We researched the impact of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion rhetoric on our subjects’ biases. Here’s what we discovered

Racist messages found on Tennessee college campus were ‘fabricated,' school says

Woman Who Accused Three Duke Lacrosse Players of Rape Admits She Lied, Seeks Forgiveness

I’m an Ivy League undergrad — here’s why my campus sides with Luigi Mangione

Why Is Trump Suing the Media?

FAFO

‘Censorship has a perfect failure record’. Jonathan Turley on why the exercise of free speech is at the core of our humanity.

Governments hate free speech - except their own

How Barack Obama built an omnipotent thought-machine, and how it was destroyed

 The terrifying scandal is that Biden was NEVER president. The full truth about the cover-up, Bad Doctor Jill and all the enemies within must be exposed

Bye, bye Biden

Nobody ever thought he was the boss

TGIF: The Lame Duck

Have you tried it?

I did some trial runs, such as "Are there snakes in New Zealand?"

Scientists Say They Are Stunned by Vole-Hunting, Predatory Squirrels

Meet My Pal, the Ancient Philosopher. How friendship with long-dead thinkers can help us live better.

Bluesky is getting nasty

Curious Timing: The Liberal NY Times Admits Biden Couldn’t Handle Presidency for Another Four Years – A Month After the Election

Democrats Still Aren’t Listening. Texan Sheriffs vs. Mexican Cartels. Plus. . .

The Never Trump Failure

Ever get a Christmas card with the label, like, the Smith's?

Is it bad grammar education, or is it short for "the Smith's household"?

I do not like to begin the links with something somewhat political, but this shows what Trump can do:  Donald Trump's Remarkably Normal Press Conference

SCOTT ALEXANDER: Book Review: From Bauhaus To Our House.

I read that book. Good.

I ate nothing but red meat for a year... here's why the health experts are so wrong

Our Depraved Young People

Liz Cheney Referred For Criminal Investigation For Witness Tampering Related to J6 ‘Star Witness’ Cassidy Hutchinson

"This Is A Bloodsport For Them" - Lara Logan Exposes "The Age Of Information Warfare"

She is good

Wednesday Potpourri

As Woke Falls, What Rises?

Harris' Digital Director Reveals the ‘Ominous’ Moment Where He Knew Something Was Wrong

Michael Goodwin: The left-wing media created their own crisis and now
have to pay the price for repeatedly attacking Donald Trump

Biden Admin Sent $300M to Reuters to 'Look Into' Musk and His Companies?

Nearly 8 Million Illegals Living in Sanctuary Cities Across U.S.

"Depressed" Biden Bureaucrats Can't Find New Jobs

What jobs can they do? In a way, I feel badly for federal workers right now.

Trump Wants to Fire Federal Employees Who Refuse to Return to Working in Offices

Some work can be done from home. Not government jobs.

His elves are on strike.

Why won't the Deep State just admit that Bezos and Santa made a deal?

China: Garlic and sewage

Technological Disruption in the US Labor Market

NY Times: The Woke Movies Era Is Dead

Biden Orders Scientific Agency To Expand Use of 'Indigenous Knowledge' in Final Days

Lessons from a Teachers-College Battle Over Free Speech and ‘Decolonization’

The problem with saving academia

More Lawsuits for ABC? Network Lies About Linda McMahon

Prisoner CNN helped free from Syrian prison was actually notorious Assad regime torturer

Until journalists start correcting their misbehavior, they are going to continue to feel nervous.

Billionaire Marc Andreesen on the Horrifying Conversation That Red-Pilled Him

‘Polio Ravaged My Family.’ Political Violence Is Back. Plus. . . Caitlin
Clark’s greatness, why Georgians have taken to the streets, and much
more.

Are the Years of Madness Ending?

California Certifies It’s 2024 Election Despite Huge Issues – It’s NOT Certifiable

University of Iowa paid MSNBC host Joy Reid $55k to speak on campus

Veteran Journalist Dismantles Liberal Case Against Trump’s Deportation Plans: ‘It’s Easier Than You Think’

Partitioning Ukraine: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?

NATO Head Says "Wartime Mindset" Needed; Redirect "Pensions, Health, Social Security" To Military Spending

Bummer. When I pushed "publish" they all disappeared.

They were good. I blame either the Russians or climate change. 

Since our kids have grown, we minimize it. No more piles of presents, etc. Some holiday cocktail parties are nice, and a few holiday lunches. We minimize the Christmas presents thing, and no damn jewelry.

Christmas is a celebration of a sort-of miracle. In my ancestors' Puritan culture, celebrating Christmas was considered Papist and was illegal. If you got caught making a pie at Christmas you were in trouble.

Not sure how that changed but I do not blame Coca Cola.

Anyway, I believe in comestibles at Christmas, preferably home-made. Mrs. BD makes killer Christmas cookies. Since she was raised Roman Catholic, we do "fasting" on Christmas Eve. Poached salmon with dill sauce usually, before or after church.

I am board with Einstein - the latter sentence:

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a
miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." -Albert Einstein

Oh - I just learned about Naked Wines. Stinky cheeses and special wines are my holiday favorites. I do not want or need anything material. Well, I do need books.

You can leave Santa some Ozempic.

Sippican rebuilt his house (by himself) and sold it.

I thought he was homeless like Jesus' family, or perhaps moving to Uzbekistan but they are still in beautiful Maine for the moment.

Sipp should get paid for writing, but that's a tough gig to find.

Luke 3:7-18

3:7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

3:8 Therefore,
bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to
yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor,' for I tell you, God is
able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

3:9 Even
now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that
does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

3:10 And the crowds asked him, "What, then, should we do?"

3:11 In
reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone
who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise."

3:12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?"

3:13 He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you."

3:14 Soldiers
also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not
extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be
satisfied with your wages."

3:15 As the people were filled with
expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John,
whether he might be the Messiah,

3:16 John answered all of them by
saying, "I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I
is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

3:17 His winnowing fork
is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat
into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

3:18 So with many other exhortations he proclaimed the good news to the people.

It's not really winter here yet, but the flocks of male Robins are all over. They finished off all of our holly berries. We have holly trees and holly shrubs. They like all fruits and berries. They are known to get drunk on old apples.

The females go further south. Smart.

 Greenpeace: Plastic recycling is a dead-end street

Writers On Other Writers' Writing

Saint Ann’s insane ex-con hire exposes the progressive ‘shame’ con

The Movement to Free Schools of Smartphones Is Winning. Evidence shows that phones harm children and education. A growing number of schools are paying attention.

Woodrow Wilson, in a Darker Key - Chris Cox’s biography of the 28th
president reads like a long overdue reassessment of a man who doesn’t
stand up well to contemporary scrutiny.

The Re-Skilling of America - Instead of subsidizing America’s greedy and unequal diploma mills, how about dropping degree requirements and rewarding skills?

Saturday Miscellany

What Is a Woman?

How Much of the Harris Campaign Was a Scam?

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: The Evaporation Of The Obama Mystique

How stupid is Trump?

Many of Trump’s picks are well outside the usual Washington, D.C./New York political, media, and corporate nexus.

Hamas Backing Down Over 'Trump Pressure'

President-elect Donald Trump wants to turn the lights out on daylight saving time.

These Brits "center-left" recognize that Trump's election is a relief:

Designer Babies Are Teenagers Now—and Some of Them Need Therapy Because of It
“People don’t always realize they are creating a human being and not a piece of furniture.”

The American university is rotting from within. The modern academy is a threat to reason, liberty and Western civilisation.

The Explosion of Jew-Hate in Trudeau’s Canada

Niall Ferguson: The Vibe Shift Goes Global. At home, Yale Law School and DEI committees are out. Abroad, strength and escalation are in.

Janet Yellen "Sorry" After Presiding Over $15 Trillion Increase In US Debt

Good-bye, Paul Krugman

EXPLAIN HOW FLOODING JOB MARKET WITH ILLEGAL MIGRANTS HELPS AMERICANS:

Dems Get Strange New Respect For ...

THE DAILY CHART: THE FAILURE OF OBAMACARE

 TGIF: It All Comes Out. Janet Yellen admits we’re in the red,
immigration is in fact very high, Elizabeth Warren thinks the UHC CEO
had it coming, Rudy can’t get a cab home, and much, much more.

‘Clean’ energy powered by ‘dirty’ means

The reason Americans fear for Britain  - The old England, which cherished liberty, is dying and a more sinister society is emerging in its place

The NY Times finally tells the truth about Biden’s border failures — AFTER the election

Hating the Other Side Doesn’t Work for Democrats. The most successful Democrats in history have embraced American optimism, core national values, and hope for a better future.

Tactics, Techniques and Procedures to Keep Deep State Bureaucrats From Obstructing Donald Trump’s Agenda