chuck kottke

Posh new purpose-built facility? What's all this new-speak? New building, or new renovation, or new interior? I miss the old days, when these purpose-built facilities were called sound studios, recording studios, and the like. I think I will go now and facilitate dish cleansing in my purpose-built facility, complete with hot water!:P

Escape hatch As Ronald Regan once famously remarked when asked by a reporter what his views were on euthanasia, he replied, '..well, yes, I would have to say that there are too many youths in Asia. Overpopulation is a problem over there, and I'm working on it.':laugh3: Talk about thinking on a different wavelength! If not for our wisdom to check their decisions, our fearless leaders would have us all marching off canyon rims. :P

But life is growth, change, and improvement! U2 started out, as anyone band does, sounding like a so-so cover band, and weren't even certain if they would continue. But they grew, and improved quite dramatically! So Coldplay has very much so as well - it's a matter of natural development. Ever listen to some of the very early Beatles works? Sounds more like howling, than like the grand songs they later came to master!

It's better to remember what someone meant to us, and recall the good times we had - there's always a sense of loss, as a vacuum in our lives has been created. But we must find the courage to go on, as the flux of life is a continuous cycle - all the wheels of life turning, and we each go through the seasons, but the motion is forward.. Best to plan, but not worry so, since it's in the living that life is, and recovery to harmony is essential for our well-being.

What is the best path? Loyal Jerga? Citizen's oversight committee? Massive support for reform candidates, who won't take the tainted money? Our government is haunted by a hidden problem..

Good Night!

See You Soon - Coldplay

Loretin, isn't it past your bedtime?:P

Tall Poppy Syndrome? Sounds psychedelic!:mudkip::flutterby::thinking2: But life is what we make of it, so enjoy the simple pleasures, and just let the good times roll!:hat: (In the end, it's all the fluxes and wavelengths we're on, and it ain't no big deal. Be one with the path you choose, and it's the person that counts, not the stuff.)

I suppose it was in Minneapolis, but it was only Chris singing..:P

Thanks!:) The odor according to Wiki may be from the fruit's emission of hydrogen sulfide gas (which smells like rotten eggs), so I can see why they've been compared to a garbage heap odor-wise! (but then Wiki also says they vary widely in odor & flavor, hence some smell more like almonds, and others like cheese, onions, or cooking sherry!) Cheese ones would be nice.;) & thanks for the info. on mangosteens - quite interesting in appearance also!! Wish I could try some of these fruits - you've got it nice living in the tropics.:sunny:

Durians are supposed to be super-strong - but what is one like? They won't offer them in our stores (perhaps they don't ship or keep well?).. What's the smell like??

Why so sad, ivet?

What's a mangosteen like?

That's what the oil companies want us to believe, Nick.;) Solar is very viable, especially in Florida (or Saudi Arabia, and other places with lots of sun and sand). 2 year payback time for solar hot water systems, and that's just a start. The solar electric generating panels take longer - 5 to 15 years, depending on your electric rates. Most efficient solar to electric conversion remains the solar reflector-sterling engine combination, somewhere around 35%, but those are generally for larger installations (although some smaller versions are available). Once it's paid back, the remaining life of the system is pure profit (or savings, depending on how you look at it). If you spend $350 a year to heat hot water, then in 20 years, not even considering the increasing cost of fossil fuels and electricity, there's a savings of $7,000. Even over a 10-year span - $3,500 is a pretty nice chunk of change to hang onto. And the solar electrics pay back faster if you've got a lot of sunny space to put panels on, and then you don't need the most efficient cells - the most cost effective panels are less efficient, but deliver the best value in kWh/$ investment. Do the roof. Do the garage roof. Put up a shade canopy over the porch. Plus, there's less sun baking the roofing, and consequently, the roofing itself will last longer, and the house stay cooler in summer.

I like brown eyes!:) Blue - mine are blue.

They're called the "Log Cabin Republicans" - apparently there are some gay Republicans..:thinking: My best guess is they stick with the Republican party because the party won't ever send them off to war! (maybe they're pretty smart that way!:laugh3:) As Obama said, "you don't have to be strait, to shoot strait!" But the best option is to prevent war by encouraging economic improvements, supporting reformers, containing bad regimes, but not hurting citizens in those nations afflicted with dictatorial rulers, and bombing with gifts. As Noam Chomsky said, "we would have been better off dropping toys vs. bombs on Germany during WWII - it would have ended the war much sooner, and done so much less harm."

Cool!:cool::rolleyes: Good bye Ruby Tuesday, who could hang a name on you. When you change with every new day..

China Is just doing what everyone else is (or vise versa); But China is leaping ahead with solar!:sunny: We would be wise to follow suit. In truth, we are all become more like each-other. But the model, set by the (American Empire? Is there such a thing?), and before that the British Empire, and before that the Roman Empire, and then the Greek Empire, and the Egyptian Empire, and god only knows how far back in time it goes, is one where expansion without consideration of limits is a big issue. Fortunately, we are heading, however slowly the ships of state turn, in a different direction.. Besides that, there is no new oil - it's all as old as the dead sea life, & the keratin from which is was cooked, is. Just where do you draw the line? Nothing is new, but perhaps our modification of it is? Even the so-called discovery of it, and it's extraction, really is probably not breaking news - just a way to excite investors (perhaps I'm being a bit cynical, though..:thinking:) But truthfully, excessive could be defined as that which is beyond that which is essential, healthy, and desirable to obtain a certain effect. In other words, gluttonous, wildly consumptive, unreasoned use, consumption for pure ostentatious displays of wealth, myopic consumptive behavior, illogical use of raw materials, and others.. We can have our cake, and eat it too! (but maybe it needs to be made with a little more thought put into the frosting.);)

:cool:That is totally cool!! :sunny::daisy:Sounds like a fantastic spectacle! Here, just the fall colors.. :flutterby:

Play a game of checkers with her on South Padre Island.:cool:

Julie, what's Tyler Texas like?:cowboy:

I think Gweneth is one savvy gal - she eats local foods when she travels - that's the way to go! Less energy in transportation, much more good tasting, and you get to enjoy something special from the places you go!! Off to crack some acorns, and boil them in her honor.:escaping2::escaping3:

An engine ungoverned, without common sense.. Let's see - hmm.. since a house here in the hedonistic US of A typically uses 10X more energy than it needs to deliver the same comfort level, I would have to say there's a certain level of insanity in the concept that we're "running out" of oil, or gas, etc. Much the same could be said for vehicles. Now instead of the current consumption-production-waste model for the global economy, we instead focused on an efficiency model, and rewarded the best designs and improvements in efficiency, we could leave all that oil shale behind us in the dust! The same could be said of food production - local markets, and local farming makes so much more sense than shipping things a zillion miles, from field to table. If nothing else, grow a garden, and keep the earth's environments more stable! I had to ship my tomatoes all the way from the garden to the basement, then to the sink and the table, without a drop of crude.:smug: It was rough, but in the end worth it - all 10 boxes full of ripening tomatoes.:P

I agree Nick, but like all things, even an engine of commerce needs a governor to keep it balanced and not over-speeding. I have to say I agree somewhat with andreasw, as even the high wire act needs a safety net, and every game (outside of solitaire) requires a referee. There are many motivators in life besides the market as well - some of us are motivated by shared success, some are motivated by altruistic betterment for all, some are motivated by the joy of discovery, or being part of a team that makes life better for the larger group. Some are motivated by the thrill of the game, and some find it good to be the referee, so that the outcome is just and there is a sense of comfort in seeing fair play move humanity ahead. Seeing through the eyes of others often is a portal to greater existence, but in the mix of things, I think there are many great motivators, which benefit one and all. So if President Obama does gather enough world support for peace initatives, perhaps he is deserving of the prize, albeit specific for just that reason. I too find the ongoing wars disturbing, and I think we would all be better off if the efforts went more into improving conditions & opportunities for those living in impoverished and unstable regions of the world, and less into military forays. The trick as I see it is to steer defense contractors in the right direction (since they're locked into power in out current mode, especially in the US). Truly, defense is about defending the rights of mankind, and there is no better way to do that than to diminish the conditions that lead to instability and conflict. If we can get them to make & send plowshares instead of swords, we will win the hearts and minds of those in desperate situations, and help "prime their pumps" economically speaking. So, I am writing the President, asking that he steer money flowing into defense in the direction of solar-powered desalination systems and pipelines, renewable electric systems, disease prevention equipment and education, sanitation equipment, and the like for those in urgent need around the globe. For the billions we spend on defense, we ought to be living in a safer world by now! They need the jobs, we need the jobs, and the world needs a better way forward. I remember a tape of Bin Laden bringing equipment to the Sudan, and grading and improving the roads there - the citizens of Sudan were ecstatic to have these improvements! Many a village in Afghanistan needs better water supplies, electric infrastructure, and a small improvement in something like a pump, panel, and water well brings us a huge return in good will. Since it takes a thriving middle class to support and nurture democratic principles and real progress, this is the best investment in defense we, or any nation can make. Now, since once a stone is placed in a structure, it is hard to move - so we'll probably have to get the defense contractors to make these things over more weapons - they should be alright with that, as long as they get the contracts, and can apply their high-tech know-how to the problems at hand. And hopefully, Barack will see this too, and be persuasive in bringing for this change. If he hasn't been steered too far into the war camp, I see some hope for the future. Otherwise, it's back to the chaos of tribal/family/power broker feuds, and safe-havens for lunatics on the fringe..