chuck kottke

Here's another letter to bore you with.:P (this one to my beloved congressman Steve Kagen): Dear Steve, Just another note on water - since the current price for a gallon of desalinated water is running around 2 tenths of one cent per gallon, and the current cost of an AH-64 Apache helicopter weighs in around 43 million dollars, it seems more logical to put defense dollars into these solar-powered desalination systems, and in doing so cut our needs for such machines quite dramatically. Or, we could send them 21.5 billion gallons of desalinated water (the equivalent of 1 medium sized ice berg's worth of fresh water). That's enough fresh water for 5 million people for over a one-year period of time. (but the desalination plant would run for decades).. If some of the major arms manufacturers could be persuaded to build the necessary infrastructure and provide properly trained personnel, it seems likely we could end the water crisis in sub-Saharan Africa, and collect a peace-dividend worth more than any investment could measure. The flow of government contracts could still be the same, just the end products would be different. Or, am I making too much sense? Just out of curiosity, what is the true cost to the taxpayers for all the wars, defense budget, and defense-related indebtedness we've incurred in the past year? It seems like money poured out for naught, save for the necessity of defense, which could more cheaply be done through assistance in economic development of failed and near-failed states, provided the level of stability is great enough for assistance to be implemented. What's your opinion on these matters? Sincerely, -Chuck.

Yes, yes, the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner to be exact - but I was trying to be artful in my approach. Ancient is of antiquity, but old is relative - I was trying to bring the thoughts closer to the present..

Hello Mariel:jester: Enjoy the zaniness, and yes, I hope they stop in Peru too - I will send them telepathic messages to visit on their S.Amer. Tour!;) (it's worth a shot - maybe they could give a surprise concert??)

Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning! Hello Crests!:P

It could be porcine, or it could be chicken, or it could be beef.. Anyhow, it's just a last name! (Rudy, we have ways of dousing that burning splint of an avatar you've got there. What kind of a message are you trying to send to young people?:laugh3: )

Hola Victoria!:sunny::flutterby: Welcome to the best site in the world! I hope you enjoy the "visit" next year from the band, and have fun posting in this jungle.:hat:

Last. :P There. Everyone go home. There's no more cheese in the store, and never mind what's behind the counter.

Since the Universe is like an expanding loaf of raisin bread, did God use golden raisins, or dark raisins? Are the bigger celestial objects dates and figs??

Anglish. English with Angles. (or Angles Saxons and Jutes?):P Since the English were invaded by Jutes, therefor (by extension) they are all Jutlanders, or Danish. And the Danish of course make the best pastries. Therefore the English should be able to make a Danish pastry with Cheddar Cheese filling!:laugh3: (never mind - it's late..)

They get the snacks, we get the crumbs back!:laugh3: It a mafia state, and the Don's generally don't give the extortion racket money back quite too easily. Nick, I figure, with their reputation, they'll probably change names pretty soon. Kind of the way Arthur Anderson did after the ENRON scandal. Come to think of it, what did they become again?? Pretty effective in dodging the bad "branding"! Oh I get it! Let's see - rip off 16.7 billion (that's the visible part of the ice-berg), give back a few of the ice shavings (.5 Billion), and then say "I'm sorry, and I apologize". All better now!

If the Universe is a raisin loaf, then how do we know when it's done just right?

A good reference from a Canadian:Basic Nutrition: The Miracle of Vitamin D (and no, cannibalism isn't allowed in Canada, although I am not quite sure about Canadian law or dietary practices..)

15' a day of sunshine:sunny: works wonders (with no sunscreen on!) during summer, but in winter, that's only effective for people in the more tropical latitudes. Here, we need to get extra vitamin D, especially if you're indoors, and without a doubt during winter! Take plenty - it's better to get a bit more than you minimally need, than to worry about getting too much. Somewhere I had a reference for this (jogs memory..).. Wintertime - for those of us not near the equator, the sun is too low on the horizon to be of any use in vitamin D production (because the UVB rays are blocked). We are essentially coasting on the Vit. D stored in our fat cells, and that reserve runs low over the wintertime. So I would recommend either taking extra D, getting a UVB lamp and shining it on your body, or eating the same diet as an Eskimo. :cool: (drinking or eating foods fortified with D is helpful as well..)

This is one confusing Universe! If the big bang happened "everywhere", then wouldn't the Universe be infinite, especially since it's supposed to be "flat"? If one can estimate the total number of stars and galaxies, then isn't it finite?? Or is there just a lot of unexploded stuff further out? If it's like a loaf of raisin bread, then does it have a start point (before the dough rises)? Could such a start point be considered the center, like the center of a kernel of popcorn? Perhaps not.. And yet, there is speculation that it might all end - when everything goes towards greater expansion.. So, if it has a beginning, and a fuzzy end, perhaps then a universal time scale can be established? It all sounds like everyone want's to think they've got it, but then maybe they really don't quite yet.. Quite amazing, even if we aren't alone - to think here we are, a unique part of the equation, deciphering it's mysteries, and making sense of it all, as best as we can... SPACE.com -- Farthest Galaxy Found, Perhaps ESA - Space Science - How many stars are there in the Universe? WMAP- Shape of the Universe Beyond Any Reasonable Doubt: A Supermassive Black Hole Lives in Centre of Our Galaxy | Universe Today What is this dark matter? Dark energy? Quantum packets that have folded in upon themselves??

Here's one for the record books!:ksl.com - Meteor the size of oven lights up the night sky, alarms Utahns Truly not a Leonid comet remnant, but probably just a wandering asteroid that fell during the meteor shower - it was the size of an oven!:stunned: (..or perhaps the kitchen crew decided to "lighten the load" and piss off their Vogon captain!:laugh3:)

Shell out the bucks, Briggins!:P We know you Canadians are loaded!!;) Why do I suspect that avatar is trying to tell me something? (jogs memory..).:escaping3:

Can't you crazy Bohemians and Slovaks just use English like the rest of us foreigners?:laugh3:

Do you shake a cow to get a milkshake?:P

:laugh3:Can ordinary people join, or just celebrities?:P

Note: This is my personal Editorial on xfrodobagginsx proposal: We all know Frodo is a troll, a notion, but this form of proselytizing deserves a more rational examination, as appears time and again in the world. Here's how I feel about what Frodo selects from the Bible: 1. We are all born self-interested, and have a need to learn compassion, selflessness, and empathy. To balance our own interests with those of our family, and the interests of the larger group, and to be appropriate. To say "sin" is to not truly understand our nature, and that instead of calling it "sin", to me it is that we sometimes fall into a self-interested or frustrated/insecure/egotistical mode which ultimately hurts the common good, the good of others, and thus diminishes human potential. We are in need of good sound examples and reasoned arguments for behaving in more thoughtful manners. More example stories of actions and outcomes - Take the story of King Midas, for example. The sum of our choices and actions is the outcome we see. And it's the best hope for a favorable outcome - no guarantees! 2. Instead of the fear-mongering approach that goes as follows: 'you are a SINNER, submit to the great GOD, beg for forgiveness, and believe exclusively in the one perfect example set forth in this novel, or else..', think instead about actions and outcomes, about feeling for others, about walking in the footsteps of the other person. Think about which actions might have better outcomes to increase our shared happiness, or to make better a bad situation. This absolutism and fear-based approach lends itself to abuse by those bent on controlling others, and doesn't address the true nature of our social contract with one-another. Adam and Eve - well, if the Universe is God, then we were given brains to decipher the true nature of the Universe. The Bible is just filling in the blanks here - the creation myth is poetic, allegorical, and non-scientific. Perhaps it's merely a reflection on our youthful nature - we are born innocent and curious, and along with knowledge comes pain and realization of the sometimes harsh realities of life. To be cast out of the garden when we taste knowledge is to begin to learn, and face the real world. Once again, the absolute is to drive one to belief at the point of a spear. If heaven is the world in which we live, then perhaps the choices we make affect the outcome for all, and it is here that matters - for our sake, and for our childrens' sake, and for each and every subsequent generation that follows. The wages of excess selfishness is social dysfunction, not 'sin = death'. Logic must trump fear, if we are to advance. Wow, even one little lie will condemn a person to eternal hell, unless we beg to be pardoned, and believe 100% in Jesus as lord and savior? How about learning the "what comes around, goes around" thing, and that lying to get something cheapens the agreement of fair play in society, thus if one is expecting to be treated fairly by others, how then can one not treat others fairly in like kind? We all make mistakes, and as we grow we learn. But it's ridiculous in my mind to think that I have to believe that even the tiniest of lies cannot be understood and forgiven, with the understanding of why it's wrong. And to force someone to either submit to a belief in one perfect person or be cast into eternal hell is a draconian tool - the stuff of extremists. Better to be concerned with the effects of lying, learning to be thoughtful and fair with others, and apologizing and making amends when one has told a lie. Also understanding the reason one lies helps one be more honest, as the lie does harm that reflects back on the liar, and ultimately weakens our social networks.

First, I'd panic. Then I don't know? Maybe I would join them! SQ.

Namaste! Sounds reminiscent of my youth, when some of the best and brightest students were taken to a camp to be "warned" by a zealot preacher about the negative, satanic "subliminal" messages in, of all things, the Beatles music! :laugh3: Totally ridiculous, and I can definitely relate. (All it did was make us want to rebel even more :P) Freedom is worth rockin' for - all those zealots want is to clamp down and control people.;) Peace.

Rudy, you'll have to fly above the clouds then!!;) Probably you'll have a day in the week when it stops raining - a window in the sky, so-to-speak.

Welcome to the board vivalapida! Enjoy, keep in touch, and save some Swedish cookies for the rest of us!!;)

It's true - I'll swear by it!:sunny: But I had to wait until something like 3AM, reclining on some lawn chairs in the field. It's very rare - but there are lots of small ones zooming through the atmosphere - so fast, they're there and gone in a split second.. I wonder what it looks like as seen through a telescope?