chuck kottke

Hello, and make yourself at home!!:)

Keep cool by going underground!;)

A right of property which was stated in the US Constitution initially as well, but a compromise to ensure a union of states, and one in which some of the signers objected to. But after a time it became more and more clear that the matter was simply wrong, the industrial revolution was afoot, and instead of choosing machinery advancements, the south continued to choose slavery. I think it became a battle involving strong-headed powerful men who simply refused to admit their errors, and begin the process of change. The arrogance of power is not the sole province of heads of state.. Wasn't it Jefferson who said, after penning the Constitution, that the institution of slavery would corrupt all those who were involved in it; ultimately corrupting even Jefferson himself?

Jesus Will Return in 2032!:P

Hey Nick, he's not in office just yet, hence he's not really made any policy changes because legally he can't until he's sworn into office!:P But the inauguration will be a blast!! I'm really really glad Obama is going to be president, and I sincerely hope everyone who goes has the time of their lives!!

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish..

Anyone got the song list? I hope they play Beautiful Day and maybe One Tree Hill.

Pardon the deviation from topic - but somehow it always seems to go that way..:rolleyes:

@ Nick - the 'government' isn't a monolith, although patterns of behavior persist. I have faith that Obama will do more right things if we put positive pressure on him to do so. He isn't as intransigent as Bush, and yes government had plenty to do with the economic troubles, but mostly from the pay-offs that led to bad legislative decisions, as far as I see it. Fair Elections at the root of the problem; the easy money from Wall Street & Big Corps. is where the rot starts in the tree of our government. Cut out the rot, and the wound heals. @localola86 - Yes, this is a thread for the inauguration!! :) Are you headed to Washington for the festivities??

What's up, miss Googler Isabella?:rolleyes::)

Everything I see tells me that Wall Street copied, nay became ENRON. Why? Because those who worked in ENRON's boiler room went to work for a bevy of Wall Street firms, spreading the bad ideas throughout the financial sector. And ENRON headed the way for a compete mixing of the banking and government sectors by co-opting the regulatory process and regulatory agencies. This was the model that led to the debacle, which we're still dealing with.. The packaging of bad loans as good by bundling and hiding the truth, then selling them on the markets to unsuspecting investors...

True, Nick - but to go the Maverick route as Carter tried when he first went to Washington usually means you'll get nowhere with your agenda, or with Congress since they're all connected to the lobbyists. I once argued that we should outright ban lobbying by anything other than ordinary citizens, since to "petition the government for a redress of grievances" means just that, not "petition the government for some truckloads of cash by buying candidates air time".. Now if we work on real election reform, we might see a president who can then come forward with an independent agenda, more along the lines of what they were elected to do. So, unfortunately, this is the way Washington works right now. But I believe he's not typical in the sense that they have to get him to listen to them, not the other way around. Simply put, they (the in group) have screwed up big time, and they know it, and so do we. If they continue down the same old path, it will be more and more disasters, so unless they're stuck in low gear, I think they have to recognize outside voices and the will of the people. Or at least I hope so! He surrounds himself with some of those types, but not all. And some of them realize what caused the derailment on Wall Street; The Ken Lay / Jeff Skilling protege's I think are out of office..

Obviously a Mad Hatter..:rolleyes::hat: What I was thinking, was, how do we keep all this stuff running? My, it's amazing... all this, to goof around in!!

:laugh3: Alright, Isabella of Castile, stalking may require a trip in a time machine to 13th century Spain!! I'll stick to my usual googles of technological advancements.. I'd like to know what's new in the way of PV cells and silicon refining..

The Sperry UNIVAC message board, ca. 1961..:P (sounds like Marissa really gets around!):rolleyes:

Pessimism can be self-defeating. To be critical and to take action, but to be too pesemistic only leads to the certainty of no-change in policy. I understand some of it, but it can also be an excuse to not try, or not test the waters. Gather your beliefs, and find a group. Learn. And then act.,,,,,,,,,

I think Obama will be different simply because his candidacy raised a significant amount of capital from numerous small contributors, and that provides more incentive for him to move forward with a progressive agenda. Not perfect by any means, but not Bush! Unlike Bush, who basically told everyone to buzz off at the mere criticism of policy the neo-cons had cooked up, Obama listens! And he isn't a war hawk. Why not write him a note, and be part of the groups who are trying to move the agenda away from the old guard? I think now is the time to have an effect, and I believe he's amenable to suggestions.. They do have their transition website up for all to comment if you wish - it's not as impossible to affect policy decisions as one might think.

Hmm.. Don't Look Back in Anger! Pachelbel's cannon, eh? I'll have to go have a look...;)

Chopin is nice, Beethoven's astounding, and Mozart is superb! And I was listening to an ABBA song, thinking they must have worked in a classical piano piece as the general central piano part; SOS is the name of the tune.. I need to go fetch the YouTube version.[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4JEmz4FoJE]YouTube - ABBA-S.O.S.[/ame]

Kaisin, have fun!! Wish I could go, but funds are low. I'll watch on TV - jump around a lot when you're on camera so we can see you then!!:)

YAYAYAYAYAY!!! Thanks - that's uplifting - even better than the real thing!! In the spirit of the times, I'm glad they're offering it to everyone. It's a time when we need to all come together as a nation, and have some Comradery.. Thanks again - worth noting on the calendar..

That's a good sign - it means Jersey is a warm place to be!!:) Yes, I think a snow-less winter would seem a bit odd too - but then here it might as well be Antarctica given our weather lately.. Minimums in the northern hemisphere generally are reached this week, so it can only get warmer (on average). I'll send you snow, if you wish - we have a good 1.5 feet of the stuff, and probably another foot or two before the end of winter.. It's perishable though - better to put some cooling coils in the ground first!:P:laugh3:

YAY!! Sounds like the place to be@ this winter! Hmm. wish they would broadcast it more widely..

Banana belter!!:P Jersey sounds like paradise compared to here. Since it was -20F last night, I guess I should be happy it's only -2F right now - a massive improvement! Still, I'm not sure which is worse .. 100F or -20F... I think I'd try the 100F for a while!

Are there parrots, wombats, wallabies, and other odd creatures moving about there??