chuck kottke

In the original sense, it could be either messanger pigeons, or maybe the sense of freedom, the truer spirit taking flight.. allegorically metaphorically metaphysically astrologically mystically religiously symbolically synergistically messengers of the deeper undercurrents of life, the universe, and all those self-resolving forces at play.

I miss pubs; I'm tempted to check out the Florida scene - what do I need to know?

I can only guess, wish I could travel back in time and make it all better - I've felt pretty awful about how I acted and what negative waves I sent out; All I want is forgiveness. ~~~~~~~ on a different wavelength ~~~~~~~~~~~ So here we are, what now; Oh that magic feeling, where to go? I am happy to hear that you've discovered so much good about your friends, it's good to have good friends. :) What's new in Belgium these days?

Sunshine, The Beatles, friendly conversations

Better, still getting adjusted to new surroundings, and discovering that the Canadians here are quite friendly. And I'm getting reaquanited with zeolites. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360319911026760 Pasty as they are!! ;) What's new with you?

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus's garden in the shade.. we would be warm below the storm in our little hideaway beneath the waves resting our head on the sea bed

It's been a long lonely time - how are you??

Hello!

It was cold this morning, 54 F! Finally warming up though.. 68 F for a high (20 C for everyone in the normal parts of the planet).

So, in application of citizen's panels, we might want to add amendments to oversee elections, lobbying, trade, and the like. For example: Article (iii) Section 1. The right to fair elections, the right to fair candidate races for office, a right by which all other rights are protected shall be preserved and enhanced, and campaign processes overseen by citizen's panels, with full funding guaranteed for this measure by act of Congress. >Since being specific is important lest things are misinterpreted: Section 2. Campaign donations to a given candidate made during a given candidate's campaign for office, made in any form, shall not exceed 1/100th of the median individual income level, as determined yearly using individual income figures, and shall be limited to one donation from each individual citizen per candidate per election cycle. Only real live Citizens shall be allowed to donate to candidate campaigns. > and to corral the problem of end-runs: Section 3. Any paid candidate message, either in support of or in opposition to a candidate for office, shall be paid for from the pertinent candidate's campaign funds, with oversight by citizen's panels charged with pre-screening each message regarding accuracy and accountability. > plus the final touch, to ensure real activation of the amendment: Section 4. The Congress shall have the power and duty to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. This presupposes that Congress will follow what is written as intended, but the clearer the amendment, the less wiggle room for our 'wiley' elected officials. The natural progression over time in any nation is to get more specific in the Constitution, I think that's what we must do in our gradual progression..

I started thinking about the 4th branch of government; that would be us!:) The final check and balance resides with we, the people, and I think that's how we can fix our government. After a good deal of thought, here's a bit of composition which came to mind: Article (ii) Congress shall be required to create and provide for citizen's panels, comprised of citizens selected randomly from the general citizenry, all willing citizens chosen tasked with investigating and reporting any improprieties to the general body of Congress, the Judiciary, and to the Citizens regarding the specific Constitutionally defined tasks to which they are assigned. All chosen members of citizen's panels shall be required to take an oath of loyalty to the Constitution and to the People, be justly compensated, and be held accountable to their assigned tasks.

Emma, I sense what you sense, gun violence in the US is horrifying, wish we could end the violence. But guns are so much a part of our country's mythology, the best we can hope for is limiting the harm done through other means. How best to do that is the question - more jobs, improvements, and self-esteem for those in rough places, economic justice, healthier families and communities, locked and bolted cases required for guns in homes, consistent help for veterans going through psychological and physical difficulties, education on safety. What do you think would reduce the violence? I think the 2nd amendment was written in a different state of mind from a different age - it probably means that able-bodied men, who already had access to guns and swords, were expected to participate in State's militias to defend the states against an all-powerful central government (ie - the fear of a king or tyrant taking control again), and to protect the 'frontier settlers' from 'warring tribes', and to defend the contiguous states from foreign invasions in emergencies. So we're saddled with a document written for the 1700's, and it's pretty inflexible in being changed to suit the times; perhaps the answer is to add a path to citizen amendment?

Time will come again when you'll have time, just give it time. ;) And I must now dematerialize, into the ether.

Sunny all day, and 75F

Bruce Hornsby and The Range Valley Road ..and a bunch of wild bridge and poker players here at the retirement village! :laugh3: (mildly rowdy)

Bowie, David

Wedding - Nights in White Satin Funeral - more natural sounds - Coldplay's rainy day, then some frogs singing into the night perhaps, something soothing.. Graduation - assuming I go back to school... :thinking: that will take some more musings.. and you?

Just thinking back to the day of protest in Tahrir square, when all the audience sat and listened to the entire Moody Blues album Days of Future Past played on a record player and sourced from a record collection somewhere in Egypt. Kindred spirits the world over - I've been chatting with someone from the Middle East, realizing just how alike we all are, and how the powerful play the mindgames that keep us apart from one-another. We shall overcome.

Cole Porter comes to mind here... anything goes! At a million dollars a ticket for the first trip - first class tickets, it's definitely for a limited few, although working on board could be interesting.. In today's dollars, first class ran around $70,000 on the Titanic I, still out of my price range; maybe we can stow away like Charlie Chaplin did at the end of the Gold Rush??;)

That was entertaining, especially without sound here at the buccaneer dance hall - thanks Tash!

It was just after so many spyings and feeling really down about myself, I'm really sorry guys. There's that other-world region of imagination which, though intangible, is so universal, but it's just so hard sometimes to jump from one world to the other, the bar set too high for a dreamer.. If only we could learn from our own mistakes and go back in time, to do things better the next time round.

Welcome & Hola Javier :) How warm are the winters in Spain's north?

Broccoli and vitamin D, less sugary/starchy foods, more exercise, spinach, raw onions, walnuts, sunflower seeds, dark chocolate and blueberries do something to help prevent cancers, plus less exposure to radon and carcinogens.. Prevention helps quite a bit, though I know myself I'm far from perfect in that category.. Anyhow, if there are credible scientific studies to support Amygdalin, then it deserves respect as well - time to research it limited right now, but thanks for the references!

Happy Bee-lated Burthday Reilly! Hope your recovery is rapid. ;)

Walkie talkie thingy that constables wear, that part was good. ;) You'll make a great skit writer for SNL.