[National Review] I tried an experiment yesterday. I went to four large supermarkets in Fresno County, the nation’s largest and most diverse food-producing county, and looked at both checkouts and shelf space. The two big sellers seemed to be cleansers of all sorts (bleach wipes were all sold out, for example) and staples such as canned soup, pasta, and canned fish and preserved meat.
Then I drove in about a 50-mile circumference to look at local farms ‐ vineyards, orchards, row crops, dairy, etc. ‐ and packinghouses and processors. There seemed absolutely no interruption at all. Farmers and workers were on tractors, packing houses were bringing in late citrus for cold storage, and lots of people were harvesting winter vegetables in the field. Machines were fertilizing, spraying, and cultivating.
The point is that in our age of necessary shutdowns and staying home, one thing we must do is eat ‐ and eat well to stay healthy. And that means lots of people have to go to work and produce food and transport it to the major cities, and not always in isolation on the south 40.
37
Farmers do a lot more than just drop a seed in the ground and then by rote watch it sprout into a corn stalk, as one of our nation’s richest and most influential figures lectured us not all that long ago. For millions to subsist at home, to force the virus to sputter out, they must eat, as well as have power, running water, law enforcement, and sanitation. And that means millions of Americans must go to work as usual and sustain the elementals and existential forces of American life for 330 million, usually out of sight and out of mind, as we concentrate on the required quarantining of universities, offices, bureaus, sporting events, etc.
Another lesson of this ongoing crisis ‐ in addition to the need for U.S. domestic production of some key medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, even greater skepticism about the veracity, competence, and agendas of media, and reexamination of the gospel of globalization and open borders ‐ is greater appreciation of muscular labor and those who feed us, protect us, give us energy, and clean up after us, and who cannot afford to stay home, and whom America cannot afford that they might.
#1
My father in law was a dairy farmer. He said "Those cows don't know about Christmas or Easter. They still need milked twice a day." The average urban idiot has no idea.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/15/2020 5:44 Comments ||
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#3
I was a typical suburban brat of the '50s with nary a real farm around. Though I'd done the scouting thing and visited a dairy farm on vacation I didn't have a clue.
Then about 45 years ago I met this girl and while she wasn't the farmer's daughter she did like animals and her barn was home to a few horses. Taking care of 6 to 10 horses and ponys can get you a glimpse of the real thing.
Stalls have to be mucked and horses fed every day if it's 90 and humid or below 0 don't matter. Oh yeah the loft has to be kept full of bales of hay, straw and other stuff too.
#5
Not really saying anything VDH didn't already touch upon, but this crisis may prove to be a major turning point in exposing four grand truths that our society lost sight of while it was infected with the mental disease known as virtue-signaling one-world open-borders techno globalism (VSOWOB-TG):
1. It was madness to willingly make our economy and our national security vulnerable to the incompetence and malice of a shitty Chinese nation that wishes us ill and seeks to knock us off our perch globally - utter madness;
2) it was stupid and self-destructive to open our southern border and allow the importation of tens of millions of shot-wage semi-literate campesinos from Mexico and the Northern Triangle nations - criminally stupid;
3) it was a great tragedy that our chattering classes of editors, publishers, talking heads and producers have been with few exceptions almost completely incompetent, mendacious and clownish in the Trump Era - a tragic farce with terrible consequences for the national political culture generally and for wise policy-making in the above areas especially;
4) it was a hugely unfortunate and perhaps unintended consequence of our newfound fascination with digital technology that tens of millions of screen-rubbing addicts have forgotten the ways and wisdom accruing to outdoor physical activity - not to mention the slow media of physical books read slowly, over many hours, as well as actual writing and revising and editing carefully - again, over an extended period - what one has carefully considered, explored, and evaluated critically.
I suspect #4 was the greatest error of all, and a major source (along with our Shitshow Culture's irresistible attraction to virtue-signaling, illogic and clownish incompetence) of the strength and, to coin a phrase, virulence of the three other Grand Follies of our age.
#7
I for one am glad the virus didn't originate south of the border or the left would be denying it all and saying washing your hands is racist. As is it will help us decouple from dependence upon China, and it will have run its course and be seen as media hyped nonsense that ruined lives, long before the Nov election.
[Washington Examiner] Chinese doctors warn that the coronavirus may lead to testicular damage and male infertility.
The report came from a team led by Li Yufeng, a professor from the Center for Reproductive Medicine of Tongji Medical College in Wuhan, where the virus originated.
The team published the report on the hospital website, but it was taken down after it was widely shared on Chinese social media.
So far, no study has confirmed that the coronavirus can damage male testicles and adversely hurt male fertility. The team suggested men who get the virus might consider getting tests on their semen quality.
So far, over 2,300 people in the United States have contracted the coronavirus, and at least 50 have died. President Trump declared a national emergency on Friday to combat the spread of the virus.
#6
Confucius say, "Chinese suggestible,
Not least on the state of inestimable.
West, best put on spectacle,
Spread rumor: Testicle
Bolstered by locust comestible."
Or in a year's time there won't be a [TLJ meets Noah trope here] left alive on this planet.
#7
And speaking of rape culture, grom... off the pile from whatever day that was that the bloid featured the most attractive smiling fully clothed fat woman rolling in sand on a beach I'd ever seen...
Dear ladies, I gotta be honest:
Though Hermes I'm not, nor Adonis,
If wearing a smile,
You'll need more than a mile
For headstart, when the end is upon us!
Meet Adam the panda in Eden,
Best known for his manners and breedin'.
He eats, shoots, and leaves.
Since the Garden is Eve's,
I believe he has settled in Sweden.
[Washington Examiner] Fears about coronavirus transmission have paralyzed the nation’s businesses, spooked its investors, and forced millions of people to quarantine themselves. But as a period of voluntary isolation begins, one could also think of this as a historic opportunity for experimentation in the workforce of the future.
Yes, some workplaces depend on the physical presence of their employees. Some of these (healthcare, for example) are indispensable and will continue to function as usual. Others (restaurants) will probably see business curtailed, at least for a time.
But in the many modern white-collar fields that have proliferated in recent decades, the virus will force employees to work remotely ‐ or more accurately, it will force employers to let them do so. This means that the coming weeks will test on a vast scale what has long been a growing phenomenon. At least some workers and their employers will test their relationship, changing the way they think about employment.
The model of working for an employer in an office (white-collar "Dilbert culture," if you will) became the mainstream model only very recently in the history of humanity. Prior to the 20th century, wage employment had been mostly the province of day laborers, factory workers, and household servants. But a great many people, and certainly most of those in the middle and upper classes, were expected to make their living independently. The wealthy lived from land and house rents; small landholders worked their family farms and perhaps took boarders for extra income; those with skills and qualifications ran their own firms or worked their own gigs.
The digital gig economy has been reintroducing that old model at the edges in recent years, supplanting "traditional" employment and circumventing its newly created regulatory strictures. But where the old office model persists, the next few weeks will put a new spin on it for all involved.
Telecommuting has its advantages and drawbacks. Every company will have to figure out which side of the ledger wins out. Some employers, including some government agencies, have so far resisted it because they fear they cannot keep an eye on their workers. There are also fears about the effectiveness of collaboration among dispersed workers. A virtual workplace may be less conducive to workplace conversations about approaches and creative ideas in some fields.
Yet in many cases, these drawbacks will be outweighed by the benefits just to the employer. For example, telecommuting employees can no longer pretend to be busy ‐ a true plague upon American corporate culture. Now workers can and must prove their value through actual productivity. A reduced need for physical office space also means lower overhead costs for the company. And remote workers can usually plow through illnesses with minimal time off for recovery, since contagion is no longer an issue.
There are additional benefits to the employees themselves. The ability to work remotely can add two to three hours back into a typical office worker’s day ‐ nearly 20% of his or her waking life. Remote work eliminates the costs, exhaustion, and environmental effects of commuting. It reduces traffic and, in the long run, the need for and expenses of car ownership. It allows employees to live in less expensive areas and regions, making the workforce less costly to maintain.
#1
Punctuated equilibrium Cladogenesis is the process by which a species splits into two distinct species, rather than one species gradually transforming into another.
#2
Careful what you wish for. The telecommuting employee is ALWAYS at a severe disadvantage vis-a-vis his peers who are on-site.
He lacks proximity for hallway or break-room or behind-closed-doors conversations in which critical info is often shared quietly and discreetly, without risk of being recorded.
This will merely create two classes of employees, like Google's notorious FTEs vs "Red Badge" contractors who are full-time employees-in-all-but-name.
[Townhall] John Knox prayed, "Give me Scotland or I die!" George Whitefield prayed, "Give me souls, or take my soul!" Today, millions of Americans Christians need to pray, "God, revive us or we die!" And there is no hyperbole in that prayer. Without a national awakening, America as we know it is doomed.
In 1944, Rev. Peter Marshall declared, "Surely the time has come, because the hour is late, when we must decide. And the choice before us is plain ‐ Yahweh or Baal. Christ or chaos. Conviction or compromise. Discipline or disintegration."
That was 1944, 9 years before the first edition of Playboy.
Compare that today to the epidemic of internet porn, affecting even our children. Marshall never could have imagined America falling this low.
1944 was a long time ago.
In 1969 Dr. Bill Bright wrote, "We live in the most revolutionary period of human history. . . . Social band-aids and reform antiseptics give little hope for a cure or even an improvement. A revolution is needed. . . . You can experience this revolution. In fact, you can help bring it to pass."
Also in 1969, Rev. Tom Skinner wrote, "I’m convinced America is at her crisis hour. Revolution is inevitable. It’s just a matter of which faction is going to prove strongest and will win out in the end. I believe most Americans are so apathetic that they will just sit back and go to whoever wins the struggle."
What would these men of God say today?
1969 was also a long time ago.
It was the year of Woodstock. And it was the year of the Stonewall Riots.
But I doubt that the most zealous gay activist would have predicted that the Supreme Court would one day redefine marriage. Or that a "married" gay man would run for president. Or that another presidential candidate would say that transgender rights were the Civil Rights issue of our day. Or that a famous male athlete would be declared woman of the year. Or that the American Library Association would endorse Drag Queens reading to toddlers.
No way!
And 1969 was 4 years before Roe v. Wade.
Put another way, 1969 was 4 years before more than 60 million babies would be aborted in their mother’s wombs. About the author.
[Garden & Gun] I’ve always said that I own guns to shoot, not to look at, and the same holds for perhaps my nicest shotgun, a Beretta Silver Pigeon III. It’s no Purdey, but it’s a handsome 20-gauge over/under that I don’t mind sliming with dove field sweat or blood from a forearm raked with quail-patch briars. Still, even I shudder at the thought of pressing that Silver Pigeon into service in the bow seat of my canoe on a float hunt for ducks, or beating it up on a death march into a beaver pond for swamp mallards. Many’s the time I’ve wished there was a solid twice-barrel field gun for duck ponds and even turkey woods. Two barrels, two chokes, two different loads, even, without worrying about losing five grand in value when I use the stock as a walking stick to pull me over a beaver dam.
Wish no longer. The new All-Terrain series of over/under and side-by-side shotguns from CZ-USA does everything I’ve hoped for. The barrels are clad in an olive-drab Cerakote finish, so they turn away slop, grime, and pluff mud‐plus the glare of sun in a duck blind or field edge. The shotguns are outfitted with sling swivel mounts (finally!) fore and aft, so they can be toted deep into the dark scary woods when you’re also toting 36 decoys and a mud seat, or a turkey stool and a full-body gobbler or three. Or holding the hand of a wide-eyed eight-year-old who is finally on her first dream hunt.
[Washington Examiner] Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson praised President Trump's call for a National Day of Prayer as the coronavirus outbreak grips the nation.
As Vice President Mike Pence and officials of the White House Coronavirus Task Force provided updates to the public on the growing COVID-19 pandemic, Carson spoke on the upcoming National Day of Prayer tailored to boosting morale among the public.
"I hope that we as a nation can use this as an opportunity to pull together for good. You know, President Trump is going to be recommending a National Day of Prayer. And you know, we've gotten away from prayer and faith a lot in this country," Carson said during the Saturday press conference.
"There's nothing wrong with godly principles, no matter what your faith is: loving your neighbor, caring about the people around you, developing your God-given talents to the utmost so that you become valuable to the people around you, having values and principles that govern your life," he continued.
"Those are things that made America zoom to the top of the world in record time. And those are the things that will keep us there too."
On Friday evening, Trump declared Sunday a National Day of Prayer, alluding to the times people in the United States traditionally hold steadfast to faith when facing difficult times. The first Sunday of every March since 1988 has been designated as a National Day of Prayer, but the president tailored the event this year toward addressing the outbreak of COVID-19.
"It is my great honor to declare Sunday, March 15th as a National Day of Prayer. We are a Country that, throughout our history, has looked to God for protection and strength in times like these," the President said in a tweet. "No matter where you may be, I encourage you to turn towards prayer in an act of faith. Together, we will easily PREVAIL!"
[VictoryGirlsBlog] Steve Wynn, sidelined by a #MeToo accusation in 2018, was vindicated in a Las Vegas court yesterday. Once a major Republican donor and member of the Republican National Committee, as well as a high-profile casino owner, the accusations from Halina Kuta effectively sidelined Wynn and nearly tanked his Wynn Resorts.
This is how the New York Times reported on the story back then, with an assist from the Associated Press.
"A woman told the police that she had a child with the casino mogul Steve Wynn after he raped her, while another reported that she was forced to resign from a Las Vegas job after she refused to have sex with him.
Continued on Page 49
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Washington Examiner] Chinese doctors warn that the coronavirus may lead to testicular damage and male infertility.
[Townhall] John Knox prayed, "Give me Scotland or I die!" George Whitefield prayed, "Give me souls, or take my soul!" Today, millions of Americans Christians need to pray, "God, revive us or we die!" And there is no hyperbole in that prayer. Without a national awakening, America as we know it is doomed.
[Garden & Gun] I’ve always said that I own guns to shoot, not to look at, and the same holds for perhaps my nicest shotgun, a Beretta Silver Pigeon III. It’s no Purdey, but it’s a handsome 20-gauge over/under that I don’t mind sliming with dove field sweat or blood from a forearm raked with quail-patch briars. Still, even I shudder at the thought of pressing that Silver Pigeon into service in the bow seat of my canoe on a float hunt for ducks, or beating it up on a death march into a beaver pond for swamp mallards. Many’s the time I’ve wished there was a solid twice-barrel field gun for duck ponds and even turkey woods. Two barrels, two chokes, two different loads, even, without worrying about losing five grand in value when I use the stock as a walking stick to pull me over a beaver dam.
[Washington Examiner] Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson praised President Trump's call for a National Day of Prayer as the coronavirus outbreak grips the nation.
