Eric Scheske

H.I.F. "Gentry liberalism”: increased spending on amenities and subsidies targeted at the elite, accompanied by painful cuts in basic public services for the poor and middle class. Link [http://www.city-journal.org/2013/eon1016ar.html]. Although "gentry liberalism" as used in the article is

Big business pushes for vast regulations. They have the resources to comply with the requirements, whereas their smaller competitors suffocate under the red tape. Small farms are apparently in the scopes next. From the Growing for Market newsletter [http://www.growingformarket.com/articles/Food-safety-alert]: "The deadline is

Here in California over the weekend, a woman gave birth in a Barnes & Noble bookstore. Apparently she did this in the New Releases section.

The term phrase "accidental racism" is the Internet rage these days. A couple of times a month, one of my children show me a picture of things that are terribly racist, but not intentionally so. They're pretty funny. I can't vouch for their authenticity,

Random thought: Perhaps the most invidious piece of furniture in the American mental room is the idea that the federal government is "our government." It's a bogus piece of furniture, of course. It has a semblance of truth: we elect the people that, in theory, control

I received this picture and note from a long-time TDE reader. I thought it worth passing along, in case you like pears and could use some free food: "These are Keiffer pears, behind our house. The variety is an old fashioned one, bred for keeping over winter I

H.I.F. Ten of the World's Weirdest Restaurants [http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/oct/15/ten-of-worlds-weird-restaurants?CMP=twt_gu] . Pretty twisted. You won't find me at any of them soon. Sample: "Magic Restroom Cafe, Los Angeles: The idea of

H.I.F. "Attachment to money is a sickness, Pope Francis says [http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/Vatican.php?id=8661]." That's okay. I have the cure. It's called "a wife."

Miscellaneous Rambling I loathe ESPN. I went out to dinner with my Mom and two of my kids Friday night. We went to a local "sports bar-type" restaurant that had televisions posted all over the place with the sound off. The main TV was playing ESPN2, which

H.I.F. I dislike online comments sections. They are pits of slime and nasty bile, not to mention of typos, misspellings, and, in general, a level of sub-illiteracy that almost makes you wish people had to pass a grammar test in order to get a license to drive