chuck kottke

Well, malaria is a spirochete, and has the uncanny ability to change antigens quite rapidly on its surface - tough to control from the vector perspective, but the netting is amazingly effective! I do recall now that the netting is treated with DDT, although it seems some other treatment could be just as effective. Mainly, it's the mesh size, not the pesticide that is the main preventive device. Someday perhaps we will have a vector that can insert protective genes into the human body, in order to help in identifying the malarial pathogens.. would this violate some basic principles? Certainly we humans constantly defy Darwin's basic 'survival of the fittest' idea, since we can modify so much in our environment, and put this basic idea to the test. What would Darwin have to say about genetic engineering, or gene insertion? We're no longer limited by Darwin's 'law', it would seem (whether we like it or not!). Anyhow, the basic idea I was trying to convey was that promoting prosperity is 1000X more effective than fighting the results from ignoring poverty...

If you like Radiohead, then you must have a Coco computer fettish.:P (let's see if anyone here understands..)

Heaven is a halfpipe?? (escaping) Hmm? Well, to me it's quite simple - the nest we live in is the nest we all live in, and we had better make it comfy, unless we want to live in a malcontent brood. It's a wheel, this thing called life, and we roll along, along with the other wheels, and when one wheel goes flat, another takes to the road. Life's a wheel - let me roll it to ya.. Time spins, life cycles, ideas flow and ebb with the rising and falling tides of change. The motion we set in play sets up the next motion, and so on.. So, make some good waves!

I'm on God's time, so I haven't a clue! Do you think spiders living in a house are a good thing, or a bad thing?

DDT is already back in Africa - I watched a presenter on UCTV describing it's use there Nick;) There might be more effective means however - to spray is to select, and that's only effective for a little while, until a super-strain of mosquitoes arises. I think DDT did have some serious health implications, and if it wasn't the reason for the egg shells getting thin, then what was? Perhaps an insecticide specific for mosquitoes, with a low retention time and more benign towards human health would be better. DDT is and old product and should be updated or replaced - I wonder if it is truly safe, or industry wants us to believe that it is. Anyhow, a friend of mine says that when she was a kid living in Panama, her brother and the neighborhood kids would run after the DDT spray truck because they were trying to get a high off of the spray!:laugh3: Kinda puts a new twist on that old film footage.. So, perhaps for other reasons DDT might not be a good choice. Best first choice is natural ways, like encouraging more of the mosquito's natural enemies to thrive, to keep the numbers low.. Anyhow, I'm referring to Sub-Saharan Africa, which hasn't a mosquito problem - maybe some of those nasty sand-fleas possibly though...?

Well, the Tea-baggers in MHO are frustrated people being used by a FOX trap. I'm with Stephen Colbert on this one - follow it back, and you can see the process in action. Yes, it's not a good idea to force everyone to pay, but in some ways, we're already all forced to pay for a system that's less than effective at delivering good health care. By far the real answer is preventive care, and that means helping the poor and unemployed so they get better, not worse, and getting people to exercise more & eat less junk foods (a carrot and stick approach). Truthfully, it's the money gumming up politics, and no doubt it's affecting any meaningful an equitable health-care reform measures. I'm all in favor of going the Canadian route, even if that means more back bacon and wearing toques.:P

I would like to post this for all to see - give me some feedback please! I have sent this letter over a week ago, no response yet - so perhaps this is the best way to get the message out(?). Anyhow, just my hope for a way out for those feeling the hardships in the desert regions of the Indian subcontinent, & the African continent: Dear Barack, Water water everywhere, and not a drop to spare; so goes the old mariner's tale, and about the same could be said of the coastal desert regions of the globe. I awoke this morning to the beautiful fall foliage, all covered in sparkling white snow, glistening intensely under the sun's radiance; the sun sitting high in the pure blue sky that follows a wintry storm. It got me thinking of Cashmere, and all the mountain snows that fall in Northern India & Pakistan, feeding the tributaries of the Indus river, which ultimately feeds the multitudes. The mountains are getting drier, & I couldn't help but wonder if we may be better served by focusing our attention on getting desalinated water to places desperately in need, instead of viewing defense strictly as a matter of military weapon systems, planning, and personnel, we viewed it more wholistically, putting as much if not more emphasis on remedying the underlying causes of conflict and extremism, would we not be more safe? I understand the limitations you face in attempting to change the government (as once set in place, and agency, much like a boulder, is hard to move). So, like the Taoist philosophy of water flowing around a boulder in a river, if one cannot change what is set in place, perhaps the answer is to be one with the flow of the stream instead, and take a modified course? To keep the defense contractors satisfied, would it be possible to get them to shift production away from the excesses of military armaments, and towards things such as desalination plants? If contracts are mainly what they are after, and the best defense is promoting well-being and equity around the globe, it seems like a win-win idea - perhaps even a win-win-win idea, considering the positive effect on the environment it could have, if done properly. Employment would remain high in the sector, and global poverty reduced. Places such as Kenya which are dry and stable, and newly formed Somaliland which is fairly stable but impoverished would be greatly benefited, and the ability of growing high-value crops would go a long ways towards permanent economic & employment gains. Cacao, for instance, could be grown in climate-controlled orchards, and the trees' isolation from diseased areas of cacao production elsewhere would guarantee income stability & global availability of cacao nibs. Or, adding regionally produced sugar & milk to make chocolates could boost the local economies again, through value-added market incentives. Considering the environmental effects, current desalination systems suffer from their dumping of briny water back into the oceans form where they draw water. One Australian proposal is to dry the brine in large salt flats in the desert, and then sell the remaining salt as a gourmet product. Perhaps a good start, but what to do when production exceeds consumption? Then the salt could be used as a glaze component for firing ceramics in solar thermal kilns. Equatorial desert regions could again benefit greatly from solar furnaces to provide the heat for such operations, and the contracts awarded for components would increase jobs here as well. More jobs would be available to those living in near-equatorial desert areas creating useful products such as clay roofing tiles, drain tiles, bricks, and the like. Solar furnaces could also be used to fire minerals used to make cements, and solar generated power used to electrify some of the darkest parts of Africa. Job opportunities both here and abroad would stimulate the global economy, and simultaneously stabilize the world. In addition to water scarcity, the basics need attending, and why not put military dollars to work making the mosquito nets, finding disease cures, installing sanitation and water distribution systems? Plenty of needs to be met, and real efforts can make all the difference in states on the brink. With so much money going from Federal Coffers into the Defense Department, it seems a wise choice for solving several problems at once, and truly a defensive strategy that will offer peace dividends for generations to come. I believe the best defense is spreading prosperity and equity around the globe. We live in a world not of limited resources, but of limiting conditions on human potential - if we set the gears in motion with the right timing, one might hear the bell of liberty echoing off far-flung shores. With all the best of hopes, dreams, and prayers to you Barack, -Chuck Kottke.

I'm very impressed - they sound very well grounded in what they stand for - rare in the realm of celebrity...

:laugh3: I wouldn't say they're ugly, but artists tend to go for the unusual look, for effect methinks. Imagine if Thom shaved neat and trim, and jumped about more on stage... perhaps that would drive the gals crazy??;) Great metaphors in their music - and videos. Capture the essence of our dreams..

U2 Sq.

Well, what excites the girls is looks/action/romance/etc. It's not my cup of tea either, but it goes with the territory. Radiohead has it cinched in the creativity department, that I agree on without a doubt. But can they wow an audience like Coldplay? Do they ever incorporate a school bell into their act?? Hmm?:P And considering the political relevance of Coldplay's music, as well as charity support, what does Radiohead offer in these regards? (no offense, just wondering..).?

Did you ever listen to their very first recordings?

?? What's it like?

Ozzy Osbourne - mama I'm coming home...:guitarist:

G THE COLLEGE ESSAY 165 30 Arriving at Topic 166 Exercises G.1-G.10 G.1 Review Your Background as a Writer In order to give yourself and your instructor an overview of your background as a writer, complete the following exercises. Use your own paper.:P Skip 1-7 (it's just an exercise) Go To G.4 G.4 Freewriting as a Source of Ideas Begin by streaming your thoughts onto paper, as they come to you, in the general topic area you wish to discuss with the reader. In the space provided, list two potential topics it suggests to you. Then record details from the freewriting that might be useful in developing each topic in a three- to four-page paper. Add any other ideas that come to mind (if they're not too risque). Begin Here:______________________________________________________.... To illustrate how books are usually better than movies is an excellent topic! Yes, the imagination is more powerful than film, since it's using our capacity to visualize something, which puts us in a sort of dream state - subconscious streams of thought.. good topic - psychology journals might offer some interesting insights as to the mechanisms, but that might ruin the mood. Hmm.. just go for it!

Why don't the radiohead fans get more radio-active, and start a groovin' forum of their own??:rolleyes:;)

When Montreal wins the Stanley Cup!:P

Elevation - u2:cool:

Just a Topic worth discussing!:cool:

Time passages ************************************************************* That escapes my memory.. what was it all about? My first historical memory was the lunar landings - it was unforgettable, and I was only 2 or 3 years old at the time... amazing to think we could have done such a feat!

@@@@@@U :flutterby::sunny:Welcome Adriana from Portugal! Glad you're hooked - they are quite the performance artists, and have some of the most fascinating sounds around. I hope you have much fun here in this beehive of activity, and keep Portugal hopping!

:stunned::rolleyes:;) One birthmark (does that count as a scar??), and a small scar on the back of my right hand - the result of a burning marshmallow landing on it a long time ago..:laugh3: (nothing quite as dramatic as a rollerblading accident, or some other unique marks from exciting athletic activities..)

The ultimate equation unraveling the mysteries, the auger, a ladder, the steps made of bases held not by bonds between, but by the hug of water molecules from without.. The universe, making it's own decipher, keeping gems locked away as new treasures to discover in the sands of time..

Yes we can have a civilized discourse

Yours would be Taurus - clever, reflective, musician, self-confident, sociable. Taurus, the sign of the bull, is a very earthy sign. People born in this sign tend to be steeped in earthy pleasures, enjoying the best things in life. For zodiac-appropriate snacks, see:Snack Foods by Zodiac Sign, continued :laugh3: Enjoy yourself, Crests!;)