What happens when we stop teaching the history of western civilization

SJWs go apeshit over a white actress portraying Cleopatra, a white woman.

Cleopatra was the last ruler of the Greek Ptolemaic Dynasty, but modern students have no knowledge of western civilization, because their teachers are the product of a educational system that stopped teaching that subject decades ago. “Dead White Men” have nothing to offer, whether it’s philosophy, literature, or art, so why even discuss it?

And this ignorance really doesn’t matter, does it? I unknowingly witnessed a harbinger of the new order when I was a student of Dr. John Silber in a course on Plato, back in 1976. A fellow student, a candidate for a doctorate in philosophy, was challenged by our professor on the facts and logic of her totally moronic argument: she wailed, “but don’t my feelings matter?” Those of you familiar with Silber can guess his response: “Madam, I don’t give a damn about your feelings!”

That was then, this is now, and our culture is not the better for it.

At least these children recognize Egypt as located on the continent of Africa: I hadn’t realized that we’re still teaching rudimentary geography.

Catch a falling star, and die. Or not — how’s your luck?

WSJ: Golf-home owners find themselves in a hole.

When Mitch Steller first moved into his house on a lush 117-acre golf course in Southern California, “this was like the Garden of Eden, having a golf course in my backyard,” he said.

Today, his Poway, Calif., home overlooks dry, dead grass in place of a once-verdant fairway. The golf club closed in 2017. “The fairways are brown, the greens are gone, the buildings are being vandalized,” says Mr. Steller, a 70-year-old maritime-management consultant.

Forty years after developers started blanketing the Sunbelt with housing developments built around golf, many courses are closing amid a decline in golf participation, leaving homeowners to grapple with the consequences. People often believe a course will bolster their property values. But many are discovering the opposite can now be true—and legal disputes are erupting as communities fight over how to handle the struggling courses.

“There are hundreds of other communities in this situation, and they’re trapped and they don’t know what to do,” says Peter Nanula, chief executive of Concert Golf Partners, a golf club owner-operator that owns about 20 private clubs across the U.S. One of his current projects is the rehabilitation of a recently acquired club in Florida that had shut one of its three golf courses and sued residents who had stopped paying membership fees.

More than 200 golf courses closed in 2017 across the country, while only about 15 new ones opened, according to the National Golf Foundation, a golf market-research provider. Florida-based development consultant Blake Plumley said he gets about seven phone calls every week seeking advice about struggling courses, from course owners or homeowners’ associations. He said most of those matters end up in court, and predicted that the U.S. is only about halfway through the number of golf-course closures that will eventually occur.

When a course closes, prices for nearby homes typically fall about 25%, Mr. Plumley said. Prices can plummet 40% or 50% if a contentious legal battle arises, as potential home buyers balk at the uncertainty accompanying litigation.

When Pal Nancy and I were returning from Bangor, Maine, to Greenwich in 1983, the Sunday River ski resort was belly-up, and slope-side condos on the abandoned property were going for $15,000. The bet was, of course, whether new owners would appear and reopen the place. If so, the value of those condos would soar; otherwise, they would drop to nothing. I was convinced that Sunday River would reopen, and was oh-so-temped to buy in, but moving to Greenwich, even then, was quite a hurdle, and had we taken on debt to gamble on a ski condo, we’d be stretching our resources to the limit: unlike today’s 30-year-old whiz kids, our pockets were shallow. In any event, we didn’t make the trade, and aren’t I sorry now.

But my point is, Sunday River would have been a fling at a real estate play, with any exposure limited to what was flung at it. Buying a primary residence, with important money, for a price supported on what could be an ephemeral feature: small, private college, ski resort, golf course, what-have-you, can be disastrous.

Just ask those WSJ buyers.

Fore!

Our Village Idiot and state representative Freddie Camillio should stick with what he knows about: argyle sweaters and doggies

Freddie’s in the kennel, you’ll know him by his hat

He’s co-sponsoring a bill to prevent poor people from earning a living trimming fingernails.

The lawmakers have filed a bill to amend state law to require estheticians, eyelash technicians and nail technicians to meet minimum education requirements and get a license. The proposed law would also say any business offering nail or esthetic services must be managed by a licensed nail technician or esthetician.

Licensure of nail technicians and estheticians would be overseen by the state Department of Public Health. The department already licenses and regulates barbers, cosmetologists, tattoo artists, massage therapists, perfumists, dieticians, dentists, doctors, nurses and other professions.

Since 2002, about a dozen bills on regulating nail salons or nail technicians have been filed, but most did not receive a public hearing.

This year, a Republican co-sponsor could signal the measure will get bipartisan support.

Camillo said he does not favor “big government,” but after speaking to a Greenwich esthetician, he worried that not licensing these professionals was a “public health and public safety issue.” He will be prepared to rebut those who call it an “anti-business bill,” he said.

Camillo said he thought proposal could bring in money for the state.

These licensing laws are under attack by both libertarians and advocates for the poor, because they prevent otherwise-uneducated po’ folk from earning a living. Hair braiders, for instance, are required in some states to undergo 300 hours of training before they’re allowed to open shop. Other “professions” demand even more. Someone with no resources is expected to come up with the cash to pay for two-four months of “education” before even qualifying to apply for, and pay for, a state license, and then be required to operate as a paid worker under the control of an “esthetician”? And what the hell irreparable damage could a “perfumer” or a makeup beautician, or an eyelash trimmer cause that demands Fred Camillo’s intervention?

These licensing laws are designed and promoted by existing businesses to thwart competition (did you know that you need a license to engage in interior decorating?), not to protect the public, and even a low IQ Republican should recognize that, and refrain from joining his Democrat peers in quashing the few opportunities available to minorities?

Related comment. if you want to know what’s wrong with the Republican party, look to whom we nominate as candidates right here in Greenwich:Camillo, and Livvy Floren: it’s the same problem across the country.

The western world has gone insane

Instapundit:

JANUARY 14, 2019

LIVING IN THE CRAZY YEARS:  Men who identify as women are being invited for cervical smear tests even though they don’t have a cervix. “However, women who identify as male are not being offered crucial routine breast screenings or cervical cancer checks.” Well, of course not. Men don’t need those things, that would be crazy!

Get woke, go broke: Gillette denounces men, drops male customers in favor of women

I’ve used various Gillette products for fifty years, but they if don’t want my business, and this ad describing men as bullying, toxic thugs shouts exactly that, then I’m delighted to oblige them. Wait til they discover that the new demand of activist ladies is that ladies stop shaving their armpits and legs. That leaves Lady Gillette B.O. retardant, I suppose, but that’s a small market.

List here of all P&G products to boycott. I’ll miss Bounty paper towels: the best of them all, and the Mr. Clean magic eraser, but otherwise, there are better products out there, and I’ll do without P&G’s only two best of category brands to send a small message back up the channel.

And finally, 31 Sawmill has a buyer

31 Sawmill lane

We wrote abut this house (favorably) as recently as this past January 2nd, commenting on its latest price cut to $3.895, down quite a bit from its original 2006 ask of $9.850. And today, it’s reported as under (contingent — you can bet that a building inspection is one of those contingencies) contract.

Listing is here. Consensus of readers is that this project us going to soak up a lot of money while bringing it back, but at this last price, the effort should be worth it.

Price cut on Dearfield Lane

One Dearfield, now $2.995 million. It’s been for sale since September, 2015, when it kicked off at $3.499. After this long on the market, the owner might want to consider taking a larger bite off that price.

A genuine charmer, 1934 pre-war, gracious, and close to town, so I’d attribute its failure to sell to its price, not from lack of appeal. But there is one daunting problem: the listing describes the roof as composed of “Ludowici roofing tiles” which are beautiful clay tiles, but expensive to make and expensive to repair. This close-up of the existing roof says to me, “major dollars”. Nothing that can’t be fixed, of course, but it doers make for a discouraging first impression. The Ludowici company warrantees its product for 75 years; at 84-years-old, this roof may have hit its expiration date.

NOTE: The owner has written in (see comments and discussion) and assures me that the roof is in very good condition. I was alarmed, unnecessarily it seems, by the missing tiles I saw in its photos. The underlying theme of this post remains the same: it’s a great house, in a great location, and priced well.

UPDATE: The Mickster and I were just conversing (that’s not intended to be a high-faluting term for talking — we were texting), and we both agree that this is a fabulous house, albeit a tad close to the main road. The owner did a beautiful job renovating it, and if there’s some exterior work to be attended to, so be it: it’s a great in-town home. If that’s your destination, get a good building inspector, do some sharp negotiating, and go for it; they literally don’t make them like these anymore, and that’s too bad.

Remember the Alamo!

18 Pinecroft has returned to the market with a new price tag: this time, $4.895 million. Its owners paid $6.5 when it was new in 2004, made some improvements, and started trying to resell it in 2013 at $7.250. So far, they’ve been unsuccessful.

Despite its San Antonio facade, this is in fact a pretty nice house, on a convenient street close to town, and sited on a good piece of land. This new price might finally scare up a buyer.

Democrats will focus on the REAL terrorist, Donald Trump

Eliot Engle will shut down House sub-committee on terrorism and start a new one, which will investigate the President of the United States instead

The newly minted chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee is closing a terrorism subcommittee to focus on a new panel to investigate President Trump’s ties with international leaders and helter-skelter foreign policy.

“We just thought, if we’re going to do something relevant in this era where Congress is going to reassert itself, where there are so many questionable activities of this Administration vis-à-vis foreign policy, that it made sense to have this,” Rep. Elliot Engel told the New Yorker magazine.

The Democratic lawmaker — who has represented parts of the Bronx and Westchester County for three decades — added that there “wasn’t a great clamor” from lawmakers to keep the terrorism panel, which was formed after the Sept. 11th attacks.

We’re in for a long two years.

No real estate news of import today, so far, but do come by Norton Lane this Sunday!

16 Norton Lane, Hillcrest Park, OG 1-4

Public open house Sunday, 1-4, at 16 Norton Lane. Come by and say hello. No guarantee of adult beverages — I don’t want to impose on the hostess/owner, but I’ll try to at least have coffee to offer, and who knows? Maybe the Mickster will pass out animal balloons.