The Lovely Mrs. Firefly is a big fan of Valentine’s Day so I quickly learned to reciprocate, but, in all honesty, I’m not a fan. Once wed a couple’s anniversary date should be their own, personal Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day should be reserved for courters and wooers.
But who you gonna believe, me or 122 million Japanese?
Rufus, thanks for the clue.
“In Japan, Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14, where women typically give chocolates to men as a way to express their feelings. This is followed by White Day on March 14, when men are expected to return the favor.”
Happy Valentines Day, All.
“In Japan, Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14, where women typically give chocolates to men as a way to express their feelings. This is followed by White Day on March 14, when men are expected to return the favor.”
AppleBetty:
It’s fascinating the way the Japanese mirror back American culture.
With their own twist.
Re: Windows -> Linux Mint
I’m in the process to switching over from Windows to Linux Mint. It’s a combination of Windows 11 going way overboard with Microsoft control-freakery plus the maturing (finally!) of Linux desktop interfaces.
Linux Mint Cinnamon is pretty civilized and compatible with a Windows user’s instincts. Not perfectly, of course, but close enough.
With Microsoft your computer is an outpost in the MS empire. With Linux your computer is your computer.
Linux doesn’t require registering an account with anyone (like MS and Apple). It doesn’t monitor your activities. It doesn’t force you to buy more modern computers. It doesn’t pepper you with ads and nudges into a corporate ecosystem with monthly fees.
Linux Mint boots fast, hides most of the Unix underpinnings, and keeps you in control.
Furthermore, it’s free.
@AppleBetty– It sounds like the Japanese have moved Sadie Hawkins Day to Feb 14, and made it an annual event rather than the leap year event it originally was.
RIP Mr. Crane.
==
Libertarians are a mixed bunch. I like the older generation among them better than those who came after.
Epstein Files Update – Former Obama White House Counsel resigns after Epstein emails surface – Video
I’m in the process to switching over from Windows to Linux Mint.
I’ve been running Linux for 26 years, used to compile my own kernels on occasion and had a cron job to download Konqueror and compile it every Saturday night to see if the bugs were fixed. Konqueror is arguably the basis for Apple Safari, Apple forked KHTML and KJS to create Webkit. I run Fedora these days to test out cutting edge features — new releases twice a year — but dual boot to windows for some things about once a week. My needs are pretty basic: web browsing, email, and code editing/compiling. Free compilers have been a long standing feature of Linux distributions.
Interesting (actually, depressing) before and after photos of South Africa:
Watt,
Yes, truly terrifying in the way it shows just how fragile our “civilization” is, based on win-win and “trust the stranger” based social norms, vs. tribal/clan/kin collectives where the main incentive is to out do, cheat, steal from, or even kill “the other”. Plus, no thought or worries about what happens after that.
There are presumably several threads intertwined in creating that favorable social structure and network. Even as he studied the creation of wealth via specialization and trade, Adam Smith was concerned and worried about the distortions from mercantilist enterprises.
It is hard to understand how and why, when we have these examples of favorable and unfavorable situations, that everyone is not oriented to pursing the favorable version. How prescient was Thomas Sowell to summarize the situation as the dichotomy between constrained and unconstrained visions. And maybe a tip of the hat to Darwin for pointing out that even with our claims of Imago Dei we are also still evolved from less exalted animals.
At least we have the models of the DOI and the 2nd Amendment to fall back on if we have to start over [if they are not also lost in the turmoil of decay], but next time we ought to be sure to add a balanced budgeting feature, along with limits on indebtedness and mandatory incorporation of operating budgets to support and manage capital outlays, to the next constitution.
But even we have violations of “Congress shall make no law … “
R2L,
As a young man Thomas Sowell was a Marxist. So, even someone as brilliant as he is can reason his way into it.
@: So, even someone as brilliant as [Sowell] is can reason his way into it.
I’ll chime in per usual that I don’t think anyone “reasons” themselves into or out of political matters without a strong social-emotional component.
The left is right about that and the right is left behind. 🙂
I’m on the first day of a Hawaii trip with a friend. There was the 5 hr. flight from SFO yesterday, and she brought an iPad and we watched a movie together on it. She asked me to pick the film. 15 min. of searching, and I found it. We both love music and she especially loves old music with black themed R&B. It was Guardians of the Galaxy. 😉 Once on the ground she pulled up the full soundtrack on Spotify and we had fun driving around Maui with the music blasting.
It’ a great bunch of songs that some have credited with introducing these classic songs to a much younger generation. We Fooled Around and Fell in Love is on that soundtrack. (Elvin’s not black, but some of the other artists are.)
I didn’t really know what to expect with the film, and it’s largely a youthful and aggressive sci-fi action film. But still rather entertaining aside from the great soundtrack.
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Is the Bishop song about you,?
RIP Ed Crane. Founder of the Cato Institute.
Edward H. Crane, Libertarian Builder
https://archive.fo/7AEyd
Happy Valentine’s Day, neophiles!
The Lovely Mrs. Firefly is a big fan of Valentine’s Day so I quickly learned to reciprocate, but, in all honesty, I’m not a fan. Once wed a couple’s anniversary date should be their own, personal Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day should be reserved for courters and wooers.
But who you gonna believe, me or 122 million Japanese?
Rufus, thanks for the clue.
“In Japan, Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14, where women typically give chocolates to men as a way to express their feelings. This is followed by White Day on March 14, when men are expected to return the favor.”
Happy Valentines Day, All.
“In Japan, Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14, where women typically give chocolates to men as a way to express their feelings. This is followed by White Day on March 14, when men are expected to return the favor.”
AppleBetty:
It’s fascinating the way the Japanese mirror back American culture.
With their own twist.
Re: Windows -> Linux Mint
I’m in the process to switching over from Windows to Linux Mint. It’s a combination of Windows 11 going way overboard with Microsoft control-freakery plus the maturing (finally!) of Linux desktop interfaces.
Linux Mint Cinnamon is pretty civilized and compatible with a Windows user’s instincts. Not perfectly, of course, but close enough.
With Microsoft your computer is an outpost in the MS empire. With Linux your computer is your computer.
Linux doesn’t require registering an account with anyone (like MS and Apple). It doesn’t monitor your activities. It doesn’t force you to buy more modern computers. It doesn’t pepper you with ads and nudges into a corporate ecosystem with monthly fees.
Linux Mint boots fast, hides most of the Unix underpinnings, and keeps you in control.
Furthermore, it’s free.
@AppleBetty– It sounds like the Japanese have moved Sadie Hawkins Day to Feb 14, and made it an annual event rather than the leap year event it originally was.
RIP Mr. Crane.
==
Libertarians are a mixed bunch. I like the older generation among them better than those who came after.
Epstein Files Update – Former Obama White House Counsel resigns after Epstein emails surface – Video
https://commoncts.blogspot.com/2026/02/epstein-files-update-former-obama-white.html
I’m in the process to switching over from Windows to Linux Mint.
I’ve been running Linux for 26 years, used to compile my own kernels on occasion and had a cron job to download Konqueror and compile it every Saturday night to see if the bugs were fixed. Konqueror is arguably the basis for Apple Safari, Apple forked KHTML and KJS to create Webkit. I run Fedora these days to test out cutting edge features — new releases twice a year — but dual boot to windows for some things about once a week. My needs are pretty basic: web browsing, email, and code editing/compiling. Free compilers have been a long standing feature of Linux distributions.
Interesting (actually, depressing) before and after photos of South Africa:
https://notthebee.com/article/this-account-shows-how-south-africa-has-decayed-in-just-15-years-and-its-a-warning-to-us-all
Watt,
Yes, truly terrifying in the way it shows just how fragile our “civilization” is, based on win-win and “trust the stranger” based social norms, vs. tribal/clan/kin collectives where the main incentive is to out do, cheat, steal from, or even kill “the other”. Plus, no thought or worries about what happens after that.
There are presumably several threads intertwined in creating that favorable social structure and network. Even as he studied the creation of wealth via specialization and trade, Adam Smith was concerned and worried about the distortions from mercantilist enterprises.
It is hard to understand how and why, when we have these examples of favorable and unfavorable situations, that everyone is not oriented to pursing the favorable version. How prescient was Thomas Sowell to summarize the situation as the dichotomy between constrained and unconstrained visions. And maybe a tip of the hat to Darwin for pointing out that even with our claims of Imago Dei we are also still evolved from less exalted animals.
At least we have the models of the DOI and the 2nd Amendment to fall back on if we have to start over [if they are not also lost in the turmoil of decay], but next time we ought to be sure to add a balanced budgeting feature, along with limits on indebtedness and mandatory incorporation of operating budgets to support and manage capital outlays, to the next constitution.
But even we have violations of “Congress shall make no law … “
R2L,
As a young man Thomas Sowell was a Marxist. So, even someone as brilliant as he is can reason his way into it.
@: So, even someone as brilliant as [Sowell] is can reason his way into it.
I’ll chime in per usual that I don’t think anyone “reasons” themselves into or out of political matters without a strong social-emotional component.
The left is right about that and the right is left behind. 🙂
I’m on the first day of a Hawaii trip with a friend. There was the 5 hr. flight from SFO yesterday, and she brought an iPad and we watched a movie together on it. She asked me to pick the film. 15 min. of searching, and I found it. We both love music and she especially loves old music with black themed R&B. It was Guardians of the Galaxy. 😉 Once on the ground she pulled up the full soundtrack on Spotify and we had fun driving around Maui with the music blasting.
It’ a great bunch of songs that some have credited with introducing these classic songs to a much younger generation. We Fooled Around and Fell in Love is on that soundtrack. (Elvin’s not black, but some of the other artists are.)
I didn’t really know what to expect with the film, and it’s largely a youthful and aggressive sci-fi action film. But still rather entertaining aside from the great soundtrack.